bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Prevalence of adverse reactions to food in Germany – a population study
Authors: Zuberbier T. , Edenharter G. , Worm M. , Ehlers I. , Reimann S. , Hantke T. , Roehr C. C. , Bergmann K. E. , Niggemann B.
Published: December 2004

Objective:  A population study was performed to identify the prevalence of all kinds of adverse reactions to food.

Methods:  In a representative cross‐sectional survey performed in 1999 and 2000 in Berlin, 13 300 inhabitants of all ages were addressed by questionnaire. This questionnaire was answered by 4093 persons. All respondents mentioning any sign of food intolerance or the existence of allergic diseases (n = 2298) were followed up by telephone and, in case food intolerance could not be ruled out by patient history, were invited to attend to the clinic for personal investigation including double‐blind, placebo‐controlled food challenge tests (DBPCFC).

Results:  The self‐reported lifetime prevalence of any adverse reaction to food in the Berlin population (mean age 41 years) was 34.9%. Eight hundred and fourteen individuals were personally investigated according to the guidelines. The point prevalence of adverse reactions to food confirmed by DBPCFC tests in the Berlin population as a mean of all age groups was 3.6% (95% confidence interval [3.0–4.2%]) and 3.7% in the adult population (18–79 years, 95% confidence interval [3.1–4.4.%]). Two and a half percent were IgE‐mediated and 1.1% non‐IgE‐mediated, females were more frequently affected (60.6%). Based on a statistical comparison with available data of adults from the nationwide German Health Survey from 1998, adverse reactions to food in the adult population of Germany (age 18–79) were calculated with 2.6% [2.1–3.2%]).

Conclusions:  The study gives for the first time information about the point prevalence of both immunological and nonimmunological adverse reactions to food and underlines the relevance of this issue in public health. The data also show that an individualized stepwise approach including provocation tests is mandatory to confirm the diagnosis.
Endobronchial eosinophils preferentially stimulate T helper cell type 2 responses
Authors: Shi H.‐Z. , Xiao C.‐Q. , Li C.‐Q. , Mo X.‐Y. , Yang Q.‐L. , Leng J. , Chen Y.‐Q.
Published: December 2004

Background:  Antigen‐loaded eosinophils instilled intratracheally into mice were capable of migrating into local lymph nodes and localize to the T cell‐rich paracortical zones where they stimulated antigen‐specific proliferation of CD4+ T cells. The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether eosinophils within the tracheobronchial lumen can stimulate Th2 cell expansion by presenting antigen both in vitro and in vivo.

Methods:  Airway eosinophils were recovered from ovalbumin‐sensitized and ‐challenged BALB/c mice, these eosinophils were then co‐cultured with sensitized CD4+ cells in the absence or presence of anti‐CD80 or/and ‐CD86 monoclonal antibodies. Airway eosinophils were instilled into the trachea of sensitized mice. At 3 days thereafter, the draining paratracheal lymph nodes were removed and teased into cell suspensions for culture. Cell‐free culture supernatants were collected for detection of cytokines.

Results:  Our data showed that airway eosinophils functioned as CD80‐ and CD86‐dependent antigen‐presenting cells (APCs) to stimulate sensitized CD4+ lymphocytes to produce interleukin (IL)‐4, IL‐5, and IL‐13, but not interferon (IFN)‐γ in in vitro assay. When instilled intratracheally in sensitized recipient mice, airway eosinophils migrated into draining paratracheal lymph nodes primed Th2 cells in vivo for IL‐4, IL‐5, and IL‐13, but not IFN‐γ, production during the in vitro culture that was also CD80‐ and CD86‐dependent.

Conclusion:  Eosinophils within the lumina of airways could process inhaled antigen function in vitro and in vivo as APCs to promote expansion of Th2 cells. This investigation highlights the potential of eosinophils to not only act as terminal effector cells but also to actively modulate immune responses by amplifying Th2 cell responses.
Allergic cross‐reactivity: from gene to the clinic
Authors: Ferreira F. , Hawranek T. , Gruber P. , Wopfner N. , Mari A.
Published: December 2004

A large number of allergenic proteins have now their complete cDNA sequences determined and in some cases also the 3D structures. It turned out that most allergens could be grouped into a small number of structural protein families, regardless of their biological source. Structural similarity among proteins from diverse sources is the molecular basis of allergic cross‐reactivity. The clinical relevance of immunoglobulin E (IgE) cross‐reactivity seems to be influenced by a number of factors including the immune response against the allergen, exposure and the allergen. As individuals are exposed to a variable number of allergenic sources bearing homologous molecules, the exact nature of the antigenic structure inducing the primary IgE immune response cannot be easily defined. In general, the ‘cross‐reactivity’ term should be limited to defined clinical manifestations showing reactivity to a source without previous exposure. ‘Co‐recognition’, including by definition ‘cross‐reactivity’, could be used to describe the large majority of the IgE reactivity where co‐exposure to a number of sources bearing homologous molecules do not allow unequivocal identification of the sensitizing molecule. The analysis of reactivity clusters in diagnosis allows the interpretation of the patient's reactivity profile as a result of the sensitization process, which often begins with exposure to a single allergenic molecule.
DNA immunization for the production of monoclonal antibodies to Blo t 11, a paramyosin homolog from Blomia tropicalis
Authors: Ramos J. D. A. , Teo A. S. M. , Lee B. W. , Cheong N. , Chua K. Y.
Published: December 2004

Background:  Blo t 11 is a high molecular weight allergen from Blomia tropicalis with significant immunoglobulin (Ig)E binding frequency. Native and recombinant Blo t 11 are susceptible to degradation and the isolation and expression of the allergen is problematic thus obtaining sufficient amounts of purified Blo t 11 for antibody production is limiting. DNA‐based immunization is an attractive alternative strategy that bypasses antigen purification for antibody production.

