Abdel Shaheed, C, Maher, CG, Mak, W, Williams, KA & McLachlan, AJ 2015, 'Knowledge and satisfaction of pharmacists attending an educational workshop on evidence-based management of low back pain', Australian Journal of Primary Health, vol. 21, no. 2, pp. 126-126.
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Pharmacists are well positioned to provide quality care to people with low back pain (LBP). Education and training can equip pharmacists with the knowledge to optimally manage LBP in primary care. The aim of this study was to investigate the knowledge and satisfaction of pharmacists who attended a 2-h educational workshop on the evidence-based management of LBP. Case-based learning, underpinned by key adult learning principles, was one teaching method used to deliver important educational messages. Knowledge was assessed using a questionnaire consisting of multiple-choice, true/false questions and a written vignette based on a real-life clinical case scenario. Written feedback from pharmacists was used to gauge the success and limitations of the intervention. One hundred and ninety-three pharmacists completed the in-house assessment. Pharmacists demonstrated an accurate understanding of evidence-based pharmacological management of LBP, with all identifying paracetamol as the first-line drug choice for non-specific LBP. Ninety-nine per cent of pharmacists identified the symptoms presented in the vignette as a syndrome representing a significant clinical red flag requiring urgent referral. This educational intervention has delivered key messages on LBP management to pharmacists. There is a continued need for educational interventions addressing common conditions.
Abdel Shaheed, C, Maher, CG, Mak, W, Williams, KA & McLachlan, AJ 2015, 'The effects of educational interventions on pharmacists’ knowledge, attitudes and beliefs towards low back pain', International Journal of Clinical Pharmacy, vol. 37, no. 4, pp. 616-625.
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Background Practitioner beliefs and attitudes towards low back pain (LBP) influence treatment decisions. Little is known about pharmacists’ knowledge, attitudes and beliefs towards LBP. Objectives To investigate the effect of educational interventions on pharmacists’ knowledge, attitudes and beliefs towards LBP. Setting Sydney Metropolitan Area. Methods Knowledge, attitudes and beliefs was measured using the “Pharmacists’ Back Beliefs Questionnaire”, with items from two previously reported questionnaires on back beliefs. Responses from pharmacists attending a 2-h educational workshop on LBP (n = 204) and pharmacists recruiting participants for a LBP clinical trial (n = 66) were compared to responses from a control group of pharmacists (n = 65) to allow an evaluation of the two interventions. Responses from workshop participants were also evaluated before and after the session. Participants indicated their agreement with statements about LBP on a 5-point Likert scale. Preferred responses were based on guidelines for the evidence-based management of LBP. The primary analysis evaluated total score on the nine-inevitability items of the Back Beliefs Questionnaire (“inevitability score”). Main outcome measure Inevitability score. Results There was no significant difference in inevitability score between LBP clinical trial pharmacists and the control group [mean difference (MD) 0.47 (95 % CI −1.35 to 2.29; p = 0.61)]. The educational workshop led to a significant and favourable change in inevitability score (MD 7.23 p < 0.001) and notable changes in responses to misconceptions regarding bed rest and the need for imaging (p < 0.001) among participating pharmacists. Conclusions Pharmacists attending the educational workshop provided the most compelling evidence that education specifically aimed at delivering evidence-based information can be successful in changing practitioner knowledge, beliefs and attitudes towards LBP.
Alhawassi, TM, Krass, I & Pont, LG 2015, 'Hypertension in Older Persons: A Systematic Review of National and International Treatment Guidelines', The Journal of Clinical Hypertension, vol. 17, no. 6, pp. 486-492.
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Despite good evidence regarding the benefits of managing hypertension in elderly populations, the extent to which this evidence has been incorporated into national and international clinical hypertension treatment guidelines is unknown. A systematic review was conducted to identify recommendations in current national and international hypertension treatment guidelines with a focus on specific targets and treatment recommendations for older persons with uncomplicated hypertension. Guidelines for the management of hypertension published or updated over a 5‐year period (2009–2014) were identified by searching Medline, Google, and Google Scholar. Thirteen guidelines that met the predefined inclusion criteria were included in the review. Among these guidelines was considerable variation regarding who is considered an older person. However, there was general consensus regarding blood pressure targets. While current hypertension guidelines do include recommendations regarding management of uncomplicated hypertension in older populations, the depth and breadth of these recommendations vary considerably between guidelines and may limit the usefulness of such treatment guidelines to clinicians.
Alhawassi, TM, Krass, I & Pont, LG 2015, 'Impact of Hospitalization on Antihypertensive Pharmacotherapy among Older Persons', Drugs - Real World Outcomes, vol. 2, no. 3, pp. 239-247.
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© 2015, The Author(s). Background: Little is known about the impact of hospitalization on antihypertensive pharmacotherapy and blood pressure control in older persons. Objectives: The aim of this study was to explore the impact of hospitalization on the management of hypertension and antihypertensive pharmacotherapy in a cohort of older patients with a documented diagnosis of hypertension. Methods: A retrospective, cross-sectional medical record audit was conducted in a large Australian metropolitan teaching hospital. Patients aged 65 years or older, admitted between January 1st 2010 and December 31st 2010, and with a documented diagnosis of hypertension in their medical record were included in the study. Antihypertensive pharmacotherapy and blood pressure control was compared between admission and discharge. Factors associated with changes to antihypertensive pharmacotherapy were identified. Results: Changes to antihypertensive pharmacotherapy occurred in 39.5 % (n = 135) of patients (n = 342). On discharge, the proportion of patients receiving antihypertensive pharmacotherapy (89.0 vs 85.3 %, p < 0.0001) and the mean number of antihypertensive agents per patient (1.7 ± 1.1 vs 1.5 ± 1.1, p < 0.0001) declined compared with admission. Adverse drug reactions [odds ratio (OR) = 5, 95 % confidence interval (CI): 2.80–9.34] were the main reason documented for antihypertensive pharmacotherapy changes. Patients admitted under the care of medical (OR = 0.3, 95 % CI: 0.17–0.70) or surgical (OR = 0.3, 95 % CI: 0.12–0.53) specialties were less likely to experience changes to their antihypertensive pharmacotherapy than those treated by gerontology or cardiology teams. Conclusions: Hospitalization has a significant impact on antihypertensive pharmacotherapy. Two out of every five older persons on antihypertensive medications will experience changes to their regimens during admission to hospital with most changes in antihypertensive pharmacotherapy due to adverse drug reaction...
Alhawassi, TM, Krass, I & Pont, LG 2015, 'Prevalence, prescribing and barriers to effective management of hypertension in older populations: a narrative review', Journal of Pharmaceutical Policy and Practice, vol. 8, no. 1, pp. 24-6.
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Abstract Objectives Hypertension is the leading modifiable cause of mortality worldwide. Unlike many conditions where limited evidence exists for management of older individuals, multiple large, robust trials have provided a solid evidence-base regarding the management of hypertension in older adults. Understanding the impact of age on how the prevalence of hypertension and the role of pharmacotherapy in managing hypertension among older persons is a critical element is the provision of optimal health care for older populations. The aim of this study was to explore how the prevalence of hypertension changes with age, the evidence regarding pharmacological management in older adults and to identify known barriers to the optimal management of hypertension in older patients. Methods A review of English language studies published prior to 2013 in Medline, Embase and Google scholar was conducted. Key search terms included hypertension, pharmacotherapy, and aged. Results The prevalence of hypertension was shown to increase with age, however there is good evidence for the use of a number of pharmacological agents to control blood pressure in older populations. System, physician and patient related barriers to optimal blood pressure control were identified. Conclusions Despite good evidence for pharmacological management of hypertension among olderpopulations, under treatment of hypertension is an issue. Concerns regarding adverse effects appearcentral to under treatment of hypertension among older populations.
Altgassen, M, Rendell, PG, Bernhard, A, Henry, JD, Bailey, PE, Phillips, LH & Kliegel, M 2015, 'Future thinking improves prospective memory performance and plan enactment in older adults', Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, vol. 68, no. 1, pp. 192-204.
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Efficient intention formation might improve prospective memory by reducing the need for resource-demanding strategic processes during the delayed performance interval. The present study set out to test this assumption and provides the first empirical assessment of whether imagining a future action improves prospective memory performance equivalently at different stages of the adult lifespan. Thus, younger ( n = 40) and older ( n = 40) adults were asked to complete the Dresden Breakfast Task, which required them to prepare breakfast in accordance with a set of rules and time restrictions. All participants began by generating a plan for later enactment; however, after making this plan, half of the participants were required to imagine themselves completing the task in the future (future thinking condition), while the other half received standard instructions (control condition). As expected, overall younger adults outperformed older adults. Moreover, both older and younger adults benefited equally from future thinking instructions, as reflected in a higher proportion of prospective memory responses and more accurate plan execution. Thus, for both younger and older adults, imagining the specific visual–spatial context in which an intention will later be executed may serve as an easy-to-implement strategy that enhances prospective memory function in everyday life.
Altiner, A, Bell, J, Duerden, M, Essack, S, Kozlov, R, Noonan, L, Oxford, J, Pignatari, AC, Sessa, A & van der Velden, A 2015, 'More action, less resistance: report of the 2014 summit of the Global Respiratory Infection Partnership', International Journal of Pharmacy Practice, vol. 23, no. 5, pp. 370-377.
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Abstract ‘Antimicrobial resistance is a global health security threat that requires concerted cross-sectional action by governments and society as a whole,’ according to a report published by the WHO in April 2014[1]. On 24–25 June 2014, the Global Respiratory Infection Partnership (GRIP) met in London, UK, together with delegates from 18 different countries to discuss practical steps that can be taken at a local level to address this global problem in an aligned approach. This was the second annual summit of GRIP. The group, formed in 2012, includes primary care and hospital physicians, microbiologists, researchers, and pharmacists from nine core countries. GRIP aims to unite healthcare professionals (HCPs) around the world to take action against inappropriate antibiotic use, focussing on one of the most prevalent therapy areas where antibiotics are inappropriately prescribed – upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs). Chaired by GRIP member, Professor John Oxford (UK), the 2014 summit included engaging presentations by guest speakers examining the latest science regarding the impact of inappropriate antibiotic use.
Arora, S, Haghi, M, Loo, C-Y, Traini, D, Young, PM & Jain, S 2015, 'Development of an Inhaled Controlled Release Voriconazole Dry Powder Formulation for the Treatment of Respiratory Fungal Infection', MOLECULAR PHARMACEUTICS, vol. 12, no. 6, pp. 2001-2009.
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© 2015 American Chemical Society. The present research aimed to develop and characterize a sustained release dry powder inhalable formulation of voriconazole (VRZ) for invasive pulmonary aspergillosis. The developed formulations were studied for their in vitro release profile, aerosol, and physicochemical properties as well as interactions with lung epithelia in terms of toxicity and transport/uptake. VRZ and VRZ loaded poly lactide microparticles (VLM) were prepared by aqueous/organic cosolvent and organic spray drying, respectively. Powders were characterized using laser diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD), dynamic vapor sorption (DVS), and electron microscopy. Aerosol performance was evaluated using an RS01 dry powder inhaler and in vitro cascade impaction. Uptake across Calu-3 lung epithelia was studied, using aerosol deposition of the powder onto cells cultured in an air interface configuration, and compared to dissolution using a conventional dialysis membrane. Additionally, toxicity of VRZ and VLM and the potential impact of transmembrane proteins on uptake were investigated. The particle size and the aerosol performance of spray-dried VRZ and VLM were suitable for inhalation purposes. VRZ exhibited a median volume diameter of 4.52 ± 0.07 μm while VLM exhibited 2.40 ± 0.05 μm. Spray-dried VRZ was crystalline and VLM amorphous as evaluated by DSC and XRPD, and both powders exhibited low moisture sorption between 0 and 90% RH (<1.2% w/w) by DVS. The fine particle fraction (FPF) (% aerosol <5 μm) for the VRZ was 20.86 ± 1.98% while the VLM showed significantly improved performance (p < 0.01) with an FPF of 43.56 ± 0.13%. Both VRZ and VLM were not cytotoxic over a VRZ concentration range of 1.2 nM to 30 μM, and the VLM particles exhibited a sustained release over 48 h after being deposited on the Calu-3 cell line or via conventional dialysis-based dissolution measurements. Lastly, VRZ exhibited polari...
Avery, L, Charman, SJ, Taylor, L, Flynn, D, Mosely, K, Speight, J, Lievesley, M, Taylor, R, Sniehotta, FF & Trenell, MI 2015, 'Systematic development of a theory-informed multifaceted behavioural intervention to increase physical activity of adults with type 2 diabetes in routine primary care: Movement as Medicine for Type 2 Diabetes', Implementation Science, vol. 11, no. 1.
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Basyouni, MH, BinDhim, NF, Saini, B & Williams, KA 2015, 'Online Health Information Needs for Patients with Asthma in Saudi Arabia', Journal of Consumer Health on the Internet, vol. 19, no. 1, pp. 13-24.
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© 2015, Published with license by Taylor & Francis. This study aims to identify the online asthma informational needs of patients with asthma in Saudi Arabia, explore participants’ previous use of and interest in online asthma health information, and explore factors associated with online information-seeking and needs. A self-administered questionnaire was developed based on similar studies of asthma patients’ education and completed by a convenient sample of 83 asthma patients attending the outpatient pulmonary clinic at the Security Forces Hospital Program in Riyadh. Approximately two-thirds of participants who use the Internet have searched for asthma information online. Thirteen percent of the participants reported that the Internet was their main source of information about asthma, and 33.7% reported that the Internet was their favorite additional source of information about asthma. Seventy-eight percent of the participants were interested in an asthma information Web site in the Arabic language. Employment and higher income were associated with participants who chose the Internet as the favorite source of additional information about asthma (OR 4.5, 95%CI 1.6–12.7) and (OR 4.2, 95%CI 1.4–12.5), respectively, and an education level higher than high school was associated with participants who previously had looked for online information about asthma (OR 11.2, 95%CI 3.8.6–33.5).
Behn, N, Togher, L & Power, E 2015, 'Experiences from a communication training programme of paid carers in a residential rehabilitation centre for people with traumatic brain injury', Brain Injury, vol. 29, no. 13-14, pp. 1554-1560.
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PURPOSE: To determine the impact of a communication training programme by exploring the experiences of paid carers who attended the programme in a residential rehabilitation centre for people with traumatic brain injury (TBI). METHOD: Five paid carers attended a communication training programme which comprised 17 hours (across 8 weeks). Semi-structured interviews were conducted pre- and post-training. Analysis used a generic procedure with constant comparative analysis to identify categories across and within interview transcripts. RESULTS: Paid carers described improved knowledge and use of strategies, improved communication, positive emotional experiences and barriers and facilitators to consider for future communication training programmes. CONCLUSION: Training communication skills of paid carers in a residential rehabilitation centre had a positive impact on their conversations with people with TBI. These positive changes support quantitative findings for the effectiveness of communication training.
Bell, J 2015, 'Treating colds and flu: An evidence based approach', Australian Journal of Pharmacy, vol. 96, no. 1140, pp. 64-67.
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Antibiotics are often an ineffective and unnecessary treatment option for the majority of patients when alternative symptomatic relief options are available.
