Evaluation of Air Consumption Efficiency in Structural Firefighters.

Objective: This study examines variability in air consumption (AC) between firefighters (FF) working at a standardized pace, evaluates the relationship between air consumption efficiency (ACE) and work economy, identifies parameters associated with ACE, and explores the relationship between ACE and self-paced work rate.

Methods: FF completed randomized trials of an air consumption drill at a standardized pace while breathing through a self-contained breathing apparatus and a gas analyzer. A subsample completed another trial at a self-selected pace.

Firefighter Health: A Narrative Review of Occupational Threats and Countermeasures.

Structural firefighters are responsible for protecting properties and saving lives during emergency operations. Despite efforts to prepare firefighters for these hazardous occupational demands, the unfortunate reality is that the incidence of health morbidities is increasing within the fire service. Specifically, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and mental health disorders are among the most documented morbidities in firefighters.

The Impact of Gloves and Occupational Tasks on Handgrip Strength in Structural Firefighters.

Adequate handgrip strength (HGS) is important to safely perform fireground tasks. However, there is limited research describing the deleterious impact of glove use and fatigue from occupational tasks on HGS. Therefore, the aims of this investigation were to quantify the impact of glove use and occupational tasks on HGS, to explore the relationship between HGS versus the glove and task-induced decrement in HGS, and to evaluate the relationship between HGS and decrement in HGS versus occupational performance.

Evaluation of Work Efficiency in Structural Firefighters.

Langford, EL, Bergstrom, HC, Lanham, S, Eastman, AQ, Best, S, Ma, X, Mason, MR, and Abel, MG. Evaluation of work efficiency in structural firefighters. J Strength Cond Res 37(12): 2457-2466, 2023-To perform occupational tasks safely and effectively, firefighters (FF) must work quickly and consume air provided by the self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) efficiently.

Etiology of Exercise Injuries in Firefighters: A Healthcare Practitioners' Perspective.

The purpose of this study was to query healthcare practitioners (HCPs) who treat firefighter injuries to identify risk factors and mechanisms associated with musculoskeletal injuries during exercise. A phenomenological design was utilized to understand the experiences of HCPs while treating firefighters' musculoskeletal injuries due to exercise. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 HCPs.

The importance of embedding an inclusive culture within healthcare teamwork education; an evaluation of implementation methods.

Teamworking is a fundamental concept within most organisations and healthcare is no different. It is at the core of everything we do as professionals and has a multitude of impacts including on patient safety, the quality of care that we provide, and staff morale. This paper looks at why we should prioritize advancing teamwork education; argues the advantages of developing an all-encompassing, inclusive team training approach; and summarizes the different methods of how to implement teamwork education within your organisation.

The Acute Effect of High-Intensity Resistance Training on Subsequent Firefighter Performance.

Mason, MR, Heebner, NR, Abt, JP, Bergstrom, HC, Shapiro, R, Langford, EL, and Abel, MG. The acute effect of high-intensity resistance training on subsequent firefighter performance. J Strength Cond Res 37(7): 1507-1514, 2023-High-intensity resistance training (HIRT) is commonly performed by structural firefighters on duty to enhance occupational readiness.

Safety and Feasibility of a Discharge within 23 Hours after Colorectal Laparoscopic Surgery.

Enhanced or accelerating recovery programs have significantly reduced hospital length stay after elective colorectal interventions. Our work aims at reporting an initial experience with ambulatory laparoscopic colectomy (ALC) to assess the criteria of discharge and outcomes. Between 2006 and 2016, data regarding patients having benefited from elective laparoscopic colorectal resections in two main centres in the United Kingdom have been analysed.

Fitness Policies Within the Fire Service: A Pilot Investigation of Exercise Adherence on Fitness Outcomes Among Rural Firefighters.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the adherence to departmental fitness policies and to evaluate the impact of on-duty firefighters' adherence to fitness outcomes. This cross-sectional designed study utilized a convenience sample of 40 career firefighters from one department in rural southeast Georgia. Onsite gym attendance logs were recorded during a 10-month period.

The Micro Topology and Statistical Analysis of the Forces of Walking and Failure of an ITAP in a Femur.

This paper studies the forces acting upon the Intraosseous Transcutaneous Amputation Prosthesis, ITAP, that has been designed for use in a quarter amputated femur. To design in a failure feature, utilising a safety notch, which would stop excessive stress, σ, permeating the bone causing damage to the user. To achieve this, the topology of the ITAP was studied using MATLAB and ANSYS models with a wide range of component volumes.

Alleles in metabolic and oxygen-sensing genes are associated with antagonistic pleiotropic effects on life history traits and population fitness in an ecological model insect.

Genes with opposing effects on fitness at different life stages are the mechanistic basis for evolutionary theories of aging and life history. Examples come from studies of mutations in model organisms, but there is little knowledge of genetic bases of life history tradeoffs in natural populations. Here, we test the hypothesis that alleles affecting oxygen sensing in Glanville fritillary butterflies have opposing effects on larval versus adult fitness-related traits.

Discovery of antitumor lectins from rainforest tree root transcriptomes.

