Is sports safety policy being translated into practice: What can be learnt from the Australian Rugby Union Mayday procedure?
- Poulos, Roslyn, Donaldson, Alex
- Authors: Poulos, Roslyn , Donaldson, Alex
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: British Journal of Sports Medicine Vol. 46, no. 8 (2012), p. 585-590
- Full Text:
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- Description: Description: Aim To investigate the level of translation of the Australian Rugby Union “Mayday” safety procedure into practice among community rugby union coaches in New South Wales (Australia). Methods All registered coaches of senior community rugby union teams in five zones/associations in the north eastern region of the state were invited to complete a short online questionnaire at the end of the 2010 rugby season. The questionnaire was designed around the five RE-AIM dimensions and assessed: Reach, perceived Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance of the Mayday procedure. Results Seventy (39%) coaches participated. There was a high level of awareness of the Mayday procedure, and most coaches believed it was effective in preventing injuries. The majority reported training their players in the procedure, although training was generally infrequent. Coaches were confident that their own players could implement the procedure appropriately if required to do so, but less confident that other teams or referees could do so. Barriers to providing training included: not enough players at training; players not taking training seriously; and technical difficulties (e.g. verbalisation of instructions for physical tasks). Conclusion The findings suggest that the translation of the Mayday ‘policy’ could be improved by building individual coach, and club or zone organisational capacity by: ensuring coaches have the resources and skills in ‘how’ to train their players to complement their existing knowledge on ‘what’ to train them; setting expectations that encourage coaches to provide regular training for players; and regular monitoring of player competency to perform the procedure appropriately.
- Authors: Poulos, Roslyn , Donaldson, Alex
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: British Journal of Sports Medicine Vol. 46, no. 8 (2012), p. 585-590
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Description: Aim To investigate the level of translation of the Australian Rugby Union “Mayday” safety procedure into practice among community rugby union coaches in New South Wales (Australia). Methods All registered coaches of senior community rugby union teams in five zones/associations in the north eastern region of the state were invited to complete a short online questionnaire at the end of the 2010 rugby season. The questionnaire was designed around the five RE-AIM dimensions and assessed: Reach, perceived Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance of the Mayday procedure. Results Seventy (39%) coaches participated. There was a high level of awareness of the Mayday procedure, and most coaches believed it was effective in preventing injuries. The majority reported training their players in the procedure, although training was generally infrequent. Coaches were confident that their own players could implement the procedure appropriately if required to do so, but less confident that other teams or referees could do so. Barriers to providing training included: not enough players at training; players not taking training seriously; and technical difficulties (e.g. verbalisation of instructions for physical tasks). Conclusion The findings suggest that the translation of the Mayday ‘policy’ could be improved by building individual coach, and club or zone organisational capacity by: ensuring coaches have the resources and skills in ‘how’ to train their players to complement their existing knowledge on ‘what’ to train them; setting expectations that encourage coaches to provide regular training for players; and regular monitoring of player competency to perform the procedure appropriately.
- Toohey, Liam, Drew, Michael, Cook, Jill, Finch, Caroline, Gaida, Jamie
- Authors: Toohey, Liam , Drew, Michael , Cook, Jill , Finch, Caroline , Gaida, Jamie
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Journal article , Review
- Relation: British Journal of Sports Medicine Vol. 51, no. 23 (2017), p. 1670-1678
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Background Previous injury is a strong risk factor for recurrent lower limb injury in athletic populations, yet the association between previous injury and a subsequent injury different in nature or location is rarely considered. Objective To systematically review data on the risk of sustaining a subsequent lower limb injury different in nature or location following a previous injury. Methods Eight medical databases were searched. Studies were eligible if they reported lower limb injury occurrence following any injury of a different anatomical site and/or of a different nature, assessed injury risk, contained athletic human participants and were written in English. Two reviewers independently applied the eligibility criteria and performed the risk of bias assessment. Meta-analysis was conducted using a random effects model. Results Twelve studies satisfied the eligibility criteria. Previous history of an ACL injury was associated with an increased risk of subsequent hamstring injury (three studies, RR=2.25, 95% CI 1.34 to 3.76), but a history of chronic groin injury was not associated with subsequent hamstring injury (three studies, RR=1.14, 95% CI 0.29 to 4.51). Previous lower limb muscular injury was associated with an increased risk of sustaining a lower limb muscular injury at a different site. A history of concussion and a variety of joint injuries were associated with an increased subsequent lower limb injury risk. Conclusions The fact that previous injury of any type may increase the risk for a range of lower limb subsequent injuries must be considered in the development of future tertiary prevention programmes. Systematic review registration number CRD42016039904 (PROSPERO). © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.
- Tovo-Rodrigues, Luciana, Rohde, Luis, Roman, Tatiana, Schmitz, Marcelo, Polanczyk, Guilherme, Zeni, Cristian, Marques, Francine, Contini, Veronica, Grevet, Eugenio, Belmonte-De-Abreu, Paulo, Bau, Claiton, Hutz, Mara
- Authors: Tovo-Rodrigues, Luciana , Rohde, Luis , Roman, Tatiana , Schmitz, Marcelo , Polanczyk, Guilherme , Zeni, Cristian , Marques, Francine , Contini, Veronica , Grevet, Eugenio , Belmonte-De-Abreu, Paulo , Bau, Claiton , Hutz, Mara
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Molecular Psychiatry Vol. 17, no. 5 (May 2012), p. 520-526
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Although several studies have demonstrated an association between the 7-repeat (7R) allele in the 48-bp variable number of tandem repeats (VNTRs) in the exon 3 at dopamine receptor D4 (DRD4) gene and attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), others failed to replicate this finding. In this study, a total of 786 individuals with ADHD were genotyped for DRD4 exon 3 VNTR. All 7R homozygous subjects were selected for VNTR re-sequencing. Subjects homozygous for the 4R allele were selected paired by age, ancestry and disorder subtypes in order to have a sample as homogeneous as possible with 7R/7R individuals. Using these criteria, 103 individuals (66 with ADHD and 37 control individuals) were further investigated. An excess of rare variants were observed in the 7R alleles of ADHD patient when compared with controls (P = 0.031). This difference was not observed in 4R allele. Furthermore, nucleotide changes that predict synonymous and non-synonymous substitutions were more common in the 7R sample (P = 0.008 for total substitutions and P = 0.043 for non-synonymous substitutions). In silico prediction of structural/functional alterations caused by these variants have also been observed. Our findings suggest that not only repeat length but also DNA sequence should be assessed to better understand the role of DRD4 exon 3 VNTR in ADHD genetic susceptibility.
- Description: C1
- Kas, Monalisa, Horwood, Paul, Laman, Moses, Manning, Laurens, Atua, Vincent, Siba, Peter, Greenhill, Andrew
- Authors: Kas, Monalisa , Horwood, Paul , Laman, Moses , Manning, Laurens , Atua, Vincent , Siba, Peter , Greenhill, Andrew
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Papua and New Guinea medical journal Vol. 56, no. 3-4 (2013), p. 110-115
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: When cholera was first detected in Papua New Guinea (PNG) in mid-2009, national diagnostic capacity faced many challenges. This was in part due to the non-endemic status of the outbreak, resulting in few local staff experienced in Vibrio cholerae detection and poor access to the required consumables. The PNG Institute of Medical Research conducted culture on specimens from suspected cholera patients in Madang Province, with presumptive V. cholerae isolates sent to Goroka for confirmation. Of 98 samples analysed 15 were culture positive, with V. cholerae detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in an additional 3 samples. Further analyses were conducted to identify other pathogenic bacteria from thiosulphate citrate bile salt sucrose (TCBS) agar. Molecular-based assays detected enteropathogenic (n = 1) and enterotoxigenic (n = 1) strains of Escherichia coli. No other major enteric pathogens were detected. The low detection rate of V. cholerae at the provincial level reflects challenges in the laboratory diagnosis of cholera and in-country challenges in responding to an outbreak of a non-endemic disease, such as lack of in-country diagnostic expertise and available consumables in the early stages. It also suggests that full aetiological investigations are warranted in future outbreaks of acute watery diarrhoea in PNG to fully elucidate the potentially complex aetiology, which could in turn guide diagnostic, treatment and prevention measures.
