75 research outputs found

    Phytotechnologies - Preventing Exposures, Improving Public Health

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    Phytotechnologies Have Potential to Reduce the Amount or Toxicity of Deleterious Chemicals and Agents, and Thereby, Can Reduce Human Exposures to Hazardous Substances. as Such, Phytotechnologies Are Tools for Primary Prevention in Public Health. Recent Research Demonstrates Phytotechnologies Can Be Uniquely Tailored for Effective Exposure Prevention in a Variety of Applications. in Addition to Exposure Prevention, Plants Can Be Used as Sensors to Identify Environmental Contamination and Potential Exposures. in This Paper, We Have Presented Applications and Research Developments in a Framework to Illustrate How Phytotechnologies Can Meet Basic Public Health Needs for Access to Clean Water, Air, and Food. Because Communities Can Often Integrate Plant-Based Technologies at Minimal Cost and with Low Infrastructure Needs, the Use of These Technologies Can Be Applied Broadly to Minimize Potential Contaminant Exposure and Improve Environmental Quality. These Natural Treatment Systems Also Provide Valuable Ecosystem Services to Communities and Society. in the Future, Integrating and Coordinating Phytotechnology Activities with Public Health Research Will Allow Technology Development Focused on Prevention of Environmental Exposures to Toxic Compounds. Hence, Phytotechnologies May Provide Sustainable Solutions to Environmental Exposure Challenges, Improving Public Health and Potentially Reducing the Burden of Disease. © 2013 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC

    Health, education, and social care provision after diagnosis of childhood visual disability

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    Aim: To investigate the health, education, and social care provision for children newly diagnosed with visual disability.Method: This was a national prospective study, the British Childhood Visual Impairment and Blindness Study 2 (BCVIS2), ascertaining new diagnoses of visual impairment or severe visual impairment and blindness (SVIBL), or equivalent vi-sion. Data collection was performed by managing clinicians up to 1-year follow-up, and included health and developmental needs, and health, education, and social care provision.Results: BCVIS2 identified 784 children newly diagnosed with visual impairment/SVIBL (313 with visual impairment, 471 with SVIBL). Most children had associated systemic disorders (559 [71%], 167 [54%] with visual impairment, and 392 [84%] with SVIBL). Care from multidisciplinary teams was provided for 549 children (70%). Two-thirds (515) had not received an Education, Health, and Care Plan (EHCP). Fewer children with visual impairment had seen a specialist teacher (SVIBL 35%, visual impairment 28%, χ2p < 0.001), or had an EHCP (11% vs 7%, χ2p < 0 . 01).Interpretation: Families need additional support from managing clinicians to access recommended complex interventions such as the use of multidisciplinary teams and educational support. This need is pressing, as the population of children with visual impairment/SVIBL is expected to grow in size and complexity.This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited

    Once-daily saxagliptin added to metformin provides sustained glycaemic control and is well tolerated over 102 weeks in patients with type 2 diabetes

