Development and validation of the Australian Aboriginal racial identity and self-esteem survey for 8-12 year old children (IRISE_C)

INTRODUCTION

In Australia, there is little empirical research of the racial identity of Indigenous children and youth as the majority of the current literature focuses on adults. Furthermore, there are no instruments developed with cultural appropriateness when exploring the identity and self-esteem of the Australian Aboriginal population, especially children. The IRISE_C (Racial Identity and Self-Esteem of children) inventory was developed to explore the elements of racial identity and self-esteem of urban, rural and regional Aboriginal children. This paper describes the development and validation of the IRISE_C instrument with over 250 Aboriginal children aged 8 to 12 years.

METHODS

A pilot of the IRISE C instrument was combined with individual interviews and was undertaken with 35 urban Aboriginal children aged 8-12 years. An exploratory factor analysis was performed to refine the survey and reduce redundant items in readiness for the main study. In the main study, the IRISE C was employed to 229 Aboriginal children aged 6-13 years across three sites (rural, regional and urban) in Western Australia. An exploratory factor analysis using Principal axis factoring was used to assess the fit of items and survey structure. A confirmatory factor analysis was then employed using LISREL (diagonally weighted least squares) to assess factor structures across domains. Internal consistency and reliability of subscales were assessed using Cronbach's co-efficient alpha.

RESULTS

The pilot testing identified two key concepts - children's knowledge of issues related to their racial identity, and the importance, or salience, that they attach to these issues. In the main study, factor analyses showed two clear factors relating to: Aboriginal culture and traditions; and a sense of belonging to an Aboriginal community. Principal Axis Factoring of the Knowledge items supported a 2-factor solution, which explained 38.7% of variance. Factor One (Aboriginal culture) had a Cronbach's alpha of 0.835; Factor 2 (racial identity) had a Cronbach's alpha of 0.800, thus demonstrating high internal reliability of the scales.

CONCLUSION

The IRISE_C has been shown to be a valid instrument useful of exploring the development of racial identity of Australian Aboriginal children across the 8-12 year old age range and across urban, rural and regional geographical locations.

Expression of Genes Related to Activity of Oxaliplatin and 5-Fluorouracil in Endoscopic Biopsies of Primary Esophageal Cancer in Patients Receiving Oxaliplatin, 5-Flourouracil and Radiation: Characterization and Exploratory Analysis with Survival

With a goal of identifying relations between gene expression and response (mucosal or pathological) or survival in esophageal cancer patients (stages II to IV) receiving oxaliplatin, 5-fluorouracil (5FU) and radiation, we measured in endoscopic primary tumor biopsies from 38 patients, the expression of seven genes (gammaGCS, gammaGT, MRP-2, ERCC-1, XPA, TS and DPD) prior to treatment, 1 week following oxaliplatin alone and at the end of the combined radio-chemotherapy cycle using real time QRT-PCR. A higher pretreatment level of XPA was related to shorter survival with a hazard ratio of 2.43 (90% confidence interval 1.09 to 5.43) using Cox regression modeling. However, multivariate analysis with a Cox model indicated low expression of XPA or TS and combined stages II and III had a higher probability of survival (for XPA: hazard ratio 3.0 and 90% C.I. of 1.3 to 6.9, with adjustment for stage included; for TS: hazard ratio is 1.98 with 90% C.I. of 0.94 to 4.20. The expression of TS, gammaGCS, ERCC-1 and MRP-2 declined from D 1 to the end of the cycle (p<0.05, sign test). A validation and further understanding of the findings need to be carried out in a larger study with a more homogeneous population of patients.

