958 resultados para Total reducing sugars


Relevância:

20.00% 20.00%

Publicador:

Resumo:

Background National and international rates of obesity are escalating, and programs to modify established eating habits are having limited success. Almost one in four 2-4 year old Australian children are overweight or obese. Interventions to prevent obesity in early childhood are on the rise. However, recruitment and retention issues and outcomes to date suggests a gap in meeting participant needs. Parents need both the knowledge and skills to establish behaviours that enable children to develop healthy food preferences and eating habits early. AIM To develop intervention recommendations to reduce childhood obesity by improving the infant feeding practices of parents, focusing on the transition from a milk diet to family foods.

Relevância:

20.00% 20.00%

Publicador:

Resumo:

Spanning over a considerable length of time, facility management is a key phase in the development cycle of built assets. Therefore facility managers are in a commanding position to maximise the potential of sustainability through the operation, maintenance and upgrade of built facilities leading to decommission and deconstruction. Sustainability endeavours in facility management practices will not only contribute to reducing energy consumption, waste and running costs, but also help improve organisational productivity, financial returns and community standing of the organisation. At the forefront facing sustainability challenge, facility manager should be empowered with the necessary knowledge and capabilities. However, literature studies show a gap between the current level of awareness and the specific knowledge and necessary skills required to pursue sustainability in the profession. People capability is considered as the key enabler in managing the sustainability agenda as well as being central to the improvement of competency and innovation in an organization. This paper aims to identify the critical factors for enhancing people capabilities in promoting the sustainability agenda in facility management practices. Starting with a total of 60 factors identified through literature review, the authors conducted a questionnaire survey to assess the perceived importance of these factors. The findings reveal 23 critical factors as significantly important. They form the basis of a mechanism framework developed to equip facility managers with the right knowledge, to continue education and training and to develop new mind-sets to enhance the implementation of sustainability measures in FM practices.

Relevância:

20.00% 20.00%

Publicador:

Resumo:

Purpose: The purpose of this work was to evaluate the patient-borne financial cost of common, adverse breast cancer treatment-associated effects, comparing cost across women with or without these side-effects. Methods: 287 Australian women diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer were prospectively followed starting at six months post-surgery for 12 months, with three-monthly assessment of detailed treatment-related side effects and their direct and indirect patient costs attributable to breast cancer. Bootstrapping statistics were used to analyze cost data and adjusted logistic regression was used to evaluate the association between costs and adverse events from breast cancer. Costs were inflated and converted from 2002 Australian to 2014 US dollars. Results: More than 90% of women experienced at least one adverse effect (i.e. post-surgical issue, reaction to radiotherapy, upper-body symptoms or reduced function, lymphedema, fatigue or weight gain). On average, women paid $5,636 (95%CI: $4,694, $6,577) in total costs. Women with any one of the following symptoms (fatigue, reduced upper-body function, upper-body symptoms) or women who report ≥4 adverse treatment-related effects, have 1.5 to nearly 4 times the odds of having higher healthcare costs than women who do not report these complaints (p<0.05). Conclusions: Women face substantial economic burden due to a range of treatment-related health problems, which may persist beyond the treatment period. Improving breast cancer care by incorporating prospective surveillance of treatment-related side effects, and strategies for prevention and treatment of concerns (e.g., exercise) has real potential for reducing patient-borne costs.

Relevância:

20.00% 20.00%

Publicador:

Resumo:

We investigated the relationship between mitochondrial biogenesis, cell signalling and antioxidant enzymes by depleting skeletal muscle glutathione with diethyl maleate (DEM) which resulted in a demonstrable increase in oxidative stress during exercise. Animals were divided into six groups: (1) sedentary control rats; (2) sedentary rats treated with DEM; (3) exercise control rats euthanized immediately after exercise; (4) exercise rats + DEM; (5) exercise control rats euthanized 4 h after exercise, and; (6) exercise rats + DEM euthanized 4 h after exercise. Exercising animals ran on the treadmill at a 10% gradient at 20 m/min for the first 30 min. The speed was then increased every 10 min by 1.6 m/min until exhaustion. There was a reduction in total glutathione in the skeletal muscle of DEM treated animals compared to the control animals (P<0.05). Within the control group, total glutathione was higher in the sedentary group compared to after exercise (P<0.05). DEM treatment also significantly increased oxidative stress, as measured by increased plasma F2-isoprostanes (P<0.05). Exercising animals given DEM showed a significantly greater increase in peroxisome proliferator activated receptor γ coactivator-1α(PGC-1α) mRNA compared to the control animals that were exercised (P<0.05). This study provides novel evidence that by reducing the endogenous antioxidant glutathione in skeletal muscle and inducing oxidative stress through exercise, PGC-1α gene expression was augmented. These findings further highlight the important role of exercise induced oxidative stress in the regulation of mitochondrial biogenesis.

Relevância:

20.00% 20.00%

Publicador:

Resumo:

Aortic root replacement is a complex procedure, though subsequent modifications of the original Bentall procedure have made surgery more reproducible. The study aim was to examine the outcomes of a modified Bentall procedure, using the Medtronic Open PivotTM valved conduit. Whilst short-term data on the conduit and long-term data on the valve itself are available, little is known of the long-term results with the valved conduit. Patients undergoing aortic root replacement between February 1999 and February 2010, using the Medtronic Open Pivot valved conduit were identified from the prospectively collected Cardiothoracic Register at The Prince Charles Hospital, Brisbane, Australia. All patients were followed up echocardiographically and clinically. The primary end-point was death, and a Cox proportional model was used to identify factors associated.with survival. Secondary end-points were valve-related morbidity (as defined by STS guidelines) and postoperative morbidity. Predictors of morbidity were identified using logistic regression. A total of 246 patients (mean age 50 years) was included in the study. The overall mortality was 12%, with actuarial 10-year survival 79% and a 10-year estimate of valve-related death of 0.04 (95% CI: 0.004, 0.07). Preoperative myocardial infarction (p = 0.004, HR 4.74), urgency of operation (p = 0.038, HR 2.8) and 10% incremental decreases in ejection fraction (p = 0.046, HR 0.69) were predictive of mortality. Survival was also affected by the valve gradients, with a unit increase in peak gradient reducing mortality (p = 0.021, HR 0.93). Valve-related morbidity occurred in 11 patients. Urgent surgery (p <0.001, OR 4.12), aortic dissection (p = 0.015, OR 3.35), calcific aortic stenosis (p = 0.016, OR 2.35) and Marfan syndrome (p 0.009, OR 3.75) were predictive of postoperative morbidity. The reoperation rate was 1.2%. The Medtronic Open Pivot valved conduit is a safe and durable option for aortic root replacement, and is associated with low morbidity and 10-year survival of 79%. However, further studies are required to determine the effect of valve gradient on survival.

Relevância:

20.00% 20.00%

Publicador:

Resumo:

Background As relatively little is known about adult wheeze and asthma in developing countries, this study aimed to determine the predictors of wheeze, asthma diagnosis, and current treatment in a national survey of South African adults. Methods A stratified national probability sample of households was drawn and all adults (>14 years) in the selected households were interviewed. Outcomes of interest were recent wheeze, asthma diagnosis, and current use of asthma medication. Predictors of interest were sex, age, household asset index, education, racial group, urban residence, medical insurance, domestic exposure to smoky fuels, occupational exposure, smoking, body mass index, and past tuberculosis. Results A total of 5671 men and 8155 women were studied. Although recent wheeze was reported by 14.4% of men and 17.6% of women and asthma diagnosis by 3.7% of men and 3.8% of women, women were less likely than men to be on current treatment (OR 0.6; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.5 to 0.8). A history of tuberculosis was an independent predictor of both recent wheeze (OR 3.4; 95% CI 2.5 to 4.7) and asthma diagnosis (OR 2.2; 95% CI 1.5 to 3.2), as was occupational exposure (wheeze: OR 1.8; 95% CI 1.5 to 2.0; asthma diagnosis: OR 1.9; 95% CI 1.4 to 2.4). Smoking was associated with wheeze but not asthma diagnosis. Obesity showed an association with wheeze only in younger women. Both wheeze and asthma diagnosis were more prevalent in those with less education but had no association with the asset index. Independently, having medical insurance was associated with a higher prevalence of diagnosis. Conclusions Some of the findings may be to due to reporting bias and heterogeneity of the categories wheeze and asthma diagnosis, which may overlap with post tuberculous airways obstruction and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease due to smoking and occupational exposures. The results underline the importance of controlling tuberculosis and occupational exposures as well as smoking in reducing chronic respiratory morbidity. Validation of the asthma questionnaire in this setting and research into the pathophysiology of post tuberculous airways obstruction are also needed.

Relevância:

20.00% 20.00%

Publicador:

Resumo:

Background Whilst waiting for patients undergoing surgery, a lack of information regarding the patient’s status and the outcome of surgery, can contribute to the anxiety experienced by family members. Effective strategies for providing information to families are therefore required. Objectives To synthesize the best available evidence in relation to the most effective information-sharing interventions to reduce anxiety for families waiting for patients undergoing an elective surgical procedure. Inclusion criteria Types of participants All studies of family members over 18 years of age waiting for patients undergoing an elective surgical procedure were included, including those waiting for both adult and pediatric patients.   Types of intervention All information-sharing interventions for families of patients undergoing an elective surgical procedure were eligible for inclusion in the review. Types of studies All randomized controlled trials (RCTs) quasi-experimental studies, case-controlled and descriptive studies, comparing one information-sharing intervention to another or to usual care were eligible for inclusion in the review. Types of outcomes Primary outcome: The level of anxiety amongst family members or close relatives whilst waiting for patients undergoing surgery, as measured by a validated instrument such as the S-Anxiety portion of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). Secondary outcomes: Family satisfaction and other measurements that may be considered indicators of stress and anxiety, such as mean arterial pressure (MAP) and heart rate. Search strategy A comprehensive search, restricted to English language only, was undertaken of the following databases from 1990 to May 2013: Medline, CINAHL, EMBASE, ProQuest, Web of Science, PsycINFO, Scopus, Dissertation and Theses PQDT (via ProQuest), Current Contents, CENTRAL, Google Scholar, OpenGrey, Clinical Trials, Science.gov, Current Controlled Trials and National Institute for Clinical Studies (NHMRC). Methodological quality Two independent reviewers critically appraised retrieved papers for methodological quality using the standardized critical appraisal instruments for randomized controlled trials and descriptive studies from the Joanna Briggs Institute Meta Analysis of Statistics Assessment and Review Instruments (JBI-MAStARI). Data extraction Two independent reviewers extracted data from included papers using a customized data extraction form. Data synthesis Statistical pooling was not possible, mainly due to issues with data reporting in two of the studies, therefore the results are presented in narrative form. Results Three studies with a total of 357 participants were included in the review. In-person reporting to family members was found to be effective in comparison with usual care in which no reports were provided. Telephone reporting was also found to be effective at reducing anxiety, in comparison with usual care, although not as effective as in-person reporting. The use of paging devices to keep family members informed were found to increase, rather than decrease anxiety. Conclusions Due to the lack of high quality research in this area, the strength of the conclusions are limited. It appears that in-person and telephone reporting to family members decreases anxiety, however the use of paging devices increases anxiety.

