Landscape modelling of a protected cultural landscape: Kura Tāwhiti Conservation Area

Protecting culturally significant sites has become an increasingly recognised undertaking as seen with the increase in the number of listed UNESCO World Heritage cultural sites from 563 in 2002 to 897 in 2021. Landscape architects, planners, environmental scientists and other consultants are involved with the management of these resources and creating accurate landscape models of these can contribute to informing decision making. In the Aotearoa, New Zealand context, one of these levels of protection, Tōpuni, is unique and has been designated as such by the indigenous Māori people. This designation has been placed on 14 sites and for this research, Kura Tāwhiti Conservation Area was selected due to its distinct limestone landforms and the risk of negative impact due to increased tourist visitor numbers. An accurate 3D landscape model of the Kura Tāwhiti Conservation Area was created using aerial an UAV survey and land-based 3D laser scanning. The landscape modelling exercise is the first of any tōpuni site and provides a set of tools for decision makers. The benefits of such a landscape model for this culturally significant and protected conservation area include the potential for further analysis by other professionals of the landforms, being used in accurate visualisations for future scenarios, and providing a benchmark for changes over time

A randomised clinical trial comparing the analgesic and anxiolytic efficacy and tolerability of Stilpane® and Tramacet® after third molar extraction

No Abstrac

Umbilical hernia rupture with evisceration of omentum from massive ascites: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>The incidence of hernias is increased in patients with alcoholic liver disease with ascites. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of an acute rise in intra-abdominal pressure from straining for stool as the cause of a ruptured umbilical hernia.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>An 81-year-old Caucasian man with a history of alcoholic liver disease presented to our emergency department with an erythematous umbilical hernia and clear, yellow discharge from the umbilicus. On straining for stool, after initial clinical assessment, our patient noted a gush of fluid and evisceration of omentum from the umbilical hernia. An urgent laparotomy was performed with excision of the umbilicus and devitalized omentum.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We report the case of a patient with a history of alcoholic liver disease with ascites. Ascites causes a chronic increase in intra-abdominal pressure. A sudden increase in intra-abdominal pressure, such as coughing, vomiting, gastroscopy or, as in this case, straining for stool can cause rupture of an umbilical hernia. The presence of discoloration, ulceration or a rapid increase in size of the umbilical hernia signals impending rupture and should prompt the physician to reduce the intra-abdominal pressure.</p

The association between nm23 gene expression and survival in patients with sarcomas.

The relationship between the expression of nm23, a putative metastasis-suppressor gene and prognosis was determined for 88 patients with sarcomas. Immunohistochemistry using immunopurified anti-nm23 peptide antibodies was performed and the results of each case graded according to the degree of staining. Univariate and multivariate analyses were carried out to determine the prognostic significance of nm23 staining for sarcoma patients. Expression of nm23 was found to increase in line with metastatic potential in many cases but this did not reach significance for the study as a whole. However, the possibility of nm23 loss occurring in association with metastasis cannot be ruled out in some more aggressive sarcomas, as was demonstrated for six patients with low-scoring, unclassified and synovial sarcomas that had metastasized. The time to metastasis was longer for patients with grade 3 sarcomas (50-75% of tumour cells staining) than similar patients in other staining groups. These results suggest that expression of nm23 genes in sarcomas is variable and has no value as a prognostic indicator for these mesenchymal tumours

Expression of nm23-H1 gene product in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and its association with vessel invasion and survival

BACKGROUND: We assessed the nm23-H1 gene product expression and its relationship with lymphatic and blood vessel invasion in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. METHODS: Formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded tissue sections from 45 patients who were treated surgically were used in this study. Pathologists graded lymphatic and blood vessel invasion in each of the tissue samples. Expression of nm23-Hl gene product was determined using a specific monoclonal antibody. RESULTS: Expression of nm23-H1 gene product was present in 17 (37.8%) cases. We found an inverse correlation between nm23-H1 gene product expression and lymphatic vessel invasion, whereas no correlation between nm23-H1 gene product expression and blood vessel invasion. Overall survival rate was not different between nm23-H1 gene product positive and negative patients (p = 0.21). However, reduced expression of nm23-H1 gene product was associated with shorter overall survival in patients with involved lymph nodes (p < 0.05), but not in patients without involved lymph nodes (p = 0.87). CONCLUSIONS: In patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, there appears to be an inverse relationship between nm23-H1 gene product expression and lymphatic vessel invasion. Furthermore, nm23-H1 gene product expression might be a prognostic marker in patients with involved lymph nodes. Our data does not demonstrate any correlation between nm23-H1 gene product expression and blood vessel invasion

A randomised clinical trail comparing the analgesic and anxiolytic efficacy and tolerability of Stilpane® and Tramacet® after third molar extraction

BACKGROUND : successful treatment of moderate to severe acute pain often necessitates several analgesics that target different sites of the nociceptive pathway. Fixed-dose combination analgesics facilitate a reduction in dose of individual components, increased compliance and strong-opioid sparing. The aim of this study was to compare the analgesic and anxiolytic efficacy and tolerability of two widely prescribed combination analgesics, Stilpane® (paracetamol/codeine/meprobamate) and Tramacet® (paracetamol/tramadol). METHODS : A prospective randomised parallel group phase IV clinical trial was conducted in 100 patients experiencing moderate to severe pain after third molar extraction at the Oral and Dental Hospital, University of Pretoria. Pain intensity and pain relief were assessed using Likert and visual analogue scales. Medication efficacy, time to perceptible pain relief and meaningful pain relief were also assessed. Primary variables included the Pain Intensity Difference (PID) between baseline and scheduled visits, and hourly pain relief (PAR). The Summed Pain Intensity Difference (SPID), Sum of hourly PAR, hourly PAR, hourly PIDs from baseline (SPRID) and Total Pain Relief (TOTPAR) were calculated according to standard methods. Beck Anxiety Questionnaire assessed anxiety. Tolerability was assessed chiefly by the reporting of adverse events. RESULTS : Stilpane® and Tramacet® were equally effective at relieving moderate to severe acute pain. No differences in anxiolytic efficacy were found between the two treatment arms and differences in tolerability failed to reach statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS : Despite their distinctive compositions and mechanisms of action, Stilpane® and Tramacet® are equally effective and well-tolerated combination analgesics in patients experiencing moderate to severe acute pain.Aspen Pharmacarehttp://www.tandfonline.com/ojfpam201

Quaternary structure of the specific p53-DNA complex reveals the mechanism of p53 mutant dominance

The p53 tumour suppressor is a transcriptional activator that controls cell fate in response to various stresses. p53 can initiate cell cycle arrest, senescence and/or apoptosis via transactivation of p53 target genes, thus preventing cancer onset. Mutations that impair p53 usually occur in the core domain and negate the p53 sequence-specific DNA binding. Moreover, these mutations exhibit a dominant negative effect on the remaining wild-type p53. Here, we report the cryo electron microscopy structure of the full-length p53 tetramer bound to a DNA-encoding transcription factor response element (RE) at a resolution of 21 Å. While two core domains from both dimers of the p53 tetramer interact with DNA within the complex, the other two core domains remain available for binding another DNA site. This finding helps to explain the dominant negative effect of p53 mutants based on the fact that p53 dimers are formed co-translationally before the whole tetramer assembles; therefore, a single mutant dimer would prevent the p53 tetramer from binding DNA. The structure indicates that the Achilles’ heel of p53 is in its dimer-of-dimers organization, thus the tetramer activity can be negated by mutation in only one allele followed by tumourigenesis