Prefrontal cortical parvalbumin and somatostatin expression and cell density increase during adolescence and are modified by BDNF and sex.

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is known to play a critical role early in the development of cortical GABAergic interneurons. Recently our laboratory and others have shown protracted development of specific subpopulations of GABAergic interneurons extending into adolescence. BDNF expression also changes significantly across adolescent development. However the role of BDNF in regulating GABAergic changes across adolescence remains unclear. Here, we performed a week-by-week analysis of the protein expression and cell density of three major GABAergic interneurons, parvalbumin (PV), somatostatin (SST) and calretinin (Cal) in the medial prefrontal cortex from prepubescence (week 3) to adulthood (week 12). In order to assess how BDNF and sex might influence the adolescent trajectory of GABAergic interneurons we compared WT as well as BDNF heterozygous (+/-) male and female mice. In both males and females PV expression increases during adolescent development in the mPFC. Compared to wild-types, PV expression was reduced in male but not female BDNF+/- mice throughout adolescent development. This reduction in protein expression corresponded with reduced cell density, specifically within the infralimbic prefrontal cortex. SST expression increased in early adolescent WT females and this upregulation was delayed in BDNF+/-. SST cell density also increased in early adolescent mPFC of WT female mice, with BDNF+/- again showing a reduced pattern of expression. Cal protein expression was also sex-dependently altered across adolescence with WT males showing a steady decline but that of BDNF+/- remaining unaltered. Reduced cell density in on the other hand was observed particularly in male BDNF+/- mice. In females, Cal protein expression and cell density remained largely stable. Our results show that PV, SST and calretinin interneurons are indeed still developing into early adolescence in the mPFC and that BDNF plays a critical, sex-specific role in mediating expression and cell density.

Vegetative fragment production as a means of propagule dispersal for tropical seagrass meadows.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Long distance dispersal (LDD) contributes to the replenishment and recovery of tropical seagrass habitats exposed to disturbance, such as cyclones and infrastructure development. However, our current knowledge regarding the physical attributes of seagrass fragments that influence LDD predominantly stems from temperate species and regions. The goal of this paper is to measure seagrass fragment density and viability in two tropical species, assessing various factors influencing their distribution. METHODS: We measured the density and viability of floating seagrass fragments for two tropical seagrass species (Zostera muelleri and Halodule uninervis) in two coastal seagrass meadows in the central Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area, Australia. We assessed the effect of wind speed, wind direction, seagrass growing/senescent season, seagrass meadow density, meadow location and dugong foraging intensity on fragment density. We also measured seagrass fragment structure and fragment viability; i.e., potential to establish into a new plant. KEY RESULTS: We found that seagrass meadow density, season, wind direction and wind speed influenced total fragment density, while season and wind speed influenced the density of viable fragments. Dugong foraging intensity did not influence fragment density. Our results indicate that wave action from winds combined with high seagrass meadow density increases seagrass fragment creation, and that more fragments are produced during the growing than the senescent season. Seagrass fragments classified as viable for Z. muelleri and H. uninervis had significantly more shoots and leaves than non-viable fragments. We collected 0.63 (±0.08 SE) floating viable fragments 100 m-2 in the growing season, and 0.13 (±0.03 SE) viable fragments 100 m-2 in the senescent season. Over a third (38%) of all fragments collected were viable. CONCLUSION: There is likely to be a large number of viable seagrass fragments available for long distance dispersal. This study's outputs can inform dispersal and connectivity models that are used to direct seagrass ecosystem management and conservation strategies.

Quantifying the environmental impact of a major coal mine project on the adjacent Great Barrier Reef ecosystems.

A major coal mine project in Queensland, Australia, is currently under review. It is planned to be located about 10 km away from the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area (GBRWHA). Sediment dispersal patterns and their impact on marine ecosystems have not been properly assessed yet. Here, we simulate the dispersal of different sediment types with a high-resolution ocean model, and derive their environmental footprint. We show that sediments finer than 32 µm could reach dense seagrass meadows and a dugong sanctuary within a few weeks. The intense tidal circulation leads to non-isotropic and long-distance sediment dispersal patterns along the coast. Our results suggest that the sediments released by this project will not be quickly mixed but rather be concentrated where the most valuable ecosystems are located. If accepted, this coal mine could therefore have a far-reaching impact on the GBRWHA and its iconic marine species.

