Use of real-time electronic extremity dosimeters for monitoring and optimisation of radiopharmacy technique.

Radiopharmacy staff members are subject to extremity radiation doses, particularly to the fingertips. Dosemeters, such as, thermoluminescent detectors (TLDs) are currently used for monitoring fingertip doses. This study aimed to use real-time dosemeters to monitor radiopharmacy extremity doses to identify specific procedural steps associated with higher fingertip doses and, subsequently, reduce dose through promotion of optimised radiation protection practises.

Management and patient outcomes following admission with acute cholecystitis in Ireland: A national registry-based study.

Introduction: Acute cholecystitis is a common general surgical emergency, accounting for 3-10 % of all patients attending with acute abdominal pain. International guidelines suggest that emergency cholecystectomy is the treatment of choice for uncomplicated acute cholecystitis where feasible. There is a paucity of published data on the uptake of emergency cholecystectomy in Ireland.

Evaluation of potential punishing effects of 2,5-dimethoxy-4-methylamphetamine (DOM) in rhesus monkeys responding under a choice procedure.

Objectives: There has been substantial and growing interest in the therapeutic utility of drugs acting at serotonin 2A subtype (5-HT 2A ) receptors, increasing the need for characterization of potential beneficial and adverse effects of such compounds. Although numerous studies have evaluated the possible rewarding and reinforcing effects of 5-HT 2A receptor agonists, there have been relatively few studies on potential aversive effects.

Methods: The current study investigated punishing effects of 2,5-dimethoxy-4-methylamphetamine (DOM) in four rhesus monkeys responding under a choice procedure in which responding on one lever delivered a sucrose pellet alone and responding on the other lever delivered a sucrose pellet plus an intravenous infusion of a range of doses of fentanyl (0.

Environmental determinants of health: Measuring multiple physical environmental exposures at the United States census tract level.

Physical environment plays a key role in determining human health risks. Exposure to toxins, weather extremes, degraded air and water quality, high levels of noise and limited accessibility to green areas can negatively affect health. Furthermore, adverse environmental exposures are often correlated with each other and with socioeconomic status, thereby compounding disadvantages in marginalized populations.

Guideline-based exercise management for hip and knee osteoarthritis: a cross-sectional comparison of healthcare professional and patient beliefs in Ireland.

Objectives: To identify within-stakeholder agreement and between-stakeholder differences in beliefs regarding exercise for osteoarthritis among general practitioners (GPs), physiotherapists (PTs) and people with hip and knee osteoarthritis (PwOA). A secondary objective was to explore the association between referral patterns and beliefs of PwOA.

Design: Cross-sectional.

A Systematic Review of the Impact of Placement Instability on Emotional and Behavioural Outcomes Among Children in Foster Care.

Foster care children are a highly vulnerable population and their experiences in care are considered crucial to their developmental and psychosocial wellbeing. Placement instability has been considered a possible risk factor for developmental difficulties due to its impact on the development of a reparative attachment relationship and sense of relational permanence. The current review synthesises the literature regarding the impact of placement instability on behavioural and mental health outcomes in foster care children.

Pharmacologic profile of ITI-333: a novel molecule for treatment of substance use disorders.

Rationale: Medications are urgently needed to treat symptoms of drug withdrawal and mitigate dysphoria and psychiatric comorbidities that drive opioid abuse and relapse. ITI-333 is a novel molecule in development for treatment of substance use disorders, psychiatric comorbidities, and pain.

Objective: Characterize the preclinical profile of ITI-333 using pharmacological, behavioral, and physiological assays.

Evaluating county-level lung cancer incidence from environmental radiation exposure, PM, and other exposures with regression and machine learning models.

Characterizing the interplay between exposures shaping the human exposome is vital for uncovering the etiology of complex diseases. For example, cancer risk is modified by a range of multifactorial external environmental exposures. Environmental, socioeconomic, and lifestyle factors all shape lung cancer risk.

Associations between shade tolerance and wood specific gravity for conifers in contrast to angiosperm trees: Foundations of the conifer fitness-enhancing shade tolerance hypothesis.

For decades, researchers have held that wood specific gravity was an indicator or surrogate for both shade tolerance and successional status. However, recent research in dry tropical forests has shown very different associations regarding wood specific gravity. Past analyses of the tolerance and wood properties of tree species have focused on pooled coniferous and angiosperm species in temperate regions; fewer analyses have been conducted separately for conifers and angiosperm species.

On the rise: Development of a multi-tiered, indoor duckweed cultivation system.

Duckweed species (Lemnaceae) are suitable for remediation and valorization of agri-feed industry wastewaters and therefore can contribute to a more sustainable, circular economy where waste is a resource. Industrial applications will, however, require space efficient cultivation methods that are not affected by prevailing weather conditions. Here, the development and operation of a multi-tiered duckweed bioreactor is described.

Evaluation of Fecal Egg Count Tests for Effective Control of Equine Intestinal Strongyles.

The American Association of Equine Practitioners strongly advocates evidence-based intestinal strongyle control in horses. It recommends targeted treatment of all heavy egg shedders (>500 eggs per gram (EPG) of feces), while the low shedders (0-200 EPG) are left untreated. As 50-75% of adult horses in a herd are low shedders, preventing them from unnecessary anthelmintic exposure is critical for tackling resistance.

Symptoms and steroid dose adjustments following the Covid-19 vaccine in patients with adrenal insufficiency.

