Publications by authors named "Britt K"

Aim: Family-centred service aims to build family capacity to support their children, but behaviours supporting capacity-building vary. We explored what influences the way service providers think about and approach family-centred service.

Method: An online survey drew on experiences, beliefs, and perspectives of Australian providers.

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Objective: Religiosity is a complex construct comprised observance, intrinsic beliefs, meditative practice, and communal elements. Religiosity has been associated with reduced mortality and improved overall health, but understanding the underlying biological associations is evolving. As increased telomere length has been associated with increased longevity, this project presents a systematic review of studies investigating the relationship between religiosity and telomere length.

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Purpose: To explore the impact of family-centred service education on the knowledge, attitudes, self-efficacy, and practice of service providers working in paediatric disability.

Materials And Methods: The review was conducted in accordance with the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology for scoping reviews. The search strategy was completed in seven electronic databases.

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Artificial intelligence (AI) is enabling us to delve deeply into the information inherent in a mammogram and identify novel features associated with high risk of a future breast cancer diagnosis. Here, we discuss how AI is improving mammographic density-associated risk prediction and shaping the future of screening and risk-reducing strategies.

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This quality improvement project sought to help health care workers (HCWs) identify and mitigate work-related stress using Stress First Aid. SFA training was offered to all psychiatric unit employees. Surveys assessing perceived stress, self-efficacy, and program outcomes were administered at four timepoints.

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It is not understood how cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training, specifically the representation of sex in CPR manikins, contributes to inequitable outcomes in cardiac arrest survival. The aim of this study was to identify the sex and chest wall secondary sexual characteristics of CPR manikins on the global market. The secondary aim was to identify if manikin manufacturing companies had a publicly available sustainability policy or equivalent, and if these covered products were manufactured.

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Article Synopsis
  • Prenatal exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) is linked to increased autism symptoms and diagnosis in young boys with low aromatase gene activity.
  • Research indicates that high BPA levels impact brain methylation patterns related to aromatase, which may mediate the risk of autism.
  • Male mice studies suggest that mid-gestation BPA exposure causes ASD-like behaviors, but these can be improved with the intervention of 10-hydroxy-2-decenoic acid (10HDA).
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Clergy play a crucial role in supporting the mental health of their congregants, but the impact on their own well-being is understudied. A review of 2019-2020 data from 636 U.S.

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Article Synopsis
  • Microbes and enzymes are crucial for soil and plant health, particularly in the hemp rhizosphere, but fungicides can negatively affect microorganism diversity and enzyme activity.
  • Soil samples from four hemp cultivars were tested under different conditions (natural, inoculated, and fungicide-treated), revealing that fungicides dramatically altered microbiota structure by increasing some microbial phyla while decreasing others.
  • Enzymatic activities related to organic matter metabolism were also significantly reduced in fungicide-treated samples across all hemp cultivars, highlighting the ecological implications of fungicide use on soil health.
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Breast cancer (BCa) is the most common cancer in women and the estrogen receptor (ER)+ subtype is increasing in incidence. There are numerous therapy options available for patients that target the ER, however issues such as innate and acquired treatment resistance, and treatment related side effects justify research into alternative therapeutic options for these patients. Patients of many solid tumour types have benefitted from immunotherapy, however response rates have been generally low in ER+ BCa.

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Dimensions of religion and spirituality are associated with better emotional, physical, and cognitive health. However, the underlying physiological mechanisms are not well known. We investigated the relationship between dimensions of religion and spirituality with levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), a biomarker of systematic inflammation, in middle-aged and older adults in the United States.

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Visceral adipose tissue (VAT) is an energy store and endocrine organ critical for metabolic homeostasis. Regulatory T (T) cells restrain inflammation to preserve VAT homeostasis and glucose tolerance. Here, we show that the VAT harbors two distinct T cell populations: prototypical serum stimulation 2-positive (ST2) T cells that are enriched in males and a previously uncharacterized population of C-X-C motif chemokine receptor 3-positive (CXCR3) T cells that are enriched in females.

