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This article examines the role played by the press in late-Victorian popular politics, focusing on the ways in which the press created and sustained distinctive party-political cultures. Through a case study of the Conservative press in Leeds the article recreates the mental world inhabited by urban Conservatives in the period after the Second Reform Act. The press, it is argued, was central to the Leeds Conservative party's strategy of managing mass politics. In the aftermath of 1867 the Leeds Conservative party was faced with the double task of consolidating its hold over the urban and suburban middle class, as well as reaching out to the recently enfranchised masses. The diversification of the press and the targeting of niche audiences allowed the Conservative party to fashion a genteel Conservatism for the suburbs along with a more populist Conservatism for the manufacturing districts. This article illustrates how the press enabled the Leeds Conservative party to construct cross-class coalitions of electoral support and bridge the gap between the slums and suburbs. Crucial to this strategy was the ability of the Conservative press to associate the party with sporting and other leisure interests. This reflected and reinforced a Tory world-view, which not only differed from, but was also frequently in opposition to, the corresponding world-view articulated by the Liberal press. The article concludes with an attempt to measure the effect of the press on popular politics, showing how the success enjoyed by the Conservative press and the party in the late nineteenth century was the product of a specific historical conjuncture, the basis of which had been weakened by the Edwardian period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective This study aimed to quantify the out-of-pocket (OOP) costs and perceived financial burden among Australian men with localised prostate cancer in the first 6 months after diagnosis, by primary management option. Methods This cost-analysis quantified OOP costs using administrative claims data and self-reported survey data. Financial burden was assessed using the COmprehensive Score for financial Toxicity-Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy (COST-FACIT) tool. Participants were recruited into a randomised control trial from public or private treatment centres in Victoria and Queensland. Generalised linear models were used to predict OOP costs and COST-FACIT scores. Results Median total OOP costs within 6 months of diagnosis for 256 Australian patients with localised prostate cancer was A$1172 (A$343-2548). Up to 50% of the sample reported A$0 costs for most medical services. Compared with those managed with active surveillance, men having active treatment had 6.4 (95% CI: 3.2-12.7) times greater total OOP costs. Management option, higher Gleason score at diagnosis and having multiple comorbidities were significant predictors of higher OOP costs. Overall high scores on the COST-FACIT indicated low levels of financial burden for the entire sample. Conclusion Largely attributable to being managed with active surveillance, Australian men diagnosed with localised prostate cancer reported relatively low OOP costs and financial burden in the first 6 months post-diagnosis. Together with clinical outcomes, clinicians can use this up to date evidence on costs and perceived financial burdens to assist localised prostate cancer patients and their families make informed decisions about their preferred management option.

Aim: Immunophenotype peripheral blood T cells from renal transplant recipients (RTR) using cellular markers of regulatory T cells (Tregs) and flow cytometry, including Foxp3, and correlate these findings with clinical parameters., Methods: Expression of phenotypic markers of Tregs was assessed by flow cytometric analysis of peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) from (i) RTR (n = 95); (ii) patients with end-stage renal failure (ESRF) awaiting transplantation (n = 17); and (iii) normal healthy controls (n = 18)., Results: The percentage of CD4(+) CD25(+) Foxp3(+) cells within the CD4(+) cell population did not significantly alter at different time points post-transplant. However, the percentage of CD4(+) CD25(+) Foxp3(+) cells within the CD4(+) population was significantly lower in RTR compared with patients with ESRF. In contrast, RTR and ESRF had a similar percentage of CD4(+) CD25(+) cells expressing Foxp3. Multivariate analysis of PBL and clinical parameters demonstrated (i) a positive linear relationship between the percentage CD4(+) CD25(+) cells expressing Foxp3 and estimated glomerular filtration rate and (ii) a higher percentage of CD4(+) CD25(+) cells in the CD4(+) cell population in patients with malignancy (the majority were skin cancers). Malignancy also correlated strongly with time post-transplant and age of the RTR., Conclusion: Immune monitoring of the PBL phenotype in RTR using CD4, CD25 and Foxp3 may stratify RTR and predict graft outcome and function, and risk of complications from immunosuppression. Longitudinal and functional studies of Tregs are essential to extend the findings of the present study., (© 2012 The Authors. Nephrology © 2012 Asian Pacific Society of Nephrology.)

Background: Renal impairment is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. This study addressed clinical predictors of outcome following cardiac surgery, focusing on pre-operative renal dysfunction., Methods: All patients undergoing cardiac surgery at Austin Health from June 1, 2001 to June 30, 2006, were included in the analysis. Logistic regression models were used to evaluate clinical factors predicting "operative mortality" and common post-operative complications., Results: The operative mortality was 1.36% for coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) alone (n=1027), 5.07% for valve surgery alone (n=217), 4.43% for combined CABG and valve surgery (n=158) and 11.11% for other cardiac surgical procedures (n=270). Amongst CABG alone patients, pre-operative renal impairment was a strong predictor of operative mortality, with a 35-43% increased risk of death (p=0.005) for every 10 ml/min/1.73 m(2) that the glomerular filtration rate was lower. Peripheral vascular disease, recent myocardial infarction and congestive cardiac failure also predicted operative mortality. Pre-operative renal impairment also increased the rate of various post-operative complications, as well as duration of admission., Conclusion: Renal dysfunction is significantly associated with increased mortality and morbidity following cardiac surgery and necessitates careful consideration in risk benefit analysis when considering cardiac surgery., (Copyright (c) 2010 Australasian Society of Cardiac and Thoracic Surgeons and the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)