An Interview Study of Patient and Caregiver Perspectives on Advance Care Planning in ESRD.

Background: Advance care planning (ACP) empowers patients to consider and communicate their current and future treatment goals. However, it can be an emotionally charged process for patients with kidney disease and their caregivers. This study aimed to describe the perspectives and attitudes of patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and their caregivers toward ACP.

Species differences in urine scent-marking and counter-marking in Peromyscus.

Species comparisons indicate that scent-marking may differ as a function of mating system and co-housing with the opposite sex ("pairing"). We previously demonstrated that pairing may decrease male solicitation to unfamiliar females in the monogamous Peromyscus californicus but not in the non-monogamous P. leucopus.

Language and Psychosocial Functioning among Deaf Learners with and without Cochlear Implants.

Various studies have examined psychosocial functioning and language abilities among deaf children with and without cochlear implants (CIs). Few, however, have explored how relations among those abilities might change with age and setting. Most relevant studies also have failed to consider that psychosocial functioning among both CI users and nonusers might be influenced by having language abilities in both signed and spoken language.

Functions of tissue-resident eosinophils.

Eosinophils are a prominent cell type in particular host responses such as the response to helminth infection and allergic disease. Their effector functions have been attributed to their capacity to release cationic proteins stored in cytoplasmic granules by degranulation. However, eosinophils are now being recognized for more varied functions in previously underappreciated diverse tissue sites, based on the ability of eosinophils to release cytokines (often preformed) that mediate a broad range of activities into the local environment.

Shuttle walk tests in people with COPD who demonstrate exercise-induced oxygen desaturation: An analysis of test repeatability and cardiorespiratory responses.

Exercise-induced oxygen desaturation (EID) is prevalent in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This article reports a sub-analysis from a randomized controlled trial (RCT) in people with COPD and EID (COPD/EID). The primary aim, in people with COPD/ EID, was to determine the repeatability of the distance and time walked in the incremental shuttle walk test (ISWT) and endurance shuttle walk test (ESWT), respectively.

Intricacies of ligand coordination in tricarbonylchromium(0) complexes with ortho- and para-fluorobiphenyls.

The steric and electronic factors that influence which of the two rings of a substituted biphenyl ligand coordinates to chromium are of interest and it has been suggested that haptotropic rearrangements within these molecules may be limited if the arene-arene dihedral angle is too large. Two tricarbonylchromium(0) complexes and their respective free ligands have been characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. In the solid state, tricarbonyl[(1',2',3',4',5',6'-η)-2-fluoro-1,1'-biphenyl]chromium(0), [Cr(CHF)(CO)], (I), exists as the more stable isomer with the nonhalogenated arene ring ligated to the metal center.

Effect on health-related quality of life of ongoing feedback during a 12-month maintenance walking programme in patients with COPD: a randomized controlled trial.

Background And Objective: In patients with COPD, this study evaluated the effect on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of adding ongoing feedback to a 12-month unsupervised maintenance walking programme.

Methods: Participants were randomized to either an intervention group (IG) or control group (CG). Both groups completed the same 2-month supervised, walking training programme followed by a 12-month unsupervised maintenance walking programme.

Oral health and cardiovascular care: Perceptions of people with cardiovascular disease.

Main Objective: The aim of this study was to explore the perception of patients with cardiovascular disease towards oral health and the potential for cardiac care clinicians to promote oral health.

Method: A needs assessment was undertaken with twelve patients with cardiovascular disease attending cardiac rehabilitation between 2015 and 2016, in three metropolitan hospitals in Sydney, Australia. These patients participated in face-to-face semi-structured interviews.

Identification of FBXL4 as a Metastasis Associated Gene in Prostate Cancer.

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among western men, with a significant mortality and morbidity reported for advanced metastatic disease. Current understanding of metastatic disease is limited due to difficulty of sampling as prostate cancer mainly metastasizes to bone. By analysing prostate cancer bone metastases using high density microarrays, we found a common genomic copy number loss at 6q16.

People attending pulmonary rehabilitation demonstrate a substantial engagement with technology and willingness to use telerehabilitation: a survey.

Questions: What is the level of technology engagement by people attending pulmonary rehabilitation? Are participant demographics and level of technology engagement associated with willingness to use telerehabilitation?

Design: A cross-sectional, multicentre study involving quantitative survey analysis.

Participants: Convenience sample of people with chronic respiratory disease attending a pulmonary rehabilitation program, maintenance exercise class or support group.

Outcome Measures: The survey assessed the participants' level of technology engagement (access to and use of devices), self-rated skill competence, access to online health information and willingness to use telerehabilitation.

Everyday functioning of people with Parkinson's disease and impairments in executive function: a qualitative investigation.

Purpose: Executive function is the key area of cognitive impairment in Parkinson's disease. This study investigated how cognitive difficulties impact on everyday life of people with Parkinson's disease and their carers, and whether they explicitly mention executive-type difficulties.

Methods: Semistructured interviews with 11 people with Parkinson's disease and six carers were analyzed thematically.

A behaviour change intervention to reduce sedentary time in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

Introduction: Replacing sedentary behaviour with light intensity physical activity (ie, activities classified as less than three metabolic equivalents, such as slow-paced walking) may be a more realistic strategy for reducing cardiometabolic risk in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease than only aiming to increase levels of moderate-vigorous intensity physical activity. Behaviour change interventions to reduce sedentary behaviour in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease have not yet been developed or tested.

