Cross-Sectional Comparison of Treatment Provided Under the Clinical, Integrated, and Partnership Staffing Models for Community-Based Residential Mental Health Rehabilitation.

In Queensland (Australia), community-based residential mental health rehabilitation services have three distinct staffing profiles. The traditional 'clinical' staffing model has nursing staff occupying most staff roles. The 'partnership' approach involves collaboration between the health service and a Non-Government Organisation.

Real-time sonoelastography evaluation of the Achilles tendon following ultrasound-guided platelet-rich plasma injection and eccentric exercise for the treatment of refractory Achilles tendinopathy.

The objective of this study was to investigate the feasibility of using sonoelastography to depict Achilles tendon stiffness after platelet-rich plasma injection and eccentric exercise for chronic Achilles tendinopathy, and to correlate sonoelastography findings with clinical outcome up to 12 months after treatment. Forty-five Achilles tendons from 45 patients (33 males, 12 females; mean age 51 years) were examined using sonoelastography and ultrasound at baseline, 4-6 weeks, 6 months and 12 months post-treatment. The strain ratio (between Achilles tendon and Kager's fat) during sonoelastography was obtained.

Metabolic risk in patients participating in residential rehabilitation programs: how are we doing?

Objectives: To examine the prevalence of metabolic syndrome and its association with clinical, demographic and lifestyle factors in patients with mental illness participating in residential rehabilitation.

Methods: A physical health audit of all consumers ( n = 364) in publicly funded residential rehabilitation programs in Queensland was carried out in late 2016. Data collection focused on clinical, demographic and lifestyle factors associated with physical health.

Building Global Epidemiology and Response Capacity with Field Epidemiology Training Programs.

More than ever, competent field epidemiologists are needed worldwide. As known, new, and resurgent communicable diseases increase their global impact, the International Health Regulations and the Global Health Security Agenda call for sufficient field epidemiologic capacity in every country to rapidly detect, respond to, and contain public health emergencies, thereby ensuring global health security. To build this capacity, for >35 years the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has worked with countries around the globe to develop Field Epidemiology Training Programs (FETPs).

Tissue Engineering Strategies to Improve Osteogenesis in the Juvenile Swine Alveolar Cleft Model.

Alveolar (gumline) clefts are the most common congenital bone defect in humans, affecting 1 in 700 live births. Treatment to repair these bony defects relies on autologous, cancellous bone transfer from the iliac crest. This harvest requires a second surgical site with increased surgical time associated with potential complications, while providing only limited cancellous bone.

The physical health of Indigenous and non-Indigenous patients participating in residential rehabilitation programs: a comparison study.

Objective: To examine the differences in the physical health of Indigenous and non-Indigenous patients with severe mental illness (SMI) undergoing psychiatric rehabilitation.

Methods: An audit of the physical health of patients ( n = 361) in all publicly funded residential rehabilitation programs in Queensland was carried out in late 2014. Data collection focused on clinical and lifestyle factors associated with physical health.

Application of strain and calibration of Förster Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) emission for in vitro live cell response to cytoskeletal deformation.

Cellular mechanotransduction is an integral part of many crucial physiological processes, but non-invasive tools for quantifying intracellular strain in vivo are not available for complex tissues such as bone. As a first step to address this gap, we have utilized a novel, non-invasive approach to quantify cellular strain in vitro by employing a transfected alpha-actinin Förster Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) sensor. Following validation experiments, mouse fibroblasts transfected to express FRET sensors were seeded to a silicone membrane and subjected to up to 10% tensile strain mounted on a multi-photon microscope.

Comparing clinical and demographic characteristics of people with mental illness in hospital- and community-based residential rehabilitation units in Queensland.

Objective The aim of the present study was to examine care pathways and characteristics of mental health consumers participating in both hospital- and community-based residential rehabilitation programs. Methods An audit of consumers (n=240) in all publicly funded residential rehabilitation units in Queensland was performed on the same day in 2013. Data collection focused on demographic characteristics, clinical information and measures of consumer functioning.

Trimethoprim-Sulfamethoxazole Therapy Reduces Failure and Recurrence in Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Skin Abscesses after Surgical Drainage.

Objective: To determine whether a 3-day vs 10-day course of antibiotics after surgical drainage of skin abscesses is associated with different failure and recurrence rates.

Study Design: Patients age 3 months to 17 years seeking care at a pediatric emergency department with an uncomplicated skin abscess that required surgical drainage were randomized to receive 3 or 10 days of oral trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole therapy. Patients were evaluated 10-14 days later to assess clinical outcome.

Sonoelastography of the Achilles Tendon: Prevalence and Prognostic Value Among Asymptomatic Elite Australian Rules Football Players.

Objective: To investigate the prevalence of sonographic abnormalities at the mid-Achilles tendon among a cohort of asymptomatic professional football players and to determine whether these sonographic abnormalities predict midportion Achilles tendon symptoms.

Design: Longitudinal study.

Setting: A single competitive season in the Australian Rules Football League.

