Profound vision loss impairs psychological well-being in young and middle-aged individuals.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of profound vision loss on psychological well-being in adolescents, young adults, and middle-aged adults with regard to mood, interpersonal interactions, and career-related goals. In addition, we assessed the significance of the resources that may be used to enhance psychological well-being in cases of profound vision loss, and in particular, examined the utility of low vision aids and the role of the ophthalmologist as a provider of emotional support.

Methods: A questionnaire was issued to individuals aged 13-65 years with profound vision loss resulting from Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON).

Natural History of Conversion of Leber's Hereditary Optic Neuropathy: A Prospective Case Series.

Purpose: To illustrate the natural history of Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON).

Design: Prospective observational case series.

Participants: The Soave-Brazil pedigree of m.

Vegetarian diet and all-cause mortality: Evidence from a large population-based Australian cohort - the 45 and Up Study.

The vegetarian diet is thought to have health benefits including reductions in type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and obesity. Evidence to date suggests that vegetarians tend to have lower mortality rates when compared with non-vegetarians, but most studies are not population-based and other healthy lifestyle factors may have confounded apparent protective effects. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between categories of vegetarian diet (including complete, semi and pesco-vegetarian) and all-cause mortality in a large population-based Australian cohort.

Who is at risk of chronic disease? Associations between risk profiles of physical activity, sitting and cardio-metabolic disease in Australian adults.

Objective: To examine the associations of physical activity (PA) and sitting time (sit) with cardio-metabolic diseases.

Methods: Cross-sectional data from the Australian National Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey 2011-2012 (n=9,435) were used to classify adults into low and high risk groups based on their physical activity and sitting behaviour profiles. Logistic regression models examined associations between low and high risk classifications (high PA-low sit; high PA-high sit; low PA-low sit; low PA-high sit;) and socio-demographic factors, and associations between low and high risk classifications and the prevalence of cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome.

Can Point Defects in Surfaces in Solution be Atomically Resolved by Atomic Force Microscopy?

While the atomic force microscope (AFM) is able to image mineral surfaces in solution with atomic resolution, so far, it has been a matter of debate whether imaging point defects is also possible under these conditions. The difficulties stem from the limited knowledge of what types of defects may be stable in the presence of an AFM tip, as well as from the complicated imaging mechanism involving interactions between hydration layers over the surface and around the tip apex. Here, we present atomistic molecular dynamics and free energy calculations of the AFM imaging of vacancies and ionic substitutions in the calcite (101[over ¯]4) surface in water, using a new silica AFM tip model.

Integration of ruxolitinib into dose-intensified therapy targeted against a novel JAK2 F694L mutation in B-precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

A 17-year-old girl with B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (BCP-ALL) with persistent minimal residual disease (MRD) who underwent standard chemotherapy was found to have a BCR-ABL1-like gene expression pattern. Genome sequencing revealed a JAK2 mutation not previously described in BCP-ALL and a potential therapeutic target. Due to concern for an on-therapy relapse, the JAK2 inhibitor ruxolitinib was incorporated into a modified chemotherapy backbone to achieve complete remission prior to stem cell transplant.

30-year trends in overweight, obesity and waist-to-height ratio by socioeconomic status in Australian children, 1985 to 2015.

Background/objective: To report 30-year (1985-2015) prevalence trends in overweight, obesity and abdominal obesity among children by school level and socioeconomic status (SES).

Subjects/methods: Five cross-sectional, population child surveys (age 4-18 years; n=27 808) conducted in 1985-1997-2004-2010-2015 in New South Wales, Australia. Outcomes were prevalence of measured overweight, obesity and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR⩾0.

Lucky Rhythms in Orbitofrontal Cortex Bias Gambling Decisions in Humans.

It is well established that emotions influence our decisions, yet the neural basis of this biasing effect is not well understood. Here we directly recorded local field potentials from the OrbitoFrontal Cortex (OFC) in five human subjects performing a financial decision-making task. We observed a striking increase in gamma-band (36-50 Hz) oscillatory activity that reflected subjects' decisions to make riskier choices.

Retaining nurses in metropolitan areas: insights from senior nurse and human resource managers.

Aim: To investigate the views of senior nurse and human resource managers of strategies to retain hospital nurses in a metropolitan area.

Background: Against a global shortage, retaining nurses is a management imperative for the quality of hospital services.

Method: Semi-structured interviews, thematically analysed.

Phosphodiesterase Type 5 Inhibition Reduces Albuminuria in Subjects with Overt Diabetic Nephropathy.

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is the leading cause of ESRD worldwide. Reduced bioavailability or uncoupling of nitric oxide in the kidney, leading to decreased intracellular levels of the nitric oxide pathway effector molecule cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP), has been implicated in the progression of DN. Preclinical studies suggest that elevating the cGMP intracellular pool through inhibition of the cGMP-hydrolyzing enzyme phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) might exert renoprotective effects in DN.

A general forcefield for accurate phonon properties of metal-organic frameworks.

We report the development of a forcefield capable of reproducing accurate lattice dynamics of metal-organic frameworks. Phonon spectra, thermodynamic and mechanical properties, such as free energies, heat capacities and bulk moduli, are calculated using the quasi-harmonic approximation to account for anharmonic behaviour due to thermal expansion. Comparison to density functional theory calculations of properties such as Grüneisen parameters, bulk moduli and thermal expansion supports the accuracy of the derived forcefield model.

