Community pharmacy type 2 diabetes risk assessment: demographics and risk results

Objectives: To determine the demographics and risk results of patients accessing a community pharmacy diabetes risk assessment service. Method: Participating patients underwent an assessment using a validated questionnaire to determine their 10-year risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Patients were given appropriate lifestyle advice or referred to their general practitioner if necessary. Key findings: In total, 21 302 risk assessments were performed. Nearly one-third (29%) of 3427 risk assessments analysed yielded a result of moderate or high chance of developing the condition. Conclusions: Community pharmacies can identify a significant number of patients at risk of developing type 2 diabetes in the next 10 years. Further follow-up work needs to be done to determine the cost-effectiveness of such a service and the consequences of receiving a risk assessment

Supramolecular Daisy Chains

Two series of self-complementary daisy chain monomers, in which a secondary ammonium ion-containing arm is grafted onto a macrocycle with either a [24]- or [25]crown-8 constitution, have been synthesized. In the solid- and ‘gas'-phases, the parent [24]crown-8-based monomer forms dimeric superstructures, as revealed by X-ray crystallography and mass spectrometry, respectively. Elucidation of the complicated solution-phase behavior of this compound was facilitated by the synthesis and study of both deuterated, and fluorinated, analogues. These investigations revealed that the cyclic dimeric superstructure also dominates in solution, except when extremes of either concentration (low), temperature (high), or solvent polarity (highly polar, e.g., dimethyl sulfoxide) are employed. Whereas, upon aggregation, the [24]crown-8-based daisy chain monomers have the capacity to form stereoisomeric superstructures further complicating the study of this series of compounds. The assembly of [25]crown-8-based monomers gives only achiral superstructures. The weaker association exhibited between secondary dialkylammonium ions and crown ethers with a [25]crown-8 constitution, however, resulted in limited oligomerization only dimeric and trimeric superstructures were formed at experimentally attainable concentrations of [25]crown-8-based daisy chain monomers

Pollen analysis of Australian honey

Pollen analysis is widely used to verify the geographic origin of honeys, but has never been employed in Australia. In this study, we analysed the pollen content of 173 unblended honey samples sourced from most of the commercial honey producing regions in southern Australia. Southern Australian vegetation is dominated by Eucalyptus (Myrtaceae) forests and, as expected, most Australian honeys are palynologically dominated by Eucalyptus, while other important components include Myrtaceae taxa such as Corymbia/Angophora and the tribe Leptospermeae; plus Brassicaceae, Echium, Macadamia, and Acacia. An important feature of the honeys is the number of Myrtaceae pollen morphotypes per sample, which is generally high (mean = 4.6) compared to honeys produced outside of Australia, including Eucalyptus honeys produced in the Mediterranean region, and honeys produced in South America, which has its own rich indigenous Myrtaceae flora. In the latter regions, the number of Myrtaceae morphotypes is apparently generally 2. A high number of Myrtaceae morphotypes may be a feasible criterion for authenticating the origin of Australian honeys, since most Australian honey is produced by honey bees mainly working indigenous floral resources. Myrtaceae morphotype diversity is a convenient melissopalynological measure that could be applied even where detailed knowledge of the pollen morphology of the many component genera and species is absent. Palynological criteria developed in Europe for authenticating Eucalyptus honeys should not be relied upon for Australian honeys, since those criteria are not based on samples of Australian honey.This study was funded by the Australian Government Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (now AgriFutures Australia, www.agrifutures.com.au), Grant PRJ-009770 to JMKS. The funder had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. However, the funders and two industry partners commented on the manuscript

Template-Directed Olefin Cross Metathesis

A template containing two secondary dialkylammonium ion recognition sites for encirclement by olefin-bearing dibenzo[24]crown-8 derivatives has been used to promote olefin cross metatheses with ruthenium-alkylidene catalysts. For monoolefin monomers, the rates of metatheses and yields of the dimers are both amplified in the presence of the template. Likewise, for a diolefin monomer, the yield of the dimer is enhanced in the presence of the template under conditions where higher oligomers are not formed

Spatial control of bone formation using a porous polymer scaffold co-delivering anabolic RHBMP-2 and anti-resorptive agents

