A novel use of near infrared spectroscopy: ageing deepwater sharks

To age sharks, the growth bands in the shark vertebrae (like the rings in a tree) or on the spines in front of each dorsal fin (which only some sharks have) are manually counted using a microscope. This is time-consuming and is only possible on dead animals. NIR spectroscopy is shown to be able to detect age in dorsal fin spines of sharks and hand-held NIR spectroscopy units could potentially be used for ageing of sharks in the field, at sea, using a hand-held unit to scan the fin spine on a live animal.

Beth Israel Hospital (Boston, MA) Records, undated, 1923, 1930-1964, 1988, 1991-1992

In 1916, the Jewish community of Boston established Beth Israel Hospital on Townsend Street in Roxbury to provide health care to immigrants in the area. Although accessible to everyone, the hospital provided Yiddish-speaking services for Eastern European Jewish immigrants and served kosher food, as well as conducted Jewish religious services. In 1928 the hospital entered into a teaching agreement with Harvard Medical School, Tufts University, and Simmons College. Shortly thereafter, the hospital moved to its current location in the Longwood area of Boston and expanded to a 220-bed operation. During 1935-1936, at the height of the Depression, Beth Israel spent 1.5 million dollars in free patient care and was only one of two local hospitals to offer health care to people on welfare. In 1996, Beth Israel Hospital merged with Deaconess Medical Center and became Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. This collection contains reports, pamphlets and hospital publications.

Revolutionising Fish Ageing: Using Near Infrared Spectroscopy to Age Fish

The project aimed to evaluate the innovative application of NIRS as a reliable, repeatable, and cost-effective method of ageing fish, using otoliths of Barramundi and Snapper as study species. Specific research questions included assessing how geographic and seasonal variation in otoliths affects NIRS predictive models of fish age, as well as how the NIR spectra of otoliths change in the short-term (i.e., <12 months) and long-term (i.e., historical otolith collections) and what effect this has on the predictive ability of NIRS models. The cost-effectiveness of using NIRS to supplement standard fish ageing methods was also evaluated using a hypothetical case study of Barramundi.

Optimising initial population density, growth time and nitrogen nutrition for assessing resistance of wheat cultivars to root-lesion nematode (Pratylenchus thornei)

Pratylenchus thornei is a major pathogen of wheat in Australia. Two glasshouse experiments with four wheat cultivars that had different final populations (Pf) of P. thornei in the field were used to optimise conditions for assessing resistance. With different initial populations (Pi) ranging up to 5250 P. thornei/kg soil, Pf of P. thornei increased to 16 weeks after sowing, and then decreased at 20 weeks in some cultivar x Pi combinations. The population dynamics of P. thornei up to 16 weeks were best described by a modified exponential equation P f (t) = aP i e kt where P f (t) is the final population density at time t, P i is the initial population density, a is the proportion of P i that initiates population development, and k is the intrinsic rate of increase of the population. The cultivar GS50a had very low k values at Pi of 5250 and 1050 indicating its resistance, Suneca and Potam had high k values indicating susceptibility, whereas intolerant Gatcher had a low value at the higher Pi and a high value at the lower Pi. Nitrate fertiliser increased plant growth and Pf values of susceptible cultivars, but in unplanted soil it decreased Pf. Nematicide (aldicarb 5 mg/kg soil) killed P. thornei more effectively in planted than in unplanted soil and increased plant growth particularly in the presence of N fertiliser. In both experiments, the wheat cultivars Suneca and Potam were more susceptible than the cultivar GS50a reflecting field results. The method chosen to discriminate wheat cultivars was to assess Pf after growth for 16 weeks in soil with Pi ~1050–5250 P. thornei/kg soil and fertilised with 200 mg NO3–N/kg soil.

Letter to Dr. Simeon Leo regarding a donation to Mount Sinai Hospital

Letter to Dr. Simeon Leo from Joseph Scherer about a donation to Mount Sinai Hospital. Handwritten in English script. Folded.

Notice on the formation of a committee for Mount Sinai Hospital

Notice on Formation of a committee for Mount Sinai Hospital. Form letter. Printed in black ink on white paper.

Who does nutrition prevention work in Queensland? An investigation of structural and political workforce reforms

- Aim This study aimed (i) to determine the change in the number of government-funded nutrition positions following structural and political reforms and (ii) to describe the remaining workforce available to do nutrition prevention work, including student placements, in Queensland. - Methods Positions funded by the Queensland government were counted using departmental human resource data and compared with data collected 4 years earlier. Positions not funded by the government were identified using formal professional networks and governance group lists. Both groups were sent an online survey that explored their position name, funding source, employer, qualifications, years of experience, work in prevention and ability to supervise students. - Results There was a 90% reduction in the number of nutrition prevention positions funded by the government between 2009 (137 full time equivalents (FTE)) and 2013 (14 FTE). In 2013, 313 specialist (n = 92) and generalist (n = 221) practitioners were identified as potentially working in nutrition prevention throughout Queensland. A total of 30 permanent FTEs indicated over 75% of their work focused on prevention. This included the 14 FTE funded by the Queensland government and an additional 16 FTE from other sectors. Generalists did not consider themselves part of the nutrition workforce. - Conclusions Queensland experienced an extreme reduction in its nutrition prevention workforce as a result of political and structural reforms. This disinvestment by the Queensland government was not compensated for by other sectors, and has left marked deficits in public health nutrition capacity, including student placements.

A pilot RCT of a multi-component nutrition intervention for nursing home residents with dementia

Background Malnutrition and unintentional weight loss are major clinical issues in people with dementia living in residential aged care facilities (RACFs) and are associated with serious adverse outcomes. However, evidence regarding effective interventions is limited and strategies to improve the nutritional status of this population are required. This presentation describes the implementation and results of a pilot randomised controlled trial of a multi-component intervention for improving the nutritional status of RACF residents with dementia. Method Fifteen residents with moderate-severe dementia living in a secure long-term RACF participated in a five week pilot study. Participants were randomly allocated to either an Intervention (n=8) or Control group (n=7). The intervention comprised four elements delivered in a separate dining room at lunch and dinner: the systematic reinforcement of residents’ eating behaviors using a specific communication protocol; family-style dining; high ambiance table presentation; and routine Dietary-Nutrition Champion supervision. Control group participants ate their meals according to the facility’s standard practice. Baseline and follow-up assessments of nutritional status, food consumption, and body mass index were obtained by qualified nutritionists. Additional assessments included measures of cognitive functioning, mealtime agitation, depression, wandering status and multiple measures of intervention fidelity. Results No participant was malnourished at study commencement and participants in both groups gained weight from follow-up to baseline which was not significantly different between groups (t=0.43; p=0.67). A high degree of treatment fidelity was evident throughout the intervention. Qualitative data from staff indicate the intervention was perceived to be beneficial for residents. Conclusions This multi-component nutritional intervention was well received and was feasible in the RACF setting. Participants’ sound nutritional status at baseline likely accounts for the lack of an intervention effect. Further research using this protocol in malnourished residents is recommended. For success, a collaborative approach between researchers and facility staff, particularly dietary staff, is essential.

Factors influencing hospital readmission and length of stay of Vietnamese patients with type 2 diabetes and cardiac disease

