19683 research outputs found
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Evaluating sustainability awareness and practices in podiatry clinics in Spain: a path toward a healthy and sustainable future
No full textABSTRACT
Background: Sustainability in healthcare is crucial due to the sector’s significant contribution to global green house gas emissions. Medical practices must address environmental impact while maintaining high-quality care and equitable access. In podiatry, sustainable practices can reduce the environmental footprint of clinics and improve long-term healthcare outcomes by promoting prevention and resource efficiency. Study design: Cross sectional study.
Method: We conducted an online survey with 357 practicing podiatrists, all registered with the General Council of Podiatrists of Spain and with at least one year of professional experience. The survey contained 26 questions focused on sustainability in healthcare, podiatry practices, and environmental impact. The questionnaire included both closed-ended questions and Likert-scale items. Responses were scored and categorized into arbi trary sustainability categories: low (25).
Results: Most respondents (82.6 %) did not regularly use public transport, and 14 % did not engage in any form of physical exercise. More than half of the sample were unaware of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Almost all (98 %) had not measured the carbon footprint of their clinics, yet 34.7 % planned to optimise energy consumption in their clinics. Overall, 41.7 % were categorized as low sustainability, 56.9 % medium, and 1.4 % met high sustainability. Conclusions: Podiatry clinics in Spain demonstrate low sustainability actions and knowledge. Sustainable practice aligns with global environment healthcare urgency, and ensures more responsible podiatric services. This study provides the first baseline data for this issue, availing comparisons across global podiatric healthcare sectors. </p
Fasting plasma glucose level and in-hospital cardiac arrest in patients with acute coronary syndrome: findings from the CCC-ACS project
No full textBACKGROUND: The prognosis of patients with coronary artery disease is adversely affected by elevated fasting plasma glucose (FPG) levels. However, the relationship between FPG levels and in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) remains unclear. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to investigate the association between FPG levels and IHCA in patients diagnosed with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). METHODS: Data from a total of 31,726 ACS patients fitted with inclusion and exclusion criteria across 241 hospitals in the Improving Care for Cardiovascular Disease in China-ACS project from November 2014 to July 2019 were collected. Different logistic regression models were utilized to examine the associations of FPG levels with IHCA. Sensitivity analyses were then conducted to assess the robustness of the findings. Marginal effect analyses were also employed to evaluate the impact of different therapies. RESULTS: A total of 335 cases of IHCA and 293 in-hospital mortality were recorded throughout the study. A non-linear relationship between FPG levels and IHCA was identified after adjusting for the covariates. Specifically, a significant association was found between elevated FPG levels (≥6.1 mmol/L) and an increased risk of IHCA. These findings remained consistent across different subgroup analyses including both the diabetic and non-diabetic patients. Additionally, the marginal effect analyses revealed that percutaneous coronary intervention could lower the high FPG-related risk. CONCLUSIONS: The study findings showed a positive correlation between FPG levels and a higher incidence of IHCA, irrespective of the presence of diabetes.</p
Why was allied health missed? A critical examination of the recommendations of the Disability Royal Commission for allied health professionals working with people with intellectual disabilities
No full textAbstract: Many people with intellectual disabilities have complex health needs that are not met by the Australian healthcare system. The Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability (the Commission) looked at the failings of the healthcare system and the improvements needed. Services provided by allied health professionals are one part of the healthcare system. This article describes the evidence the Commission heard about the unmet allied health needs of people with intellectual disabilities, the resulting harms caused, and the recommendations to address these. Despite identifying unmet allied health needs, the Commission heard evidence predominantly about nursing and medical care, although many of its recommendations were applied to the entire health workforce, including allied health professionals. The article reflects on the challenges of implementing the Commission’s recommendations and the risk that positive change in health outcomes for people with intellectual disabilities may not be achieved.</p