It will take more than an existing exercise programme to prevent injury
- O'Brien, James, Donaldson, Alex, Finch, Caroline
- Authors: O'Brien, James , Donaldson, Alex , Finch, Caroline
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article , Editorial
- Relation: British Journal of Sports Medicine Vol. 50, no. 5 (Mar 2016), p. 264-265
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/1058737
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: In 1983, Ekstrand et al published the first randomised controlled trial (RCT) of an injury prevention programme for team ball sport. Three decades on from this landmark study, it is worth reflecting on the progress made and the current ‘state-of-play’ in the field of team ball sport injury prevention research. The volume of published research has grown considerably with a recent systematic review of team ball sport injury prevention exercise programmes (IPEPs) identifying over 50 published trials. The scale, quality and outcomes of recent RCTs are also encouraging with a Swedish trial including over 4500 female soccer players and demonstrating a 64% reduction in the rate of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries.
Knowledge about sports-related concussion: is the message getting through to coaches and trainers?
- White, Peta, Newton, Joshua, Makdissi, Michael, Sullivan, John, Davis, Gavin, McCrory, Paul, Donaldson, Alex, Ewing, Michael, Finch, Caroline
- Authors: White, Peta , Newton, Joshua , Makdissi, Michael , Sullivan, John , Davis, Gavin , McCrory, Paul , Donaldson, Alex , Ewing, Michael , Finch, Caroline
- Date: 2014
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: British Journal of Sports Medicine Vol. 48, no. 2 (2014), p. 119-124
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/565900
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Aim: The need for accurate diagnosis and appropriate return-to-play decisions following a concussion in sports has prompted the dissemination of guidelines to assist managing this condition. This study aimed to assess whether key messages within these guidelines are reflected in the knowledge of coaches and sports trainers involved in community sport. Methods: An online knowledge survey was widely promoted across Australia in May–August 2012 targeting community Australian Football (AF) and Rugby League (RL) coaches and sports trainers. 260 AF coaches, 161 AF sports trainers, 267 RL coaches and 228 RL sports trainers completed the survey. Knowledge scores were constructed from Likert scales and compared across football codes and respondent groups. Results: General concussion knowledge did not differ across codes but sports trainers had higher levels than did coaches. There were no significant differences in either concussion symptoms or concussion management knowledge across codes or team roles. Over 90% of respondents correctly identified five of the eight key signs or symptoms of concussion. Fewer than 50% recognised the increased risk of another concussion following an initial concussion. Most incorrectly believed or were uncertain that scans typically show damage to the brain after a concussion occurs. Fewer than 25% recognised, and >40% were uncertain that younger players typically take longer to recover from concussion than adults. Conclusions: The key messages from published concussion management guidelines have not reached community sports coaches and sports trainers. This needs to be redressed to maximise the safety of all of those involved in community sport.
- Authors: White, Peta , Newton, Joshua , Makdissi, Michael , Sullivan, John , Davis, Gavin , McCrory, Paul , Donaldson, Alex , Ewing, Michael , Finch, Caroline
- Date: 2014
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: British Journal of Sports Medicine Vol. 48, no. 2 (2014), p. 119-124
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/565900
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Aim: The need for accurate diagnosis and appropriate return-to-play decisions following a concussion in sports has prompted the dissemination of guidelines to assist managing this condition. This study aimed to assess whether key messages within these guidelines are reflected in the knowledge of coaches and sports trainers involved in community sport. Methods: An online knowledge survey was widely promoted across Australia in May–August 2012 targeting community Australian Football (AF) and Rugby League (RL) coaches and sports trainers. 260 AF coaches, 161 AF sports trainers, 267 RL coaches and 228 RL sports trainers completed the survey. Knowledge scores were constructed from Likert scales and compared across football codes and respondent groups. Results: General concussion knowledge did not differ across codes but sports trainers had higher levels than did coaches. There were no significant differences in either concussion symptoms or concussion management knowledge across codes or team roles. Over 90% of respondents correctly identified five of the eight key signs or symptoms of concussion. Fewer than 50% recognised the increased risk of another concussion following an initial concussion. Most incorrectly believed or were uncertain that scans typically show damage to the brain after a concussion occurs. Fewer than 25% recognised, and >40% were uncertain that younger players typically take longer to recover from concussion than adults. Conclusions: The key messages from published concussion management guidelines have not reached community sports coaches and sports trainers. This needs to be redressed to maximise the safety of all of those involved in community sport.
Knowledge and awareness of diabetes mellitus and its risk factors in Saudi Arabia
- Alanazi, Faisal, Alotaibi, Jazi, Paliadelis, Penny, Alqarawi, Nada, Alsharari, Abdaldarem, Albagawi, Bander
- Authors: Alanazi, Faisal , Alotaibi, Jazi , Paliadelis, Penny , Alqarawi, Nada , Alsharari, Abdaldarem , Albagawi, Bander
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Journal article , Review
- Relation: Saudi Medical Journal Vol. 39, no. 10 (2018), p. 981-989
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- Description: Objectives: To summarize available peer-reviewed publications about public knowledge and awareness of diabetes mellitus (DM) among the population of Saudi Arabia. Methods: We followed the standard reporting guidelines outlined in the PRISMA statement for the preparation of this systematic review. In February 2018 we conducted literature searches of PubMed, Scopus, BIOSIS Citation Index, and Web of Science using the following keywords: “Knowledge” OR “Awareness” AND “Diabetes Mellitus” AND “Saudi Arabia.” Records were screened, and relevant studies were selected and synthesized narratively. Results: Nineteen articles are included in our systematic review. These studies included the following populations: DM patients (n=13), healthcare workers (n=3), medical students (n=1), secondary school students (n=1), and general population (n=1). Most studies found a lack of public awareness of the risk factors and complications of DM. Among medical students and healthcare workers, knowledge about the epidemiology of the disease and angle of insulin injection was deficient. Conclusion: This review highlights the need for increased knowledge and awareness of DM among the Saudi population. The means of improving knowledge and awareness of DM needs to be integrated into existing healthcare systems and processes to better inform patients, families, and communities about this chronic disease.
- Authors: Alanazi, Faisal , Alotaibi, Jazi , Paliadelis, Penny , Alqarawi, Nada , Alsharari, Abdaldarem , Albagawi, Bander
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Journal article , Review
- Relation: Saudi Medical Journal Vol. 39, no. 10 (2018), p. 981-989
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Objectives: To summarize available peer-reviewed publications about public knowledge and awareness of diabetes mellitus (DM) among the population of Saudi Arabia. Methods: We followed the standard reporting guidelines outlined in the PRISMA statement for the preparation of this systematic review. In February 2018 we conducted literature searches of PubMed, Scopus, BIOSIS Citation Index, and Web of Science using the following keywords: “Knowledge” OR “Awareness” AND “Diabetes Mellitus” AND “Saudi Arabia.” Records were screened, and relevant studies were selected and synthesized narratively. Results: Nineteen articles are included in our systematic review. These studies included the following populations: DM patients (n=13), healthcare workers (n=3), medical students (n=1), secondary school students (n=1), and general population (n=1). Most studies found a lack of public awareness of the risk factors and complications of DM. Among medical students and healthcare workers, knowledge about the epidemiology of the disease and angle of insulin injection was deficient. Conclusion: This review highlights the need for increased knowledge and awareness of DM among the Saudi population. The means of improving knowledge and awareness of DM needs to be integrated into existing healthcare systems and processes to better inform patients, families, and communities about this chronic disease.
- Petrass, Lauren, Blitvich, Jennifer, Finch, Caroline
- Authors: Petrass, Lauren , Blitvich, Jennifer , Finch, Caroline
- Date: 2011
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Medical Journal of Australia Vol. 194, no. 5 (2011), p. 228-231
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/565900
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/565904
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Objectives: To establish how frequently supervision was explicitly identified as a factor in coroner-certified unintentional drowning deaths of children in Australia, and to determine the percentage of cases where failure of supervision may have been a contributing factor; also, to identify the proportion of cases with coroners' recommendations relating to supervision and unintentional child drownings. Design and setting: Retrospective case-series analysis of unintentional drowning deaths of children (aged 0-14 years) in Australia from 1 July 2000 to 30 June 2009, based on data from the National Coroners Information System (NCIS). Main outcome measures: Number of unintentional child drownings and the extent to which supervisory factors were formally reported by coroners as a contributing factor; proportion of cases with coroners' findings that also had coroners' recommendations. Results: 339 relevant child drownings were identified within the 9-year period. Supervision (or lack thereof) was identified as a contributing factor in 71.7%. However, specific detail about the nature and extent of supervision varied across these cases. The availability of text documents describing the findings (police reports, coroners' findings, autopsy reports, toxicology reports), and the level of detail within these documents, also varied considerably across jurisdictions. Despite almost half (47.2%) of the closed cases having coroners' findings attached, only 15% of these also included specific coroners' recommendations. Conclusion: Lack of adequate supervision, or lack thereof, is a significant problem associated with fatal drownings of children in Australia. There is a need to improve the standard and consistency of information contained in text documents within the NCIS to provide more useful information for preventing child drowning deaths.