Research Questions: Is a 6-week behaviour change intervention effective and feasible in reducing sedentary time in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease?

Design: This study will be a multi-centre, randomised, controlled trial with concealed allocation, assessor blinding, and intention-to-treat analysis, comparing a 6-week behaviour change intervention aimed at reducing sedentary time with a sham intervention in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Impact of physical activity on fatigue and quality of life in people with advanced lung cancer: a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Physical activity (PA) improves fatigue and quality of life (QOL) in cancer survivors. Our aim was to assess whether a 2-month PA intervention improves fatigue and QOL for people with advanced lung cancer.

Methods: Participants with advanced lung cancer, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (PS) ≤2, >6 months life expectancy, and ability to complete six-min walk test, were stratified (disease stage, PS 0-1 versus 2, centre) and randomized (1:1) in an open-label study to usual care (UC) (nutrition and PA education materials) or experimental intervention (EX): UC plus 2-month supervised weekly PA and behaviour change sessions.

Ambulatory oxygen in fibrotic lung disease (AmbOx): study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

Background: Fibrotic interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) are chronic and often progressive conditions resulting in substantial morbidity and mortality. Shortness of breath, a symptom often linked to oxygen desaturation on exertion, is tightly linked to worsening quality of life in these patients. Although ambulatory oxygen is used empirically in their treatment, there are no ILD-specific guidelines on its use.

Feature issue introduction: Light, Energy and the Environment, 2016.

This feature issue highlights contributions from authors who presented their research at the OSA Light, Energy and the Environment Congress, held in Leipzig, Germany from November 14 to 17, 2016.

Development of Grammatical Accuracy in English-Speaking Children With Cochlear Implants: A Longitudinal Study.

Purpose: We sought to evaluate the development of grammatical accuracy in English-speaking children with cochlear implants (CIs) over a 3-year span.

Method: Ten children who received CIs before age 30 months participated in this study at 3, 4, and 5 years postimplantation. For the purpose of comparison, 10 children each at ages 3, 4, and 5 years with typical hearing were included as well.

A randomized controlled trial of mindfulness to reduce stress and burnout among intern medical practitioners.

Introduction: Stress and burnout are highly prevalent among medical doctors, and are associated with negative consequences for doctors, patients, and organizations. The purpose of the current study was to examine the effectiveness of a mindfulness training intervention in reducing stress and burnout among medical practitioners, by means of a Randomised Controlled Trial design.

Methods: Participants were 44 intern doctors completing an emergency department rotation in a major Australian hospital.

Degradation of Hole Transport Materials via Exciton-Driven Cyclization.

Organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays have been an active and intense area of research for well over a decade and have now reached commercial success for displays from cell phones to large format televisions. A more thorough understanding of the many different potential degradation modes which cause OLED device failure will be necessary to develop the next generation of OLED materials, improve device lifetime, and to ultimately improve the cost vs performance ratio. Each of the different organic layers in an OLED device can be susceptible to unique decomposition pathways, however stability toward excitons is critical for emissive layer (EML) materials as well as any layer near the recombination zone.

Don't Assume Deaf Students are Visual Learners.

In the education of deaf learners, from primary school to postsecondary settings, it frequently is suggested that deaf students are visual learners. That assumption appears to be based on the visual nature of signed languages-used by some but not all deaf individuals-and the fact that with greater hearing losses, deaf students will rely relatively more on vision than audition. However, the questions of whether individuals with hearing loss are more likely to be visual learners than verbal learners or more likely than hearing peers to be visual learners have not been empirically explored.

Australian and New Zealand Pulmonary Rehabilitation Guidelines.

Background And Objective: The aim of the Pulmonary Rehabilitation Guidelines (Guidelines) is to provide evidence-based recommendations for the practice of pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) specific to Australian and New Zealand healthcare contexts.

Methods: The Guideline methodology adhered to the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation (AGREE) II criteria. Nine key questions were constructed in accordance with the PICO (Population, Intervention, Comparator, Outcome) format and reviewed by a COPD consumer group for appropriateness.

Acu-TENS Reduces Breathlessness during Exercise in People with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

Exertional dyspnoea limits level of physical activity in people with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). This randomized, double-blinded, crossover study evaluated the effect of Acu-TENS, application of Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation on acupoints, on breathlessness during exercise in people with COPD. Twenty-one participants, mean% predicted FEV  50 ± 21%, attended assessment followed by two intervention days, one week apart.

Clinicians' Perspectives on Advance Care Planning for Patients With CKD in Australia: An Interview Study.

Background: Advance care planning (ACP) empowers patients to consider and communicate their current and future treatment goals. However, ACP is not widely implemented in chronic kidney disease (CKD) care settings. This study aims to describe clinicians' beliefs, challenges, and perspectives of ACP in patients with CKD.

Young people have their say: What makes a youth-friendly general practice?

Background: The health of young people can be considered an indicator of the health of Australia's future population. To improve access to healthcare, the perspectives of adolescents on the design and delivery of services need to be championed. The objective of this study was to identify what young people in north-west Tasmania value when seeking healthcare at general practices.