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The Agreement between Wearable Sensors and Force Plates for the Analysis of Stride Time Variability
No full textThe variability and regularity of stride time may help identify individuals at a greater risk of injury during military load carriage. Wearable sensors could provide a cost-effective, portable solution for recording these measures, but establishing their validity is necessary. This study aimed to determine the agreement of several measures of stride time variability across five wearable sensors (Opal APDM, Vicon Blue Trident, Axivity, Plantiga, Xsens DOT) and force plates during military load carriage. Nineteen Australian Army trainee soldiers (age: 24.8 ± 5.3 years, height: 1.77 ± 0.09 m, body mass: 79.5 ± 15.2 kg, service: 1.7 ± 1.7 years) completed three 12-min walking trials on an instrumented treadmill at 5.5 km/h, carrying 23 kg of an external load. Simultaneously, 512 stride time intervals were identified from treadmill-embedded force plates and each sensor where linear (standard deviation and coefficient of variation) and non-linear (detrended fluctuation analysis and sample entropy) measures were obtained. Sensor and force plate agreement was evaluated using Pearson’s r and intraclass correlation coefficients. All sensors had at least moderate agreement (ICC > 0.5) and a strong positive correlation (r > 0.5). These results suggest wearable devices could be employed to quantify linear and non-linear measures of stride time variability during military load carriage
data file.docxAbortion provision in Australian Hospitals
No full textThis data file supports an article for journal article 'Abortion provision in Australian public hospitals' containing demonstrative quotes from semi-structured interviews.</p
Evaluation of the Efficacy of Platelet Targeting as a Novel Therapeutic Approach for Multiple Sclerosis
No full textSubmitted in total fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy to La Trobe Rural Health School, La Trobe University, Victoria, Australia.</p
Neuroimaging evidence of disturbed self-appraisal in posttraumatic stress disorder: A systematic review
No full textBackground: The experience of self-hood in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is altered cognitively and somatically. Dysfunctional negative cognitions about the self are a central mechanism of PTSD symptomatology and treatment. However, while higher-order brain models of disturbances in self-appraisal (i.e., cognitive processes relating to evaluating the self) have been examined in other psychiatric disorders, it is unclear how normative brain function during self-appraisal is impaired in PTSD. Methods: This paper presents a PRISMA systematic review of functional neuroimaging studies (n = 5), to establish a neurobiological account of how self-appraisal processes are disturbed in PTSD. The review was prospectively registered with PROSPERO (CRD42023450509). Results: Self-appraisal in PTSD is linked to disrupted activity in core self-processing regions of the Default Mode Network (DMN); and regions involved in cognitive control and emotion regulation, salience and valuation. Limitations: Because self-appraisal in PTSD is relatively under-studied, only a small number of studies could be included for review. Cross-study heterogeneity in analytic approaches and trauma-exposure history prohibited a quantitative meta-analysis. Conclusions: This paper proposes a mechanistic account of how neural dysfunctions may manifest clinically in PTSD and inform targeted selection of appropriate treatment options. We present a research agenda for future work to advance the field.</p
Role of probiotic extracellular vesicles in inter-kingdom communication and current technical limitations in advancing their therapeutic utility
No full textDiverse functions of probiotic extracellular vesicles (EVs) have been extensively studied over the past decade, proposing their role in inter-kingdom communication. Studies have explored their therapeutic role in pathophysiological processes ranging from cancer, immunoregulation, and ulcerative colitis to stress-induced depression. These studies have highlighted the significant and novel potential of probiotic EVs for therapeutic applications, offering immense promise in addressing several unmet clinical needs. Additionally, probiotic EVs are being explored as vehicles for targeted delivery approaches. However, the realization of clinical utility of probiotic EVs is hindered by several knowledge gaps, pitfalls, limitations, and challenges, which impede their wider acceptance by the scientific community. Among these, limited knowledge of EV biogenesis, markers and regulators in bacteria, variations in cargo due to culture conditions or EV isolation method, and lack of proper understanding of gut uptake and demonstration of in vivo effect are some important issues. This review aims to summarize the diverse roles of probiotic EVs in health and disease conditions. More importantly, it discusses the significant knowledge gaps and limitations that stand in the way of the therapeutic utility of probiotic EVs. Furthermore, the importance of addressing these gaps and limitations with technical advances such as rigorous omics has been discussed.</p
Clustering Approach for Modeling Course Difficulty Level in Adaptive Learning
No full textNo description supplie
Effects of transparent online open procurement on prices, volumes, and costs of medicines: an interrupted time series study in Ningxia, China
No full textObjectives: To assess the effects of the transparent online open procurement arrangement on the prices, volumes, and costs of medicines in Ningxia, China. Methods: Data were extracted from the Ningxia pharmaceutical procurement platform, covering 16 months of purchase orders (December 2019 to March 2021) prior to the implementation of the transparent online open procurement policy and 20 months of purchase orders after the implementation of the policy (April 2021 to November 2022). Interrupted time series (ITS) analysis was performed to evaluate the effects of the transparent online open procurement policy on the prices, volumes, and total costs of the purchase orders. Results: After implementation of the transparent online open procurement policy, the average price of purchased medicines showed a declining trend by 0.012 Yuan per month, while the total volume of purchase orders declined at a rate by 1.741 million per month measured by the smallest formulation units and the total costs of the purchase orders decreased at a rate by 5.525 million Yuan per month. Conclusion: The transparent online open procurement policy resulted in reduced prices, lowered volumes, and lowered total costs of purchased orders of medicines
Hip fracture has profound psychosocial impacts: a systematic review of qualitative studies
No full textBACKGROUND: Hip fracture is a common and serious traumatic injury for older adults characterised by poor outcomes. OBJECTIVE: This systematic review aimed to synthesise qualitative evidence about the psychosocial impact of hip fracture on the people who sustain these injuries. METHODS: Five databases were searched for qualitative studies reporting on the psychosocial impact of hip fracture, supplemented by reference list checking and citation tracking. Data were synthesised inductively and confidence in findings reported using the Confidence in the Evidence from Reviews of Qualitative research approach, taking account of methodological quality, coherence, relevance and adequacy. RESULTS: Fifty-seven studies were included. Data were collected during the peri-operative period to >12 months post fracture from 919 participants with hip fracture (median age > 70 years in all but 3 studies), 130 carers and 297 clinicians. Hip fracture is a life altering event characterised by a sense of loss, prolonged negative emotions and fear of the future, exacerbated by negative attitudes of family, friends and clinicians. For some people after hip fracture there is, with time, acceptance of a new reality of not being able to do all the things they used to do. There was moderate to high confidence in these findings. CONCLUSIONS: Hip fracture is a life altering event. Many people experience profound and prolonged psychosocial distress following a hip fracture, within a context of negative societal attitudes. Assessment and management of psychosocial distress during rehabilitation may improve outcomes for people after hip fracture
Orchard Sports Injury and Illness Classification System (OSIICS) Version 15
No full textBackground: Sports medicine (injury and illnesses) requires distinct coding systems because the International Classification of Diseases is insufficient for sports medicine coding. The Orchard Sports Injury and Illness Classification System (OSIICS) is one of two sports medicine coding systems recommended by the International Olympic Committee. Regular updates of coding systems are required. Methods: For Version 15, updates for mental health conditions in athletes, sports cardiology, concussion sub-types, infectious diseases, and skin and eye conditions were considered particularly important. Results: Recommended codes were added from a recent International Olympic Committee consensus statement on mental health conditions in athletes. Two landmark sports cardiology papers were used to update a more comprehensive list of sports cardiology codes. Rugby union protocols on head injury assessment were used to create additional concussion codes. Conclusion: It is planned that OSIICS Version 15 will be translated into multiple new languages in a timely fashion to facilitate international accessibility. The large number of recently published sport-specific and discipline-specific consensus statements on athlete surveillance warrant regular updating of OSIICS
The Perceptions and Experiences of Older People Living in the Aftermath of Lombok Earthquakes, Indonesia: A Qualitative Study
No full textIntroduction: Despite the growing knowledge of people's vulnerability following natural disasters, the perspective of older people has received limited attention. This study aimed to explore the perceptions and experiences of older people encountering the 2018 Lombok earthquakes. Methods: This exploratory qualitative study involved 16 older people living in one of the villages most affected by the 2018 earthquakes in Lombok Island, Nusa Tenggara Barat, Indonesia. The data were collected in June 2019 using semi-structured interviews. Participants' responses were digitally recorded and transcribed verbatim for analysis. The data were analysed using qualitative content analysis managed in NVivo. Results: From older people's perspectives, three themes were generated: surviving the disaster, dealing with life changes and navigating through challenges and hope. Each theme comprised two categories, which reflected the journey of older people from the early to the later phase of the disaster. Conclusions: Older people experienced critical conditions and difficulties both physically and mentally. They also experienced various emotional responses before accepting living situations following a disaster. Nurses should play a role in fulfilling the physical and mental health needs of older people in post-disaster conditions. Implications for Practice: This study can inform nurses and other key stakeholders about the needs of older people during and after natural disasters. Nurses need to be equipped with the skills and abilities to identify and meet the needs of older people in difficult situations and with limited resources