Search

Objectives: This study investigated the dental attendance patterns of Australian children with and without disabilities using data from Growing up in Australia: The Longitudinal Study of Australian Children. Methods: Data on 6470 participants within two groups (B cohort [aged 12–13]: n = 3381; K cohort [aged 16–17]: n = 3089) were used for the study. Binomial regression models were fitted to examine the association between disability status and dental attendance. The models were adjusted for gender, parent's country of birth, region of residence, highest parental education and household weekly income, and multiple imputations was used for handling missing data. Results: Children with disabilities constituted 2.4% and 3.8% of the study sample in the B and K cohort, respectively. The unadjusted risk ratio of irregular (vs. regular) dental attendance between children with and without disabilities was 1.07 (95% CI 0.78–1.46) in the B cohort and 1.15 (95% CI 0.93–1.42) in the K cohort. After adjustment and imputation, the risk ratios were 1.03 (95% CI 0.76–1.41) and 1.10 (95% CI 0.89–1.36) in the B and K cohort, respectively. Conclusions: Dental attendance pattern was positively, but minimally, associated with disabilities in older children, and factors including region of residence, parental education and household income were related to disability status and dental attendance. Further studies are required to clarify the association and ascertain key factors that affect the health and wellbeing of children with disabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Survey data show managerial motivations and behaviors are statistically linked to numerous aspects of computer use in public agencies. Motivations to enhance service quality and work environments seem to be particularly influential in using technology to enhance productivity. Empirical research in public administration should be attentive to individuals' perceptions regarding the impacts of computers. Normative deliberation, however, is needed to determine the appropriate role of managers.

A system dynamics model for the pricing of tuition is presented, illustrating how such models enable decision-makers to anticipate cause-and-effect relationships and test alternative courses of action. (Author)

Background: Rural and regional Australia presents a unique challenge in the delivery of surgical services by virtue of its geographical vastness and low population density. While up to 33% of Australians live in rural or regional areas, only 14.8% of surgeons work in a rural or regional area. Data regarding the caseload distribution of general surgeons working in a regional setting in Australia remain scarce. In order to better examine the training needs of rural general surgeons, this study aims to examine the caseload distribution of general surgeons working in regional Australia. Methods: A retrospective review of surgical procedures carried out by general surgeons at Albury Base Hospital between September 2006 and December 2014 was carried out. Surgical procedures were grouped according to the classifications of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons Morbidity and Audit Logbook Tool. Results: During the study period, 21 652 procedures were carried out by general surgeons. A total of 58.7% (12711) of these procedures consisted of general surgical procedures and 35.9% (7763) were endoscopic procedures. A total of 5.4% of procedures carried out by general surgeons fell outside the scope of traditional general surgery, including cardiothoracic, orthopaedic, ear, nose and throat, neurosurgical, vascular and urological procedures. All general surgeons performed operations in surgical specialities outside of general surgery. Conclusion: This study adds weight to the value of a broad skill set in provision of surgical services in a rural setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Though used widely in cancer therapy, paclitaxel only elicits a response in a fraction of patients. A strong determinant of paclitaxel tumor response is the state of microtubule dynamic instability. However, whether the manipulation of this physiological process can be controlled to enhance paclitaxel response has not been tested. Here, we show a previously unrecognized role of the microtubule-associated protein CRMP2 in inducing microtubule bundling through its carboxy terminus. This activity is significantly decreased when the FER tyrosine kinase phosphorylates CRMP2 at Y479 and Y499. The crystal structures of wildtype CRMP2 and CRMP2-Y479E reveal how mimicking phosphorylation prevents tetramerization of CRMP2. Depletion of FER or reducing its catalytic activity using sub-therapeutic doses of inhibitors increases paclitaxel-induced microtubule stability and cytotoxicity in ovarian cancer cells and in vivo. This work provides a rationale for inhibiting FER-mediated CRMP2 phosphorylation to enhance paclitaxel on-target activity for cancer therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]