Spectrum of ocular disease in children aged between 0 and 3 years at an Australian paediatric tertiary hospital

Background

Childhood ocular disease can be a significant health burden to the child, family and society. Previous studies have examined the spectrum of paediatric ocular disease presenting to tertiary hospitals; however, these studies have broader age ranges, smaller sample sizes, and are largely based in developing countries. This study aims to assess the spectrum of ocular disease in the first 3 years of life presenting to the eye department of an Australian tertiary paediatric hospital.

Methods

The records of 3337 children who had their initial presentation at the eye clinic between the age of 0 and 36 months were reviewed, spanning 6.5 years from 1st July 2012 to 31st December 2018.

Results

The most common primary diagnoses overall were strabismic amblyopia (6.0%), retinopathy of prematurity (5.0%) and nasolacrimal duct obstruction (4.5%). Bilateral visual impairment was more common in younger children, while unilateral visual impairment was more common in older children. The proportion of all children presenting with visual impairment was 10.3%, with 5.7% of all children presenting with bilateral visual impairment and 4.6% presenting with unilateral visual impairment. In children with visual impairment, the most common sites of primary abnormality were lens (21.4%), retina (17.3%), and cerebral and visual pathways (12.1%). The most common primary diagnoses in children with visual impairment were cataract (21.4%), strabismic amblyopia (9.3%) and retinoblastoma (6.5%).

Conclusions

The spectrum of eye disease and vision impairment presenting in the first 3 years of life facilitates health care planning, greater community education about vision impairment and importance of early intervention, and guidance for appropriate resource allocation. Health systems can apply these findings to aid in early identification and intervention to reduce preventable blindness and institute appropriate rehabilitation services.     

Functional expression of the amiloride-sensitive sodium channel in Xenopus oocytes.

Expression of the amiloride-sensitive sodium channel was examined in Xenopus oocytes that were microinjected with A6 cell mRNA. Amiloride-inhibitable 22Na flux could be measured in intact oocytes 2-3 days after injection with 25 ng of poly(A)+ RNA isolated from aldosterone-treated A6 cells. The rate of 22Na uptake was approximately 15-fold greater in oocytes microinjected with 25 ng of poly(A)+ RNA than in water-injected control oocytes. An increase in 22Na uptake by mRNA-injected oocytes occurred whether the mRNA was isolated from A6 cells grown on a porous or nonporous support. In the presence of 4 mM NaCl, amiloride caused dose-dependent inhibition of 22Na uptake in mRNA-injected oocytes, which was half-maximal at 6 x 10(-8) M. Both 1 microM amiloride and 0.1 microM benzamil inhibited 22Na uptake in mRNA-injected oocytes by greater than 95%, whereas less than 50% inhibition occurred with 1 microM 5-(N-ethyl-N-isopropyl)amiloride. When A6 cell mRNA was size fractionated by sucrose density-gradient centrifugation, amiloride-sensitive 22Na uptake was expressed predominantly by oocytes injected with mRNA from two contiguous fractions.     

Identification of African swine fever viral antigens in the hemolymph of soft ticks (Argasidae: Ornithodoros) by the immunodot blot test

The immunodot blot test was used to identify African swine fever virus (ASFV) antigens in the hemolymph from soft ticks (Ornithodoros coriaceus) fed on ASFV-infected pigs. The immunodot blot test was sensitive and specific for ASFV antigens and has potential field application. Hemolymph from field-collected ticks can be screened for ASFV and a variety of other tick-borne pathogens using this test.     

Implementing best available evidence into practice for incontinence-associated dermatitis in Australia: A multisite multimethod study protocol

AimsIncontinence-associated dermatitis (IAD) is an insidious and under-reported hospital-acquired complication which substantially impacts on patients’ quality of life. A published international guideline and the Ghent Global IAD Categorisation Tool (GLOBIAD) outline the best available evidence for the optimal management of IAD. This study aims to implement theguideline and the GLOBIAD tool and evaluate the effect on IAD occurrences and sacral pressure injuries as well as patient, clinician and cost-effectiveness outcomes.Materials and methodsThe study will employ a multi-method design across six hospitals in five health districts in Australia, and will be conducted in three phases (pre-implementation, implementation and post-implementation) over 19 months. Data collection will involve IAD and pressure injury prevalence audits for patient hospital admissions, focus groups with, and surveys of, clinicians, patient interviews, and collection of the cost of IAD hospital care and patient-related outcomes including quality of life. Eligible participants will be hospitalised adults over 18 years of age experiencing incontinence, and clinicians working in the study wards will be invited to participate in focus groups and surveys.ConclusionThe implementation of health district-wide evidence-based practices for IAD using a translational research approach that engages key stakeholders will allow the standardisation of IAD care that can potentially be applicable to a range of settings. Knowledge gained will inform future practice change in patient care and health service delivery and improve the quality of care for patients with IAD. Support at the hospital, state and national levels, coupled with a refined stakeholder-inclusive strategy, will enhance this project's success, sustainability and scalability beyond this existing project.     