Current clinical delivery of recombinant human bone morphogenetic proteins (rhBMPs) utilises freeze-dried collagen. Despite effective new bone generation, rhBMP via collagen can be limited by significant complications due to inflammation and uncontrolled bone formation. This study aimed to produce an alternative rhBMP local delivery system to permit more controllable and superior rhBMP-induced bone formation. Cylindrical porous poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) scaffolds were manufactured by thermally-induced phase separation. Scaffolds were encapsulated with anabolic rhBMP-2 (20 μg) ± anti-resorptive agents: zoledronic acid (5 μg ZA), ZA pre-adsorbed onto hydroxyapatite microparticles, (5 μg ZA/2 % HA) or IkappaB kinase (IKK) inhibitor (10 μg PS-1145). Scaffolds were inserted in a 6-mm critical-sized femoral defect in Wistar rats, and compared against rhBMP-2 via collagen. The regenerate region was examined at 6 weeks by 3D microCT and descriptive histology. MicroCT and histology revealed rhBMP-induced bone was more restricted in the PLGA scaffolds than collagen scaffolds (-92.3 % TV, p < 0.01). The regenerate formed by PLGA + rhBMP-2/ZA/HA showed comparable bone volume to rhBMP-2 via collagen, and bone mineral density was +9.1 % higher (p < 0.01). Local adjunct ZA/HA or PS-1145 significantly enhanced PLGA + rhBMP-induced bone formation by +78.2 % and +52.0 %, respectively (p ≤ 0.01). Mechanistically, MG-63 human osteoblast-like cells showed cellular invasion and proliferation within PLGA scaffolds. In conclusion, PLGA scaffolds enabled superior spatial control of rhBMP-induced bone formation over clinically-used collagen. The PLGA scaffold has the potential to avoid uncontrollable bone formation-related safety issues and to customise bone shape by scaffold design. Moreover, local treatment with anti-resorptive agents incorporated within the scaffold further augmented rhBMP-induced bone formation

The Global Genome Biodiversity Network (GGBN) Data Portal

The Author(s) 2013. Published by Oxford University Press. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/ by-nc/3.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. For commercial re-use, please contact [email protected] The attached file is the published pdf

A Lagerstätte from Australia provides insight into the nature of Miocene mesic ecosystems

Reduced precipitation in the Miocene triggered the geographic contraction of rainforest ecosystems around the world. In Australia, this change was particularly pronounced; mesic rainforest ecosystems that once dominated the landscape transformed into the shrublands, grasslands, and deserts of today. A lack of well-preserved fossils has made it difficult to understand the nature of Australian ecosystems before the aridification. Here, we report on an exceptionally well-preserved rainforest biota from New South Wales, Australia. This Konservat-Lagerstätte hosts a rich diversity of microfossils, plants, insects, spiders, and vertebrate remains preserved in goethite. We document evidence for several species interactions including predation, parasitism, and pollination. The fossils are indicative of an oxbow lake in a mesic rainforest and suggest that rainforest distributions have shifted since the Miocene. The variety of fossils preserved, together with high fidelity of preservation, allows for unprecedented insights into the mesic ecosystems that dominated Australia during the Miocene

New constraints on atmospheric CO2 concentration for the Phanerozoic

Earth's atmospheric CO2 concentration (ca) for the Phanerozoic Eon is estimated from proxies and geochemical carbon cycle models. Most estimates come with large, sometimes unbounded uncertainty. Here, we calculate tightly constrained estimates of ca using a universal equation for leaf gas exchange, with key variables obtained directly from the carbon isotope composition and stomatal anatomy of fossil leaves. Our new estimates, validated against ice cores and direct measurements of ca, are less than 1000 ppm for most of the Phanerozoic, from the Devonian to the present, coincident with the appearance and global proliferation of forests. Uncertainties, obtained from Monte Carlo simulations, are typically less than for ca estimates from other approaches. These results provide critical new empirical support for the emerging view that large (~2000-3000 ppm), long-term swings in ca do not characterize the post-Devonian and that Earth's long-term climate sensitivity to ca is greater than originally thought. Key Points A novel CO2 proxy calculates past atmospheric CO2 with improved certainty CO2 is unlikely to have exceeded ~1000 ppm for extended periods post Devonian Earth's long-term climate sensitivity to CO2 is greater than originally thought

Measurement of χ c1 and χ c2 production with s√ = 7 TeV pp collisions at ATLAS

The prompt and non-prompt production cross-sections for the χ c1 and χ c2 charmonium states are measured in pp collisions at s√ = 7 TeV with the ATLAS detector at the LHC using 4.5 fb−1 of integrated luminosity. The χ c states are reconstructed through the radiative decay χ c → J/ψγ (with J/ψ → μ + μ −) where photons are reconstructed from γ → e + e − conversions. The production rate of the χ c2 state relative to the χ c1 state is measured for prompt and non-prompt χ c as a function of J/ψ transverse momentum. The prompt χ c cross-sections are combined with existing measurements of prompt J/ψ production to derive the fraction of prompt J/ψ produced in feed-down from χ c decays. The fractions of χ c1 and χ c2 produced in b-hadron decays are also measured