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Biomedical subjects

K Betts

Publications and source records attributed to K Betts.

13 recordsLinked to original sources

Fertility, migration, and the ageing of the population--an analysis of the official projections.

"As we move through the demographic transition, an older age structure is inevitable but future possible scenarios vary.... The paper analyses nine different population projections produced by the ABS [Australian Bureau of Statistics], four in 1996 and five in 1998. The highest projection...adds an extra ten million people by the year 2051 while the lowest...adds none."

Age Distribution↗

Recent developments in population policy in Australia: the demographic setting.

"The major parties [in Australia] are moving away from an exclusive pre-occupation with immigration to a broader focus on population policy and the Minister for Immigration has expressed an implicit preference for a population of 23 million. The contributions in this section of People and Place document his concerns together with those of the shadow Minister. They also provide demographic analyses which show that the Minister's goal will be hard to achieve. This is largely because of the exceptionally high migration of the Hawke years."

Australia↗

Explaining Australian immigration.

"This article reviews the post-Second World War literature on explanations for Australia's immigration program. It discovers three main schools of thought based on net pull factors: the official explanation and two unofficial explanations which focus on migrants as workers and on migrants as consumers. However the growing importance of net push factors after 1974 means that some of this work is less relevant today. Explanations focusing on net push factors have yet to cohere into a distinct perspective (or perspectives) but some research has been done on chain migration and family-based migration strategies, asylum seekers, temporary movement, and migration and the law."

Australia↗

The law and the management of Australian immigration.

"Two new reports document the growing role of migration advisers, lawyers and the courts in Australian immigration, as well as the conflict between the judiciary and the executive over immigration control. One consequence of this conflict is that some foreigners now have a legal right to immigrate. Foreigners continue to be able to draw on legal aid to enforce this right and the Attorney General's Department does not record the costs."

Australia↗

Fertility levels in Australia: what can the 1991 census tell us?

"The information which can be gathered from the 1991 [Australian] Census on trends in fertility is limited. But an analysis of the one per cent users' sample tape indicates that women with advanced educational qualifications are now having families which are considerably smaller than those of women who have no post-school qualifications."

Australia↗

Does Australia's low fertility matter?

The author discusses the future effects of below-replacement fertility in Australia. "Continued below-replacement fertility would lead to a smaller maximum population, followed by population decline and an even older age structure. This paper argues that there is no need to increase the population and that a more mature age structure promises a number of benefits. Population growth imposes further costs on the already stressed natural environment and on the cities, and no economic benefits clearly offset these costs." Government policy to promote migration into Australia as a means of encouraging population growth is compared to the possible impact of a pronatalist policy. The author argues that social policies designed to reduce hardships faced by mothers are inherently desirable even if their demographic effects are uncertain.

Australia↗

Lymphatic metastasis: invasion of lymphatic vessels and efflux of tumour cells in the afferent popliteal lymph as seen in the Walker rat carcinoma.

When twenty million Walker rat carcinoma cells are injected into the footpad of albino outbred rats, there is progressive metastasis to the draining popliteal and thence para-aortic lymph nodes. The lymphatic duct efferent from the footpad and afferent to the popliteal node has been cannulated; it has been shown that there is a continuous and progressively increasing output of tumour cells, small and large lymphocytes, macrophages and polymorphs from the footpad. About 20 per cent of the cells are tumour cells. The number of tumour cells in the popliteal and para-aortic nodes has been counted using a Coulter counter and subsequent differential counting of stained smears; the nodes contain a progressively increasing number of both tumour cells and lymphoreticular cells. The early accumulation of tumour cells in the para-aortic nodes makes it evident that tumour cells pass rapidly through the primary node. Examination of the simulated primary tumour by transmission electron microscopy suggests that tumour cells move actively toward lymphatics and protrude cytoplasmic processes through gaps in the endothelium. The endothelial cell then degenerates in close proximity to tumour cell processes. This leaves gaps through which tumour cells may pass and ultimately results in lymphatics with large defects in their walls.

Animals↗

Studies of nonoxynol-9. I. The effect on the vaginas of rabbits and rats.

A standard rabbit vaginal irritation test was used to evaluate the morphologic reaction to an aqueous solution of a nonionic spermicidal detergent, nonoxynol-9 (N-9). Various amounts of N-9, between 2.5 mg and 50 mg, were incorporated into cylindrical collagen sponges which were retained in the vagina for 10 days. Changes in the continuity of the epithelial lining, edema of the submucosal layer, and the inflammatory cell infiltrate of this layer were proportional to the amount of N-9 tested. An increase in semiquantitative score for the inflammatory changes in the vagina was noted for increasing amounts of N-9. In young adult female rats treated vaginally with 5 mg/100 gm body weight/day of aqueous N-9 for 5 to 20 days, the number of cells (DNA) was significantly increased on day 5. The collagen content in the vaginal wall (hydroxyproline) was significantly increased after 15 and 20 daily injections of the detergent. We conclude that both morphologic and chemical changes in the vagina are compatible with the inflammatory reaction induced by the detergent tested.

Animals↗

Studies on nonoxynol-9. III. Effect on fibroblasts and spermatozoa.

Seven nonionic detergents of the Igepal CO series differing in molecular size and including nonoxynol-9 and a representative anionic (SDS) and cationic (Cepacol) detergent were tested as to their relative cytotoxicity. The biologic effects of these detergents on human W1--38 fibroblasts (DNA and glycosaminoglycans synthesis) and on the motility of human spermatozoa were studied. The relative order of cytotoxicities for both fibroblasts and spermatozoa was cationic greater than nonionic greater than anionic. The concentration of nonoxynol-9-inhibiting fibroblast activity was approximately 30 times less than the amount needed to immobilize spermatozoa. It is concluded that CO-630, used as a source of nonoxynol-9, is the most effective polymer to inhibit spermatozoa and also fibroblasts.

Anions↗

Preliminary testing of the contraceptive collagen sponge.

The results of 3 years of developing the collagen sponge as an intravaginal contraceptive are presented. Postcoital tests were used to evaluate the efficacy of the sponge as a mechanical barrier. Results with the collagen sponge alone were compared to those of the sponge with spermicidal cream or spermicidal solution (acid buffer and zinc) and of spermicidal cream alone. The presence of any motile spermatozoa in the cervical mucus was considered a failure of the barrier method. The collagen sponge alone or with acid and zinc and spermicidal cream alone had failure rates of 22, 20, and 14%, respectively, whereas the collagen sponge with spermicidal cream had a 6% failure rate. The authors conclude that the combination of a mechanical and a chemical barrier is a more effective contraceptive method than a mechanical barrier or chemical agent alone.

Adolescent↗

The Billings method of family planning: an assessment.

The Billings/ovulation method is a periodic abstinence method of regulating births based on the client's interpretation of changing patterns in secretions of cervical mucus monitored by external self-examination. It was developed in Australia and is now widely promoted overseas. This paper outlines the method's recent history and goes on to discuss its physiological basis, its use-effectiveness as measured in a number of major trials, and some evidence concerning its general acceptability and applicability in family planning programs.

Body Temperature Regulation↗