Beyond pink ribbons: The unmet needs of women with breast cancer.

Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer worldwide. The treatment options for breast cancer can cause side effects and adversely impact quality of life. Side effects, including fatigue, pain, cognitive changes, and psychosocial complications, can be life altering and continue beyond treatment into survivorship.

Lateral lamina V projection neuron axon collaterals connect sensory processing across the dorsal horn of the mouse spinal cord.

Spinal projection neurons (PNs) are defined by long axons that travel from their origin in the spinal cord to the brain where they relay sensory information from the body. The existence and function of a substantial axon collateral network, also arising from PNs and remaining within the spinal cord, is less well appreciated. Here we use a retrograde viral transduction strategy to characterise a novel subpopulation of deep dorsal horn spinoparabrachial neurons.

The effectiveness of exercise and/or nutritional interventions to improve the quality of life of women with breast cancer receiving radiation therapy: a scoping review.

Currently, in Australia, 1 in 8 women are diagnosed with breast cancer. A common adjuvant treatment for breast cancer is radiation therapy (RT). The amalgamation of side effects caused by RT treatment can ultimately affect a patient's quality of life (QoL).

Feasibility and preliminary efficacy of an online nutrition education intervention for those with a sleeve gastrectomy: A pilot randomised control trial.

Background: A sleeve gastrectomy (SG) is a lifelong treatment that improves health and better outcomes are associated with follow-up. However, there is lack of access or high attrition to aftercare. This potentially contributes to sub-optimal dietary intake and a lack of evidence for nutrition interventions.

Effects of Moderate- Versus Vigorous-Intensity Exercise Training on Asthma Outcomes in Adults.

Background: The therapeutic effects of exercise have prompted calls for it to be embedded into standard asthma care, but evidence informing the optimal exercise intensity is lacking.

Objective: This study aimed to compare the effects of moderate- and vigorous-intensity aerobic exercise training on asthma outcomes and inflammation.

Methods: This was a 12-week randomized controlled trial in 46 adults with asthma randomized to either (1) 45-minute moderate-intensity exercise training 3 times/wk, (2) 30-minute vigorous-intensity exercise training 3 times/wk, or (3) the control group.

Low-dose CT: A safe and effective imaging modality in post-operative pelvic & acetabular fixation.

Introduction: Post-operative pelvic & acetabular fixation patients are conventionally imaged using 3-view radiographs (AP, inlet and outlet). The efficacy of such radiographs is inconsistent due to technical difficulties capturing an adequate view, often necessitating repeat radiographs and therefore increasing radiation exposure. Radiographs can be difficult to interpret, limiting the assessment of fracture reduction and fixation, especially with respect to metalwork positioning around articular surfaces.

The medulla oblongata shows a sex-specific inflammatory response to systemic neonatal lipopolysaccharide.

Early life inflammation has been linked to long-term modulation of behavioural outcomes due to the central nervous system, but it is now becoming apparent it is also linked to dysfunction of visceral physiology. The medulla oblongata contains a number of nuclei critical for homeostasis, therefore we utilised the well-established model of neonatal lipopolysaccharide (LPS) exposure to examine the immediate and long-term impacts of systemic inflammation on the medulla oblongata. Wistar rats were injected with LPS or saline on postnatal days 3 and 5, with tissues collected on postnatal days 7 or 90 in order to assess expression of inflammatory mediators and microglial morphology in autonomic regions of the medulla oblongata.

The health of people attending residential treatment for alcohol and other drug use: Prevalence of and risks for major lifestyle diseases.

Introduction: Cardiovascular disease and cancers are the leading cause of mortality amongst people accessing treatment for alcohol and other drug use. The current study aimed to examine risk factors for chronic disease amongst people attending residential alcohol and other drug treatment services.

Methods: Participants (N = 325) were attending residential alcohol and other drug treatment services across Australia.

Practitioner perceptions on the use of exercise and nutritional interventions for patients with breast cancer receiving radiation therapy.

Introduction: Radiation therapy treatment for breast cancer may negatively impact patients' health-related quality of life. Evidence suggests exercise and nutrition interventions may be beneficial to patients experiencing compromised health-related quality of life. This study investigates whether radiation oncology practitioners support the implementation of a tailored exercise and nutrition intervention for patients and explores their interest in participating in training for exercise and nutrition as interventions.

Calretinin-expressing islet cells are a source of pre- and post-synaptic inhibition of non-peptidergic nociceptor input to the mouse spinal cord.

Unmyelinated non-peptidergic nociceptors (NP afferents) arborise in lamina II of the spinal cord and receive GABAergic axoaxonic synapses, which mediate presynaptic inhibition. However, until now the source of this axoaxonic synaptic input was not known. Here we provide evidence that it originates from a population of inhibitory calretinin-expressing interneurons (iCRs), which correspond to lamina II islet cells.

Calretinin-expressing islet cells: a source of pre- and post-synaptic inhibition of non-peptidergic nociceptor input to the mouse spinal cord.

Unmyelinated non-peptidergic nociceptors (NP afferents) arborise in lamina II of the spinal cord and receive GABAergic axoaxonic synapses, which mediate presynaptic inhibition. However, until now the source of this axoaxonic synaptic input was not known. Here we provide evidence that it originates from a population of inhibitory calretinin-expressing interneurons (iCRs), which correspond to lamina II islet cells.

How little is enough? The feasibility of conducting a dose-escalation study for exercise training in people with stroke.

Question: Is it feasible and safe to conduct an exercise dose-finding study in people with stroke? Is it possible to determine a minimal dose of exercise required to see clinically meaningful improvements in cardiorespiratory fitness?

Methods: Dose-escalation study. Twenty people with stroke (n=5 per cohort) who were able to walk independently participated in home-based, telehealth-supervised aerobic exercise sessions 3 d/week at moderate-vigorous intensity for 8 weeks. Dose parameters of frequency (3 d/week), intensity (55-85% of heart rate peak) and program length (8 weeks) were kept constant.

Measures of Maximal Tactile Pressures during a Sustained Grasp Task Using a TactArray Device Have Satisfactory Reliability and Concurrent Validity in People with Stroke.

Sensor-based devices can record pressure or force over time during grasping and therefore offer a more comprehensive approach to quantifying grip strength during sustained contractions. The objectives of this study were to investigate the reliability and concurrent validity of measures of maximal tactile pressures and forces during a sustained grasp task using a TactArray device in people with stroke. Participants with stroke (n = 11) performed three trials of sustained maximal grasp over 8 s.

Molecular and Functional Changes to Postsynaptic Cholinergic Signaling in the Vestibular Sensory Organs of Aging C57BL/6 Mice.

Cholinergic circuits in the central nervous system are vulnerable to age-related functional decline, but it is not known if aging impacts cholinergic signaling in the vestibular sensory organs, which are critically important to balance maintenance and visual gaze stability. We have previously shown cholinergic neurotransmission between vestibular efferent terminals and type II mechanosensory hair cells requires the alpha9 (Chrna9) nicotinic receptor subunit. Homozygous knockout of the alpha9 subunit causes vestibulo-ocular reflex adaptation deficits that mirror those observed in aged mice.

Health risk factors in Australian Stroke Survivors: A latent class analysis.

Issues Addressed: To (i) determine the prevalence of health risk factors (physical activity, diet, alcohol, smoking, blood pressure medication use and mental health) in community-dwelling stroke survivors; and (ii) examine how these health risk factors cluster, and identify associations with physical functioning, independent living, or sociodemographic factors.

Methods: A secondary analysis of data obtained during a national randomised controlled trial. Participants had experienced stroke and completed a baseline telephone survey on demographic and stroke characteristics, health risk factors, physical functioning and independence in activities of daily living.

Efficacy of technology-based personalised feedback on diet quality in young Australian adults: results for the advice, ideas and motivation for my eating (Aim4Me) randomised controlled trial.

Objective: Web-based dietary interventions could support healthy eating. The Advice, Ideas and Motivation for My Eating (Aim4Me) trial investigated the impact of three levels of personalised web-based dietary feedback on diet quality in young adults. Secondary aims were to investigate participant retention, engagement and satisfaction.

Going their own way-male recreational runners and running-related injuries: A qualitative thematic analysis.

Objective: Recreational running is one of the most common physical leisure activities worldwide and is associated with high rates of running related injury (RRI). Little is known of the perceptions of male recreational runners regarding the aetiology and management of RRI.

Design: Utilising an interpretive phenomenological analysis framework, qualitative data was gathered from participants via interview, and reflexive thematic analysis was used to develop insights into the experiences and perceptions of the participants in relation to RRI.

Altered Intrinsic Properties and Inhibitory Connectivity in Aged Parvalbumin-Expressing Dorsal Horn Neurons.

The incidence of pain symptoms such as allodynia are known to increase with age. Parvalbumin expressing interneurons (PVINs) within the dorsal horn (DH) of the spinal cord play an important role in allodynia whereby their inhibitory connections prevent innocuous touch information from exciting nociceptive pathways. Here we ask whether the functional properties of PVINs are altered by aging, comparing their functional properties in adult (3-7 month) and aged mice (23-28 month).

Properties of Deiters' neurons and inhibitory synaptic transmission in the mouse lateral vestibular nucleus.

Deiters' neurons, located exclusively in the lateral vestibular nucleus (LVN), are involved in vestibulospinal reflexes, innervate extensor motoneurons that drive antigravity muscles, and receive inhibitory inputs from the cerebellum. We investigated intrinsic membrane properties, short-term plasticity, and inhibitory synaptic inputs of mouse Deiters' and non-Deiters' neurons within the LVN. Deiters' neurons are distinguished from non-Deiters' neurons by their very low input resistance (105.

Outcomes of participation in parkrun, and factors influencing why and how often individuals participate: A systematic review of quantitative studies.

The primary objective of this systematic review was to synthesise peer-reviewed quantitative research of outcomes associated with participation in parkrun. The secondary objective was to synthesise the quantitative research of factors influencing why, and how often, individuals participate in parkrun. Studies were identified via electronic search of Medline, AMED, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, Informit, PsychInfo, SportDiscus, and Web of Science, to 30 March 2021.

Alterations in brainstem respiratory centers following peripheral inflammation: A systematic review.

Immune mediators upregulated in peripheral to central immune communication can modulate respiratory function by direct action on brainstem respiratory circuits. In this systematic review we consolidated findings from independent studies examining the relationship between peripheral and neuro- inflammation within brainstem respiratory centres. Microglia and astrocytes modulate brainstem neuroinflammation in response to peripheral immune mediators which then regulates neuronal activity and ultimately respiratory behaviours.

Access to and Use of Internet and Social Media by Low-Morbidity Stroke Survivors Participating in a National Web-Based Secondary Stroke Prevention Trial: Cross-sectional Survey.

Background: eHealth applications for stroke are a growing area of research that has yielded promising results. However, little is known about how stroke survivors engage with the internet, social media, and other digital technologies on a day-to-day basis.

Objective: This study had three main objectives: to describe the type, frequency, and purpose of technology use among a cohort of low-morbidity stroke survivors; to investigate associations between social media use and participant factors, including sociodemographics, physical function, and independence in activities of daily living; and to investigate associations between stroke-related health risk factors and the use of the internet to search for health and medical information.

Eating Behaviors and Diet Quality: A National Survey of Australian Young Adults.

Objective: To investigate associations between eating behavior constructs (social eating, perceived competence, habit automaticity, self-determined motivation) and diet quality among young adults.

Design: Cross-sectional analysis.

Participants: Young adults (n = 1,005; mean age, 21.

Evaluation of an online intervention for improving stroke survivors' health-related quality of life: A randomised controlled trial.

Background: The aim of this trial was to evaluate the effectiveness of an online health behaviour change intervention-Prevent 2nd Stroke (P2S)-at improving health-related quality of life (HRQoL) amongst stroke survivors at 6 months of follow-up.

Methods And Findings: A prospective, blinded-endpoint randomised controlled trial, with stroke survivors as the unit of randomisation, was conducted between March 2018 and November 2019. Adult stroke survivors between 6 and 36 months post-stroke with capacity to use the intervention (determined by a score of ≥4 on the Modified Rankin Scale) and who had access and willingness to use the internet were recruited via mail-out invitations from 1 national and 1 regional stroke registry.