Development and validation of the Australian Aboriginal racial identity and self-esteem survey for 8-12 year old children (IRISE-C)

Introduction: In Australia, there is little empirical research of the racial identity of Indigenous children and youth as the majority of the current literature focuses on adults. Furthermore, there are no instruments developed with cultural appropriateness when exploring the identity and self-esteem of the Australian Aboriginal population, especially children. The IRISE-C (Racial Identity and Self-Esteem of children) inventory was developed to explore the elements of racial identity and self-esteem of urban, rural and regional Aboriginal children. This paper describes the development and validation of the IRISE-C instrument with over 250 Aboriginal children aged 8 to 12 years. Methods: A pilot of the IRISE C instrument was combined with individual interviews and was undertaken with 35 urban Aboriginal children aged 8-12 years. An exploratory factor analysis was performed to refine the survey and reduce redundant items in readiness for the main study. In the main study, the IRISE C was employed to 229 Aboriginal children aged 6-13 years across three sites (rural, regional and urban) in Western Australia. An exploratory factor analysis using Principal axis factoring was used to assess the fit of items and survey structure. A confirmatory factor analysis was then employed using LISREL (diagonally weighted least squares) to assess factor structures across domains. Internal consistency and reliability of subscales were assessed using Cronbach's co-efficient alpha. Results: The pilot testing identified two key concepts - children's knowledge of issues related to their racial identity, and the importance, or salience, that they attach to these issues. In the main study, factor analyses showed two clear factors relating to: Aboriginal culture and traditions; and a sense of belonging to an Aboriginal community. Principal Axis Factoring of the Knowledge items supported a 2-factor solution, which explained 38.7 % of variance. Factor One (Aboriginal culture) had a Cronbach's alpha of 0.835; Factor 2 (racial identity) had a Cronbach's alpha of 0.800, thus demonstrating high internal reliability of the scales. Conclusion: The IRISE-C has been shown to be a valid instrument useful of exploring the development of racial identity of Australian Aboriginal children across the 8-12 year old age range and across urban, rural and regional geographical locations

Gemcitabine twice weekly as a radiosensitiser for the treatment of brain metastases in patients with carcinoma: a phase I study

Conventional treatment for brain metastases (BM) is whole-brain radiotherapy (WBRT). Efficacy is poor. It might be increased by a potent radiosensitiser such as gemcitabine which is believed to cross the disrupted blood–brain barrier. Primary objective of this study was to determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of twice weekly gemcitabine given concurrently with WBRT. Patients with BM from carcinoma were included. The dose of WBRT was 30 Gys (10 daily fractions). Gemcitabine was given 2–4 h prior to WBRT on days 1 and 8 for the first cohort of patients and then on days 1, 4, 8 and 11. Starting dose was 25 mg m−2, escalated by 12.5 mg m−2 increments. At least three patients were included per level. Dose limiting toxicity (DLT) was defined as grade 4 haematological or grade ⩾3 nonhaematological toxicity. A total of 25 patients were included; 74% had a PS 1 (ECOG). In all, 23 had non-small-cell lung cancer, six colorectal, four breast, two renal cell and one oesophageal carcinoma. A total of 92% had concurrent extracranial disease. Six had single BM, 13 had two or three BM and six multiple. Up to 50 mg m−2 (level 4) no DLT was observed. At 62.5 mg m−2, one out of six patients developed DLT (thrombocytopenia-bleeding). The next dose level (75 mg m−2) was abandoned after grade 4 bone marrow toxicity (fatal neutropenic sepsis) was seen in one out of two patients. So that the dose of 50 mg m−2 will be taken forward for further study

Risk prediction model for knee pain in the Nottingham Community: a Bayesian modeling approach

Background: 25% of the British population over the age of 50 experience knee pain. It can limit physical ability, cause distress and bears significant socioeconomic costs. Knee pain, not knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is the all to common malady. The objectives of this study were to develop and validate the first risk prediction model for incident knee pain in the Nottingham community and validate this internally within the Nottingham cohort and externally within the Osteoarthritis Initiaitve (OAI) Cohort. Methods: 1822 participants at risk for knee pain from the Nottingham community were followed up for 12 years. Of this cohort, 2/3 (n=1203) were used to develop the risk prediction model and 1/3 (n=619) were used to validate the model. Incident knee pain was defined as pain on most days for at least one month in the past 12 months. Predictors were age, gender, body mass index (BMI), pain elsewhere, prior knee injury and knee alignment. Bayesian logistic regression model was used to determine the probability of an odds ratio >1. The Hosmer-Lemeshow x2 statistic (HLS) was used for calibration and receiver operator characteristics (ROC) was used for discrimination. The OAI cohort was used to examine the performance of the model in a secondary care population. Results: A risk prediction model for knee pain incidence was developed using a Bayesian approach. The model had good calibration with HLS of 7.17 (p=0.52) and moderate discriminative abilities (ROC 0.70) in the community. Individual scenarios are given using the model. However, the model had poor calibration (HLS 5866.28, p<0.01) and poor discriminative ability (ROC 0.54) in the OAI secondary care dataset. Conclusion: This is the first risk prediction model for knee pain, irrespective of underlying structural changes of KOA, in the community using a Bayesian modelling approach. The model appears to work well in a community-based population but not in a hospital derived cohort and may provide a convenient tool for primary care to predict the risk of knee pain in the general population

