Search

Introduction Many parents and carers experience mental health challenges during pregnancy and early postpartum years, and there are cumulative shortfalls in the identification, follow-up, and treatment of those experiencing perinatal and infant mental health (PIMH) challenges. ForWhen is a new national navigation programme in Australia that aims to improve outcomes for families by supporting parents and carers to access PIMH services that best meet their needs. This paper presents the protocol of an evaluation of the ForWhen programme, to be conducted over the first 3 years of its implementation. The specific objectives of the evaluation include examining the characteristics of navigation service delivery, its implementation and clinical impact, and identifying potential moderators of change.Methods and analysis Utilising a mixed-methods design, this evaluation will incorporate three phases that reflect the stages of the programme life-cycle: (1) programme description, (2) implementation evaluation and (3) outcomes evaluation. The evaluation will use a mix of quantitative and qualitative data including deidentified routinely collected service data, participant observations, semistructured interviews, surveys and questionnaires, and a resource audit.Discussion Evaluation findings will be used to inform the development of a refined clinical navigation model, identify barriers and facilitators to successful navigation programme implementation, examine the impact of the ForWhen programme on client clinical outcomes and health service utilisation, understand how the programme is/can be best embedded in the evolving service system, and assess the cost-effectiveness and sustainability of a national navigation programme in improving health outcomes for PIMH in Australia.Ethics and dissemination This research was approved by South Western Sydney Local Health District Human Research Ethics Committee (2021/ETH11611). This study was registered on the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ACTRN12622001443785). Results will be disseminated at conferences, in scientific journals, and in a final evaluation report.

BackgroundMental illness costs the world economy over US2.5 Bn each year, including premature mortality, morbidity, and productivity losses. Multisector approaches are required to address the systemic drivers of mental health and ensure adequate service provision. There is an important role for economics to support priority setting, identify best value investments and inform optimal implementation. Mental health can be defined as a complex dynamic system where decision makers are challenged to prospectively manage the system over time. This protocol describes the approach to equip eight system dynamics (SD) models across Australia to support priority setting and guide portfolio investment decisions, tailored to local implementation context.MethodsAs part of a multidisciplinary team, three interlinked protocols are developed; (i) the participatory process to codesign the models with local stakeholders and identify interventions for implementation, (ii) the technical protocol to develop the SD models to simulate the dynamics of the local population, drivers of mental health, the service system and clinical outcomes, and (iii) the economic protocol to detail how the SD models will be equipped to undertake a suite of economic analysis, incorporating health and societal perspectives. Models will estimate the cost of mental illness, inclusive of service costs (health and other sectors, where necessary), quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) lost, productivity costs and carer costs. To assess the value of investing (disinvesting) in interventions, economic analysis will include return-on-investment, cost-utility, cost benefit, and budget impact to inform affordability. Economic metrics are expected to be dynamic, conditional upon changing population demographics, service system capacities and the mix of interventions when synergetic or antagonistic interactions. To support priority setting, a portfolio approach will identify best value combinations of interventions, relative to a defined budget(s). User friendly dashboards will guide decision makers to use the SD models to inform resource allocation and generate business cases for funding.DiscussionEquipping SD models to undertake economic analysis is intended to support local priority setting and help optimise implementation regarding the best value mix of investments, timing and scale. The objectives are to improve allocative efficiency, increase mental health and economic productivity.