Berle, D & Steel, Z 2015, 'Families of returned defence force personnel: a changing landscape of challenges', Australasian Psychiatry, vol. 23, no. 4, pp. 399-402.
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Objective: This paper aims to identify the key challenges experienced by the families of defence force personnel following deployment. Method: We undertook a selective review of four post-deployment challenges to the families of defence force personnel: (1) changes to relationships; (2) changes to family member roles and responsibilities; (3) adjustment of children and parenting challenges; and (4) anger, family conflict and violence. Emerging issues in the area of post-deployment adjustment are also discussed. Results: Empirical studies of post-deployment family adjustment are lacking. Each of the reviewed challenges can contribute to psychological difficulties and precipitate contact with mental health services. Conclusions: The challenges faced by defence force personnel when returning from deployment arise within a family context. Clinicians should thoroughly assess these factors in families following deployment, but also recognise family strengths and resilience to these challenges.
Berle, D, Starcevic, V, Milicevic, D, Hannan, A, Dale, E, Brakoulias, V & Viswasam, K 2015, 'Do Patients Prefer Face-to-Face or Internet-Based Therapy?', Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, vol. 84, no. 1, pp. 61-62.
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Berle, D, Starcevic, V, Porter, G & Fenech, P 2015, 'Are some video games associated with more life interference and psychopathology than others? Comparing massively multiplayer online role‐playing games with other forms of video game', Australian Journal of Psychology, vol. 67, no. 2, pp. 105-114.
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Bervoets, DC, Luijsterburg, PAJ, Alessie, JJN, Buijs, MJ & Verhagen, AP 2015, 'Massage therapy has short-term benefits for people with common musculoskeletal disorders compared to no treatment: a systematic review', Journal of Physiotherapy, vol. 61, no. 3, pp. 106-116.
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BinDhim, NF, Shaman, AM, Trevena, L, Basyouni, MH, Pont, LG & Alhawassi, TM 2015, 'Depression screening via a smartphone app: cross-country user characteristics and feasibility', Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, vol. 22, no. 1, pp. 29-34.
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Abstract Background and objective Smartphone applications (apps) have the potential to be valuable self-help interventions for depression screening. However, information about their feasibility and effectiveness and the characteristics of app users is limited. The aim of this study is to explore the uptake, utilization, and characteristics of voluntary users of an app for depression screening. Methods This was a cross-sectional study of a free depression screening smartphone app that contains the demographics, patient health questionnaire (PHQ-9), brief anxiety test, personalized recommendation based on the participant's results, and links to depression-relevant websites. The free app was released globally via Apple's App Store. Participants aged 18 and older downloaded the study app and were recruited passively between September 2012 and January 2013. Findings 8241 participants from 66 countries had downloaded the app, with a response rate of 73.9%. While one quarter of the participants had a previous diagnosis of depression, the prevalence of participants with a higher risk of depression was 82.5% and 66.8% at PHQ-9 cut-off 11 and cut-off 15, respectively. Many of the participants had one or more physical comorbid conditions and suicidal ideation. The cut-off 11 (OR: 1.4; 95% CI 1.2 to 1.6), previous depression diagnosis (OR: 1.3; 95% CI1.2 to 1.5), and postgraduate educational level (OR: 1.2; 95% CI 1.0 to 1.5) were associated with completing the PHQ-9 questionnaire more than once. Conclusions Smartphone apps can be used to deliver a screening tool for depression across a large number of countries. Apps have the potential to play a significant role in disease screening, self-management, monitoring, and health education, particularly among younger adults.
Bingham, AL, Allen, AR, Turbitt, E, Nicolas, C & Freed, GL 2015, 'Co-payments and parental decision-making: A cross-sectional survey of the impact on general practice and emergency department presentations.', Aust Fam Physician, vol. 44, no. 12, pp. 921-925.
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BACKGROUND: Co-payments for medical services have been a controversial topic in Australia. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess parents' perspectives on the potential impact of co-payments for general practice and emergency department (ED) services for children. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted between May and November 2014 in the EDs of four metropolitan hospitals in Melbourne. The participants were 1531 parents of children presenting with lower urgency conditions. The outcome measures were the potential impact of a $7 general practice co-payment or a $7 ED co-payment on the use of services for children. RESULTS: Seventy-three per cent (n = 1089) of parents reported that a $7 general practice co-payment would not increase their use of EDs for lower urgency problems for their children. Increased use was associated with younger parent or guardian age and lower household income. Ninety per cent (n = 1343) reported that a $7 ED co-payment would not have an impact on ED attendance. Impact was associated with younger parent or guardian age and lower income. DISCUSSION: For most parents presenting to an ED with their child, a $7 general practice or ED co-payment is unlikely to affect health service use, although significant differences in response were found according to parent or guardian age and household income.
Blanco, I, Kuchenbaecker, K, Cuadras, D, Wang, X, Barrowdale, D, de Garibay, GR, Librado, P, Sánchez-Gracia, A, Rozas, J, Bonifaci, N, McGuffog, L, Pankratz, VS, Islam, A, Mateo, F, Berenguer, A, Petit, A, Català, I, Brunet, J, Feliubadaló, L, Tornero, E, Benítez, J, Osorio, A, Cajal, TRY, Nevanlinna, H, Aittomäki, K, Arun, BK, Toland, AE, Karlan, BY, Walsh, C, Lester, J, Greene, MH, Mai, PL, Nussbaum, RL, Andrulis, IL, Domchek, SM, Nathanson, KL, Rebbeck, TR, Barkardottir, RB, Jakubowska, A, Lubinski, J, Durda, K, Jaworska-Bieniek, K, Claes, K, Van Maerken, T, Díez, O, Hansen, TV, Jønson, L, Gerdes, A-M, Ejlertsen, B, de la Hoya, M, Caldés, T, Dunning, AM, Oliver, C, Fineberg, E, Cook, M, Peock, S, McCann, E, Murray, A, Jacobs, C, Pichert, G, Lalloo, F, Chu, C, Dorkins, H, Paterson, J, Ong, K-R, Teixeira, MR, Hogervorst, FBL, van der Hout, AH, Seynaeve, C, van der Luijt, RB, Ligtenberg, MJL, Devilee, P, Wijnen, JT, Rookus, MA, Meijers-Heijboer, HEJ, Blok, MJ, van den Ouweland, AMW, Aalfs, CM, Rodriguez, GC, Phillips, K-AA, Piedmonte, M, Nerenstone, SR, Bae-Jump, VL, O'Malley, DM, Ratner, ES, Schmutzler, RK, Wappenschmidt, B, Rhiem, K, Engel, C, Meindl, A, Ditsch, N, Arnold, N, Plendl, HJ, Niederacher, D, Sutter, C, Wang-Gohrke, S, Steinemann, D, Preisler-Adams, S, Kast, K, Varon-Mateeva, R, Gehrig, A, Bojesen, A, Pedersen, IS, Sunde, L, Jensen, UB, Thomassen, M, Kruse, TA, Foretova, L, Peterlongo, P, Bernard, L, Peissel, B, Scuvera, G, Manoukian, S, Radice, P, Ottini, L, Montagna, M, Agata, S, Maugard, C, Simard, J, Soucy, P, Berger, A, Fink-Retter, A, Singer, CF, Rappaport, C, Geschwantler-Kaulich, D, Tea, M-K, Pfeiler, G, John, EM, Miron, A, Neuhausen, SL, Terry, MB, Chung, WK, Daly, MB, Goldgar, DE, Janavicius, R, Dorfling, CM, van Rensburg, EJ, Fostira, F, Konstantopoulou, I, Garber, J, Godwin, AK, Olah, E, Narod, SA, Rennert, G, Paluch, SS, Laitman, Y, Friedman, E, Liljegren, A, Rantala, J, Stenmark-Askmalm, M, Loman, N, Imyanitov, EN, Hamann, U, Spurdle, AB, Healey, S, Weitzel, JN, Herzog, J, Margileth, D, Gorrini, C, Esteller, M, Gómez, A, Sayols, S, Vidal, E, Heyn, H, Stoppa-Lyonnet, D, Léoné, M, Barjhoux, L, Fassy-Colcombet, M, de Pauw, A, Lasset, C, Ferrer, SF, Castera, L, Berthet, P, Cornelis, F, Bignon, Y-J, Damiola, F, Mazoyer, S, Sinilnikova, OM, Maxwell, CA, Vijai, J, Robson, M, Kauff, N & et al. 2015, 'Assessing Associations between the AURKA-HMMR-TPX2-TUBG1 Functional Module and Breast Cancer Risk in BRCA1/2 Mutation Carriers', PLOS ONE, vol. 10, no. 4, pp. e0120020-e0120020.
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Bochkezanian, V, Raymond, J, de Oliveira, CQ & Davis, GM 2015, 'Can combined aerobic and muscle strength training improve aerobic fitness, muscle strength, function and quality of life in people with spinal cord injury? A systematic review', Spinal Cord, vol. 53, no. 6, pp. 418-431.
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Brunner, M, Hemsley, B, Palmer, S, Dann, S & Togher, L 2015, 'Review of the literature on the use of social media by people with traumatic brain injury (TBI)', Disability and Rehabilitation, vol. 37, no. 17, pp. 1511-1521.
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Burton, AL, Hay, P, Smith, E, Raman, J, Swinbourne, J, Touyz, S & Abbott, MJ 2015, 'Investigating the clinical utility of the Eating Beliefs Questionnaire: Validity, reliability and the results of a Confirmatory Factor Analysis', Journal of Eating Disorders, vol. 3, no. S1.
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Carey, B, O'Brian, S & Onslow, M 2015, 'Technology in practice: The Camperdown Program', Journal of Clinical Practice in Speech-Language Pathology, vol. 17, no. 3, pp. 130-133.
Cartwright, C, Rhodes, P, King, R & Shires, A 2015, 'A Pilot Study of a Method for Teaching Clinical Psychology Trainees to Conceptualise and Manage Countertransference', AUSTRALIAN PSYCHOLOGIST, vol. 50, no. 2, pp. 148-156.
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© 2015 The Australian Psychological Society. There is evidence that therapists' countertransference responses can affect the therapeutic relationship. There is also evidence that trainee therapists can experience difficulty understanding and managing countertransference. This evidence suggests the need for greater focus on countertransference in the training of professionals, such as psychologists, for whom therapy is a core activity. However, little is currently known about the best way of providing such training or the impact of such training on recipients. This pilot study examined clinical psychology trainees' responses to a teaching and learning method for conceptualising and managing countertransference. The method was designed to be accessible to a range of psychology trainees including those in cognitive behavioural therapy programmes. This article outlines the method and its pilot evaluation. An anonymous online questionnaire was completed by 55 trainees pre-intervention and 40 post-intervention. Qualitative methods were used to examine changes in trainees' analyses of countertransference pre- and post-intervention, and their reports of understanding and managing countertransference. Trainees also rated the intervention. The majority of participants who completed the post-intervention questionnaire reported that training increased awareness of or the ability to conceptualise countertransference. They reported strategies for managing countertransference, although they were less confident in this area.
Castrillon Ocampo, C, Garcia-Cardenas, V, Martinez-Martinez, F, Benrimoj, SI, Amariles, P & Angel Gastelurrutia, M 2015, 'Implementation of medication review with follow-up in a Spanish community pharmacy and its achieved outcomes', INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PHARMACY, vol. 37, no. 5, pp. 931-940.
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Background Despite many research studies demonstrating the benefit in clinical, economic, and humanistic outcomes of professional pharmacy services, there is a paucity of evidence when these services become incorporated into the usual practice of a community pharmacy. Objective The objective of the present study was to evaluate the clinical, economic, and humanistic impact of a pharmacist-conducted medication review with follow-up following 18 months implementation. Setting Community pharmacies in Spain. Method The study used an effectiveness-implementation hybrid design. During the follow-up, patients attended the pharmacy on a monthly basis and received the medication review with follow-up service. Main outcome measure Economic, clinical, and humanistic measures were used to assess the impact of the service. Results 132 patients received the service. During the 18 months of follow-up, 408 negative outcomes related to medicines (which are uncontrolled health problems) were identified, of which 393 were resolved. The average number of medicines used by patients significantly decreased from 6.1 (SD: 2.9) to 3.3 (SD: 2.2). A significant decrease was also observed in hospitalizations [OR = 0.31 (IC 95 % = 0.10–0.99)] and in emergency department visits [OR = 0.16 (IC 95 % = 0.05–0.55); p = 0.001]. A general trend to increase all quality of life domains was observed over time. The higher increase was observed in the construct health transition [mean increase: 30.7 (SD: 25.4)], followed by bodily pain [mean increase: 22.3 (SD: 25.4)], and general health [mean increase: 20.7 (SD: 23.7)]. Medication knowledge significantly increased in terms of aggregated domains of dose, frequency, drug indication [from 8.9 (SD: 17.5) to 87.9 (SD: 25.0)], and dose and frequency [from 9.3 (SD: 17.9) to 92.5 (22.1)]. Although a slight improvement was observed in terms of drug indication, this increase was not statistically significant. 68 out of 132 patients (51.5 %) were non-adherent to ...
Chandrasekaran, D, Menon, U, Evans, G, Crawford, R, Saridogan, E, Jacobs, C, Tischkowitz, M, Brockbank, E, Kalsi, J, Jurkovic, D & Manchanda, R 2015, 'Risk reducing salpingectomy and delayed oophorectomy in high risk women: views of cancer geneticists, genetic counsellors and gynaecological oncologists in the UK', FAMILIAL CANCER, vol. 14, no. 4, pp. 521-530.
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Cordina, R, Leaney, J, Golzan, M, Grieve, S, Celermajer, DS & Graham, SL 2015, 'Ophthalmological consequences of cyanotic congenital heart disease: vascular parameters and nerve fibre layer', Clinical & Experimental Ophthalmology, vol. 43, no. 2, pp. 115-123.
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AbstractBackgroundThis study investigated the long‐term ophthalmological consequences of cyanotic congenital heart disease (CHD).DesignCross‐sectional study, tertiary referral setting.ParticipantsThirteen adults with cyanotic CHD (40 ± 4 years). Age‐ and sex‐matched healthy controls underwent aspects of the protocol.MethodsCyanosed subjects had a full ophthalmic examination, visual fields, scanning laser ophthalmoscopy and optical coherence tomography to assess retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL), retinal photography and cerebral magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).Main Outcome MeasuresRNFL thickness and quantitative analysis of retinal vessels with fractal dimension, branching and central retinal arterial equivalent (CRAE) and central retinal venous equivalent (CRVE).ResultsNo abnormalities of anatomy, motility, intraocular pressure or anterior segments were detected apart from one subject who had bilateral cataracts. Corrected visual acuity was normal in all but one cyanosed subject. Clinical examination revealed dilated retinal vasculature in 12/13 cyanosed subjects and increased tortuosity in 8/13. In the setting of cyanosis, skeletonized retinal arteria...
Cornish, KM, Kraan, CM, Bui, QM, Bellgrove, MA, Metcalfe, SA, Trollor, JN, Hocking, DR, Slater, HR, Inaba, Y, Li, X, Archibald, AD, Turbitt, E, Cohen, J & Godler, DE 2015, 'Novel methylation markers of the dysexecutive-psychiatric phenotype in FMR1 premutation women', Neurology, vol. 84, no. 16, pp. 1631-1638.
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Courtney-Harris, M & Jolly, N 2015, 'The use of a tool to detect the presence of vision defects in patients diagnosed with stroke: Phase 1 validation of the vision screening tool', INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF STROKE, vol. 10, pp. 40-41.
Crook, A, Plunkett, L, Forrest, LE, Hallowell, N, Wake, S, Alsop, K, Gleeson, M, Bowtell, D, Mitchell, G & Young, M-A 2015, 'Connecting patients, researchers and clinical genetics services: the experiences of participants in the Australian Ovarian Cancer Study (AOCS)', European Journal of Human Genetics, vol. 23, no. 2, pp. 152-158.
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de Almeida, MO, Saragiotto, BT, Yamato, TP & Lopes, AD 2015, 'Is the rearfoot pattern the most frequently foot strike pattern among recreational shod distance runners?', Physical Therapy in Sport, vol. 16, no. 1, pp. 29-33.
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de Rooij, JD, Harhangi, BS, Verhagen, AP, Groeneweg, JG, Fehlings, MG & Huygen, FJ 2015, 'Nucleoplasty for cervical radiculopathy or cervical radicular pain due to disc herniation', Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, vol. 2015, no. 9.
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This is the protocol for a review and there is no abstract. The objectives are as follows: To determine whether nucleoplasty improves clinical and functional outcomes compared to surgery or conservative treatment for patients with cervical radicular pain, radiculopathy due to disc herniation or both.
Dear, BF, Gandy, M, Karin, E, Staples, LG, Johnston, L, Fogliati, VJ, Wootton, BM, Terides, MD, Kayrouz, R, Perry, KN, Sharpe, L, Nicholas, MK & Titov, N 2015, 'The Pain Course', Pain, vol. 156, no. 10, pp. 1920-1935.
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© 2015 International Association for the Study of Pain. The present study evaluated an internet-delivered pain management program, the Pain Course, when provided with different levels of clinician support. Participants (n5490) were randomised to 1 of 4 groups: (1) Regular Contact (n5143), (2) Optional Contact (n5 141), (3) No Contact (n 5 131), and (4) a treatment-As-usual Waitlist Control Group (n 5 75). The treatment program was based on the principles of cognitive behaviour therapy and comprised 5 internet-delivered lessons provided over 8 weeks. The 3 Treatment Groups reported significant improvements (between-group Cohen's d; avg. reduction) in disability (ds ≤ 0.50; avg. reduction ≤ 18%), anxiety (ds≤0.44; avg. reduction≤32%), depression (ds≤0.73; avg. reduction≤36%), and average pain (ds≤0.30; avg. reduction ≤ 12%) immediately posttreatment, which were sustained at or further improved to 3-month follow-up. High treatment completion rates and levels of satisfaction were reported, and no marked or consistent differences were observed between the Treatment Groups. The mean clinician time per participant was 67.69 minutes (SD533.50), 12.85 minutes (SD524.61), and 5.44 minutes (SD 5 12.38) for those receiving regular contact, the option of contact, and no clinical contact, respectively. These results highlight the very significant public health potential of carefully designed and administered internet-delivered pain management programs and indicate that these programs can be successfully administered with several levels of clinical support.
Dear, BF, Staples, LG, Terides, MD, Karin, E, Zou, J, Johnston, L, Gandy, M, Fogliati, VJ, Wootton, BM, McEvoy, PM & Titov, N 2015, 'Transdiagnostic versus disorder-specific and clinician-guided versus self-guided internet-delivered treatment for generalized anxiety disorder and comorbid disorders: A randomized controlled trial', Journal of Anxiety Disorders, vol. 36, pp. 63-77.
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Diefenbach, GJ, Wootton, BM, Bragdon, LB, Moshier, SJ & Tolin, DF 2015, 'Treatment Outcome and Predictors of Internet Guided Self-Help for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder', Behavior Therapy, vol. 46, no. 6, pp. 764-774.
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Ding, D, Rogers, K, van der Ploeg, H, Stamatakis, E & Bauman, AE 2015, 'Traditional and Emerging Lifestyle Risk Behaviors and All-Cause Mortality in Middle-Aged and Older Adults: Evidence from a Large Population-Based Australian Cohort', PLOS Medicine, vol. 12, no. 12, pp. e1001917-e1001917.
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© 2015 Ding et al. Background: Lifestyle risk behaviors are responsible for a large proportion of disease burden worldwide. Behavioral risk factors, such as smoking, poor diet, and physical inactivity, tend to cluster within populations and may have synergistic effects on health. As evidence continues to accumulate on emerging lifestyle risk factors, such as prolonged sitting and unhealthy sleep patterns, incorporating these new risk factors will provide clinically relevant information on combinations of lifestyle risk factors. Methods and Findings: Using data from a large Australian cohort of middle-aged and older adults, this is the first study to our knowledge to examine a lifestyle risk index incorporating sedentary behavior and sleep in relation to all-cause mortality. Baseline data (February 2006– April 2009) were linked to mortality registration data until June 15, 2014. Smoking, high alcohol intake, poor diet, physical inactivity, prolonged sitting, and unhealthy (short/long) sleep duration were measured by questionnaires and summed into an index score. Cox proportional hazards analysis was used with the index score and each unique risk combination as exposure variables, adjusted for socio-demographic characteristics. During 6 y of follow-up of 231,048 participants for 1,409,591 person-years, 15,635 deaths were registered. Of all participants, 31.2%, 36.9%, 21.4%, and 10.6% reported 0, 1, 2, and 3+ risk factors, respectively. There was a strong relationship between the lifestyle risk index score and all-cause mortality. The index score had good predictive validity (c index = 0.763), and the partial population attributable risk was 31.3%. Out of all 96 possible risk combinations, the 30 most commonly occurring combinations accounted for more than 90% of the participants. Among those, combinations involving physical inactivity, prolonged sitting, and/or long sleep duration and combinations involving smoking and high alcohol intake had the strongest associat...
Donaghy, M, Harrison, E, O’Brian, S, Menzies, R, Onslow, M, Packman, A & Jones, M 2015, 'An investigation of the role of parental request for self-correction of stuttering in the Lidcombe Program', International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, vol. 17, no. 5, pp. 511-517.
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© 2015 The Speech Pathology Association of Australia Limited. Purpose: The Lidcombe Program is a behavioural treatment for stuttering in children younger than 6 years that is supported by evidence of efficacy and effectiveness. The treatment incorporates parent verbal contingencies for stutter-free speech and for stuttering. However, the contribution of those contingencies to reductions in stuttering in the program is unclear.Method: Thirty-four parent-child dyads were randomized to two treatment groups. The control group received standard Lidcombe Program and the experimental group received Lidcombe Program without instruction to parents to use the verbal contingency request for self-correction. Treatment responsiveness was measured as time to 50% stuttering severity reduction.Result: No differences were found between groups on primary outcome measures of the number of weeks and clinic visits to 50% reduction in stuttering severity.Conclusion: This clinical experiment challenges the assumption that the verbal contingency request for self-correction contributes to treatment efficacy. Results suggest the need for further research to explore this issue.
Dua, K, Sheshala, R, Al-Waeli, H, Gupta, G & Chellappan, D 2015, 'Antimicrobial Efficacy of Extemporaneously Prepared Herbal Mouthwashes', Recent Patents on Drug Delivery & Formulation, vol. 9, no. 3, pp. 201-205.
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Natural products like plants and its components have been in use for treatment and cure of diseases all around the globe from ancient times much before the discovery of the current modern drugs. These substances from the nature are well known to contain components which have therapeutic properties and can also behave as precursors for the synthesis of potential drugs. The beneficial results from herbal drugs are well reported where their popularity in usage has increased across the globe. Subsequently developing countries are now recognizing the many positive advantages from their use which has engaged the expansion of R & D from herbal research. The flow on effect from this expansion has increased the awareness to develop new herbal products and the processes, throughout the entire world. Mouth washes and mouth rinses which have plant oils, plant components or extracts have generated particular attention. High prevalence of gingival inflammation and periodontal diseases, suggests majority of the patients practice inadequate plaque control. Of the currently available mouthwashes in the market, Chlorhexidine gluconate (CHX) has been investigated on a larger scale with much detail. CHX is associated with side effects like staining of teeth when used daily as well as the bitter taste of the mouthwash which leads to patient incompliance. The present research encompasses the antibacterial activity of extemporaneously prepared herbal mouthwash using natural herbs and therefore allows for the potential commercialization with in the herbal and pharmaceutical industries. Also, the present research article reviewed details of various existing patents of herbal mouthwashes which shows the trend of existing market and significance of emerging mouthwashes in both pharmaceutical and herbal industries. The antimicrobial activity of prepared mouthwashes was found to be effective against various strains of bacteria. It also suggests that the prepared herbal mouthwashes may provid...
Duivenvoorden, T, Brouwer, RW, van Raaij, TM, Verhagen, AP, Verhaar, JAN & Bierma-Zeinstra, SMA 2015, 'Braces and orthoses for treating osteoarthritis of the knee', Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, vol. 2015, no. 3.
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Durham, J, Newton-John, TRO & Zakrzewska, JM 2015, 'Temporomandibular disorders', BMJ-BRITISH MEDICAL JOURNAL, vol. 350.
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Ewen, S, Baumgarten, T, Rettig-Ewen, V, Mahfoud, F, Griese-Mammen, N, Schulz, M, Böhm, M & Laufs, U 2015, 'Analyses of drugs stored at home by elderly patients with chronic heart failure', Clinical Research in Cardiology, vol. 104, no. 4, pp. 320-327.
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Gadzhanova, S, Roughead, EE & Pont, LG 2015, 'Safety of opioid patch initiation in Australian residential aged care', Medical Journal of Australia, vol. 203, no. 7, pp. 298-298.
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OBJECTIVE: To explore opioid use by aged care facility residents before and after initiation of transdermal opioid patches. DESIGN: A cross-sectional cohort study, analysing pharmacy data on individual patient supply between 1 July 2008 and 30 September 2013. SETTING: Sixty residential aged care facilities in New South Wales. PARTICIPANTS: Residents receiving an initial opioid patch during the study period. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: The proportion of residents who were opioid-naive in the 4 weeks prior to patch initiation was determined. In addition, the patch strength at initiation and the daily dose of transdermal patches and of additional opioids 1 month after initiation were determined. RESULTS: An opioid patch was initiated in 596 of 5297 residents (11.3%: 2.6% fentanyl, 8.7% buprenorphine) in the 60 residential aged care facilities. The mean age at initiation was 87 years, and 74% of the recipients were women. The proportion of recipients who were opioid-naive before patch initiation was 34% for fentanyl and 49% for buprenorphine. Most were initiated at the lowest available patch strength, and the dose was up-titrated after initiation. Around 15% of fentanyl users and 10% of buprenorphine users needed additional regular opioids after patch initiation. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest some inappropriate initiation of opioid patches in Australian residential aged care facilities. Contrary to best practice, a third of residents initiated on fentanyl patches were opioid-naive in the 4 weeks before initiation.
Golzan, SM, Morgan, WH, Georgevsky, D & Graham, SL 2015, 'Correlation of Retinal Nerve Fibre Layer Thickness and Spontaneous Retinal Venous Pulsations in Glaucoma and Normal Controls', PLOS ONE, vol. 10, no. 6, pp. e0128433-e0128433.
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Gonsalvez, CJ, Deane, FP, Blackman, R, Matthias, M, Knight, R, Nasstasia, Y, Shires, A, Perry, KN, Allan, C & Bliokas, V 2015, 'The Hierarchical Clustering of Clinical Psychology Practicum Competencies: A Multisite Study of Supervisor Ratings', CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY-SCIENCE AND PRACTICE, vol. 22, no. 4, pp. 390-403.
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Goossens, P, Keijsers, E, van Geenen, RJC, Zijta, A, van den Broek, M, Verhagen, AP & Scholten-Peeters, GGM 2015, 'Validity of the Thessaly Test in Evaluating Meniscal Tears Compared With Arthroscopy: A Diagnostic Accuracy Study', Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy, vol. 45, no. 1, pp. 18-24.
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Gorajana, A, Kit, W & Dua, K 2015, 'Characterization and Solubility Study of Norfloxacin-Polyethylene Glycol, Polyvinylpyrrolidone and Carbopol 974p Solid Dispersions', Recent Patents on Drug Delivery & Formulation, vol. 9, no. 2, pp. 167-182.
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Objective: Norfloxacin has a low aqueous solubility which leads to poor dissolution. Keeping this fact in mind the purpose of the present study is to formulate and evaluate norfloxacin solid dispersion. Methods: Solid dispersions were prepared using hydrophilic carriers like polyethylene glycol (PEG) 4000, polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) k30 and carbopol 974pNF (CP) in various ratios using solvent evaporation technique. These formulations were evaluated using solubility studies, dissolution studies; Fourier transmitted infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and differential scanning calorimetery (DSC). The influence of polymer type and drug to polymer ratio on the solubility and dissolution rate of norfloxacin was also evaluated. Results: FTIR analysis showed no interaction of all three polymers with norfloxacin. The results from XRD and DSC analyses of the solid dispersion preparations showed that norfloxacin existsin its amorphous form. Among the Norfloxacin: PEG solid dispersions, Norfloxacin: PEG 1:14 ratio showed the highest dissolution rate at pH 6.8. For norfloxacin: PVP solid dispersions, norfloxacin: PVP 1:10 ratio showed the highest dissolution rate at pH 6.8. For Norfloxacin: CP solid dispersions, norfloxacin: P 1:2 ratio showed the highest dissolution rate at pH 6.8. Conclusion: The solid dispersion of norfloxacin with polyethylene glycol (PEG) 4000, polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) k30 and carbopol 974p NF (CP), lends an ample credence for better therapeutic efficacy.
Gorajana, A, Rajendran, A, Yew, L & Dua, K 2015, 'Preparation and characterization of cefuroxime axetil solid dispersions using hydrophilic carriers', International Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation, vol. 5, no. 3, pp. 171-171.
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Aim
The objective of the current study is to increase the dissolution rate of cefuroxime axetil (CA) by formation of binary CA solid dispersion using water soluble carriers such as polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP K30) and polyethylene glycol (PEG 4000).
Methods
Solid dispersions (SDs) between CA and PVP K30/PEG 4000 were formed by dissolving both compounds in a common solvent, methanol, which were rotary evaporated at 40°C for 12 h. Physical mixtures between CA and PVP K30/PEG 4000 were also formulated as to compare the efficiency of SDs. The physicochemical properties of CA and all its formulations were then characterized using differential scanning calorimetric analysis (DSC), powder X-ray diffraction studies (PXRD), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR).
Results
All SD formulations were found to have a higher dissolution rate comparatively to pure CA, while only physical mixtures of PVP K30 were found having a significantly higher dissolution rate. The enhancement of dissolution rate SD by PVP K30 may be caused by increase wettability, solubility, reduction in particle size or the formation of CA β crystalline. Increment of dissolution rate of CA SDs by PEG 4000 similarly may be caused by increase wettability, solubility, and reduction in particle size. This phenomenon may also be caused by amorphization as suggested by DSC and PXRD.
Conclusions
The SD of CA with PVP K30 and PEG 4000, lends an ample credence for better therapeutic efficacy.
Gupta, G, Jia Jia, T, Yee Woon, L, Kumar Chellappan, D, Candasamy, M & Dua, K 2015, 'Pharmacological Evaluation of Antidepressant-Like Effect of Genistein and Its Combination with Amitriptyline: An Acute and Chronic Study', Advances in Pharmacological Sciences, vol. 2015, pp. 1-6.
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The present study was designed to evaluate the acute and chronic antidepressant effect of genistein in combination with amitriptyline in mice. Animals were divided into six groups (n=6) for treatment with water, genistein, or amitriptyline, either alone or in combination for ten days. Animals were subjected to locomotor activity testing; tail suspension test (TST); and forced swim test (FST) and immobility time was recorded on day one and day ten. Acute treatment of all treatment groups did not significantly reduce the immobility time (p>0.05). Chronic treatment of combination of genistein (10 mg/kg) and amitriptyline (5 mg/kg and 10 mg/kg) significantly reduced the immobility time as compared to control group (p<0.001) and was comparable to amitriptyline alone (10 mg/kg). However, no changes in anti-immobility activity in combination of subeffective doses of genistein (5 mg/kg) and amitriptyline (5 mg/kg) were observed. Genistein at its standard dose (10 mg/kg) rendered synergistic effects in combination with subeffective dose of amitriptyline (5 mg/kg) and additive effects in combination with therapeutic dose of amitriptyline (10 mg/kg).
Haghi, M, Hittinger, M, Zeng, Q, Olivert, B, Traini, D, Young, PM, Huwer, H, Schneider-Daum, N & Lehr, C-M 2015, 'Mono- and Cocultures of Bronchial and Alveolar Epithelial Cells Respond Differently to Proinflammatory Stimuli and Their Modulation by Salbutamol and Budesonide', MOLECULAR PHARMACEUTICS, vol. 12, no. 8, pp. 2625-2632.
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© 2015 American Chemical Society. The aim of this study was to investigate the changes in transport and effectiveness of salbutamol sulfate (SAL) and budesonide (BD) following stimulation with transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) in mono- and coculture models of bronchial and alveolar epithelium. Primary bronchial and alveolar epithelial cells, grown at air interface on filters, either as monocultures or in coculture with airway smooth muscle cells or alveolar macrophages, respectively, were stimulated with TGF-β. The biological response was modulated by depositing aerosolized SAL and BD on bronchial and alveolar models, respectively. Barrier integrity, permeability to fluorescein-Na, transport of the deposited drug, and the pharmacological response to SAL (cAMP and IL-8 levels) or BD (IL-6 and -8 levels) were measured. While stimulation with TGF-β did not have any significant effect on the transepithelial electrical resistance and permeability to fluorescein-Na in mono- and coculture models, transport of SAL and BD were affected in cultures from some of the patients (6 out of 12 for bronchial and 2 out of 4 for alveolar cells). The bronchial coculture showed a better responsiveness to SAL in terms of cAMP release than the monoculture. In contrast, the difference between alveolar mono- and cocultures to TGF-β mediated interleukin release and its modulation by BD was less pronounced. Our data point to intrinsic differences in the transport of, and responsiveness to, SAL and BD when epithelial cell cultures originate from different patients. Moreover, if the biological responses (e.g., IL-8, cAMP) involve communication between different cell types, coculture models are more relevant to measure such effects than monocultures.
Haghi, M, Saadat, A, Zhu, B, Colombo, G, King, G, Young, PM & Traini, D 2015, 'Immunomodulatory Effects of a Low-Dose Clarithromycin-Based Macrolide Solution Pressurised Metered Dose Inhaler', PHARMACEUTICAL RESEARCH, vol. 32, no. 6, pp. 2144-2153.
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Haghi, M, Traini, D, Wood, LG, Oliver, B, Young, PM & Chrzanowski, W 2015, 'A 'soft spot' for drug transport: modulation of cell stiffness using fatty acids and its impact on drug transport in lung model', JOURNAL OF MATERIALS CHEMISTRY B, vol. 3, no. 13, pp. 2583-2589.
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© The Royal Society of Chemistry 2015. The impact of a polyunsaturated fatty acid, arachidonic acid (AA), on membrane fluidity of epithelial cells and subsequent modulation of the drug transport was investigated. Membrane fluidity was assessed using molecular force microscopy. Calu-3 human bronchial epithelial cells were cultured on Transwell® inserts and the cell stiffness was assessed in the absence of fatty acids or in the presence of 30 μM AA. The morphology of the epithelial cells was distinctly different when AA was present, with the cell monolayer becoming more uniform. Furthermore the cell stiffness and variation in stiffness was lower in the presence of AA. In the fat-free medium, the median cell stiffness was 9.1 kPa which dropped to 2.1 kPa following exposure to AA. To further study this, transport of a common β2-agonist, salbutamol sulphate (SS) was measured in the presence of AA and in a fat free medium. The transport of SS was significantly higher when AA was present (0.61 ± 0.09 μg versus 0.11 ± 0.003 μg with and without AA respectively). It was evidenced that AA play a vital role in cell membrane fluidity and drug transport. This finding highlights the significance of the dietary fatty acids in transport and consequentially effectiveness of medications used to treat pulmonary diseases such as asthma. This journal is
Haghi, M, van den Oetelaar, W, Moir, LM, Zhu, B, Phillips, G, Crapper, J, Young, PM & Traini, D 2015, 'Inhalable tranexamic acid for haemoptysis treatment', EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PHARMACEUTICS AND BIOPHARMACEUTICS, vol. 93, pp. 311-319.
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© 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Purpose An inhalable dry powder formulation of tranexamic acid (TA) was developed and tested in a novel high-dose Orbital® multi-breath inhaler. The formulation was specifically intended for the treatment of pulmonary haemorrhage and wound healing associated with haemoptysis. Methods Inhalable TA particles were prepared by spray drying and the powder characterised using laser diffraction, electron microscopy, thermal analysis, moisture sorption and X-ray powder diffraction. The aerosol performance was evaluated using cascade impaction and inline laser diffraction and interaction with epithelia cells and wound healing capacity investigated using Calu-3 air interface model. Results The spray dried TA particles were crystalline and spherical with a D0.5 of 3.35 μm. The powders were stable and had limited moisture sorption (0.307% w/w at 90% RH). The Orbital device delivered ca. 38 mg powder per 'inhalation' at 60 l·min-1 across four sequential shots with an overall fine particle fraction (≤6.4 μm) of 59.3 ± 3.5% based on the emitted mass of ca. 150 mg. The TA particles were well tolerated by Calu-3 bronchial epithelia cells across a wide range of doses (from 1 nM to 10 nM) and no increase in inflammatory mediators was observed after deposition of the particles (a decrease in IL-1β, IL-8 and INFγ was observed). Time lapse microscopy of a damaged confluent epithelia indicated that wound closure was significantly greater in TA treated cells compared to control. Conclusion A stable, high performance aerosol of TA has been developed in a multi-breath DPI device that can be used for the treatment of pulmonary lesions and haemoptysis.
Hansen, K, Schüssel, K, Kieble, M, Werning, J, Schulz, M, Friis, R, Pöhlau, D, Schmitz, N & Kugler, J 2015, 'Adherence to Disease Modifying Drugs among Patients with Multiple Sclerosis in Germany: A Retrospective Cohort Study', PLOS ONE, vol. 10, no. 7, pp. e0133279-e0133279.
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Hemsley, B & Murray, J 2015, 'Distance and proximity: research on social media connections in the field of communication disability', Disability and Rehabilitation, vol. 37, no. 17, pp. 1509-1510.
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Hemsley, B, Balandin, S, Sheppard, JJ, Georgiou, A & Hill, S 2015, 'A call for dysphagia-related safety incident research in people with developmental disabilities', Journal of Intellectual and Developmental Disability, vol. 40, no. 1, pp. 99-103.
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Hemsley, B, Dann, S, Palmer, S, Allan, M & Balandin, S 2015, '“We definitely need an audience”: experiences of Twitter, Twitter networks and tweet content in adults with severe communication disabilities who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC)', Disability and Rehabilitation, vol. 37, no. 17, pp. 1531-1542.
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Hemsley, B, Georgiou, A, Balandin, S, Carter, R, Hill, S, Higgins, I, Van Vliet, P & McCarthy, S 2015, 'The Personally Controlled Electronic Health Record (PCEHR) for Adults with Severe Communication Impairments: Findings of Pilot Research.', Stud Health Technol Inform, vol. 214, pp. 100-106.
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To date, there is little information in the literature to guide the provision of supports for using the Personally Controlled Electronic Health Record (PCEHR) in populations with severe communication impairments associated with a range of disabilities. In this paper we will (a) outline the rationale for use of PCEHR in these populations by providing an overview of relevant research to date, and (b) present results of three integrated pilot studies aiming to investigate the barriers to and facilitators for PCEHR use by people with severe communication impairments and their service providers. Finally, we will present directions for future research on use of PCEHR by people with severe communication impairments.
Hernández, A, Garcia-Delgado, P, Garcia-Cardenas, V, Ocaña, A, Labrador, E, Orera, ML & Martinez-Martinez, F 2015, 'Characterization of patients’ requests and pharmacists’ professional practice in oropharyngeal condition in Spain', International Journal of Clinical Pharmacy, vol. 37, no. 2, pp. 300-309.
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© 2015, Koninklijke Nederlandse Maatschappij ter bevordering der Pharmacie. Background A sore throat is the reason behind 4 million visits to health care services per year in Spain. The management of these ailments is usually associated with an inappropriate use of medicines. Community pharmacists are often the first point of contact for patients under the healthcare system and play a major role in the management of minor ailments. Objective To characterize the pharmacists’ professional practice in oropharyngeal condition in terms of patients’ requests and pharmacists’ interventions performed. Setting Community pharmacies throughout Spanish territory. Method Cross-sectional multicenter observational study, undertaken between November 2012 and March 2013. Patients were recruited consecutively in the participant pharmacies. Eligible patients were those making a consultation related to an oropharyngeal condition or requesting treatment for an oropharyngeal condition. A univariate descriptive analysis showing the frequency of occurrence of the different variables was performed. This was completed with a multivariate statistical analysis through a multiple correspondence method, in order to analyze the potential association between the pharmacist profile and the intervention provided. Main outcome measure Professional Pharmacy Service requested (dispensing/counselling/medication review with follow-up), reason for consultation, source of the recommendation, Pharmacist’s intervention and reason for referral. Results 710 pharmacies and 3,547 patients participated in the study. The most frequently requested service was dispensing (44.7 %), followed by counselling (31.8 %). Regarding dispensing, the majority of patients requested a throat preparation, mostly antiseptics. Symptoms associated with the pharmacy consultation were mainly throat symptoms (70.8 %), voice symptoms (24.9 %), and mouth/tongue/lip symptoms (10.1 %). The most common pharmacist intervention w...
Hocking, DR, Kraan, CM, Godler, DE, Bui, QM, Li, X, Bradshaw, JL, Georgiou-Karistianis, N, Metcalfe, SA, Archibald, AD, Turbitt, E, Fielding, J, Trollor, J, Cohen, J & Cornish, KM 2015, 'Evidence linking FMR1 mRNA and attentional demands of stepping and postural control in women with the premutation', Neurobiology of Aging, vol. 36, no. 3, pp. 1400-1408.
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Hodge, C, Chan, C, Zantos, S, Kokkinakis, J, Stapleton, F & Sutton, G 2015, 'Therapeutic treatment of keratoconus: a survey of local optometric practice criteria', Clinical and Experimental Optometry, vol. 98, no. 4, pp. 312-318.
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Hodge, C, McAlinden, C, Lawless, M, Chan, C, Sutton, G & Martin, A 2015, 'Intraocular lens power calculation following laser refractive surgery', Eye and Vision, vol. 2, no. 1.
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Hughes, CC, Kneebone, II, Jones, F & Brady, B 2015, 'A theoretical and empirical review of psychological factors associated with falls-related psychological concerns in community-dwelling older people', International Psychogeriatrics, vol. 27, no. 7, pp. 1071-1087.
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ABSTRACTBackground:Four constructs are encompassed by the term “falls-related psychological concerns” (FrPC); “fear of falling” (FOF), “falls-related self-efficacy” (FSe), “balance confidence” (BC) and “outcome expectancy” (OE). FrPC are associated with negative consequences including physical, psychological, and social. Identifying factors associated with FrPC could inform interventions to reduce these concerns.Methods:Sixty-two empirical papers relating to psychological factors associated with FrPC in community-dwelling older people (CDOP) were reviewed. Four levels of evidence were used when evaluating the literature: good, moderate, tentative, and none.Results:Evidence that anxiety predicted FOF, BC, and OE was tentative. Moderate evidence was found for anxiety predicting FSe. Good evidence was found for depression predicting FSe. Moderate evidence was found for depression predicting both FOF and BC. No evidence was found for depression predicting OE. Tentative evidence was found for FSe predicting depression. Good and moderate evidence was found for quality of life (QoL) being predicted by FOF and BC respectively. Tentative evidence was found for FSe predicting QoL. Moderate evidence was found for QoL predicting both FSe and BC. No evidence was found for QoL predicting FOF. Good and moderate evidence was found for activity avoidance/restriction (AA/AR) being predicted by FOF and FSe respectively. Tentative evidence was found for BC and OE predicting AA/AR, as well as for AA/AR predicting FOF. Moderate evidence for activity level (AL) predicting FOF was identified, however the evidence of this predicting FSe and BC was tentative. Evidence for FOF, FSe, and BC predicting AL was tentative as was evidence to suggest FOF predicted coping.
Jacobs, C, Dancyger, C, Smith, JA & Michie, S 2015, 'Accuracy of recall of information about a cancer-predisposing BRCA1/2 gene mutation among patients and relatives', European Journal of Human Genetics, vol. 23, no. 2, pp. 147-151.
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Jodar-Sanchez, F, Malet-Larrea, A, Martin, JJ, Garcia-Mochon, L, Puerto Lopez del Amo, M, Martinez-Martinez, F, Gastelurrutia-Garralda, MA, Garcia-Cardenas, V, Sabater-Hernandez, D, Saez-Benito, L & Benrimoj, SI 2015, 'Cost-Utility Analysis of a Medication Review with Follow-Up Service for Older Adults with Polypharmacy in Community Pharmacies in Spain: The conSIGUE Program', PHARMACOECONOMICS, vol. 33, no. 6, pp. 599-610.
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Karel, YHJM, Verkerk, K, Endenburg, S, Metselaar, S & Verhagen, AP 2015, 'Effect of routine diagnostic imaging for patients with musculoskeletal disorders: A meta-analysis', European Journal of Internal Medicine, vol. 26, no. 8, pp. 585-595.
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Kneebone, II, Guerrier, S, Dunmore, E, Jones, E & Fife-Schaw, C 2015, 'A Longitudinal Examination of the Hopelessness Theory of Depression in People Who Have Multiple Sclerosis', Behavioural Neurology, vol. 2015, pp. 1-5.
