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Summary: Objective: To assess the efficacy of thrice daily topical 4Jointz utilizing Acteev technology (a combination of a standardized comfrey extract and a pharmaceutical grade tannic acid, 3.5 g/day) on osteoarthritic knee pain, markers of inflammation and cartilage breakdown over 12 weeks. Patients and methods: Adults aged 50–80 years (n = 133) with clinical knee OA were randomised to receive 4Jointz or placebo in addition to existing medications. Pain and function were measured using a visual analogue scale (VAS) and the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) scale at baseline, 4, 8 and 12 weeks. Inflammation was measured analysing IL-6 expression and CTX-2 presence as representative for cartilage breakdown using ELISA, at baseline and 12 weeks. Results: Pain scores significantly reduced in the group who received 4Jointz compared to the group who received placebo after 12 weeks using both the VAS (−9.9 mm, P = 0.034) and the KOOS pain scale (+5.7, P = 0.047). Changes in IL-6 and CTX-2 were not significant (−0.04, P = 0.5; −0.01, P = 0.68). Post-hoc analyses suggested that treatment may be most effective in women (VAS −16.8 mm, P = 0.008) and those with milder radiographic osteoarthritis (OA) (VAS −16.1 mm, P = 0.009). Rates of adverse events were similar in both groups, excepting local rash that was more common amongst participants receiving 4Jointz (21% vs 1.6%, IRR 13.2, P = 0.013), but only 26% (n = 4) of participants with rashes discontinued treatment. There were no changes in systemic blood results. Conclusions: Topical treatment using 4Jointz reduced pain but had no effect on inflammation or cartilage breakdown over 12 weeks of treatment. Trial registration: Australia and New Zealand Clinical Trials registry ACTRN12610000877088. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The Australian National Council on Drugs (ANCD) recently recommended that media organisations commit to balanced and accurate reporting about the costs and benefits of needle and syringe programmes (NSPs), and recognise the harm of sensationalist reporting. This paper is concerned with the newspaper reporting of syringes found in or near a Sydney primary school, which resulted in the closure of the nearby NSP. Four news reports, one editorial and two letters to the editor in three regional papers dealt with this issue. We examined the intertextual links between and within texts: which speaking subjects are included, whose messages are foregrounded or backgrounded, how are these messages represented by the reporters, and how are alternative positions negotiated. Our analysis shows that in spite of an absence of overt judgements and sensationalism by the reporters, representations are not value free. Choices made by the writers of news reports show alignment with various convergent and divergent positions relating to NSPs in general and the closure of this needle exchange in particular. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrons and positrons from π0 decays have been measured for C+C collisions at 1 AGeV beam energy. Reconstructed e+e−-pairs from π0-Dalitz decays have been used as a calibrated electron source for the investigation of Cherenkov rings detected in a hadron blind RICH with CsI-based photo cathode. The measured ring properties are in good agreement with full scale GEANT simulation calculations. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]