Publications by authors named "Mellow M"

Background: Healthy dietary patterns can support the maintenance of cognition and brain health in older age and are negatively associated with cardiometabolic risk. Cardiometabolic risk factors are similarly important for cognition and may play an important role in linking diet to cognition.

Aim: This study aimed to explore the relationship between dietary patterns and cognition and to determine whether cardiometabolic health markers moderate these relationships in older adulthood.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Uveal melanoma (UM) and nonacral cutaneous melanoma (CM) are distinct entities with varied genetic landscapes despite both arising from melanocytes. There are, however, similarities in that they most frequently affect people of European ancestry, and high penetrance germline variants in BAP1, POT1 and CDKN2A have been shown to predispose to both UM and CM. This study aims to further explore germline variants in patients affected by both UM and CM, shedding light on the underlying genetic mechanism causing these diseases.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Each day is made up of a composition of "time-use behaviors." These can be classified by their intensity (eg, light or moderate-vigorous physical activity [PA]) or domain (eg, chores, socializing). Intensity-based time-use behaviors are linked with cognitive function and cardiometabolic health in older adults, but it is unknown whether these relationships differ depending on the domain (or type/context) of behavior.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

We synthesize evidence investigating the hypothesis that greater engagement in physical activity (PA) may compensate for some of the negative cognitive consequences associated with poor sleep in older adults. Potential mechanistic pathways include glymphatic clearance, influences on depression, and other comorbidities. The evidence base is largely cross-sectional and observational, and further experimental studies are required.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: To report the clinicopathological features and epidemiology of iris melanoma in Queensland, Australia.

Methods: This was a retrospective study of 86 patients with iris melanoma treated between 2001 and 2022 at the Queensland Ocular Oncology Service, Brisbane, Australia. Main outcome measures included demographics, clinical and phenotypic features, age-adjusted incidence and relative survival.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives: We aimed to summarise and critically appraise the available evidence for the effect of age on responsiveness to non-invasive brain stimulation (NBS) paradigms delivered to the primary motor cortex.

Methods: Four databases (Medline, Embase, PsycINFO and Scopus) were searched from inception to February 7, 2023. Studies investigating age group comparisons and associations between age and neuroplasticity induction from NBS paradigms were included.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine whether combining verteporfin-based photodynamic therapy (PDT) and transpupillary thermotherapy (TTT) achieves adequate tumour control while maintaining visual acuity in individuals with small choroidal melanoma of amelanotic, melanotic, and variable pigmentation.

Design: Individuals with posterior choroidal melanomas up to 3 mm in height underwent verteporfin-based PDT followed by immediate TTT. Further combined laser therapy was performed if a poor response was noted at 12 weeks or beyond.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Increasing physical activity (PA) is an effective strategy to slow reductions in cortical volume and maintain cognitive function in older adulthood. However, PA does not exist in isolation, but coexists with sleep and sedentary behaviour to make up the 24-hour day. We investigated how the balance of all three behaviours (24-hour time-use composition) is associated with grey matter volume in healthy older adults, and whether grey matter volume influences the relationship between 24-hour time-use composition and cognitive function.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: Previous research on food, nutrition and dining practices in Australian residential aged care (RAC) homes has been based on a limited sample of single-home or multiple-home providers, but a nationwide study has not been conducted. The aim of this study was to provide a preliminary overview of current food, nutrition and dining practices across Australian RAC facilities using a nationwide survey.

Methods: A survey was distributed to Australian RAC homes in August-September 2020, as part of the National Congress on Food, Nutrition and the Dining Experience in Aged Care (February 2021).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: How time is allocated influences health. However, any increase in time allocated to one behaviour must be offset by a decrease in others. Recently, studies have used compositional data analysis (CoDA) to estimate the associations with health when reallocating time between different behaviours.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Physical activity, sedentary behaviour and sleep are associated with cognitive function in older adults. However, these behaviours are not independent, but instead make up exclusive and exhaustive components of the 24-h day. Few studies have investigated associations between 24-h time-use composition and cognitive function in older adults.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Although the health benefits of physical activity are well documented, most older adults are not sufficiently active. There is a need to explore approaches to physical activity promotion amongst older adults that meet the personal preferences and needs of participants, and that can be implemented on a large scale in community-based settings. The current study evaluates Daily Moves, a community-based physical activity program for older adults living in Adelaide, Australia.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

People's perceptions of the mental effort required for everyday activities may drive variation in the relationships between lifestyles and cognitive ability. We asked n = 259 healthy older adults aged 60 to 70 years (90 males, 169 females) to provide a rating of the Perceived Mental Effort (PME) for each activity instance they recalled over a 48-h period as part of a time-use recall. PME was rated on a 9-point scale from "very, very low" (score of 1) to "very, very high" (score of 9).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The 24 h time-use composition of physical activity, sedentary behavior, and sleep is linked to cognitive function in adults and may contribute to future dementia risk. However, the impact of reallocating time between behaviors may differ depending on an individual's genetic dementia risk.

