Publications by authors named "R T Phua"
Background: The variables that contribute to positive and negative experiences of clinical education amongst student physiotherapists are well established. Multiple stakeholders are invested in the ongoing success of physiotherapy clinical placements given workforce challenges within the profession and the emerging relationship between clinical placements and new-graduate recruitment. However, little is known about the relationship between clinical placement experiences and the career decisions of new-graduate physiotherapists.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Physiotherapists in Australia play a vital first-contact role in identifying suspected serious pathologies and navigating their management pathways. Current literature highlights challenges faced by physiotherapists including implications of ineffective identification and management of suspected serious pathologies, yet the perspectives of new-graduate physiotherapists related to this area of practice remain unknown.
Objective: The aim of this study was to explore new-graduate physiotherapists' perspectives and developmental needs related to identifying suspected serious pathologies and navigating their management pathways in patients with musculoskeletal complaints.
Article Synopsis
- - The study investigates the Intra-Discal Vacuum Phenomenon (IDVP) in lumbar spines of people over 60, finding that IDVP is common, affecting over 50% of the sample, and its severity increases towards the lower spine.
- - Using CT scans, researchers analyzed 2020 cases to understand how age, pelvic incidence (PI), and degenerative issues like fractures impact the occurrence of IDVP.
- - Results suggest that lower pelvic incidence correlates with higher IDVP rates, especially at the L5S1 level, and reveal connections between IDVP and other spinal degenerative conditions, contributing to the understanding of aging spine mechanics.
Article Synopsis
- The study involved analyzing CT scans of the lumbar spine in older adults to understand the relationship between intradiscal vacuum phenomenon (IDVP) and disc degeneration over time.
- Results showed that while most cases of IDVP stayed at a similar severity, some worsened, improved, or fused, with new cases developing in some patients during the study period.
- Interestingly, the presence of IDVP did not correlate with significantly worse back pain among participants, suggesting that back pain experiences vary despite degeneration severity.
Here, we present a protocol to set up and study 2D keratinocyte-melanocyte co-cultures and 3D full-thickness human skin equivalents. We describe steps for culturing of keratinocyte and melanocyte lines and the establishment of both 2D and 3D co-cultures. The cultures are utilized to measure melanin content and investigate mechanisms driving melanin production and transfer, through flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF