Publications by authors named "Meredith A"

This report documents complications in false pilchard Harengula clupeola and scad Decapterus macarellus associated with a salinomycin (60 mg kg-1) and amprolium (100 mg kg-1) gel feed treatment, along with prolonged temperature increase, for an Enteromyxum leei outbreak in a salt water, mixed species, public aquarium exhibit. Shortly after administration, a mass mortality event ensued where hundreds of false pilchards and a few scad died. Medicated gel feed was noted within the gastrointestinal tracts of all affected fish.

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The large-conductance calcium- and voltage-activated potassium (BK) channels, encoded by the KCNMA1 gene, play important roles in neuronal function. Mutations in KCNMA1 have been found in patients with various neurodevelopmental features, including intellectual disability, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Previous studies of KCNMA1 knockout mice have suggested altered activity patterns and behavioral flexibility, but it remained unclear whether these changes primarily affect immediate behavioral adaptation or longer-term learning processes.

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Background: As of October 2024, 29 states and the District of Columbia allow community pharmacists to prescribe hormonal contraceptives. Pharmacists have reported many challenges and barriers to service implementation.

Methods: Concept mapping was used to gather insights from diverse stakeholders to identify resources to facilitate implementation of pharmacist-prescribed contraceptive services.

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  • Buruli ulcer (BU) is a neglected tropical disease caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium ulcerans, primarily affecting skin and subcutaneous tissue, with transmission dynamics varying by geographic area, particularly in endemic regions like Victoria, Australia.
  • In a study conducted in Melbourne and Geelong, researchers conducted necropsies and surveillance on possums, revealing that 77% of the 26 examined possums were common ringtails, with 9 showing cutaneous ulcers and 73% testing positive for M. ulcerans DNA, indicating a significant reservoir in these animals.
  • The findings suggest that possums may contract BU through bites from infected mosquitoes, environmental sources, or wounds, highlighting the need for a One Health approach to
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Objective: Learning Health Systems (LHSs) have not directly informed evidence-based policymaking. The Translation-to-Policy (T2P) Learning Cycle aligns scientists, end-users, and policymakers to support a repeatable roadmap of innovation and quality improvement to optimize effective policies toward a common public health goal. We describe T2P learning cycle components and provide examples of their application.

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Background: The objective of this study was to interview five early adopters of pharmacist-prescribed contraceptive services to gain insight into successful implementation, with a focus on each pharmacy's approach, successes, challenges, lessons learned, and practice implications.

Case Summaries: The five pharmacists who were interviewed included men and women working for independent, chain, and hospital system pharmacies in rural, suburban, and urban areas in various states. Each pharmacy had a unique approach to implementation of pharmacist-prescribed contraceptive services and a variety of service features.

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  • Cetaceans, like bottlenose dolphins, are important indicators of marine ecosystem health, and their population dynamics can reveal environmental changes.
  • A study analyzed the presence of 24 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and 7 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the tissues of 138 stranded bottlenose dolphins in the Mississippi Sound over an 11-year period.
  • The findings showed that while certain contaminants like naphthalene were detectable in dolphin tissues, there were no significant changes in chemical levels associated with the unusual mortality event in 2019 that affected these dolphins.
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Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML) are heterogeneous neoplasms of hematopoietic stem cells that are challenging to diagnose, differentiate, and prognosticate. Cytogenetic and mutational analyses are useful in humans but unavailable for dogs, where diagnosis and classification still rely largely on hematologic and morphologic assessment. The objectives of this study were to apply a classification scheme to myeloid neoplasms and to assess outcome in relation to predictor variables.

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Variants in , encoding the voltage- and calcium-activated K (BK) channel, are associated with human neurological disease. The effects of gain-of-function (GOF) and loss-of-function (LOF) variants have been predominantly studied on BK channel currents evoked under steady-state voltage and Ca conditions. However, in their physiological context, BK channels exist in partnership with voltage-gated Ca channels and respond to dynamic changes in intracellular Ca (Ca).

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This article introduces the Special Issue: Selected Papers From the 2022 Apraxia Kids Research Symposium. The field of childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) has developed significantly in the past 15 years, with key improvements in understanding of basic biology including genetics, neuroscience, and computational modelling; development of diagnostic tools and methods; diversity of evidence-based interventions with increasingly rigorous experimental designs; and understanding of impacts beyond impairment-level measures. Papers in this special issue not only review and synthesize the some of the substantial progress to date but also present novel findings addressing critical research gaps and adding to the overall body of knowledge.

