Altered function of intracortical networks in chronic lateral epicondylalgia.

Background: Lateral epicondylalgia (LE) is a musculotendinous condition characterized by persistent pain, sensorimotor dysfunction and motor cortex reorganization. Although there is evidence linking cortical reorganization with clinical symptoms in LE, the mechanisms underpinning these changes are unknown. Here we investigated activity in motor cortical (M1) intracortical inhibitory and facilitatory networks in individuals with chronic LE and healthy controls.

Early identification and management of the unstable adult patient in the emergency department.

Aims And Objectives: The focus of this research was to standardise an emergency observation chart, the Adult Emergency Department Flow Chart, which incorporates elements designed to allow clinicians to more readily recognise the trends of patient deterioration.

Background: Patients present to the Emergency Department with some form of instability. Core skills and principles of Emergency Department care are to rapidly and continually assess the clinical condition of the patient, prioritise their care and treat accordingly.

Determinants of footwear difficulties in people with plantar heel pain.

Background: Plantar heel pain is a common foot disorder aggravated by weight-bearing activity. Despite considerable focus on therapeutic interventions such as orthoses, there has been limited investigation of footwear-related issues in people with plantar heel pain. The aim of this study was to investigate whether people with plantar heel pain experience footwear-related difficulties compared to asymptomatic individuals, as well as identifying factors associated with footwear comfort, fit and choice.

Fast, Simple and Accurate Handwritten Digit Classification by Training Shallow Neural Network Classifiers with the 'Extreme Learning Machine' Algorithm.

Recent advances in training deep (multi-layer) architectures have inspired a renaissance in neural network use. For example, deep convolutional networks are becoming the default option for difficult tasks on large datasets, such as image and speech recognition. However, here we show that error rates below 1% on the MNIST handwritten digit benchmark can be replicated with shallow non-convolutional neural networks.

Determining the number of stimuli required to reliably assess corticomotor excitability and primary motor cortical representations using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS): a protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a technique that can be used to assess corticospinal plasticity. Current TMS practices involve the administration of multiple stimuli over target areas of the participant's scalp. However, these procedures require 1 to 2 h per assessment.

GPS and Injury Prevention in Professional Soccer.

This study investigated the relationship between GPS variables measured in training and gameplay and injury occurrences in professional soccer. Nineteen professional soccer players competing in the Australian Hyundai A-League were monitored for 1 entire season using 5 Hz Global Positioning System (GPS) units (SPI-Pro GPSports) in training sessions and preseason games. The measurements obtained were total distance, high-intensity running distance, very-high-intensity running distance, new body load, and meters per minute.

AKT and cytosolic phospholipase A2α form a positive loop in prostate cancer cells.

Aberrant increase in protein kinase B (AKT) phosphorylation (pAKT), due to a gain-of-function mutation of phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K) or loss-of-function mutation or deletion of phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN), is a common alteration in prostate cancer and associated with poor prognosis. Cytosolic phospholipase A2α (cPLA2α) is a lipid modifying enzyme by catalyzing the hydrolysis of arachidonic acid from membrane phospholipid. The released arachidonic acid and its metabolites contribute to survival and proliferation of prostate cancer cells.

Does severe dietary energy restriction increase binge eating in overweight or obese individuals? A systematic review.

Severe dietary energy restriction is often used for overweight or obese individuals to achieve rapid weight loss and related health improvements. However, the extent of putative adverse effects on eating behaviour is unknown. We thus systematically searched seven databases for studies that assessed binge eating before and after severe dietary energy restriction (low or very low energy diets) in overweight or obese individuals.

An Absolute Risk Prediction Model to Determine Unplanned Cardiovascular Readmissions for Adults with Chronic Heart Failure.

Background: Frequent readmissions are a hallmark of chronic heart failure (CHF). We sought to develop an absolute risk prediction model for unplanned cardiovascular readmissions following hospitalisation for CHF.

Methods: An inception cohort was obtained from the WHICH? trial, a prospective, multi-centre randomised controlled trial which was a head-to-head comparison of the efficacy of a home-based intervention versus clinic-based intervention for adults with CHF.

Adjustment following chronic spinal cord injury: Determining factors that contribute to social participation.

Objectives: Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a catastrophic event that may result in diminished physical, social, and mental health. The main objective of this research was to establish inpatient factors that contribute to social participation following discharge into the community.

Design: Prospective longitudinal design with measures taken three times, soon after admission to rehabilitation (N = 88), at discharge from the inpatient phase (N = 81) and 6 months following discharge (N = 71).

PD-L1 expression is a favorable prognostic factor in early stage non-small cell carcinoma.

Objectives: Immune checkpoint blockade using inhibitors of programmed death-1 have shown promise in early phase clinical trials in NSCLC and programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) tumoral expression could potentially be a useful predictive marker. Data reporting the prevalence of PD-L1 expression in NSCLC and clinicopathologic associations is very limited. We sought to determine the frequency of PD-L1 expression in NSCLC and investigate associations with clinicopathologic features and patient outcome.

Psychological trauma and help seeking behaviour amongst resettled Iraqi refugees in attending English tuition classes in Australia.

Background: To examine levels of psychological distress and help seeking behaviour in resettled refugees attending English tuition classes in Australia, and their associations with participants' demographic characteristics.