Face Masks for Noninvasive Ventilation: Fit, Excess Skin Hydration, and Pressure Ulcers.

Background: Pressure ulcers (stages III and IV) are serious safety events (ie, never events). Healthcare institutions are no longer reimbursed for costs to care for affected patients. Medical devices are the leading cause of pediatric pressure ulcers.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease part 2: non-pharmacological therapy.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common, progressive and disabling disease that causes significant burden to patients, their families, and the NHS. Research suggests that the complexity of factors contributing to the disease requires a deeper understanding of the patient experience and a more holistic approach to care provision. This, the second of two articles, discusses the non-pharmacological therapies for managing patients with COPD and explores the concept of mindfulness as a therapy in the management of breathlessness.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease part 1: smoking cessation.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is common in the UK and causes a significant burden to patients and the NHS. Healthcare provision for COPD is largely focused on biomedical treatment, yet research suggests the complexity of factors contributing to this disease requires a deeper understanding of the patient experience and a more holistic approach to the provision of care. Smoking cessation is the single most cost-effective and significant way to slow the disease progress and improve outcomes for patients.

Establishing a field epidemiology elective for medical students in Kenya: a strategy for increasing public health awareness and workforce capacity.

Medical students have limited exposure to field epidemiology, even though will assume public health roles after graduation. We established a 10-week elective in field epidemiology during medical school. Students attended one-week didactic sessions on epidemiology, and nine weeks in field placement sites.

Evaluating Application of Knowledge and Skills: The Use of Consensus Expert Review to Assess Conference Abstracts of Field Epidemiology Training Participants.

Background: Often evaluations of training programs are limited - with many focusing on the aspects that are easy to measure (e.g., reaction of trainees) without addressing the important outcomes of training, such as how trainees applied their new knowledge, skills, and attitudes.

Pressure ulcer prevention in the community setting.

Pressure ulcers are associated with reduced quality of life, affecting individuals physically, socially and emotionally. The financial cost to the NHS of preventing and treating such ulcers is substantial. Although largely preventable, pressure ulcers are still common.

Anatomic study of full facial and scalp allografts without cutaneous facial scars.

Conventional reconstructive procedures for face and scalp reconstruction fall short of aesthetic and functional goals because of the unique quality and quantity of facial and scalp soft tissue. The purpose of this cadaver study was to demonstrate the feasibility of a flap design for full face and scalp composite tissue allotransplantation, without cutaneous facial scars. Six fresh human cadavers were dissected with sagittal scalp and mucosal incisions for full face and scalp harvest without cutaneous facial incisions.

Dissection in the subgaleal and subperiosteal plane: implications on scalp wound healing.

Craniofacial reconstruction often involves the use of dissection in the subperiosteal or subgaleal plane to access the cranial vault and facial skeleton. Clinically, physical changes to the periosteal layer and underlying cortex were observed in the re-operative field. This article compares aspects of wound healing, structural integrity of the progenitor periosteal layer, and underlying bony changes when elevating a subgaleal or subperiosteal flap in a Lewis rat calvarial model.

Variation in Protein and Calorie Consumption Following Protein Malnutrition in Rattus norvegicus.

Catch-up growth rates, following protein malnutrition, vary with timing and duration of insult, despite unlimited access to calories. Understanding changing patterns of post-insult consumption, relative rehabilitation timing, can provide insight into the mechanisms driving those differences. We hypothesize that higher catch-up growth rates will be correlated with increased protein consumption, while calorie consumption could remain stable.

Repairing critical-sized rat calvarial defects with progenitor cell-seeded acellular periosteum: a novel biomimetic scaffold.

Background: Many types of scaffolds have been used in bone tissue engineering, with none emerging as favorites. We propose the use of acellular periosteum as a biologic scaffold to allow for progenitor cell adherence, migration, and proliferation in vitro and to test the construct in vivo in a rat calvarial defect model.

Methods: Bovine periosteum was processed to remove all antigenic material (RTI Biologics), and its cambial layer was then seeded with adipose-derived stromal cells (ASCs) or periosteal-derived stromal cells (PSCs) and incubated for 14 days.

Leadership in strategic information (LSI) building skilled public health capacity in Ethiopia.

Background: In many developing countries, including Ethiopia, few have the skills to use data for effective decision making in public health. To address this need, the U.S.

Catch-up and targeted growth following variable duration protein restriction: effects on bone and body mass.

Protein malnutrition leads to growth retardation that can be reversed through catch-up growth, once normative nutrition is restored. Because growth is a dynamic process, catch-up capacity is likely influenced by the maturity of the animal and/or the duration of the insult, in addition to the type of insult experienced. We compared length of malnutrition, sexual dimorphism, body mass, and skeletal growth.

How to reduce the negative psychological impact of MRSA isolation on patients.

MRSA is contagious and difficult to treat, and the isolation of infected patients is recommended by the Department of Health. However, isolation can have a negative psychological impact on patients and is controversial. This literature review explores the effects of isolation based on three themes: isolation environment and psychological impact; stigma of MRSA; and nursing care.