Nontargeted biomonitoring of halogenated organic compounds in two ecotypes of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) from the Southern California Bight

Targeted environmental monitoring reveals contamination by known chemicals, but may exclude potentially pervasive but unknown compounds. Marine mammals are sentinels of persistent and bioaccumulative contaminants due to their longevity and high trophic position. Using nontargeted analysis, we constructed a mass spectral library of 327 persistent and bioaccumulative compounds identified in blubber from two ecotypes of common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) sampled in the Southern California Bight. This library of halogenated organic compounds (HOCs) consisted of 180 anthropogenic contaminants, 41 natural products, 4 with mixed sources, 8 with unknown sources, and 94 with partial structural characterization and unknown sources. The abundance of compounds whose structures could not be fully elucidated highlights the prevalence of undiscovered HOCs accumulating in marine food webs. Eighty-six percent of the identified compounds are not currently monitored, including 133 known anthropogenic chemicals. Compounds related to dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) were the most abundant. Natural products were, in some cases, detected at abundances similar to anthropogenic compounds. The profile of naturally occurring HOCs differed between ecotypes, suggesting more abundant offshore sources of these compounds. This nontargeted analytical framework provided a comprehensive list of HOCs that may be characteristic of the region, and its application within monitoring surveys may suggest new chemicals for evaluation.

Acupuncturists' perspectives on outcome measures to evaluate acupuncture care for chronic low back pain

OBJECTIVES

To examine Australian acupuncturists' perspectives of: chronic low back pain outcome domains; their use of outcome measures to assess chronic low back pain; and their attitudes and perceptions of barriers to using the existing measures to evaluate acupuncture care for chronic low back pain.

DESIGN

A postal questionnaire was used in a cross-sectional survey.

PARTICIPANTS

359 randomly selected Australian acupuncturists.

RESULTS

139 questionnaires were returned (response rate: 38.7%). The respondents' demographic characteristics were similar to Australian Bureau of Statistics acupuncturist demographic data. Overall, acupuncturists endorsed a broad approach to assessing acupuncture care for chronic low back pain. However, they had typically used pain severity measures but generally did not use other types of measures. Acupuncturists tended to hold positive attitudes towards using outcome measures. The principal barriers acupuncturists perceived to using outcome measures concerned doubts about whether the concepts which underpin acupuncture practice had been explicitly articulated and whether the available measures capture the specific context and particular outcomes of acupuncture care for chronic low back pain.

IMPLICATIONS

The findings of this study suggest that a broad range of outcome measures are required to adequately assess chronic low back pain acupuncture care outcomes. While numerous outcome measures have been developed that are relevant to chronic low back pain care, whether these measures are appropriate for use by acupuncturists is unclear. Further studies are warranted to explore if established outcome measures are useful to evaluate chronic low back acupuncture care.

Technology in education: what is appropriate for rural and remote allied health professionals?

Recent technological advances provide exciting opportunities for the delivery of education to rural and remote allied health professionals. Distance education modes can overcome barriers of distance and cost. However, the use of technologies may allow distance education to be more interactive for rural and remote professionals. Technologies that can be used are audioconferencing, videoconferencing, electronic mail (email), CD-ROM and the Internet. Combinations of any of these technologies and traditional forms of educational delivery are possible. The important objective is to create a learning environment that maximises interactivity and develops information literacy.

A stable cell line with a proportion of cells persistently infected with bovine viral diarrhoea virus

Bovine turbinate (BTu) and lamb testis (LT) cell lines persistently infected with bovine viral diarrhoea virus (BVDV) arose as a result of a single change of medium containing commercial foetal calf serum. Infected cells comprise 30% and 50% respectively, of the total cell population, determined by immunohistochemical staining. The ratio of positive cells has remained unchanged during successive passages. Characterization of the persistently-infected BTu cells (BTuI) showed that only full length viral RNA was detected by northern blot hybridisation, indicating that DI particles were not involved. Secreted and intracellular virus from these cells was fully infectious for fresh BTu and LT cells. The BTuI cell line was fully permissive for a cytopathic BVDV isolate and a bovine herpesvirus, but non-permissive for two non-cytopathic BVDV isolates. Attempts to induce the permissive state in the BVDV-negative cells of the BTuI culture by treatment with actinomycin D and 5'-aza-cytidine failed. These cells provide a convenient model to study aspects of BVDV pathogenesis and replication.