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Macrophages represent a key component of the tumor microenvironment (TME) and are largely associated with poor prognosis. Therapeutic targeting of macrophages has historically focused on inhibiting their recruitment or reprogramming their phenotype from a protumor (M2-like) to an antitumor (M1-like) one. Unfortunately, this approach has not provided clinical breakthroughs that have changed practice.

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Intratumoural heterogeneity is associated with poor outcomes in breast cancer. To understand how malignant clones survive and grow in metastatic niches, in vivo models using cell lines and patient-derived xenografts (PDX) have become the gold standard. Injections of cancer cells in orthotopic sites (spontaneous metastasis assays) or into the vasculature (experimental metastasis assays) have been used interchangeably to study the metastatic cascade from early events or post-intravasation, respectively.

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Objectives: The association between religiosity and secular mental health utilization is unclear. Evidence suggests that religious and spiritual leaders (R/S leaders) may be more trusted than secular mental health therapists (SMHTs) and are often the first point of contact for individuals with mental health problems who identify as religious.

Methods: Generalized equation estimate (GEE) analyses were used to examine the association between religiosity and mental health seeking behaviours in 2,107 participants using t Midlife in the United States Study (MIDUS) data collected between 1995 and 2014.

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Background: Triple negative BCa (TNBC) is defined by a lack of expression of estrogen (ERα), progesterone (PgR) receptors and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) as assessed by protein expression and/or gene amplification. It makes up ~ 15% of all BCa and often has a poor prognosis. TNBC is not treated with endocrine therapies as ERα and PR negative tumors in general do not show benefit.

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Older adults living with dementia experience progressive decline, prompting reliance on others for spiritual care and support. Despite a growing interest in studying persons living with dementia (PLwDs), empirical evidence on the spiritual needs of PLwDs has not been synthesized. Using the Whittemore and Knafl method, this integrative review examined the literature from 2000 to 2022 on the spiritual care needs of PLwDs.

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Estrogen receptor-positive breast cancers (ER BCas) are the most common form of BCa and are increasing in incidence, largely due to changes in reproductive practices in recent decades. Tamoxifen is prescribed as a component of standard-of-care endocrine therapy for the treatment and prevention of ER BCa. However, it is poorly tolerated, leading to low uptake of the drug in the preventative setting.

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Commonly reported in dementia, neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS), cognitive decline, and sleep disturbances indicate dementia progression. With the growing dementia burden, identifying protective factors that may slow dementia progression is increasingly essential. Religion and spirituality are associated with better mental and physical health, yet few studies have been reported in older adults with dementia.

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Protective factors that slow dementia progression and improve quality of life are needed. Neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS), cognitive decline, and sleep disturbances are commonly found in dementia, indicate progression, and increase caregiver distress. The purpose of this study was to examine the association of private prayer with NPS, cognitive function, and sleep disturbances in older adults with dementia.

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Breast cancer (BCa) incidence increases following aberrant hormone exposure, which has been linked to direct effects on estrogen receptor (ER) mammary epithelium. While estrogen exposure during mammary involution has been shown to drive tumour growth via neutrophils, the potential for the ER + immune microenvironment to mediate part (in addition to mammary epithelial cells) of hormonally controlled BCa risk during normal development has not been assessed. We collected mammary tissue, lymph nodes and blood from tumour naïve mice treated with, oophorectomy, estrogen (17β estradiol) or Fulvestrant.

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The current descriptive qualitative study explored the perceived impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic on sleep disturbances and nighttime agitation; the reported use of antipsychotics and other sedating medications; and the overall well-being of older adults with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) and their caregivers. One investigator conducted in-depth, phone interviews with caregivers of nursing home residents with ADRD (four family caregivers [FCs], three nurse practitioners [NPs]) and seven FCs of older adults with ADRD who lived with them at home. Caregivers described multiple sleep disturbances.

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