Bump start needed: linking guidelines, policy and practice in promoting physical activity during and beyond pregnancy

First paragraph: There is compelling evidence that regular physical activity (PA) during pregnancy benefits both mother and baby.1 2 Notably, physical and psychological benefits are evident in the literature, such as marked reductions in the development of gestational diabetes and hypertensive disorders, alongside improvements in depressive symptoms and cardiorespiratory fitness.1 2 The evidence base has been reflected by recent policy initiatives, for example, in 2017 (relaunched in 2019), the UK‘s chief medical officers (CMOs) published PA guidelines for pregnant women, which made substantial strides in unifying and translating the evidence into recommendations.1 The CMO guidelines are aimed at supporting health professionals to provide consistent, evidence-based PA messages to women throughout pregnancy.1 Recently, the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity have updated their professional standards for working with antenatal and postnatal clients to align with these CMO guidelines.3 However, not all women have access to professionals with this level of expertise and training, potentially limiting the impact of the CMO guidelines

Lower body acceleration and muscular responses to rotational and vertical whole-body vibration of different frequencies and amplitudes

This is the final version. Available on open access from SAGE Publications via the DOI in this recordThe aim of this study was to characterise acceleration transmission and neuromuscular responses to rotational (RV) and vertical (VV) vibration of different frequencies and amplitudes. Methods - 12 healthy males completed 2 experimental trials (RV vs. VV) during which vibration was delivered during either squatting (30°; RV vs. VV) or standing (RV only) with 20, 25, 30 Hz, at 1.5 and 3.0 mm peak-to-peak amplitude. Vibration-induced accelerations were assessed with triaxial accelerometers mounted on the platform and bony landmarks at ankle, knee, and lumbar spine. Results At all frequency/amplitude combinations, accelerations at the ankle were greater during RV (all p < 0.03) with the greatest difference observed at 30 Hz 1.5 mm. Transmission of RV was also influenced by body posture (standing vs. squatting, p < 0.03). Irrespective of vibration type vibration transmission to all skeletal sites was generally greater at higher amplitudes but not at higher frequencies, especially above the ankle joint. Acceleration at the lumbar spine increased with greater vibration amplitude but not frequency and was highest with RV during standing. Conclusions/Implications - The transmission of vibration during WBV is dependent on intensity and direction of vibration as well as body posture. For targeted mechanical loading at the lumbar spine, RV of higher amplitude and lower frequency vibration while standing is recommended. These results will assist with the prescription of WBV to achieve desired levels of mechanical loading at specific sites in the human body.London South Bank UniversityAge U

Land use change: implications for Australian Capital Territory Water use

Managing water resources to ensure environmental values are maintained, whilst allowing for continued economic development is a major challenge facing many areas including the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). This paper reports on a GIS based investigation of the implications of land use change on ACT water use. The paper describes a suite of tools that are collectively termed PLUCA (Platform for Land use Change Assessment). Areas with the potential for land use change were identified through land capability assessment and by investigation of the suitability of land for development of alternate industries. Spatial data including slope, aspect, a wetness index, climatic surfaces, geology and consideration of the minimum viable scale of industry were analysed in the study. A coarse land use class – water use relationship estimated for the ACT was used to determine the maximum potential water use resulting from land use change. Three scenarios, based on different levels of land use change were constructed to simulate high, medium and low levels of potential landuse change in the ACT. The estimated reduction in streamflow for the maximum development scenario, was around 6.8% of the average annual runoff from the ACT. This scenario represented modification of only 3.9% of the total land area. This study demonstrates the potential for the use of GIS in the optimisation of landuse from biophysical characteristics. The implications of such changes should they occur were calculated through investigation of the annual average reduction in streamflow. The study demonstrates the use of GIS techniques in quantifying interactions at appropriate scales for decision making. The development of improved decision support tools is also outlined. <br

Transcriptional profiling of the LPS induced NF-κB response in macrophages

BACKGROUND: Exposure of macrophages to bacterial products such as lipopolysaccharide (LPS) results in activation of the NF-κB transcription factor, which orchestrates a gene expression programme that underpins the macrophage-dependent immune response. These changes include the induction or repression of a wide range of genes that regulate inflammation, cell proliferation, migration and cell survival. This process is tightly regulated and loss of control is associated with conditions such as septic shock, inflammatory diseases and cancer. To study this response, it is important to have in vitro model systems that reflect the behaviour of cells in vivo. In addition, it is necessary to understand the natural differences that can occur between individuals. In this report, we have investigated and compared the LPS response in macrophage derived cell lines and peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) derived macrophages. RESULTS: Gene expression profiles were determined following LPS treatment of THP-1 cells for 1 and 4 hours. LPS significantly induced or repressed 72 out of 465 genes selected as being known or putative NF-κB target genes, which exhibited 4 temporal patterns of expression. Results for 34 of these genes, including several genes not previously identified as LPS target genes, were validated using real time PCR. A high correlation between microarray and real time PCR data was found. Significantly, the LPS induced expression profile of THP-1 cells, as determined using real time PCR, was found to be very similar to that of human PBMC derived macrophages. Interestingly, some differences were observed in the LPS response between the two donor PBMC macrophage populations. Surprisingly, we found that the LPS response in U937 cells was dramatically different to both THP-1 and PBMC derived macrophages. CONCLUSION: This study revealed a dynamic and diverse transcriptional response to LPS in macrophages, involving both the induction and repression of gene expression in a time dependent manner. Moreover, we demonstrated that the LPS induced transcriptional response in the THP-1 cell line is very similar to primary PBMC derived macrophages. Therefore, THP-1 cells represent a good model system for studying the mechanisms of LPS and NF-κB dependent gene expression

