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Background: Due to rising numbers microbial resistance to established antibiotics and first described tolerance developments for local wound antimicrobials a continuous need for alternative antimicrobial agents exists. Due to complex conditions in the microenvironment of especially chronic wounds, such as high protein levels, novel antimicrobials need to meet advanced requirements. Aim: Compare the antimicrobial efficacy of Cetylpiridinium-chloride (CPC) and miramistin (MST) to established antimicrobials under protein-challenge in-vitro. Methods: Antimicrobial activity of octenidin-dihydrochloride, povidon-iodine, polyhexamethylene-biguanide hydrochloride, chlorhexidine, cetylpiridinium-chloride and Miramistin after 0.5, 1, 3, 5 and 10 min of exposure against S. aureus, P. aeruginosa, E. coli, E. faecium and C. albicans was tested, using a quantitative suspension method with either 0.3% or 3% bovine albumin challenge, based on DIN EN 13727 (‘Chemical disinfectants and antiseptics - Quantitative suspension test for the evaluation of bactericidal activity in the medical area - Test method and requirements (phase 2, step 1)’). Results: CPC and MST demonstrated no inferiority to the established agents in-vitro. Especially CPC showed equal reduction rates as octenidin and povidon-iodine and achieved significantly higher reduction rates within shorter exposure times than polyhexanide and chlorhexidine (p ≤ 0.01) for S. aureus, P. aeruginosa, E. faecium and C. albicans. Both agents demonstrated no significant loss of efficacy under high protein-challenge (3% albumin). Conclusion: In terms of antimicrobial activity cetylpyridinium-chloride and miramistin proved to be at least equally effective as established agents. No protein error was detected in the tested concentrations. More complex in-vitro assays and comprehensive in-vivo and clinical studies will be needed to determine their clinical value.

Summary This letter addresses the controversial issue of the use of oral corticosteroids during wheezing exacerbations in preschool-aged children by demonstrating findings of a prematurely terminated multi-center clinical trial, discussing lessons learned, and suggesting future directions.

Bird of Prey (93 minutes; Cornell Lab of Ornithology, http://birdofpreymovie.com/) Normally, showing a full-length film is no substitute for instruction, but the new film Bird of Prey showcases so many environmental science themes within an interesting and captivating context that it can be highly recommended for upper-level high school biology or environmental science classes as a case study of concepts. It covers such themes as conservation, evolution, extinction, and environmental justice. These ideas are somewhat complex, so younger students might not understand their importance. Showcasing …

The paper begins with an investigation of two metaphors central to the 'social capital' framework - 'glue' and 'capital'. Both are found to be inappropriate descriptions of the kinds of human relationships supposedly being alluded to by the term 'social capital'. While the inappropriateness of the term 'glue' is not a major threat to the discourse, the case of 'capital' is more serious. The rest of the paper is devoted to unravelling the connotations of 'capital' and the implications of applying it to relationships where the kinds of calculations necessary for sound economic performance have no place. The competitiveness inherent in the functioning of capital belies the cooperation assumed to exist in 'social capital', while the requirement for 'productiveness' has disquieting implications for those who, for whatever reason, cannot be productive in the economic sense. The final section of the paper argues that those who are supposedly the main, if not the only, beneficiaries of 'social capital' - the 'disadvantaged' or the 'socially excluded' - do not in fact benefit from whatever is being alluded to by the term 'social capital'. The paper concludes by asking, but not answering, the question: Why, if 'social capital' cannot diminish poverty, is it being posited as a substitute for the welfare state, the only institution that does address poverty (if minimally)?

The role of clinical audit in the NHS is continuously gaining momentum as an important tool for the maintainence of high standards in an ever-pressing environment of increasing expectations and restricted resources (Jamtvedt et al, 2006). Furthermore, the impact of clinical governance and a need to demonstrate hard evidence of good practice, as well as compliance with clinical guidelines, has highlighted the importance of the audit process.

This paper is in two parts. An introductory section discusses the housing market in Australia in order to emphasise the fact that homelessness is not simply an individual experience. It is also a structural phenomenon driven by economic imperatives beyond the control of those most affected. The bulk of the paper is devoted to a discussion of the published figures on the level of homelessness in Australia, gathered by the national Census and by the data collection agency for the Supported Accommodation Assistance Program (SAAP), the nation's main program for combating homelessness. Some problems with those figures as they are reported by the SAAP data collection agency are discussed, in particular, the under‑estimation of the level of unmet demand for accommodation. The paper concludes with a comparison between the Census and the SAAP figures, which indicates that policies for alleviating homelessness are far from achieving their aims.

Importance Soy isoflavone supplements are used to treat several chronic diseases, although the data supporting their use are limited. Some data suggest that supplementation with soy isoflavone may be an effective treatment for patients with poor asthma control. Objective To determine whether a soy isoflavone supplement improves asthma control in adolescent and adult patients with poorly controlled disease. Design, Setting, and Participants Multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial conducted between May 2010 and August 2012 at 19 adult and pediatric pulmonary and allergy centers in the American Lung Association Asthma Clinical Research Centers network. Three hundred eighty-six adults and children aged 12 years or older with symptomatic asthma while taking a controller medicine and low dietary soy intake were randomized, and 345 (89%) completed spirometry at week 24. Interventions Participants were randomly assigned to receive soy isoflavone supplement containing 100 mg of total isoflavones (n=193) or matching placebo (n=193) in 2 divided doses administered daily for 24 weeks. Main Outcomes and Measures The primary outcome measure was change in forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV 1 ) at 24 weeks. Secondary outcome measures were symptoms, episodes of poor asthma control, Asthma Control Test score (range, 5-25; higher scores indicate better control), and systemic and airway biomarkers of inflammation. Results Mean changes in prebronchodilator FEV 1 over 24 weeks were 0.03 L (95% CI, −0.01 to 0.08 L) in the placebo group and 0.01 L (95% CI, −0.07 to 0.07 L) in the soy isoflavone group, which were not significantly different ( P = .36). Mean changes in symptom scores on the Asthma Control Test (placebo, 1.98 [95% CI, 1.42-2.54] vs soy isoflavones, 2.20 [95% CI, 1.53-2.87]; positive values indicate a reduction in symptoms), number of episodes of poor asthma control (placebo, 3.3 [95% CI, 2.7-4.1] vs soy isoflavones, 3.0 [95% CI, 2.4-3.7]), and changes in exhaled nitric oxide (placebo, −3.48 ppb [95% CI, −5.99 to −0.97 ppb] vs soy isoflavones, 1.39 ppb [95% CI, −1.73 to 4.51 ppb]) did not significantly improve more with the soy isoflavone supplement than with placebo. Mean plasma genistein level increased from 4.87 ng/mL to 37.67 ng/mL ( P Conclusions and Relevance Among adults and children aged 12 years or older with poorly controlled asthma while taking a controller medication, use of a soy isoflavone supplement, compared with placebo, did not result in improved lung function or clinical outcomes. These findings suggest that this supplement should not be used for patients with poorly controlled asthma. Trial Registration clinicaltrials.gov Identifier:NCT01052116

(2002). The UN Approach to Harmful Traditional Practices. International Feminist Journal of Politics: Vol. 4, No. 1, pp. 72-94.

This paper is an initial step towards building an evidence base on Australian community attitudes to people with disability, on the impact of these attitudes on outcomes for people with disability and on effective policies for improving community attitudes towards them. In this context, ‘outcome’ refers to the experiences of people with disability as measured by social policy indicators within the domains of education, employment, community and social participation, health and wellbeing, housing and access to support services. People with disability and their families and carers have reported the effects of negative attitudes towards disability across all life domains; further evidence of these effects includes the experiences of discrimination reported to the Australian Human Rights Commission and constant investments by governments in efforts to change community attitudes. The need to address attitudes was featured in the reports of the consultations for both the National Disability Strategy and the National Mental Health and Disability Employment Strategy (Deane 2009; DEEWR 2009). FaHCSIA commissioned the SPRC to conduct a scoping project investigating current research on community attitudes towards people with disability.

Occasional Paper No. 35 consists of two reports on post-diagnosis support for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. The first report, Post-diagnosis support for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, their families and carers, by kylie valentine and Marianne Rajkovic, with Brooke Dinning and Denise Thompson, focuses on younger children. The second report, Post-diagnosis support for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, their families and carers: older children and young people, by Marianne Rajkovic, Denise Thompson and Kylie Valentine, focuses on older children and young people. The reports are based on literature reviews addressing the experiences of diagnosis, treatment and support for families with children who are diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. They focus on the impact of Autism Spectrum Disorder on families and on their perceptions of the benefits of the treatment received and support models provided, as well as intervention studies and programs that assist transitions from school. The reports are also based on interviews with parents and Autism Spectrum Disorder service providers across Australia.

This report, by the Social Policy Research Centre (SPRC), University of New South Wales (UNSW), examined the effectiveness of approaches to individual funding of disability support. The study was commissioned by the Australian Government Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA) and aimed to inform policy to improve the provision of disability support. The project examined the effectiveness of individual funding with regard to the following questions: What is the impact of the individual funding approach on costs of support and outcomes for the person? What characteristics of individual funding approaches improve effectiveness? Characteristics may relate to funds-holding, brokerage, case management, administration, monitoring, quality control, population supply and demand management, and service integration. The research used a mixed method design. Following a literature review, preliminary secondary data analysis was conducted on the Commonwealth State Territory Disability Agreement (CSTDA) National Minimum Data Set to build a demographic profile of people with disabilities who have individual funding in Australia. Interviews were conducted with policy officials from all states and territories in Australia regarding the jurisdictional application of individual funding. Case studies were conducted with 10 disability service providers in New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria and Western Australia, involving interviews with people with disabilities, families and staff. Finally, questionnaires for people with disabilities and service providers were distributed to case study and additional questionnaire sites to supplement the interview data collected. A comprehensive explanation of the methodology is included in Appendix A.

I am arguing for a continuity of interests between lesbians and heterosexual women, and that lesbians and heterosexual women have common experiences which enable them to understand and empathize with each other. I document the history of the feminist critique of heterosexuality from early radical feminism to the contemporary arguments of Rich (1980), Raymond (1986) and Penelope (1985a, 1985b, 1985c). From a lesbian feminist standpoint, I suggest that setting up an oppositional dichotomy between `lesbian' and `heterosexual' divides women from each other and perpetuates the heterosexual hegemony. The continuing revaluation and redefinition of lesbianism is essential in order to achieve the political priority of feminism: an end to male domination.