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Tertiary institutions are experiencing an increased number of enrolments, with students varying in their demographics, previous education, and academic achievement. This relative increase in undergraduate enrolments in Australia has not translated to an increase in student retention or graduate numbers. This prompts the need to explore predictors of academic performance for tertiary students to identify those most at risk of underperforming. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between secondary school subject completion and undergraduate grade point average (GPA). A cohort of 709 secondary school students entering undergraduate health science courses between 2012 and 2015 at an Australian university were investigated. Completion of Mathematics 3C3D, Physics, Chemistry and Physical Education Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) subjects were significantly associated with GPA. In a subset of 458 students, longitudinal analysis revealed completion of secondary school Mathematics 3C3D was a significant predictor of academic performance over the duration of the tertiary health science courses. The results suggest that completion of advanced secondary school mathematics, but not physical sciences, is predictive of student achievement. This outcome further supports the need for improved uptake and completion of advanced mathematics in secondary school.

Anatomy and physiology courses are a foundation for numerous degrees, but experience some of the highest failure rates of all undergraduate health science programs (Higgins-Opitz & Tufts, 2014). While interventions have been developed in an attempt to remediate this concerning phenomenon, there is a paucity of evidence to determine the reason anatomy and physiology courses pose such an obstacle to students, and whether there are reliable early determinants for student success in these courses. This review will discuss why this obstacle exists, and the factors that contribute to success and failure in undergraduate anatomy and physiology courses.

INTRODUCTION: A ccessible spaceflight may seem a distant concept. As part of a diverse European Space Agency funded Topical Team, we are working on the physiological feasibility of space missions being undertaken by people with physical disabilities. Here, the first activity of this team is presented in the form of key lessons learned from aviation to inform new work on space missions. DISCUSSION: The first lesson is agreeing on realistic expectations about impairments, their severity, and the possibility of flying independently. This is important in terms of astronaut recruitment and societal expectations. The second lesson relates to training and adjustments for people with disabilities. Flexibility is important while maintaining safety for everyone involved. The third lesson is about managing unconscious bias from the different stakeholders. We conclude by arguing that engagement with people from different backgrounds is essential for the success of the first space mission with people with physical disabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anatomy and physiology teaching has undergone significant changes to keep up with advances in technology and to cater for a wide array of student specific learning approaches. This paper examines perceptions towards a variety of teaching instruments, techniques, and innovations used in the delivery and teaching of anatomy and physiology for health science students, and asks whether active learning through more progressive methods of teaching is beneficial for students across health science disciplines. In total, 138 health science students consisting of 32 biomedical science students, 52 exercise and sports science students, and 54 health and physical education students completed the retrospective study. Biomedical science students were least receptive to progressive teaching modalities, preferring anatomical dissections to laboratory workbooks (p <0.05) and body painting (p <0.05). In comparison, students from health and sport related degrees responded significantly better to anatomical models and laboratory workbooks than anatomical dissections (p <0.001). While gender differences were subtle, males responded positively to online multiple-choice question resources (p < 0.05) in comparison to females. Following a multimodal delivery of anatomy and physiology, students from all cohorts reported feeling significantly more confident (p < 0.005) when discussing all material in the course. The results obtained demonstrate differences amongst cohorts, which indicate that student perceptions to learning anatomy and physiology are dependent on individual course expectations. Moreover, these results support "hands on" practical teaching, and the use of a variety of teaching tools to foster learning and enjoyment of anatomy and physiology in health sciences.

Students commencing tertiary education enter through a number of traditional and alternative academic pathways. As a result, tertiary institutions encounter a broad range of students, varying in demographic, previous education, characteristics and academic achievement. In recent years, the relatively constant increase in tertiary applications in Australia has not translated to an increase in student retention or graduate numbers. The Health Sciences discipline typically falls within this paradigm, prompting various approaches to promote academic success and overall student retention. In this study, the demographic and previous education of health science students at an Australian University, were analysed along with first year science grades from a core first year anatomy and physiology unit. A generalized linear model (GLM) demonstrated statistically significant relationships between performance in the unit (measured by grade point average) and year 12 Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank (ATAR) subjects (human biology and chemistry; p<0.001) and gender (p<0.001). No significant performance correlation was observed with household socioeconomic status, as measured by socio-economic indexes for areas. Taken together, the results from this study facilitate estimation of academic success by some parameters prior to their commencement at University.

With an increasing number of students enrolling into Australian universities, developing an understanding of the variables underlying academic success, is growing in importance. In the present study, three first-year cohorts (2013-2015) studying towards five allied health or science degrees (n = 1,676 students) were examined to ascertain the impact of students' entrance pathways and demographic background on academic performance and retention. Results identified gender and the Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank as significant predictors of academic performance, with female students (p < 0.05) and students entering with the highest quartile of Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank score (p < 0.001) performing strongest. Results also revealed that students from government secondary schools performed significantly higher in terms of first year grade point average (p < 0.05) compared with students from non-government schools and that secondary school tuition fees correlated positively with ATAR score but negatively with first year GPA (p < 0.05). The findings from this study have implications in the formulation of education policy, particularly highlighting the strength of students from government schools transitioning to university science and allied health degrees.