Relevância:

20.00% 20.00%

Publicador:

Resumo:

This research project evaluated the biomechanical and functional outcomes of patients following total knee replacement measured at 6 and 12 months following surgery. Using more objective measures, patients were examined to determine changes in biomechanical and neuromuscular function during performance of activities of daily living such as walking, stair climbing and turning. Adaptations in joint positioning and performance were identified and progressive improvements were made in some areas of locomotor function. The findings of the study provided important objective information to contribute to the design and evaluation of prostheses, new surgical and rehabilitation procedures and improved recovery of patients.

Relevância:

20.00% 20.00%

Publicador:

Resumo:

Globally, Indigenous populations, which include Aboriginal and Torres Strait islanders in Australia and Māori people in New Zealand (NZ), have poorer health than their non-Indigenous counterparts. Indigenous peoples worldwide face substantial challenges in poverty, education, employment, housing and disconnection from ancestral lands. While addressing social determinants of health is a priority, solving clinical issues is equally important. Indeed, ignoring the latter until social issues improve risks further disparity as this may take generations. A systematic overview of interventions addressing social determinants of health found a striking lack of reliable evaluations.Where evidence was available, health improvement associated with interventions was modest or uncertain. 10 Thus advances in healthcare remain essential and these require the best evidence available in 11 preventing and managing common illnesses, including respiratory illnesses.

Relevância:

20.00% 20.00%

Publicador:

Resumo:

As fossil fuel prices increase and environmental concerns gain prominence, the development of alternative fuels from biomass has become more important. Biodiesel produced from microalgae is becoming an attractive alternative to share the role of petroleum. Currently it appears that the production of microalgal biodiesel is not economically viable in current environment because it costs more than conventional fuels. Therefore, a new concept is introduced in this article as an option to reduce the total production cost of microalgal biodiesel. The integration of biodiesel production system with methane production via anaerobic digestion is proved in improving the economics and sustainability of overall biodiesel stages. Anaerobic digestion of microalgae produces methane and further be converted to generate electricity. The generated electricity can surrogate the consumption of energy that require in microalgal cultivation, dewatering, extraction and transesterification process. From theoretical calculations, the electricity generated from methane is able to power all of the biodiesel production stages and will substantially reduce the cost of biodiesel production (33% reduction). The carbon emissions of biodiesel production systems are also reduced by approximately 75% when utilizing biogas electricity compared to when the electricity is otherwise purchased from the Victorian grid. The overall findings from this study indicate that the approach of digesting microalgal waste to produce biogas will make the production of biodiesel from algae more viable by reducing the overall cost of production per unit of biodiesel and hence enable biodiesel to be more competitive with existing fuels.

Relevância:

20.00% 20.00%

Publicador:

Resumo:

This thesis explored safety culture in a large Australasian construction and mining organisation, with a view to understanding how theory and practice can be integrated to improve safety culture and related outcomes within the industry. The research comprised three studies that investigated the relationship between safety culture, safety motivation, leadership and safety behaviour, and examined differences in perceptions of safety culture across the organisation. Research methodologies and samples included a modified Delphi method with safety leaders (n=41), a quantitative survey with a cross-section of the organisation (n=2,957), and group interviews with frontline supervisors and workers (n=29).

Relevância:

20.00% 20.00%

Publicador:

Resumo:

This paper overviews the development of a vision-based AUV along with a set of complementary operational strategies to allow reliable autonomous data collection in relatively shallow water and coral reef environments. The development of the AUV, called Starbug, encountered many challenges in terms of vehicle design, navigation and control. Some of these challenges are discussed with focus on operational strategies for estimating and reducing the total navigation error when using lower-resolution sensing modalities. Results are presented from recent field trials which illustrate the ability of the vehicle and associated operational strategies to enable rapid collection of visual data sets suitable for marine research applications.