Lack of effectiveness of 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccination against pneumococcal carriage density in Papua New Guinean infants
- Britton, Kathryn, Pickering, Janessa, Pomat, William, de Gier, Camilla, Greenhill, Andrew
- Authors: Britton, Kathryn , Pickering, Janessa , Pomat, William , de Gier, Camilla , Greenhill, Andrew
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Vaccine Vol. 39, no. 38 (2021), p. 5401-5409
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- Description: Background: Papua New Guinea (PNG) introduced the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) in 2014, with administration at 1, 2, and 3 months of age. PCV13 has reduced or eliminated carriage of vaccine types in populations with low pneumococcal carriage prevalence, carriage density and serotype diversity. This study investigated PCV13 impact on serotype-specific pneumococcal carriage prevalence, density, and serotype diversity in PNG infants, who have some of the highest reported rates of pneumococcal carriage and disease in the world. Methods: Nasopharyngeal swabs were collected at 1, 4 and 9 months of age from PCV13-vaccinated infants (n = 57) and age-/season-matched, unvaccinated infants (at approximately 1 month, n = 53; 4 months, n = 57; 9 months, n = 52). Serotype-specific pneumococcal carriage density and antimicrobial resistance genes were identified by qPCR and microarray. Results: Pneumococci were present in 89% of swabs, with 60 different serotypes and four non-encapsulated variants detected. Multiple serotype carriage was common (47% of swabs). Vaccine type carriage prevalence was similar between PCV13-vaccinated and unvaccinated infants at 4 and 9 months of age. The prevalence of non-vaccine type carriage was also similar between cohorts, with non-vaccine types present in three-quarters of samples (from both vaccinated and unvaccinated infants) by 4 months of age. The median pneumococcal carriage density was high and similar at each age group (~7.0 log10 genome equivalents/mL). PCV13 had no effect on overall pneumococcal carriage density, vaccine type density, non-vaccine type density, or the prevalence of antimicrobial resistance genes. Conclusion: PNG infants experience dense and diverse pneumococcal colonisation with concurrent serotypes from 1 month of age. PCV13 had no impact on pneumococcal carriage density, even for vaccine serotypes. The low prevalence of vaccine serotypes, high pneumococcal carriage density and abundance of non-vaccine serotypes likely contribute to the lack of PCV13 impact on carriage in PNG infants. Indirect effects of the infant PCV programs are likely to be limited in PNG. Alternative vaccines with broader coverage should be considered. © 2021 The Authors. **Please note that there are multiple authors for this article therefore only the name of the first 5 including Federation University Australia affiliate “Andrew Greenhill" is provided in this record**
- Authors: Britton, Kathryn , Pickering, Janessa , Pomat, William , de Gier, Camilla , Greenhill, Andrew
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Vaccine Vol. 39, no. 38 (2021), p. 5401-5409
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Background: Papua New Guinea (PNG) introduced the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) in 2014, with administration at 1, 2, and 3 months of age. PCV13 has reduced or eliminated carriage of vaccine types in populations with low pneumococcal carriage prevalence, carriage density and serotype diversity. This study investigated PCV13 impact on serotype-specific pneumococcal carriage prevalence, density, and serotype diversity in PNG infants, who have some of the highest reported rates of pneumococcal carriage and disease in the world. Methods: Nasopharyngeal swabs were collected at 1, 4 and 9 months of age from PCV13-vaccinated infants (n = 57) and age-/season-matched, unvaccinated infants (at approximately 1 month, n = 53; 4 months, n = 57; 9 months, n = 52). Serotype-specific pneumococcal carriage density and antimicrobial resistance genes were identified by qPCR and microarray. Results: Pneumococci were present in 89% of swabs, with 60 different serotypes and four non-encapsulated variants detected. Multiple serotype carriage was common (47% of swabs). Vaccine type carriage prevalence was similar between PCV13-vaccinated and unvaccinated infants at 4 and 9 months of age. The prevalence of non-vaccine type carriage was also similar between cohorts, with non-vaccine types present in three-quarters of samples (from both vaccinated and unvaccinated infants) by 4 months of age. The median pneumococcal carriage density was high and similar at each age group (~7.0 log10 genome equivalents/mL). PCV13 had no effect on overall pneumococcal carriage density, vaccine type density, non-vaccine type density, or the prevalence of antimicrobial resistance genes. Conclusion: PNG infants experience dense and diverse pneumococcal colonisation with concurrent serotypes from 1 month of age. PCV13 had no impact on pneumococcal carriage density, even for vaccine serotypes. The low prevalence of vaccine serotypes, high pneumococcal carriage density and abundance of non-vaccine serotypes likely contribute to the lack of PCV13 impact on carriage in PNG infants. Indirect effects of the infant PCV programs are likely to be limited in PNG. Alternative vaccines with broader coverage should be considered. © 2021 The Authors. **Please note that there are multiple authors for this article therefore only the name of the first 5 including Federation University Australia affiliate “Andrew Greenhill" is provided in this record**
- Keyzer, Patrick, Coyle, Ian, Dietrich, Joachim, Norton, Kevin, Sekendiz, Betul, Jones, Veronica, Finch, Caroline
- Authors: Keyzer, Patrick , Coyle, Ian , Dietrich, Joachim , Norton, Kevin , Sekendiz, Betul , Jones, Veronica , Finch, Caroline
- Date: 2014
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Law and Medicine Vol. 21, no. 4 (June 2014 2014), p. 826-844
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: The Australian Fitness Industry Risk Management (AFIRM) Project was set up to explore the operation of rules and regulations for the delivery of safe fitness services. This article summarises the results of recent focus group research and a national survey of risk management practices by the AFIRM Project. Our focus group research in four States identified the following most important concerns: (1) the competency of fitness professionals; (2) the effectiveness of pre-exercise screening and the management of de-conditioned clients; (3) poor supervision of fitness service users and incorrect use of equipment; (4) fitness trainers failing to remain within their scope of practice; (5) equipment misuse (as distinct from incorrect use); and (6) poor fitness training environments. This information was then used to develop 45 specific items for a questionnaire that was disseminated throughout the fitness industry. The survey, which is the largest ever conducted in the Australian fitness industry (n = 1,178), identified similar concerns. Our research indicates that efforts to improve risk management in the fitness industry should focus, first and foremost, on the development and monitoring of safety policy, and improvements in the education and training of fitness instructors to ensure that they can incorporate risk management practices.
- Description: C1
Lifeline caller response times and suicide prevention
- Watson, Robert, Spiteri, Jessica
- Authors: Watson, Robert , Spiteri, Jessica
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article , Editorial Material
- Relation: Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry Vol. 54, no. 1 (Jan 2020), p. 10-11
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Authors: Watson, Robert , Spiteri, Jessica
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article , Editorial Material
- Relation: Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry Vol. 54, no. 1 (Jan 2020), p. 10-11
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
Local immune responses of the Chinese water buffalo, Bubalus bubalis, against Schistosoma japonicum larvae: crucial insights for vaccine design
- McWilliam, Hamish, Piedrafita, David, Li, Yuesheng, Zheng, Mao, He, Yongkang, Yu, Xinling, McManus, Donald, Meeusen, Els
- Authors: McWilliam, Hamish , Piedrafita, David , Li, Yuesheng , Zheng, Mao , He, Yongkang , Yu, Xinling , McManus, Donald , Meeusen, Els
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases. Vol.7, no.9(Art.No: e2460) (2013), p. 1-11
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Asian schistosomiasis is a zoonotic parasitic disease infecting up to a million people and threatening tens of millions more. Control of this disease is hindered by the animal reservoirs of the parasite, in particular the water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis), which is responsible for significant levels of human transmission. A transmission-blocking vaccine administered to buffaloes is a realistic option which would aid in the control of schistosomiasis. This will however require a better understanding of the immunobiology of schistosomiasis in naturally exposed buffaloes, particularly the immune response to migrating schistosome larvae, which are the likely targets of an anti-schistosome vaccine. To address this need we investigated the immune response at the major sites of larval migration, the skin and the lungs, in previously exposed and re-challenged water buffaloes. In the skin, a strong allergic-type inflammatory response occurred, characterised by leukocyte and eosinophil infiltration including the formation of granulocytic abscesses. Additionally at the local skin site, interleukin-5 transcript levels were elevated, while interleukin-10 levels decreased. In the skin-draining lymph node (LN) a predominant type-2 profile was seen in stimulated cells, while in contrast a type-1 profile was detected in the lung draining LN, and these responses occurred consecutively, reflecting the timing of parasite migration. The intense type-2 immune response at the site of cercarial penetration is significantly different to that seen in naive and permissive animal models such as mice, and suggests a possible mechanism for immunity. Preliminary data also suggest a reduced and delayed immune response occurred in buffaloes given high cercarial challenge doses compared with moderate infections, particularly in the skin. This study offers a deeper understanding into the immunobiology of schistosomiasis in a natural host, which may aid in the future design of more effective vaccines.