Macmillan Rural Palliative Care Pharmacist Practitioner Project : Baseline Report 2013

The University of Strathclyde is funded to provide academic input into the NHS Highland project for 2 years (starting February 2013). The project is to be a demonstration project to inform national policy and will have direct relevance to the new proposal on the delivery of pharmacy services within NHS Scotland, ‘Prescription for Excellence’ (8). This opportunity gives NHS Highland access to the expertise developed through the previous Glasgow program and allows the University team to develop the evidence base for clinical practice within this area, and focus on developing rural pharmaceutical care capacity through the use of a community pharmacy - based practitioner

VPSIRR (Vulnerability - Pressure - State - Impact - Risk And Response): An Approach To Determine The Condition Of Estuaries And To Assess Where Management Responses Are

Estuaries are highly variable in terms of type and geomorphic classification. The condition of these systems is often a reflection of activities taking place in their catchments and the susceptibility of these systems to each particular pressure. Effective management intervention can be achieved when there is an understanding of the current condition of the estuary or component of the estuary and of the pressures likely to affect them. If this can be linked to the susceptibility of the estuary to the pressure (risk), the management activity can be prioritised. A framework based on the Pressure-State-Impact-Response model, but which also includes the vulnerability of the system to each of the pressures has been developed. A key feature of this framework is that the links between indicators of pressure, state and impact are clearly identified ensuring that only indicators relevant to the local situation are selected. In addition, a risk assessment process has been developed. This approach is called a VPSIRR (Vulnerability - Pressure - State - Impact - Risk - Response)approach. Application of this method increases the likelihood of being able to identify the causes of any observed changes in condition, making it easier to identify appropriate management actions. It also enables information to be provided to the community in a user-friendly manner. We have developed a user friendly computer package which enables the risk that each estuary is under from various pressures to be assessed and linked to condition. The package enables the certainty about various data used to inform the process, to be reported. Importantly, the package enables indicator information to be updated as better information becomes available. It also enables new indicator information to be incorporated into the software should better knowledge become available. This component would only be made available to software administrators. The package produces a colour coded and numeric report card comprising of 5 colours or numbers which is designed to be easily understood and interpreted by users from a variety of backgrounds. The software can be used to inform managers of where to focus management investment, but can also be used to educate people about natural resource issues and the implications of different catchment and estuary based activities. Fact sheets imbedded within the software provide details about the various indicators. These include how to collect data and where necessary, how to analyse them in order to use the software. The fact sheets also provide information on management responses to a variety of issues

Free-Standing Hierarchically Porous Silica Nanoparticle Superstructures: Bridging the Nano- to Microscale for Tailorable Delivery of Small and Large Therapeutics

Nanoscale colloidal self-assembly is an exciting approach to yield superstructures with properties distinct from those of individual nanoparticles. However, the bottom-up self-assembly of 3D nanoparticle superstructures typically requires extensive chemical functionalization, harsh conditions, and a long preparation time, which are undesirable for biomedical applications. Here, we report the directional freezing of porous silica nanoparticles (PSiNPs) as a simple and versatile technique to create anisotropic 3D superstructures with hierarchical porosity afforded by microporous PSiNPs and newly generated meso- and macropores between the PSiNPs. By varying the PSiNP building block size, the interparticle pore sizes can be readily tuned. The newly created hierarchical pores greatly augment the loading of a small molecule-anticancer drug, doxorubicin (Dox), and a large macromolecule, lysozyme (Lyz). Importantly, Dox loading into both the micro- and meso/macropores of the nanoparticle assemblies not only gave a pore size-dependent drug release but also significantly extended the drug release to 25 days compared to a much shorter 7 or 11 day drug release from Dox loaded into either the micro- or meso/macropores only. Moreover, a unique temporal drug release profile, with a higher and faster release of Lyz from the larger interparticle macropores than Dox from the smaller PSiNP micropores, was observed. Finally, the formulation of the Dox-loaded superstructures within a composite hydrogel induces prolonged growth inhibition in a 3D spheroid model of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. This study presents a facile modular approach for the rapid assembly of drug-loaded superstructures in fully aqueous environments and demonstrates their potential as highly tailorable and sustained delivery systems for diverse therapeutics