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AbstractThe contribution Michel Foucault’s thoughts on power, in particular his ideas of subjectivity, freedom, and action, might have to the study of design’s ontological shaping of people is an emerging field of inquiry in the academy. Using a Foucauldian lens, this paper presents findings from semi-structured interviews with iPhone® users that speak to the ways Apple consumers are constituted into Apple subjects by what I refer to as “the Apple Way.” The ineradicable relationship between discourses of design and consumerism and their imperative to “better” human life is presented as a starting point. The iPhone as a technological device that “makes life better” for Apple consumers is critiqued; data reveals an uneasy reliance people have on the iPhone for their everyday life.

•Human-centred design prioritises human comfort and desires.•Interaction design decisions can have unintended consequences on ecosystems.•Life-centred design provides a more holistic perspective by decentring humans.•Principles from environmental policy can guide the design of interactive products.•Interaction designers are ideally placed to represent planetary concerns.

The number of patients in buprenorphine opioid substitution therapy (BOST) or methadone opioid substitution therapy (MOST) programs is increasing. If these patients require surgery, it is generally agreed that methadone should be continued perioperatively. While some also recommend that buprenorphine is continued, concerns that it may limit the analgesic effectiveness of full mu-opioid agonists have led others to suggest that it should cease before surgery.However, no good evidence exists for either course of action. Therefore, we undertook a retrospective cohort study comparing pain relief and opioid requirements in the first 24 hours after surgery in 22 BOST and 29 MOST patients prescribed patient-controlled analgesia.There were no significant differences in pain scores (rest and movement), incidence of nausea or vomiting requiring treatment, or sedation between the BOST and MOST patient groups overall, or between those patients within each of these groups who had and had not received their methadone or buprenorphine the day after surgery. There were also no significant differences in patient-controlled analgesia requirements between BOST and MOST patient groups overall, or between patients who did or did not receive MOST on the day after surgery. BOST patients who were not given their usual buprenorphine the day after surgery used significantly more patient-controlled analgesia opioid (P=0.02) compared with those who had received their dose. These results confirm that continuation of buprenorphine perioperatively is appropriate.

Background: Recent studies in Huntington's disease (HD) mouse models and patients suggest that hippocampal neurons and their cholinergic afferents are involved in the cognitive deficits seen in the disease. Nerve growth factor (NGF) is an essential regulator of cholinergic neuronal survival and neurotransmission. Objective: We asked whether NGF might be involved in HD and if intra-cerebroventricular infusion of NGF can rescue hippocampal cholinergic neuronal markers, restore neurogenesis, and improve the spatial working memory in R6/1 mouse model of HD. Methods: We quantified NGF protein level by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), intracerebroventricularly infused NGF, assessed cholinergic neuronal markers by Western blotting and quantitative RT-PCR, evaluated neurogenesis by immunohistochemistry, and studied spatial working memory using radial maze. Results: By quantifying NGF protein in the hippocampus of the R6/1 mice at different ages, we found progressive decreases in NGF protein levels. We then increased NGF levels in the R6/1 mice through intra-cerebroventricular infusion. We observed elevations of the cholinergic neurochemical markers vesicular acetylcholine transporter (VAChT) and choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) in the hippocampus and in the septal region, which contain the cell bodies of basal forebrain cholinergic neurons (BFCNs), but not in the striatum that harbors cholinergic interneurons. Finally, we found that NGF infusion also restored hippocampal neurogenesis and improved spatial working memory. Conclusions: Our results suggest that intracerebral injections of NGF might be a valuable therapy against cognitive symptoms in HD and should be further studied in HD animal models and patients.

The genetic networks controlling stem cell identity are the focus of intense interest, due to their obvious therapeutic potential as well as exceptional relevance to models of early development. Genome-wide mapping of transcriptional networks in mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) reveals that many endogenous noncoding RNA molecules, including long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), may play a role in controlling the pluripotent state. We performed a genome-wide screen that combined full-length mESC transcriptome genomic mapping data with chromatin immunoprecipitation genomic location maps of the key mESC transcription factors Oct4 and Nanog. We henceforth identified four mESC-expressed, conserved lncRNA-encoding genes residing proximally to active genomic binding sites of Oct4 and Nanog. Accordingly, these four genes have potential roles in pluripotency. We show that two of these lncRNAs, AK028326 (Oct4-activated) and AK141205 (Nanog-repressed), are direct targets of Oct4 and Nanog. Most importantly, we demonstrate that these lncRNAs are not merely controlled by mESC transcription factors, but that they themselves regulate developmental state: knockdown and overexpression of these transcripts lead to robust changes in Oct4 and Nanog mRNA levels, in addition to alterations in cellular lineage-specific gene expression and in the pluripotency of mESCs. We further characterize AK028326 as a co-activator of Oct4 in a regulatory feedback loop. These results for the first time implicate lncRNAs in the modulation of mESC pluripotency and expand the established mESC regulatory network model to include functional lncRNAs directly controlled by key mESC transcription factors.

Micromachined nanoporous membrane for cell culture is one of the promising applications for biomolecular separation and immunoisolation, in which Silicon Nitride (SiNx) receives particular interest due to its several advantages compared to polymeric membranes. Our works focused on fabricating nanoporous SiNx layer with near zero residual stress. This paper investigated the influence of Radio Frequency (RF), power and reactant gases to the SiNx deposition rates and residual stress, and developed the optimised process to produce near zero stress SiNx layer. By applying this technique, nanoporous SiNx membranes have been fabricated and tested for cell culture. By cultivating the mouse D1 mesenchymal stem cells on top of the nanoporous membrane, the results showed that mouse D1 mesenchymal stem cells were able to grow well. This shows that the nanoporous membrane can be used as the platform for interfacing with living cells to become biocapsules for biomolecular separation and immunoisolation.

Rosenhan's experiment (1973) showed that it is not difficult to simulate symptoms of psychiatric illness. A Parliamentary Committee in New South Wales and research from overseas have shown that, in the medicolegal context, such practices continue to exist. To illustrate the argument, there will be a discussion of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. It is argued that such practices not only bring the area of mental health into disrepute, they also have the effect of distorting negatively the outcomes of litigation and raise ethical questions about the misuse of mental illness for personal benefit. It remains the case that expert mental health practitioners have an ethical duty to educate both the practitioners who employ them and the courts in general as to the reality of what constitutes mental illness. They can begin this action by taking thorough histories from plaintiffs. The term 'mental injury' or variations thereon, used in most criminal injuries compensation legislation, provides an opportunity to appreciate that being a victim of crime is often likely to result in distress that is more than transient and hence compensable, but not necessarily something that has to become pathological. That does not mean that some people will not develop psychopathology or have pre-existing psychopathology exacerbated. To adopt such an approach for personal injury matters in general may resolve some of the tensions experienced by mental health practitioners when they enter the forensic arena.

This paper presents a snapshot of job vacancies in the public health workforce labour market. The analysis is based on 404 advertised public health jobs appearing in the press, and on-line job alerts over a 2-month period in mid 2003. The analysis reveals who was seeking employees, what formal qualifications and competencies were required, what salary and other conditions of employment were offered and where the vacant jobs were located. The study demonstrates the heterogeneity of the public health workforce, which limits definition of clear practice boundaries and complicates workforce planning. The findings further demonstrate the benefit of reviewing both the demand and the supply side of the labour market, and point to the value of repeated surveys of advertised jobs as part of an ongoing public health workforce monitoring and planning process.

Clinical practice and forensic mental health reporting are different and can create conflict for mental health professionals. This article discusses some challenges confronting mental health professionals when they enter the forensic arena. It begins with a discussion of the South Australian Supreme Court Rules and Practice Direction relating to expert witnesses and their relationship to guidelines for expert witnesses published by the Australian Psychological Society and the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists. The article considers two particular challenges which may conflict with the Rules, Practice Direction and guidelines. Reference is also made to the literature dealing with ethical issues facing mental health professionals in the forensic arena. The article concludes that the major challenge in claiming expert status as a mental health professional in the forensic arena is being able to appreciate the difference between clinical practice and forensic requirements and to act accordingly.

To investigate correlates of retention on the South Australian Methadone Program during 1981-91.