- Authors: McWilliam, Hamish , Piedrafita, David , Li, Yuesheng , Zheng, Mao , He, Yongkang , Yu, Xinling , McManus, Donald , Meeusen, Els
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases. Vol.7, no.9(Art.No: e2460) (2013), p. 1-11
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Asian schistosomiasis is a zoonotic parasitic disease infecting up to a million people and threatening tens of millions more. Control of this disease is hindered by the animal reservoirs of the parasite, in particular the water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis), which is responsible for significant levels of human transmission. A transmission-blocking vaccine administered to buffaloes is a realistic option which would aid in the control of schistosomiasis. This will however require a better understanding of the immunobiology of schistosomiasis in naturally exposed buffaloes, particularly the immune response to migrating schistosome larvae, which are the likely targets of an anti-schistosome vaccine. To address this need we investigated the immune response at the major sites of larval migration, the skin and the lungs, in previously exposed and re-challenged water buffaloes. In the skin, a strong allergic-type inflammatory response occurred, characterised by leukocyte and eosinophil infiltration including the formation of granulocytic abscesses. Additionally at the local skin site, interleukin-5 transcript levels were elevated, while interleukin-10 levels decreased. In the skin-draining lymph node (LN) a predominant type-2 profile was seen in stimulated cells, while in contrast a type-1 profile was detected in the lung draining LN, and these responses occurred consecutively, reflecting the timing of parasite migration. The intense type-2 immune response at the site of cercarial penetration is significantly different to that seen in naive and permissive animal models such as mice, and suggests a possible mechanism for immunity. Preliminary data also suggest a reduced and delayed immune response occurred in buffaloes given high cercarial challenge doses compared with moderate infections, particularly in the skin. This study offers a deeper understanding into the immunobiology of schistosomiasis in a natural host, which may aid in the future design of more effective vaccines.
Looking beyond the obvious: Intra expertise differences are harder to see!
- Berry, Jason, Carlon, Todd, Young, Warren
- Authors: Berry, Jason , Carlon, Todd , Young, Warren
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology Vol. 34, p. S68-S68
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Sport expertise research provides a robust body of knowledge on the characteristics that separate experts from those less skilled. Perceptual skill is recognized as an important factor in agility performance in team sports like Australian Football (AF). However, perceptual-agility research to date has concentrated on inter expertise skill differences (i.e., elite vs. novice). This study investigated the presence of any intra-group differences within a cohort of elite AF athletes on a simulated perceptual-agility task. Specific aims were to 1) identify if AF athletes predetermined as high agility displayed superior perceptual-agility skill compared to low agility AF athletes, and 2) identify if high experience AF athletes displayed superior perceptual-agility skill compared to low experience AF athletes. Fourteen AF athletes performed a video-based Perceptual-Agility Test (PAT) that assessed the athletes’ decision time and decision accuracy in response to intercepting an attacking player on the projected simulation. Part 1 of the analysis; the athletes were divided into two groups (n = 7 each) by way of median split according to their in-game defensive agility performance scores. T-tests were conducted to reveal any differences between the groups in decision time and decision accuracy (Part 1 and Part 2). No significant differences were found in decision time or decision accuracy between the high and low agility AF athletes. Part 2 of the analysis; the 14 athletes (high experience) were compared to a group of low experience athletes (n = 8) on their PAT performance. No significant differences were found in decision time or decision accuracy between the high and low experience AF athletes. While there were no observable differences within the cohort of elite AF athletes using the predetermined classifications of agility and experience, this study does, however, confirm the difficulty of revealing intra expertise performance indicators using assessment tools that routinely discriminate a priori levels of skill (i.e., expert vs. novice).
Mapping geographical inequalities in childhood diarrhoeal morbidity and mortality in low-income and middle-income countries, 2000-17 : analysis for the global burden of disease study 2017
- Reiner, Robert, Wiens, Kirsten, Deshpande, Aniruddha, Baumann, Mathew, Rahman, Muhammad Aziz
- Authors: Reiner, Robert , Wiens, Kirsten , Deshpande, Aniruddha , Baumann, Mathew , Rahman, Muhammad Aziz
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: The Lancet Vol. 395, no. 10239 (2020), p. 1779-1801
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Background Across low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs), one in ten deaths in children younger than 5 years is attributable to diarrhoea. The substantial between-country variation in both diarrhoea incidence and mortality is attributable to interventions that protect children, prevent infection, and treat disease. Identifying subnational regions with the highest burden and mapping associated risk factors can aid in reducing preventable childhood diarrhoea. Methods We used Bayesian model-based geostatistics and a geolocated dataset comprising 15 072 746 children younger than 5 years from 466 surveys in 94 LMICs, in combination with findings of the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2017, to estimate posterior distributions of diarrhoea prevalence, incidence, and mortality from 2000 to 2017. From these data, we estimated the burden of diarrhoea at varying subnational levels (termed units) by spatially aggregating draws, and we investigated the drivers of subnational patterns by creating aggregated risk factor estimates. Findings The greatest declines in diarrhoeal mortality were seen in south and southeast Asia and South America, where 54·0% (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 38·1-65·8), 17·4% (7·7-28·4), and 59·5% (34·2-86·9) of units, respectively, recorded decreases in deaths from diarrhoea greater than 10%. Although children in much of Africa remain at high risk of death due to diarrhoea, regions with the most deaths were outside Africa, with the highest mortality units located in Pakistan. Indonesia showed the greatest within-country geographical inequality; some regions had mortality rates nearly four times the average country rate. Reductions in mortality were correlated to improvements in water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) or reductions in child growth failure (CGF). Similarly, most high-risk areas had poor WASH, high CGF, or low oral rehydration therapy coverage. Interpretation By co-analysing geospatial trends in diarrhoeal burden and its key risk factors, we could assess candidate drivers of subnational death reduction. Further, by doing a counterfactual analysis of the remaining disease burden using key risk factors, we identified potential intervention strategies for vulnerable populations. In view of the demands for limited resources in LMICs, accurately quantifying the burden of diarrhoea and its drivers is important for precision public health. © 2020 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 license. ***Please note that there are multiple authors for this article therefore only the name of the first 5 including Federation University Australia affiliate “Muhammad Rahman” is provided in this record***
- Description: C A T Antonio reports grants and personal fees from Johnson & Johnson (Philippines), outside the submitted work. S J Dunachie reports grants from The Fleming Fund at UK Department of Health & Social Care, during the conduct of the study. M Jakovljevic reports grants from Ministry of Education Science and Technological Development of The Republic of Serbia, outside the submitted work. J J Jó
- Authors: Reiner, Robert , Wiens, Kirsten , Deshpande, Aniruddha , Baumann, Mathew , Rahman, Muhammad Aziz
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: The Lancet Vol. 395, no. 10239 (2020), p. 1779-1801