Objectives:  To use a DNA‐based immunization protocol for the production and characterization of Blo t 11 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs).

Methods:  The 2625 bp cDNA coding for Blo t 11 was cloned into a mammalian expression vector and immunized intramuscularly with electroporation into mice. Monoclonal antibodies to Blo t 11 were generated using a methylcellulose‐based hybridoma cloning kit. These mAbs were utilized for native Blo t 11 isolation and the development of sandwich enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

Results:  Six mAbs recognizing the native and recombinant Blo t 11 were generated and characterized. Native Blo t 11 was affinity purified from Bt extract and its identity was confirmed by matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization – time of flight mass spectrometry. The native Blo t 11 showed IgE reactivity with 67% of mite allergic sera. A two‐site ELISA developed showed a detection limit of 100 pg/ml of Blo t 11.

Conclusion:  A DNA‐based immunization protocol was successfully used to generate Blo t 11 mAbs with a spectrum of distinct epitopes located throughout the whole molecule, and they are useful for immunoaffinity purification and immunoassays.
Molecular characterization of a 10‐kDa buckwheat molecule reactive to allergic patients’ IgE
Authors: Matsumoto R. , Fujino K. , Nagata Y. , Hashiguchi S. , Ito Y. , Aihara Y. , Takahashi Y. , Maeda K. , Sugimura K.
Published: December 2004

Background: Using the sera from buckwheat (BW)‐allergic patients, several putative causative molecules were reported. However, few molecules were determined on the molecular structure. We demonstrated in 2000 that the major allergen with 24 kDa (BW24KD) is a legumin‐like storage protein.

Objective: The aim of this study was to isolate and characterize further a major allergen with 10 kDa by molecular cloning.

Methods and results: Buckwheat allergens were identified by immunoblotting analysis using sera from 14 allergic and two nonallergic individuals. We identified a protein with 10 kDa (BW10KD) that reacted with immunoglobulin E (IgE) more strongly than with IgG and IgA in 57% of the allergic patients but not with IgE in nonallergic individuals. Analyses were performed by N‐terminal amino acid sequencing and molecular cloning. Physiological significance was assessed by an immunoblotting experiment showing that the reactivity of an allergic patient's serum IgE to BW10KD was competitively inhibited by natural BW extracts.

Conclusion: Molecular cloning experiments indicated that BW10KD as a BW allergen was a member of the 2S‐albumin multigene family.
Tomato profilin Lyc e 1: IgE cross‐reactivity and allergenic potency
Authors: Westphal S. , Kempf W. , Foetisch K. , Retzek M. , Vieths S. , Scheurer S.
Published: December 2004

Background:  To date, very little data are available about the nature of tomato allergens. Immunoglobulin E (IgE) cross‐reactive profilins have been suggested to account for allergic symptoms in patients suffering from tomato allergy.

Methods:  The cDNA of tomato profilin was amplified by reversely transcribed polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) from total RNA extracted from ripe tomato fruit. The gene was cloned into the pET101D expression plasmid and the protein was produced in Escherichia coli BL21. Purification was performed via poly‐l‐proline (PLP) affinity chromatography. IgE reactivity of recombinant tomato profilin was investigated by immunoblot and enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. IgE‐inhibition studies were performed to analyse cross‐reactivity with other profilins. To determine the allergenic activity of the recombinant protein, basophil histamine release assays using sera of patients with adverse reactions to tomato were performed.

Results:  Profilin was identified as a new minor allergen in tomato fruits. The recombinant tomato profilin comprises 131 amino acids and high sequence identity to other allergenic food and pollen profilins. It was shown to be IgE‐reactive with a prevalence of 22% (11/50) in tomato‐allergic patients. In patients with tomato allergy and multiple sensitization to other foods and birch pollen, IgE directed against tomato profilin showed a strong cross‐reactivity with profilins from plant food sources and birch pollen. The tomato profilin was able to induce mediator release from human basophils.

Conclusion:  The tomato profilin is a minor allergen in tomato fruit. Thus, it shows biological activity, as confirmed by in vitro histamine release assays with human basophils and thereby has the potential to account for clinical symptoms in tomato‐allergic patients.
Montelukast plus cetirizine in the prophylactic treatment of seasonal allergic rhinitis: influence on clinical symptoms and nasal allergic inflammation
Authors: Kurowski M. , Kuna P. , Górski P.
Published: December 2004

Background:  The aim of our study was to investigate effects of 6‐week pretreatment of seasonal allergic rhinitis (AR) with cetirizine, and montelukast, alone and in combination. Antihistamine/antileukotriene treatment is effective in AR. Antihistamines may prevent AR symptoms while prophylactic activity of antileukotrienes remains unclear.

