Publications by authors named "O'Brien C"

Venomous snakes are important parts of the ecosystem, and their behavior and evolution have been shaped by their surrounding environments over the eons. This is reflected in their venoms, which are typically highly adapted for their biological niche, including their diet and defense mechanisms for deterring predators. Sub-Saharan Africa is rich in venomous snake species, of which many are dangerous to humans due to the high toxicity of their venoms and their ability to effectively deliver large amounts of venom into their victims via their bite.

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Background: Practice managers and other administrative and management staff in Aboriginal Medical Services operate in a highly specialised cultural, social and administrative environment requiring a unique skill set. The TAFE NSW Diploma in Practice Management for Aboriginal Medical Services (DPMAMS) addresses the need for training in these skills. This study sought to explore DPMAMS graduates' experiences of having undertaken the diploma course, and the effects on their subsequent work practice and career.

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Article Synopsis
  • - The study analyzed the outcomes of adult solid organ transplant recipients infected with different respiratory viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, during the pandemic from 2019 to 2020
  • - Among 377 recipients, those infected with SARS-CoV-2 showed significantly higher rates of ICU admission, mechanical ventilation, and mortality compared to those infected with seasonal coronaviruses, RSV, or influenza
  • - Risk factors for worse outcomes included older age and SARS-CoV-2 infection, with lower respiratory tract infections being prevalent among the recipients.
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Paleotemperature proxy data form the cornerstone of paleoclimate research and are integral to understanding the evolution of the Earth system across the Phanerozoic Eon. Here, we present PhanSST, a database containing over 150,000 data points from five proxy systems that can be used to estimate past sea surface temperature. The geochemical data have a near-global spatial distribution and temporally span most of the Phanerozoic.

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This dossier article contains four short and varied contributions from activists and other service and healthcare providers who have been agitating and working on the frontlines of HIV/AIDS in Ireland since the early 1980s. The dossier contains: (1) a history, by Bill Foley, of the early collective efforts of a group of gay men to provoke government action and healthcare under the umbrella of Gay Health Action (GHA) (2) a speech delivered by Dr. Erin Nugent to government officials on the re-branding of HIV Ireland in 2015; (3) a brief history, recounted by Noel Donnellan, of ACT UP Dublin since it was revitalized in 2016 by a small cohort of dedicated activists from a dormant group into a vibrant collective that has achieved great legislative change with regards to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP); and (4) a polemic, written by Thomas Strong, on living with HIV as a queer man in Ireland that demonstrates the ways in which HIV stigma not only thrives in but molds and shapes twenty-first-century gay men's communities, both in real life and online.

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Objectives: This systematic review assesses the scientific evidence regarding the effectiveness of organisational-level workplace mental health interventions on stress, burnout, non-clinical depressive and anxiety symptoms, and wellbeing in construction workers.

Methods: Eligibility criteria were randomized controlled trials (RCTs), cluster randomized controlled trials (cRCTs), controlled or uncontrolled before- and after studies published in peer-reviewed journals between 2010 and May 2022 in five databases (Academic Search Complete, PsycInfo, PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science). Outcomes were stress, burnout and non-clinical depression and anxiety symptoms, and wellbeing (primary) and workplace changes and sickness absenteeism (secondary).

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Objective: To describe how allied health professionals have used mentoring as a knowledge translation strategy to inform practice.

Introduction: Mentoring has been reported to be used by nursing and medicine as a knowledge translation strategy. It is not known if allied health professionals have also used mentoring to improve their use of research in practice, or what the key mentoring characteristics are that guide its application in allied health settings.

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Article Synopsis
  • The repurposing of existing licensed drugs provides a quick way to find new treatments for COVID-19, with a focus on 7817 available compounds from Compounds Australia.* -
  • The paper utilizes advanced ex vivo/3D airway and alveolar tissue models, which better mimic the human body than standard lab tests, to screen drug effectiveness against SARS-CoV-2 variants.* -
  • Several drugs, including fluvoxamine and aprepitant, showed promising anti-viral effects comparable to current COVID-19 treatments, but more research is needed before they can be used clinically.*
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Background: Guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) for heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) improves clinical outcomes and quality of life. Optimizing GDMT in the hospital is associated with greater long-term use in HFrEF. This study aimed to describe the efficacy of a multidisciplinary virtual HF intervention on GDMT optimization among patients with HFrEF admitted for any cause.

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In this study, we examine the respective effects of prosocial personality and grandiose narcissism on individual social responsibility, and attitudinal and behavioral responses to Covid-19 health and safety preventive measures. We further analyze the extent to which individuals feel targeted by bullies for wearing a mask in order to shed light on the psychological consequences of the current pandemic. We employed a cross-sectional technique using a snowball sampling method to recruit participants from the United States and Canada.

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Background: Despite pervasive need for peripheral intravenous catheters, insertion is often difficult, and approximately two thirds fail prematurely. Midline catheters are an alternative long peripheral catheter, inserted in the upper arm, ideal for patients with difficult access.

Aim: The aim of this study is to test feasibility of the protocol and compare the efficacy and safety of midline catheters to peripheral intravenous catheters.

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The liquid biopsy has the potential to improve patient care in the diagnostic and therapeutic setting in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Consented patients with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) positive disease (n = 21) were stratified into two cohorts: those currently receiving EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy (n = 9) and newly diagnosed EGFR TKI treatment-naïve patients (n = 12). Plasma genotyping of cell-free DNA was carried out using the FDA-approved cobas® EGFR mutation test v2 and compared to next generation sequencing (NGS) cfDNA panels.

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Introduction: Military service members must maintain a certain body mass index and body fat percentage. Due to weight-loss pressures, some service members may resort to unhealthy behaviors that place them at risk for the development of an eating disorder (ED).

Objectives: To understand the scope and impact of EDs in military service members and veterans, we formed the Longitudinal Eating Disorders Assessment Project (LEAP) Consortium.

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Membrane trafficking is essential for sculpting neuronal morphology. The GARP and EARP complexes are conserved tethers that regulate vesicle trafficking in the secretory and endolysosomal pathways, respectively. Both complexes contain the Vps51, Vps52, and Vps53 proteins, and a complex-specific protein: Vps54 in GARP and Vps50 in EARP.

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Objective: To determine whether electrical activity of the diaphragm (Edi) changes with weaning nasal high-flow (HF) therapy in preterm infants according to a standardised protocol.

Design: Prospective observational cohort study.

Setting: Neonatal intensive care unit.

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Introduction: Colonic self-expanding metal stents (SEMS) can be used to relieve malignant and benign large bowel obstruction (LBO) as a bridge to surgery (BTS) and for palliation. Guidelines suggest the use of fluoroscopic guidance for deployment. This may be difficult to obtain after hours and in certain centers.

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Background: This longitudinal study investigated whether changes in autonomous and controlled motivation to reduce sedentary behaviour were associated with variability in sedentary, standing and stepping time and, in turn, disease activity, systemic inflammation, pain and fatigue in rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: People with RA undertook assessments at baseline (T1, n = 104) and 6 months follow-up (T2, n = 54) to determine autonomous and controlled motivation to reduce sedentary behaviour (Behavioural Regulation in Exercise Questionnaire-2), free-living sedentary, standing and stepping time (7 days activPAL3 wear), Disease Activity Score-28 (DAS-28), systemic inflammation (c-reactive protein [CRP]), pain (McGill Pain Questionnaire) and fatigue (Multidimensional Assessment of Fatigue Scale). N = 52 participants provided complete data at T1 and T2.

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Osteoclasts are multinucleated cells with the unique ability to resorb bone matrix. Excessive production or activation of osteoclasts leads to skeletal pathologies that affect a significant portion of the population. Although therapies that effectively target osteoclasts have been developed, they are associated with sometimes severe side effects, and a fuller understanding of osteoclast biology may lead to more specific treatments.

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Background: As pharmacogenomic services begin to emerge in primary care, the insight of the public is crucial for its integration into clinical practice.

Objectives: To establish perceptions of pharmacogenomics (awareness, understanding, openness to availability, perceived benefits and concerns, willingness to pay, and service setting) and investigate if they differ between those with and without chronic disease(s).

Methods: An anonymous, online questionnaire generated using Qualtrics® and circulated via social media and posters placed in eight participating community pharmacies was conducted with Irish adults.

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Static light scattering (SLS) was used to characterize five monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) as a function of total ionic strength (TIS) at pH values between 5.5 and 7.0.

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Cell nuclear size and shape are strictly regulated, with aberrations often leading to or being indicative of disease. Nuclear mechanics are critically responsible for intracellular responses to extracellular cues, such as the nanotopography of the external environment. Silicon nanoneedle (SiNN) arrays are tunable, engineered cell culture substrates that permit precise, nanoscale modifications to a cell's external environment to probe mechanotransduction and intracellular signaling.

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