Nil by mouth in intensive care - A qualitative, multiformat survey exploring the impact of mandatory oral restriction, from the health care providers perspective.

Introduction And Objectives: Nil by mouth (NBM) is a frequent imposition for patients recovering from critical illness. Its impact on patients' wellbeing and rehabilitation is under researched. We sought ICU multidisciplinary opinion to primarily assess the relevance of taste deprivation on patient care and recovery, and to identify future opportunities for innovation and research.

Lack of correlation between parasite burden and key weight metrics in poultry infected with intestinal ascarids.

and are the most common and economically impactful nematode parasites of commercial poultry. These infections rarely cause clinical disease, but reduction in feed conversion efficiency is detected. To determine if feed conversion efficiency reductions correlate with any physiological measures independent of clinical disease, we determined if ascarid infections correlate with changes in the weights of the small intestine, liver, or total animal weight (quantitative measures of animal health).

Comparison of three magnetic resonance imaging measures of brain iron in healthy and cocaine use disorder participants.

Several magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measures for quantifying endogenous nonheme brain iron have been proposed. These correspond to distinct physical properties with varying sensitivities and specificities to iron. Moreover, they may depend not only on tissue iron concentration, but also on the intravoxel spatial pattern of iron deposition, which is complex in many brain regions.

A high-throughput sensory assay for parasitic and free-living nematodes.

Sensory pathways first elucidated in Caenorhabditis elegans are conserved across free-living and parasitic nematodes, even though each species responds to a diverse array of compounds. Most nematode sensory assays are performed by tallying observations of worm behavior on two-dimensional planes using agarose plates. These assays have been successful in the study of volatile sensation but are poorly suited for investigation of water-soluble gustation or parasitic nematodes without a free-living stage.

A high-throughput nematode sensory assay reveals an inhibitory effect of ivermectin on parasite gustation.

Sensory pathways first elucidated in are conserved across free-living and parasitic nematodes, even though each species responds to a diverse array of compounds. Most nematode sensory assays are performed by tallying observations of worm behavior on two-dimensional planes using agarose plates. These assays have been successful in the study of volatile sensation but are poorly suited for investigation of water-soluble gustation or parasitic nematodes without a free-living stage.

Interactions between the lipidome and genetic and environmental factors in autism.

Autism omics research has historically been reductionist and diagnosis centric, with little attention paid to common co-occurring conditions (for example, sleep and feeding disorders) and the complex interplay between molecular profiles and neurodevelopment, genetics, environmental factors and health. Here we explored the plasma lipidome (783 lipid species) in 765 children (485 diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD)) within the Australian Autism Biobank. We identified lipids associated with ASD diagnosis (n = 8), sleep disturbances (n = 20) and cognitive function (n = 8) and found that long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids may causally contribute to sleep disturbances mediated by the FADS gene cluster.

Blue Whiting () Protein Hydrolysates Increase GLP-1 Secretion and Proglucagon Production in STC-1 Cells Whilst Maintaining Caco-2/HT29-MTX Co-Culture Integrity.

Inducing the feeling of fullness via the regulation of satiety hormones presents an effective method for reducing excess energy intake and, in turn, preventing the development of obesity. In this study, the ability of blue whiting soluble protein hydrolysates (BWSPHs) and simulated gastrointestinal digested (SGID) BWSPHs, to modulate the secretion and/or production of satiety hormones, such as glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), cholecystokinin (CCK) and peptide YY (PYY), was assessed in murine enteroendocrine STC-1 cells. All BWSPHs (BW-SPH-A to BW-SPH-F) (1.

Autism-related dietary preferences mediate autism-gut microbiome associations.

There is increasing interest in the potential contribution of the gut microbiome to autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, previous studies have been underpowered and have not been designed to address potential confounding factors in a comprehensive way. We performed a large autism stool metagenomics study (n = 247) based on participants from the Australian Autism Biobank and the Queensland Twin Adolescent Brain project.

The impact of lofexidine on stress-related opioid craving and relapse: Design and methodology of a randomized clinical trial.

Opioid Use Disorders (OUDs) and drug overdose deaths are increasing at alarmingly high rates in the United States. Stress and dysregulation in biologic stress response systems such as the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and noradrenergic system appear to play an important role in the pathophysiology of substance use disorders and relapse to drug use, particularly for women. Alpha-2 adrenergic agonist medications effectively decrease noradrenergic activity and have demonstrated benefit in preventing relapse to substance use and decreasing stress-reactivity and craving in cocaine- and nicotine-dependent women, compared to men.

The effect of oxytocin, gender, and ovarian hormones on stress reactivity in individuals with cocaine use disorder.

Rationale: Cocaine use disorder (CUD) is associated with dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, which plays a critical role in the human stress response. Men and women with CUD differ in reactivity to social stressors. The hypothalamic neuropeptide oxytocin is involved in anxiolytic and natural reward processes, and has shown therapeutic potential for addictive disorders and stress reduction.

Syncope in a young man: Role of Purkinje fibres in idiopathic ventricular fibrillation.

A young man suffered cardiac arrests with polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (PVT) and ventricular fibrillation (VF) triggered by ventricular premature contractions (PVCs). The arrhythmia was resistant to anti-arrhythmics, so after ICD implantation he underwent successful ablation of the triggering VE beat, which was pace-mapped to the left posterior hemi-fascicle. We review the evidence for the role of the Purkinje network in the initiation and maintenance of PVT and VF, postulating a channelopathy as a possible underlying cause, and provide recommendations for PVC ablation.

Girls Get Free Drinks: Undergraduates' Misunderstandings of Heterosexual Privilege.

Heterosexual privilege is a challenging concept to teach in undergraduate courses. Using data from self-reflection essays on the first and last days of the semester, we present students' learning and growth in their understanding of heterosexual privilege and their ability to distinguish it from cisgender privilege. The majority of students accurately identified an instance of heterosexual privilege in their lives and discussed the counterpart to privilege: the marginalization and/or disenfranchisement experienced by individuals who hold other sexual identities.

Diagnostic yield of molecular autopsy in patients with sudden arrhythmic death syndrome using targeted exome sequencing.

Aims: The targeted genetic screening of Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome (SADS) probands in a molecular autopsy has a diagnostic yield of up to 35%. Exome sequencing has the potential to improve this yield. The primary aim of this study is to examine the feasibility and diagnostic utility of targeted exome screening in SADS victims, utilizing familial clinical screening whenever possible.

Helicobacter pylori and gastric cancer: a state of the art review.

Gastric cancer is the third most common cause of cancer-related death in the world. It is now well- established that Helicobacter pylori infection predispose individuals toward gastric adenocarcinoma later in life. It has since been classified as a class I carcinogen by the World Health Organization.

Prevalence of J-point elevation in sudden arrhythmic death syndrome families.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of J-point elevation among the relatives of sudden arrhythmic death syndrome (SADS) probands.

Background: J-point elevation is now known to be associated with idiopathic ventricular fibrillation. We hypothesized that this early repolarization phenomenon is an inherited trait responsible for a proportion of otherwise unexplained SADS cases.

Genetics and cardiovascular disease--causes and prevention of unexpected sudden adult death: the role of the SADS clinic.

Sudden arrhythmic death syndrome (SADS) accounts for approximately 500 deaths in England and Wales per year. Clinical screening of the surviving first-degree relatives can identify an inherited cardiovascular condition in up to half of families, permitting lifestyle modification and confirmed effective prophylactic therapies to prevent further sudden deaths. Mechanisms for molecular autopsy are available to improve the diagnostic yield but practical barriers to its successful implementation exist.

A review of the mechanisms of ventricular arrhythmia in brugada syndrome.

Brugada syndrome (BrS) is characterised by the triad of coved ST elevation, lethal ventricular arrhythmia in an apparently structurally normal heart. The precise mechanisms responsible for the coved ST elevation and ventricular arrhythmias in this disease have been debated since its initial description in 1992. Indeed the recent recognition of early repolarisation J wave disorders linked to primary VF broadens the mechanistic importance of BrS in sudden cardiac death.

Brugada syndrome: Controversies in Risk stratification and Management.

In the 18 years since the first description of Brugada Syndrome in a small series of cardiac arrest survivors it has become evident that there is a marked spectrum in phenotype and prognosis. An internal cardiac defibrillator (ICD) is the only established therapy but is associated with significant morbidity. A number of registries have published their data, but risk stratification, particularly in asymptomatic patients, remains controversial.

Incidence of left atrial thrombus prior to atrial fibrillation ablation: is pre-procedural transoesophageal echocardiography mandatory?

Aims: The exact role of transoesphageal echo (TOE) prior to atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation remains unclear. This study examines the incidence and predictors of left atrial (LA) thrombus in patients undergoing AF ablation.

Methods And Results: Patients were treated with warfarin for at least 4 weeks prior to ablation.

Is atrial fibrillation with very short cycle length suitable for ablation? A case report.

We present a case of a 36-year-old woman with highly symptomatic persistent atrial fibrillation (AF) refractory to sotalol, flecainide, and external direct current (DC) cardioversion. The patient underwent biatrial mapping and ablation procedure for AF. Both atria were characterized by refractory properties which were much shorter than reported previously.