Methods:  Sixty AR patients, aged 18–35 years, were randomized to receive placebo, montelukast only, cetirizine only, or montelukast plus cetirizine, 6 weeks prior and 6 weeks after the beginning of grass pollen season. Mean self‐recorded in‐season symptom scores and mean weekly all‐symptom scores were analyzed. In 31 patients, nasal lavages were performed before treatment, and at the end of the study, i.e. 12 weeks after the treatment initiation. Eosinophil and basophil counts, eosinophil cationic protein (ECP), and mast cell tryptase (MCT) levels were evaluated in lavage samples.

Results:  Combined montelukast/cetirizine pretreatment significantly reduced in‐season symptom score for sneezing, eye itching, nasal itching, rhinorrhea, and congestion. Montelukast plus cetirizine were more effective than cetirizine alone in preventing eye itching, rhinorrhea, and nasal itching. Moreover, combined pretreatment with montelukast and cetirizine delayed appearance of AR symptoms. Eosinophil nasal lavage fluid counts were significantly increased during pollen season in placebo and montelukast‐only groups. No differences were observed in basophil counts. The in‐season ECP level was significantly increased in all groups except montelukast‐plus‐cetirizine group. In‐season MCT levels were not increased.

Conclusion:  Combined antihistamine and antileukotriene treatment started 6 weeks before the pollen season is effective in preventing AR symptoms and reduces allergic inflammation in nasal mucosa during natural allergen exposure.
Cross‐reactivity between obeche wood (Triplochiton scleroxylon) and natural rubber latex
Authors: Venturini M. , Gastaminza G. , Kespohl S. , Bernedo N. , Garmendia M. , Raulf‐Heimsoth M. , Muñoz D. , Ansotegui I. J.
Published: December 2004

Background:  Several studies have shown that allergy to natural rubber latex is associated with cross reactivity to other plants. We have investigated a possible cross reactivity with a tree belonging to the Sterculiaceae family, Tryplochiton scleroxylon, in a patient allergic to obeche wood, that began to suffer symptoms of allergy in contact with latex.

Methods:  Determinations of specific IgE by CAP to obeche, natural rubber latex (NRL) and recombinant allergens of latex were done. Immunoblotting was performed to study allergens detected by serum of our patient. CAP‐inhibition methods were used to study cross‐reactive between NRL and obeche wood.

Results:  In obeche extract, 4 bands were found of an apparent molecular weight of 18, 38, 75 and 199 kDa. In NRL extract the allergens have a molecular weight around 18, 21, 32, 38, 60, 70 and 199 kDa. IgE to latex was almost completely inhibited (96%) by the obeche extract in CAP‐inhibition studies. Using obeche extract as inhibitor, IgE binding to native hevein (nHevb 6.02) was reduced by 25%.

Conclusions:  The results obtained in CAP‐inhibition demonstrate the existence of cross‐reactivity between proteins in NRL and obeche wood. In our patient, a band of apparent molecular weight of 38 kDa could be the most important allergen.
Magnetic resonance imaging analysis of amygdala and other subcortical brain regions in adolescents with bipolar disorder
Authors: DelBello Melissa P , Zimmerman Molly E , Mills Neil P , Getz Glen E , Strakowski Stephen M
Published: December 2004

Objectives:  Few studies have examined the abnormalities that underlie the neuroanatomy of bipolar disorder in youth. The aim of this study was to evaluate brain regions that are thought to modulate mood utilizing quantitative analyses of thin‐slice magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of adolescents with bipolar disorder. We hypothesized that adolescents with bipolar disorder would exhibit abnormalities in brain regions that are involved in the regulation of mood including the amygdala, globus pallidus, caudate, putamen, and thalamus.

Methods:  Bipolar adolescents (n = 23) and healthy subjects (n = 20) matched for age, race, sex, socioeconomic status, IQ, education and Tanner stage, were evaluated using the Washington University at St Louis Kiddie‐Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (WASH‐U K‐SADS). Contiguous 1 mm axial T1‐weighted MRI slices were obtained using a GE 1.5 T MR scanner. Regions of interest (ROI) included total cerebral volume, amygdala, globus pallidus, caudate, putamen, and thalamus.

Results:  Total cerebral volume was smaller in bipolar adolescents than in healthy adolescents. A MANCOVA revealed a significant group difference in overall ROI volumes after adjusting for total cerebral volume. Specifically, adolescents with bipolar disorder exhibited smaller amygdala and enlarged putamen compared with healthy subjects.

Conclusions:  Our findings indicate that adolescents with bipolar disorder exhibit abnormalities in some of the brain regions that are thought to be involved in the regulation of mood. Additional structural and functional neuroimaging investigations of children, adolescents, and adults with bipolar disorder are necessary to clarify the role of these brain regions in the neurophysiology of adolescent bipolar disorder.
Special considerations in treating bipolar disorder in women
Authors: Burt Vivien K , Rasgon Natalie
Published: December 2004

There are obvious gaps in research surrounding issues specific to women who suffer from bipolar disorder, including gender differences and their implications for management, the impact of the reproductive cycle, and evidence based treatment guidelines for pregnancy and the postpartum period. Gender differences have not been reported for the prevalence of bipolar disorder; however, women are more likely to experience rapid cycling, mixed mania, and antidepressant‐induced manias. This may affect response to treatment, which has been found, in some cases, to differ in men and women. In addition, side effects in response to treatments may well differ in men and women, especially with regard to lithium and valproate prescription. The course of bipolar disorder in women may be influenced by the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, the postpartum period, and menopause, although many issues require further clarification. Treatment of bipolar disorder during pregnancy and the postmenopausal period requires careful consideration, as does treatment during the childbearing years, as some mood stabilizers influence the metabolism of oral contraceptives. This review article has attempted to evaluate existing literature regarding women with bipolar disorder in a comprehensive and critical way, and to consolidate into a single source the gender‐specific aspects of the disorder that may have treatment implications for women.
Evidence for a role of the arachidonic acid cascade in affective disorders: a review
Authors: Sublette M Elizabeth , Russ Mark J , Smith Gwenn S
Published: December 2004

