Sheep - the simple guide to making more money with less work: Spring-summer rainfall zone

Spring and summer rainfall regions include the southern tablelands of Queensland, and the northern tablelands, the northern slopes and the northern part of the central tablelands of New South Wales. These areas have predominantly spring and summer rainfall of 650–1000 mm annually

The role of reperfusion injury in photodynamic therapy with 5-aminolaevulinic acid – a study on normal rat colon

Reperfusion injury can occur when blood flow is restored after a transient period of ischaemia. The resulting cascade of reactive oxygen species damages tissue. This mechanism may contribute to the tissue damage produced by 5-aminolaevulinic acid-induced photodynamic therapy, if this treatment temporarily depletes oxygen in an area that is subsequently reoxygenated. This was investigated in the normal colon of female Wistar rats. All animals received 200 mg kg−1 5-aminolaevulinic acid intravenously 2 h prior to 25 J (100 mW) of 628 nm light, which was delivered continuously or fractionated (5 J/150 second dark interval/20 J). Animals were recovered following surgery, killed 3 days later and the photodynamic therapy lesion measured macroscopically. The effects of reperfusion injury were removed from the experiments either through the administration of free radical scavengers (superoxide dismutase (10 mg kg−1) and catalase (7.5 mg kg−1) in combination) or allopurinol (an inhibitor of xanthine oxidase (50 mg kg−1)). Prior administration of the free radical scavengers and allopurinol abolished the macroscopic damage produced by 5-aminolaevulinic acid photodynamic therapy in this model, regardless of the light regime employed. As the specific inhibitor of xanthine oxidase (allopurinol) protected against photodynamic therapy damage, it is concluded that reperfusion injury is involved in the mechanism of photodynamic therapy in the rat colon

Exploring the role of nurses in after-hours telephone services in regional areas; A scoping review

Introduction The management of patients who need chronic and complex care is a focus of attention internationally, brought about by an increase in chronic conditions, requiring significantly more care over longer periods of time. The increase in chronic conditions has placed pressure on health services, financially and physically, bringing about changes in the way care is delivered, with hospital avoidance and home-based care encouraged. In this environment, nurses play an important role in co-ordinating care across services. This review formed one part of a funded project that explored the nurse navigator role within a proposed 24-hour telephone-call service in one regional area that has a diverse population in terms of cultural identity and geographical location in relation to service access. Aim The review reports on the extant literature on the nurse’s role in the provision of afterhours telephone services for patients with chronic and complex conditions. The specific aim was to explore the effectiveness of services for patients in geographically isolated locations. Methods The methodological approach to the review followed the Preferred Reporting System for Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. A thematic analysis was used to identify themes with chronic care models underpinning analysis. Results Three themes were identified; nurse-led decision making; consumer profile; and program outcomes. Each theme was divided into two sub-themes. The two sub-themes for decision making were: the experience of the staff who provided the service and the tool or protocol used. The two sub-themes for consumers profile were; the geographic/demographic identity of the consumers, and consumer satisfaction. The final theme of outcomes describes how the effectiveness of the service is measured, broken into two sub-themes: the economic/workforce outcomes and the consumer outcomes. Discussion The provision of an after-hours telephone service, in whatever model used should align with a Chronic Care Model. In this way, after-hours telephone services provided by experienced nurses, supported by ongoing professional development and relevant protocols, form part of the ongoing improvement for chronic and complex care management as a health priority

Gln-tRNAGln synthesis in a dynamic transamidosome from Helicobacter pylori, where GluRS2 hydrolyzes excess Glu-tRNAGln

In many bacteria and archaea, an ancestral pathway is used where asparagine and glutamine are formed from their acidic precursors while covalently linked to tRNAAsn and tRNAGln, respectively. Stable complexes formed by the enzymes of these indirect tRNA aminoacylation pathways are found in several thermophilic organisms, and are called transamidosomes. We describe here a transamidosome forming Gln-tRNAGln in Helicobacter pylori, an ε-proteobacterium pathogenic for humans; this transamidosome displays novel properties that may be characteristic of mesophilic organisms. This ternary complex containing the non-canonical GluRS2 specific for Glu-tRNAGln formation, the tRNA-dependent amidotransferase GatCAB and tRNAGln was characterized by dynamic light scattering. Moreover, we observed by interferometry a weak interaction between GluRS2 and GatCAB (KD = 40 ± 5 µM). The kinetics of Glu-tRNAGln and Gln-tRNAGln formation indicate that conformational shifts inside the transamidosome allow the tRNAGln acceptor stem to interact alternately with GluRS2 and GatCAB despite their common identity elements. The integrity of this dynamic transamidosome depends on a critical concentration of tRNAGln, above which it dissociates into separate GatCAB/tRNAGln and GluRS2/tRNAGln complexes. Ester bond protection assays show that both enzymes display a good affinity for tRNAGln regardless of its aminoacylation state, and support a mechanism where GluRS2 can hydrolyze excess Glu-tRNAGln, ensuring faithful decoding of Gln codons