Introduction Poverty and deprivation can harm children’s future health, learning, economic productivity and societal participation. The Australian Healthier Wealthier Families project seeks to reduce the childhood inequities caused by poverty and deprivation by creating a systematic referral pathway between two free, community-based services: universal, well-child nursing services, which provide health and development support to families with children from birth to school entry, and financial counselling. By adapting the successful Scottish ‘Healthier Wealthier Children’ model, the objectives of this Australian pilot are to test the (1) feasibility of systematising the referral pathway, and (2) short-term impacts on household finances, caregiver health, parenting efficacy and financial service use.Methods and analysis This pilot randomised controlled trial will run in three sites across two Australian states (Victoria and New South Wales), recruiting a total of 180 participants. Nurses identify eligible caregivers with a 6-item, study-designed screening survey for financial hardship. Caregivers who report one or more risk factors and consent are randomised. The intervention is financial counselling. The comparator is usual care plus information from a government money advice website. Feasibility will be evaluated using the number/proportion of caregivers who complete screening, consent and research measures, and access financial counselling. Though powered to assess feasibility, impacts will be measured 6 months post-enrolment with qualitative interviews and questionnaires about caregiver-reported income, loans and costs (adapted from national surveys, for example, the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia Survey); health (General Health Questionnaire 1, EuroQol five-dimensional questionnaire, Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale short-form); efficacy (from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children); and financial service use (study-designed) compared between arms.Ethics and dissemination Ethics committees of the Royal Children’s Hospital (HREC/57372/RCHM-2019) and South West Sydney Local Health District (2019/ETH13455) have approved the study. Participants and stakeholders will receive results through regular communication channels comprising meetings, presentations and publications.Trial registration number ACTRN12620000154909; prospectively registered. Pre-results.

Aims: To assess intima-media thickness (IMT) changes measured by ultrasound in axillary arteries of giant cell arteritis (GCA) patients over time and to calculate an ultrasound cut-off value for the diagnosis of chronic axillary artery involvement in patients with longstanding GCA. Methods: Ultrasound of both axillary arteries was performed in 109 GCA patients at time of diagnosis and at several follow-up visits and in 40 healthy controls (HCs). IMT determined at the prospective follow-up visit was compared between GCA patients with (axGCA) and without (non-axGCA) vasculitis of axillary arteries at baseline, as well as with HCs. Changes in IMT were depicted. Receiver operating characteristics were performed for cut-off calculations. Inter-/intra-rater agreement was evaluated using stored images and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Results: Seventy-three patients were in the axGCA and 36 in the non-axGCA group. Pathological IMT of axillary arteries (axGCA) declined in the first 18 months of treatment by −0.5 mm, (range −2.77 to 0.50), independent of age and gender. Median IMT, after median disease duration of 48 months (16–137), was 0.90 mm (0.46–2.20) in axGCA and 0.60 mm (0.42–1.0) in the non-axGCA group pooled with HCs. An IMT of 0.87 mm was highly specific (specificity 96%, sensitivity 61%) for diagnosis of chronic axGCA. Intra-rater and inter-reader agreement of ultrasound images were good [ICC 0.96–1.0 (three readers) and 0.87, respectively]. Conclusion: Pathological IMT of the axillary artery declined under treatment. An IMT of 0.87 mm is highly specific for diagnosis of chronic vasculitis of axillary arteries in long-standing GCA patients.

ObjectiveTo construct a whole-of-system model to inform strategies that reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in Australia.MethodsA system dynamics model was developed with a multidisciplinary modelling consortium. The model population comprised Australians aged 40 years and over, and the scope encompassed acute and chronic CVD as well as primary and secondary prevention. Health outcomes were CVD-related deaths and hospitalisations, and economic outcomes were the net benefit from both the healthcare system and societal perspectives. The eight strategies broadly included creating social and physical environments supportive of a healthy lifestyle, increasing the use of preventive treatments, and improving systems response to acute CVD events. The effects of strategies were estimated as relative differences to the business-as-usual between 2019-2039. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis produced uncertainty intervals of interquartile ranges (IQR).FindingsThe greatest reduction in CVD-related deaths was seen in strategies that improve systems response to acute CVD events (8.9%, IQR: 7.7-10.2%), yet they resulted in an increase in CVD-related hospitalisations due to future recurrent admissions (1.6%, IQR: 0.1-2.3%). This flow-on effect highlighted the importance of addressing underlying CVD risks. On the other hand, strategies targeting the broad environment that supports a healthy lifestyle were effective in reducing both hospitalisations (7.1%; IQR: 5.0-9.5%) and deaths (8.1% reduction; IQR: 7.1-8.9%). They also produced an economic net benefit of AU$43.3 billion (IQR: 37.7-48.7) using a societal perspective, largely driven by productivity gains. Overall, strategic planning to reduce the burden of CVD should consider the varying effects of strategies over time and beyond the health sector.