Lemming and Vole Cycles: A New Intrinsic Model
No full textAbstract:
It is 100 years since the first paper described the multiannual cycles in Arctic rodents and lagomorphs. The mechanisms driving population cycles in animals like lemmings and voles are complex, often attributed to extrinsic factors, such as food availability and quality, pathogens, parasites and/or predators. While extrinsic factors provide insights into population cycles, none fully explain the phenomenon. We propose an underlying innate, intrinsic mechanism, based on epigenetic regulation, that drives population cycles under harsh arctic conditions. We propose that epigenetically driven phenotypic changes associated with sexual development, growth and behaviour accumulate over time in offspring, eventually producing a phase change from rising population density to eventual population collapse. Under this hypothesis, and unlike previous hypotheses, extrinsic factors modify population cycles but would not be primary drivers. The interaction between our intrinsic cycle and extrinsic factors explains established phenomena like delayed-density dependence, whereby population growth is controlled by time-dependent negative feedback. We advocate integrating a century of field research with the latest epigenetic analysis to better understand the drivers of population cycles.</p
A Situational Analysis of Attitudes toward Stray Cats and Preferences and Priorities for Their Management
No full textCurrent cat management approaches are outdated and ineffective, failing to reduce stray cat numbers or related complaints and negatively impacting the job satisfaction and mental health of veterinary, shelter, and municipal staff. We undertook a situational analysis prior to implementing a Community Cat Program based on free sterilization of owned, semi-owned, and unowned cats in the city of Ipswich, Queensland, Australia. The study involved 343 residents in three suburbs in Ipswich, Queensland, Australia with high per capita intake of cats into the receiving shelter and municipal pound. We investigated the prevalence and impacts of free-roaming cats in urban areas, focusing on sightings, associated issues, and community preferences for cat management. Stray cats were observed by many respondents (71%), primarily at private residences (52%) and in alleyways or streets (22%), which caused serious or moderately serious problems for 38% of those who saw stray or wandering cats. Key concerns included the killing of native birds (38%) and animals (35%), noise (33%), and soiling (32%). Actions taken by respondents who saw stray or wandering cats included chasing them away or using deterrents (25%), capturing the cat for removal or calling council (18%) and preventing home entry (14%). Respondents’ priorities for the local government management of cats included preventing kittens from being born (94% of respondents) and stopping cats from preying on native animals (91%); reducing disease spread to pets (89%), wildlife (89%), and humans (87%); decreasing stray cat numbers (75%); and preventing cat fights (70%). Respondents favored sterilization (65%) over euthanasia (35%), aligning with the results of previous research. Cat ownership and feeding unowned cats were predictors of management preferences. Only 29% of respondents were satisfied with the current local council management of the problem. Information on the benefits of management by sterilization could further enhance community support.</p
Promotional bookmarks for <i>Becoming a Climate Conscious Lawyer</i><i> </i>OER
No full textThis bookmark is used to advocate for the open textbook Becoming a Climate Conscious Lawyer: Climate and the Australian Legal System published by the La Trobe eBureau (2024). This supports advocacy for the Climate Conscious Lawyers OER project at conferences, events, and workshops that relate to climate change and Australian law or legal education. The aim is to engage communities, educators, and stakeholders to use or adapt the core open textbook.</p
The fnr-like mutants confer isoxaben tolerance by initiating mitochondrial retrograde signalling
No full textIsoxaben is a pre-emergent herbicide used to control broadleaf weeds. While the phytotoxic mechanism is not completely understood, isoxaben interferes with cellulose synthesis. Certain mutations in cellulose synthase complex proteins can confer isoxaben tolerance; however, these mutations can cause compromised cellulose synthesis and perturbed plant growth, rendering them unsuitable as herbicide tolerance traits. We conducted a genetic screen to identify new genes associated with isoxaben tolerance by screening a selection of Arabidopsis thaliana T-DNA mutants. We found that mutations in a FERREDOXIN-NADP(+) OXIDOREDUCTASE-LIKE (FNRL) gene enhanced tolerance to isoxaben, exhibited as a reduction in primary root stunting, reactive oxygen species accumulation and ectopic