The plains mouse has large seminal vesicles, coagulating glands, and dorsal and ventral prostates, whereas in the hopping mouse the only large accessory sex gland is the ventral prostate. Fructose concentration was found to be high in the coagulating glands and dorsal prostate of the plains mouse, but low in all other glands of both species; low concentrations of glucose were found in all glands. Citric acid concentration was high in the dorsal prostate of the plains mouse and ventral prostate of the hopping mouse. Acid and alkaline phosphatase activities were low in all glands of both species. In castrated hopping mice, enlargement of vestigial glands could not be induced with high doses of exogenous testosterone, although there was increased secretory activity of the seminal vesicle epithelial cells.

The health and nutritional status of a population of the hairy-nosed wombat Lasiorhinus latifrons inhabiting the Blanche Town region of South Australia was assessed over a period of 18 months, 12 of which were during a drought. Measurements were made of body morphology, haematological and biochemical constituents and vitamin and trace element status of animals in the field: these were examined in relation to the chemical composition of stomach contents and of faeces. During the study period, changes in body weight, body condition and selected haematological and chemical constituents were closely associated with changes in the quantity and quality of food, as measured by faecal nitrogen and organic matter and by a plant growth index. It appears that wombats in the Blanche Town region survived a drought of 12 months duration with minimal loss of body tissues and maintained physiological functions.

Injecting drug users in prisons may reuse and share contaminated injecting equipment, increasing their risk of infection with blood‐borne viruses. We examined 58 syringes found in three metropolitan Adelaide prisons during a one‐year period: 95 per cent were one millilitre volume; blood was visible in 24 per cent; 58 per cent indicated repeated use; 33 per cent were wrapped in plastic; and 26 per cent had detachable needles, allowing more blood to be trapped in the dead space between the syringe barrel and needle than with the fixed‐needle variety. The nature and condition of some of these syringes suggested they might transmit contaminated blood. The ineffectiveness of present approaches to keeping injecting equipment out of prisons demands a more enlightened approach to harm minimisation. With doubts cast on the efficacy of bleach, education should be supported by practical means to reduce transmission of viruses. Provision of sterile injecting equipment is a possible option.

The concepts and methods of poststructuralism are emerging as useful tools to increase our understanding of public health. This paper discusses poststructuralism within the context of a metaphoric ‘evolutionary ecology’ of knowledge (an epistemecology). It argues that claims for the importance of any programs (such as poststructuralism) are problematic. Using evolutionary and ecological metaphors, it suggests that public health may benefit from its advocates fostering the recombination of elements of knowledge to produce epistemes which adapt us congruently to the general and specific goals of public health, which should include a primary aim of minimising suffering. Choosing to act in an ethical way in regard to our construction and use of knowledge may be one way of achieving those aims. The term ‘ethical fitness’ is a way of conceptualising an evolving epistemic ethic.

This paper is a report on focus‐group discussions with Western Australian and South Australian injecting drug users and South Australian drug workers, about the feasibility of and issues surrounding the introduction of needle‐and‐syringe vending machines in Australia. Injecting drug users and workers supported the idea of introducing vending machines in Australia to complement existing services that provide sterile injecting equipment. The participants emphasised that the machines should be provided in addition to existing services. Possible adverse effects of their introduction included concerns for the safely of minors who are not drug users. The potential benefits to public health includes further reducing that proportion of the sharing of injecting equipment that is related to unavailability of sterile equipment (usually at times when other services do not operate).

Abstract: The prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in male prisoners in South Australia from July 1989 to June 1994 was ascertained from a repeated cross–sectional study. We also compared the criminological and demographic characteristics and histories of drug use of 39 HIV–infected prisoners and a randomly selected sample of 86 uninfected prisoners admitted at the same time. The numbers of HIV–infected prisoners in prison in any month ranged from 4 to 12. Prevalence among the total prison population ranged from 0.4 per cent to 1.4 per cent, and among the subpopulation of injecting drug users from 1.25 per cent to 4.36 per cent. Many HIV–infected prisoners continued after their diagnosis to have lifestyles that resulted in imprisonment. Infected prisoners were significantly older, had spent longer in prison and were more likely to be users of heroin (OR = 13.1) and methadone (OR = 25.4) than controls. Infection with HIV among South Australian prisoners has been continuous since at least the mid–1980s. The recidivism among many of the infected prisoners contributes to the variation in prevalence but also raises concerns about their management. Greater effort to minimise the recidivism of the HIV–infected prisoners could reduce the prevalence of HIV in the prison population. (Aust N Z J Public Health 1997; 21: 572–6)