Rapid assessment of risks to a mobile marine mammal in an ecosystem-scale marine protected area.

Ecosystem-scale networks of marine protected areas (MPAs) are important conservation tools, but their effectiveness is difficult to quantify in a time frame appropriate to species conservation because of uncertainties in the data available. The dugong (Dugong dugon) is a mobile marine species that occurs in shallow inshore waters of an ecosystem-scale network of MPAs (the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area [GBRWHA]). We developed a rapid approach to assess risk to dugongs in the region and evaluate options to ameliorate that risk. We used expert opinion and a Delphi technique to identify and rank 5 human factors with the potential to adversely affect dugongs and their sea grass habitats: netting, indigenous hunting, trawling, vessel traffic, and poor-quality terrestrial runoff. We then quantified and compared the distribution of these factors with a spatially explicit model of dugong distribution. We estimated that approximately 96% of habitat of high conservation value for dugongs in the GBRWHA is at low risk from human activities. Using a sensitivity analysis, we found that to decrease risk, commercial netting or indigenous hunting had to be reduced in remote areas and the effects of vessel traffic, terrestrial runoff, and commercial netting had to be reduced in urban areas. This approach enabled us to compare and rank risks so as to identify the most severe risks and locate specific sites that require further management attention.

Effectiveness of lifestyle interventions for preventing harmful weight gain among young adults from lower socioeconomic status and ethnically diverse backgrounds: a systematic review.

The incidence of overweight and obesity are increasing with each successive generation of young adults. Associated co-morbidities will emerge at an earlier age unless weight gain is prevented. Evidence has demonstrated young adults (aged 18-35 years) from low socioeconomic and ethnically diverse backgrounds are at greater risk of overweight or obesity, yet it is unclear how to effectively intervene in this population. This systematic review aimed to assess the effectiveness of lifestyle interventions conducted in this population. Thirty studies reporting on lifestyle interventions for prevention of weight gain were identified from eight electronic databases searched. Six interventions included subgroup analyses to determine if ethnicity moderated weight change, and two included subgroup analyses to determine if socioeconomic status had an effect on change in weight. Five of these six studies were effective in preventing weight gain, and subgroup analyses showed no differences in effect by ethnicity. Of these five studies, two included a subgroup analysis that showed socioeconomic status to have no effect on weight outcome. Despite the promising results from these five lifestyle interventions utilizing online and mobile components to effectively reach and prevent weight gain in this priority population, the evidence base of high quality trials is limited.

Prevalence and period trends of overweight and obesity in Australian young adults.

This analysis examines period trends in body weight of Australian 18-24 year olds. Secondary analysis of National Health Surveys was performed, including examination of socio-demographic determinants of obesity. The prevalence of overweight and obesity has increased from 24.0 and 5.1% in males and 13.2 and 5.8% in females, respectively, in 1995 to 29.3 and 13.8% in males and 20.6 and 20.6% in females in 2012. Mean body mass index (BMI) increased over time from 23.7 (s.d. 3.5) for males and 22.4 (s.d. 4.0) for females in 1995 to 25.2 (s.d. 4.8) and 25.5 (s.d. 5.9) in 2011/2. Lower educational attainment increased the odds of having BMI⩾25.00 kg/m(2) for both sexes (P=0.03 males and P<0.001 females). Overweight and obesity were higher in rural females (P<0.05) and those socio-economically disadvantaged (P<0.0001). The obesity epidemic has worsened for Australian young adults and in particular young females.

The potential of low-intensity and online interventions for depression in low- and middle-income countries.