lignification. The fnrl mutant did not exhibit a reduction in cellulose levels following exposure to isoxaben, indicating that FNRL operates upstream of isoxaben-induced cellulose inhibition. In line with these results, transcriptomic analysis revealed a highly reduced response to isoxaben treatment in fnrl mutant roots. The fnrl mutants displayed constitutively induced mitochondrial retrograde signalling, and the observed isoxaben tolerance is partially dependent on the transcription factor ANAC017, a key regulator of mitochondrial retrograde signalling. Moreover, FNRL is highly conserved across all plant lineages, implying conservation of its function. Notably, fnrl mutants did not show a growth penalty in shoots, making FNRL a promising target for biotechnological applications in breeding isoxaben tolerance in crops.</p
Computational repurposing of drugs for viral diseases and current and future pandemics
No full textA large fraction of the world’s population is directly impacted by acute or chronic viral infections, many of which have high mortality. As was brought home to us in 2020, viruses also have great potential to generate global pandemics that have killed millions and caused massive damage to economies. Clearly, we need cost-effective and rapid methods for finding drug treatments for poorly met infectious diseases and for responding effectively to the current and future pandemics. Repurposing or off-label use of existing drugs, whose safety and pharmacokinetics are well understood, is one useful way to provide fast drug therapies for patients. Computational methods have an important role to play because of their increasing effectiveness, high speed, and relatively low cost. Here we review the application of the main types of computational drug repurposing methods to discovery of therapies for viral diseases and for future pandemics highly likely to be caused by viral pathogens. </p
‘The tribunes of the people, the tongues o’ the common mouth’: Parliamentarians as representatives when scrutinising laws
No full textShakespeare’s First Folio included publication of Coriolanus, a play that is said to be inflected by political events at the time of its writing and still so by its publication during a period the English parliament was in abeyance, having been dissolved the year before. In this paper, we take up Raffield and Watt’s (2008) invitation to consider the relationship between Shakespeare’s work and the nation-state, by considering the relationship between Coriolanus, and specifically the quasi-parliamentarian characters of the tribunes or representatives of the people, and contemporary Australian parliamentarians. We are particularly interested in how parliamentarians approach and grapple with their role as representatives of the people when undertaking human rights scrutiny of proposed laws, and explore this in relation to the tribunes’ approach to their representative role when making political decisions. We follow Raffield and Watt’s suggestion that, in early modern England, ‘government was conducted and represented as theatre’ (2008: 4) and argue that, in contemporary Australia, parliamentary work is still conducted and represented as theatre, and therefore it is necessary to adopt a theatre or performance lens when considering the ways in which parliamentarians perform their work as both representatives and legislators. </p
Asymmetric Membrane Floating Microspheres for Enhanced Anti-Inflammatory and Sustained Release of Ibuprofen
No full textPoorly water-soluble drugs like ibuprofen present challenges related to limited absorption and gastrointestinal (GI) side effects. This work aims at preparing asymmetric membrane floating microspheres (AMFM) with the purpose of enhancing the solubility, gastric retention, and therapeutic efficiency of ibuprofen, thereby decreasing its adverse effects. Ibuprofen-AMFM were prepared by a phase inversion technique, which resulted in the formation of microspheres containing a porous inner layer and a non-porous outer membrane as evidenced by scanning electron microscopy. This special structure allowed the microspheres to float in gastric fluid for up to 12 hours, thereby increasing the gastric residence time. The microspheres showed high drug loading of 89.52 ± 1.23% and process yield 74.23 ± 0.65%. In vitro drug release studies indicated that the drug release gets extended up to a period of 12 hours through Fickian diffusion and Higuchi kinetics. In vivo anti-inflammatory studies also demonstrated increased efficacy of ibuprofen-AMFM, with an increase in inflammation inhibition of about 85.34%, compared to 60.92% with pure ibuprofen. All the above observations indicated that ibuprofen-AMFM was one of the most efficient ways to improve drug bioavailability and patient compliance, hence being a prospective delivery system for poorly soluble drugs.https://ecronicon.net/ecpt/asymmetric-membrane-floating-microspheres-for-enhanced-anti-inflammatory-and-sustained-release-of-ibuprofen </p