The treatment of affective disorders continues to present significant clinical challenges, notwithstanding the existence of available mood stabilizers and antidepressants. These difficulties include incomplete response, relapse, and intolerable medication side effects. Fundamental to the therapeutic impasse is incomplete knowledge concerning the neurobiology of mood disorders. Although some relevant biochemical pathways have been identified, including abnormalities of monoamine neurotransmission and of immunological functioning, a fuller understanding is likely to embrace other interrelated pathways. Arachidonic acid (AA) and prostaglandins (PGs) are important second messengers in the central nervous system that participate in signal transduction, inflammation and other vital processes. Their release, turnover, and metabolism represent the ‘arachidonic acid cascade’. A significant body of diverse clinical and preclinical research suggests that the AA cascade may be important in affective states. This paper reviews the literature describing the association of affective illness with AA and its metabolites. Possible links between this and other prevailing hypotheses are considered, and implications for further research and for treatment are discussed.
Stratigraphy, sedimentary development and palaeoenvironmental context of a naturally accumulated pitfall cave deposit from southeastern Australia
Authors: Kos A. M.
Published: December 2004

McEachern’s Deathtrap Cave (G‐49/50) is located in the Lower Glenelg region of southeastern Australia and records a Late Pleistocene to Holocene sedimentary record that has been directly influenced by surface processes during its formation. The sedimentary sequence contained within the cave is divided into lower, middle and upper sequences consisting of eight facies. The lower sequence represents the earliest phase of sedimentation, and groundwater fluctuations during the Last Interglacial period resulted in its erosion and redistribution deeper into the cave system. A decrease in the magnitude and frequency of flood events in the cave during the formation of the middle sequence indicates increasingly drier surface conditions prior to the Last Glacial Maximum. The middle sequence has a minimum age of 9840 ± 290 a BP. Moving sand sheets during the Last Glacial blocked the entrance to the cave allowing flowstones to develop on the cave floor. The surface environment surrounding the cave was probably not as dry as contemporaneous inland sites because sedimentation continued to be dominated by flowing water during this period. Holocene sedimentation is represented by the upper sequence and reflects wetter cave conditions between 7680 ± 160 a BP and 5700 ± 110 a BP. A major phase of sediment accretion occurs after 5700 a BP and correlates to a phase of dune instability in the Lower Glenelg region. Flowing water remodelled the sediment cone sometime after 2240 ± 100 a BP, which represents a period of increased surface runoff, although it is not clear whether this is due to climatic or anthropogenic influences.
Late Eocene foraminifers and palaeoenvironment, Cascade Seamount, southwest Pacific Ocean: implications for seamount subsidence and Australia–Antarctica Eocene correlation
Authors: Quilty P. G.
Published: December 2004

A Late Eocene foraminiferal fauna of free specimens is recorded from Cascade Seamount, a feature of volcanic origin, whose age and fauna were previously studied only in thin‐section. The fauna is of Late Eocene (P15) age because of the presence of Globigerapsis index, Globigerapsis rubriformis, Subbotina linaperta, Subbotina angiporoides and Chiloguembelina cubensis. Many typical Eocene indicators, such as Hantkenina, Pseudohastigerina and key globorotaliids, are absent. The age is a little older than that estimated for previous samples from the seamount. The fauna is dominated (78%) by benthic species, especially species of Cibicides that have greater affinities with New Zealand faunas than with coeval southern Australian faunas. The sediment and its fauna accumulated near the lower limits of wave activity, off the coast of a volcano that probably stood at least 400 m above sea‐level. The location has subsided nearly 1000 m over the past 40 million years to its present water depth of ~1000 m, suggesting that the entire East Tasman Plateau was approximately 1000 m above its current depth at the time. Conditions were cool temperate and the fauna lacks any warm‐water indices, consistent with a palaeolatitude of 55–60°S, but also with cool waters at a time of oscillating conditions in southern Australia and also in Antarctica. There is essentially no infauna and the waters were highly oxygenated in the turbulent zone.
Phanerozoic general circulation model results and quantitative climate data for Australia
Authors: Frakes L. A. , Barron E. J.
Published: December 2004