The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are confronted with a serious 'mental health gap', indicating an enormous disparity between the number of individuals in need of mental health care and the availability of professionals to provide such care (WHO in 2010). Traditional forms of mental health services (i.e. face-to-face, individualised assessments and interventions) are therefore not feasible. We propose three strategies for addressing this mental health gap: delivery of evidence-based, low-intensity interventions by non-specialists, the use of transdiagnostic treatment protocols, and strategic deployment of technology to facilitate access and uptake. We urge researchers from all over the world to conduct feasibility studies and randomised controlled studies on the effect of low-intensity interventions and technology supported (e.g. online) interventions in LMICs, preferably using an active control condition as comparison, to ensure we disseminate effective treatments in LMICs.

A comparative study of the nodular and diffuse variants of lymphocyte-predominant Hodgkin's disease.

A clinical comparison of the nodular and diffuse variants of lymphocyte-predominant Hodgkin's disease (HD-LP) has shown them to be similar in all respects, including survival and relapse-free survival (RFS). In addition, they appear similar to mixed cellularity (MC) and nodular sclerosing Hodgkin's disease (HD-NS) with regard to clinical course. Thus, the reported phenotypic differences between nodular lymphocyte predominant Hodgkin's disease (HD-LP[N]) and other forms of the disease do not appear to be reflected in clinical behavior.

Obstetric complications in patients with schizophrenia and their unaffected siblings.

OBJECTIVE: We sought to explore whether obstetric complications (OCs) are more likely to occur in the presence of familial/genetic susceptibility for schizophrenia or whether they themselves represent an independent environmental risk factor for schizophrenia. METHODS: The presence of OCs was assessed through maternal interview on 216 subjects, comprising 36 patients with schizophrenia from multiply affected families, 38 of their unaffected siblings, 31 schizophrenic patients with no family history of psychosis, 51 of their unaffected siblings and 60 normal comparison subjects. We examined the familiality of OCs and whether OCs were commoner in the patient and sibling groups than in the control group. RESULTS: OCs tended to cluster within families, especially in multiply affected families. Patients with schizophrenia, especially those from multiply affected families, had a significantly higher rate of OCs compared to normal comparison subjects, but there was no evidence for an elevated rate of OCs in unaffected siblings. CONCLUSION: Our data provides little evidence for a link between OCs and genetic susceptibility to schizophrenia. If high rates of OCs are related to schizophrenia genes, this relationship is weak and will only be detected by very large sample sizes.

Complete structural characterisation of the mammalian and Drosophila TRAF genes: implications for TRAF evolution and the role of RING finger splice variants.

The complete murine TRAF2 gene was obtained using a lambda phage and PCR cloning strategy. The gene was found to consist of ten coding and one 5' non-coding exon spread over 28 kbp of DNA. We also report the basic structure of the human TRAF5 and TRAF6 genes obtained by analysis of the genomic DNA database. Comparison of these three gene structures, along with those previously described for TRAF1, TRAF3 and TRAF4, revealed the evolutionary relationship between the six known mammalian TRAFs. The TRAF1/TRAF2 and TRAF3/TRAF5 gene pairs were found to have arisen from recent independent gene duplications and to share a common ancestral gene. Specific TRAF4 and TRAF6 precursor genes were found to have arisen earlier during evolution, with the divergence of the TRAF6 precursor occuring earliest of all. The Drosophila genome was found to contain three TRAF family genes: dTRAF1, dTRAF6 (dTRAF2) and a previously undescribed member we have designated dTRAF3. TRAF-C domain homology indicated that dTRAF3 is likely to have derived from the common precursor for the TRAF 1, 2, 3 and 5 genes, whilst dTRAF1 and dTRAF6 have derived from the TRAF4 and TRAF6 precursor genes, respectively. The implication of these results for the functional evolution of TRAFs is discussed. Analysis is also presented of the conservation of the TRAF2A molecule, a TRAF2 alternate splice isoform with an extended RING finger domain previously described in mice. TRAF2A was not found to be encoded by the human or rat TRAF2 genes and no other murine TRAF gene was found to produce a similar alternate splice product. We also report that the sequence of murine C57BL/6 TRAF4 differs significantly from the published murine TRAF4 sequence, but appears to represent the actual TRAF4 sequence expressed in many mouse strains.

A systematic literature review of nutrition interventions in vending machines that encourage consumers to make healthier choices.

