Ultrasound system for precise neuromodulation of human deep brain circuits.

We introduce an advanced transcranial ultrasound stimulation (TUS) system for precise deep brain neuromodulation, featuring a 256-element helmet-shaped transducer array (555 kHz), stereotactic positioning, individualised planning, and real-time fMRI monitoring. Experiments demonstrated selective modulation of the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) and connected visual cortex regions. Participants showed significantly increased visual cortex activity during concurrent TUS and visual stimulation, with high cross-individual reproducibility.

The business of dietetics: Results from the national Australian private practice dietetics dataset.

Aims: This study aimed to describe private dietetics practices in Australia in terms of ownership, size, and operation, team composition, and products and services.

Methods: Australian dietitians operating private practices were invited to participate in a cross-sectional survey between May and June 2024. The survey captured data regarding the business, including ownership, revenue, business and clinical operation, team composition and remuneration, products and services, and consultation and program characteristics.

Development and baseline findings of a national dataset describing Australian private practice dietetics.

Aims: This study aimed to establish the processes for a national dataset describing Australian private practice dietetics and to report baseline workforce data.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey captured workforce and business data for dietitians working in private practice dietetics in Australia. Business owners from a national register were invited to complete the survey and to share the survey with employed or contracted dietitians between May and June 2024.

Exploring the perspectives of urban and regional living Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples regarding bush foods, nutrition and health: insights for culturally informed health policy in Australia.

Objective: This study aims to explore the perspectives of urban and regional living Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults and children regarding Bush Foods, nutrition and health to advocate for future culturally informed programmes and policy.

Design: The qualitative study conducted nine Yarning sessions, which were recorded and transcribed verbatim. An inductive, reflexive thematic analysis using a codebook was employed to analyse the data.

In-depth exploration of 'therapeutic mealtime experiences' in inpatient rehabilitation: mixed-methods multiple case studies.

Purpose: To explore how mealtime planning and delivery practices in inpatient rehabilitation influence therapeutic mealtime experiences.

Methods: This multiple case study used convergent mixed methods analysis of case-specific data across two metropolitan general rehabilitation sites. Interviews, patient reported experience measures, and a chart audit were conducted at two timepoints for participants.

National Recommendations for Implementation of Competency-Based Medical Education in Family Medicine.

Background And Objectives: New family medicine residency program and graduate board certification requirements necessitate a transition within programs to competency-based medical education (CBME) to ensure that the discipline is training physicians to meet America's health care needs. A task force formed by the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine (STFM) created recommendations for implementation of CBME.

Methods: The STFM CBME Task Force reviewed papers written by CBME experts and, through group discussions and consensus, drafted recommendations.

Factors affecting the impact of COVID-19 vaccination on post COVID-19 conditions among adults: A systematic literature review.

This systematic literature review summarizes the evidence across 56 publications and pre-prints (January 2020-July 2023) with low-risk of bias based on JBI critical appraisal, that report adjusted estimates for the relationship between COVID-19 vaccination and Post-COVID-19 Condition (PCC) by timing of vaccination relative to infection or PCC-onset. Comparisons of adjusted vaccine effectiveness (aVE) against ≥1 PCC (vs. unvaccinated) across study characteristics known to impact PCC burden or VE against other COVID-19 endpoints were possible for 31 studies where vaccination preceded infection.

Sharper minds: Feasibility and effectiveness of a mental health promotion package for university students targeting multiple health and self-care behaviours.

Objective: This study assessed the feasibility and effectiveness of the Sharper Minds package, a mental health intervention designed for university students, co-developed with student input. The program included a weekly self-monitoring e-tool and/or a short course targeting six self-care areas: physical activity, diet, sleep, music to aid study, mood regulation, and social connection.

Method: A non-randomised controlled trial involved 433 undergraduate students in three conditions: control, one-intervention (either e-tool or course), and two-intervention (both e-tool and course).

Flexible, adaptable, and supportive systems: qualitative description of factors underpinning an ideal mealtime delivery in rehabilitation care settings.

Purpose: Whilst evidence about mealtime delivery exists in acute and aged care settings, there is limited understanding of patient and staff preferences for rehabilitation settings. This study aimed to explore patient and staff perceptions about how mealtimes should be delivered to support rehabilitation goals of care. Method: This qualitative descriptive study involved semi-structured interviews with nine patients (previous or current admission) and ten staff from a single metropolitan rehabilitation service.

Food, nutrition and dining information on residential aged care facility websites: A website analysis.

Objective: High-quality food, nutrition and dining are essential tenets of residential aged care facilities (RACF). Residential aged care facilities provide website information on their services for prospective residents, which may offer insight into food, nutrition and dining practices. This study aimed to describe the food, nutrition and dining information on RACF websites.