Bank run is an important economic phenomenon which increasingly occurred in in modern banking system and potentially threatened banking stability as it could trigger a banking crisis. However, most studies related to bank run focus on the occurrence of bank run in conventional banking system. Very few of them discuss the bank run phenomenon under Islamic banking system or dual banking system where Islamic banks jointly operating with conventional banks. Therefore, this study attempts to analyze the determinants of bank run in the Indonesian Islamic banking industry by employing primary data from 256 customers of Indonesia Islamic banks in 2015 and by utilizing factor analysis and descriptive statistics. In theory, Islamic banks tend to be more resilient towards any macroeconomic or financial shocks as compared to conventional banks due to the nature of its asset-based and risk-sharing arrangement. However, the result exhibits that both psychological and fundamental factors (i.e. macroeconomics and bank fundamentals) strongly influence the behaviors of Islamic banking depositors to withdraw their funds, which might trigger the occurrence of bank runs in the country. Insider information, macroeconomic condition and bank fundamental factors are also shown to have the highest impacts among all variables. Hence, in the context of banking stability, the finding implies that Islamic banks are not completely immune to the impacts of macroeconomic shocks or financial crisis. As a country with a dual banking system, Indonesia had experienced several bank runs since 1990s. Therefore, the findings of the study should provide the policy makers important insight into research based-policy in order to attain financial stability as one of the main economic goals of the country. Keywords: Bank run, Islamic bank, Factor analysis, Indonesia JEL Classification: C83, G21, G28

Abstract Background Physical activity is recommended for people with peripheral arterial disease (PAD), and can improve walking capacity and quality of life; and reduce pain, requirement for surgery and cardiovascular events. This trial will assess the efficacy of a brief behavioral counselling intervention delivered by allied health professionals to improve physical activity in people with PAD. Methods This is a multi-center randomised controlled trial in four cities across Australia. Participants (N = 200) will be recruited from specialist vascular clinics, general practitioners and research databases and randomised to either the control or intervention group. Both groups will receive usual medical care, a written PAD management information sheet including advice to walk, and four individualised contacts from a protocol-trained allied health professional over 3 months (weeks 1, 2, 6, 12). The control group will receive four 15-min telephone calls with general discussion about PAD symptoms and health and wellbeing. The intervention group will receive behavioral counselling via two 1-h face-to-face sessions and two 15-min telephone calls. The counselling is based on the 5A framework and will promote interval walking for 3 × 40 min/week. Assessments will be conducted at baseline, and 4, 12 and 24 months by staff blinded to participant allocation. Objectively assessed outcomes include physical activity (primary), sedentary behavior, lower limb body function, walking capacity, cardiorespiratory fitness, event-based claudication index, vascular interventions, clinical events, cardiovascular function, circulating markers, and anthropometric measures. Self-reported outcomes include physical activity and sedentary behavior, walking ability, pain severity, and health-related quality of life. Data will be analysed using an intention-to-treat approach. An economic evaluation will assess whether embedding the intervention into routine care would likely be value for money. A cost-effectiveness analysis will estimate change in cost per change in activity indicators due to the intervention, and a cost-utility analysis will assess change in cost per quality-adjusted life year. A full uncertainty analysis will be undertaken, including a value of information analysis, to evaluate the economic case for further research. Discussion This trial will evaluate the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of a brief behavioral counselling intervention for a common cardiovascular disease with significant burden. Trial registration ACTRN 12614000592640 Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry. Registration Date 4 June 2014.

The Coal Darter (Percina brevicauda) is endemic to just three watersheds within the upper Mobile River basin in Alabama. Coal Darters are imperiled and are recognized as a species of conservation priority by the Alabama Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. We have sequenced the first complete mitochondrial genome of the Coal Darter. This genomic data is currently being used to facilitate environmental DNA (eDNA) studies using Loop-mediated isothermal Amplification (LAMP) primers so that species presence and absence data can be collected within the range of the Coal Darter.