Early rheumatoid arthritis is characterized by a distinct and transient synovial fluid cytokine profile of T cell and stromal cell origin

Pathological processes involved in the initiation of rheumatoid synovitis remain unclear. We undertook the present study to identify immune and stromal processes that are present soon after the clinical onset of rheumatoid arthritis ( RA) by assessing a panel of T cell, macrophage, and stromal cell related cytokines and chemokines in the synovial fluid of patients with early synovitis. Synovial fluid was aspirated from inflamed joints of patients with inflammatory arthritis of duration 3 months or less, whose outcomes were subsequently determined by follow up. For comparison, synovial fluid was aspirated from patients with acute crystal arthritis, established RA and osteoarthritis. Rheumatoid factor activity was blocked in the synovial fluid samples, and a panel of 23 cytokines and chemokines measured using a multiplex based system. Patients with early inflammatory arthritis who subsequently developed RA had a distinct but transient synovial fluid cytokine profile. The levels of a range of T cell, macrophage and stromal cell related cytokines ( e. g. IL-2, IL-4, IL-13, IL-17, IL-15, basic fibroblast growth factor and epidermal growth factor) were significantly elevated in these patients within 3 months after symptom onset, as compared with early arthritis patients who did not develop RA. In addition, this profile was no longer present in established RA. In contrast, patients with non-rheumatoid persistent synovitis exhibited elevated levels of interferon-gamma at initiation. Early synovitis destined to develop into RA is thus characterized by a distinct and transient synovial fluid cytokine profile. The cytokines present in the early rheumatoid lesion suggest that this response is likely to influence the microenvironment required for persistent RA

Interaction between integrin α9β1 and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) inhibits neutrophil apoptosis

According to the prevailing paradigm, neutrophils are short-lived cells that undergo spontaneous apoptosis within 24 hours of their release from the bone marrow. However, neutrophil survival can be significantly prolonged within inflamed tissue by cytokines, inflammatory mediators, and hypoxia. During screening experiments aimed at identifying the effect of the adhesive microenvironment on neutrophil survival, we found that VCAM-1 (CD106) was able to delay both spontaneous and Fas-induced apoptosis. VCAM-1-mediated survival was as efficient as that induced by the cytokine IFN-β and provided an additive, increased delay in apoptosis when given in combination with IFN-β. VCAM-1 delivered its antiapoptotic effect through binding the integrin α9β1. The α9β 1 signaling pathway shares significant features with the IFN-β survival signaling pathway, requiring PI3 kinase, NF-κB activation, as well as de novo protein synthesis, but the kinetics of NF-κB activation by VCAM-1 were slower and more sustained compared with IFN-β. This study demonstrates a novel functional role for α9β1 in neutrophil biology and suggests that adhesive signaling pathways provide an important extrinsic checkpoint for the resolution of inflammatory responses in tissues

Histological evidence of superficial inflammation is associated with lower recurrence of equine sarcoids following surgical removal: A follow-up study of 106 tumours in 64 horses.

Although the equine sarcoid is the most common skin neoplasm in domesticated horses, histopathological characteristics have not previously been evaluated for association with recurrence. The aim of this retrospective cohort study was to investigate clinical and histopathological features of excised equine sarcoids and to evaluate their association with recurrence at the original surgical site and at new sites. Clinical records and excisional biopsies from 106 equine sarcoids from 64 horses referred to Leahurst Equine Hospital, University of Liverpool, between March 2010 and February 2015 were retrieved. Biopsies were re-evaluated histologically. Clinical data were obtained from hospital records, and owner-reported follow-up data were obtained by telephone questionnaire. Associations between clinical and histopathological features of sarcoids and their recurrence at the surgical site were determined using uni- and multivariable mixed effects logistic regression. Recurrence of sarcoids at the surgical site occurred in 30 horses (46.9%). Sarcoids developed at a distant site in 21 horses (32.8%). In the final mixed effects logistic regression model, only superficial inflammation was associated with reduced odds of recurrence at the surgical site (adjusted odds ratio, 0.32; 95% confidence intervals, 0.10-0.96; P=0.04). This suggests that the inflammatory process may play a role in protecting horses against the recurrence of sarcoids