Acute characteristics of pediatric dysphagia subsequent to traumatic brain injury: Videofluoroscopic assessment

Objective: To document the acute characteristics of swallowing impairment in a group of children post moderate/severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) by means of videofluoroscopy. Participants: Eighteen children with moderate/severe TBI. Main Outcome Measure: Videofluoroscopy at an average of 27.7 days post-injury. Results: Subjects demonstrated a range of dysphagia severity levels: mild-moderate (n = 8), moderate (n = 6), moderate-severe (n = 3), and severe (n = 1) and had a combination of oral and pharyngeal phase characteristics. More specifically; observable features or physiological impairments that were identified included reduced lingual control, hesitancy of tongue movement, repetitive tongue pumping, the presence of aspiration (including silent aspiration), delayed swallow reflex trigger, reduced laryngeal elevation and closure, and reduced peristalsis. Conclusions: These data highlight the diversity of swallowing deficits and dysphagia severity levels in children following TBI and suggest that the former are consistent with a pattern of oropharyngeal impairments.

Isolation of Gemmata-like and Isosphaera-like planctomycete bacteria from soil and freshwater

New cultured strains of the planctomycete division (order Planctomycetales) of the domain Bacteria related to species in the genera Gemmata and Isosphaera were isolated from soil, freshwater, and a laboratory ampicillin solution. Phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene from eight representative isolates showed that all the isolates were members of the planctomycete division. Six isolates clustered with Gemmata obscuriglobus and related strains, while two isolates clustered with Isosphaera pallida. A double-membrane-bounded nucleoid was observed in Gemmata-related isolates but not in Isosphaera-related isolates, consistent with the ultrastructures of existing species of each genus. Two isolates from this study represent the first planctomycetes successfully cultivated from soil.

Monitoring the composition and form of urban environments based on the vegetation-impervious surface-soil (VIS) model by sub-pixel analysis techniques

The majority of the world's population now resides in urban environments and information on the internal composition and dynamics of these environments is essential to enable preservation of certain standards of living. Remotely sensed data, especially the global coverage of moderate spatial resolution satellites such as Landsat, Indian Resource Satellite and Systeme Pour I'Observation de la Terre (SPOT), offer a highly useful data source for mapping the composition of these cities and examining their changes over time. The utility and range of applications for remotely sensed data in urban environments could be improved with a more appropriate conceptual model relating urban environments to the sampling resolutions of imaging sensors and processing routines. Hence, the aim of this work was to take the Vegetation-Impervious surface-Soil (VIS) model of urban composition and match it with the most appropriate image processing methodology to deliver information on VIS composition for urban environments. Several approaches were evaluated for mapping the urban composition of Brisbane city (south-cast Queensland, Australia) using Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper data and 1:5000 aerial photographs. The methods evaluated were: image classification; interpretation of aerial photographs; and constrained linear mixture analysis. Over 900 reference sample points on four transects were extracted from the aerial photographs and used as a basis to check output of the classification and mixture analysis. Distinctive zonations of VIS related to urban composition were found in the per-pixel classification and aggregated air-photo interpretation; however, significant spectral confusion also resulted between classes. In contrast, the VIS fraction images produced from the mixture analysis enabled distinctive densities of commercial, industrial and residential zones within the city to be clearly defined, based on their relative amount of vegetation cover. The soil fraction image served as an index for areas being (re)developed. The logical match of a low (L)-resolution, spectral mixture analysis approach with the moderate spatial resolution image data, ensured the processing model matched the spectrally heterogeneous nature of the urban environments at the scale of Landsat Thematic Mapper data.

A review of the flower characteristics of Geraldton waxflower and factors influencing their abscission from harvested stems

Geraldton waxflower (Chamelaucium uncinatum Schauer) is Australia's most economically important cut-flower export. Its small, attractive flowers make it particularly suitable as a filler in floral arrangements. However, postharvest bud and flower abscission is a major problem during transport, handling and marketing. Abscission may be caused by wound-induced endogenous ethylene production brought about by flower tissue infection with fungal pathogens such as Botrytis cinerea. Botany and postharvest characteristics are discussed in relation to flower abscission and how resultant postharvest losses may be minimised.

Nitrate in soil humic acids revealed by N-14 nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy

Ecosystem management such as plant residue retention and prescribed burning can significantly affect soil organic matter (SOM) composition and, thereby, the closely associated carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycling processes, which underpin terrestrial ecosystem productivity and sustainability. Humic acid (HA) is an important SOM component and its chemical composition has attracted much attention. Here we report the first application of N-14 nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to soil HA study, revealing the surprising existence of nitrate-N and ammonia-N in the HAs. This newly discovered HA nitrate-N, though in a relatively low concentrations, is closely related to soil N availability and responsive to plant residue management regimes in contrasting forest ecosystems. The HA nitrate-N may be a useful and sensitive biochemical indicator of SOM quality in response to different ecosystem management regimes.