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    Diabetes is Australia’s fastest growing chronic disease with approximately 890,000 patients currently diagnosed with diabetes.1By 2031 it is predicted that 3.3 million Australians will have type 2 diabetes mellitus,2thus increasing the demand for treatment. Saxagliptin (SAXA) is a potent selective DPP-4 inhibitor designed for extended inhibition of the DPP-4 enzyme. The long-term efficacy and safety of SAXA added to metformin were assessed in patients with T2D and inadequate glycaemic control (A1C ≥7.0% −≤10.0%) on metformin alone. For the double-blind (DB) short-term (ST) treatment period 743 patients (baseline [BL] A1C 8.0%) were randomized and treated 1:1:1:1 to SAXA 2.5, 5, 10 mg or placebo od + stable metformin dose (1500−2500mg/d) for 24 weeks. Patients who met pre-specified glycaemic rescue criteria during ST treatment period received open-label pioglitazone 15-45 mg + blinded study medication and entered the DB 42-month long-term extension (LTE). Patients completing ST treatment period without rescue were also eligible to enter the 42mo LTE; pioglitazone rescue therapy was also available during the LTE based on prespecified glycaemic criteria. At 102 weeks placebo-subtracted A1C changes from BL (n/N) were -0.62, -0.72, and -0.52 for SAXA 2.5, 5, and 10mg, respectively. The proportion of patients (n/N) discontinued for lack of glycaemic control or rescued for meeting prespecified glycaemic criteria was lower for SAXA. SAXA + metformin was generally well tolerated; AE frequency was 89.6%, 78.0%, and 86.7% for SAXA 2.5, 5, and 10 mg vs. 78.8% for placebo + metformin. Proportion of patients with hypoglycaemia events (all) was 10.4%, 8.9%, and 11.0% for SAXA 2.5, 5, and 10mg vs. 10.1% for placebo + metformin and confirmed hypoglycaemia was infrequent. In summary, in patients with T2D inadequately controlled on metformin alone SAXA added to metformin provided sustained clinically meaningful glycaemic improvements over 102 weeks vs. control and was generally well tolerated with no increase in hypoglycaemia or weight

    EXTENSIVE CUTANEOUS MANIFESTATIONS: PRESENTING FEATURE OF CHRONIC MYELOCYTIC LEUKEMIA IN SECOND BLAST CRISIS

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    Leukemia cutis is the infiltration of neoplastic leukocytes or their precursors into the epidermis, the dermis, or the subcutis, resulting in clinically identifiable cutaneous lesions. We describe a case of CML who presented with extensive cutaneous manifestations at the time of second blast crisis with multiple subcutaneous skin nodules over the face and trunk with extensive violaceous papules and plaques over all four limbs and the trunk, with scalp showing extensive crusting and scaling with foul smelling discharge

    Methane seasonal cycle at Gale Crater on Mars consistent with regolith adsorption and diffusion

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    International audienceA strong, repeatable seasonal cycle in the background methane mixing ratio has been observed at the Gale Crater landing site of the Mars Science Laboratory rover with the Tunable Laser Spectrometer of the Sample Analysis at Mars instrument. However, as of yet, no physical process has been proposed that can explain both the timing and amplitude of the observations. Here we show that a one-dimensional numerical model considering adsorption onto and diffusion through the regolith can reproduce the variation, including a phase lag, if the regolith is impregnated with methane from a prior plume or supplied from below by microseepage. Combining the model results with geological constraints, we estimate that the amount of microseepage at Gale is at most 3 × 10−5 tonnes km−2 yr−1. Gale’s unique dynamical environment makes such seeps easier to detect in surface sampling measurements. Over most of the Martian surface, atmospheric mixing is stronger or atmospheric transport more effective, and we expect the amplitude of the seasonal cycle to be smaller for the same strength of seep

    Phytotechnologies – Preventing Exposures, Improving Public Health

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    Phytotechnologies have the potential to reduce the amount and/or toxicity of deleterious chemicals/agents, and thereby, prevent human exposures to hazardous substances. As such, phytotechnologies are a tool for primary prevention within the context of public health. Research advances demonstrate that phytotechnologies can be uniquely tailored for effective exposure prevention for a variety of applications. In addition to exposure prevention, phytotechnologists have advanced the use of plants as sensors to delineate environmental contaminants and potential exposures. The applications presented in this paper are at various stages of development and are presented in a framework to reflect how phytotechnologies can help meet basic public health needs for access to clean water, air, and food resources. As plant-based technologies can often be integrated into communities at minimal cost and with low infrastructure needs, their use in improving environmental quality can be applied broadly to minimize potential contaminant exposure. These natural treatment systems concurrently provide ecosystem services of notable value to communities and society. In the future, integration and coordination of phytotechnology activities with public health research will allow technology development that focuses on prevention of environmental exposures. Such an approach will lead to an important role of phytotechnologies in providing sustainable solutions to environmental exposure challenges that improve public health and potentially reduce the burden of disease
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