Background: Increased hospital readmission and longer stays in the hospital for patients with type 2 diabetes and cardiac disease can result in higher healthcare costs and heavier individual burden. Thus, knowledge of the characteristics and predictive factors for Vietnamese patients with type 2 diabetes and cardiac disease, at high risk of hospital readmission and longer stays in the hospital, could provide a better understanding on how to develop an effective care plan aimed at improving patient outcomes. However, information about factors influencing hospital readmission and length of stay of patients with type 2 diabetes and cardiac disease in Vietnam is limited. Aim: This study examined factors influencing hospital readmission and length of stay of Vietnamese patients with both type 2 diabetes and cardiac disease. Methods: An exploratory prospective study design was conducted on 209 patients with type 2 diabetes and cardiac disease in Vietnam. Data were collected from patient charts and patients' responses to self-administered questionnaires. Descriptive statistics, bivariate correlation, logistic and multiple regression were used to analyse the data. Results: The hospital readmission rate was 12.0% among patients with both type 2 diabetes and cardiac disease. The average length of stay in the hospital was 9.37 days. Older age (OR= 1.11, p< .05), increased duration of type 2 diabetes (OR= 1.22, p< .05), less engagement in stretching/strengthening exercise behaviours (OR= .93, p< .001) and in communication with physician (OR= .21, p< .001) were significant predictors of 30-dayhospital readmission. Increased number of additional co-morbidities (β= .33, p< .001) was a significant predictor of longer stays in the hospital. High levels of cognitive symptom management (β= .40, p< .001) significantly predicted longer stays in the hospital, indicating that the more patients practiced cognitive symptom management, the longer the stay in hospital. Conclusions: This study provides some evidence of factors influencing hospital readmission and length of stay and argues that this information may have significant implications for clinical practice in order to improve patients' health outcomes. However, the findings of this study related to the targeted hospital only. Additionally, the investigation of environmental factors is recommended for future research as these factors are important components contributing to the research model.

We can close the Indigenous nutrition gap – here’s how

After years of neglect and a notable absence in last week’s Closing the Gap report, nutrition is finally being recognised as integral to closing the gap on Indigenous disadvantage. This belated realisation is puzzling, given poor diet is a major cause of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease and some cancers. Nutrition is particularly poor in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, where it is estimated that at least 19% of the burden of disease is due to poor diet; much more than due to smoking...

Psychological distress may affect nutrition indicators in Australian adults

- Objective The purpose of this research was to explore which demographic and health status variables moderated the relationship between psychological distress and three nutrition indicators: the consumption of fruits, vegetables and takeaway. - Method We analysed data from the 2009 Self-Reported Health Status Survey Report collected in the state of Queensland, Australia. Adults (N = 6881) reported several demographic and health status variables. Moderated logistic regression models were estimated separately for the three nutrition indicators, testing as moderators demographic (age, gender, educational attainment, household income, remoteness, and area-level socioeconomic status) and health status indicators (body mass index, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and diabetes status). - Results Several significant interactions emerged between psychological distress, demographic (age, area-level socioeconomic status, and income level), and health status variables (body mass index, diabetes status) in predicting the nutrition indicators. Relationships between distress and the nutrition indicators were not significantly different by gender, remoteness, educational attainment, high cholesterol status, and high blood pressure status. - Conclusions The associations between psychological distress and several nutrition indicators differ amongst population subgroups. These findings suggest that in distressed adults, age, area-level socio-economic status, income level, body mass index, and diabetes status may serve as protective or risk factors through increasing or decreasing the likelihood of meeting nutritional guidelines. Public health interventions for improving dietary behaviours and nutrition may be more effective if they take into account the moderators identified in this study rather than using global interventions.

A multi-criteria approach for hospital capacity analysis

Hospitals are critical elements of health care systems and analysing their capacity to do work is a very important topic. To perform a system wide analysis of public hospital resources and capacity, a multi-objective optimization (MOO) approach has been proposed. This approach identifies the theoretical capacity of the entire hospital and facilitates a sensitivity analysis, for example of the patient case mix. It is necessary because the competition for hospital resources, for example between different entities, is highly influential on what work can be done. The MOO approach has been extensively tested on a real life case study and significant worth is shown. In this MOO approach, the epsilon constraint method has been utilized. However, for solving real life applications, with a large number of competing objectives, it was necessary to devise new and improved algorithms. In addition, to identify the best solution, a separable programming approach was developed. Multiple optimal solutions are also obtained via the iterative refinement and re-solution of the model.

Nutrition during noninvasive ventilation: clinical determinants and key practical recommendations

Malnutrition and poor nutritional intake have been identified as key issues associated with poorer clinical outcomes in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients. There is strong evidence showing nutritional support is effective in treating malnutrition in stable COPD, but there is only limited research regarding nutritional status in patients treated with noninvasive ventilation (NIV). The impact of NIV during acute exacerbations of respiratory disease on nutritional status requires further investigation.