UNLABELLED: Internationally, vending machines are scrutinized for selling energy-dense nutrient-poor foods and beverages, and the contribution to overconsumption and subsequent risk of obesity. The aim of this review is to determine the efficacy of nutrition interventions in vending machine in eliciting behaviour change to improve diet quality or weight status of consumers. Electronic databases Cochrane, EMBASE, CINAHL, Science Direct and PubMed were searched from inception. INCLUSION CRITERIA: (i) populations that have access to vending machines; (ii) nutrition interventions; (iii) measured outcomes of behaviour change (e.g. sales data, dietary intake or weight change); and (iv) experimental trials where controls were not exposed to the intervention. Risk of bias was assessed independently by two researchers, and higher quality research formed the basis of this qualitative review. Twelve articles from 136 searched were included for synthesis. Intervention settings included schools, universities and workplaces. Reducing price or increasing the availability increased sales of healthier choices. The results of point-of-purchase nutrition information interventions were heterogeneous and when measured changes to purchases were small. This review offers evidence that pricing and availability strategies are effective at improving the nutritional quality foods and beverages purchased from vending machines. Evidence on how these interventions alter consumer's overall diet or body mass index is needed.

Maternal exposure to influenza and paranoid schizophrenia.

Previous research has suggested that schizophrenics exposed to influenza in the second trimester have more delusions of jealousy, delusions of reference and suspiciousness. We therefore hypothesised that the risk-increasing effect of in utero exposure to influenza would be particularly demonstrable in paranoid schizophrenia. We studied patients with an ICD diagnosis of schizophrenia in England and Wales who were born each month between 1923 and 1965 (N = 17,247. Chi-square test for trend showed that an increase in influenza exposure level during the fifth month of gestation was accompanied by an increase in the proportion of patients with paranoid schizophrenia. However, logistic regression analysis including sex, seasonality and birth period in the model resulted in the loss of any significant association between in utero exposure to influenza and the development of paranoid schizophrenia, the loss of this significance being mainly accounted for by birth period. Therefore, the association in utero exposure to influenza and subsequent development of paranoid schizophrenia we hypothesised was not supported by our data.

Granulocytic sarcoma of the cervix: an immunohistochemical, histochemical, and ultrastructural study.

Light microscopical and routine immunohistochemical studies of a cervical neoplasm in a 32 year old woman initially suggested a histiocytic lymphoma, but histochemical staining for chloroacetate esterase established the correct diagnosis. This was supported by electron microscopic findings. Eight months later the patient developed a granulocytic sarcoma in her left breast and haemotological features of acute myeloid leukaemia. Accurate initial diagnosis of granulocytic sarcoma in a non-leukaemic patient may reduce the risk of subsequent acute myeloid leukaemia if appropriate chemotherapy is begun in time.

Gastric polyposis caused by multiple carcinoids and early carcinoma.

A case of gastric polyposis caused by multiple carcinoids with concurrent gastric carcinoma is reported in a 70 year old woman with severe atrophic gastritis and intestinal metaplasia. On microscopic examination, the carcinoids and gastric carcinoma arose separately thus representing "double primaries". Long-standing hypergastrinaemia probably plays a causative role in the development of carcinoma and carcinoids. Carcinoid tumours, although of low malignant potential, may be important as indicators of other unrelated high risk malignancies. Patients with carcinoids should be followed closely, especially as the incidence of these tumours seems to be on the increase.

Computerization of data: a person-based medical record system.

The collection and evaluation of obstetric data is essential for assessing the effectiveness of the health and social services in a country. A computerized system in use on a national level is described. The person-based system aims to include all patients who encounter government medical services, including obstetric and infant data. The scope of the service is to make individual patient records easily available to the practitioner, but is designed to allow statistical analysis of the data.

Trends in mortality from major non-communicable diseases in the middle-aged population of Malta.