Quantitative data bearing on Phanerozoic climates of Australia are summarised and comparisons are made with the predictions of atmospheric general circulation models over 12 time slices from the Silurian to the Miocene. Summaries of the model‐derived mean temperature and precipitation conditions are given individually for each of four regions (southeast, northeast, southwest and northwest). Model results provide the means of estimating climate conditions in many cases, but there is fair agreement between the two approaches in most cases in which data are available. On model results, the southeast experienced winter freezing conditions from the Permian through until the middle Cretaceous and was consistently the coolest of the four regions, in part because of its proximity to the pole, but also because it was the site of elevated terrain throughout most of the Phanerozoic. It also tended to be among the wettest parts of Australia over this time and was subject to frequent winter storms. The northeast, in contrast, was often the warmest part of the continent, although strong seasonality and freezing winter temperatures were common during the Mesozoic and Palaeozoic. Strong seasonality (>30°C contrast between winter and summer) also apparently characterised most of the record for the southwest region, except for the Tertiary, part of the Jurassic, and the Early Palaeozoic. Together with the southeast, this region experienced the most intense effects of winter, especially in the Triassic. Strong seasonality also affected the northwest region through much of the Palaeozoic and Mesozoic and, interestingly, the highest summer temperatures on the continent are predicted for the southwest for most of the time slices studied. The models used today are imperfect but, nonetheless, offer a means of prediction and will perhaps stimulate the gathering of quantitative data in a continent where information is hard to come by and for which not much has yet been presented.
Geology of coal‐bearing Palaeogene sediments, onshore Torquay Basin, Victoria
Authors: Holdgate G. R. , Smith T. A. G. , Gallagher S. J. , Wallace M. W.
Published: December 2004

New mapping at Anglesea coal mine, and coal resource and deep groundwater drilling have provided new perspectives on the economically important Eastern View Group coal‐bearing sedimentary succession in the onshore Torquay Basin. In the Anglesea Syncline, the upper 35 m‐thick brown‐coal seam of the Eastern View Group is overlain by a low‐angle unconformity. Units overlying the coal seams include high‐energy, cross‐cutting sand channels of the Boonah Formation and lower energy channel and interchannel systems of the overlying Salt Creek and Anglesea Formations. The mine section can be correlated from borehole data with the Eastern View Group and Demons Bluff Group exposed in coastal cliff sections along the adjacent Anglesea to Torquay coast. Recently drilled coal and groundwater exploration bores provide new data on the extent of the coal measures in the Anglesea area, and details of the underlying Tertiary succession that include typical Otway Basin units such as the Pember Mudstone and Pebble Point Formations. The stratigraphy below the coal measures suggests that the Otway Ranges were not present during Palaeogene times. The rank of the brown coals on and around the Otway Ranges is higher than any other Tertiary coals in onshore Victoria, and they preserve similar patterns of rank distribution to the high‐rank black coals in the underlying Lower Cretaceous Otway Group. Evidence for large overburden thicknesses is lacking, and the high ranks may have been augmented by higher than normal geothermal gradients in the Early Tertiary. Comparisons between the observed depositional cycles, sequence–stratigraphic cycles, and worldwide coastal onlap curves suggest that the observed disconformity boundaries are sequence boundaries that provide a chronostratigraphic framework. Sequences present may include TB4.1–4.5 in the overburden units, and TB 2.4–3.6 in the coal‐bearing interval.
Porphyry copper potential mapping using the weights‐of‐ evidence model in a GIS, northern Shahr‐e‐Babak, Iran
Authors: Tangestani M. H. , Moore F.
Published: December 2004

A variety of spatial geological data were compiled, evaluated and integrated to produce a potential map for porphyry copper deposits in the northern Shahr‐e‐Babak, Iran, within a total area of approximately 408 km2. Remotely sensed data including LANDSAT Thematic Mapper were used to create the hydrothermal alteration haloes around intrusive bodies. Geological data, such as exposed granitic to intermediate intrusions, and part of the lineaments were extracted from available geological maps. Aeromagnetic data were also used to extract magnetic anomalies and extra lineaments. The Conditional Independence test was carried out on five binary maps representing diagnostic deposit‐recognition criteria, and four of them were then integrated using a weights‐of‐evidence model. The procedure generated a posterior‐probability map identifying favourable areas for porphyry copper deposits. The final map highlights the most important known copper deposits in high favourability domains. Some new target areas are also located in the favourability map and warrant further investigation.
Age and metasomatic alteration of the Mt Neill Granite at Nooldoonooldoona Waterhole, Mt Painter Inlier, South Australia
Authors: ELBURG M. A. , BONS P. D. , DOUGHERTY‐PAGE J. , JANKA C. E. , NEUMANN N. , SCHAEFER B.
Published: December 2004

Quartz–feldspar augen gneisses, quartz augen schists and trondhjemites outcrop at Nooldoonooldoona Waterhole in the southwestern corner of the Proterozoic Mt Painter Inlier, northern Flinders Ranges, South Australia. These rocks were previously interpreted as having different origins and ages. However, we argue that all rock types were the result of deformation and strong metasomatic alteration of one common precursor: the Mt Neill Granite. Our conclusion is based on field observations that show that the different lithologies grade into each other and that intrusive contacts are lacking. Whole‐rock major and trace‐element analyses also point to a common protolith. Finally, Pb/Pb dating of magmatic zircons gave the same ca 1576 Ma age for the different rock types. Our findings necessitate a re‐evaluation of the published regional geology and lithostratigraphy of the Mt Painter Inlier. They also indicate that extreme care should be taken in the classification and genetic interpretation of rocks that have experienced extensive metasomatic alteration, which is common in many high‐grade terrains in Australia.
Basin setting and age of the Late Palaeoproterozoic Capricorn Formation, Western Australia
Authors: Hall C. E. , Powell C. McA. , Bryant J.
Published: December 2004

