Four Work-Ins by Australian Journalists, 1944-80

During industrial disputes with employers between 1944 and 1980 the Australian Journalist's Association occasionally turned to the tactic of the work-in, producing wild cat newspapers during strikes in Sydney. These newspapers (The News, and The Clarion) exemplified problematic elements of the work-in as a working-class strategy. While single incident studies of the work-in have been conducted in Australia, the Australian Journalist Association work-ins present a time series of struggle. This time series allows for a broader evaluation of the radical content of the work-in and indicates that the tactic can become systematised, less radical, and less participatory when not connected to a broader generation of workplace radical behaviour by workers. In short: the work-in, much like the strike or go slow, can become a tame cat tactic – it is not inherently transgressive or opposed to capitalist production. Expectedly, the first work-ins were more radical in scope, presenting a newspaper which fully duplicated the commodity produced under capitalist control and in some ways exceeded the scope presented by capitalist organised journalism in both a material and a cultural sense. However, this radical economic potential dissipated by the end of the time series of work-ins. Instead of providing an alternative commodity fit for market, the tactic produced propaganda pieces aimed primarily at the members of the community who would be predisposed to favour the journalist's case. The 1980s Clarion was not a daily newspaper of news, sport, racing, women's interest, classifieds, and general opinion. This change will be explained in terms of human causes such as skills loss, production process causes such as computerisation and wire services, and broader social causes such as the changing role of the newspaper in Australian society.The symposium is organised on behalf of AAHANZBS by the Business and Labour History Group, The University of Sydney, with the financial support of the University’s Faculty of Economics and Business

The Functional −765G→C Polymorphism of the COX-2 Gene May Reduce the Risk of Developing Crohn's Disease

Contains fulltext : 87827.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)BACKGROUND: Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) is a key enzyme involved in the conversion of arachidonic acid into prostaglandins. COX-2 is mainly induced at sites of inflammation in response to proinflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-1alpha/beta, interferon-gamma and tumor necrosis factor-alpha produced by inflammatory cells. AIM: The aim of this study was to investigate the possible modulating effect of the functional COX-2 polymorphisms -1195 A-->G and -765G-->C on the risk for development of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in a Dutch population. METHODS: Genomic DNA of 525 patients with Crohn's disease (CD), 211 patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) and 973 healthy controls was genotyped for the -1195 A-->G (rs689466) and -765G-->C (rs20417) polymorphisms. Distribution of genotypes in patients and controls were compared and genotype-phenotype interactions were investigated. RESULTS: The genotype distribution of the -1195A-->G polymorphism was not different between the patients with CD or UC and the control group. The -765GG genotype was more prevalent in CD patients compared to controls with an OR of 1.33 (95%CI 1.04-1.69, pC polymorphism was associated with a reduced risk for developing Crohn's disease in a Dutch population

Combined effect of genetic polymorphisms in phase I and II biotransformation enzymes on head and neck cancer risk

BACKGROUND: Combinations of genetic polymorphisms in biotransformation enzymes might modify the individual risk for head and neck cancer. METHODS: Blood from 432 patients with head and neck cancer and 437 controls was investigated for genetic polymorphisms in 9 different phase I and II biotransformation enzymes. Analysis of the risk-modifying effect was performed according to predicted enzyme activities, based on genetic polymorphisms in the corresponding genes. RESULTS: Combination of polymorphisms in COX-2 or EPHX1 with high activity polymorphisms in UGT1A1, UGT1A6, or UGT1A7 showed a risk-modulating effect in head and neck carcinogenesis, especially among heavy smokers and patients with laryngeal cancer. However, no additional effect for the combination of these polymorphisms was discovered when compared to the impact of polymorphism in UGT1A1, UGT1A6, and UGT1A7 individually. CONCLUSION: Predicted high activity polymorphisms in the phase II enzymes UGT1A1, UGT1A6, and UGT1A7 are associated with an increased risk of head and neck cancer

COX-2 polymorphisms -765G→C and -1195A→G and colorectal cancer risk

AIM: To determine the possible modulating effect of the COX-2 polymorphisms, -765G→C and -1195A→G, on the risk of colorectal cancer (CRC) in a Dutch population

Distribution of the <i>COX-2 −1195</i> and <i>−765</i> genotypes and corresponding ORs in patients with IBD, CD or UC versus controls.

+<p>In the ulcerative colitis group, there are some missing data (n = 5) due to unsuccessful PCR for the <i>−765 G→C</i> polymorphism.</p><p>OR = Odds ratio; CI = confidence interval.</p