Biomedical subjects

D Rivett

Publications and source records attributed to D Rivett.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Developing a musculo-skeletal screening survey for Indigenous Australians living in rural communities.

INTRODUCTION: Indigenous Australians living in rural communities experience high levels of musculoskeletal conditions that significantly impair their daily activities. Aboriginal health workers (AHWs) have a close understanding of their communities' needs and play a central role in the assessment and management of these conditions. To assist in the musculoskeletal assessment process a screening survey was collaboratively developed, trialled and evaluated for use by AHWs. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was developed following discussions with key community informants, and a literature review for relevant survey instruments. It was piloted before being administered by AHWs and the findings compared with those of a clinical assessment conducted by musculoskeletal health professionals. The participants included 189 members of an Australian rural Indigenous community. RESULTS: The screening survey achieved face and content validity. It provided high sensitivity (above 70%) and moderately high specificity (above 60%) for measuring musculoskeletal conditions in this community. It did not achieve high enough Kappa scores when measuring agreement between the screening tool and clinical assessment. A significant correlation was, however, obtained between the most prevalent musculoskeletal condition and between reported overall pain as assessed by AHWs and chiropractors. CONCLUSIONS: The screening survey has applicability in this community and has the potential to be adapted in similar settings. Incorporating a basic range of motion and palpation assessment to localise painful anatomical sites may help to further improve the sensitivity and specificity of this instrument.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Lateral epicondylalgia: a problem for rural workers.

Lateral Epicondylalgia (LE) (tennis elbow) is a problematic condition for workers in labour intensive industries. The economies of many rural communities are founded on industries such as grape growing, meat and fish processing, fruit processing and winemaking. Workers in those industries are at increased risk of developing work-related upper limb mechanical disorders, including LE. This article reviews current understanding of the aetiology and management of this common condition as an aid to rural health professionals managing this presentation. A variety of treatment options exist for the management of LE with the literature divided on which approach is most effective. However, there is evidence that exercise is a key component of a management strategy. In addition to the current practice of prescribing exercises for the wrist extensor muscles, recent research suggests that appropriate activation of the stabilising muscles of the shoulder and cervical spine also needs to be considered by the rural practitioner.

Journal Article↗

PubMed1994

Fusogenic activity of amino-terminal region of HIV type 1 Nef protein.

We have studied two isoforms of Nef, Nef-27 and Nef-25, which were produced in E. coli. Nef-25 lacked the first 18 N-terminal residues of Nef-27 and both were nonmyristylated. Nef-27 fuses small unilamellar dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine vesicles (SUVs), as indicated by enhanced light scattering of SUVs and lipid mixing using concentration-dependent fluorescence dequenching. Nef-27 also causes the appearance of a shifted isotropic peak in the 31P NMR spectra of these vesicles, suggesting that protein interactions induce nonlamellar lipid structures. Recombinant Nef-25, which lacks only the 18 N-terminal residues of Nef-27, does not fuse vesicles and has little effect on the 31P NMR spectra. On the other hand, synthetic peptides consisting of 18 or 21 of the N-terminal residues of Nef-27 are strongly membrane perturbing, causing vesicle fusion and inducing isotropic peaks in the 31P NMR spectrum. Endogenous fluorescence spectra of the N-terminal peptide (21 residues) with SUVs show that the N-terminal sequence of Nef may achieve these perturbing effects by inserting its hydrophobic side into the lipid bilayer. Theoretical calculations using hydrophobic moment plot analysis indicate that short-length stretches (i.e., six amino acid residues) of the N-terminal sequence may insert into the lipid bilayer as multimeric alpha helices or beta sheets. The above-described membrane activities of Nef-27, which principally reside in its N-terminal domain, may play critical role(s) in certain functional properties of the full-length protein. For example, the fusogenic activity of the N-terminal sequence may be involved in the extracellular release of Nef-27, much of which appears to be associated with small membrane vesicles. The fusion activity may also be relevant to the ability of Nef-27 to downregulate CD4 and IL-2 receptors when this protein is electroporated into cultured lymphocytes, an activity not possessed by Nef-25.

1,2-Dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine↗