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Background Across low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs), one in ten deaths in children younger than 5 years is attributable to diarrhoea. The substantial between-country variation in both diarrhoea incidence and mortality is attributable to interventions that protect children, prevent infection, and treat disease. Identifying subnational regions with the highest burden and mapping associated risk factors can aid in reducing preventable childhood diarrhoea. Methods We used Bayesian model-based geostatistics and a geolocated dataset comprising 15 072 746 children younger than 5 years from 466 surveys in 94 LMICs, in combination with findings of the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2017, to estimate posterior distributions of diarrhoea prevalence, incidence, and mortality from 2000 to 2017. From these data, we estimated the burden of diarrhoea at varying subnational levels (termed units) by spatially aggregating draws, and we investigated the drivers of subnational patterns by creating aggregated risk factor estimates. Findings The greatest declines in diarrhoeal mortality were seen in south and southeast Asia and South America, where 54·0% (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 38·1-65·8), 17·4% (7·7-28·4), and 59·5% (34·2-86·9) of units, respectively, recorded decreases in deaths from diarrhoea greater than 10%. Although children in much of Africa remain at high risk of death due to diarrhoea, regions with the most deaths were outside Africa, with the highest mortality units located in Pakistan. Indonesia showed the greatest within-country geographical inequality; some regions had mortality rates nearly four times the average country rate. Reductions in mortality were correlated to improvements in water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) or reductions in child growth failure (CGF). Similarly, most high-risk areas had poor WASH, high CGF, or low oral rehydration therapy coverage. Interpretation By co-analysing geospatial trends in diarrhoeal burden and its key risk factors, we could assess candidate drivers of subnational death reduction. Further, by doing a counterfactual analysis of the remaining disease burden using key risk factors, we identified potential intervention strategies for vulnerable populations. In view of the demands for limited resources in LMICs, accurately quantifying the burden of diarrhoea and its drivers is important for precision public health. © 2020 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 license. ***Please note that there are multiple authors for this article therefore only the name of the first 5 including Federation University Australia affiliate “Muhammad Rahman” is provided in this record***
- Description: C A T Antonio reports grants and personal fees from Johnson & Johnson (Philippines), outside the submitted work. S J Dunachie reports grants from The Fleming Fund at UK Department of Health & Social Care, during the conduct of the study. M Jakovljevic reports grants from Ministry of Education Science and Technological Development of The Republic of Serbia, outside the submitted work. J J Jó
Marital status and suicidal ideation among Australian older adults: the mediating role of sense of belonging
- McLaren, Suzanne, Gomez, Rapson, Gill, Peter, Chester, Jessica
- Authors: McLaren, Suzanne , Gomez, Rapson , Gill, Peter , Chester, Jessica
- Date: 2014
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Psychogeriatrics Vol. 27, no. 1 (2014), p. 145-154
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Marriage has been identified as a protective factor in relation to suicide among older adults. The current study aimed to investigate whether sense of belonging mediated the marital status-suicidal ideation relationship, and whether gender moderated the mediation model. It was hypothesized that the relationship between being widowed and lower levels of sense of belonging, and between lower levels of belonging and higher levels of suicidal ideation, would be stronger for older men than older women. A community sample of Australian men (n = 286) and women (n = 383) aged from 65 to 98 years completed the psychological subscale of the Sense of Belonging Instrument and the suicide subscale of the General Health Questionnaire. The results supported the moderated mediation model, with gender influencing the marital status-sense of belonging relation. For men, widowhood was associated with lower levels of belongingness, whereas for women, marital status was unrelated to sense of belonging. It would appear crucial to develop and implement interventions which assist older men to find new ways to feel important and valued after the death of their spouse.
- Authors: McLaren, Suzanne , Gomez, Rapson , Gill, Peter , Chester, Jessica
- Date: 2014
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Psychogeriatrics Vol. 27, no. 1 (2014), p. 145-154
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Marriage has been identified as a protective factor in relation to suicide among older adults. The current study aimed to investigate whether sense of belonging mediated the marital status-suicidal ideation relationship, and whether gender moderated the mediation model. It was hypothesized that the relationship between being widowed and lower levels of sense of belonging, and between lower levels of belonging and higher levels of suicidal ideation, would be stronger for older men than older women. A community sample of Australian men (n = 286) and women (n = 383) aged from 65 to 98 years completed the psychological subscale of the Sense of Belonging Instrument and the suicide subscale of the General Health Questionnaire. The results supported the moderated mediation model, with gender influencing the marital status-sense of belonging relation. For men, widowhood was associated with lower levels of belongingness, whereas for women, marital status was unrelated to sense of belonging. It would appear crucial to develop and implement interventions which assist older men to find new ways to feel important and valued after the death of their spouse.
Measurement invariance of the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale Short-Form (IGDS9-SF) between the United States of America, India and the United Kingdom
- Pontes, Halley, Stavropoulos, Vasileios, Griffiths, Mark
- Authors: Pontes, Halley , Stavropoulos, Vasileios , Griffiths, Mark
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Psychiatry Research Vol. 257, no. (2017), p. 472-478
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: The Internet Gaming Disorder Scale Short-Form (IGDS9-SF) has been extensively used worldwide to assess Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) behaviors. Therefore, investigating cultural limitations and implications in its applicability is necessary. The cross-cultural feasibility of a test can be psychometrically evaluated with measurement invariance analyses. Thus, the present study used Multigroup Confirmatory Factor Analysis (MGCFA) to examine the IGDS9-SF measurement invariance across garners from the United States of America (USA), India, and the United Kingdom (UK). A total of 1013 garners from the USA (n = 405), India (n = 336), and the UK (n = 272) were recruited. Although the one-factor structure of the IGD construct was supported, cross-country variations were demonstrated considering the way that this was reflected on items assessing preoccupation/salience, tolerance, deception, gaming escapism/mood modification, as well as daily activities' impairment related to gaming. Furthermore, the same scores on items assessing withdrawal symptoms, tolerance, lack of control over gaming engagement, escapism/mood modification and daily activities impairment associated to gaming, have been found to reflect various levels of IGD severity across the three groups. The implications of these results are further discussed in the context of existing evidence regarding the assessment of IGD.
- Authors: Pontes, Halley , Stavropoulos, Vasileios , Griffiths, Mark
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Psychiatry Research Vol. 257, no. (2017), p. 472-478
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: The Internet Gaming Disorder Scale Short-Form (IGDS9-SF) has been extensively used worldwide to assess Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) behaviors. Therefore, investigating cultural limitations and implications in its applicability is necessary. The cross-cultural feasibility of a test can be psychometrically evaluated with measurement invariance analyses. Thus, the present study used Multigroup Confirmatory Factor Analysis (MGCFA) to examine the IGDS9-SF measurement invariance across garners from the United States of America (USA), India, and the United Kingdom (UK). A total of 1013 garners from the USA (n = 405), India (n = 336), and the UK (n = 272) were recruited. Although the one-factor structure of the IGD construct was supported, cross-country variations were demonstrated considering the way that this was reflected on items assessing preoccupation/salience, tolerance, deception, gaming escapism/mood modification, as well as daily activities' impairment related to gaming. Furthermore, the same scores on items assessing withdrawal symptoms, tolerance, lack of control over gaming engagement, escapism/mood modification and daily activities impairment associated to gaming, have been found to reflect various levels of IGD severity across the three groups. The implications of these results are further discussed in the context of existing evidence regarding the assessment of IGD.