Underlying Cortical Dysplasia as Risk Factor for Traumatic Epilepsy: An Animal Study.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a significant risk factor for development of epilepsy in humans. It is unclear, however, why some persons are at an increased risk of becoming epileptic, while others recover from the TBI seizure-free. We previously showed that the presence of a proepileptic pathology increases the risk of epilepsy in an animal model of cortical dysplasia (CD) after a secondary insult, which we described as the "second hit".

Developing Program Performance Measures for Rural Emergency Medical Services.

Background: The development of measures to monitor and evaluate the performance and quality of emergency medical services (EMS) systems has been a focus of attention for many years. The Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Program (Flex Program), established by Congress in 1997, provides grants to states to implement initiatives to strengthen rural healthcare delivery systems, including better integration of EMS into those systems of care.

Objective: Building on national efforts to develop EMS performance measures, we sought to identify measures relevant to the rural communities and hospitals supported by the Flex Program.

An International Study of Emotional Response to Bilateral Vision Loss Using a Novel Graphical Online Assessment Tool.

Background: Leber׳s hereditary optic neuropathy usually causes rapid bilateral blindness in young adults, and thus represents a unique and severe psychologic stressor.

Objective: We aimed to describe adjustment to this major life event, using a new tool to enhance recall of past affective states by using life event-related context. This is the largest (n = 116 with Leber׳s hereditary optic neuropathy), and first study reporting on the emotional aspects of this nontrauma cause of blindness.

Free Energy of Ligand Removal in the Metal-Organic Framework UiO-66.

We report an investigation of the "missing-linker phenomenon" in the Zr-based metal-organic framework UiO-66 using atomistic force field and quantum chemical methods. For a vacant benzene dicarboxylate ligand, the lowest energy charge-capping mechanism involves acetic acid or Cl/HO. The calculated defect free energy of formation is remarkably low, consistent with the high defect concentrations reported experimentally.

Entropy Drives Calcium Carbonate Ion Association.

The understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the early stages of crystallisation is still incomplete. In the case of calcium carbonate, experimental and computational evidence suggests that phase separation relies on so-called pre-nucleation clusters (PNCs). A thorough thermodynamic analysis of the enthalpic and entropic contributions to the overall free energy of PNC formation derived from three independent methods demonstrates that solute clustering is driven by entropy.

Weight-Related Goal Setting in a Telephone-Based Preventive Health-Coaching Program: Demonstration of Effectiveness.

Purpose: This study investigated whether participants in a 6-month telephone-based coaching program, who set physical activity, nutrition, and weight loss goals had better outcomes in these domains.

Design: Quasi-experimental design.

Setting: The Australian Get Healthy Information and Coaching Service (GHS), a free population-wide telephone health-coaching service that includes goal setting as a key component of its coaching program.

Sedentary Behavior and Musculoskeletal Discomfort Are Reduced When Office Workers Trial an Activity-Based Work Environment.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of an activity-based work (ABW) office environment on physical activity and sedentary behavior, work ability, and musculoskeletal discomfort.

Methods: Eighty-eight office workers trialed ABW for 4 weeks. Accelerometer and self-reported outcomes were measured at baseline, end-intervention, and follow-up.

Dynamics of Propofol-Induced Loss of Consciousness Across Primate Neocortex.

Unlabelled: The precise neural mechanisms underlying transitions between consciousness and anesthetic-induced unconsciousness remain unclear. Here, we studied intracortical neuronal dynamics leading to propofol-induced unconsciousness by recording single-neuron activity and local field potentials directly in the functionally interconnecting somatosensory (S1) and frontal ventral premotor (PMv) network during a gradual behavioral transition from full alertness to loss of consciousness (LOC) and on through a deeper anesthetic level. Macaque monkeys were trained for a behavioral task designed to determine the trial-by-trial alertness and neuronal response to tactile and auditory stimulation.

Kinetic and structural insights into the binding of histone deacetylase 1 and 2 (HDAC1, 2) inhibitors.

The structure-activity and structure-kinetic relationships of a series of novel and selective ortho-aminoanilide inhibitors of histone deacetylases (HDACs) 1 and 2 are described. Different kinetic and thermodynamic selectivity profiles were obtained by varying the moiety occupying an 11Å channel leading to the Zn(2+) catalytic pocket of HDACs 1 and 2, two paralogs with a high degree of structural similarity. The design of these novel inhibitors was informed by two ligand-bound crystal structures of truncated hHDAC2.

Pain anticipatory phenomena in patients with central poststroke pain: a magnetoencephalography study.

Central poststroke pain (CPSP) is characterized by hemianesthesia associated with unrelenting chronic pain. The final pain experience stems from interactions between sensory, affective, and cognitive components of chronic pain. Hence, managing CPSP will require integrated approaches aimed not only at the sensory but also the affective-cognitive spheres.

A heterogeneous population of nuclear-encoded mitochondrial mRNAs is present in the axons of primary sympathetic neurons.

Mitochondria are enriched in subcellular regions of high energy consumption, such as axons and pre-synaptic nerve endings. Accumulating evidence suggests that mitochondrial maintenance in these distal structural/functional domains of the neuron depends on the "in-situ" translation of nuclear-encoded mitochondrial mRNAs. In support of this notion, we recently provided evidence for the axonal targeting of several nuclear-encoded mRNAs, such as cytochrome c oxidase, subunit 4 (COXIV) and ATP synthase, H+ transporting and mitochondrial Fo complex, subunit C1 (ATP5G1).