"Could it be asthma?": the impact of a mass media campaign aimed at raising awareness about asthma in Australia

Asthma is a very common chronic illness in Australia; however,unrecognized and undertreated asthma is responsible for muchpreventable morbidity in the community. In 1988, a coalitionof private and public sector agencies was formed to conducta national mass communications program aimed at increasing awarenessabout asthma. This pilot campaign comprised a mailout to allprimary care physicians and a mass media campaign, entitled"Could it be asthma?". The impact of this media-based strategywas assessed using population surveys of 1300 adults beforeand after the campaign. Following the campaign, recall of recentasthma media messages increased from 24 to 49% (P < 0.001)and the proportion who recognized possible asthma symptoms intheir household increased from 3.4 to 5.5% following the campaign.Of those with symptoms, twice as many reported that they visiteda doctor to have their symptoms assessed after the campaign.Knowledge of asthma symptoms was significantly higher followingthe campaign (P < 0.001), after adjustment for age, sex andthe presence of asthma in the respondents family. The campaignappeared to have some success in raising awareness about asthma,and has been followed by the development of a National AsthmaCampaign in Australia focusing on reducing asthma morbidityand improving its management.     

Obstructive Sleep Apnoea: A Review of the Orofacial Implications

Obstructive sleep apnoea is a complex multifactorial condition produced by a combination of anatomical and physiological factors. There is a significant associated mortality and morbidity to obstructive sleep apnoea. There is an at least 25 per cent increased mortality from cardiovascular disease when obstructive sleep apnoea patients are compared to age and gender matched healthy people. Obstructive sleep apnoea sufferers also have a much higher industrial and motor vehicle accident rate. Management of the condition should be undertaken by a multidisciplinary team including respiratory physicians, sleep laboratory technicians, otorhinolaryngologists, oral and maxillofacial surgeons and dental specialists. The diagnostic and therapeutic interactions of team members are the key to successful treatment. The treatment regime utilises nasal continuous positive airway pressure devices, mandibular advancement splints and soft and hard tissue surgery. This review provides the dental practitioner with an introduction to obstructive sleep apnoea with particular emphasis on the orofacial aspects.     

Tuberculosis notifications in Australia, 2001.

In 2001, there were 997 cases of tuberculosis (TB) reported to the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System, of which, 967 were new cases of TB and 30 cases were relapses. The incidence rate of TB in Australia in 2001 was 5.1 cases per 100,000 population. The highest incidence of TB was reported in people born overseas (19.3 cases per 100,000 population), followed by Indigenous Australians (9.8 cases per 100,000 population). In contrast, the incidence rate of TB in the non-Indigenous Australian-born population was 1.0 cases per 100,000 population. This pattern of TB incidence rates amongst the sub-populations of Australia has been observed for over 10 years. Eighty-six per cent of TB cases completed treatment in 2001. Treatment was unsuccessful in 7 cases and only 22 cases defaulted. The National Tuberculosis Advisory Committee has published a National Strategic Plan with performance indicators to ensure that this enviable record of TB control is maintained and improved.     

Tuberculosis notifications in Australia, 2005

The National Notifiable Disease Surveillance System received 1,072 tuberculosis (TB) notifications in 2005, of which 1,022 were new cases and 50 were relapses. The incidence of TB in Australia was 5.3 cases per 100,000 population in 2005 and has remained at a stable rate since 1985. The high-incidence groups remain people born overseas and Indigenous Australians at 20.6 and 5.9 cases per 100,000 population, respectively. By contrast, the incidence of TB in the non-Indigenous Australian-born population was 0.8 cases per 100,000 population. Rates in the Australian-born, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous have been declining since 1991, while rates in the overseas-born have been increasing. TB control in Australia relies on pre-migration screening and provision of free and effective treatment.     

