The impact of privatisation on union membership and density: A Western Australian case study

Falling membership numbers and declining union density are issues of concern for many Australian unions. Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show that between 2005 and 2008, trade union membership declined from 22.4% to 18.9% of the workforce. Studies and statistics consistently show that union membership and density are lowest in Western Australia, despite trend reversals elsewhere. Using the Western Australian branches of two 'blue-collar' unions - the Australian Rail, Tram and Bus Industry Union, Western Australian Branch and the Australian Manufacturing Workers' Union, covering a range of transport, metal working, printing and manufacturing trades - as examples, this article examines whether privatisation has contributed significantly to falling trade union density and membership in this state. These unions represented large public sector workforces. In order to test the hypothesis that privatisation has adversely affected union membership and density, the article examines three areas: changing policies in the Australian Labor Party, the breaking down of union culture and changes in trade training, and concludes that privatisation is a significant factor in the recent decline of these two unions

Design of an enquiry-based ‘Practical Only’ course for the teaching of basis skills in first year Biology

First year Biology teaching at the Callaghan Campus of the University of Newcastle has undergone a significant reorganisation in 2006. The rearrangement was conducted with the aims of increasing flexible delivery, improving student learning, reducing overall teaching effort, targeting teaching effort to biology majors and standardising course delivery throughout the university campuses. Key to the reorganisation has been the separation of the practical and lecture components of first year into distinctly separate courses. The practical course runs only in semester 2 and is compulsory for students that intend to graduate with a major in biology. Students that do not intend to continue their biology studies past 1st year are not required nor expected to enrol in the course. Separation of the courses has allowed a renewed focus on basis skills including laboratory and field techniques, the scientific method and practice, report writing and personal interaction. In this paper we present the design of this practical course and explain the process and logic we have used in its construction. Skill acquisition is situated in authentic learning contexts, employing the University campus as a unifying theme. Through an enquiry- based approach, students learn how to think as scientists, posing and testing questions rather than ‘doing the experiment’. The process of building and reinforcing skills (scaffolded learning) and the use of assessment & peer interaction to facilitate the learning process is discussed

Regulating Clothing Outwork: A Sceptic's View

By applying the strategies of international anti-sweatshop campaigns to the Australian context, recent regulations governing home-based clothing production hold retailers responsible for policing the wages and employment conditions of clothing outworkers who manufacture clothing on their behalf. This paper argues that the new approach oversimplifies the regulatory challenge by assuming (1) that Australian clothing production is organised in a hierarchical ‘buyer-led’ linear structure in which core retail firms have the capacity to control their suppliers’ behaviour; (2) that firms act as unitary moral agents; and (3) that interventions imported from other times and places are applicable to the contemporary Australian context. After considering some alternative regulatory approaches, the paper concludes that the new regulatory strategy effectively privatises responsibility for labour market conditions – a development that cries out for further debate

Lúpus eritematoso sistêmico: revisão de literatura e atualização dos critérios de classificação

Introduction: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a systemic autoimmune disease that develops inflammatory foci in the most diverse organs and tissues of the body, with a large number of clinical manifestations. This study aims to reinforce the knowledge that exists about the disease and to update on the criteria determined in 2018 by the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) and the European League Against Rheumatism (EULA). Methods: The present study was carried out by means of a review of the literature available in the Scientific Electronic Library Online and National Institutes of Medicine of the US National Library of Medicine Health databases. Development: Malfunction of the immune system and consequent production of autoantibodies are of paramount importance in the pathogenesis and presentation of clinical signs and symptoms, but the etiopathogenesis of SLE is not fully elucidated. The diagnosis of SLE is hampered by the wide variety of systemic presentations and the low specificity of various symptoms, which are often mistaken for other diseases. In 2018, updated criteria were developed by the ACR and the EULA. Current treatment regimens consist of antimalarial, corticosteroid and immunobiological drugs. Conclusion: SLE is a disease of considerable complexity due to the lack of complete knowledge of its etiopathogenesis. Its clinical manifestations are confounded with that of several diseases, which hinders its rapid diagnosis and initiation of treatment. Studies on the discovery of new therapies for use in SLE are being carried out worldwide, with the aim of reducing the mortality of these patients.Introdução: O lúpus eritematoso sistêmico (LES) é uma enfermidade autoimune sistêmica que desenvolve focos inflamatórios nos mais diversos órgãos e tecidos do corpo, com um amplo número de manifestações clínicas. Este estudo pretende reforçar o conhecimento que existe sobre a doença e atualizar sobre os critérios determinados em 2018 pelo American College of Rheumatology (ACR) e pela European League Against Rheumatism (EULA). Métodos: O presente estudo foi realizado por meio de uma revisão da literatura disponível na Scientific Eletronic Library Online e Institutos Nacionais de Medicina dos EUA da National Library of Medicine Bancos de dados de Saúde. Desenvolvimento: O mau funcionamento do sistema imunológico e a conseguinte produção de autoanticorpos são de suma importância na patogenia e na apresentação dos sinais e sintomas clínicos, porém a etiopatogenia do LES não está totalmente elucidada. O diagnóstico do LES é dificultado devido à grande variedade de apresentações sistêmicas e à baixa especificidade de vários sintomas, que diversas vezes se confunde com outras doenças. Em 2018, critérios atualizados foram desenvolvidos pelo ACR e pela EULA. Os regimes de tratamento atuais consistem em drogas antimaláricas, corticosteroides e imunobiológicos. Conclusão: O LES é uma doença de importante complexidade, devido ao não conhecimento completo de sua etiopatogenia. Suas manifestações clínicas se confundem com a de diversas doenças, o que dificulta seu rápido diagnóstico e início do tratamento. Estudos para a descoberta de novas terapias para uso no LES estão sendo realizados em todo o mundo, com o intuito de diminuir a mortalidade desses pacientes