Methods: Data was collected by bilingual interviewers between March and November 2013. A volunteer sample of attendees of Adult Migrant English Programs (AMEP) in Western Sydney were recruited.

Association Between a Woman's Age at First Birth and High Blood Pressure.

The aim of this article is to determine whether the age of a woman at first birth is associated with treatment for high blood pressure (HBP) later in life.Baseline data for 62,914 women were sourced from the "45 and Up Study," an observational cohort study of healthy aging in Australia. These women had given first birth between the ages of 18 and 45 years.

A Bayesian approach to person perception.

Here we propose a Bayesian approach to person perception, outlining the theoretical position and a methodological framework for testing the predictions experimentally. We use the term person perception to refer not only to the perception of others' personal attributes such as age and sex but also to the perception of social signals such as direction of gaze and emotional expression. The Bayesian approach provides a formal description of the way in which our perception combines current sensory evidence with prior expectations about the structure of the environment.

Prospective study of the occurrence of psychological disorders and comorbidities after spinal cord injury.

Objective: To conduct a prospective study of the occurrence of psychological disorders and comorbidities after spinal cord injury (SCI), determine psychotropic medication usage, and establish predictors of psychological disorders after transition to the community.

Design: Longitudinal design with multiple measures.

Setting: Assessment occurred in SCI units and the community.

The relationship between body mass index and hospitalisation rates, days in hospital and costs: findings from a large prospective linked data study.

Background: Internationally there is limited empirical evidence on the impact of overweight and obesity on health service use and costs. We estimate the burden of hospitalisation-admissions, days and costs-associated with above-normal BMI.

Methods: Population-based prospective cohort study involving 224,254 adults aged ≥45y in Australia (45 and Up Study).

Plantar heel pain and foot loading during normal walking.

Plantar heel pain is aggravated by weight-bearing, yet limited evidence exists regarding how people with heel pain load their feet during walking. Knowledge of loading patterns in people with plantar heel pain would enhance the understanding of their foot function and assist in developing intervention strategies. Plantar pressure using the Emed-AT platform (Novel Gmbh, Germany) was collected from 198 people with plantar heel pain and 70 asymptomatic controls during normal walking.

Information-gathering for self-medication via Eastern Indonesian community pharmacies: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Gathering sufficient information when handling self-medication requests in community pharmacies is an important factor in assisting patients to obtain appropriate health outcomes. Common types of information usually gathered include patient identity, signs and symptoms, action taken, medical history, and current medications being used. The aims of the study were (1) to describe the types and amount of information gathered by Eastern Indonesian community pharmacy staff when handling self-medication requests, and (2) to identify factors associated with the reported amount of information gathered.

Electro-resistive bands for non-invasive cardiac and respiration monitoring, a feasibility study.

Continuous unobtrusive monitoring of tidal volume, particularly for critical care patients (i.e. neonates and patients in intensive care) during sleep studies and during daily activities, is still an unresolved monitoring need.

Molecular, mesoscopic and microscopic structure evolution during amylase digestion of extruded maize and high amylose maize starches.

Extrusion processing of cereal starch granules with high (>50%) amylose content is a promising approach to create nutritionally desirable resistant starch, i.e. starch that escapes digestion in the small intestine.

Engaging women at risk for poor perinatal mental health outcomes: a mixed-methods study.

Risk factors for poor perinatal mental health are well known. Psychosocial assessment and depression screening during the perinatal period aim to identify women at risk for poor perinatal outcomes. Early intervention programmes are known to improve the mental health outcomes of women and infants.

Targeting cytosolic phospholipase A2 α in colorectal cancer cells inhibits constitutively activated protein kinase B (AKT) and cell proliferation.

A constitutive activation of protein kinase B (AKT) in a hyper-phosphorylated status at Ser473 is one of the hallmarks of anti-EGFR therapy-resistant colorectal cancer (CRC). The aim of this study was to examine the role of cytosolic phospholipase A2α (cPLA2α) on AKT phosphorylation at Ser473 and cell proliferation in CRC cells with mutation in phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K). AKT phosphorylation at Ser473 was resistant to EGF stimulation in CRC cell lines of DLD-1 (PIK3CAE545K mutation) and HT-29 (PIK3CAP499T mutation).

Individualisation of time-motion analysis: a method comparison and case report series.

This study compared the intensity distribution of time-motion analysis data, when speed zones were categorized by different methods. 12 U18 players undertook a routine battery of laboratory- and field-based assessments to determine their running speed corresponding to the respiratory compensation threshold (RCT), maximal aerobic speed (MAS), maximal oxygen consumption (vV˙O2max) and maximal sprint speed (MSS). Players match-demands were tracked using 5 Hz GPS units in 22 fixtures (50 eligible match observations).

Musculoskeletal and activity-related factors associated with plantar heel pain.

Background: Despite the prevalence and impact of plantar heel pain, its etiology remains poorly understood, and there is no consensus regarding optimum management. The identification of musculoskeletal factors related to the presence of plantar heel pain could lead to the development of better targeted intervention strategies and potentially improve clinical outcomes. The aim of this study was to investigate relationships between a number of musculoskeletal and activity-related measures and plantar heel pain.