Dynamics of amylopectin granule accumulation during the course of the chronic infection is linked to intra-cyst bradyzoite replication.

The contribution of amylopectin granules (AG), comprised of a branched chain storage homopolymer of glucose, to the maintenance and progression of the chronic infection has remained undefined. Here we describe the role of AG in the physiology of encysted bradyzoites by using a custom developed imaging-based application AmyloQuant that permitted quantification of relative levels of AG within derived tissue cysts during the initiation and maturation of the chronic infection. Our findings establish that AG are dynamic entities, exhibiting considerable heterogeneity among tissue cysts at all post infection time points examined.

Medical Laboratory Science Education in Australia: An Academic Review.

Medical Laboratory Scientists contribute to pathology organizations to provide medical testing for the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease. To meet patient medical testing demands in Australia, an employment projection of moderate growth by 2026 in Medical Laboratory Scientists is predicted. This requires an experienced academic workforce that is competent in Medical Laboratory Science (MLS) teaching supported by MLS research to graduate skilled MLS students to fill this void.

The hidden Australian skin cancer epidemic, high-risk cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma: a narrative review.

Deaths from non-melanoma skin cancers (NMSCs) have almost doubled in Australia in recent years. Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) constitutes approximately 20% of NMSCs, but is responsible for most of the deaths. Most skin cancers are easy to diagnose and treat and therefore cSCC are often trivialised; however, there is a high-risk subgroup of cSCC (HRcSCC) that is associated with a high risk of metastasis and death.

Insights into the diversity of blood donation practice across Asia: How blood collection agencies adapt donor criteria and processes to their population.

Background And Objectives: Securing an adequate blood supply relies on accurate knowledge of blood donors and donation practices. As published evidence on Asian populations is sparse, this study aims to gather up-to-date information on blood donors and donation practices in Asia to assist planning and strategy development.

Materials And Methods: Ten blood collection agencies (BCAs) provided 12 months' data on donors who met eligibility criteria or were deferred, as well as details of their donation practices.

Online case-based learning in medical education: a scoping review.

Background: Case-Based Learning (CBL) in medical education is a teaching approach that engages students as learners through active learning in small, collaborative groups to solve cases from clinical patients. Due to the challenges afforded by the COVID-19 pandemic, small group learning such as CBL, transitioned quickly to include technology-enhanced learning to enable distance delivery, with little information on how to apply pedagogical frameworks and use learning theories to design and deliver online content.

Methods: To extend understanding of online CBL a scoping review protocol following the PRISMA-ScR framework explored the literature that describes the use of online CBL application in medical education and the outcomes, perceptions, and learning theories.

Understanding parent engagement in advanced allied health single session therapy for children with developmental and behavioural disabilities.

Background: Increasingly, health services are adopting short-term consultative therapy models, such as single session therapy, to cope with increased service demands, finite budgets and changing consumer expectations. Within the paediatric sub-specialty of child development and behaviour, allied health clinicians are central to supporting families to understand their children, provide therapeutic interventions and help achieve optimal developmental and health outcomes. This study aimed to describe parents'/caregivers' engagement during advanced allied health consultations utilizing a single session therapy framework for managing neurodevelopmental and behavioural concerns in children.

Factors Influencing Tissue Cyst Yield in a Murine Model of Chronic Toxoplasmosis.

Recent advances into the unique biology of tissue cysts and the bradyzoites they house necessitate optimization of tissue cyst recovery from infected mouse brains. Here, we present data from 83 tissue cyst purifications of Type II ME49 tissue cysts in CBA/J mice performed over a period of 3 years. The effects of infection with both tissue culture tachyzoites as well as tissue cysts were assessed.

Fibrinogen, Coagulation, and Ageing.

The World Health Organization estimates that the world's population over 60 years of age will nearly double in the next 30 years. This change imposes increasing demands on health and social services with increased disease burden in older people, hereafter defined as people aged 60 years or more. An older population will have a greater incidence of cardiovascular disease partly due to higher levels of blood fibrinogen, increased levels of some coagulation factors, and increased platelet activity.

An eLearning module is comparable to face-to-face teaching in a nursing human pathophysiology subject.

Background: Human pathophysiology is important in undergraduate nursing education to help students develop clinical reasoning skills. Traditionally pathophysiology education in undergraduate nursing is taught face-to-face. However, eLearning in nursing curricula may provide flexible delivery options.

The contribution and potential of older blood donors in Asia Pacific regions.

Objectives: To investigate the blood supply contribution of older donors in five Asia Pacific regions.

Background: Older people are often the largest blood user group. Thus, as the population ages blood supply needs increase.

Student Perception and the Effectiveness of Kahoot!: A Scoping Review in Histology, Anatomy, and Medical Education.

The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has presented challenges in medical education particularly, with development of online learning in a short time period. Notably there has been a significant increase in the use of digital technology applications to meet this challenge. For instance, in the first quarter of 2020 the game-based software Kahoot! reported a threefold increase in players and a fivefold increase in asynchronous learning globally.

Knowledge of Depression and Malingering: An Exploratory Investigation.

Malingering mental disorder for financial compensation can offer substantial rewards to those willing to do so. A recent review of UK medico-legal experts' practices for detecting claimants evidenced that they are not well equipped to detect those that do. This is not surprising, considering that very little is known regarding why individuals opt to malinger.

Long Chain Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Improve Vascular Stiffness in Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a vascular disease involving permanent focal dilation of the abdominal aorta (≥30 mm) that can lead to catastrophic rupture. Destructive remodeling of aortic connective tissue in AAA contributes to wall stiffening, a mechanical parameter of the arterial system linked to a heightened risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Since aortic stiffening is associated with AAA progression, treatment options that target vascular inflammation would appear prudent.

Benchmarking the research track record and level of appointment of Australian medical laboratory science academics.

Background: Benchmarking across and within universities is a common tool to evaluate performance of a program and maintain accreditation requirements. While teaching remains a primary responsibility of many academics, academic research performance is a major contributor towards career advancement and standards in the medical laboratory science profession. While anecdotal evidence suggests academics are active contributors to the evidence base of the profession, there is a high variability in research output in relation to institution and level of appointment.

Investigating Age Appropriate Coagulation Reference Intervals to Support Patient Blood Management in the Elderly: A Verification Study.

Reference intervals are vital for interpreting coagulation results. Current interval ranges have no upper age limit, although there is evidence that coagulation function changes with age. This study compared coagulation results from healthy people aged >60 years against adult reference intervals for routine clotting assays and thromboelastography (TEG) to determine if reference intervals are relevant to older adults.

Video feedback and e-Learning enhances laboratory skills and engagement in medical laboratory science students.

Background: Traditionally, the training of medical laboratory science students has taken place in the laboratory and has been led by academic and pathology experts in a face-to-face context. In recent years, budgetary pressures, increasing student enrolments and limited access to laboratory equipment have resulted in reduced staff-student contact hours in medical laboratory science education. While this restructure in resources has been challenging, it has encouraged innovation in online blended learning.