Serum estrogen levels and prostate cancer risk in the prostate cancer prevention trial: a nested case–control study

OBJECTIVE: Finasteride reduces prostate cancer risk by blocking the conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone. However, whether finasteride affects estrogens levels or change in estrogens affects prostate cancer risk is unknown. METHODS: These questions were investigated in a case-control study nested within the prostate cancer prevention trial (PCPT) with 1,798 biopsy-proven prostate cancer cases and 1,798 matched controls. RESULTS: Among men on placebo, no relationship of serum estrogens with risk of prostate cancer was found. Among those on finasteride, those in the highest quartile of baseline estrogen levels had a moderately increased risk of Gleason score < 7 prostate cancer (for estrone, odds ratio [OR] = 1.51, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.06-2.15; for estradiol, OR = 1.50, 95% CI = 1.03-2.18). Finasteride treatment increased serum estrogen concentrations; however, these changes were not associated with prostate cancer risk. CONCLUSION: Our findings confirm those from previous studies that there are no associations of serum estrogen with prostate cancer risk in untreated men. In addition, finasteride results in a modest increase in serum estrogen levels, which are not related to prostate cancer risk. Whether finasteride is less effective in men with high serum estrogens, or finasteride interacts with estrogen to increase cancer risk, is uncertain and warrants further investigation

Mast Cell‐Derived SAMD14 is a Novel Regulator of the Human Prostate Tumor Microenvironment

Mast cells (MCs) are important cellular components of the tumor microenvironment and are significantly associated with poor patient outcomes in prostate cancer and other solid cancers. The promotion of tumor progression partly involves heterotypic interactions between MCs and cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), which combine to potentiate a pro-tumor extracellular matrix and promote epithelial cell invasion and migration. Thus far, the interactions between MCs and CAFs remain poorly understood. To identify molecular changes that may alter resident MC function in the prostate tumor microenvironment, we profiled the transcriptome of human prostate MCs isolated from patient-matched non-tumor and tumor-associated regions of fresh radical prostatectomy tissue. Transcriptomic profiling revealed a distinct gene expression profile of MCs isolated from prostate tumor regions, including the downregulation of SAMD14, a putative tumor suppressor gene. Proteomic profiling revealed that overexpression of SAMD14 in HMC-1 altered the secretion of proteins associated with immune regulation and extracellular matrix processes. To assess MC biological function within a model of the prostate tumor microenvironment, HMC-1-SAMD14+ conditioned media was added to co-cultures of primary prostatic CAFs and prostate epithelium. HMC-1-SAMD14+ secretions were shown to reduce the deposition and alignment of matrix produced by CAFs and suppress pro-tumorigenic prostate epithelial morphology. Overall, our data present the first profile of human MCs derived from prostate cancer patient specimens and identifies MC-derived SAMD14 as an important mediator of MC phenotype and function within the prostate tumor microenvironment

Sexual dimorphism in cancer.

The incidence of many types of cancer arising in organs with non-reproductive functions is significantly higher in male populations than in female populations, with associated differences in survival. Occupational and/or behavioural factors are well-known underlying determinants. However, cellular and molecular differences between the two sexes are also likely to be important. In this Opinion article, we focus on the complex interplay that sex hormones and sex chromosomes can have in intrinsic control of cancer-initiating cell populations, the tumour microenvironment and systemic determinants of cancer development, such as the immune system and metabolism. A better appreciation of these differences between the two sexes could be of substantial value for cancer prevention as well as treatment