Trends in life expectancy and mortality from major non-communicable diseases in Malta were analyzed from the national vital statistics available. Most of the increased life expectancy during the 20th century in Malta took place between 1930 and 1960 and since then only a minor increase was observed. The peak in age standardized total mortality in men and women aged 40-69 years was during 1974-76. Total mortality in men was about 40% higher than that of women. The proportion of deaths from major non-communicable diseases (cardiovascular diseases, cancer and diabetes) of all deaths increased during 1968-82. In 1983-84 in the age group 45-64 cardiovascular diseases accounted for 54% of deaths in men and 43% in women, cancer 27% and 34%, and diabetes 3% and 11% in men and women, respectively. The international comparison of mortality data showed that mortality from both cardiovascular diseases, cancer and diabetes was clearly higher than in other European Mediterranean countries ranking among the highest in the whole Europe. Public health intervention programmes have initiated in Malta to reduce these high death rates in the future.

Guiding principles for the improved governance of port and shipping impacts in the Great Barrier Reef.

The Great Barrier Reef (GBR) region of Queensland, Australia, encompasses a complex and diverse array of tropical marine ecosystems of global significance. The region is also a World Heritage Area and largely within one of the world's best managed marine protected areas. However, a recent World Heritage Committee report drew attention to serious governance problems associated with the management of ports and shipping. We review the impacts of ports and shipping on biodiversity in the GBR, and propose a series of guiding principles to improve the current governance arrangements. Implementing these principles will increase the capacity of decision makers to minimize the impacts of ports and shipping on biodiversity, and will provide certainty and clarity to port operators and developers. A 'business as usual' approach could lead to the GBR's inclusion on the List of World Heritage in Danger in 2014.

Exposure to lead and cadmium of the general population of Malta.

The blood levels of lead (PbB), cadmium (CdB), and zinc protoporphyrin (ZPP) were determined in 538 Maltese adult subjects. A relatively high level exposure to both metals was discovered. For lead, the median value is 274 micrograms/l with percentile 90 and 98 respectively 564 and 863 micrograms/l. These values are to be compared with the reference values proposed by a directive of the European Community, respectively 200, 300 and 350 micrograms/l. For cadmium, the median value is 2.2 micrograms/l with percentile 90 and 98 respectively 3.8 and 5.7 micrograms/l. These values are compared with those of a Belgian population which are respectively 1.7, 2.6 and 4.3 micrograms/l. The causes of this relatively high exposure are not known. A few tentative hypotheses, which are to be investigated, are made.

Malignant osteoclastoma-like giant cell tumour of the renal pelvis.

We report the fourth case of an osteoclastoma-like giant cell tumour of the renal pelvis. A special feature was that although thorough sampling of the tumour showed an osteoclastoma-like pattern throughout, it was intimately associated with carcinoma in situ change of the adjacent transitional epithelium and this provides further support for the view that these tumours are of epithelial derivation. However, immunohistological and ultrastructural studies failed to reveal epithelial features within the tumour cells and the possible significance of this finding is discussed.

Increased thymic B cells but maintenance of thymic structure, T cell differentiation and negative selection in lymphotoxin-alpha and TNF gene-targeted mice.

TNF, lymphotoxin (LT) and their receptors are expressed constitutively in the thymus. It remains unclear whether these cytokines play a role in normal thymic structure or function. We have investigated thymocyte differentiation, selection and thymic organogenesis in gene targeted mice lacking LTalpha, TNF, or both (TNF/LTalpha-/-). The thymus was normal in TNF/LTalpha-/- mice with regard to cell yields and stromal architecture. Detailed analysis of alphabeta and gammadelta T cell-lineage thymocyte subsets revealed no abnormalities, implying that neither TNF nor LT play an essential role in T cell differentiation or positive selection. The number and distribution of thymic CD11c+ dendritic cells was also normal in the absence of both TNF and LTalpha. A three-fold increase in B cell numbers was observed consistently in the TNF/LTalpha-/- thymus. This phenotype was due entirely to the LTalpha deficiency and associated with changes in the hemopoietic compartment, rather than the thymic stromal compartment of LTalpha-/- mice. Finally, specific Vbeta8+ T cell deletion within the thymus following intrathymic injection of staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB) was TNF/LT independent. Thus, despite the presence of these cytokines and their receptors in the normal thymus, there appears no essential role for either TNF or LT in development of organ structure or for those processes associated with T cell repertoire selection.