Objective: To explore if there is an interaction between 24 h time-use composition and genetic dementia risk in relation to cognitive function, and to simulate how time-reallocations are associated with cognitive function across different levels of genetic dementia risk.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The relationships between cognitive function and each of physical activity, sleep and sedentary behaviour in older adults are well documented. However, these three "time use" behaviours are co-dependent parts of the 24-hour day (spending time in one leaves less time for the others), and their best balance for cognitive function in older adults is still largely unknown. This systematic review summarises the existing evidence on the associations between combinations of two or more time-use behaviours and cognitive function in older adults.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Approximately 40% of late-life dementia may be prevented by addressing modifiable risk factors, including physical activity and diet. Yet, it is currently unknown how multiple lifestyle factors interact to influence cognition. The ACTIVate Study aims to (1) explore associations between 24-hour time-use and diet compositions with changes in cognition and brain function; and (2) identify duration of time-use behaviours and the dietary compositions to optimise cognition and brain function.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Combining physical exercise with cognitive training is a popular intervention in dementia prevention trials and guidelines. However, it remains unclear what combination strategies are most beneficial for cognitive and physical outcomes. We aimed to compare the efficacy of the three main types of combination strategies (simultaneous, sequential or exergaming) to either intervention alone or control in older adults.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives: To synthesise the existing literature investigating if acute aerobic exercise enhances the response to experimentally-induced neuroplasticity paradigms.

Methods: A systematic search of electronic databases Medline, PsycInfo and Embase was undertaken on 26 April 2018 and updated on 17 May 2019. Studies were included if they involved a bout of aerobic exercise; prescribed a bout of rest as a control condition; utilized a non-invasive brain stimulation paradigm to induce neuroplasticity; used TMS to assess neuroplasticity outcomes; participants were healthy 18-65year old males and females with no diagnosed neurological/psychological impairments.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

As the number of older people increases, so too does the prevalence of neurodegenerative disease. Worldwide, health organisations have identified the need for practical, affordable interventions to slow or delay the onset of neurodegenerative diseases such as dementia, for which there are multiple modifiable risk factors. The effects of various interventions on brain health has been investigated, including achieving sufficient physical activity, getting appropriate amounts and quality of sleep, and limiting sedentary behaviours.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: New treatments are needed as Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is becoming increasingly formidable. Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) has a 90% success rate in the treatment of recurrent CDI. However, evidence regarding its safety, efficacy, and effect on disease activity in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is lacking.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Goal: Our aim was to investigate fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) efficacy in patients with severe and/or complicated Clostridium difficile infection (CDI).

Background: FMT is successful for recurrent CDI, although its benefit in severe or complicated CDI has not specifically been evaluated.

Study Methods: A multicenter long-term follow-up study was performed in patients who received FMT for severe and/or complicated CDI (diagnosed using standard criteria).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives: Patients who are immunocompromised (IC) are at increased risk of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI), which has increased to epidemic proportions over the past decade. Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) appears effective for the treatment of CDI, although there is concern that IC patients may be at increased risk of having adverse events (AEs) related to FMT. This study describes the multicenter experience of FMT in IC patients.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

In recent years, Clostridium difficile infections have become more frequent, more severe, more refractory to standard treatment, and more likely to recur. Current antibiotic treatment regimens for Clostridium difficile infection alter the normal gut flora, which provide colonization resistance against Clostridium difficile. Over the past few years, there has been a marked increase in the knowledge of the gut microbiota and its role in health maintenance and disease causation.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is a leading cause of hospital-associated gastrointestinal illness and places a high burden on our health-care system. Patients with CDI typically have extended lengths-of-stay in hospitals, and CDI is a frequent cause of large hospital outbreaks of disease. This guideline provides recommendations for the diagnosis and management of patients with CDI as well as for the prevention and control of outbreaks while supplementing previously published guidelines.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF