Master of Science

thesisBALB/c mice have been used to study multiple diseases that cause inflammation such as Lyme arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and systemic lupus erythematosus. Lyme disease or, more specifically, Lyme arthritis is caused by Borrelia burgdorferi that has disseminated into joint tissues. A spectrum of Lyme disease severity and symptoms has been seen in Lyme disease patients, which suggests that genetics play a role in host response. Inbred mouse strains display the range of arthritis severity seen in patients from the mild arthritis phenotype in C57BL/6 mice to the severe arthritis phenotype in C3H mice. The C3H mouse model develops severe Lyme arthritis that can be attributed to 2 important inflammatory factors: a hypomorphic allele of GusB and hyper production of Type I IFN-induced transcripts. Using SNP-based assessment, the BALB/c mouse was found to be closely related to the C3H mouse; however, the BALB/c mouse does not have the hypomorphic GusB allele. It was hypothesized that the BALB/c mouse, which develops severe, dose-dependent arthritis, would also hyperproduce Type I IFN-related transcripts. This study found that the BALB/c mouse does not develop an IFN profile similar to the C3H mouse. Multiple inflammatory markers were analyzed to compare and contrast BALB/c and C3H mice, and TNFα was determined to be elevated in the BALB/c mouse above the levels in the C3H mouse both in vivo during infection and in vitro using bone marrow-derived macrophages. This suggests an important role of the innate immune response in these mice. Interestingly, peritoneal macrophages derived from BALB/c were able to internalize B. burgdorferi much better than C3H-derived peritoneal macrophages. This suggests an elevated intrinsic response in controlling B. burgdorferi numbers. TNFα blockade has been shown to be beneficial in relieving symptoms in rheumatoid arthritis patients, so it was hypothesized that TNFα blockade in BALB/c mice would reduce Lyme arthritis symptoms. This study did not see any benefit to TNFα blockade in Lyme arthritis reduction. Overall, this study has shown that there are still mechanisms that are yet to be fully understood in the pathogenic relationship between the BALB/c mouse and the spirochete bacteria B. burgdorferi

Scholarly journal output : a regional perspective

This paper presents the findings of an investigation designed to reveal the destination of the refereed journal research output of accounting and finance faculty members across their entire academic careers. A geographic approach was adopted with the intention of providing a historical data-set to inform the development of a region-centric model of academic research productivity. The study focuses on publication careers of accounting and finance academics from one particular geographic region, New Zealand. The data were collected through a detailed examination of electronic databases of journal holdings and research reports of tertiary institutions. The results of this study provide evidence that, across their careers, New Zealand\u27s academics have published a significant number of papers in journals located in two regions, Australia-New Zealand and the United Kingdom, and that this academic community has attained publication success in international journals generally regarded as high quality.<br /

“Why don’t I look like her?” How adolescent girls view social media and its connection to body image

Background: Adolescent girls appear more vulnerable to experiencing mental health difficulties from social media use than boys. The presence of sexualized images online is thought to contribute, through increasing body dissatisfaction among adolescent girls. Sexual objectification through images may reinforce to adolescent girls that their value is based on their appearance. This study explored how sexualized images typically found on social media might influence adolescent girls’ mental health, in positive and/or negative ways. Methods: In-depth interviews were conducted with girls aged 14–17 years (n = 24) in Perth, Western Australia. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: Participants identified body image as a major concern, reporting negative appearance comparisons when viewing images on social media. Appearance comparisons were perceived to exacerbate adolescent girls’ appearance-based concerns. Comparisons also influenced adolescent girls’ efforts to change their appearance and seek validation on social media. The importance of awareness and education from a younger age about social media and its influence on body image was emphasized, as was the need for strategies to promote positive body image and counteract negative body image. Conclusion: The findings of this study have important implications for professionals working with adolescent girls and for the development of health promotion programs addressing social media use and body image concerns

“It just sends the message that you’re nothing but your body” a qualitative exploration of adolescent girls’ perceptions of sexualized images on social media

