19683 research outputs found
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In situ visualization of endothelial cell-derived extracellular vesicle formation in steady state and malignant conditions
No full textEndothelial cells are integral components of all vasculature within complex organisms. As they line the blood vessel wall, endothelial cells are constantly exposed to a variety of molecular factors and shear force that can induce cellular damage and stress. However, how endothelial cells are removed or eliminate unwanted cellular contents, remains unclear. The generation of large extracellular vesicles (EVs) has emerged as a key mechanism for the removal of cellular waste from cells that are dying or stressed. Here, we used intravital microscopy of the bone marrow to directly measure the kinetics of EV formation from endothelial cells in vivo under homoeostatic and malignant conditions. These large EVs are mitochondria-rich, expose the 'eat me' signal phosphatidylserine, and can interact with immune cell populations as a potential clearance mechanism. Elevated levels of circulating EVs correlates with degradation of the bone marrow vasculature caused by acute myeloid leukaemia. Together, our study provides in vivo spatio-temporal characterization of EV formation in the murine vasculature and suggests that circulating, large endothelial cell-derived EVs can provide a snapshot of vascular damage at distal sites.</p
Key questions for planning an open education project
No full textKey prompts for teaching staff and open practitioners on how to plan and write an effective open education project proposal.The focus of this approach is to develop open education projects in a holistic way as educational problem-solving interventions with clear goals and purposes. This leads to a greater likelihood of impact and makes projects easier to evaluate.This guide was developed for the La Trobe eBureau open education program. We encourage you to adopt and adapt it for your own institution, and we welcome your feedback for improvements: [email protected]</p
Relationships between physical activities performed under free-living conditions and non-motor symptoms in people with Parkinson's: A systematic review and meta-analysis
No full textBackground: Physical activities performed under free-living conditions that are unsupervised in the home or community have the potential to modulate non-motor symptoms in people with Parkinson's disease. Objective: This systematic review investigates the relationships between physical activities performed in free-living conditions and non-motor symptoms in people with Parkinson's disease: cognition, anxiety, apathy, depression, sleep disturbances, fatigue, and pain. Data sources: A database search was performed on Scopus, Web of Science, Ovid (PsycINFO), CINAHL, PubMed, and ProQuest (Health and Medicine). Review methods: Observational studies published from 2000 to 2024 that examined the relationships between physical activity and non-motor symptoms were included. The methodological quality of reports was evaluated using critical appraisal checklists appropriate to the study design. Where appropriate, a meta-analysis was conducted to combine data from the included articles. Results: A total of 14 articles met the criteria and used various tools to evaluate non-motor symptoms and physical activity. Meta-analyses showed that people with Parkinson's who are more physically active have better global cognition [β ranged from 0.12 to 0.28; p = 0.00–0.02] and less affective disorders [β -0.20, p = 0.00]. Increased physical activity levels were also associated with better sleep quality (n = 1) and less chronic pain (n = 1). The overall methodological quality of the included articles was considered high. Conclusion: Engagement in increased levels of physical activities performed under free-living conditions is associated with better cognition and less anxiety, apathy, and depression in people with Parkinson's disease.</p
Effects of Intermittent Fasting on Cerebral Hypoperfusion-Induced Inflammatory and Neurodegenerative Gene Expression
No full textSubmitted in total fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science to the School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Environment, La Trobe University, Victoria, Australia.</p
Quantifying cigarette and e-cigarette marketing exposure among Chinese adolescents using ecological momentary assessment
No full textIntroduction: Addressing cigarette and e-cigarette use in China is key to reducing the global tobacco epidemic. Marketing exposure is one causal factor for adolescent smoking and e-cigarette use. Currently, China restricts cigarette and e-cigarette ads in public places and online; however, there may not be full policy compliance. We collected real-time data in the natural environment to estimate how much and where Chinese adolescents—a group susceptible to smoking and e-cigarette use—are exposed to cigarette and e-cigarette marketing to inform policy responses.
Aims and Methods: In June 2022, we conducted a 7-day ecological momentary assessment (EMA) study with 15–16-year-olds (n = 96) across eight Chinese cities. Participants completed up to 42 EMA surveys (six per day), sent at random intervals outside of school hours. In each survey, participants reported whether they saw (1) displays and (2) ads in the past hour (none, cigarette, e-cigarette, both) in the past hour. We also captured the source of cigarette/e-cigarette ad exposure.
Results: Most participants were exposed to cigarette and/or e-cigarette displays (89.6%) or ads (79.2%) more than 7 days. On average, participants reported past-hour exposure to displays 12.7 times and past-hour exposure to ads 10.8 times over the week. The most common sources of cigarette ads were public places (eg, kiosks, supermarkets); the most common sources of e-cigarette ad exposure were social media/internet or e-cigarette stores.
Conclusions: Findings highlight the need to enhance enforcement of restrictions on cigarette and e-cigarette ads in public places and online in China and extend restrictions to ban displays.
Implications: Marketing exposure is a causal factor in youth smoking and e-cigarette use. We used EMA to estimate cigarette and e-cigarette display and ad exposure among Chinese adolescents. On average, participants reported past-hour exposure to cigarette and/or e-cigarette displays 13 times and past-hour exposure to cigarette and/or e-cigarette ads 11 times more than 1 week. Most saw ads in public places and online. Results suggest strengthening implementation of China’s ban on cigarette and e-cigarette ads in public places and online and banning product displays. These are policy responses that can contribute to reducing adolescent cigarette and e-cigarette uptake in China. </p
‘I mean, I wouldn't say I was sober’: Exploring the psychosocial impact of e-scooter injuries and aligning a collaborative public health response
No full textIssue Addressed: E-scooters are sought after for their cost-effectiveness, sustainability, and efficiency in urban transportation. However, this popularity has been accompanied by a surge in injuries, prompting a deeper investigation into the factors influencing risk perceptions among e-scooter users. Methods: Using a qualitative approach, we conducted 19 interviews with those who attended an emergency department as a result of e-scooter injury. We aimed to understand the psychosocial effects of these incidents and employed thematic analysis to discern recurrent patterns in participants' experiences, focusing on alterations in daily life, community response, perception shifts, and avenues to enhance safety awareness. Results: The findings underscored significant disruptions to daily life due to injuries, demonstrating enduring impacts on lifestyle and wellbeing. Participants exhibited a perceptual shift, transitioning from perceiving e-scooters as enjoyable to viewing them as dangerous. Recommendations for enhancing safety awareness included accessible and clear safety education, pre-ride briefings, real-time safety guidance, temporal rental restrictions, and mandatory breathalysers before e-scooter use. Conclusions: The study underscores the importance of considering not only the individual experiences and perceptions of e-scooter injuries but also the broader social context, including the night-time economy. Leveraging peer narratives and community engagement is vital to reshape risk perceptions and promote harm reduction messages.</p
Interpersonal gendered violence against adult women participating in sport: a scoping review
No full textRationale: Sport is increasingly seen as a vehicle through which to address and prevent the high prevalence of violence against women, yet it is also a site for interpersonal gender-based violence. This paper scopes recent empirical research to examine the focus of research into interpersonal gender-based violence against adult women in sport and what sports organisations are doing to respond and prevent such violence. The paper then sets out potential areas for future sport management research. Design: Following Arksey and O’Malley’s scoping review framework, we conducted a comprehensive search of published literature since 2000 across 14 databases. Findings: We identified 15 papers. Findings are presented as a numerical summary and thematic analysis. The numerical summary reveals a lack of studies examining sport organisations’ responses to interpersonal gender-based violence against adult women participating in sport. The thematic analysis shows dominance of sexual violence often within the coach–athlete relationship, a focus on prevalence, and lack of theoretical underpinning. Practical implications: If sport is to continue being used as a vehicle to prevent violence against women in society more broadly, future research must address all forms of interpersonal gender-based violence against women that may be occurring in sport and examine how sport organisations are addressing such violence. Research contribution: This paper shows a significant gap in research on adult women experiencing interpersonal gender-based violence in sport, and responses to such violence. It provides a foundation from which to drive future research.</p
Saturated lysing efficiency of CD8<sup>+</sup> cells induced monostable, bistable and oscillatory HIV kinetics
No full textEffector CD8+ cells lyse human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV)-infected CD4+ cells by recognizing a viral peptide presented by human leukocyte antigens (HLA) on the CD4+ cell surface, which plays an irreplaceable role in within-host HIV clearance. Using a semi-saturated lysing efficiency of a CD8+ cell, we discuss a model that captures HIV dynamics with different magnitudes of lysing rate induced by different HLA alleles. With the aid of local stability analysis and bifurcation plots, exponential interactions among CD4+ cells, HIV, and CD8+ cells were investigated. The system exhibited unexpectedly complex behaviors that were both mathematically and biologically interesting, for example monostability, periodic oscillations, and bistability. The CD8+ cell lysing rate, the CD8+ cell count, and the saturation effect were combined to determine the HIV kinetics. For a given CD8+ cell count, a low CD8+ cell lysing rate and a high saturation effect led to monostability to a high viral titre, and a low CD8+ cell lysing rate and a low saturation effect triggered periodic oscillations; this explained why patients with a non-protective HLA allele were always associated with a high viral titer and exhibited bad infection control. On the other hand, a high CD8+ cell lysing rate led to bistability and monostability to a low viral titer; this explained why protective HLA alleles are not always associated with good HIV infection outcomes. These mathematical results explain how differences in HLA alleles determine the variability in viral infection. </p
Comparison of digital study model superimposition methods using implant-supported crowns and best-fit algorithms
No full textIntroduction: Research regarding orthodontic changes using the superimposition of digital study models (DSMs) is commonplace. Information regarding the accuracy of data processing by superimposition software is limited. The study aimed to compare different methods of superimposing DSMs using implant-supported crowns (ISC) as a stable reference structure. Methods: DSMs containing ISCs were sourced from a database of patients treated with clear aligner therapy. The DSM representing the planned treatment outcome was superimposed on the pretreatment DSM. Three tooth points were selected for comparison on the contralateral side of each ISC. Differences in Cartesian coordinates for each tooth point for each arch superimposition method, used by the Geomagic Control X (3D systems, Rock Hill, NC) software system, were recorded. Paired t tests for the reference standard superimposition method best-fit high-resolution using the entire dental arch compared with initial, best-fit low-resolution, and best-fit high-resolution using the ISC only were calculated. Results: The DSMs of 54 dental arches containing ISCs were evaluated. All mean differences for displacements of selected points on the contralateral side to the ISC in the 3 Cartesian planes were </p
Costs of Australian intensive care: A systematic review
No full textObjective: Intensive care unit (ICU) cost estimates are critical to achieving healthcare system efficiency and sustainability. We aimed to review the published literature describing ICU costs in Australia. Design: A systematic review was conducted to identify studies that estimated the cost of ICU care in Australia. Studies conducted in specific patient cohorts or on specific treatments were excluded. Data sources: Relevant studies were sourced from a previously published review (1970–2016), a systematic search of MEDLINE and EMBASE (2016–5 May 2023), and reference checking. Review methods: A tool was developed to assess study quality and risk of bias (maximum score 57/57). Total and component costs were tabulated and indexed to 2022 Australian Dollars. Costing methodologies and study quality assessments were summarised. Results: Six costing studies met the inclusion criteria. Study quality scores were low (15/41 to 35/47). Most studies were conducted only in tertiary metropolitan public ICUs; sample sizes ranged from 100 to 10,204 patients. One study used data collected within the past 10 years. Mean daily ICU costs ranged from 5381 and mean total ICU admission costs 14,606. Three studies used a top-down costing approach, deriving cost estimates from budget reports. The other three studies used both bottom-up and top-down costing approaches. Bottom-up approaches collected individual patient resource use. Conclusions: Available ICU cost estimates are largely outdated and lack granular data. Future research is needed to estimate ICU costs that better reflect current practice and patient complexity and to determine the best methods for generating these estimates