In recent years, there has been a significant decline in the rate of participation in secondary school mathematics courses within Australia, particularly in advanced or higher level mathematics. The aim of this study was to investigate how grade point average (GPA) differed between five health science degrees at an Australian university. The association between Australian Tertiary Admission Ranking (ATAR), the level of mathematics completed at secondary school and GPA was also investigated. Results showed that students studying Biomedical Sciences and Physiotherapy had significantly higher GPA and ATAR than students studying Exercise and Sports Science, Physical Education, and Nursing. A higher percentage of Biomedical Science, and Physiotherapy students undertook advanced mathematics (3C3D MAT) at secondary school than students in the other three degrees, who recorded lower secondary school mathematics result scores from an intermediate or elementary mathematics course studied (3A3B and 2C2D MAT, respectively). The results of this study accord with published literature from other university courses that the decline in numbers of students opting to undertake a higher level of mathematics at secondary school will impact negatively upon their first year university performance.

Cationic arginine-rich and poly-arginine peptides (referred to as CARPs) have potent neuroprotective properties in in vitro excitotoxicity and in vivo models of stroke. Traumatic brain injury (TBI) shares many pathophysiological processes as stroke, including excitotoxicity. Therefore, we evaluated our lead peptide, poly-arginine R18, with the COG1410 and APP96-110 peptides, which have neuroprotective actions following TBI. In an in vitro cortical neuronal glutamic acid excitotoxicity injury model, R18 was highly neuroprotective and reduced neuronal calcium influx, while COG1410 and APP96-110 displayed modest neuroprotection and were less effective at reducing calcium influx. In an impact-acceleration closed-head injury model (Marmarou model), R18, COG1410, and APP96-110 were administered intravenously (300 nmol/kg) at 30 minutes after injury in male Sprague-Dawley rats. When compared to vehicle, no peptide significantly improved functional outcomes, however the R18 and COG1410 treatment groups displayed positive trends in the adhesive tape test and rotarod assessments. Similarly, no peptide had a significant effect on hippocampal neuronal loss, however a significant reduction in axonal injury was observed for R18 and COG1410. In conclusion, this study has demonstrated that R18 is significantly more effective than COG1410 and APP96-110 at reducing neuronal injury and calcium influx following excitotoxicity, and that both R18 and COG1410 reduce axonal injury following TBI. Additional dose response and treatment time course studies are required to further assess the efficacy of R18 in TBI.

The pathology underlying cognitive changes in people with Parkinson's disease (PD) is not well understood. In healthy older adults, gut microbiome composition has been associated with cognitive function. In people with PD, preliminary evidence suggests that cortical spreading of abnormal alpha-synuclein aggregates may be associated with cognitive impairment. As changes in the gut have been linked to PD onset and associated Lewy body pathology, an investigation of the gut microbiome and cognition in PD is warranted. To synthesise existing evidence on the relationship between the gut microbiome and cognitive function in PD. A systematic review was conducted to search for peer-reviewed articles and grey literature published to July 2021 across seven electronic databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, Scopus, Cochrane Library, ProQuest, and ProQuest Dissertations and Theses). English language articles reporting the relationship between cognition and the gut microbiome in human participants with PD were considered for inclusion. Results were qualitatively synthesised and evidence quality was assessed using the QualSyst tool for quantitative studies. Five cross-sectional studies reporting the association between the gut microbiome and cognition in 395 participants with PD were included. Studies provided preliminary evidence of a relationship between cognition and gut microbiota within the Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes phyla, however, associations with specific genera were inconsistent across studies. Some species of short-chain fatty acid-producing bacteria (e.g. acetate, butyrate, and propionate producers) appear to be reduced in participants with PD with cognitive impairment. More research with larger samples and more consistent methodology is needed to substantiate these findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Parkinson's disease (PD), gut inflammation is hypothesised to contribute to α-synuclein aggregation, but gastrointestinal α-synuclein expression is poorly characterised. Cationic arginine-rich peptides (CARPs) are an emerging therapeutic option that exerts various neuroprotective effects and may target the transmission of protein aggregates. This study aimed to investigate endogenous α-synuclein expression in enteroendocrine STC-1 cells and the potential of the CARP, R18D (18-mer of D-arginine), to prevent internalisation of pre-formed α-synuclein fibrils (PFFs) in enteroendocrine cells in vitro. Through confocal microscopy, the immunoreactivity of full-length α-synuclein and the serine-129 phosphorylated form (pS129) was investigated in STC-1 (mouse enteroendocrine) cells. Thereafter, STC-1 cells were exposed to PFFs tagged with Alexa-Fluor 488 (PFF-488) for 2 and 24 h and R18D-FITC for 10 min. After confirming the uptake of both PFFs and R18D-FITC through fluorescent microscopy, STC-1 cells were pre-treated with R18D (5 or 10 μM) for 10 min prior to 2 h of PFF-488 exposure. Immunoreactivity for endogenous α-synuclein and pS129 was evident in STC-1 cells, with prominent pS129 staining along cytoplasmic processes and in perinuclear areas. STC-1 cells internalised PFFs, confirmed through co-localisation of PFF-488 and human-specific α-synuclein immunoreactivity. R18D-FITC entered STC-1 cells within 10 min and pre-treatment of STC-1 cells with R18D interfered with PFF uptake. The endogenous presence of α-synuclein in enteroendocrine cells, coupled with their rapid uptake of PFFs, demonstrates a potential for pathogenic spread of α-synuclein aggregates in the gut. R18D is a novel therapeutic approach to reduce the intercellular transmission of α-synuclein pathology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]