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Purpose. Hopelessness theory predicts that negative attributional style will interact with negative life events over time to predict depression. The intention of this study was to test this in a population who are at greater risk of negative life events, people with Multiple Sclerosis (MS).Method. Data, including measures of attributional style, negative life events, and depressive symptoms, were collected via postal survey in 3 phases, each one a year apart.Results. Responses were received from over 380 participants at each study phase. Negative attributional style was consistently able to predict future depressive symptoms at low to moderate levels of association; however, this ability was not sustained when depressive symptoms at Phase 1 were controlled for. No substantial evidence to support the hypothesised interaction of negative attributional style and negative life events was found.Conclusions. Findings were not supportive of the causal interaction proposed by the hopelessness theory of depression. Further work considering other time frames, using methods to prime attributional style before assessment and specifically assessing the hopelessness subtype of depression, may prove to be more fruitful. Intervention directly to address attributional style should also be considered.
Krueger, K, Botermann, L, Schorr, SG, Griese-Mammen, N, Laufs, U & Schulz, M 2015, 'Age-related medication adherence in patients with chronic heart failure: A systematic literature review', International Journal of Cardiology, vol. 184, pp. 728-735.
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Levitz, L, Reich, J, Roberts, K & Hodge, C 2015, 'Evaluation of Toric Intraocular Lenses in Patients With Low Degrees of Astigmatism', Asia-Pacific Journal of Ophthalmology, vol. 4, no. 5, pp. 245-249.
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© 2015 Asia Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology. Purpose: This study aimed to describe the efficacy of toric intraocular lenses (IOLs) in patients with low degrees of corneal astigmatism. Design: Retrospective case series was undertaken. Methods: Patients with low amounts of corneal astigmatism who were treated with either a toric monofocal lens (SN6AT2 Toric, n = 76) or a toric multifocal lens (SND1T2 +3.00, n = 44) were reviewed. Eyes were evaluated preoperatively and 3 months postoperatively. Refraction and visual outcomes were monitored. Results: Patients (69.7%) in the monofocal toric group obtained refractive cylinder less than 0.25 diopters (D) compared with 70.5% of the multifocal toric group. Both toric groups showed a statistically significant reduction in refractive cylinder after surgery (P = 0.001). Monofocal (66.7%) and multifocal (68.2%) toric patients achieved uncorrected distance visual acuity of 20/20 or better. Conclusions: This represents the first article to investigate the use of low-power toric IOLs in patients with less than 1.25 D of corneal cylinder. Before the development of low-power toric IOLs, patients with low to moderate amounts of astigmatism required concurrent intraoperative adjustments or additional forms of treatment to benefit from cataract and IOL surgery. Evidence suggests that the toric T2 IOL now removes this barrier, providing consistent, accurate refractive and astigmatic results, and enables these patients to achieve excellent outcomes with a single treatment across IOL platforms. Larger studies will help to consolidate our results.
Lim, VPC, Lincoln, M, Onslow, M & Chan, YH 2015, 'English-only treatment of bilingual speakers who stutter: Generalization of treatment effects from English to Mandarin', International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, vol. 17, no. 5, pp. 431-440.
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© 2014 The Speech Pathology Association of Australia Limited. Purpose: Speech language pathologists often do not speak the dominant language of their clients and so the language of treatment is an important consideration. This research investigated whether stuttering treatment delivered in English resulted in reductions in stuttering in English and Mandarin bilingual Singaporean speakers.Method: Participants were 19 English-Mandarin bilinguals who stuttered. They received a speech re-structuring intensive program (IP) delivered in English only. Three 10-minute conversations in English and Mandarin, sampled at pre-treatment, immediately post IP, 4 weeks post IP and 12 weeks post IP, were analysed by two English-Mandarin bilingual clinicians for percentage of syllables stuttered (%SS).Result: After English-only treatment, stuttering reductions were found to generalize to Mandarin. Stuttering reductions were significantly higher in English compared to Mandarin at 4 weeks post-IP, but there was no significant difference in the stuttering reductions between languages at the end of IP and at 12 weeks post-IP. Mean %SS scores for English and Mandarin were comparable with the outcome data reported for a similar intensive speech-restructuring program for monolingual English-speaking adults.Conclusion: The results of this study show that stuttering reductions can be achieved in two languages following treatment in one language only. Future research in this area is proposed.
Lowe, R, Menzies, R, Packman, A, O’Brian, S & Onslow, M 2015, 'Observer perspective imagery with stuttering', International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, vol. 17, no. 5, pp. 481-488.
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© 2015 The Speech Pathology Association of Australia Limited. Purpose: Adults who stutter are at risk of developing a range of psychological conditions. Social anxiety disorder is the most common anxiety disorder associated with stuttering. Observer perspective imagery is one cognitive process involved in the maintenance of some anxiety disorders. This involves viewing images as if looking at the self from the perspective of another. In contrast, the field perspective involves looking out from the self at the surrounding environment. The purpose of this study was to assess the presence of observer perspective imagery with stuttering.Method: The authors administered the Hackmann, Surawy and Clark (1998) semi-structured interview to 30 adults who stutter and 30 controls. Group images and impressions were compared for frequency, perspective recalled and emotional valence.Result: The stuttering group was significantly more likely than controls to recall images and impressions from an observer rather than a field perspective for anxious situations.Conclusion: It is possible the present results could reflect the same attentional processing bias that occurs with anxiety disorders in the non-stuttering population. These preliminary results provide an explanation for the persistence of conditions such as social anxiety disorder with stuttering. Clinical implications are discussed.
Lowe, R, Menzies, RG, O’Brian, S & Onslow, M 2015, 'Information Processing in Stuttering', Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, vol. 193, pp. 314-315.
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Macedo, L, Saragiotto, B, Yamato, T, Costa, L, Menezes Costa, L, Ostelo, R & Maher, C 2015, 'Motor control exercise for acute and subacute low back pain: a systematic review', Physiotherapy, vol. 101, pp. e1337-e1338.
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Madan, J, Adokar, B & Dua, K 2015, 'Development and evaluation of in situ gel of pregabalin', International Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation, vol. 5, no. 4, pp. 226-226.
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Aim and background
Pregabalin (PRG), an analog of gamma-aminobutyric acid, reduces the release of many neurotransmitters, including glutamate, and noradrenaline. It is used for the treatment of epilepsy; simple and complex partial convulsion. The present research work aims to ensure a high drug absorption by retarding the advancement of PRG formulation through the gastrointestinal tract. The work aims to design a controlled release PRG formulation which is administered as liquid and further gels in the stomach and floats in gastric juice.Materials and methods
In situ gelling formulations were prepared using sodium alginate, calcium chloride, sodium citrate, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) K100M, and sodium bicarbonate. The prepared formulations were evaluated for solution viscosity, drug content, in vitro gelling studies, gel strength, and in vitro drug release. The final formulation was optimized using a 3(2) full factorial design.Results
The formulation containing 2.5% w/v sodium alginate and 0.2% w/v calcium chloride were considered optimum since it showed minimum floating lag time (18 s), optimum viscosity (287.3 cps), and gel strength (4087.17 dyne/cm(2)). The optimized formulation follows Korsmeyer-Peppas kinetic model with n value 0.3767 representing Fickian diffusion mechanism of drug release.Conclusion
Floating in situ gelling system of PRG can be formulated using sodium alginate as a gelling polymer and calcium chloride as a complexing agent to control the drug release for about 12 h for the treatment of epilepsy.
Madan, J, Pawar, K & Dua, K 2015, 'Solubility enhancement studies on lurasidone hydrochloride using mixed hydrotropy', International Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 114-114.
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Low aqueous solubility is a major problem faced during formulation development of new drug molecules. Lurasidone HCl (LRD) is an antipsychotic agent specially used in the treatments of schizophrenia and is a good example of the problems associated with low aqueous solubility. Lurasidone is practically insoluble in water, has poor bioavailability and slow onset of action and therefore cannot be given in emergency clinical situations like schizophrenia. Hence, purpose of this research was to provide a fast dissolving oral dosage form of Lurasidone. This dosage form can provide quick onset of action by using the concept of mixed hydrotropy. Initially, solubility of LRD was determined individually in nicotinamide, sodium citrate, urea and sodium benzoate at concentration of 10, 20, 30 and 40% w/v solutions using purified water as a solvent. Highest solubility was obtained in 40% sodium benzoate solution. In order to decrease the individual hydrotrope concentration mixed hydrotropic agents were used. Highest solubility was obtained in 15:20:5 ratio of Nicotinamide + sodium benzoate + sodium citrate. This optimized combination was utilized in the preparation of solid dispersions by using distilled water as a solvent. Solid dispersions were evaluated for X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry and Fourier-transform infrared to show no drug-hydrotropes interaction has occurred. This solid dispersion was compressed to form fast dissolving tablets. Dissolution studies of prepared tablets were done using USP Type II apparatus. The batch L3 tablets show 88% cumulative drug release within 14 min and in vitro dispersion time was 32 min. It was concluded that the concept of mixed hydrotropic solid dispersion is novel, safe and cost-effective technique for enhancing the bioavailability of poorly water-soluble drugs. The miraculous enhancement in solubility and bioavailability of Lurasidone is clear indication of the potential of mixed hydrotropy to be used in future...
Manchanda, R, Legood, R, Burnell, M, McGuire, A, Raikou, M, Loggenberg, K, Wardle, J, Sanderson, S, Gessler, S, Side, L, Balogun, N, Desai, R, Kumar, A, Dorkins, H, Wallis, Y, Chapman, C, Taylor, R, Jacobs, C, Tomlinson, I, Beller, U, Menon, U & Jacobs, I 2015, 'Cost-effectiveness of Population Screening for BRCA Mutations in Ashkenazi Jewish Women Compared With Family History–Based Testing', JNCI: Journal of the National Cancer Institute, vol. 107, no. 1.
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Manchanda, R, Loggenberg, K, Sanderson, S, Burnell, M, Wardle, J, Gessler, S, Side, L, Balogun, N, Desai, R, Kumar, A, Dorkins, H, Wallis, Y, Chapman, C, Taylor, R, Jacobs, C, Tomlinson, I, McGuire, A, Beller, U, Menon, U & Jacobs, I 2015, 'Population Testing for Cancer Predisposing BRCA1/BRCA2 Mutations in the Ashkenazi-Jewish Community: A Randomized Controlled Trial', JNCI: Journal of the National Cancer Institute, vol. 107, no. 1.
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Mann, K, Power, E, Barnes, S & Togher, L 2015, 'Questioning in conversations before and after communication partner training for individuals with traumatic brain injury', Aphasiology, vol. 29, no. 9, pp. 1082-1109.
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Background: Social communication training involving individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and their everyday communication partner(s) facilitates improvements in the quality of their interactions and information transfer. Recent research has indicated that the ways conversation partners use questions may play an important role in this improvement.Aims: This study aimed to describe questioning patterns during casual conversations before and after communication partner training using Conversation Analysis.Methods & Procedures: Samples of casual conversations involving four individuals with TBI and their everyday communication partners were examined. These samples were collected before and after intervention in the course of a larger clinical trial investigating the efficacy of a communication partner training program entitled TBI Express. Four dyads were chosen based on their Adapted Kagan Scale scores; a primary outcome measure in the clinical trial. Two dyads with the greatest change on these scales (“Kagan plus”) and two dyads with the least change (“Kagan neutral”) were selected. Approximately 10 minutes of casual conversations per dyad were transcribed in detail. Questions in each sample were identified and analysed qualitatively using conversation-analytic practices, focusing on aspects of sequence organisation.Outcomes & Results: “Kagan plus” dyads had obvious changes in their questioning practices following training. These changes facilitated selection of topics and the development of related talk, i.e., improved communication. Conversely, the “Kagan neutral” dyads exhibited less obvious differences in their questioning practices after training, which meant that improved communication in the postintervention samples was less apparent.Conclusions: The present study provides detailed insight into how everyday communication partners’ questioning practices contribute to communicative success. This information has the potential to help clinicia...
Mehta, P, Claydon, L, Hendrick, P, Winser, S & Baxter, GD 2015, 'Outcome Measures in Randomized-controlled Trials of Neuropathic Pain Conditions', The Clinical Journal of Pain, vol. 31, no. 2, pp. 169-176.
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Menlove, L, Crayton, E, Kneebone, I, Allen-Crooks, R, Otto, E & Harder, H 2015, 'Predictors of Anxiety after Stroke: A Systematic Review of Observational Studies', Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases, vol. 24, no. 6, pp. 1107-1117.
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Mercuri, K, Terrett, G, Henry, JD, Bailey, PE, Curran, HV & Rendell, PG 2015, 'Episodic foresight deficits in long-term opiate users', Psychopharmacology, vol. 232, no. 7, pp. 1337-1345.
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Messenger, M, Packman, A, Onslow, M, Menzies, R & O’Brian, S 2015, 'Children and adolescents who stutter: Further investigation of anxiety', Journal of Fluency Disorders, vol. 46, pp. 15-23.
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Purpose: Despite the greatly increased risk of social anxiety disorder in adults who stutter, there is no clear indication of the time of onset of this disorder in childhood and adolescence. The purpose of this study was to explore this issue further using the Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale (RCMAS), so that appropriate interventions can be developed prior to adulthood. This is the first time the RCMAS has been completed by children younger than 11 years. Using the same test for both school-age children and adolescents can potentially identify when anxiety starts to develop from age 6 years through to adulthood. Methods: The RCMAS was administered to 18 school-age boys, five school-age girls, 41 adolescent boys and nine adolescent girls who were seeking treatment for their stuttering. Participants also rated the severity of their own stuttering. Results: All mean scaled scores on the four RCMAS subscales and Total Anxiety scores were within normal limits. However, for both groups of boys, scores on the Lie Scale were significantly higher than scores on the other three subscales. Conclusions: Experts suggest high scores on the RCMAS Lie Scale are indicative of participants attempting to present themselves in a positive light and so cast doubt on the veracity of their other responses on the test. One interpretation, then, is that the boys were concealing true levels of anxiety about their stuttering. The results suggest why findings of anxiety studies in children and adolescents to date are equivocal. Clinical implications are discussed. Educational objectives: The reader will be able to: (a) discuss why understanding when anxiety starts in people who stutter is important, (b) describe the function of the RCMAS Lie sub scale and (c) summarize the possible implications of the RCMAS findings in this study.
Meyer, C, Scarinci, N, Ryan, B & Hickson, L 2015, '“This Is a Partnership Between All of Us”: Audiologists' Perceptions of Family Member Involvement in Hearing Rehabilitation', American Journal of Audiology, vol. 24, no. 4, pp. 536-548.
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Purpose The purpose of the study was to explore the perceptions of audiologists about the role of family members in hearing rehabilitation for older adults with hearing impairment (HI), the influence of family member involvement on outcomes, and factors affecting family members' involvement. Method A qualitative descriptive research study was undertaken. Using a purposeful sampling strategy, 9 audiologists were recruited. Audiologists participated in individual semistructured interviews. Interview transcripts were analyzed using thematic analysis, and a process of member checking was used to enhance the trustworthiness of findings reported. Results The importance of promoting partnership emerged as the overarching theme. Audiologists valued promoting partnership with family members so that a shared understanding could be established, family members could be active participants with distinct roles in hearing rehabilitation, and the rehabilitation outcomes for the person with HI could be improved. Audiologists generally reported low attendance rates of family members to appointments and identified 5 major factors affecting family participation. Conclusions There is growing recognition among audiologists of the importance of promoting partnership with family members during the hearing rehabilitation process. More research is needed to develop and evaluate a family-centered model of hearing health care that considers the service-level barriers identified by audiologists in the present study.