The Palaeoproterozoic Capricorn Formation near Ashburton Downs in northwestern Australia formed during the latter stages of the convergence of the Pilbara and Yilgarn Cratons. Palaeocurrent and facies analyses show that the southwesterly derived sediments were deposited in terrestrial environments and in a lake or shallow sea with a shoreline trending southeast. Intraformational debris flows suggest instability during sedimentation. Zircon grains from an accretionary lapilli tuff, dated at 1804 ± 7 Ma by the SHRIMP U–Pb method, show that the Capricorn Formation was deposited at the same time as granitic plutons were intruded in the Gascoyne Complex to the south and west. Although the Capricorn Formation was deposited with marked angular unconformity over the turbiditic Ashburton Formation, both formations could have been deposited in a foreland basin on the northeast flank of the growing Ashburton Fold Belt.
Komatiite‐hosted Hunters Road nickel deposit, central Zimbabwe: physical volcanology and sulfide genesis
Authors: Prendergast M. D.
Published: December 2004

The nickel sulfide‐bearing Main Flow at Hunters Road is a thick komatiite unit situated at the base of a well‐developed lava channel complex overlying a prominent banded iron‐formation that caps a thick sequence of felsic lavas and volcaniclastic rocks intruded by a probably comagmatic feeder sill. The 300–350 m‐thick inner flank comprises a 200–250 m‐thick central olivine meso‐ to adcumulate, relatively narrow lower and upper ortho‐ to mesocumulates and a 2–10 m‐thick olivine spinifex zone at the top. Approximately 700 m towards the 90 m‐thick outer flank, the spinifex zone is up to 30 m thick, the central meso‐ to adcumulate lenses out between the upper and lower mesocumulates, and the lower orthocumulate is more rich in clinopyroxene. In places, the flanks are directly overlain by rubbly hyaloclastite. The less well‐preserved, 500 m‐thick central axis coincides with a floor‐rock embayment of demonstrably primary origin, which is 200 m deep and at least 800 m wide. Nickel sulfide mineralisation is disseminated, texturally cocumulus to olivine and confined to the meso‐ to adcumulate, the highest nickel grades being located towards the top. Large floor‐rock xenoliths occur in the mineralised meso‐ to adcumulate of the inner flank within reaction envelopes of barren, pyroxene‐bearing, olivine ortho‐ to mesocumulate. Formation of the embayment and xenoliths (clear evidence of large‐scale thermomechanical floor‐rock erosion) and of the olivine– sulfide meso‐ to adcumulate (the sulfur probably derived by the assimilation of sulfidic wall rocks adjacent to the feeder sill) is attributed to prolonged focused flow of hot turbulent lava close to the vent. The Main Flow is interpreted as the product of a thick channelised sheet flow comprising: (i) a turbulent lava river, open along the central axis and partly tubed over along the inner flanks; and (ii) a tubed‐over levée facies along the outer flanks accommodating overflow from the central axis by inflationary growth under laminar flow conditions.
Two age populations of zircons from the Timber Creek kimberlites, Northern Territory, as determined by laser‐ablation ICP‐MS analysis
Authors: Belousova E. A. , Griffin W. L. , Shee S. R. , Jackson S. E. , O'Reilly S. Y.
Published: December 2004

Two populations of kimberlitic zircon are present in the Timber Creek kimberlites, Northern Territory. Laser‐ablation ICP‐MS U–Pb dating yields an age of 1483 ± 15 (2σ) Ma for the main group and an age of 179 ± 2 Ma for the other group. This distinction of two age groups is strongly supported by Hf isotope data on the same zircons. Although the trace‐element patterns of both populations are typical of mantle‐derived zircons, the ‘young’ population has slightly higher concentrations of most trace elements, but has lower Hf, Nb, Ta and Pb contents. The distinct differences in trace‐element contents and Hf isotopic composition of the two zircon populations indicate that they were derived from different magma sources. The dating results indicate that the emplacement age of the Timber Creek kimberlites cannot be older than the age of the ‘young’ zircon population (i.e. 179 ± 2 Ma). This clarifies the inconsistency between the previously reported SHRIMP age of the Timber Creek zircons (1462 ± 53 Ma) and the much younger age (1200 Ma) of the sediments of the Victoria River Basin into which these kimberlites have intruded. The Timber Creek kimberlites are a newly recognised extension of the widespread Jurassic kimberlite activity known in Western Australia and South Australia (Wandagee, Orroroo, Cleve and Eurelia kimberlites).
1.2 Ga Mafic dyke near York, southwestern Yilgarn Craton, Western Australia
Authors: Pidgeon R. T. , Nemchin A. A.
Published: December 2004

A SHRIMP 207Pb/206Pb zircon age of 1204 ± 10 Ma is reported for an east–west‐trending dolerite dyke from near York in the southwestern Yilgarn Craton. This age is identical within analytical uncertainty to previously reported ages of ca 1210 Ma for dykes from the central Wheatbelt and the Western and Eastern Goldfields. The consistency of the dyke ages and the wide areal extent of the dykes suggests that emplacement occurred as a single magmatic pulse at ca 1210 Ma throughout the southwestern Yilgarn Craton. The similarities between the age of the dykes and the ages of late events in the Albany–Fraser Orogeny, and the approximate parallelism of the east–west‐trending dykes to the margin of the orogen, raises the possibility that these events are related.
Resolving slip‐vector azimuths and plate motion along the southern boundary of the South Bismarck Plate, Papua New Guinea
Authors: Tregoning P. , Mcqueen H.
Published: December 2004