Background: A proportion of patients with adrenal insufficiency (AI) require increases in their maintenance glucocorticoids following the Covid-19 vaccine as a result of vaccine-related symptoms or development of incipient or frank adrenal crisis. In a large cohort of AI patients, we aim to characterise symptoms, changes in glucocorticoid dosage, occurrence of adrenal crises and whether there are differences between the mRNA and adenovirus vector vaccines.

Patients And Methods: Patients with AI of any aetiology were invited to complete a short, structured questionnaire of their experience of the Covid-19 vaccination.

Interactions between lorcaserin and opioids: Ventilation and food-versus-drug choice.

Lorcaserin, a selective serotonin 2C (5-HT) receptor agonist, was approved for treating obesity and has been investigated for treating substance use disorders including those involving opioids. Although lorcaserin was withdrawn from the market, interest in the therapeutic potential of drugs acting at 5-HT receptors continues, supporting the need to further characterize potential adverse effects especially when combined with drugs of abuse. This study examined acute effects of lorcaserin on opioid-induced ventilatory depression, which is the primary cause of overdose, and opioid self-administration, which models factors contributing to opioid abuse, in male and female rhesus monkeys.

Daily methocinnamox treatment dose-dependently attenuates fentanyl self-administration in rhesus monkeys.

Opioid use disorder and opioid overdose continue to be significant public health challenges despite the availability of effective treatments. Methocinnamox (MCAM) is a novel, long-acting opioid receptor antagonist that might be an effective treatment for opioid use disorder (i.e.

The relationship between micronutrient status, frailty, systemic inflammation, and clinical outcomes in patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19.

Background: Micronutrients have been associated with disease severity and poorer clinical outcomes in patients with COVID-19. However, there is a paucity of studies examining if the relationship with micronutrient status and clinical outcomes is independent of recognised prognostic factors, specifically frailty and the systemic inflammatory response (SIR). The aim of the present study was to examine the relationship between micronutrient status, frailty, systemic inflammation, and clinical outcomes in patients admitted with COVID-19.

Baseline characteristics of people experiencing homelessness with a recent drug overdose in the PHOENIx pilot randomised controlled trial.

Background: Drug-related deaths in Scotland are the highest in Europe. Half of all deaths in people experiencing homelessness are drug related, yet we know little about the unmet health needs of people experiencing homelessness with recent non-fatal overdose, limiting a tailored practice and policy response to a public health crisis.

Methods: People experiencing homelessness with at least one non-fatal street drug overdose in the previous 6 months were recruited from 20 venues in Glasgow, Scotland, and randomised into PHOENIx plus usual care, or usual care.

Verbal Behavior of Mothers With Opioid Use Disorder While Feeding Infants With Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome.

Background: An infant's cognitive development is highly dependent on early interactions with its primary caregiver, often its mother. Feeding, a frequent and early exchange between mothers and infants, is an important time for maternal-infant bonding. Mothers with opioid use disorder have been found to be more physically and verbally stimulating and more active during feeds than mothers with no opioid use.

Two transporters cooperate to secrete amphipathic peptides from the cytoplasmic and membranous milieus.

Diverse organisms secrete amphipathic biomolecules for competitive gains. However, how cells cope with producing these membrane-permeabilizing molecules is unclear. We focused on the PSM family of secreted amphipathic peptides in the pathogen that uses two ABC transporters, PmtCD and AbcA, to export peptides across the bacterial cell membrane.

Behavioral pharmacology of methocinnamox: A potential new treatment for opioid overdose and opioid use disorder.

Opioid overdose and opioid use disorder continue to be significant public health challenges despite the availability of effective medications and significant efforts at all levels of society. The emergence of highly potent and efficacious opioids such as fentanyl and its derivatives over the last decade has only exacerbated what was already a substantial problem. Behavioral pharmacology research has proven invaluable for understanding the effects of drugs as well as developing and evaluating pharmacotherapies for disorders involving the central nervous system, including substance abuse disorders.

Effects of Δ⁹-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cannabidiol (CBD), and THC/CBD mixtures on fentanyl versus food choice in rhesus monkeys.

Introduction: There is considerable interest in utilizing cannabis-based products as adjuvants to opioid agonist therapies as phytocannabinoids like Δ-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) or synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists appear to enhance the pain-relieving effects of opioids without enhancing problematic effects of opioids. Cannabis is a pharmacologically complex plant with hundreds of compounds, some of which may have interactive effects. Therefore, studying compounds like THC in isolation does not accurately reflect the clinical use of cannabis.

Pharmacist and Homeless Outreach Engagement and Non-medical Independent prescribing Rx (PHOENIx): a study protocol for a pilot randomised controlled trial.

Introduction: The number of people experiencing homelessness (PEH) is increasing worldwide. Systematic reviews show high levels of multimorbidity and mortality. Integrated health and social care outreach interventions may improve outcomes.

Lactate dehydrogenase: relationship with the diagnostic GLIM criterion for cachexia in patients with advanced cancer.

Background: Although suggestive of dysregulated metabolism, the relationship between serum LDH level, phenotypic/aetiologic diagnostic Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition (GLIM) criteria and survival in patients with advanced cancer has yet to examined.

Methods: Prospectively collected data from patients with advanced cancer, undergoing anti-cancer therapy with palliative intent, across nine sites in the UK and Ireland between 2011-2016, was retrospectively analysed. LDH values were grouped as <250/250-500/>500 Units/L.