Genome analysis of the smallest free-living eukaryote Ostreococcus tauri unveils many unique features

The green lineage is reportedly 1,500 million years old, evolving shortly after the endosymbiosis event that gave rise to early photosynthetic eukaryotes. In this study, we unveil the complete genome sequence of an ancient member of this lineage, the unicellular green alga Ostreococcus tauri (Prasinophyceae). This cosmopolitan marine primary producer is the world's smallest free-living eukaryote known to date. Features likely reflecting optimization of environmentally relevant pathways, including resource acquisition, unusual photosynthesis apparatus, and genes potentially involved in C(4) photosynthesis, were observed, as was downsizing of many gene families. Overall, the 12.56-Mb nuclear genome has an extremely high gene density, in part because of extensive reduction of intergenic regions and other forms of compaction such as gene fusion. However, the genome is structurally complex. It exhibits previously unobserved levels of heterogeneity for a eukaryote. Two chromosomes differ structurally from the other eighteen. Both have a significantly biased G+C content, and, remarkably, they contain the majority of transposable elements. Many chromosome 2 genes also have unique codon usage and splicing, but phylogenetic analysis and composition do not support alien gene origin. In contrast, most chromosome 19 genes show no similarity to green lineage genes and a large number of them are specialized in cell surface processes. Taken together, the complete genome sequence, unusual features, and downsized gene families, make O. tauri an ideal model system for research on eukaryotic genome evolution, including chromosome specialization and green lineage ancestry.     

Structural organization of a src gene from Xenopus laevis.

By sequence analysis of genomic clones, the exon-intron structure of one of the two src genes from Xenopus laevis has been determined. The coding region of the gene is interrupted by 10 introns whose locations are identical to the introns in the coding regions of the src genes of human and chicken. The 5' untranslated region is contained on a separate exon with no sequence conservation relative to the corresponding region of the chicken gene. The 5' untranslated region of the Xenopus gene contains a G + C-rich stem-loop sequence and two ATG triplets. A 1.4-kb fragment containing the 5' untranslated region and sequences upstream of it acts as a promoter when introduced in the correct orientation into X. laevis cell lines. The DNA sequence of this fragment lacks the typical arrangement of TATA and CCAAT sequences but contains the ATGCAAAT octamer sequence and a (TA)39 sequence.     

Tuberculosis notifications in Australia, 2006

The National Notifiable Disease Surveillance System received 1,201 tuberculosis (TB) notifications in 2006, of which 1,142 were new cases and 59 were relapses. The incidence of TB in Australia was 5.8 cases per 100,000 population in 2006 up from 5.3 per 100,000 in 2005, but still below 6 per 100,000 as it has been since 1985. Eighty-five per cent of TB notifications in 2006 were in people born outside Australia. The incidence in people born overseas and Indigenous Australians were 20.7 and 6.6 cases per 100,000 population, respectively. By contrast, the incidence of TB in the non-Indigenous Australian-born population was 0.9 cases per 100,000 population. Household or other close contact was reported as the most common risk factor for TB infection. The number of cases of TB reported in health care workers increased in 2006; these were mostly in health care workers born in TB-endemic countries and there were no reports of TB transmission in Australian health care settings. Outcome data of the 2005 TB cohort indicates that treatment success was attained in more than 95% of cases. Progress towards TB elimination in Australia will rely on continued TB awareness, maintenance of high standards of TB diagnostic and control practices, and promoting regional and global TB control activities.     

Tuberculosis notifications in Australia, 2004

The National Notifiable Disease Surveillance System received 1,076 tuberculosis (TB) notifications in 2004, of which 1,043 were new cases and 33 were relapses. The incidence of TB in Australia has remained at a stable rate since 1985 and was 5.4 cases per 100,000 population in 2004. The high-incidence groups remain people born overseas and Indigenous Australians at 21.7 and 8.1 cases per 100,000 population, respectively. By contrast, the incidence of TB in the non-Indigenous Australian-born population was 1.0 cases per 100,000 population. Comparison of the 2004 TB notification data against the performance indicators set by National Tuberculosis Advisory Committee highlights that enhanced TB control measures should be considered among these high-risk groups.