Objectives: To assess risk behaviours of HIV infected and HIV negative Injecting Drug Users (IDUs) in and out of prison in New South Wales in a case control study.Methods: 25 (20 M, 5 F) cases and 160 (135 M, 25 F) controls were recruited in 1993. HIV status was determined by testing dried blood spots.Results: Cases and controls were similar on basic demographic characteristics. Reports of injecting by cases and controls were more common before entry (84%, 90%) and after prison discharge (60%, 80%) than during incarceration (44%, 44%). However, reported syringe sharing was more common during imprisonment (64%, 71%) than before entry (19%, 24%) and after prison discharge (20%, 15%). Male cases were significantly more likely to use condoms outside prison (44% vs 7%) but also to be sexually active in prison (60%, 6%) than male controls.Conclusions: This study indicates the potential for HIV transmission among IDUs in prison and following release. To prevent HIV transmission in prisons, prison methadone programs, provision of condoms and evaluation of a pilot needle and syringe exchange scheme need to be considered.

Objectives:To estimate the prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) seropositivity and known risk factors for HCV infection in a group of pregnant women. Design:Cross‐sectional survey. Setting:Lyell McEwin Health Service, Elizabeth, South Australia (a general public hospital with an annual average of about 2000 deliveries). Subjects:1537 consecutive women who delivered at the Lyell McEwin Health Service from February 1995 to December 1995. Outcome measures:Presence of HCV antibodies; and associations between HCV‐antibody status and known risk factors. Results:17 women (1.1%) were HCV‐seropositive. Risk factors significantly more prevalent among HCV‐seropositive patients were: a history of injecting drug use, a past or present sexual partner who had injected drugs, having a tattoo and having been incarcerated. The proportions who had received a blood transfusion, had acquired a sexually transmitted disease or were positive for hepatitis B virus surface antigen were not significantly different between seropositive and seronegative women. Multivariate analysis showed that only injecting drug use remained a strong independent predictor of HCV‐seropositivity (odds ratio [OR], 50.1; P<0.001), while having a tattoo approached significance (OR, 3.5; P=0.07). Conclusion:As only 1.1% of this sample of women were HCV‐seropositive, screening of all pregnant women does not seem warranted. Testing on the basis of a history of risk factors, such as injecting drug use and having a tattoo, would detect undiagnosed HCV infections more efficiently.

Objective: To investigate risk factors for infection with HIV among injecting drug users (IDUs) in South Australia. Design: Retrospective case–control study comparing HIV‐infected and uninfected IDUs who had received methadone at any time between January 1981 and June 1991. Results: Most HIV‐infected clients were diagnosed between 1985 and 1987. Men were more likely to be infected than women. A history of imprisonment was associated with a higher risk of infection on univariate but not multivariate analysis. Infected IDUs on average were three years younger than non‐infected IDUs when they first injected drugs. Conclusions: Prevention programs should target young drug injectors. Prisons are important places to institute prevention programs.

As approaches to treating heroin addiction grow in number, their ethics and their meaningful contribution to the science in this field need more careful consideration

Objective:To describe the rates and patterns of prescription of methadone for opiate dependence in Australia from 1985 to 1991. Design:Data on the numbers of Australians prescribed methadone in States and Territories were used to calculate prevalence rates of prescription of methadone. Results:In 1985, Queensland had the highest rate of prescription of methadone. After the establishment of the National Campaign Against Drug Abuse, rates increased in most jurisdictions. Assessment procedures and prescribing practices, such as private prescription of methadone, appear to have markedly affected rates of prescription in some States. Conclusion:Large differences in rates of methadone prescription have occurred in Australian States and Territories. There are inadequate data to explain how rates of prescription are related to the prevalence of opiate use. Investigations of prevalence of injecting opiate use, demand for treatment and clinic practices are needed to explain these patterns fully.

the proposed ACT heroin trial has not comprehensively considered the variability in the needs of heroin users “The adoption and assimilation of an alien culture”,1used here to mean the mutual consideration of the viewpoints of two cultures (heroin users and non‐users) for the benefit of each.

In the 5 July issue, we published the study by Bell et al on naltrexone‐accelerated opioid detoxification. Here, Gaughwin questions the ethics of that study, and other researchers describe their experiences with naltrexone.