This qualitative study used in-depth interviews to explore adolescent girls’ perceptions of sexualized images they typically find when using social media. Twenty-four participants aged 14–17 years described sexualized images of females as normalized on social media. The interplay between gendered and social norms that endorsed and rewarded girls for posting sexualized images was seen to influence an expectation for girls to conform with their peers and post such images of themselves. They indicated sexualized images emphasize personal value on appearance and rejected this notion. However, participants also believed girls should be able to post sexualized images of themselves if they wanted to. There were tensions between whether girls’ sharing of sexualized images of themselves on social media would be interpreted as a display of confidence (socially acceptable) or attention seeking (socially unacceptable). Findings provide guidance for the development of health promotion programs to reduce potential harm from social media use by adolescent girls

Diversity and Evolution of the Bovine and Equine Toll-Like Receptor Gene Family: Applications to Animal Disease

Genes modulating innate immunity in mammals are generally considered the first line of defense with respect to invading pathogens and therefore it has become important to characterize naturally occurring genetic variation, and subsequently determine whether this variation is likely to be benign, beneficial, or detrimental to the host. Relevant to this study, the mammalian Toll-like receptor proteins (TLR), encoded by members of the TLR gene family, have the capacity to recognize a wide variety of pathogen ligands, and mutations within these genes have been shown to influence disease susceptibility or resistance within mammalian species. Two studies which sought to determine the frequency and distribution of naturally occurring genetic variation within the bovine and equine TLR genes revealed a large number of discrete point mutations, which were subsequently used to reconstruct haplotypes for each investigated gene across a large number of samples. Detailed analyses of haplotypes provided evidence for extensive haplotype sharing among specialized breeds, subspecies, and even divergent species. Classical and new tests of selection provided evidence for significant deviations from a strictly neutral model of molecular evolution for both cattle as well as equids, with some of the same TLR genes deviating from a strictly neutral model among divergent species. As a first step toward determining whether naturally occurring bovine TLR variation is likely to be benign, beneficial, or detrimental, we tested validated variation from bovine TLR genes capable of recognizing components of Mycobacteria for associations with Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP) infection in dairy cattle, and found several SNPs that were nominally associated with disease status, thereby providing evidence for small-effect loci potentially influencing risk for differential susceptibility to Johne's disease

The palliative care interdisciplinary team: Where is the community pharmacist?

Palliative care emphasizes an interdisciplinary approach to care to improve quality of life and relieve symptoms. Palliative care is provided in many ways; in hospices, hospital units, and the community. However, the greatest proportion of palliative care is in the community. In hospice and palliative care units in hospitals, clinical pharmacists are part of the interdisciplinary team and work closely with other health care professionals. Their expertise in the therapeutic use ofmedications is highly regarded, particularly as many palliative care patients have complex medication regimens, involving off-label or off-license prescribing that increases their risk for drug-related problems. However, this active involvement in the palliative care teamis not reflected in the community setting, despite the community pharmacist being one of the most accessible professionals in the community, and visiting a community pharmacist is convenient for most people, even thosewho have limited access to private or public transport. Thismay be due to a general lack of understanding of skills and knowledge that particular health professionals bring to the interdisciplinary team, a lack of rigorous research supporting the necessity for the community pharmacist’s involvement in the team, or it could be due to professional tensions. If these barriers can be overcome, community pharmacists are well positioned to become active members of the community palliative care interdisciplinary team and respond to the palliative care needs of patients with whom they often have a primary relationship

Exploring the community pharmacist's role in palliative care: Focusing on the person not just the prescription

Objective: Changes in health care provision have led to an emphasis on providing end of life care within the home. Community pharmacists are well positioned to provide services to community-based palliative care patients and carers. Methods: A multiple qualitative case study design was adopted. A total of 16 focus groups and 19 interviews with pharmacists, nurses, general practitioners and carers were undertaken across metropolitan and regional settings in Western Australia, New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria. Data were analysed thematically using a framework that allowed similarities and differences across stakeholder groups and locations to be examined and compared. Results: Three main themes emerged: effective communication; challenges to effective communication; and: towards best practice, which comprised two themes: community pharmacists’ skills and community pharmacists’ needs. Discussion: A key component of the provision of palliative care was having effective communication skills. Although community pharmacists saw an opportunity to provide interpersonal support, they suggested that they would need to develop more effective communication skills to fulfil this role. Conclusion: There is clear need for continuing professional development in this area – particularly in communicating effectively and managing strong emotions. Practice implications: Community pharmacists are willing to support palliative care patients and carers but need education, support and resources