Measuring universal health coverage based on an index of effective coverage of health services in 204 countries and territories, 1990-2019 : A systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019
- Authors: Rahman, Muhammad Aziz
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Lancet Vol. 396, no. 10258 (2020), p. 1250-1284
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Background Achieving universal health coverage (UHC) involves all people receiving the health services they need, of high quality, without experiencing financial hardship. Making progress towards UHC is a policy priority for both countries and global institutions, as highlighted by the agenda of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and WHO's Thirteenth General Programme of Work (GPW13). Measuring effective coverage at the health-system level is important for understanding whether health services are aligned with countries' health profiles and are of sufficient quality to produce health gains for populations of all ages. Methods Based on the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019, we assessed UHC effective coverage for 204 countries and territories from 1990 to 2019. Drawing from a measurement framework developed through WHO's GPW13 consultation, we mapped 23 effective coverage indicators to a matrix representing health service types (eg, promotion, prevention, and treatment) and five population-age groups spanning from reproductive and newborn to older adults (>= 65 years). Effective coverage indicators were based on intervention coverage or outcome-based measures such as mortality-to-incidence ratios to approximate access to quality care; outcome-based measures were transformed to values on a scale of 0-100 based on the 2.5th and 97.5th percentile of location-year values. We constructed the UHC effective coverage index by weighting each effective coverage indicator relative to its associated potential health gains, as measured by disability-adjusted life-years for each location-year and population-age group. For three tests of validity (content, known-groups, and convergent), UHC effective coverage index performance was generally better than that of other UHC service coverage indices from WHO (ie, the current metric for SDG indicator 3.8.1 on UHC service coverage), the World Bank, and GBD 2017. We quantified frontiers of UHC effective coverage performance on the basis of pooled health spending per capita, representing UHC effective coverage index levels achieved in 2019 relative to country-level government health spending, prepaid private expenditures, and development assistance for health. To assess current trajectories towards the GPW13 UHC billion target-1 billion more people benefiting from UHC by 2023-we estimated additional population equivalents with UHC effective coverage from 2018 to 2023. Findings Globally, performance on the UHC effective coverage index improved from 45.8 (95% uncertainty interval 44.2-47.5) in 1990 to 60.3 (58.7-61.9) in 2019, yet country-level UHC effective coverage in 2019 still spanned from 95 or higher in Japan and Iceland to lower than 25 in Somalia and the Central African Republic. Since 2010, sub-Saharan Africa showed accelerated gains on the UHC effective coverage index (at an average increase of 2.6% [1.9-3.3] per year up to 2019); by contrast, most other GBD super-regions had slowed rates of progress in 2010-2019 relative to 1990-2010. Many countries showed lagging performance on effective coverage indicators for non-communicable diseases relative to those for communicable diseases and maternal and child health, despite non-communicable diseases accounting for a greater proportion of potential health gains in 2019, suggesting that many health systems are not keeping pace with the rising non-communicable disease burden and associated population health needs. In 2019, the UHC effective coverage index was associated with pooled health spending per capita (r=0.79), although countries across the development spectrum had much lower UHC effective coverage than is potentially achievable relative to their health spending. Under maximum efficiency of translating health spending into UHC effective coverage performance, countries would need to reach $1398 pooled health spending per capita (US$ adjusted for purchasing power parity) in order to achieve 80 on the UHC effective coverage index. From 2018 to 2023, an estimated 388.9 million (358.6-421.3) more population equivalents would have UHC effective coverage, falling well short of the GPW13 target of 1 billion more people benefiting from UHC during this time. Current projections point to an estimated 3.1 billion (3.0-3.2) population equivalents still lacking UHC effective coverage in 2023, with nearly a third (968.1 million [903.5-1040.3]) residing in south Asia. Interpretation The present study demonstrates the utility of measuring effective coverage and its role in supporting improved health outcomes for all people-the ultimate goal of UHC and its achievement. Global ambitions to accelerate progress on UHC service coverage are increasingly unlikely unless concerted action on non-communicable diseases occurs and countries can better translate health spending into improved performance. Focusing on effective coverage and accounting for the world's evolving health needs lays the groundwork for better understanding how close-or how far-all populations are in benefiting from UHC. Copyright (C) 2020 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. **Please note that there are multiple authors for this article therefore only the name of the Federation University Australia affiliate is provided in this record**
- Description: Lucas Guimaraes Abreu acknowledges support from Coordenacao de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior -Brasil (Capes) -Finance Code 001, Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico (CNPq) and Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG). Olatunji O Adetokunboh acknowledges South African Department of Science & Innovation, and National Research Foundation. Anurag Agrawal acknowledges support from the Wellcome Trust DBT India Alliance Senior Fellowship IA/CPHS/14/1/501489. Rufus Olusola Akinyemi acknowledges Grant U01HG010273 from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as part of the H3Africa Consortium. Rufus Olusola Akinyemi is further supported by the FLAIR fellowship funded by the UK Royal Society and the African Academy of Sciences. Syed Mohamed Aljunid acknowledges the Department of Health Policy and Management, Faculty of Public Health, Kuwait University and International Centre for Casemix and Clinical Coding, Faculty of Medicine, National University of Malaysia for the approval and support to participate in this research project. Marcel Ausloos, Claudiu Herteliu, and Adrian Pana acknowledge partial support by a grant of the Romanian National Authority for Scientific Research and Innovation, CNDSUEFISCDI, project number PN-III-P4-ID-PCCF-2016-0084. Till Winfried Barnighausen acknowledges support from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation through the Alexander von Humboldt Professor award, funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research. Juan J Carrero was supported by the Swedish Research Council (2019-01059). Felix Carvalho acknowledges UID/MULTI/04378/2019 and UID/QUI/50006/2019 support with funding from FCT/MCTES through national funds. Vera Marisa Costa acknowledges support from grant (SFRH/BHD/110001/2015), received by Portuguese national funds through Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia (FCT), IP, under the Norma TransitA3ria DL57/2016/CP1334/CT0006. Jan-Walter De Neve acknowledges support from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. Kebede Deribe acknowledges support by Wellcome Trust grant number 201900/Z/16/Z as part of his International Intermediate Fellowship. Claudiu Herteliu acknowledges partial support by a grant co-funded by European Fund for Regional Development through Operational Program for Competitiveness, Project ID P_40_382. Praveen Hoogar acknowledges the Centre for Bio Cultural Studies (CBiCS), Manipal Academy of Higher Education(MAHE), Manipal and Centre for Holistic Development and Research (CHDR), Kalghatgi. Bing-Fang Hwang acknowledges support from China Medical University (CMU108-MF-95), Taichung, Taiwan. Mihajlo Jakovljevic acknowledges the Serbian part of this GBD contribution was co-funded through the Grant OI175014 of the Ministry of Education Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia. Aruna M Kamath acknowledges funding from the National Institutes of Health T32 grant (T32GM086270). Srinivasa Vittal Katikireddi acknowledges funding from the Medical Research Council (MC_UU_12017/13 & MC_UU_12017/15), Scottish Government Chief Scientist Office (SPHSU13 & SPHSU15) and an NRS Senior Clinical Fellowship (SCAF/15/02). Yun Jin Kim acknowledges support from the Research Management Centre, Xiamen University Malaysia (XMUMRF/2018-C2/ITCM/0001). Kewal Krishan acknowledges support from the DST PURSE grant and UGC Center of Advanced Study (CAS II) awarded to the Department of Anthropology, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India. Manasi Kumar acknowledges support from K43 TW010716 Fogarty International Center/NIMH. Ben Lacey acknowledges support from the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre and the BHF Centre of Research Excellence, Oxford. Ivan Landires is a member of the Sistema Nacional de InvestigaciA3n (SNI), which is supported by the Secretaria Nacional de Ciencia Tecnologia e Innovacion (SENACYT), Panama. Jeffrey V Lazarus acknowledges support by a Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities Miguel Servet grant (Instituto de Salud Carlos III/ESF, European Union [CP18/00074]). Peter T N Memiah acknowledges CODESRIA; HISTP. Subas Neupane acknowledges partial support from the Competitive State Research Financing of the Expert Responsibility area of Tampere University Hospital. Shuhei Nomura acknowledges support from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology of Japan (18K10082). Alberto Ortiz acknowledges support by ISCIII PI19/00815, DTS18/00032, ISCIII-RETIC REDinREN RD016/0009 Fondos FEDER, FRIAT, Comunidad de Madrid B2017/BMD-3686 CIFRA2-CM. These funding sources had no role in the writing of the manuscript or the decision to submit it for publication. George C Patton acknowledges support from a National Health & Medical Research Council Fellowship. Marina Pinheiro acknowledges support from FCT for funding through program DL 57/2016 -Norma transitA3ria. Alberto Raggi, David Sattin, and Silvia Schiavolin acknowledge support by a grant from the Italian Ministry of Health (Ricerca Corrente, Fondazione Istituto Neurologico C Besta, Linea 4 -Outcome Research: dagli Indicatori alle Raccomandazioni Cliniche). Daniel Cury Ribeiro acknowledges support from the Sir Charles Hercus Health Research Fellowship -Health Research Council of New Zealand (18/111). Perminder S Sachdev acknowledges funding from the NHMRC Australia. Abdallah M Samy acknowledges support from a fellowship from the Egyptian Fulbright Mission Program. Milena M Santric-Milicevic acknowledges support from the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia (Contract No. 175087). Rodrigo Sarmiento-Suarez acknowledges institutional support from University of Applied and Environmental Sciences in Bogota, Colombia, and Carlos III Institute of Health in Madrid, Spain. Maria Ines Schmidt acknowledges grants from the Foundation for the Support of Research of the State of Rio Grande do Sul (IATS and PrInt) and the Brazilian Ministry of Health. Sheikh Mohammed Shariful Islam acknowledges a fellowship from the National Heart Foundation of Australia and Deakin University. Aziz Sheikh acknowledges support from Health Data Research UK. Kenji Shibuya acknowledges Japan Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. Joan B Soriano acknowledges support by Centro de Investigacion en Red de Enfermedades Respiratorias (CIBERES), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Madrid, Spain. Rafael Tabares-Seisdedos acknowledges partial support from grant PI17/00719 from ISCIII-FEDER. Santosh Kumar Tadakamadla acknowledges support from the National Health and Medical Research Council Early Career Fellowship, Australia. Marcello Tonelli acknowledges the David Freeze Chair in Health Services Research at the University of Calgary, AB, Canada.
