Transformation of plant cells

Plant cells are transformed by bringing them into contact with a a multiplicity of needle-like bodies on which the cells may be impaled. This causes a rupture in the cell wall allowing entry of transforming DNA either from a surrounding liquid medium or of DNA previously bound to or otherwise entrapped in the needle-like projections

Can the Cardiac ARIA Index improve cardiac care for Australia's indigenous population?

Abstract 12893 from Core 2. Epidemiology and Prevention of CV Disease: Physiology, Pharmacology and Lifestyle Session Title: A Global Look at Cardiovascular Risk.Background Aims: Timely access to appropriate cardiac care is critical for optimizing outcomes. Our aim was to derive an objective, comparable, geographic measure reflecting access to cardiac services for Australia’s 20,387 population locations. Methods: An expert panel defined the patient care pathway. Using geographic information systems (GIS) the numeric/alpha index was modeled in two phases. The acute phase index (numeric) ranged from 1 (access to specialist centre with PCI ≤ 1 hour) to 8 (no ambulance service, > 3 hours to medical facility, air transport required). The aftercare index was modeled into 5 alphabetic categories; A (Access to general practitioner, pharmacy, cardiac rehabilitation, pathology ≤ 1 hour) to E (no services available within 1 hour). Results: Approximately 70% or 13.9 million people lived within a Cardiac ARIA category 1A location. Disparity continues in access to category 1A cardiac services for 5.8 million (30%) of all Australians, 60% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and 32% of people over 65 years of age. In a cardiac emergency only 40% of the Indigenous population reside within 1 hour of category 1 hospital. Approximately 30% (81,491 Indigenous persons) are more than 1 to 3 hours from basic cardiac services. Conclusion: Geographically, the majority of Australian’s have timely access for survival of a cardiac event. The Cardiac ARIA index objectively demonstrates that the healthcare system may not be providing for the needs of 60% of Indigenous people residing outside the 1A geographic radius. Innovative clinical practice is required to address these disparities.Robyn A Clark, Neil Coffee, Dorothy Turner, Kerena Eckert, Simon Stewart, David Wilkinson, Deborah van Gaans and Andrew Tonki

Cardiac ARIA: a geographic approach to measure accessibility to cardiac services in Australia before and after an acute cardiac event

Publication contains Conference abstracts and posters.Abstract not availableR.A. Clark, N. Coffee, K. Eckert, D. Turner, A. Tonki

Cardiac ARIA Index: Measuring the accessibility to cardiovascular services in rural and remote Australia via applied geographic spatial technology

Clark, RA, Coffee, N, Turner, D, Eckert, K, Bamford, E, van Gaans, D, Astles, P, Milligan, M, Smail, T, Stewart, S, Coombe, D, Sutcliffe, C, Wilkinson, D, Tonkin, A. On behalf of the CARDIAC-ARIA project grou

Mapping services to support a patient's journey through evidence-based care pathways after a cardiac event

Background: There are inequalities in geographical access and delivery of health care services in Australia, particularly for cardiovascular disease (CVD), Australia's major cause of death. Analyses and models that can inform and positively influence strategies to augment services and preventative measures are needed. The Cardiac-ARIA project is using geographical spatial technology (GIS) to develop a national index for each of Australia's 13,000 population centres. The index will describe the spatial distribution of CVD health care services available to support populations at risk, in a timely manner, after a major cardiac event. Methods: In the initial phase of the project, an expert panel of cardiologists and an emergency physician have identified key elements of national and international guidelines for management of acute coronary syndromes, cardiac arrest, life-threatening arrhythmias and acute heart failure, from the time of onset (potentially dial 000) to return from the hospital to the community (cardiac rehabilitation). Results: A systematic search has been undertaken to identify the geographical location of, and type of, cardiac services currently available. This has enabled derivation of a master dataset of necessary services, e.g. telephone networks, ambulance, RFDS, helicopter retrieval services, road networks, hospitals, general practitioners, medical community centres, pathology services, CCUs, catheterisation laboratories, cardio-thoracic surgery units and cardiac rehabilitation services. Conclusion: This unique and innovative project has the potential to deliver a powerful tool to both highlight and combat the burden of disease of CVD in urban and regional Australia