Amino acids applied to the mucosa evoke inhibitory reflexes in guinea-pig jejunum, but the receptors involved in sensory transduction are still unclear. One promising candidate is the extracellular calcium sensing receptor (CaSR), which is expressed by mucosal enteroendocrine cells and is preferentially activated by aromatic L-amino acids. We tested this by applying various amino acids to the mucosa and recording the resulting inhibitory junction potentials (IJPs) in nearby circular smooth muscle via intracellular recording. The CaSR is stereospecific and L-Phenylalanine evoked a significantly larger response than D-Phenylalanine when both were applied to the same site. The same pattern was seen with L- and D-Tryptophan, another aromatic amino acid. The CaSR is preferentially activated by aromatic amino acids and responses to L-Leucine and L-Lysine were significantly lower than those to L-Phenylalanine applied to the same site. Responses to L-Phenylalanine were dose-dependently suppressed by blockade of the CaSR with NPS2143, a CaSR antagonist, and mimicked by mucosal application of cinacalcet, a CaSR agonist. Responses to cinacalcet had similar pharmacology to that of responses to L-Phenylalanine, in that each requires both P2 purinoreceptors and 5-HT receptors. L-Glutamate evoked IJPs similar to those produced by L-Phenylalanine and these were depressed by blockade of P2 receptors and 5-HT3 plus 5-HT4 receptors, but NPS2143 was ineffective. The AMPA receptor antagonists DNQX (10 μM) and CNQX (10 μM) reduced IJPs evoked by L-Glutamate by 88 and 79% respectively, but neither BAY367260 (mGluR5 antagonist) nor 2APV (NMDA antagonist) affected IJPs evoked by L-Glutamate. We conclude that local inhibitory reflexes evoked by aromatic L-amino acids in guinea pig jejunum involve activation of CaSRs which triggers release of ATP and 5-HT from the mucosa. L-Glutamate also evokes inhibitory reflexes, via a pathway that does not involve CaSRs. It is likely there are multiple receptors acting as sensory transducers for different luminal amino acids.

RATIONALE AND EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH:Aggregate dredging is a growing source of anthropogenic disturbance in coastal UK waters and has the potential to impact marine systems through the smothering of benthic fauna with organically loaded screening discards. This study investigates the tolerance of the blue mussel, Mytilus edulis to such episodic smothering events using a multi-factorial design, including organic matter concentration, temperature, sediment fraction size and duration of burial as important predictor variables. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION:Mussel mortality was significantly higher in organically loaded burials when compared to control sediments after just 2 days. Particularly, M. edulis specimens under burial in fine sediment with high (1%) concentrations of organic matter experienced a significantly higher mortality rate (p

Staphylococcus epidermidis (SE) causes late onset sepsis and significant morbidity in catheterized preterm newborns. Animal models of SE infection are useful in characterizing disease mechanisms and are an important approach to developing improved diagnostics and therapeutics. Current murine models of neonatal bacterial infection employ intraperitoneal or subcutaneous routes at several days of age, and may, therefore, not accurately reflect distinct features of innate immune responses to bacteremia. In this study we developed, validated, and characterized a murine model of intravenous (IV) infection in neonatal mice

A novel family of peptide antimycotics, termed ecomycins, is described from Pseudomonas viridiflava, a plant-associated bacterium. Ecomycins B and C have molecular masses of 1153 and 1181. They contain equimolar amounts of a beta hydroxyaspartic acid, homoserine, threonine, serine, alanine, glycine and one unknown amino acid. Fatty acids were detectable after hydrolysis, methylation and gas chromatography and mass spectroscopy. The ecomycins have significant bioactivities against a wide range of human and plant pathogenic fungi. The minimum inhibitory concentration values for ecomycin B were 4.0 micrograms ml-1 against Cryptococcus neoformans and 31 micrograms ml-1 against Candida albicans. Pseudomonas viridiflava also produces what appears to be syringotoxin, an antifungal lipopeptide previously described from Ps. syringae.