Synergism between growth-factors in the control of glioma cell-proliferation, migration and invasion in-vitro

Gliomas constitute more than 50% of primary brain tumours in man. Perhaps the most important hallmark of these tumours is their diffuse invasion of the normal brain structures. The biological factors involved in the control of both their proliferation and invasion are, however, not well known. We studied the expression of receptors for epidermal growth factor (EGF), basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), platelet derived growth factor (PDGF), and transforming growth factor beta-1 (TGF-beta 1) in low grade astrocytoma (IPNT-H)-, grade III astrocytoma (IPSB-18)-, and glioblastoma (IPRM-5)- derived cell lines. The effects of EGF, bFGF, PDGF, and TGF-beta 1 on proliferation, migration, and invasion in vitro were also investigated. When tested individually, EGF, bFGF and PDGF, were found to differentially stimulate proliferation, motility and invasion of the cell lines examined. When combined, these three growth factors acted synergistically to stimulate these biological properties. In addition, TGF-beta 1 exhibited positive and negative effects on the mitogenic action of the other growth factors in IPNT-H cells but inhibited their activity in IPSB-18 and IPRM-5 cells. Moreover, TGF-beta 1 was found to modulate negatively and positively the migration and invasion promoting action of the other growth factors in IPNT-H and IPSB-18 cells, while it strongly potentiated this action in IPRM-5 cells. These results suggest that all the growth factors examined may play key roles in the control of the biological properties of human glioma cells in vitro. Together with our findings that TGF-beta 1 is overexpressed in human glioblastoma in vivo, these results also suggest that co-operation between growth factors and TGF-beta 1 may be of central importance in tumour progression of gliomas.

Differential-effects of transforming growth-factor-Beta-1 on protein-levels of p21 waf and cdk-2 and on cdk-2 kinase-activity in human rd and ccl64 mink lung-cells

Currently, the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21 WAF-1 is considered to be a crucial downstream effector in the p53-specific pathway of negative growth control in mammalian cells. Wild-type p53, but not mutant forms of this protein, transactivate the WAF-1 gene. We show a correlation between growth-inhibition and induction of WAF-1 protein expression following transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-beta 1) treatment of two human tumour cell lines devoid of wild-type p53 protein and in SV40-transformed WI38 fibroblasts. Inversely, TGF-beta 1 treatment of normal WI38 fibroblasts stimulates their growth and represses WAF-1 protein synthesis. As the mink lung epithelial CCL64 cell line is frequently used in TGF-B studies we included it in this study: TGF-beta 1 growth-inhibition is accompanied by induction of WAF-1 synthesis concomitantly with a reduction of cdk2 synthesis and of its histone kinase activity. However in the human tumour line RD, TGF-beta 1 did not affect cdk-2 protein levels but did reduce its histone kinase activity.

Early mental health morbidity and later smoking at age 17 years

BACKGROUND

We examined the relationship between the onset and pattern of childhood mental health disorders and subsequent current smoking status at age 17 years.

METHOD

Data were from a prospective cohort study of 2868 births of which 1064 supplied information about their current smoking at 17 years of age. The association between the onset and pattern of clinically significant mental health disorders in the child and subsequent smoking at age 17 years was estimated via multivariable logistic regression.

RESULTS

Relative to 17 year olds who never had an externalizing disorder, 17-year-olds who had an externalizing disorder at age 5, 8 or 14 years were, respectively, 2.0 times [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.24-3.25], 1.9 (95% CI 1.00-3.65) or 3.9 times (95% CI 1.73-8.72) more likely to be a current smoker. Children with an ongoing pattern of externalizing disorder were 3.0 times (95% CI 1.89-4.84) more likely to be smokers at the age of 17 years and those whose mothers reported daily consumption of 6-10 cigarettes at 18 weeks' gestation were 2.5 times (OR 2.46, 95% CI 1.26-4.83) more likely to report smoking at 17 years of age. Associations with early anxiety and depression in the child were not found.

CONCLUSIONS

Current smoking in 17-year-olds may be underpinned by early emergent, and then, ongoing, externalizing disorder that commenced as young as age 5 years as well as exposure to early prenatal maternal smoking. The associations documented in adults and adolescents that link tobacco smoking and mental health are likely to be in play at these early points in development.