Survival of conidia of sorghum ergot (caused by Claviceps africana) on panicles, seed and soil in Australia

Macroconidia of the sorghum ergot pathogen, Claviceps africana Frederickson, Mantle & de Milliano, survived in dried honeydew on soil for 13-14 weeks in a glasshouse at ambient temperatures, but for less than half that time on seed stored in a shadehouse over summer. Those on seeds stored at 4degreesC, however, survived for over a year (58-62 weeks). During summer, conidia on ergot-infected panicles buried in soil, or on the soil surface, survived for 7.5-12 weeks, whereas over winter the survival times were 4 weeks and 19-27 weeks, respectively. Macroconidia on infected panicles held above the soil surface survived for >38 weeks (8 calendar months) over winter, suggesting that they may play a role in the perennation of C. africana in Australia.

Checklist of health promotion environments at worksites (CHEW): Development and measurement characteristics

Purpose. Health promotion policy frameworks, recent theorizing, and research all emphasize understanding and mobilizing environmental influences to change particular health-related behaviors in specific settings. The workplace is a key environmental setting. The Checklist of Health Promotion Environments at Worksites (CHEW) was designed as a direct observation instrument to assess characteristics of worksite environments that are known to influence health-related behaviors. Methods. The CHEW is a 112-item checklist of workplace environment features hypothesized to be associated, both positively and negatively, with physical activity, healthy eating, alcohol consumption, and smoking. The three environmental domains assessed are (1) physical characteristics of the worksite, (2) features of the information environment, and (3) characteristics of the immediate neighborhood around the workplace. The conceptual rationale and development studies for the CHEW are described, and data from observational studies of 20 worksites are reported. Results. The data on CHEW-derived environmental attributes showed generally good reliability and identified meaningful sets of variables that plausibly may influence health-related behaviors. With the exception of one information environment attribute, intraclass correlation coefficients ranged from 0.80 to 1.00. Descriptive statistics on selected physical and information environment characteristics indicated that vending machines, showers, bulletin boards, and signs prohibiting smoking were common across worksites. Bicycle racks, visible stairways, and signs related to alcohol consumption, nutrition, and health. promotion were relatively uncommon. Conclusions. These findings illustrate the types of data on environmental attributes that can be derived, their relevance for program planning, and how they can characterize variability across worksites. The CHEW is a promising observational measure that has the potential to assess environmental influences on health behaviors and to evaluate workplace health promotion programs.

Impact of land-use on soil organic matter quality in south-western Australia - characterization with C-13 CP/MAS NMR spectroscopy

The influence of change in land-use from native vegetation to pasture (20-71 yr after conversion), and subsequent change from pasture to eucalypt plantation (7-10 yr after conversion) on soil organic matter quality was investigated using C-13 CP/MAS NMR spectroscopy. We studied surface soil (0-10 cm) from six sites representing a range of soil, and climate types from south-western Australia. Total C in the samples ranged from 1.6 to 5.5%, but the relative proportions of the four primary spectral regions (alkyl, O-alkyl, aromatic and carboxylic) were similar across the sites, and changes due to land-use at each site were relatively minor. Main impacts of changed land-use were higher O-alkyl (carbohydrate) material under pasture than under native vegetation and plantation (P = 0.048), and lower aromatic C under pasture than under native vegetation (P = 0.027). The decrease in aromatic C in pasture soils was related to time since clearing. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Knowledge of the national emergency telephone number and prevalence and characteristics of those trained in CPR in Queensland: baseline information for targeted training interventions

Members of the community contribute to survival from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest by contacting emergency medical services and performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) prior to the arrival of an ambulance. In Australia there is a paucity of information of the extent that community members know the emergency telephone number and are trained in CPR. A survey of Queensland adults (n = 4490) was conducted to ascertain current knowledge and training levels and to target CPR training. Although most respondents (88.3%) could state the Australian emergency telephone number correctly, significant age differences were apparent (P < 0.001). One in five respondents aged 60 years and older could not state the emergency number correctly. While just over half the respondents (53.9%) had completed some form of CPR training, only 12.1% had recent training. Older people were more likely to have never had CPR training than young adults. Additional demographic and socio-economic differences were found between those never trained in CPR and those who were. The results emphasise the need to increase CPR training in those aged 40 and over, particularly females, and to increase the awareness of the emergency telephone number amongst older people. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Epidemiology and strain characteristics of Echinococcus granulosus in the Benghazi area of eastern Libya

The incidence of surgically confirmed cystic echinococcosis in eastern Libya was estimated to be at least 4.2 cases/100,000, with significantly more female cases than male. The prevalences of infection with Echinococcus granulosus among 1087 sheep, 881 goats, 428 camels and 614 cattle from the same region, determined postmortem in abattoirs, were 20%, 3.4%, 13.6% and 11%, respectively. Infection in the livestock was age-dependent and, generally, the female animals were more often infected than the male. The measurements of rostellar hooks on protoscoleces collected from sheep and cattle were similar but significantly different from the corresponding measurements of parasites of human or camel origin. However, when a portion of the cytochrome c-oxidase subunit I (coxl) gene from each of 30 protoscolex samples from Libya (12 from cattle, three from humans, five from camels and 10 from sheep) was sequenced, the sequences were all found to be identical to that published for the common sheep strain of E. granulosus.