Little influence on tooth position from playing a wind instrument

The morphology of the face and dentition of 62 adult professional wind instrument musicians was recorded with roentgencephalometry and dental casts. The musician group was comprised of 31 brass instrument players, and 31 reed instrument or flute players. The results were compared between the two subgroups and between these and a control group. The few differences found between groups were small. Overbite and upper dental arch width at the canines were smaller in the musicians than in the control group. Width at the maxillary and mandibular molars was somewhat smaller in the reed instrument and flute players than in the control group. No difference in overjet was found. Cephalometric analysis showed similar, normal facial morphology in all groups. The range of variables recorded was large in all groups.     

New molecular determinants controlling the accessibility of ouabain to its binding site in human Na,K-ATPase alpha isoforms

Inhibition of Na,K-ATPase alpha2 isoforms in the human heart is supposed to be involved in the inotropic effect of cardiac glycosides, whereas inhibition of alpha1 isoforms may be responsible for their toxic effects. Human Na,K-ATPase alpha1 and alpha2 isoforms exhibit a high ouabain affinity but significantly differ in the ouabain association and dissociation rates. To identify the structural determinants that are involved in these differences, we have prepared chimeras between human alpha1 and alpha2 isoforms and alpha2 mutants in which nonconserved amino acids were exchanged with those of the alpha1 isoform, expressed these constructs in Xenopus laevis oocytes, and measured their ouabain binding kinetics. Our results show that replacement of Met119 and Ser124 in the M1-M2 extracellular loop of the alpha2 isoform by the corresponding Thr119 and Gln124 of the alpha1 isoform shifts both the fast ouabain association and dissociation rates of the alpha2 isoform to the slow ouabain binding kinetics of the alpha1 isoform. The amino acids at position 119 and 124 cooperate with the M7-M8 hairpin and are also responsible for the small differences in the ouabain affinity of the ouabain-sensitive alpha1 and alpha2 isoforms. Thus, we have identified new structural determinants in the Na,K-ATPase alpha-subunit that are involved in ouabain binding and probably control, in an alpha isoform-specific way, the access and release of ouabain to and from its binding site.     

Future of God in recovery from drug addiction

The purpose of the present paper was to explore the concept and experience of God in relation to recovery from drug addiction from a scientific perspective. Examination of a diverse literature was undertaken, including five key threads: the universality of the experience of God; the induction of spiritual experiences of God through hallucinogenic drugs; the nature of drug addiction from an evolutionary neurobiological perspective; the 12 Step movement as the prototype for the place of God in recovery from drug addiction; and identified ingredients for successful recovery from addiction. The diverse threads of literature examined can be integrated around the concept of higher power as an important factor in recovery from drug addiction. Higher power can be manifested in individuals in diverse ways: religious, ethnic, spiritual including the use of entheogens, as well as cognitive behavioural development, but a common final pathway for all is the strengthening of executive functions (the brain's 'higher power'). Practical implications for assisting people with drug addiction to achieve recovery through their own experience of God/development of higher power are outlined.     

The classification and nomenclature of endogenous viruses of the family Caulimoviridae

Endogenous members of the family Caulimoviridae have now been found in the genomes of many plant species. Although these sequences are usually fragmented and rearranged and show varying degrees of decay, the genomes of the ancestral viruses can often be reassembled in silico, allowing classification within the existing viral taxonomic framework. In this paper, we describe analyses of endogenous members of the family Caulimoviridae in the genomes of Oryza sativa, Nicotiana tabacum and Solanum spp. and on the basis of phylogeny, genome organization and genetic distance within the pol gene, propose two new virus genera called Orendovirus and Solendovirus. A system of nomenclature for endogenous virus sequences in plants is also proposed.