- Authors: Rahman, Muhammad Aziz
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Lancet Vol. 396, no. 10258 (2020), p. 1250-1284
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Background Achieving universal health coverage (UHC) involves all people receiving the health services they need, of high quality, without experiencing financial hardship. Making progress towards UHC is a policy priority for both countries and global institutions, as highlighted by the agenda of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and WHO's Thirteenth General Programme of Work (GPW13). Measuring effective coverage at the health-system level is important for understanding whether health services are aligned with countries' health profiles and are of sufficient quality to produce health gains for populations of all ages. Methods Based on the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019, we assessed UHC effective coverage for 204 countries and territories from 1990 to 2019. Drawing from a measurement framework developed through WHO's GPW13 consultation, we mapped 23 effective coverage indicators to a matrix representing health service types (eg, promotion, prevention, and treatment) and five population-age groups spanning from reproductive and newborn to older adults (>= 65 years). Effective coverage indicators were based on intervention coverage or outcome-based measures such as mortality-to-incidence ratios to approximate access to quality care; outcome-based measures were transformed to values on a scale of 0-100 based on the 2.5th and 97.5th percentile of location-year values. We constructed the UHC effective coverage index by weighting each effective coverage indicator relative to its associated potential health gains, as measured by disability-adjusted life-years for each location-year and population-age group. For three tests of validity (content, known-groups, and convergent), UHC effective coverage index performance was generally better than that of other UHC service coverage indices from WHO (ie, the current metric for SDG indicator 3.8.1 on UHC service coverage), the World Bank, and GBD 2017. We quantified frontiers of UHC effective coverage performance on the basis of pooled health spending per capita, representing UHC effective coverage index levels achieved in 2019 relative to country-level government health spending, prepaid private expenditures, and development assistance for health. To assess current trajectories towards the GPW13 UHC billion target-1 billion more people benefiting from UHC by 2023-we estimated additional population equivalents with UHC effective coverage from 2018 to 2023. Findings Globally, performance on the UHC effective coverage index improved from 45.8 (95% uncertainty interval 44.2-47.5) in 1990 to 60.3 (58.7-61.9) in 2019, yet country-level UHC effective coverage in 2019 still spanned from 95 or higher in Japan and Iceland to lower than 25 in Somalia and the Central African Republic. Since 2010, sub-Saharan Africa showed accelerated gains on the UHC effective coverage index (at an average increase of 2.6% [1.9-3.3] per year up to 2019); by contrast, most other GBD super-regions had slowed rates of progress in 2010-2019 relative to 1990-2010. Many countries showed lagging performance on effective coverage indicators for non-communicable diseases relative to those for communicable diseases and maternal and child health, despite non-communicable diseases accounting for a greater proportion of potential health gains in 2019, suggesting that many health systems are not keeping pace with the rising non-communicable disease burden and associated population health needs. In 2019, the UHC effective coverage index was associated with pooled health spending per capita (r=0.79), although countries across the development spectrum had much lower UHC effective coverage than is potentially achievable relative to their health spending. Under maximum efficiency of translating health spending into UHC effective coverage performance, countries would need to reach $1398 pooled health spending per capita (US$ adjusted for purchasing power parity) in order to achieve 80 on the UHC effective coverage index. From 2018 to 2023, an estimated 388.9 million (358.6-421.3) more population equivalents would have UHC effective coverage, falling well short of the GPW13 target of 1 billion more people benefiting from UHC during this time. Current projections point to an estimated 3.1 billion (3.0-3.2) population equivalents still lacking UHC effective coverage in 2023, with nearly a third (968.1 million [903.5-1040.3]) residing in south Asia. Interpretation The present study demonstrates the utility of measuring effective coverage and its role in supporting improved health outcomes for all people-the ultimate goal of UHC and its achievement. Global ambitions to accelerate progress on UHC service coverage are increasingly unlikely unless concerted action on non-communicable diseases occurs and countries can better translate health spending into improved performance. Focusing on effective coverage and accounting for the world's evolving health needs lays the groundwork for better understanding how close-or how far-all populations are in benefiting from UHC. Copyright (C) 2020 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. **Please note that there are multiple authors for this article therefore only the name of the Federation University Australia affiliate is provided in this record**
- Description: Lucas Guimaraes Abreu acknowledges support from Coordenacao de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior -Brasil (Capes) -Finance Code 001, Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico (CNPq) and Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG). Olatunji O Adetokunboh acknowledges South African Department of Science & Innovation, and National Research Foundation. Anurag Agrawal acknowledges support from the Wellcome Trust DBT India Alliance Senior Fellowship IA/CPHS/14/1/501489. Rufus Olusola Akinyemi acknowledges Grant U01HG010273 from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as part of the H3Africa Consortium. Rufus Olusola Akinyemi is further supported by the FLAIR fellowship funded by the UK Royal Society and the African Academy of Sciences. Syed Mohamed Aljunid acknowledges the Department of Health Policy and Management, Faculty of Public Health, Kuwait University and International Centre for Casemix and Clinical Coding, Faculty of Medicine, National University of Malaysia for the approval and support to participate in this research project. Marcel Ausloos, Claudiu Herteliu, and Adrian Pana acknowledge partial support by a grant of the Romanian National Authority for Scientific Research and Innovation, CNDSUEFISCDI, project number PN-III-P4-ID-PCCF-2016-0084. Till Winfried Barnighausen acknowledges support from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation through the Alexander von Humboldt Professor award, funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research. Juan J Carrero was supported by the Swedish Research Council (2019-01059). Felix Carvalho acknowledges UID/MULTI/04378/2019 and UID/QUI/50006/2019 support with funding from FCT/MCTES through national funds. Vera Marisa Costa acknowledges support from grant (SFRH/BHD/110001/2015), received by Portuguese national funds through Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia (FCT), IP, under the Norma TransitA3ria DL57/2016/CP1334/CT0006. Jan-Walter De Neve acknowledges support from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. Kebede Deribe acknowledges support by Wellcome Trust grant number 201900/Z/16/Z as part of his International Intermediate Fellowship. Claudiu Herteliu acknowledges partial support by a grant co-funded by European Fund for Regional Development through Operational Program for Competitiveness, Project ID P_40_382. Praveen Hoogar acknowledges the Centre for Bio Cultural Studies (CBiCS), Manipal Academy of Higher Education(MAHE), Manipal and Centre for Holistic Development and Research (CHDR), Kalghatgi. Bing-Fang Hwang acknowledges support from China Medical University (CMU108-MF-95), Taichung, Taiwan. Mihajlo Jakovljevic acknowledges the Serbian part of this GBD contribution was co-funded through the Grant OI175014 of the Ministry of Education Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia. Aruna M Kamath acknowledges funding from the National Institutes of Health T32 grant (T32GM086270). Srinivasa Vittal Katikireddi acknowledges funding from the Medical Research Council (MC_UU_12017/13 & MC_UU_12017/15), Scottish Government Chief Scientist Office (SPHSU13 & SPHSU15) and an NRS Senior Clinical Fellowship (SCAF/15/02). Yun Jin Kim acknowledges support from the Research Management Centre, Xiamen University Malaysia (XMUMRF/2018-C2/ITCM/0001). Kewal Krishan acknowledges support from the DST PURSE grant and UGC Center of Advanced Study (CAS II) awarded to the Department of Anthropology, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India. Manasi Kumar acknowledges support from K43 TW010716 Fogarty International Center/NIMH. Ben Lacey acknowledges support from the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre and the BHF Centre of Research Excellence, Oxford. Ivan Landires is a member of the Sistema Nacional de InvestigaciA3n (SNI), which is supported by the Secretaria Nacional de Ciencia Tecnologia e Innovacion (SENACYT), Panama. Jeffrey V Lazarus acknowledges support by a Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities Miguel Servet grant (Instituto de Salud Carlos III/ESF, European Union [CP18/00074]). Peter T N Memiah acknowledges CODESRIA; HISTP. Subas Neupane acknowledges partial support from the Competitive State Research Financing of the Expert Responsibility area of Tampere University Hospital. Shuhei Nomura acknowledges support from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology of Japan (18K10082). Alberto Ortiz acknowledges support by ISCIII PI19/00815, DTS18/00032, ISCIII-RETIC REDinREN RD016/0009 Fondos FEDER, FRIAT, Comunidad de Madrid B2017/BMD-3686 CIFRA2-CM. These funding sources had no role in the writing of the manuscript or the decision to submit it for publication. George C Patton acknowledges support from a National Health & Medical Research Council Fellowship. Marina Pinheiro acknowledges support from FCT for funding through program DL 57/2016 -Norma transitA3ria. Alberto Raggi, David Sattin, and Silvia Schiavolin acknowledge support by a grant from the Italian Ministry of Health (Ricerca Corrente, Fondazione Istituto Neurologico C Besta, Linea 4 -Outcome Research: dagli Indicatori alle Raccomandazioni Cliniche). Daniel Cury Ribeiro acknowledges support from the Sir Charles Hercus Health Research Fellowship -Health Research Council of New Zealand (18/111). Perminder S Sachdev acknowledges funding from the NHMRC Australia. Abdallah M Samy acknowledges support from a fellowship from the Egyptian Fulbright Mission Program. Milena M Santric-Milicevic acknowledges support from the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia (Contract No. 175087). Rodrigo Sarmiento-Suarez acknowledges institutional support from University of Applied and Environmental Sciences in Bogota, Colombia, and Carlos III Institute of Health in Madrid, Spain. Maria Ines Schmidt acknowledges grants from the Foundation for the Support of Research of the State of Rio Grande do Sul (IATS and PrInt) and the Brazilian Ministry of Health. Sheikh Mohammed Shariful Islam acknowledges a fellowship from the National Heart Foundation of Australia and Deakin University. Aziz Sheikh acknowledges support from Health Data Research UK. Kenji Shibuya acknowledges Japan Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. Joan B Soriano acknowledges support by Centro de Investigacion en Red de Enfermedades Respiratorias (CIBERES), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Madrid, Spain. Rafael Tabares-Seisdedos acknowledges partial support from grant PI17/00719 from ISCIII-FEDER. Santosh Kumar Tadakamadla acknowledges support from the National Health and Medical Research Council Early Career Fellowship, Australia. Marcello Tonelli acknowledges the David Freeze Chair in Health Services Research at the University of Calgary, AB, Canada.
