Review of Indigenous Oral Health

Indigenous Australians1 have poorer oral health than other Australians [1, 2]. Indigenous people suffer from more caries, periodontal diseases, and tooth loss than non-Indigenous people [3]. Tooth decay among the Indigenous population more commonly goes untreated, leading to more extractions. This discrepancy is attributed in part to the fact that access to culturally appropriate and timely dental care is often not available to Indigenous people, especially in rural and remote areas. Other information on oral health such as culturally appropriate resources about maintaining healthy teeth and mouths, and nutritional guidance on how much sugar is contained in certain foods and drinks, is also less available for the Indigenous Australian population. If Indigenous oral health is to be ameliorated, access to dental care must be improved, and an integrated holistic approach to oral health, which includes preventative measures, needs to be established

Pressure-induced alpha-to-omega transition in titanium metal: A systematic study of the effects of uniaxial stress

We investigated the effects of uniaxial stress on the pressure-induced alpha-to-omega transition in pure titanium (Ti) by means of angle dispersive x-ray diffraction in a diamond-anvil cell. Experiments under four different pressure environments reveal that: (1) the onset of the transition depends on the pressure medium used, going from 4.9 GPa (no pressure medium) to 10.5 GPa (argon pressure medium); (2) the a and w phases coexist over a rather large pressure range, which depends on the pressure medium employed; (3) the hysteresis and quenchability of the w phase is affected by differences in the sample pressure environment; and (4) a short term laser-heating of Ti lowers the alpha-to-omega transition pressure. Possible transition mechanisms are discussed in the light of the present results, which clearly demonstrated the influence of uniaxial stress in the alpha-to-omega transition.Comment: 16 pages, 6 figures, 1 tabl

Group B Streptococcus and HIV Infection in Pregnant Women, Malawi, 2008–2010

To determine whether an association exists between group B streptococcus carriage and HIV infection, we recruited 1,857 pregnant women (21.7% HIV positive) from Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital, Blantyre, Malawi. Overall, group B streptococcus carriage was 21.2% and did not differ by HIV status. However, carriage was increased among HIV-positive women with higher CD4 counts

Barriers and enablers to the provision of alcohol treatment among Aboriginal Australians: A thematic review of five research projects

Introduction and Aims: To review the results of five research projects commissioned to enhance alcohol treatment among Aboriginal Australians, and to highlight arising from them. Design and Methods: Drafts of the papers were workshopped by project representatives, final papers reviewed and results summarised. Lessons arising were identified and described. Results: While the impact of the projects varied, they highlight the feasibility of adapting mainstream interventions in Aboriginal Australian contexts. Outcomes include greater potential to: screen for those at risk; increase community awareness; build capacity and partnerships between organisations; and co-ordinate comprehensive referral networks and service provision. Discussion: Results show a small investment can produce sustainable change and positive outcomes. However, to optimise and maintain investment, cultural difference needs to be recognised in both planning and delivery of alcohol interventions; resources and funding must be responsive to and realistic about the capacities of organisations; partnerships need to be formed voluntarily based on respect, equality and trust; and practices and procedures within organisations need to be formalised. Conclusions: There is no simple way to reduce alcohol-related harm in Aboriginal communities. However, the papers reviewed show that with Aboriginal control, modest investment and respectful collaboration, service enhancements and improved outcomes can be achieved. Mainstream interventions need to be adapted to Aboriginal settings, not simply transferred. The lessons outlined provide important reflections for future research

A common genetic variant of a mitochondrial RNA processing enzyme predisposes to insulin resistance

Mitochondrial energy metabolism plays an important role in the pathophysiology of insulin resistance. Recently, a missense N437S variant was identified in the MRPP3 gene, which encodes a mitochondrial RNA processing enzyme within the RNase P complex, with predicted impact on metabolism. We used CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing to introduce this variant into the mouse Mrpp3 gene and show that the variant causes insulin resistance on a high-fat diet. The variant did not influence mitochondrial gene expression markedly, but instead, it reduced mitochondrial calcium that lowered insulin release from the pancreatic islet β cells of the Mrpp3 variant mice. Reduced insulin secretion resulted in lower insulin levels that contributed to imbalanced metabolism and liver steatosis in the Mrpp3 variant mice on a high-fat diet. Our findings reveal that the MRPP3 variant may be a predisposing factor to insulin resistance and metabolic disease in the human population

Fiction Fix 16

https://digitalcommons.unf.edu/fiction_fix/1017/thumbnail.jp

Emotional Substrates of White Racial Attitudes

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/91203/1/j.1540-5907.2011.00561.x.pd

Cell-intrinsic depletion of Aml1-ETO-expressing pre-leukemic hematopoietic stem cells by K-Ras activating mutation

Somatic mutations in acute myeloid leukemia are acquired sequentially and hierarchically. First, pre-leukemic mutations, such as t(8;21) that encodes AML1-ETO, are acquired within the hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) compartment, while signaling pathway mutations, including KRAS activating mutations, are late events acquired during transformation of leukemic progenitor cells and are rarely detectable in HSC. This raises the possibility that signaling pathway mutations are detrimental to clonal expansion of pre-leukemic HSC. To address this hypothesis, we used conditional genetics to introduce Aml1-ETO and K-RasG12D into murine HSC, either individually or in combination. In the absence of activated Ras, Aml1-ETO-expressing HSC conferred a competitive advantage. However, activated K-Ras had a marked detrimental effect on Aml1-ETO-expressing HSC, leading to loss of both phenotypic and functional HSC. Cell cycle analysis revealed a loss of quiescence in HSC co-expressing Aml1-ETO and K-RasG12D, accompanied by an enrichment in E2F and Myc target gene expression and depletion of HSC self-renewal-associated gene expression. These findings provide a mechanistic basis for the observed absence of KRAS signaling mutations in the pre-malignant HSC compartment

School-level factors associated with teacher connectedness: : A multilevel analysis of the structural and relational school determinants of young people’s health

© The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Faculty of Public Health. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted reuse, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.ABSTRACT Background Conducting research on the antecedents of teacher connectedness (TC) is key to inform intervention and policy that can leverage the public health potential of teachers for young people’s well-being. As part of the EU-funded Teacher Connectedness Project, this study aims to examine the contribution of a variety of school-level factors (including type of school, school size, student–teacher ratio, students per class and teacher gender). Methods Sample consisted of 5335 adolescents aged 11, 13 and 15 years that had participated in the HBSC study in England. Multilevel multinomial regression was used to examine the contributions of sociodemographic and school-level factors to TC. Results TC was lower in older adolescents and those from less affluent families, but similar in boys and girls. Regarding school-level factors, it was not the size of the school but the ratio of students per teacher which was significantly associated to TC, with higher student–teacher ratio being significantly associated with lower odds of medium-to-high TC. Some differences between mixed and all-girls schools were also found. Conclusions Health promotion strategies targeting student–teacher relationships need to consider how TC changes by age and SES and give attention to school-level factors, in particular the student–teacher ratio. Keywords educational settings, social determinants, young peoplePeer reviewedFinal Published versio

A New Mechanism for the Alpha to Omega Martensitic Transformation in Pure Titanium

We propose a new direct mechanism for the pressure driven alpha to omega martensitic transformation in pure titanium. A systematic algorithm enumerates all possible mechanisms whose energy barriers are evaluated. A new, homogeneous mechanism emerges with a barrier at least four times lower than other mechanisms. This mechanism remains favorable in a simple nucleation model.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure