Search

Objectives: To investigate the relationship between hearing loss and cardiovascular disease risk factors. Design: Cross‐sectional study. Methods: Participants were recruited between May 2010 and December 2015 and answered a health and risk factor questionnaire. Physical and biochemical assessments were performed. Setting: A community‐based population. Participants: A total of 5107 participants born within the years 1946‐1964 enrolled in the Busselton Healthy Ageing Study. Main outcome measures: Hearing was assessed behaviourally through the best ear pure‐tone average (500, 1000, 2000, 4000 Hz), low‐frequency average (250, 500, 1000 Hz) and high‐frequency average (4000, 8000 Hz). Self‐reported hearing loss, tinnitus and hyperacusis were assessed via questionnaire. Cardiovascular risk factors were assessed via a patient‐completed questionnaire and objective measurements including blood pressure, body mass index, waist circumference, lipid profile and glycated haemoglobin. Results: Of the participants, 54% were female, with the mean age of 58 years (range 45‐69 years). Age, sex and family history of hearing loss were consistently strong determinants of hearing loss outcomes. After adjusting for these, obesity, current smoking, peripheral arterial disease and history of cardiovascular disease were significantly associated with pure‐tone, low‐frequency and high‐frequency hearing loss. In addition, high blood pressure, triglyceride and glycated haemoglobin were significantly associated with low‐frequency hearing loss. There was a graded association between hearing loss and Framingham Risk Score for cardiovascular risk (P<0.001). Conclusions: Established cardiovascular disease and individual and combined cardiovascular disease risk factors were found to be associated with hearing loss. Future research should prospectively investigate whether targeting cardiovascular disease can prevent hearing loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Aim: Respiratory symptoms and gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) are common within the general population. Although a number of epidemiological studies have addressed their relationship, none has investigated the confounding effects of body mass index (BMI) and obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), both of which are associated with reflux. Methods: Men and women (2700) from the 2005-2007 cross-sectional Busselton health survey were included. Questionnaire data included demography, information on general health, asthma, cough, wheeze, dyspnoea and reflux symptoms (never, monthly or less often and weekly or more often). BMI, risk of OSA (Berlin questionnaire definition), spirometry and airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) were recorded. The effects of BMI and OSA on the relationship between respiratory and reflux symptoms were examined using logistic regression models, expressed as adjusted odds ratios for risk of respiratory symptoms by reflux symptom category. Results: Fifty per cent had reflux symptoms (5-10% weekly or more often). Reflux symptoms had strong positive, dose-related associations with cough/phlegm, breathlessness, chest tightness and wheeze in the last 12 months ( P < 0.001), but were not related to diagnosed asthma or AHR. Twenty-three per cent were at high risk of OSA and 63% had a BMI of >25 (22% > 30). Increased weight or high risk of OSA did not affect the relationship between respiratory symptoms and reflux symptoms. Conclusion: The relationship between reflux and respiratory symptoms was independent of BMI, high risk of OSA or AHR. These findings suggest that reflux contributes directly to respiratory symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Practice-based education is gaining a growing popularity in fields as diverse as, for example, software engineering, pedagogy and medical studies. In practice-based education learning takes place across different learning arenas and requires cooperation among all the actors involved in the learning process. However, mobility of students across these arenas impact deeply on cooperation patterns, and therefore on the learning process. In this paper we investigate the usage of shared display systems to promote cooperation among students in practice-based education. Our focus is on teacher education and the paper is based on our experiences with the teacher education programme at our university. Based on our observations of students out in practice, we discuss the importance of common spaces and the role of bulletin boards of different types. We then define high-level requirements for a shared display system to support practice-based education and we illustrate the main concepts with a demonstrator. Strengths and weaknesses of our approach are pointed out through an evaluation of the demonstrator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction and Aims: By specifying a threshold at which the number of liquor licences has the most impact on local populations, authorities can work to restrict licence approvals and help prevent alcohol-related harm., Design and Methods: Raine Study Generation 2 participants reported their alcohol intake at 22 years (n = 843) and liquor licences within 1600 m of participants' homes were mapped. Analyses examined associations between licences (all licences, on-premise licences, liquor stores) and alcohol intake (g ethanol per day). Two models were fitted: (i) forced a straight-line relationship; and (ii) allowed a curved relationship via restricted cubic splines., Results: The straight-line and curved models showed significant relationships with all licences (P = 0.002 and P = 0.002 respectively) and on-premise licences (P = 0.006 and P = 0.01 respectively), but not liquor stores (P = 0.065 and P = 0.13 respectively). The straight-line model indicated that alcohol consumption increased, on average, by 0.15 g per day for each additional licence and 0.17 g per day for each additional on-premise licence. The curved model indicated that consumption increased by around 0.4 g per day for each additional licence from 0 to 10, but increases were negligible for additional licences beyond 10. The curved model provided a better overall fit to the data than the straight-line model (R 2 9.52% vs. 9.18%), but the improvement in fit did not quite reach statistical significance (P = 0.08). The curvature was similar, but less pronounced for on-premise licences (R 2 9.11% vs. 8.95%; P = 0.23)., Discussion and Conclusions: Results suggest a possible saturation point at which additional licences have a smaller effect on the alcohol intake of 22-year-olds living in metropolitan Perth., (© 2020 Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs.)