What factors affect the recruitment and retention of allied health professionals working in hospitals? A systematic literature review.

Objective Workforce shortages in hospitals have necessitated a focus on recruitment and retention of health professionals. The aim of this systematic review was to synthesise literature relating to factors that affect recruitment and retention of allied health professionals working in hospital settings. Method PubMed, CINAHL (via EbscoHost), Embase (via Elsevier), and Scopus Advanced Search databases were used to retrieve 1665 studies, of which 16 were included.

The role of cardiac acoustic biomarkers in monitoring patients with heart failure: A systematic literature review.

Heart failure (HF) creates a considerable clinical, humanistic and economic burden on patients and caregivers as well as on healthcare systems. To attenuate the significant burden of HF, there is a need for enhanced management of patients with HF. The use of digital tools for remote non-invasive monitoring of heart parameters is gaining traction, and cardiac acoustic biomarkers (CABs) have been proposed as a complementary set of measures to assess heart function alongside traditional methods such as electrocardiogram and echocardiography.

Superhydrophobic Array Devices for the Enhanced Formation of 3D Cancer Models.

During the metastatic cascade, cancer cells travel through the bloodstream as circulating tumor cells (CTCs) to a secondary site. Clustered CTCs have greater shear stress and treatment resistance, yet their biology remains poorly understood. We therefore engineered a tunable superhydrophobic array device (SHArD).

Patient outcome quality indicators for older persons in acute care: original development data using interRAI AC-CGA.

Background: A range of strategies are available that can improve the outcomes of older persons particularly in relation to basic activities of daily living during and after an acute care (AC) episode. This paper outlines the original development of outcome-oriented quality indicators (QIs) in relation to common geriatric syndromes and function for the care of the frail aged hospitalized in acute general medical wards.

Methods: Design QIs were developed using evidence from literature, expert opinion, field study data and a formal voting process.

'On-Demand' snack service in a rehabilitation setting: Impact on satisfaction, intake, waste and costs.

Aim: To evaluate an 'On-Demand' snack service in a rehabilitation setting for satisfaction, intake, waste and cost.

Methods: In September 2021, a trial of an 'On-Demand' snack service was conducted on two general rehabilitation wards in a purpose-built rehabilitation hospital. A retrospective comparison of pre-implementation, 1-month and 8-month post-implementation audit data was used to evaluate staff and patient satisfaction, nutritional intake, waste and cost (labour and food).

Data from four consecutive cohorts of students in Australia (2019-2022) show the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on domestic and international university students' mental health.

Introduction: COVID-19 and related travel and social restrictions caused significant stress for university students in Australia and globally. Learning quickly moved online and many students (particularly international students) were separated from social and economic support. This study examined the impact of the pandemic from pre-pandemic (2019) to the COVID-19 Omicron wave (2022) on domestic and international students' mental health.

Adolescent Residential Addiction Treatment In The US: Uneven Access, Waitlists, And High Costs.

Drug overdose deaths among adolescents are increasing in the United States. Residential treatment facilities are one treatment option for adolescents with substance use disorders, yet little is known about their accessibility or cost. Using the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's treatment locator and search engine advertising data, we identified 160 residential addiction treatment facilities that treated adolescents with opioid use disorder as of December 2022.

Dual Affinity Nanoparticles for the Transport of Therapeutics from Carrier Cells to Target Cells under Physiological Flow Conditions.

In this study, a novel two-stage nanoparticle delivery platform was developed based on the dual functionalization of a liposome with moieties that have fundamentally different strengths of adhesion and binding kinetics. The essential concept of this system is that the nanoparticles are designed to loosely bind to the carrier cell until they come into contact with the target cell, to which they bind with greater strength. This allows the nanoparticle to be transferred from one cell to another, circulating for longer periods of time in the blood and delivering the therapeutic agent to the target circulating tumor cell.

The imperative of collaboration: Lived experience perspectives on team approaches in outpatient eating disorder treatment.

Background: Across healthcare broadly, team treatment approaches range from siloed multidisciplinary treatment to synergistic Interprofessional Collaborative Practice (IPCP), with IPCP increasingly favored. In eating disorders, clinical practice guidelines endorse team outpatient treatment, and these approaches are widely used in clinical practice. However, there is limited evidence to describe attitudes toward and experiences of team approaches, including IPCP, among individuals with a lived experience.

Exploring Australian dietitians' experiences and preparedness for working in residential aged care facilities.

Background: Dietitians are increasingly working in residential aged care facilities (RACF). As such, supporting the RACF dietetic workforce is imperative. This qualitative study explored dietitians' experiences and preparedness for working in RACFs.