Miao, M, Power, E & O'Halloran, R 2015, 'Factors affecting speech pathologists’ implementation of stroke management guidelines: a thematic analysis', Disability and Rehabilitation, vol. 37, no. 8, pp. 674-685.
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PURPOSE: Although clinical practice guidelines can facilitate evidence-based practice and improve the health outcomes of stroke patients, they continue to be underutilised. There is limited research into the reasons for this, especially in speech pathology. This study provides the first in-depth, qualitative examination of the barriers and facilitators that speech pathologists perceive and experience when implementing guidelines. METHODS: A maximum variation sample of eight speech pathologists participated in a semi-structured interview concerning the implementation of the National Stroke Foundation's Clinical Guidelines for Stroke Management 2010. Interviews were transcribed, thematically analysed and member checked before overall themes were identified. RESULTS: Three main themes and ten subthemes were identified. The first main theme, making implementation explicit, reflected the necessity of accessing and understanding guideline recommendations, and focussing specifically on implementation in context. In the second theme, demand versus ability to change, the size of changes required was compared with available resources and collaboration. The final theme, Speech pathologist motivation to implement guidelines, demonstrated the influence of individual perception of the guidelines and personal commitment to improved practice. CONCLUSIONS: Factors affecting implementation are complex, and are not exclusively barriers or facilitators. Some potential implementation strategies are suggested. Further research is recommended. IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION: In most Western nations, stroke remains the single greatest cause of disability, including communication and swallowing disabilities. Although adherence to stroke clinical practice guidelines improves stroke patient outcomes, guidelines continue to be underutilised, and the reasons for this are not well understood. This is the first in-depth qualitative study identifying the complex barriers and facilita...
Mullin, A, Dear, BF, Karin, E, Wootton, BM, Staples, LG, Johnston, L, Gandy, M, Fogliati, V & Titov, N 2015, 'The UniWellbeing course: A randomised controlled trial of a transdiagnostic internet-delivered cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) programme for university students with symptoms of anxiety and depression', Internet Interventions, vol. 2, no. 2, pp. 128-136.
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© 2015. Anxiety and depression are prevalent among university students and many universities offer psychological services to assist students. Unfortunately, students can experience barriers that prevent access to these services and many university services experience difficulties meeting demand. The present pragmatic randomised controlled trial examined the preliminary efficacy and acceptability of a transdiagnostic and internet-delivered cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) programme for university students seeking help with anxiety and depression. Participants were randomly allocated to either a treatment group (n= 30) or a waitlist-control group (n= 23). The treatment group received weekly contact with a therapist, via telephone or a secure messaging system, as well as automated emails that guided their progress through the programme. Significant reductions were found on standard measures of anxiety (Cohen's d= 0.66; 95% CI: 0.13 to 1.17) and depression (Cohen's d= 0.81; 95% CI: 0.27 to 1.32) among the treatment group participants, but no significant differences were found between the treatment and control groups at post-treatment. However, more pronounced reductions were found among treatment group participants with clinical level symptoms of anxiety (Cohen's d= 1.33; 95% CI: 0.62 to 1.99) and depression (Cohen's d= 1.59; 95% CI: 0.81 to 2.30), who reported significantly lower levels of symptoms than control group participants at post-treatment. These reductions were maintained at 3-month follow-up and participants rated the intervention as acceptable. The results provide preliminary support for the potential of iCBT for university students with anxiety and depression. However, larger scale implementation trials considering a broader range of outcomes are required. Trial registration: Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry: ACTRN12612000212853.
Nascimento, LR, de Oliveira, CQ, Ada, L, Michaelsen, SM & Teixeira-Salmela, LF 2015, 'Walking training with cueing of cadence improves walking speed and stride length after stroke more than walking training alone: a systematic review', Journal of Physiotherapy, vol. 61, no. 1, pp. 10-15.
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O’Brian, S, Jones, M, Onslow, M, Packman, A, Menzies, R & Lowe, R 2015, 'Comparison of audio and audiovisual measures of adult stuttering: Implications for clinical trials', International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, vol. 17, no. 6, pp. 589-593.
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Page, MJ, McKenzie, JE, Green, SE, Beaton, DE, Jain, NB, Lenza, M, Verhagen, AP, Surace, S, Deitch, J & Buchbinder, R 2015, 'Core domain and outcome measurement sets for shoulder pain trials are needed: systematic review of physical therapy trials', Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, vol. 68, no. 11, pp. 1270-1281.
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Parker, PD, Marsh, HW, Morin, AJS, Seaton, M & Van Zanden, B 2015, 'If one goes up the other must come down: Examining ipsative relationships between math and English self‐concept trajectories across high school', British Journal of Educational Psychology, vol. 85, no. 2, pp. 172-191.
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BackgroundThe Internal‐External frame of reference (IE) model suggests that as self‐concept in one domain goes up (e.g., English) self‐concept in other domains (e.g., mathematics) should go down (ipsative self‐concept hypothesis).AimsTo our knowledge this assumption has not been tested. Testing this effect also provides a context for illustrating different approaches to the study of growth with longitudinal data.SampleWe use cohort sequential data from 2,781 of Year 7 to Year 11 Australian high school students followed across a total of 10 time waves 6 months apart.MethodThree different approaches to testing the ipsative self‐concept hypothesis were used: Autoregressive cross‐lagged models, latent growth curve models, and autoregressive latent trajectory models (ALT); using achievement as a time varying covariate.ResultsCross‐lagged and growth curve models provided little evidence of ipsative relationships between English and math self‐concept. However, ALT models suggested that a rise above trend in one self‐concept domain resulted in a decline from trend in self‐concept in another domain.ConclusionImplications for self‐concept theory, interventions, and statistical methods for the study of growth are discussed.
Pedersen, AR, Stubbs, PW & Nielsen, JF 2015, 'Statistical Considerations When Assessing Short Latency Stretch Reflexes in the Human Soleus Muscle', Motor Control, vol. 19, no. 4, pp. 253-270.
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The aim was to investigate trial-by-trial response characteristics in the short-latency stretch reflex (SSR). Fourteen dorsiflexion stretches were applied to the ankle joint with a precontracted soleus muscle on 2 days. The magnitude and variability of trial-by-trial responses of the SSR were assessed. The SSR was log-normally distributed and variance heterogeneous between subjects. For some subjects, the magnitude and variance differed between days and stretches. As velocity increased, variance heterogeneity tended to decrease and response magnitude increased. The current study demonstrates the need to assess trial-by-trial response characteristics and not averaged curves. Moreover, it provides an analysis of SSR characteristics accounting for log-normally distributed and variance heterogeneous trial-by-trial responses.
Penney, ES & Abbott, MJ 2015, 'The Impact of Perceived Standards on State Anxiety, Appraisal Processes, and Negative Pre- and Post-event Rumination in Social Anxiety Disorder', Cognitive Therapy and Research, vol. 39, no. 2, pp. 162-177.
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© 2014, Springer Science+Business Media New York. Cognitive models emphasise the importance of pre- and post-event rumination as maintaining factors of Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD), however, there is limited research investigating pre-event rumination. This study aims to examine several key hypotheses posited by the cognitive models by experimentally manipulating social standards in order to examine the impact of high and low perceived social standards on appraisal processes, state anxiety, and negative rumination, and to determine if the predictors of pre-event rumination will mirror those of post-event rumination. The sample consisted of 91 participants, including 46 participants with SAD and 45 non-anxious controls. Socially anxious participants in this study engaged in more pre- and post-event rumination, had higher threat appraisals, and lower self-appraisals of performance than non-anxious controls. Socially anxious participants who believed that they were expected to perform to a high standard in anticipation of a speech task reported poorer ratings of self-efficacy than socially anxious participants in the low standard condition and non-anxious controls. Additionally, whilst anticipated self-appraisals of performance, threat appraisal, self-efficacy, and state anxiety were predictive of pre-event rumination, threat appraisal was the only significant predictor of post-event rumination. This study extends the current knowledge of the cognitive processes within SAD, which has clinical implications.
Phillips, JR, Hewedi, DH, Eissa, AM & Moustafa, AA 2015, 'The Cerebellum and Psychiatric Disorders', Frontiers in Public Health, vol. 3, p. 66.
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The cerebellum has been considered for a long time to play a role solely in motor coordination. However, studies over the past two decades have shown that the cerebellum also plays a key role in many motor, cognitive, and emotional processes. In addition, studies have also shown that the cerebellum is implicated in many psychiatric disorders including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorders, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, and anxiety disorders. In this review, we discuss existing studies reporting cerebellar dysfunction in various psychiatric disorders. We will also discuss future directions for studies linking the cerebellum to psychiatric disorders.
Pont, LG 2015, 'Barriers and facilitators to the provision of clinical pharmacy services in Aboriginal communities', Journal of Pharmacy Practice and Research, vol. 45, no. 2, pp. 248-248.
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Pont, LG, Nielen, JTH, McLachlan, AJ, Gnjidic, D, Chan, L, Cumming, RG & Taxis, K 2015, 'Measuring anticholinergic drug exposure in older community‐dwelling Australian men: a comparison of four different measures', British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, vol. 80, no. 5, pp. 1169-1175.
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AimsAnticholinergic drug exposure is associated with adverse outcomes in older people. While a number of tools have been developed to measure anticholinergic drug exposure, there is limited information about the agreement and overlap between the various scales. The aim of this study was to investigate the agreement and overlap between different measures of anticholinergic drug exposure in a cohort of community‐dwelling older men.MethodsA cross‐sectional study was used to compare anticholinergic drug exposure calculated using the Anticholinergic Risk Scale (ARS), the Anticholinergic Drug Scale (ADS), the Anticholinergic Cognitive Burden (ACB) and the Drug Burden Index anticholinergic subscale (DBI‐ACH) in a cohort of community‐dwelling men aged 70 years and older (n = 1696). Statistical agreement, expressed as Cohen's kappa (κ), between these measurements was calculated.ResultsDifferences were found between the tools regarding the classification of anticholinergic drug exposure for individual participants. Thirteen percent of the population used a drug listed as anticholinergic on the ARS, 39% used a drug listed on the ADS and the ACB, and 18% of the population used one or more anticholinergic drugs listed on the DBI‐ACH. While agreement was good between the ACB and ADS (κ = 0.628, 95% CI 0.593, 0.664), little agreement was found between remaining tools (κ = 0.091–0.264).ConclusionsWith the exception of the ACB and ADS, there was poor agreement regarding anticholinergic drug exposure among the four tools compared in this study. Great care should be taken when interpreting anticholinergic drug exposure using existing scales due to the wide variability between the different scales.
Power, E, Thomas, E, Worrall, L, Rose, M, Togher, L, Nickels, L, Hersh, D, Godecke, E, O'Halloran, R, Lamont, S, O'Connor, C & Clarke, K 2015, 'Development and validation of Australian aphasia rehabilitation best practice statements using the RAND/UCLA appropriateness method', BMJ Open, vol. 5, no. 7, pp. e007641-e007641.
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OBJECTIVES: To develop and validate a national set of best practice statements for use in post-stroke aphasia rehabilitation. DESIGN: Literature review and statement validation using the RAND/UCLA Appropriateness Method (RAM). PARTICIPANTS: A national Community of Practice of over 250 speech pathologists, researchers, consumers and policymakers developed a framework consisting of eight areas of care in aphasia rehabilitation. This framework provided the structure for the development of a care pathway containing aphasia rehabilitation best practice statements. Nine speech pathologists with expertise in aphasia rehabilitation participated in two rounds of RAND/UCLA appropriateness ratings of the statements. Panellists consisted of researchers, service managers, clinicians and policymakers. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Statements that achieved a high level of agreement and an overall median score of 7-9 on a nine-point scale were rated as 'appropriate'. RESULTS: 74 best practice statements were extracted from the literature and rated across eight areas of care (eg, receiving the right referrals, providing intervention). At the end of Round 1, 71 of the 74 statements were rated as appropriate, no statements were rated as inappropriate, and three statements were rated as uncertain. All 74 statements were then rated again in the face-to-face second round. 16 statements were added through splitting existing items or adding new statements. Seven statements were deleted leaving 83 statements. Agreement was reached for 82 of the final 83 statements. CONCLUSIONS: This national set of 82 best practice statements across eight care areas for the rehabilitation of people with aphasia is the first to be validated by an expert panel. These statements form a crucial component of the Australian Aphasia Rehabilitation Pathway (AARP) (http://www.aphasiapathway.com.au) and provide the basis for more consistent implementation of evidence-based practice in stroke rehabilitation.
R. Madan, J, S. Argade, N & Dua, K 2015, 'Formulation and Evaluation of Transdermal Patches of Donepezil', Recent Patents on Drug Delivery & Formulation, vol. 9, no. 1, pp. 95-103.
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Aims and Background: Donepezil (DNZ) is a centrally acting reversible acetyl cholinesterase inhibitor. The main therapeutic use of donepezil is in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. The present research work pertains to the preparation of transdermal patches of donepezil with the objective to improve its patient compliance, therapeutic efficacy and to reduce the frequency of dosing and side effects as well as to avoid its extensive first pass metabolism. The recent patents on Rivastigmine (WO2013150542A2), Xanomeline (US5980933A) and Propentofylline (CA2255580A1) helped in selecting the drug and polymers. Materials and Methods: The transdermal patches were prepared using various polymers in combination with the plasticizer and penetration enhancers. The physicochemical parameters like folding endurance, thickness, drug content, content uniformity, moisture absorption, weight variation, and drug permeation studies of the optimized patches were studied. Results: The system containing Eudragit S-100, Eudragit E-100 and HPMC as matrix forming agent and glycerine as plasticizer was the best formulation. The in vitro release data was treated with kinetic equations and it followed zero order release. The diffusion study was carried out using rat skin showed 89% drug was released within 72 hours. Tween-80 (0.83% w/w) was found to be the best among all penetration enhancers. All the transdermal patches had the desired physical properties like tensile strength, folding endurance, flatness and water vapor transmission rate etc. Conclusion: The study concluded that that transdermal patch can extend the release of donepezil for many hours and also ensure enhanced bioavailability, further it also helps in avoiding the first pass effect.
Roberts, TV, Lawless, M, Sutton, G & Hodge, C 2015, 'Anterior capsule integrity after femtosecond laser–assisted cataract surgery', Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery, vol. 41, no. 5, pp. 1109-1110.
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Rosenbaum, S, Tiedemann, A, Berle, D, Ward, PB & Zachary, S 2015, 'Exercise as a novel treatment option to address cardiometabolic dysfunction associated with PTSD', Metabolism, vol. 64, no. 5, pp. e5-e6.
