Fine particulate matter from burning oil and gas and associated neurological symptoms among Deepwater Horizon oil spill cleanup workers.

Burning and flaring of oil and gas following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill generated high airborne concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM). Neurological effects of PM have been previously reported, but this relationship has received limited attention in the context of oil spills. We evaluated associations between burning-related PM and prevalence of self-reported neurological symptoms during, and 1-3 years after, the DWH disaster cleanup.

Acute astrocytic and neuronal regulation of glutamatergic protein expression following blast.

Regulation of glutamate through glutamate-glutamine cycling is critical for mediating nervous system plasticity. Blast-induced traumatic brain injury (bTBI) has been linked to glutamate-dependent excitotoxicity, which may be potentiating chronic disorders such as post-traumatic epilepsy. The purpose of this study was to measure changes in the expression of astrocytic and neuronal proteins responsible for glutamatergic regulation at 4-, 12-, and 24 h in the cortex and hippocampus following single blast exposure in a rat model for bTBI.

"There was no services that I could access so I just stayed on the street…using until I went into labour.": A qualitative study of accessibility and cultural safety of services for perinatal substance use in British Columbia, Canada.

Background: Perinatal substance use is a critical public health challenge, impacting both mother and fetus. Its prevalence has increased in British Columbia, Canada, disproportionately impacting First Nations people. For specialized perinatal substance use services to be effective, they must be accessible and safe.

Reducing in-hospital complications in older patients undergoing plastic surgery through a collaborative model of care.

Background: There is increasing evidence to support collaborative care and proactive comprehensive geriatric assessment and management in a number of surgical specialties. Data are lacking in older people under the care of plastic surgeons. This before/after study evaluates the impact of the introduction of a shared care model between geriatric medicine and plastic surgery in an Australian metropolitan teaching hospital.

Australian parents' attitudes, perceptions and supply of alcohol to adolescents: a national cross-sectional survey.

Parental supply of alcohol to adolescents is associated with increased risk of subsequent adolescent alcohol use and harms, so identifying factors associated with parents' decision-making is critical. This study examined how parental supply is associated with attitudes toward adolescent alcohol use, perceived norms of parental supply, perceived behavioural control and perceived acceptable age to drink alcohol. A total of 1197 Australian parents with children aged 12-17 years completed an online cross-sectional survey assessing their parental supply behaviours, attitudes and perceptions in April 2022.