Minerva Elements Records

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    Mental Health First Aid training for China: protocol for a randomised controlled trial
    Reavley, NJ ; Morgan, AJ ; Jorm, AF ; Kitchener, BA ; Lu, S ; Li, W ; Wang, Y ; Kelly, CM ; Zhao, M ; He, Y (ROUTLEDGE JOURNALS, TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD, 2023-01-01)
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    Files, Families and the Nation: An Archival History, Perhaps
    Silverstein, J (ROUTLEDGE JOURNALS, TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD, 2023-10-02)
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    Immobilisation of migrant domestic worker women and their children born in Lebanon
    Block, K ; Fernandez, B ; McGee, T ; Al-Barazi, Z ; Brennan, D (ROUTLEDGE JOURNALS, TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD, 2023-01-01)
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    Migration, belonging, and the sustainability of atoll islands through a changing climate.
    Jarillo, S ; Barnett, J (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2024-01-16)
    Climate change might catalyze and exacerbate the trend of outmigration from low-lying atoll islands. There is speculation that migration away from atolls may not stop until such islands are abandoned. Yet migration creates both opportunities and risks for the sustainability of atoll communities. There is a trade-off between reduced demographic pressure on increasingly fragile atoll island environments and the financial and human resources necessary to adapt to climate change that can result from migration. Here we propose and analyze belonging as the centripetal force that makes migration a process that enhances the sustainability of atoll populations. We examine the relationship between migration, belonging, and the sustainability of populations on atoll islands based on data collected in three atoll islands in the Pacific: the island state of Niue; Namdrik Atoll in the Republic of the Marshall Islands; and Budibudi atoll (Laughlan Islands) in Papua New Guinea. In each case, belonging binds the people who live in and migrate from these places into a collective commitment to their continuity, yet it does so to different degrees according to the economic opportunities available to migrants and the infrastructure that enables extended communities to remain connected.
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    Levodopa Rescues Retinal Function in the Transgenic A53T Alpha-Synuclein Model of Parkinson's Disease
    Tran, KKN ; Wong, VHY ; Vessey, KA ; Finkelstein, DI ; Bui, BV ; Nguyen, CTO (MDPI, 2024-01)
    BACKGROUND: Loss of substantia nigra dopaminergic cells and alpha-synuclein (α-syn)-rich intraneuronal deposits within the central nervous system are key hallmarks of Parkinson's disease (PD). Levodopa (L-DOPA) is the current gold-standard treatment for PD. This study aimed to evaluate in vivo retinal changes in a transgenic PD model of α-syn overexpression and the effect of acute levodopa (L-DOPA) treatment. METHODS: Anaesthetised 6-month-old mice expressing human A53T alpha-synuclein (HOM) and wildtype (WT) control littermates were intraperitoneally given 20 mg/kg L-DOPA (50 mg levodopa, 2.5 mg benserazide) or vehicle saline (n = 11-18 per group). In vivo retinal function (dark-adapted full-field ERG) and structure (optical coherence tomography, OCT) were recorded before and after drug treatment for 30 min. Ex vivo immunohistochemistry (IHC) on flat-mounted retina was conducted to assess tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) positive cell counts (n = 7-8 per group). RESULTS: We found that photoreceptor (a-wave) and bipolar cell (b-wave) ERG responses (p < 0.01) in A53T HOM mice treated with L-DOPA grew in amplitude more (47 ± 9%) than WT mice (16 ± 9%) treated with L-DOPA, which was similar to the vehicle group (A53T HOM 25 ± 9%; WT 19 ± 7%). While outer retinal thinning (outer nuclear layer, ONL, and outer plexiform layer, OPL) was confirmed in A53T HOM mice (p < 0.01), L-DOPA did not have an ameliorative effect on retinal layer thickness. These findings were observed in the absence of changes to the number of TH-positive amacrine cells across experiment groups. Acute L-DOPA treatment transiently improves visual dysfunction caused by abnormal alpha-synuclein accumulation. CONCLUSIONS: These findings deepen our understanding of dopamine and alpha-synuclein interactions in the retina and provide a high-throughput preclinical framework, primed for translation, through which novel therapeutic compounds can be objectively screened and assessed for fast-tracking PD drug discovery.
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    A Network of Sites and Upskilled Therapists to Deliver Best-Practice Stroke Rehabilitation of the Arm: Protocol for a Knowledge Translation Study
    Carey, LM ; Cahill, LS ; Blennerhassett, JM ; Nilsson, M ; Lannin, NA ; Thijs, V ; Hillier, S ; Cadilhac, DA ; Donnan, GA ; Morris, ME ; Churilov, L ; Walker, M ; Ramanathan, S ; Pollack, M ; May, E ; Cloud, GC ; Mcgowan, S ; Wijeratne, T ; Budge, M ; Mckinnon, F ; Olver, J ; Hogg, T ; Murray, M ; Haslam, B ; Koukoulas, I ; Nielsen, B ; Mak-Yuen, Y ; Turville, M ; Neilson, C ; Butler, A ; Kim, J ; Matyas, TA (MDPI, 2023-12)
    Implementation of evidence-informed rehabilitation of the upper limb is variable, and outcomes for stroke survivors are often suboptimal. We established a national partnership of clinicians, survivors of stroke, researchers, healthcare organizations, and policy makers to facilitate change. The objectives of this study are to increase access to best-evidence rehabilitation of the upper limb and improve outcomes for stroke survivors. This prospective pragmatic, knowledge translation study involves four new specialist therapy centers to deliver best-evidence upper-limb sensory rehabilitation (known as SENSe therapy) for survivors of stroke in the community. A knowledge-transfer intervention will be used to upskill therapists and guide implementation. Specialist centers will deliver SENSe therapy, an effective and recommended therapy, to stroke survivors in the community. Outcomes include number of successful deliveries of SENSe therapy by credentialled therapists; improved somatosensory function for stroke survivors; improved performance in self-selected activities, arm use, and quality of life; treatment fidelity and confidence to deliver therapy; and for future implementation, expert therapist effect and cost-effectiveness. In summary, we will determine the effect of a national partnership to increase access to evidence-based upper-limb sensory rehabilitation following stroke. If effective, this knowledge-transfer intervention could be used to optimize the delivery of other complex, evidence-based rehabilitation interventions.