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Background: Health literacy is known to impact health outcomes in a multitude of ways and is impacted by language barriers. Lower health literacy is also associated with higher rates of unintended pregnancies. A progestin-only oral hormonal contraception product, norgestrel (Opill-Perrigo), was approved for over-the-counter (OTC) use in the United States in July 2023.

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  • Buruli ulcer, caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium ulcerans, affects the skin and tissues of various animals, including possums, and can lead to severe health issues and poor welfare.
  • Four common ringtail possums in Melbourne suffered from severe forms of the disease, resulting in extensive tissue damage, necessitating euthanasia due to the severity of their ulcerative lesions.
  • Findings suggest that Buruli ulcer significantly impairs possum mobility and social behaviors, with infected possums also potentially spreading the bacteria, highlighting the need for more research on the disease's impacts and potential interventions.
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Leprosy is a poverty-associated infectious disease in humans caused by or , often resulting in skin and peripheral nerve damage, which remains a significant public health concern in isolated areas of low- and middle-income countries. Previous studies reported leprosy in red squirrels in the British Isles, despite the fact that autochthonous human cases have been absent for centuries in this region. To investigate the extent of and presence in wild red squirrels in the northern UK, we analyzed 220 blood/body cavity fluid samples from opportunistically sampled red squirrels (2004-2023) for specific antibodies against phenolic glycolipid-I, a cell wall component specific for these leprosy bacilli.

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Access to safe, effective, and appropriate contraception significantly reduces the rates of unintended pregnancies; however, this preventative care is not always easily accessible. There is a high patient demand for contraception visits that is often delayed or unmet due to lack of access to traditional providers. Pharmacists are highly accessible and can help manage this high demand, yet clinical pharmacists as providers of contraception services remains a gap in published literature.

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Background: The American Public Health Association defines a community health worker (CHW) as "a trusted member of and/or has an unusually close understanding of the community served." Both CHWs and pharmacists have shown they are well-equipped to produce positive outcomes in chronic disease management, but there is still a gap in the literature regarding the CHW-pharmacist relationship.

Objective: The objective of this study was to assess and describe pharmacist perceptions and experiences with CHWs.

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This study examined the effect of knockout of KCNMA1 gene, coding for the BK channel, on cognitive and attentional functions in mice, with an aim to better understand its implications for human neurodevelopmental disorders. The study used the 3-choice serial reaction time task (3-CSRTT) to assess the learning performance, attentional abilities, and repetitive behaviors in mice lacking the KCNMA1 gene (KCNMA1) compared to wild-type (WT) controls. Results showed no significant differences in learning accuracy between the two groups.

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Context.—: Nucleated red blood cells (nRBCs) are not identified in the peripheral blood in healthy individuals beyond the neonatal period. Their presence in children and adults is traditionally considered pathologic.

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Globally, more than 40 million people are victims of human trafficking, exploited as a black-market commodity generating more than $150 billion annually. These people are forced to work in various industries, including domestic work and escort services. Though studies are limited, survivor interviews have indicated that most trafficked persons presented to a healthcare provider at some point during their captivity.

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KCNMA1-linked channelopathy is a neurological disorder characterized by seizures, motor abnormalities, and neurodevelopmental disabilities. The disease mechanisms are predicted to result from alterations in KCNMA1-encoded BK K channel activity; however, only a subset of the patient-associated variants have been functionally studied. The localization of these variants within the tertiary structure or evaluation by pathogenicity algorithms has not been systematically assessed.

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Novel variants encoding the BK K channel, are associated with a debilitating dyskinesia and epilepsy syndrome. Neurodevelopmental delay, cognitive disability, and brain and structural malformations are also diagnosed at lower incidence. More than half of affected individuals present with a rare negative episodic motor disorder, paroxysmal nonkinesigenic dyskinesia (PNKD3).

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Introduction: Zoonoses are a health concern for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia that face elevated risk of disease related to the environment and animals. Internationally, One Health is encouraged to effectively manage zoonoses by taking integrated approaches involving animal, human, and environmental health sectors to improve health outcomes. However, Australia's health systems manage zoonotic diseases in animals and people separately which does not support a One Health approach.

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KCNMA1 encodes the voltage- and calcium-activated K+ (BK) channel, which regulates suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) neuronal firing and circadian behavioral rhythms. Gain-of-function (GOF) and loss-of-function (LOF) alterations in BK channel activity disrupt circadian behavior, but the effect of human disease-associated KCNMA1 channelopathy variants has not been studied on clock function. Here, we assess circadian behavior in two GOF and one LOF mouse lines.

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