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Saragiotto, BT, Yamato, TP & Maher, C 2015, 'Yoga for low back pain: PEDro systematic review update', British Journal of Sports Medicine, vol. 49, no. 20, pp. 1351-1351.
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Scarinci, N, Rose, T, Pee, J & Webb, K 2015, 'Impacts of an in-service education program on promoting language development in young children: A pilot study with early childhood educators', Child Language Teaching and Therapy, vol. 31, no. 1, pp. 37-51.
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Early childhood educators (ECEs) play an important role in fostering language development in young children. In-service education, led by speech-language pathologists (SLPs), has a potential role in educating ECEs about language development. In this pilot study, 42 ECEs attended an in-service education program and completed pre- and post-questionnaires to explore their perceptions of the impact of the in-service on their knowledge of child language development and language-promoting strategies and their confidence in this knowledge. To explore ECEs’ actual use of strategies, five ECEs also participated in pre- and post-video recordings of their interactions with children. ECEs’ knowledge of language development and language-promoting strategies increased post-program. Confidence in this knowledge and awareness of their roles also increased. Although not statistically significant, video recordings captured an overall increase in ECEs use of seven of the eleven rated language-promoting strategies. This pilot study has highlighted potential benefits of SLP-led education programs for ECEs, which is promising given the important role of ECEs in facilitating child language development.
Schulz, M, Meins, J, Diemert, S, Zagermann-Muncke, P, Goebel, R, Schrenk, D, Schubert-Zsilavecz, M & Abdel-Tawab, M 2015, 'Detection of pyrrolizidine alkaloids in German licensed herbal medicinal teas', Phytomedicine, vol. 22, no. 6, pp. 648-656.
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Sheshala, R, Kok, Y, Ng, J, Thakur, R & Dua, K 2015, 'In Situ Gelling Ophthalmic Drug Delivery System: An Overview and Its Applications', Recent Patents on Drug Delivery & Formulation, vol. 9, no. 3, pp. 242-253.
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Ophthalmic drug delivery system is very interesting and challenging due to the normal physiologically factor of eyes which reduces the bioavailability of ocular products. The development of new ophthalmic dosage forms for existing drugs to improve efficacy and bioavailability, patient compliance and convenience has become one of the main trend in the pharmaceuticals industry. The present review encompasses various conventional and novel ocular drug delivery systems, methods of preparation, characterization and recent research in this area. Furthermore, the information on various commercially available in situ gel preparations and the existing patents of in situ drug delivery systems i.e. in situ gel formation of pectin, in situ gel for therapeutic use, medical uses of in situ formed gels and in situ gelling systems as sustained delivery for front of eye are also covered in this review.
Sobral-Leite, M, Wesseling, J, Smit, VTHBM, Nevanlinna, H, van Miltenburg, MH, Sanders, J, Hofland, I, Blows, FM, Coulson, P, Patrycja, G, Schellens, JHM, Fagerholm, R, Heikkilä, P, Aittomäki, K, Blomqvist, C, Provenzano, E, Ali, HR, Figueroa, J, Sherman, M, Lissowska, J, Mannermaa, A, Kataja, V, Kosma, V-M, Hartikainen, JM, Phillips, K-A, Couch, FJ, Olson, JE, Vachon, C, Visscher, D, Brenner, H, Butterbach, K, Arndt, V, Holleczek, B, Hooning, MJ, Hollestelle, A, Martens, JWM, van Deurzen, CHM, van de Water, B, Broeks, A, Chang-Claude, J, Chenevix-Trench, G, Easton, DF, Pharoah, PDP, García-Closas, M, de Graauw, M & Schmidt, MK 2015, 'Annexin A1 expression in a pooled breast cancer series: association with tumor subtypes and prognosis', BMC Medicine, vol. 13, no. 1.
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Background: Annexin A1 (ANXA1) is a protein related with the carcinogenesis process and metastasis formation in many tumors. However, little is known about the prognostic value of ANXA1 in breast cancer. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the association between ANXA1 expression, BRCA1/2 germline carriership, specific tumor subtypes and survival in breast cancer patients. Methods: Clinical-pathological information and follow-up data were collected from nine breast cancer studies from the Breast Cancer Association Consortium (BCAC) (n = 5,752) and from one study of familial breast cancer patients with BRCA1/2 mutations (n = 107). ANXA1 expression was scored based on the percentage of immunohistochemical staining in tumor cells. Survival analyses were performed using a multivariable Cox model. Results: The frequency of ANXA1 positive tumors was higher in familial breast cancer patients with BRCA1/2 mutations than in BCAC patients, with 48.6% versus 12.4 %, respectively; P <0.0001. ANXA1 was also highly expressed in BCAC tumors that were poorly differentiated, triple negative, EGFR-CK5/6 positive or had developed in patients at a young age. In the first 5 years of follow-up, patients with ANXA1 positive tumors had a worse breast cancer-specific survival (BCSS) than ANXA1 negative (HRadj = 1.35; 95 % CI = 1.05-1.73), but the association weakened after 10 years (HRadj = 1.13; 95 % CI = 0.91-1.40). ANXA1 was a significant independent predictor of survival in HER2+ patients (10-years BCSS: HRadj = 1.70; 95 % CI = 1.17-2.45). Conclusions: ANXA1 is overexpressed in familial breast cancer patients with BRCA1/2 mutations and correlated with poor prognosis features: triple negative and poorly differentiated tumors. ANXA1 might be a biomarker candidate for breast cancer survival prediction in high risk groups such as HER2+ cases.
Soeberg, MJ, Rogers, K, Currow, DC & Young, JM 2015, 'Trends in incidence and survival for anal cancer in New South Wales, Australia, 1972–2009', Cancer Epidemiology, vol. 39, no. 6, pp. 842-847.
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INTRODUCTION: Little is known about the incidence and survival of anal cancer in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, as anal cancer cases are often grouped together with other colorectal cancers in descriptive epidemiological analyses. METHODS: We studied patterns and trends in the incidence and survival of people diagnosed with anal cancer in NSW, Australia, 1972-2009 (n=2724). We also predicted anal cancer incidence in NSW during 2010-2032. Given the human papilloma virus-associated aetiology for most anal cancers, we quantified these changes over time in incidence and survival by histological subtype: anal squamous cell carcinoma (ASCC); and anal adenocarcinoma (AAC). RESULTS: There was a linear increase in incident anal cancer cases in NSW with an average annual percentage change (AAPC) of 1.6 (95% CI 1.1-2.0) such that, in combination with age-period-cohort modelling, we predict there will be 198 cases of anal cancer in the 2032 calendar year (95% CI 169-236). Almost all of these anal cancer cases are projected to be ASCC (94%). Survival improved over time regardless of histological subtype. However, five-year relative survival was substantially higher for people with ASCC (70% (95% CI 66-74%)) compared to AAC (51% (95% CI 43-59%)), a 37% difference. Survival was also greater for women (69% (95% CI 64-73%)) with ASCC compared to men (55% (95% CI 50-60%)). It was not possible to estimate survival by stage at diagnosis particularly given that 8% of all cases were recorded as having distant stage and 22% had missing stage data. INTERPRETATION: Aetiological explanations, namely exposure to oncogenic types of human papillomavirus, along with demographic changes most likely explain the actual and projected increase in ASCC case numbers. Survival differences by gender and histological subtype point to areas where further research is warranted to improve treatment and outcomes for all anal cancer patients.
Stamatakis, E, Rogers, K, Ding, D, Berrigan, D, Chau, J, Hamer, M & Bauman, A 2015, 'All-cause mortality effects of replacing sedentary time with physical activity and sleeping using an isotemporal substitution model: a prospective study of 201,129 mid-aged and older adults', International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, vol. 12, no. 1.
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© 2015 Stamatakis et al. Background: Sedentary behaviour, sleeping, and physical activity are thought to be independently associated with health outcomes but it is unclear whether these associations are due to the direct physiological effects of each behaviour or because, across a finite 24-hour day, engagement in one behavior requires displacement of another. The aim of this study was to examine the replacement effects of sedentary behaviour (total sitting, television/computer screen time combined), sleeping, standing, walking, and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity on all-cause mortality using isotemporal substitution modelling. Methods: Longitudinal analysis (4.22±0 9years follow-up/849,369 person-years) of 201,129 participants of the 45 and Up study aged ≥45years from New South Wales, Australia. Results: Seven thousand four hundredandsixty deaths occurred over follow-up. There were beneficial associations for replacing total sitting time with standing (per-hour HR: 95 % CI: 0.95, 0.94-0.96), walking (0.86, 0.81-0.90), moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (0.88, 0.85-0.90), and sleeping in those sleeping≤7h/day (0.94, 0.90-0.98). Similar associations were noted for replacing screen time. Replacing one hour of walking or moderate-to-vigorous physical activity with any other activity class was associated with an increased mortality risk by 7-18%. Excluding deaths in the first 24months of the follow up and restricting analyses to those who were healthy at baseline did not materially change the above observations. Conclusion: Although replacing sedentary behaviour with walking and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity are associated with the lowest mortality risk, replacements with equal amounts of standing and sleeping (in low sleepers only) arealso linked to substantial mortality risk reductions.
Starcevic, V, Berle, D, Viswasam, K, Hannan, A, Milicevic, D, Brakoulias, V & Dale, E 2015, 'Specificity of the Relationships Between Dysphoria and Related Constructs in an Outpatient Sample', Psychiatric Quarterly, vol. 86, no. 4, pp. 459-469.
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Starcevic, V, Brakoulias, V, Viswasam, K & Berle, D 2015, 'Inconsistent Portrayal of Medication Dependence, Withdrawal and Discontinuation Symptoms in Treatment Guidelines for Anxiety Disorders', Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, vol. 84, no. 6, pp. 379-380.
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Thoomes-de Graaf, M, Scholten-Peeters, GGM, Duijn, E, Karel, Y, Koes, BW & Verhagen, AP 2015, 'The Dutch Shoulder Pain and Disability Index (SPADI): a reliability and validation study', Quality of Life Research, vol. 24, no. 6, pp. 1515-1519.
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Titov, N, Dear, BF, Staples, LG, Terides, MD, Karin, E, Sheehan, J, Johnston, L, Gandy, M, Fogliati, VJ, Wootton, BM & McEvoy, PM 2015, 'Disorder-specific versus transdiagnostic and clinician-guided versus self-guided treatment for major depressive disorder and comorbid anxiety disorders: A randomized controlled trial', JOURNAL OF ANXIETY DISORDERS, vol. 35, pp. 88-102.
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Trotta, V, Lee, W-H, Loo, C-Y, Haghi, M, Young, PM, Scalia, S & Traini, D 2015, 'In vitro biological activity of resveratrol using a novel inhalable resveratrol spray-dried formulation', INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PHARMACEUTICS, vol. 491, no. 1-2, pp. 190-197.
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© 2015 Elsevier B.V. Abstract The aim of the study was to prepare inhalable resveratrol by spray drying for the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Resveratrol, with a spherical morphology and particle diameter less than 5 μm, was successfully manufactured. Fine particle fraction (FPF) and mass median aerodynamic diameter (MMAD) of spray-dried resveratrol was 39.9 ± 1.1% and 3.7 ± 0.1 μm, respectively, when assessed with an Andersen cascade impactor (ACI) at 60 l/min. The cytotoxicity results of resveratrol on Calu-3 revealed that the cells could tolerate high concentration of resveratrol (up to 160 μM). In addition, in transport experiments using Snapwells, it was observed that more than 80% of the deposited dry powder was transported across the Calu-3 cells to the basal chamber within four hours. The expression of interleukin-8 (IL-8) from Calu-3 induced with tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β1) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) were significantly reduced after treatment with spray-dried resveratrol. The antioxidant assay (radical scavenging activity and nitric oxide production) showed spray-dried resveratrol to possess an equivalent antioxidant property as compared to vitamin C. Results presented in this investigation suggested that resveratrol could potentially be developed as a dry powder for inhalation for the treatment of inflammatory lung diseases like COPD.
Turbitt, E & Freed, GL 2015, 'Use of a telenursing triage service by Victorian parents attending the emergency department for their child's lower urgency condition', Emergency Medicine Australasia, vol. 27, no. 6, pp. 558-562.
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AbstractObjectiveThe Victorian Nurse‐On‐Call (NOC) service has been in use for over 8 years, though little research has been conducted investigating the service. The present study aimed to explore whether parents in Victoria presenting with their child to the ED for lower urgency conditions use the NOC before ED arrival and whether the advice given impacts their decision to attend the ED.MethodsA survey study of 1150 parents attending one of four EDs in Victoria, Australia for their child's lower urgency condition.ResultsFew parents (20%) contacted the service before attending. Of those who did contact the service, 70% were instructed to attend the ED. Parents reported that they did not contact the service due to lack of awareness (16%) and because they perceive the service to not be helpful (53%).ConclusionsThe findings of our study show that use and awareness of NOC is low in parents attending the ED for thei...
Turbitt, E, Halliday, JL, Amor, DJ & Metcalfe, SA 2015, 'Preferences for results from genomic microarrays: comparing parents and health care providers', Clinical Genetics, vol. 87, no. 1, pp. 21-29.
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Chromosomal microarray (CMA) testing is now performed frequently in paediatric care. Although CMAs improve diagnostic yields, they increase detection of variants of unknown and uncertain clinical significance (VUS). Understanding parents', paediatricians' and genetic health professionals' (GHPs) views regarding variant disclosure may reduce the potential for communication of unwanted information. A questionnaire was designed to compare disclosure preferences of these three groups in Australia. One hundred and forty‐seven parents, 159 paediatricians and 69 GHPs hold similar views with at least 89% of respondents certainly or probably favouring disclosure of all categories of variants. However, some differences were observed between health care providers (HCPs: paediatricians and GHPs) and parents, who were less sure of their disclosure preferences. There was consensus among respondent groups that knowledge of a variant of certain clinical significance would provide more practical and emotional utility compared to VUS. Compared to HCPs, parents placed more emphasis on using knowledge of a VUS when considering future pregnancies (p < 0.001). This study may help HCPs anticipate parents' preferences for genomic testing. As whole exome/genome sequencing is integrated into clinica...
Verhagen, AP, Bierma-Zeinstra, SM, Boers, M, Cardoso, JR, Lambeck, J, De Bie, R & De Vet, HC 2015, 'Balneotherapy (or spa therapy) for rheumatoid arthritis. An abridged version of Cochrane Systematic Review.', Eur J Phys Rehabil Med, vol. 51, no. 6, pp. 833-847.
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BACKGROUND: Treatment options for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) include pharmacological interventions, physical therapy treatments and balneotherapy. AIM: To evaluate the benefits and harms of balneotherapy in patients with RA. DESIGN: A systematic review. POPULATION: Studies were eligible if they were randomised controlled trials consisting of participants with definitive or classical RA. METHODS: We searched various databases up to December 2014. Balneotherapy had to be the intervention under study, and had to be compared with another intervention or with no intervention. We considered pain, improvement, disability, tender joints, swollen joints and adverse events among the main outcome measures. We excluded studies when only laboratory variables were reported as outcome measures. Two review authors independently selected trials, performed data extraction and assessed risk of bias. RESULTS: This review includes nine studies involving 579 participants. Most studies showed an unclear risk of bias in most domains. We found no statistically significant differences on pain or improvement between mudpacks versus placebo (1 study; N.=45; hand RA; very low level of evidence). As for the effectiveness of additional radon in carbon dioxide baths, we found no statistically significant differences between groups for all outcomes at three-month follow-up (2 studies; N.=194; low to moderate level of evidence). We noted some benefit of additional radon at six months in pain (moderate level of evidence). One study (N.=148) compared balneotherapy (seated immersion) versus hydrotherapy (exercises in water), land exercises or relaxation therapy. We found no statistically significant differences in pain or in physical disability (very low level of evidence) between groups. We found no statistically significant differences in pain intensity at eight weeks, but some benefit of mineral baths in overall improvement at eight weeks compared to Cyclosporin A (1 study; N.=57; low le...
Verhagen, AP, Bierma-Zeinstra, SMA, Boers, M, Cardoso, JR, Lambeck, J, de Bie, R & de Vet, HCW 2015, 'Balneotherapy (or spa therapy) for rheumatoid arthritis', Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, vol. 2017, no. 7.
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Verwoerd, AJH, Luijsterburg, PAJ, Koes, BW, el Barzouhi, A & Verhagen, AP 2015, 'Does Kinesiophobia Modify the Effects of Physical Therapy on Outcomes in Patients With Sciatica in Primary Care? Subgroup Analysis From a Randomized Controlled Trial', Physical Therapy, vol. 95, no. 9, pp. 1217-1223.
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BackgroundA higher level of kinesiophobia appears to be associated with poor recovery in patients with sciatica.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to investigate whether kinesiophobia modifies the effect of physical therapy on outcomes in patients with sciatica.DesignThis was a subgroup analysis from a randomized controlled trial.SettingThe study was conducted in a primary care setting.PatientsA total of 135 patients with acute sciatica participated.InterventionPatients were randomly assigned to groups that received (1) physical therapy plus general practitioners' care (intervention group) or (2) general practitioners' care alone (control group).MeasurementsKinesiophobia at baseline was measured with the Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia (TSK) and a single substitute question for kinesiophobia (SQK). Pain and recovery were assessed at 3- and 12-month follow-ups. Regression analysis was used to test for interaction between the level of kinesiophobia at baseline and treatment allocation. Subgroup results were calculated for patients classified with high fear of movement and for those classified with low fear of movement.ResultsKinesiophobia at baseline interacted with physical therapy in the analysis with leg pain intensity at 12-month follow-up. Kinesiophobia at baseline did not interact with physical therapy regarding any outcome at 3-month follow-up or recovery at 12-month follow-up. When comparing both treatment groups in the subgroup of patients with high fear of movement (n=73),...
Vogel, AP, Block, S, Kefalianos, E, Onslow, M, Eadie, P, Barth, B, Conway, L, Mundt, JC & Reilly, S 2015, 'Feasibility of automated speech sample collection with stuttering children using interactive voice response (IVR) technology', International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, vol. 17, no. 2, pp. 115-120.
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© 2014 The Speech Pathology Association of Australia Limited. Purpose: To investigate the feasibility of adopting automated interactive voice response (IVR) technology for remotely capturing standardized speech samples from stuttering children. Method: Participants were 10 6-year-old stuttering children. Their parents called a toll-free number from their homes and were prompted to elicit speech from their children using a standard protocol involving conversation, picture description and games. The automated IVR system was implemented using an off-the-shelf telephony software program and delivered by a standard desktop computer. The software infrastructure utilizes voice over internet protocol. Speech samples were automatically recorded during the calls. Video recordings were simultaneously acquired in the home at the time of the call to evaluate the fidelity of the telephone collected samples. Key outcome measures included syllables spoken, percentage of syllables stuttered and an overall rating of stuttering severity using a 10-point scale. Result: Data revealed a high level of relative reliability in terms of intra-class correlation between the video and telephone acquired samples on all outcome measures during the conversation task. Findings were less consistent for speech samples during picture description and games. Conclusion: Results suggest that IVR technology can be used successfully to automate remote capture of child speech samples.
Wardle, S, Ritchie, JB, Seymour, K & Carlson, T 2015, 'What information is 'decoded' from stimulus orientation with fMRI and MVPA?', Journal of Vision, vol. 15, no. 12, pp. 993-993.
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Werth, BL, Williams, KA & Pont, LG 2015, 'A longitudinal study of constipation and laxative use in a community-dwelling elderly population', Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, vol. 60, no. 3, pp. 418-424.
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Background: Little is known about laxative use, the association of constipation with laxative use, risk factors for constipation and how each of these changes over time in the community-dwelling elderly. Objective: The aim was to explore the prevalence of laxative use and of self-reported constipation, and identify risk factors (including age) associated with constipation, in a cohort of community-dwelling elderly residents. Methods: Data from the Australian Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ALSA) was used to compare differences in constipation and laxative use in the community-dwelling elderly between 1992-1993 and 2003-2004. Results: Relevant data was available for 239 ALSA participants. The prevalence of self-reported constipation increased from 14% in 1992-1993 to 21% in 2003-2004. There was a corresponding increase in the prevalence of laxative use from 6% to 15% over the same period. At both time points, females reported a higher prevalence of both constipation and laxative use however the female:male prevalence ratios decreased over time indicating higher increases in the prevalence of each among males. Persistent chronic constipation occurred in 9% of the cohort. The association between laxative use and self-reported constipation was poor and laxative use was associated with self-reported constipation in less than a third of cases. Conclusion: The prevalence of both constipation and laxative use increases with age in the elderly, and these increases are greater for males than for females. Discrepancies between self-reported constipation and laxative use may suggest sub-optimal management of constipation in the community-dwelling elderly and further work is needed to fully understand this.
Winser, SJ, Smith, CM, Hale, LA, Claydon, LS, Whitney, SL & Mehta, P 2015, 'COSMIN for quality rating systematic reviews on psychometric properties', Physical Therapy Reviews, vol. 20, no. 2, pp. 132-134.
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© 2015, © W. S. Maney & Son Ltd 2015. This commentary reports on the application and our views on the advantages, disadvantages and recommendations on the use of the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments (COSMIN), a quality rating tool for systematic reviews on psychometric properties.
Winser, SJ, Smith, CM, Hale, LA, Claydon, LS, Whitney, SL & Mehta, P 2015, 'Systematic review of the psychometric properties of balance measures for cerebellar ataxia', Clinical Rehabilitation, vol. 29, no. 1, pp. 69-79.
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Objective: To review systematically the psychometric properties of balance measures for use in people with cerebellar ataxia. Data sources: Medline, AMED, CINAHL, Web of Science and EMBASE were searched between 1946 and April 2014. Review methods: Two reviewers independently searched data sources. Cerebellar-specific and generic measures of balance were considered. Included studies tested psychometric properties of balance measures in people with cerebellar ataxia of any cause. Quality of reported studies was rated using the Consensus Based Standards for the selection of health status Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) checklist. Results: Twenty-one articles across which 16 measures had been tested were included for review. Using the COSMIN, quality of methodology in studies investigating psychometric properties of generic balance measures ( n=10) was rated predominantly as ‘poor’. Furthermore, responsiveness has not been tested for any generic measures in this population. The quality of studies investigating psychometric properties of balance sub-components of the cerebellar-specific measures ( n=6) ranged from ‘poor’ to ‘excellent’; however, Minimally Clinically Important Difference has not been determined for these cerebellar-specific measures. Conclusion: The Posture and Gait (PG) sub-component of the International Cooperative Ataxia Rating Scale (ICARS) demonstrates the most robust psychometric properties with acceptable clinical utility.
Wootton, BM, Bragdon, LB, Steinman, SA & Tolin, DF 2015, 'Three-year outcomes of adults with anxiety and related disorders following cognitive-behavioral therapy in a non-research clinical setting', Journal of Anxiety Disorders, vol. 31, pp. 28-31.
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Wootton, BM, Dear, BF, Johnston, L, Terides, MD & Titov, N 2015, 'Self-guided internet-delivered cognitive behavior therapy (iCBT) for obsessive–compulsive disorder: 12 month follow-up', Internet Interventions, vol. 2, no. 3, pp. 243-247.
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© 2015 . Internet-delivered cognitive behavior therapy (iCBT) may reduce barriers to treatment faced by people with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). To date, most research on iCBT for OCD has evaluated clinician-guided treatments. However, self-guided treatments, which do not involve contact with a clinician, have considerable public health potential and may be particularly advantageous for those patients who report stigma as a principal barrier to treatment. The findings of a recent trial of self-guided iCBT for symptoms of OCD highlighted the potential of this approach and found large within-group effect sizes from pre- to post-treatment on the YBOCS-SR (d= 1.37), sustained at 3-month follow-up (d= 1.17). In addition, 32% of participants met criteria for clinically significant change at 3-month follow-up. The present study reports the long-term outcomes of that trial (N= 28). Twelve out of 28 participants (43%) completed the 12. month follow-up. A large within-group effect size was found on the YBOCS-SR (d= 1.08) and 33% met criteria for clinically significant change at 12-month follow-up. No significant changes in symptoms were found between 3-month follow-up and 12-month follow-up, demonstrating that participants maintained their treatment gains in the long term. These results add to the emerging literature supporting the potential of self-guided iCBT for individuals with symptoms of OCD.
Wootton, BM, Diefenbach, GJ, Bragdon, LB, Steketee, G, Frost, RO & Tolin, DF 2015, 'A contemporary psychometric evaluation of the Obsessive Compulsive Inventory—Revised (OCI-R).', Psychological Assessment, vol. 27, no. 3, pp. 874-882.
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Yamato, TP, Maher, C, Saragiotto, B, Hoffman, T & Moseley, A 2015, 'How completely are physiotherapy interventions described in randomised trials? A pilot study', Physiotherapy, vol. 101, pp. e1679-e1680.
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Yamato, TP, Saragiotto, BT & Lopes, AD 2015, 'A Consensus Definition of Running-Related Injury in Recreational Runners: A Modified Delphi Approach', Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy, vol. 45, no. 5, pp. 375-380.
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Yamato, TP, Saragiotto, BT & Maher, C 2015, 'Therapeutic exercise for chronic non-specific neck pain: PEDro systematic review update', British Journal of Sports Medicine, vol. 49, no. 20, pp. 1350-1350.
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Yamato, TP, Saragiotto, BT, Hespanhol Junior, LC, Yeung, SS & Lopes, AD 2015, 'Descriptors Used to Define Running-Related Musculoskeletal Injury: A Systematic Review', Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy, vol. 45, no. 5, pp. 366-374.
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You, J, Wen, L, Roufas, A, Hodge, C, Sutton, G & Madigan, MC 2015, 'Expression of HGF and c-Met Proteins in Human Keratoconus Corneas', Journal of Ophthalmology, vol. 2015, pp. 1-8.
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Keratoconus (KC) is a progressive degenerative inflammatory-related disease of the human cornea leading to decreased visual function. The pathogenesis of KC remains to be understood. Recent genetic studies indicate that gene variants of an inflammation-related molecule, hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), are associated with an increased susceptibility for developing KC. However HGF protein expression in KC has not been explored. In this initial study, we investigated late-stage KC and control corneas for the expression of HGF and its receptor mesenchymal-epithelial transition factor (c-Met/Met). KC buttons (~8 mm diameter) (n=10) and whole control corneas (n=6) were fixed in 10% formalin or 2% paraformaldehyde, paraffin embedded and sectioned. Sections were immunolabelled with HGF and c-Met antibodies, visualised using immunofluorescence, and examined with scanning laser confocal microscopy. Semiquantitative grading was used to compare HGF and c-Met immunostaining in KC and control corneas. Overall, KC corneas showed increased HGF and c-Met immunostaining compared to controls. KC corneal epithelium displayed heterogeneous moderate-to-strong immunoreactivity for HGF and c-Met, particularly in the basal epithelium adjacent to the cone area. Taken together with the recent genetic studies, our results further support a possible role for HGF/c-Met in the pathogenesis of KC.
Zhu, B, Haghi, M, Goud, M, Young, PM & Traini, D 2015, 'The formulation of a pressurized metered dose inhaler containing theophylline for inhalation', EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCES, vol. 76, pp. 68-72.
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© 2015 Elsevier B.V.All rights reserved. Background Theophylline (TP) is a bronchodilator used orally to treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) that has been associated with multiple side effects, tempering its present use. This study aims to improve COPD treatment by creating a low-dose pressurized metered dose inhaler (pMDI) inhalable formulation of TP. Methods Aerosol performance was assessed using Andersen Cascade Impaction (ACI). Solubility of TP in HFA 134/ethanol mixture was measured and morphology of the particles analyzed with a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Calu-3 cell viability, epithelial cell transport and inflammatory-response assays were conducted to study the impact of the formulation on lung epithelial cells. Results The mass deposition profile of the formulation showed an emitted dose of 250.04 ± 14.48 μg per 5 actuations, achieving the designed nominal dose (50 μg/dose). SEM showed that the emitted particles were hollow with spherical morphology. Approximately 98% of TP was transported across Calu-3 epithelial cells and the concentration of interleukin-8 secreted from Calu-3 cells following stimulation with tissue necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) resulted in significantly lower level of interleukin-8 released from the cells pre-treated with TP (1.92 ± 0.77 ng·ml-1 TP treated vs. 8.83 ± 2.05 ng·ml-1 TNF-α stimulated, respectively). Conclusions The solution pMDI formulation of TP developed in present study was shown to be suitable for inhalation and demonstrated anti-inflammatory effects at low doses in Calu-3 cell model.
Zhu, B, Haghi, M, Nguyen, A, Goud, M, Yeung, S, Young, PM & Traini, D 2015, 'Delivery of theophylline as dry powder for inhalation', Asian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, vol. 10, no. 6, pp. 520-527.
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© 2015 The Authors. Theophylline (TP) is a very well established orally or intravenously delivered antiasthma drug with many beneficial effects. This study aims to improve asthma treatment by creating a dry powder inhalable (DPI) formulation of TP to be delivered directly to the lung, avoiding the side effects associated with conventional oral delivery. The DPI TP formulation was investigated for its physico-chemical characteristics using scanning electron microscopy, laser diffraction, thermal analysis and dynamic vapour sorption. Furthermore, aerosol performance was assessed using the Multi Stage Liquid Impinger (MSLI). In addition, a Calu-3 cell transport assay was conducted in vitro using a modified ACI to study the impact of the DPI formulation on lung epithelial cells. Results showed DPI TP to be physico-chemically stable and of an aerodynamic size suitable for lung delivery. The aerosolisation performance analysis showed the TP DPI formulation to have a fine particle fraction of 29.70 ± 2.59% (P < 0.05) for the TP formulation containing 1.0% (w/w) sodium stearate, the most efficient for aerosolisation. Regarding the deposition of TP DPI on Calu-3 cells using the modified ACI, results demonstrated that 56.14 ± 7.62% of the total TP deposited (13.07 ± 1.69 μg) was transported across the Calu-3 monolayer over 180 min following deposition, while 37.05 ± 12.62% of the deposited TP was retained in the cells. This could be due to the presence of sodium stearate in the current formulation that increased its lipophilicity. A DPI formulation of TP was developed that was shown to be suitable for inhalation.