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    Quantifying Firebrand and Radiative Heat Flux Risk on Structures in Mallee/Mulga-Dominated Wildland-Urban Interface: A Physics-Based Approach
    Wickramasinghe, A ; Khan, N ; Filkov, A ; Moinuddin, K (MDPI, 2023-12)
    Fire spread in the Wildland–Urban Interface (WUI) can occur due to direct flame contact, convection, radiation, firebrand attack, or their combinations. Out of them, firebrand attack significantly contributes to damaging structures. To improve the resistance of buildings in wildfire-prone areas, the Australian Standards AS3959 provides construction requirements introducing Bushfire Attack Levels (BAL) based on quantified radiation heat flux. However, quantifying firebrand attack presents challenges, and the standard does not provide specific recommendations in this regard. This study aims to address this research gap by quantifying firebrand flux on houses according to the BALs in Mallee/Mulga-dominated vegetation using physics-based modelling. The study follows the AS3959 vegetation classifications and fire-weather conditions. The study considers Fire Danger Indices (FDI) of 100, 80, and 50 and identifies the housing components most susceptible to firebrand attack and radiant heat flux. The findings reveal an increasing firebrand flux with higher BAL values across all FDIs, with a greater percentage difference observed between FDIs 50 and 80 compared to FDIs 80 and 100. Furthermore, an exponential relationship is found between radiative heat flux and firebrand flux. This research contributes the development of effective strategies to mitigate the firebrand danger and enhance the resilience of structures to enhance AS3959.
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    Management of Poststroke Hyperglycemia: Results of the TEXAIS Randomized Clinical Trial
    Bladin, CF ; Cheung, NW ; Dewey, HM ; Churilov, L ; Middleton, S ; Thijs, V ; Ekinci, E ; Levi, CR ; Lindley, R ; Donnan, GA ; Parsons, MW ; Meretoja, A ; Tiainen, M ; Choi, PMC ; Cordato, D ; Brown, H ; Campbell, BCV ; Davis, SM ; Cloud, G ; Grimley, R ; Lee-Archer, M ; Ghia, D ; Sanders, L ; Markus, R ; Mueller, C ; Salvaris, P ; Wu, T ; Fink, J (LIPPINCOTT WILLIAMS & WILKINS, 2023-12)
    BACKGROUND: Hyperglycemia in acute ischemic stroke reduces the efficacy of stroke thrombolysis and thrombectomy, with worse clinical outcomes. Insulin-based therapies are difficult to implement and may cause hypoglycemia. We investigated whether exenatide, a GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) receptor agonist, would improve stroke outcomes, and control poststroke hyperglycemia with minimal hypoglycemia. METHODS: The TEXAIS trial (Treatment With Exenatide in Acute Ischemic Stroke) was an international, multicenter, phase 2 prospective randomized clinical trial (PROBE [Prospective Randomized Open Blinded End-Point] design) enrolling adult patients with acute ischemic stroke ≤9 hours of stroke onset to receive exenatide (5 µg BID subcutaneous injection) or standard care for 5 days, or until hospital discharge (whichever sooner). The primary outcome (intention to treat) was the proportion of patients with ≥8-point improvement in National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score (or National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale scores 0-1) at 7 days poststroke. Safety outcomes included death, episodes of hyperglycemia, hypoglycemia, and adverse event. RESULTS: From April 2016 to June 2021, 350 patients were randomized (exenatide, n=177, standard care, n=173). Median age, 71 years (interquartile range, 62-79), median National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score, 4 (interquartile range, 2-8). Planned recruitment (n=528) was stopped early due to COVID-19 disruptions and funding constraints. The primary outcome was achieved in 97 of 171 (56.7%) in the standard care group versus 104 of 170 (61.2%) in the exenatide group (adjusted odds ratio, 1.22 [95% CI, 0.79-1.88]; P=0.38). No differences in secondary outcomes were observed. The per-patient mean daily frequency of hyperglycemia was significantly less in the exenatide group across all quartiles. No episodes of hypoglycemia were recorded over the treatment period. Adverse events of mild nausea and vomiting occurred in 6 (3.5%) exenatide patients versus 0 (0%) standard care with no withdrawal. CONCLUSIONS: Treatment with exenatide did not reduce neurological impairment at 7 days in patients with acute ischemic stroke. Exenatide did significantly reduce the frequency of hyperglycemic events, without hypoglycemia, and was safe to use. Larger acute stroke trials using GLP-1 agonists such as exenatide should be considered. REGISTRATION: URL: www.australianclinicaltrials.gov.au; Unique identifier: ACTRN12617000409370. URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT03287076.
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    The role of diverse cultural identities in the perceived value of urban forests in Melbourne, Australia, and implications for urban ecosystem research and practice
    Barona, CO ; Sonkkila, C ; Baumann, JM ; Threlfall, CG ; Hochuli, DF ; Fuller, RA ; Davern, M ; Livesley, SJ (Resilience Alliance, 2023-10)