Glycans are multi-branched sugars that are displayed from lipids and proteins. Through their diverse polysaccharide structures they can potentiate a myriad of cellular signaling pathways involved in development, growth, immuno-communication and survival. Not surprisingly, disruption of glycan synthesis is fundamental to various human diseases; including cancer, where aberrant glycosylation drives malignancy.

State-Wide Genomic and Epidemiological Analyses of Vancomycin-Resistant in Tasmania's Public Hospitals.

From 2015 onwards, the number of vancomycin-resistant (VREfm) isolates increased in Tasmania. Previously, we examined the transmission of VREfm at the Royal Hobart Hospital (RHH). In this study, we performed a state-wide analysis of VREfm from Tasmania's four public acute hospitals.

Effects of Active Sitting on Reading and Typing Task Productivity.

Increased sedentary behavior and reduced physical activity among children and adults has led to the advent of various active devices to combat these behaviors. Active sitting, consisting of modified chairs or stability balls, allows the body to stay dynamic while seated. While research has evaluated the health benefits of active sitting, minimal research has shown the effects of active sitting on productivity in adult populations.

Cardiovascular and metabolic responses of active sitting while performing work-related tasks.

Stability balls and active-balance sitting chairs have recently emerged as a way to reduce sedentary behaviours in office settings. The purpose of this study was to determine differences in caloric expenditure and heart rate between a standard chair (SC), stability ball (SB) and active balanced sitting chair (ST) while performing work-related tasks. Participants ( = 20) performed a 10-minute randomised reading and typing task while sitting on the SC, SB and ST.

Exploring the learning experiences of nursing students with dyslexia.

Aim: To examine the learning experiences of nursing students with dyslexia during clinical placements to establish ways of improving support in practice,

Method: A phenomenological lifeworld approach was adopted using semi-structured interviews. Students reflected on their experiences during clinical placements, allowing the researcher to gain an in-depth knowledge of the students' lived experience of dyslexia. Twelve student nurses, six with dyslexia and six without, were interviewed using a standard set of questions, and the data were collated and analysed.

Immunohistochemistry for PMS2 and MSH6 alone can replace a four antibody panel for mismatch repair deficiency screening in colorectal adenocarcinoma.

Aims: Currently, testing for mismatch repair deficiency in colorectal cancers is initiated by performing immunohistochemistry with four antibodies (MLH1, PMS2, MSH2 and MSH6). If any one of these stains is negative the tumour is considered microsatellite unstable and, if clinical circumstances warrant it, the patient is offered genetic testing for Lynch's syndrome. Due to the binding properties of the mismatch repair heterodimer complexes, gene mutation and loss of MLH1 and MSH2 invariably result in the degradation of PMS2 and MSH6, respectively, but the converse is not true.

Oxygen saturation response to exercise in healthy pregnant women: a simple protocol and normal range.

Measurement of oxygen saturation on excercise, using a pulse oximeter, has been advocated in the assessment of women with shortness of breath in pregnancy. However, there is currently no standard protocol for this. The aims of this study were to determine the normal range for oxygen saturation at rest and on moderate exercise in healthy women from 24 weeks gestation and to evaluate a simple, widely applicable exercise protocol in which women walked at their own pace for 100 metres then up two flights of stairs.

Contemporary mortality due to acute myocardial infarction, unstable angina and exertional angina in a population in South East London.

Background: Data on the contemporary mortality of coronary heart disease (CHD) are surprisingly sparse.

Aim: To describe the contemporary mortality of all manifestations of CHD.

Design: Prospective follow-up of patients with a first presentation of CHD in a defined population.

Intensive versus modified conventional control of blood glucose level in medical intensive care patients: a pilot study.

Background: Critically ill postsurgical patients fare better with intensive control of blood glucose level. The link between glucose control and outcome is less well studied for medical intensive care patients. Whether intensive glucose control requires additional staffing is unclear.

Introduction of nurse led DC cardioversion service in day surgery unit: prospective audit.

Problem: Atrial fibrillation is the most common persistent arrhythmia in adults and carries an increased risk of thromboembolism and stroke. Electrical (DC) cardioversion is an effective treatment, but logistical difficulties in many institutions lead to problems providing a prompt service. This reduces the rate of long term success, delays relief of symptoms, and increases the burden on anticoagulation clinics.

S-nitrosoglutathione inhibits platelet activation and deposition in coronary artery saphenous vein grafts in vitro and in vivo.

Objective: To investigate platelet activation and deposition in human saphenous vein and internal mammary artery grafts following coronary artery bypass in vitro and in vivo, as well as inhibition of activation by the platelet selective nitric oxide donor S-nitrosoglutathione (GSNO).

Design: Controlled in vitro and in vivo studies.

Setting: Tertiary cardiac centre.

A study of platelet activation during human cardiopulmonary bypass and the effect of S-nitrosoglutathione.

Cardiac surgery is complicated by the occurrence of post-operative bleeding due to platelet dysfunction. This is largely caused by platelet activation and consumption during cardiopulmonary bypass. Patients undergoing cardiac surgery requiring cardiopulmonary bypass were studied to determine whether early platelet changes due to bypass could be inhibited using the platelet-selective nitric oxide donor S-nitrosoglutathione (GSNO).