microRNA profiling in patients with abdominal aortic aneurysms: the significance of miR-155
- Biros, Erik, Moran, Corey, Wang, Yutang, Walker, Philip, Cardinal, John, Golledge, Jonathan
- Authors: Biros, Erik , Moran, Corey , Wang, Yutang , Walker, Philip , Cardinal, John , Golledge, Jonathan
- Date: 2014
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Clinical Science Vol. 126, no. 11 (2014), p. 795
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: AAA (abdominal aortic aneurysm) is a potentially life-threatening late-onset degenerative condition. miRNAs (microRNAs), the small non-coding RNA molecules that regulate gene expression, have been shown previously to be associated with a broad range of human pathologies, including cardiovascular diseases. The aim of the present study was to identify AAA-associated miRNAs potentially contributing to AAA pathology. We analysed the expression of 124 miRNAs within AAA biopsies and serum of ten patients undergoing AAA repair, and serum from ten age- and sex-matched subjects without AAA, using the FlexmiR™ MicroRNA Assay. RNA extracted from the site of main AAA dilatation (AAA body) was compared with that extracted from the macroscopically non-dilated neck of the AAA (AAA neck). Similarly, RNA extracted from the serum of AAA patients (AAA serum) was compared with that extracted from age- and sex-matched controls (control serum). qPCR (quantitative real-time PCR), Western blot analysis and histology were performed using an independent set of six paired AAA body and neck biopsies to examine the validity of findings. Seven miRNAs were up-regulated [>2-fold difference, FDR (false discovery rate) <0.5] within AAA biopsies, of which miR-155 was the most differentially expressed (11.32-fold, FDR=0.414). This finding was confirmed by qPCR with the median relative expression of miR-155 being 3.26 and 0.63 within AAA body and AAA neck biopsies respectively (P=0.031). Circulating miR-155 was also increased in AAA patients compared with controls, with a 2.67-fold up-regulation at borderline significance (FDR=0.554). Two immunologically important miR-155 target genes, CTLA4 (cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein) and SMAD2, were assessed and found to be significantly down-regulated within AAA bodies compared with AAA necks (P=0.032 and P=0.026) as determined by qPCR and Western blotting respectively. Histology demonstrated dense accumulation of T-lymphocytes within the adventitial and outer medial layers of AAA body, but not neck tissue. The results of the present study suggest that miR-155 is overexpressed in AAA with potential implications in the pathogenesis of the condition.
Mild traumatic brain injury among a cohort of rugby union players: predictors of time to injury
- Hollis, Stephanie, Stevenson, Mark, McIntosh, Andrew, Li, Ling, Heritier, Stephane, Shores, E Arthur, Collins, Michael, Finch, Caroline
- Authors: Hollis, Stephanie , Stevenson, Mark , McIntosh, Andrew , Li, Ling , Heritier, Stephane , Shores, E Arthur , Collins, Michael , Finch, Caroline
- Date: 2011
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: British Journal of Sports Medicine Vol. 45, no. 12 (2011), p. 997-999
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: This study reports the time to sustain a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) among a cohort of community rugby union players. Demographic and player characteristics were collected and players followed up for between one and three playing seasons. 7% of the cohort sustained an mTBI within 10 h of game time, increasing twofold to 14% within 20 h. The mean time to first mTBI was 8 h with an SD of 6.2 (median 6.8 h; IQR: 2.9–11.7 h). Players reporting a recent history of concussion were 20% more likely to sustain an mTBI after 20 h of game time compared with those with no recent history of concussion. Players were likely to sustain an mTBI in shorter time if they trained for <3 h/week (HR=1.48, p=0.03) or had a body mass index <27 (HR=1.77, p=0.007). The findings highlight modifiable characteristics to reduce the likelihood of shortened time to mTBI.
Moving forward with dignity : exploring health awareness in an isolated deaf community of Australia
- Terry, Daniel, Lê, Quynh, Nguyen, Hoang
- Authors: Terry, Daniel , Lê, Quynh , Nguyen, Hoang
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Disability and Health Journal Vol. 9, no. 2 (2016), p. 281-288
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Background Those within the Deaf community are disadvantaged in a number of aspects of day-to-day life including their access to health care. At times, they may encounter barriers to health care even before they reach the consultation room. As a consequence, they may receive insufficient and inappropriate health care which may lead to poorer health outcomes. Objective A study was conducted to explore health awareness and access to health information and services of Deaf people living in Tasmania, Australia and identify ways of enhancing the interaction between the Deaf and the wider community. Methods A questionnaire was administered, including a number of demographic, health awareness and health service usage questions. In addition, semi-structured interviews and focus groups were conducted with service providers and the Deaf community between March and August 2014. An interpreter was present to translate the questions into Auslan and who then translated the Deaf participant's discussion into English for the researcher. Data were then analyzed using research software SPSS v20.0 and NVivo 10.0. Results Health as a concept was poorly understood, including mental health, sexual health and health concerning alcohol and drug abuse. Regarding health care resources, due to a sense of security, trust and confidence, the family physician or general practitioner was the single most important health care provider among the Deaf. Conclusions The Deaf remain underserved by the current health care system; however, through resourcefulness and life experiences, the Deaf have developed coping and management strategies to move forward with dignity in education, meaningful employment and health access. © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
- Authors: Terry, Daniel , Lê, Quynh , Nguyen, Hoang
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Disability and Health Journal Vol. 9, no. 2 (2016), p. 281-288
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Background Those within the Deaf community are disadvantaged in a number of aspects of day-to-day life including their access to health care. At times, they may encounter barriers to health care even before they reach the consultation room. As a consequence, they may receive insufficient and inappropriate health care which may lead to poorer health outcomes. Objective A study was conducted to explore health awareness and access to health information and services of Deaf people living in Tasmania, Australia and identify ways of enhancing the interaction between the Deaf and the wider community. Methods A questionnaire was administered, including a number of demographic, health awareness and health service usage questions. In addition, semi-structured interviews and focus groups were conducted with service providers and the Deaf community between March and August 2014. An interpreter was present to translate the questions into Auslan and who then translated the Deaf participant's discussion into English for the researcher. Data were then analyzed using research software SPSS v20.0 and NVivo 10.0. Results Health as a concept was poorly understood, including mental health, sexual health and health concerning alcohol and drug abuse. Regarding health care resources, due to a sense of security, trust and confidence, the family physician or general practitioner was the single most important health care provider among the Deaf. Conclusions The Deaf remain underserved by the current health care system; however, through resourcefulness and life experiences, the Deaf have developed coping and management strategies to move forward with dignity in education, meaningful employment and health access. © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.