Medicine & Health

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Now showing 1 - 10 of 35
  • (2007) Chu, Stephanie Wai Ling
    Thesis
    Paclitaxel (PTX) is an effective anti-mitotic drug. It stops cancer from spreading by interfering with the microtubule dynamics which in turn leads to cell cycle arrest and eventually cell death. Despite the clinical success in treating different types of cancers, resistance to PTX remains a major hurdle for successful treatment in relapse patients. Albendazole (ABZ) is a popular anthelmintic used world-wide for the treatment of various types of helmintic infections. In helminthes, ABZ binds to β-tubulin and inhibits microtubule polymerisation. It was subsequently found that ABZ has anti-cancer activity. This study was carried out to study the effects of ABZ on PTX sensitive and PTX resistant human ovarian carcinoma cells. Cell growth assays revealed that the anti-proliferative activity of ABZ was not only effective on the PTX-sensitive human ovarian carcinoma cell line lA9, but also on its PTX-resistant sub-line, lA9PTX22. The ICso values of ABZ in lA9 and lA9PTX22 were 205 nM and 322 nM, respectively. Confocal images demonstrated that ABZ disrupted the microtubule network and caused formation of short microtubule bundles in both cell lines. Further analysis using tubulin polymerisation assay showed that the percentage of polymerised tubulin in lA9 and lA9PTX22 was increased by 58.9 % and 20.6 % respectively. Together, these results revealed for the first time that ABZ interacts with microtubules in human cancer cells and causes their polymerisation. It was also demonstrated that ABZ increased the release of cytochrome c, an important component of the intrinsic pathway in apoptosis. It was found that the expression of Bim, a BH-3 only pro-apoptotic protein was not elevated after ABZ treatment. The results presented in this study provide some information on the effect of ABZ on the microtubule network which could relate to its apoptotic effect in human ovarian carcinoma cells.

  • (2014) Arora, Manit
    Thesis
    Abstract â Burnout among Australian orthopaedic trainees and the factors associated with it Aim: To study burnout prevalence and associated factors among Australian orthopaedic trainees. Method: We conducted a nationwide cross-sectional observational study using a 32-question survey consisting of a self-developed item set of 10 questions and a 22-question validated instrument (Maslach Burnout Inventory â Human Services Survey) to assess burnout. The survey was emailed to 236 orthopaedic registrar members of the Australian Orthopaedic Association. Results: 51 trainees completed the survey, yielding a response rate of 22%. Burnout prevalence among orthopaedic trainees was high (52%) despite high career satisfaction (89%). 55% of trainees were dissatisfied with their work-life balance. Burned out trainees were more likely to be dissatisfied with their choice of orthopaedics as a career (p=0.004) and with their work-balance (p=0.021) compared with their non-burned out counterparts. Females were more likely to be burned out than males and non-married trainees more than married trainees, although these associations were not significant. There was no observed trend for burnout with relation to seniority in the training program. Discussion: Burnout prevalence among Australian orthopaedic trainees is high despite high career satisfaction. There may be a role for active interventions aimed at combating burnout and improving work-life balance among orthopaedic trainees. Abstract â Job satisfaction among Australian orthopaedic surgeons and the factors associated with it Introduction: High job satisfaction has positive outcomes for patients, health institutions and surgeons. There has been no research into job satisfaction primarily among Australian orthopaedic surgeons and its associated factors. The aim of this study was to assess job satisfaction and associated factors among Australian orthopaedic surgeons. Method: We conducted a nationwide survey using a 24-item questionnaire consisting of a self-developed item set of 14 questions and a 10-question modified version of Warr-Cook-Wall Job Satisfaction instrument to assess job satisfaction. The survey was emailed to 1393 orthopaedic surgeon members of the Australian Orthopaedic Association. Results: 217 surgeons completed the survey, yielding a response rate of 16%. 88% of responders were either very satisfied or moderately satisfied with their jobs. 20% of responders were dissatisfied with their hours of work and a further 15% of responders were dissatisfied with the level of recognition they get for good work. Surgeons with higher job satisfaction were less likely to feel that workload severely compromised their personal/family life (p<0.001), had better perceived self-health (p=0.04), and were less likely to have considered leaving orthopaedic surgery in the last year (p<0.001). Discussion: Australian orthopaedic surgeons are highly satisfied with their jobs. There may be a role for active interventions aimed at improving hours of work and work-life balance.

  • (2000) Manfield, Laura
    Thesis



  • (2004) Trisnowati, Niken
    Thesis



  • (2001) Chui, Albert K. K.
    Thesis