The interaction of the Australian, South Bismarck and Solomon Sea Plates in Papua New Guinea is the source of frequent earthquakes that occur as a result of subduction and arc–continent collision. Previous investigators have drawn attention to a discontinuity in the horizontal azimuth of slip vectors along the southern boundary of the South Bismarck Plate, with those to the west of 148°E being systematically rotated ~20–30° clockwise compared to those located east of 148°E. This has led to the suggestion that relative motion may be occurring between the Huon Peninsula and New Britain or that more than two plates are acting south of the South Bismarck Plate. Global positioning system (GPS) measurements since 1991 indicate that there is no internal deformation occurring within the South Bismark Plate and that at least two distinct plates are in contact with the southern edge of the South Bismarck Plate. We show from a study of a recent earthquake dataset that the change in slip‐vector azimuth can be modelled by the interaction of the overriding South Bismarck Plate with the underthrusting Australian and Solomon Sea Plates, consistent with the GPS observations, while maintaining the South Bismarck Plate as a rigid entity. We found that a transition zone exists between 147°E and 148°E where the underlying plate changes from the Australian Plate to the Solomon Sea Plate. There are insufficient data at present to indicate whether or not a third plate, the Woodlark Plate, is also interacting directly with the South Bismarck Plate in this transition zone. Slip‐vector azimuths were used to estimate an Euler pole (6.74°S, 144.64°E), which describes the relative motion of the South Bismarck and Solomon Sea Plates along the New Britain Trench.
Impacts of geoscience research on the physical environment of the Vestfold Hills, Antarctica
Authors: Kiernan K. , McConnell A.
Published: December 2004

Antarctic polar deserts can be of considerable scientific interest, but can also exhibit great environmental sensitivity. A variety of factors, including Australia’s legal obligations under the Madrid Protocol, public expectations, certain research opportunities and ethical considerations, demand a very high standard of environmental protection. A survey outside the Davis Station limits in the Vestfold Hills, East Antarctica, identified 66 sites at which past human activities had left long‐term impacts on the physical environment. Nearly half of all observed impacts were the result of geoscientific research that had left old pit and trench sites, vehicular tracks, partly excavated palaeontological material, rock sampling and drilling sites, localised slope instability caused by disturbance, and discarded equipment and markers. Comparisons between rehabilitated sites and others where little, if any, rehabilitation appears to have been attempted suggest natural processes alone are generally insufficient to heal the damage, but that effective rehabilitation is often possible if undertaken immediately after the initial disturbance.
Actinic prurigo: A retrospective analysis of 21 cases referred to an Australian photobiology clinic
Authors: Crouch Rohan , Foley Peter , Baker Christopher
Published: December 2004

Actinic prurigo (AP) is a rare acquired idiopathic photodermatosis, reported most often in American Indians, but also in Caucasian and Asian populations. The skin lesions in AP predominantly affect exposed sites but may involve covered areas, and often result in postinflammatory scarring. The diagnosis of AP can be difficult and relies on a combination of history, clinical experience and investigations including phototesting and human leucocyte antigen typing. Twenty‐one patients (17 women, four men) diagnosed with AP at the photobiology clinic at St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne were reviewed in this retrospective study. The mean age of patients at presentation to the clinic was 25 years, with the mean age of onset being 14 years. Phototesting was undertaken in 20 patients, with 12 (60%) having reduced and eight (40%) normal minimal erythema doses. Human leucocyte antigen typing indicated 18 patients (85.7%) were DR4 positive, with further subtyping of the DR4 allele establishing that 15 patients (71.4%) were DRB1*0407 positive and that two (9.5%) were DRB1*0401 positive. This condition is often recalcitrant, with treatment options including photoprotection, topical and oral corticosteroids, antimalarials, phototherapy and thalidomide.
Ticks in Australia
Authors: Storer Emma , Sheridan Adam T , Warren Lachlan , Wayte Jeffrey
Published: December 2004

Ticks are blood‐sucking parasites of vertebrates that may embed in human skin and are therefore of clinical relevance to dermatologists and their medical colleagues. Depending on the species involved, consequences of tick attachment vary from minor local reactions to significant systemic sequelae. It is possible to minimize morbidity by removing the tick in its entirety as soon as it is detected. Some techniques to achieve this are described. This review will aid clinicians in the recognition and practical management of tick bites in Australia.
Diagnosis and treatment of the common idiopathic photodermatoses
Authors: Ferguson James
Published: December 2004

The idiopathic photodermatoses are the most common cause of photosensitivity and the commonest of these are polymorphic light eruption, actinic prurigo, chronic actinic dermatitis and solar urticaria. The clinical presentation, investigation and treatment of these four disorders are presented. Spontaneous improvement does occur.
Treatment of acne with isotretinoin: Recommendations based on Australian experience
Authors: Cooper Alan J ,   Australian Roaccutane Advisory Board
Published: December 2004

Oral isotretinoin revolutionized acne treatment when it was introduced in 1982 in the USA. However, its use was restricted to patients with severe nodulocystic acne. Today its use worldwide has expanded to treat also patients with less severe but scarring acne who are responding unsatisfactorily to conventional therapies. These recommendations assess the potential for use of oral isotretinoin as a safe and effective treatment for severe nodulocystic acne unresponsive to conventional therapy, and acne of any severity that causes scarring or is associated with psychological distress.
PUVA treatment of alopecia areata totalis and universalis: A retrospective study
Authors: Whitmont Kaley J , Cooper Alan J
Published: December 2004