In 2019, four ice cores were recovered from the world's highest tropical mountain, Nevado Huascarán (Cordillera Blanca, Peru; 9.11°S, 77.61°W). Composite hydroclimate records of the two Col cores (6,050 masl) and the two Summit cores (6,768 masl) are compared to gridded gauge‐analysis and reanalysis climate data for the most recent 60‐year. Spatiotemporal correlation analyses suggest that the ice core oxygen stable isotope (δ18O) record largely reflects tropical Pacific climate variability, particularly in the NINO3.4 region. By extension, the δ18O record is strongly related to rainfall over the Amazon Basin, as teleconnections between the El Niño Southern Oscillation and hydrological behavior are the main drivers of the fractionation of water isotopes. However, on a local scale, modulation of the stable water isotopes appears to be more closely governed by upper atmospheric temperatures than by rainfall amount. Over the last 60 years, the statistical significance of the climate/δ18O relationship has been increasing contemporaneously with the atmospheric and oceanic warming rates and shifts in the Walker circulation. Isotopic records from the Summit appear to be more sensitive to large‐scale temperature changes than the records from the Col. These results may have substantial implications for modeling studies of the behavior of water isotopes at high elevations in the tropical Andes. Plain Language Summary: The oxygen stable isotope records (δ18O) of the new Huascarán ice cores (collected in 2019 from Peru) are a natural archive of tropical Pacific climate and hydrological conditions over the Amazon Basin. This is evidenced by strong correlations between δ18O and spatiotemporal sea surface temperature (SST) and precipitation data sets that cover the most recent 60 years of the ice core records. Additionally, the Huascarán δ18O records are significantly related to temperatures in the upper atmosphere, suggesting that temperature may also play a critical role in modifying the isotope values. The statistical significance of each of these relationships has also been increasing over the last 60 years, and the rates of increase are greatest between the δ18O records from the higher elevation ice core site and the temperature‐related climate data sets. This suggests that the isotope records from the Huascarán Summit (6,768 masl) are more sensitive to large‐scale changes in temperature than the isotope records on the Huascarán Col (6,050 masl). This is the first study to examine ice core records from the Summit of Earth's highest tropical mountain and offers valuable insights into the behavior of δ18O in the tropical Andes. Key Points: Oxygen stable isotope (δ18O) records from the new Huascarán ice cores strongly reflect Pacific climate variability of the most recent 60‐yearTropical Pacific influences on the Huascarán δ18O records have strengthened significantly in the last six decadesδ18O from the higher elevation Summit appears to be more sensitive to large‐scale climate change than δ18O from the lower‐elevation Col [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the effects of one session of "Yoga Nidra" (relaxation technique) on the breathing patterns/respiratory effort in the thoracic and abdominal chest regions of boys with disruptive behaviour using a Respiratory Inductive Plethysmography (RIP). The participants (n = 7) were aged 10-15 years and attending NSW, Department of Education (DET) special schools for children with disruptive behaviour (DB). Results were compared with three students (one female) aged 15 years without DB. The seven boys had previously participated in a 13-week yoga program. During this program participants were progressively taught the practice of "Yoga Nidra." The comparison group did not participate in the yoga program but underwent the same procedure for collection of data as the yoga group. Using Compumedics "ProFusion Polysomnography (PSG)" software and further analyses in "Polyman" European Data Format + (EDF), data were analysed by identifying breathing as unstable or stable. Unstable breathing was identified as fluctuations in rate/s of breathing effort, amplitude, cessation of breath, and thoracic or abdominal predominance. Results indicated that boys with disruptive behaviour generally displayed unstable breathing patterns throughout the pre-recording period and showed more stable breathing during "Yoga Nidra" compared with pre- or post-recording periods. There were also examples of reductions in thoracic dominance during "Yoga Nidra." The comparison group's breathing patterns throughout the three phases of the process were found to be stable.