Preliminary Investigation of the Corrosion Behavior of Proprietary Micro-alloyed Steels in Aerated and Deaerated Brine Solutions

The corrosion performance of fairly new generation of micro-alloyed steels was compared in different concentrations of aerated and deaerated brines. Electrochemical polarization, weight loss and surface analyses techniques were employed. The results showed a threshold of corrosion rate at 3.5 wt.% NaCl in both aerated and deaerated solutions. The average corrosion current density for steel B, for example, increased from 1.3 µA cm¯² in 1 wt.% NaCl to 1.5 µA cm¯² in 3.5 wt.% NaCl, but decreased to 1.4 µA cm¯² in 10 wt.% deaerated NaCl solutions. The aerated solutions exhibited an average of over 80% increase in corrosion current density in the respective concentrations when compared with the deaerated solution. These results can be attributed to the effects of dissolved oxygen (DO) which has a maximum solubility in 3.5 wt.% NaCl. DO as a depolarizer and electron acceptor in cathodic reactions accelerates anodic metal dissolution. The difference in carbon content and microstructures occasioned by thermo-mechanical treatment contributed to the witnessed variation in corrosion performance of the steels. Specifically, the results of the various corrosion techniques corroborated each other and showed that the corrosion rate of the micro-alloyed steels can be ranked as CR[Steel A] < CRₓ₆₅ < CR[Steel B] < CR[Steel C]

Development of the Adolescent Preoccupation with Screens Scale

Abstract Background Although public health concerns have been raised regarding the detrimental health effects of increasing rates of electronic screen use among adolescents, such effects have been small. Instruments currently available tend to be lengthy, have a clinical research focus, and assess young people’s screen use on specific screen-based activities (e.g., TV, computer, or internet). None appear to address screen use across a broad range of screens, including mobile devices and screen-based activities. The objective was to develop a new and short self-report scale for investigating adolescents’ screen use across all screens and screen-based activities in non-clinical settings. Methods The Adolescent Preoccupation with Screens Scale (APSS) was developed over a three stage process. First, a review of the current literature and existing instruments was undertaken and suitable items identified. Second, the draft APSS was piloted with adolescents and item affectivity and discrimination indices were calculated. Third, a cross sectional school based online survey of 1967 Australian adolescents in grades 5 (10 years old), 7 (13 years) and 9 (15 years) from 25 randomly selected schools was conducted. Results Factor Analysis on a sub-sample of the data (n = 782) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis on the remaining sub-sample (n = 1185), supported a two-factor model. The first factor reflects adolescents’ mood management with screen use, and the second reflects a behavioural preoccupation. The measure demonstrated strong invariance across sex and across Grades 5, 7, and 9. Both factors displayed good internal consistency (α = .91 and .87, respectively). Sex and grade differences on both scales were investigated and boys in Grade 5 reported higher levels of both mood management and behavioural preoccupation with screens. There were no sex differences on mood management in Grades 7 and 9, but girls reported higher behavioural preoccupation in both these later grades. Conclusion The APSS provides researchers with a new, brief and robust measure of potentially problematic screen use across a wide array of screens, including mobile devices, so readily accessed during adolescence

Microinjection Manipulation Resulted in the Increased Apoptosis of Spermatocytes in Testes from Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) Derived Mice

The invention of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) has possibly been the most important development in reproductive medicine, one that has given hope to thousands of infertile couples worldwide. However, concerns remain regarding the safety of this method since it is a more invasive procedure than in vitro fertilization (IVF), since a spermatozoon is injected into the oocyte cytoplasm. Using mice derived from IVF technology as a control, we assessed the influence of invasive microinjection in the process of transferring sperm into oocyte cytoplasm in ICSI procedure on the development and physiologic function of resultant offspring. Our results demonstrated that mice produced from ICSI and IVF had no significant difference in phenotypic indices including body weight, forelimb physiology, and learning and memory ability. However, increased spermatocyte apoptosis was observed in the testis of adult ICSI mice, when compared with IVF mice. And, decreased testis weight and marked damage of spermatogenic epithelia were found in aged ICSI mice. Furthermore, proteomic analysis verified that most of the differentiated proteins in testes between adult ICSI and IVF mice were those involved in regulation of apoptosis pathways. Our results demonstrated that the microinjection manipulation used in the ICSI procedure might pose potential risks to the fertility of male offspring. The changed expression of a series of proteins relating to apoptosis or proliferation might contribute to it. Further studies are necessary to better understand all the risks of ICSI