The results of PUVA treatment of alopecia areata (AA) totalis and universalis were reviewed in 26 adult patients. Eight of 15 patients with AA totalis and six of 11 patients with AA universalis achieved a complete response (>90% hair regrowth). Patients with AA totalis had a greater incidence of treatment failure (<25% hair regrowth) than those with AA universalis. Patients with a family history of AA were significantly less likely to have a positive response to PUVA than those with no family history. Sex, age at diagnosis and treatment, interval between diagnosis and treatment, and background of atopy were not significant determinants of outcome. Although unable to show significance for clinical response to treatment, this study demonstrates complete hair regrowth in patients with both AA totalis (53%) and universalis (55%) while reporting a low relapse rate among these patients (21%) within a long period of follow up (mean 5.2 years).
Clinical study of primary cutaneous B‐cell lymphoma using both the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer and World Health Organization classifications
Authors: Yap Lee Mei , Blum Robert , Foley Peter , McCormack Christopher , Turner Hugh , Seymour John F , Prince H Miles
Published: December 2004

Primary cutaneous B‐cell lymphoma (PCBCL) is rare, with few series reported in the literature. Its classification and treatment remain controversial. Biopsy specimens of 13 patients with PCBCL were classified according to both the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) and the new World Health Organization (WHO) classifications. Treatment and clinical outcomes were documented. Using the EORTC classification there were seven men and six women aged 32–85 years (mean = 51 years) with follicle centre cell (FCC) lymphoma (nine), immunocytoma (two) and primary cutaneous large B‐cell lymphoma of the leg (PCLBCL‐leg) (two). When the WHO classification was used, the nine patients with FCC were reclassified as follicle centre (five) and diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma (four). Most patients had localized disease (12). Initial treatment consisted of radiotherapy alone (seven), combination chemotherapy alone (one), combined chemoradiotherapy (three) and surgery (two). Twelve patients achieved complete remission (median follow up 28 months, range 10–167 months). One patient with PCLBCL‐leg died from progressive cutaneous disease. Most localized PCBCL lesions (except PCLBCL‐leg) have a favourable prognosis. We recommend that clinicians be familiar with the important differences in the EORTC and WHO classifications. Further large prospective studies comparing the WHO and EORTC classifications are required to more clearly delineate the outcomes of the increasing number of patients who are classified as DLBCL by the WHO system.
Treatment of severe recalcitrant plaque psoriasis with single‐dose intravenous tumour necrosis factor‐alpha antibody (infliximab)
Authors: Chan Jonathan J , Gebauer Kurt
Published: December 2004

Infliximab is a chimeric anti‐tumour necrosis factor‐α antibody that has been demonstrated to have marked efficacy in the treatment of psoriasis. Seven patients with chronic plaque psoriasis were treated with single‐dose intravenous infliximab (5 mg/kg), and the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) and Dermatology Life Questionnaire Index (DLQI) were used as a measure of treatment efficacy. There was an average improvement in PASI scores of 69% at 2 weeks post infusion. There was an improvement in DLQI of 61%. Four of the seven patients were also seen at 10 weeks post infusion and the improvement in PASI and DLQI was sustained. All patients tolerated the initial infusion well without adverse events. The results indicate that single‐dose infliximab is an effective and efficacious therapy for recalcitrant psoriasis and has a prolonged therapeutic effect.
Genetic testing of the family with a Carney‐complex member leads to successful early removal of an asymptomatic atrial myxoma in the mother of the patient
Authors: Aspres Nicholas , Bleasel Narelle R , Stapleton Karen M
Published: December 2004

Carney complex is a rare cardiocutaneous syndrome with an autosomal‐dominant inheritance pattern. Apart from its cutaneous manifestations of multiple blue naevi and lentigines, it can involve multiple other organ systems, particularly the heart, where myxoma tumours commonly develop and can potentially lead to serious complications such as cerebrovascular accidents and myocardial infarction. Recently, a specific mutation in the gene encoding the R1‐α regulatory subunit of cyclic adenosine monophosphate‐dependent protein kinase A (PRKAR1α) has been discovered and found to be associated with a high risk of developing cardiac myxomas. We report the case of a Carney‐complex family member who displayed no observable clinical or cardiac features of the disease but who was found to be positive for the PRKAR1α gene mutation on genetic testing. Further evaluation of this patient subsequently led to the discovery of a 3‐cm atrial myxoma that had previously been undetected on cardiac assessment. This case highlights the potential benefits of using genetic screening for this disease.
Treatment of Bowen's disease and basal cell carcinoma of the nose with imiquimod 5% cream
Authors: Wu Jason K , Siller Greg , Whitehead Kevin
Published: December 2004

We report the successful use of topical imiquimod 5% cream for extensive multifocal, recurrent (post cryotherapy), biopsy‐proven Bowen's disease of the nose. Treatment was applied on a once‐a‐day regimen, and a total of 32 applications over 9 weeks were used. A florid local skin reaction occurred early in the treatment, necessitating a rest period and decreasing the frequency of application. The Bowen's disease was coexistent with a multifocal superficial basal cell carcinoma (BCC) that had a partial response. Persistent BCC at 4 weeks post treatment was surgically excised. This tumour showed an unusual histological picture, with normal epidermis overlying residual BCC in the papillary dermis. The Bowen's disease remains clinically clear at 12‐months follow up.