A comparison of alternate immunization regimes for measles in vaccinated populations

Infants today lose maternal measles antibody sooner than in the past. This is related to demographic changes in maternal immunization. Data for rates of decay of maternal antibody and seroconversion after measles vaccination for infants born to naturally immune (Group 1) or vaccinated (Group 2) mothers have been used to evaluate two vaccination schedules: Regime 1, measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) at 1 year of age and Regime 2, monovalent measles at 6 months followed by MMR at 15 months of age. Regime 2 costs less because MMR can be administered at 15 months with the last pentavalent booster. Months of protection/1000 children aged 0-15 months (child-months of protection) were estimated for infant populations ranging from 0 to 100% Group 1 for Regimes 1 and 2. Regime 1 provides more child-months of protection only for 100% Group 1 populations. For the study population Regime 2 provided at least 17% more child-months of protection than Regime 1. Regime 2 provides increased medical and financial benefits in proportion to the number of Group 2 infants in the population and thus is ever more advantageous for today's increasingly vaccinated populations.     

A longitudinal investigation of anxiety sensitivity in adolescence.

This investigation sought to expand existing knowledge of anxiety sensitivity in a sample of high school students (N = 2,365) assessed over 4 years. The stability of anxiety sensitivity levels across assessment periods was examined, and cluster analyses were used to identify different developmental pathways in levels of anxiety sensitivity. Groups of adolescents with stable low, stable high, and escalating anxiety sensitivity levels were identified. Adolescents with stable high or escalating anxiety sensitivity were significantly more likely to report experiencing a panic attack than individuals with stable low anxiety sensitivity. Results also indicated that Asian and Hispanic adolescents tended to report higher anxiety sensitivity but that their anxiety sensitivity was less strongly associated with panic than that of Caucasian adolescents. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

REM sleep behaviour disorder: an overview

REM sleep behaviour disorder (RSBD) is a recently described parasomnia characterised by a history of excessive nocturnal motor activity and absence of muscle atonia during REM sleep. Only limited literature is available on this condition. The exact prevalence is unclear, but recent studies suggest it might not be an uncommon condition. The elderly are more often affected and there is a male preponderance. While transient RSBD can be seen after taking certain drugs or during drug withdrawal, the chronic type is usually idiopathic or associated with an underlying degenerative neurological condition. It can result in considerable distress and/or serious injury to the patients or their bed partners. Differential diagnoses include sleep-walking, night terrors, nightmares, nocturnal seizures, obstructive sleep apnoea, post-traumatic stress disorder, dissociative states and nocturnal confusional states. The dramatic response to clonazepam highlights the importance of recognition and appropriate treatment of this sleep disorder.     

Association between intestinal vitamin D receptor, calcium absorption, and serum 1,25 dihydroxyvitamin D in normal young and elderly women

This paper systematically reviews the results from epidemiologic studies investigating the hypothesis that breast cancer risk in postmenopausal women increases with increasing concentrations of estradiol in blood and with increasing urinary estrogen excretion rates. Data from 29 epidemiologic studies of endogenous hormones and postmenopausal breast cancer were used. The ratio of the average estrogen concentration in the women with breast cancer to that in the women without breast cancer (and its 95 percent confidence interval [CI]) was calculated for each study, and the results were summarized by calculating weighted averages of the log ratios. In six prospective studies of serum estradiol concentration, 329 women who subsequently developed breast cancer had, overall, a 15 percent (CI = 6-24 percent, P = 0.0003) higher mean concentration of estradiol in their blood than the 1,105 women who remained free of cancer. The results of these prospective studies did not differ significantly from each other (chi2 for heterogeneity = 8.7; degrees of freedom = 5; P > 0.1). Similar differences in mean estrogen levels were seen in the case-control studies which reported either estradiol concentrations in the blood or urinary estrogen excretion. However, the case-control studies showed significant heterogeneity among their results. The data from the prospective studies strongly suggest that breast cancer risk in postmenopausal women is associated with relatively high concentrations of endogenous estradiol.     

Stimulation of large-conductance Ca2+-activated K+ channels by Evans blue in cultured endothelial cells of human umbilical veins

The effect of Evans blue (EB) on large-conductance Ca2+-activated K+ (BKCa) channels was investigated in cultured endothelial cells of human umbilical veins. In whole-cell configuration, EB (50 microM) reversibly increased the amplitude of K+ outward currents (IK). When the patch pipettes were filled with 10 mM EGTA, its stimulatory effect on IK was unaltered. Further application of EB in the presence of suramin, a blocker of P2-purinergic receptor, or AOPCP, an inhibitor of 5'-nucleotidase, still increased IK. However, charybdotoxin (100 nM) suppressed EB-induced increase in IK. In inside-out configuration, bath application of EB (50 microM) did not change single channel conductance but significantly increased the activity of BKCa channels. The EB-induced increase in the activity of BKCa channels was independent on internal Ca2+. EB (50 microM) shifted the activation curve of BKCa channels to less positive membrane potentials by approximately 20 mV. The change in the kinetic behavior of BKCa channels caused by EB in these cells is due to an increase in mean open time and a decrease in mean closed time. These results indicate that EB can stimulate the activity of BKCa channel in endothelial cells. This effect is unrelated to its blockade of P2-purinergic receptors or inhibition of 5'-nucleotidase. The direct stimulation of these ionic channels by EB may contribute to its effect on capillary permeability.     

Nondestructive examination of epoxy adhesive-bonded structures exposed to a humid environment: A comparison of low- and high-frequency dielectric measurements

Broadband dielectric measurements (10 ?2 to 3 GHz) are reported on the effects of exposure of thick film adhesive-bonded structures to moisture. Measurement of the dielectric properties over a broad frequency range allows identification of water both in voids and as a molecular dispersion in the matrix. Changes in the low frequency region of the dielectric spectrum can be attributed to a combination of processes associated with plasticisation of the adhesive, interfacial polarisation effects, and hydration of the surface oxide layer. The data obtained are complemented by mechanical testing and failure analysis of the bond structure measured as a function of the time of exposure. This study indicates that for thick film adhesives the ageing characteristics are apparently independent of the surface treatment. In one of the joints studied an additional feature is identified which appears to correlate with the premature aging of the joint structure.     

The Father of the House: An Interview With Tom Uren

Tom Uren was the Minister for Urban and Regional Development in the Whitlam government, and Minister for Local Government and Administrative Services in the first and second Hawke governments. After the July 1987 election, he decided he no longer wanted a ministerial position and now is an active backbencher in the third Hawke government. He has been a prinicpal architect behind serveral significant changes in intergovernment relations in his periods in office. He was Australia's first federal minister for local government. He has long been an advocate for regional cooperation amongst local councils, and an enhanced role for local government in providing services. Local government now has guaranteed funding from the federal level. As the minister for DURD he led the most profound review of the commonwealth's role in urban and regional planning. Growth centres, National Heritage, improved urban infrastructure and social equity became key elements of urban and regional planning in the 1970s.