Virtual field trips as physically active lessons for children: a pilot study.

The modern classroom is an inherently sedentary environment. Virtual Field Trips (VFTs) using interactive whiteboards to explore virtual scenes are a potential method of converting sedentary class-time into physically active teaching. This pilot aimed to assess the effects of a developed VFT on physical activity and learning in primary-school children.Participants (n = 85) were randomly assigned to a) a 30-minute physically active London 2012 Olympics-themed VFT, or b) a 30-minute sedentary version of the same VFT. Activity was measured using GT1M Actigraphs, content recall was assessed with a quiz and user evaluations were gained from teacher and pupil questionnaires.Pupils in the active VFT displayed significantly less sedentary time (p < 0.001), and significantly more light (p < 0.001), moderate (p = 0.01) and vigorous physical activity (p < 0.001) than sedentary VFT pupils. No differences in content recall were found between intervention groups: suggesting that adding physical activity into classroom teaching may not compromise attainment. High acceptability was found in teachers and active VFT students rated their session significantly higher than sedentary pupils (p < 0.002).This one-day pilot provides early evidence of the ability of VFTs to convert sedentary academic time into active time. Longitudinal research is needed to assess prolonged effects of active VFTs in reducing sedentary time.University College Londo

What determines cell size?

AbstractFirst paragraph (this article has no abstract) For well over 100 years, cell biologists have been wondering what determines the size of cells. In modern times, we know all of the molecules that control the cell cycle and cell division, but we still do not understand how cell size is determined. To check whether modern cell biology has made any inroads on this age-old question, BMC Biology asked several heavyweights in the field to tell us how they think cell size is controlled, drawing on a range of different cell types. The essays in this collection address two related questions - why does cell size matter, and how do cells control it

"Baseline characteristics of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: analysis from the Australian Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Registry." Helen E. Jo, Ian Glaspole, Christopher Grainge, Nicole Goh, Peter M.A. Hopkins, Yuben Moodley, Paul N. Reynolds, Sally Chapman, E. Haydn Walters, Christopher Zappala, Heather Allan, Gregory J. Keir, Andrew Hayen, Wendy A. Cooper, Annabelle M. Mahar, Samantha Ellis, Sacha Macansh and Tamera J. Corte. Eur Respir J 2017; 49: 1651592.

This article from the February 2017 issue of the European Respiratory Journal was published with an error in figure 5. The legend identifying “Anti-fibrotics” and “No anti-fibrotics” in figure 5c was mistakenly transposed in production. The figure has been corrected and is reproduced below. The article has been corrected and republished online

Biomarker signatures for progressive idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

BACKGROUND: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive lung disease in which circulatory biomarkers have the potential for guiding management in clinical practice. We assessed the prognostic role of serum biomarkers in three independent IPF cohorts: Australian Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Registry (AIPFR), Trent Lung Fibrosis (TLF) and Prospective Observation of Fibrosis in the Lung Clinical Endpoints (PROFILE). METHODS: In the AIPFR cohort, candidate proteins were assessed by ELISA as well as in an unbiased proteomic approach. LASSO (least absolute shrinkage and selection operator) regression was used to restrict the selection of markers that best accounted for the progressor phenotype at 1 year in the AIPFR cohort, and subsequently prospectively selected for replication in the validation TLF cohort and assessed retrospectively in the PROFILE cohort. Four significantly replicating biomarkers were aggregated into a progression index model based on tertiles of circulating concentrations. RESULTS: 189 participants were included in the AIPFR cohort, 205 participants from the TLF cohort and 122 participants from the PROFILE cohort. Differential biomarker expression was observed by ELISA and replicated for osteopontin, matrix metallopeptidase-7, intercellular adhesion molecule-1 and periostin for those with a progressor phenotype at 1 year. Proteomic data did not replicate. The progression index in the AIPFR, TLF and PROFILE cohorts predicted risk of progression, mortality and progression-free survival. A statistical model incorporating the progression index demonstrated the capacity to distinguish disease progression at 12 months, which was increased beyond the clinical GAP (gender, age and physiology) score model alone in all cohorts, and significantly so within the incidence-based TLF and PROFILE cohorts. CONCLUSION: A panel of circulatory biomarkers can provide potentially valuable clinical assistance in the prognosis of IPF patients

Implications of the diagnostic criteria of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in clinical practice: Analysis from the Australian Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Registry

© 2018 Asian Pacific Society of Respirology Background and objective: Current guidelines for the diagnosis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) provide specific criteria for diagnosis in the setting of multidisciplinary discussion (MDD). We evaluate the utility and reproducibility of these diagnostic guidelines, using clinical data from the Australian IPF Registry. Methods: All patients enrolled in the registry undergo a diagnostic review whereby international IPF guidelines are applied via a registry MDD. We investigated the clinical applicability of these guidelines with regard to: (i) adherence to guidelines, (ii) Natural history of IPF diagnostic categories and (iii) Concordance for diagnostic features. Results: A total of 417 participants (69% male, 70.6 ± 8.0 years) with a clinical diagnosis of IPF underwent MDD. The 23% of participants who did not meet IPF diagnostic criteria displayed identical disease behaviour to those with confirmed IPF. Honeycombing on radiology was associated with a worse prognosis and this translated into poorer prognosis in the ‘definite’ IPF group. While there was moderate agreement for IPF diagnostic categories, agreement for specific radiological features, other than honeycombing, was poor. Conclusion: In clinical practice, physicians do not always follow IPF diagnostic guidelines. We demonstrate a cohort of IPF patients who do not meet IPF diagnostic guideline criteria, based largely on their radiology and lack of lung biopsy, but who have outcomes identical to those with IPF

Australian Torres Strait Islander students negotiate learning secondary school science in Standard Australian English: a tentative case for also teaching and assessing in Creole

[Extract] At the opening of the 42nd Australian National Parliament in early 2008, the Prime Minister of Australia, Mr Kevin Rudd, pledged to build new educational opportunity\ud for indigenous children of Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal descent. The discourse used was that of "closing the gap" on both opportunity and academic achievement.\ud The persistent difference in educational achievement and attainment between indigenous Australians (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people) and non-indigenous\ud Australians (immigrants to the continent since 1788 and their descendents) is a problem with many complexities, including tolerated failure on the part of state and\ud federal governments over many decades to vigorously address persistent educational disadvantage. Australia has been described as a "high quality-low equity" country in\ud that Australian schools, while operating under high-quality policy frameworks, have found it difficult to address equity issues in teaching, learning and assessment effectively in practice (Klenowski 2009)