Murine Gamma Herpesvirus 68 Hijacks MAVS and IKKβ to Abrogate NFκB Activation and Antiviral Cytokine Production

Upon viral infection, mitochondrial antiviral signaling (MAVS) protein serves as a key adaptor to promote cytokine production. We report here that murine gamma herpesvirus 68 (γHV68), a model virus for oncogenic human gamma herpesviruses, subverts cytokine production via the MAVS adaptor. During early infection, γHV68 hijacks MAVS and IKKβ to induce the site-specific phosphorylation of RelA, a crucial subunit of the transcriptionally active NFκB dimer, which primes RelA for the proteasome-mediated degradation. As such, γHV68 efficiently abrogated NFκB activation and cytokine gene expression. Conversely, uncoupling RelA degradation from γHV68 infection promoted NFκB activation and elevated cytokine production. Loss of MAVS increased cytokine production and immune cell infiltration in the lungs of γHV68-infected mice. Moreover, exogenous expression of the phosphorylation- and degradation-resistant RelA variant restored γHV68-induced cytokine production. Our findings uncover an intricate strategy whereby signaling via the upstream MAVS adaptor is intercepted by a pathogen to nullify the immediate downstream effector, RelA, of the innate immune pathway

Preoperative Behavioural Intervention versus standard care to Reduce Drinking before elective orthopaedic Surgery (PRE-OP BIRDS):Protocol for a multicentre pilot randomised controlled trial

Background Evidence suggests that increased preoperative alcohol consumption increases the risk of postoperative complications; therefore, a reduction or cessation in alcohol intake before surgery may reduce perioperative risk. Preoperative assessment presents an opportunity to intervene to optimise patients for surgery. This multicentre, two-arm, parallel group, individually randomised controlled trial will investigate whether a definitive trial of a brief behavioural intervention aimed at reducing preoperative alcohol consumption is feasible and acceptable to healthcare professionals responsible for its delivery and the preoperative elective orthopaedic patient population. Methods Screening will be conducted by trained healthcare professionals at three hospitals in the North East of England. Eligible patients (those aged 18 or over, listed for elective hip or knee arthroplasty surgery and scoring 5 or more or reporting consumption of six or more units on a single occasion at least weekly on the alcohol screening tool) who enrol in the trial will be randomised on a one-to-one non-blinded basis to either treatment as usual or brief behavioural intervention delivered in the pre-assessment clinic. Patients will be followed up 1–2 days pre-surgery, 1–5 days post-surgery (as an in-patient), 6 weeks post-surgery, and 6 months post intervention. Feasibility will be assessed through rates of screening, eligibility, recruitment, and retention to 6-month follow-up. An embedded qualitative study will explore the acceptability of study methods to patients and staff. Discussion This pilot randomised controlled trial will establish the feasibility and acceptability of trial procedures reducing uncertainties ahead of a definitive randomised controlled trial to establish the effectiveness of brief behavioural intervention to reduce alcohol consumption in the preoperative period and the potential impact on perioperative complications

Gene Expression Profiles of Sporadic Canine Hemangiosarcoma Are Uniquely Associated with Breed

The role an individual's genetic background plays on phenotype and biological behavior of sporadic tumors remains incompletely understood. We showed previously that lymphomas from Golden Retrievers harbor defined, recurrent chromosomal aberrations that occur less frequently in lymphomas from other dog breeds, suggesting spontaneous canine tumors provide suitable models to define how heritable traits influence cancer genotypes. Here, we report a complementary approach using gene expression profiling in a naturally occurring endothelial sarcoma of dogs (hemangiosarcoma). Naturally occurring hemangiosarcomas of Golden Retrievers clustered separately from those of non-Golden Retrievers, with contributions from transcription factors, survival factors, and from pro-inflammatory and angiogenic genes, and which were exclusively present in hemangiosarcoma and not in other tumors or normal cells (i.e., they were not due simply to variation in these genes among breeds). Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor 1 (VEGFR1) was among genes preferentially enriched within known pathways derived from gene set enrichment analysis when characterizing tumors from Golden Retrievers versus other breeds. Heightened VEGFR1 expression in these tumors also was apparent at the protein level and targeted inhibition of VEGFR1 increased proliferation of hemangiosarcoma cells derived from tumors of Golden Retrievers, but not from other breeds. Our results suggest heritable factors mold gene expression phenotypes, and consequently biological behavior in sporadic, naturally occurring tumors