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C Carrello

Publications and source records attributed to C Carrello.

5 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

Fund allocation within Australian dental care: an innovative approach to output based funding.

BACKGROUND: Over the last 15 years in Australia the process of funding government health care has changed significantly. The development of dental funding models that transparently meet both the service delivery needs for data at the treatment level and policy makers' need for health condition data is critical to the continued integration of dentistry into the wider health system. METHODS: This paper presents a model of fund allocation that provides a communication construct that addresses the needs of both policy makers and service providers. RESULTS: In this model, dental treatments (dental item numbers) have been grouped into eight broad dental health conditions. Within each dental health condition, a weighted average price is determined using the Department of Veterans Affairs' (DVA) fee schedule as the benchmark, adjusted for the mix of care. The model also adjusts for the efficiency differences between sectors providing government funded dental care. In summary, the price to be applied to a dental health condition category is determined by the weighted average DVA price adjusted by the sector efficiency. CONCLUSIONS: This model allows governments and dental service providers to develop funding agreements that both quantify and justify the treatment to be provided. Such a process facilitates the continued integration of dental care into the wider health system.

Australia↗
PubMed1996

Effect of natural sequence variation at the H-2Ld-restricted CD8+ T cell epitope of the murine cytomegalovirus ie1-encoded pp89 on T cell recognition.

The amino acid sequence YPHFMPTNL of pp89, the ie1-encoded product of murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV; Smith strain), constitutes an immunodominant T cell epitope recognized in association with H-2Ld. Nucleotide sequencing of MCMV isolates derived from wild mice identified variation between amino acids 147-192 of pp89 in 19 of 27 isolates, including the region encompassing the CTL epitope (amino acid residues 168-176). Four groups of isolates with naturally occurring variant sequences for the CTL epitope were defined: (1) YPHFMPPNL; (2) YPHFMPPSL; (3) YPHFIPPSL; and (4) YLDFMPPNL. The remaining isolates, and the laboratory strains K181 and Vancouver, showed complete identity with the Smith strain. Polyclonal pp89 (Smith strain)-specific CTL only weakly recognized target cells infected with MCMV from most variant groups. No lysis of cells infected with isolate N1 from group 4 was detected. Analyses of cross-reactive recognition of YPHFMPTNL peptide-coated targets by CTL primed with variant MCMV isolates showed that the group 2 and 3 isolates, G4 and K6, respectively, but not the group 4 isolate N1, elicited CTL that exhibited a cross-reactive response. Furthermore, while the group 2 and 3 isolates G4 and K6 were able to prime CTL responses that displayed reactivity to homologous pp89 variant nonapeptides, the group 4 isolate N1 failed to do so. Finally, while immunization of mice with the nonapeptide YPHFMPTNL conferred significant protection against the laboratory strain K181 [correction of Kl81], no evidence of protection was observed for the group 2 and 4 variants G4 and N1, respectively. These observations raise the possibility that clinical isolates of HCMV may also differ in sequence from potential vaccine strains at immunodominant epitopes for CD8+ T cells thus reducing the efficacy of vaccination.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1994

Mapping and transcriptional analysis of the murine cytomegalovirus homologue of the human cytomegalovirus UL103 open reading frame.

Murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) has been widely used as a model for human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection since the two viruses share many biological and pathogenic properties. To further evaluate the similarities in the genomes of these viruses we have sought to identify MCMV genes that encode immunoreactive proteins by screening a lambda gt11 cDNA library with anti-MCMV monoclonal antibodies (MAb). Clone 430, identified on the basis of its reactivity with the MAb 6/20/1, was completely sequenced and shown to encode the MCMV homologue of the HCMV UL103 open reading frame (ORF). This ORF is encoded by a 1.1-kb transcript that is expressed at late times following infection. Sequencing of the cDNA also revealed the presence of two incomplete ORFs encoding the homologues of the HCMV UL102 and 104 ORFs. These ORFs are encoded by a 2.4-kb leaky late transcript and a 3.0-kb late transcript, respectively. Together these ORFs constitute part of a block of genes conserved in all herpesviruses, and in the MCMV and HCMV genomes this block of genes shows striking positional homology. The high degree of homology between HCMV and MCMV ORFs, at both the nucleotide and amino acid levels, plus the growing evidence of conservation in gene order between the two genomes suggests that the two viruses are very similar at the molecular level.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1993

Molecular and biological characterization of new strains of murine cytomegalovirus isolated from wild mice.

Studies of the prevalence of antibody to murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) in free-living wild mice (Mus domesticus) trapped in diverse regions of Australia and on a sub-Antarctic island indicated that 90% of 468 mice had serum antibody to MCMV. Twenty-six field isolates of MCMV were plaque-purified from salivary gland extracts of representative seropositive mice. These isolates varied considerably in their ability to replicate in the salivary glands of weanling BALB/c mice with 9 of 15 failing to reach significant titres in this organ and the titres of the remaining 6 strains varying by at least 100-fold. The high frequency of restriction fragment length polymorphisms observed suggests widespread genetic heterogeneity exists among the strains. This observation was mirrored at the polypeptide level by Western blot analyses with polyclonal antisera to MCMV. The isolation in this study of four genetically distinct strains of MCMV from a single wild mouse and several strains from other individual mice demonstrates that multiple infections with MCMV may be commonplace in wild mice.

Animals↗