The distribution and morphological characteristics of catecholaminergic cells in the brain of monotremes as revealed by tyrosine hydroxylase immunohistochemistry

The present study describes the distribution and cellular morphology of catecholaminergic neurons in the CNS of two species of monotreme, the platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) and the short-beaked echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus). Tyrosine hydroxylase immunohistochemistry was used to visualize these neurons. The standard A1-A17, C1-C3 nomenclature was used for expediency, but the neuroanatomical names of the various nuclei have also been given. Monotremes exhibit catecholaminergic neurons in the diencephalon (All, A12, A13, A14, A15), midbrain (A8, A9, A10), rostral rhombencephalon (A5, A6, A7), and medulla (A1, A2, C1, C2). The subdivisions of these neurons are in general agreement with those of other mammals, and indeed other amniotes. Apart from minor differences, those being a lack of A4, A3, and C3 groups, the catecholaminergic system of monotremes is very similar to that of other mammals. Catecholaminergic neurons outside these nuclei, such as those reported for other mammals, were not numerous with occasional cells observed in the striatum. It seems unlikely that differences in the sleep phenomenology of monotremes, as compared to other mammals, can be explained by these differences. The similarity of this system across mammalian and amniote species underlines the evolutionary conservatism of the catecholaminergic system. Copyright (C) 2002 S. Karger AG, Basel.

The distribution and morphological characteristics of serotonergic cells in the brain of monotremes

The distribution and cellular morphology of serotonergic neurons in the brain of two species of monotremes are described. Three clusters of serotonergic neurons were found: a hypothalamic cluster, a cluster in the rostral brainstem and a cluster in the caudal brainstem. Those in the hypothalamus consisted of two groups, the periventricular hypothalamic organ and the infundibular recess, that were intimately associated with the ependymal wall of the third ventricle. Within the rostral brainstem cluster, three distinct divisions were found: the dorsal raphe nucleus (with four subdivisions), the median raphe nucleus and the cells of the supralemniscal region. The dorsal raphe was within and adjacent to the periaqueductal gray matter, the median raphe was associated with the midline ventral to the dorsal raphe, and the cells of the supralemniscal region were in the tegmentum lateral to the median raphe and ventral to the dorsal raphe. The caudal cluster consisted of three divisions: the raphe obscurus nucleus, the raphe pallidus nucleus and the raphe magnus nucleus. The raphe obscurus nucleus was associated with the dorsal midline at the caudal-most part of the medulla oblongata. The raphe pallidus nucleus was found at the ventral midline of the medulla around the inferior olive. Raphe magnus was associated with the midline of the medulla and was found rostral to both the raphe obscurus and raphe pallidus. The results of our study are compared in an evolutionary context with those reported for other mammals and reptiles. Copyright (C) 2002 S. Karger AG, Basel.

The distribution and morphological characteristics of cholinergic cells in the brain of monotremes as revealed by ChAT immunohistochemistry

The present study employs choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) immunohistochemistry to identify the cholinergic neuronal population in the central nervous system of the monotremes. Two of the three extant species of monotreme were studied: the platypus (Omithorhynchus anatinus) and the short-beaked echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus). The distribution of cholinergic cells in the brain of these two species was virtually identical. Distinct groups of cholinergic cells were observed in the striatum, basal forebrain, habenula, pontomesencephalon, cranial nerve motor nuclei, and spinal cord. In contrast to other tetrapods studied with this technique, we failed to find evidence for cholinergic cells in the hypothalamus, the parabigeminal nucleus (or nucleus isthmus), or the cerebral cortex. The lack of hypothalamic cholinergic neurons creates a hiatus in the continuous antero-posterior aggregation of cholinergic neurons seen in other tetrapods. This hiatus might be functionally related to the phenomenology of monotreme sleep and to the ontogeny of sleep in mammals, as juvenile placental mammals exhibit a similar combination of sleep elements to that found in adult monotremes. Copyright (C) 2002 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Health and demographic characteristics of respondents in an Australian national sexuality survey: comparison with population norms

Study objective: To assess the representativeness of survey participants by systematically comparing volunteers in a national health and sexuality survey with the Australian population in terms of self reported health status (including the SF-36) and a wide range of demographic characteristics. Design: A cross sectional sample of Australian residents were compared with demographic data from the 1996 Australian census and health data from the 1995 National Health Survey. Setting: The Australian population. Participants: A stratified random sample of adults aged 18-59 years drawn from the Australian electoral roll, a compulsory register of voters. Interviews were completed with 1784 people, representing 40% of those initially selected (58% of those for whom a valid telephone number could be located). Main results: Participants were of similar age and sex to the national population. Consistent with prior research, respondents had higher socioeconomic status, more education, were more likely to be employed, and less likely to be immigrants. The prevalence estimates, means, and variances of self reported mental and physical health measures (for example, SF-36 subscales, women's health indicators, current smoking status) were similar to population norms. Conclusions: These findings considerably strengthen inferences about the representativeness of data on health status from volunteer samples used in health and sexuality surveys.