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The Australasian Medical Journal 2013Building alliances with industrial designers offers health innovators a unique pathway to create new modes to serve their patients. Cross-pollination of ideas from the...
Building alliances with industrial designers offers health innovators a unique pathway to create new modes to serve their patients. Cross-pollination of ideas from the earliest stages of development in interdisciplinary research and development teams including major stakeholders and designers can lead to more meaningful and impactful innovations.A shift in future healthcare from cure to prevention will rely more heavily upon the individual. The home environment will house consumer medical devices that will carry out basic monitoring of the individual. While technologies are currently being developed to support this trend, there is a gulf that exists between the often-complex interfaces required by the highly specific functionality of products and the emotional needs of the target user. If a target user 'feels' a product was designed 'just for them' they are more likely to develop an emotional bond with that product. This manifests itself in the user engaging and interacting with the product. If a product, regardless of its high functionality, does not resonate with the user, this tends to result in product underuse, misuse and possible abandonment. When those products are related to a course of medical rehabilitation or treatment, these results could be translated to 'more compliant' and 'less compliant' and ultimately can impact upon how a person heals.Industrial designers focus on ensuring that both the functional and emotional needs of mainstream users as well as technical-expert-users are met. Design research provides the opportunity to bridge the gap between the functional requirements and the less tangible unmet needs of the user by exploring authentic human behaviour.This paper presents case studies of collaborative, interdisciplinary teams employing human-centred design and empathic research strategies (incorporating shared language, collaboration, ethnography, empathy and empathic modelling) to create real solutions that are responding to real needs of real users.The future is interdisciplinary. The future is bright.
PubMed: 23424180
DOI: 10.4066/AMJ.2013.1586 -
Factors influencing lead, mercury and other trace element exposure in birds from metal mining areas.Environmental Research Sep 2022Non-ferrous metal mining is considered one of the largest sources of toxic metal released to the environment and may threaten ecosystems, notably biota. We explored how...
Non-ferrous metal mining is considered one of the largest sources of toxic metal released to the environment and may threaten ecosystems, notably biota. We explored how birds that inhabit non-ferrous metal mining sites are exposed to mercury, lead, and other trace elements by analyzing their feathers and verifying which factors may influence element concentrations in feathers. We sampled a total of 168 birds, representing 26 species, with different feeding habits and migration patterns in a non-polluted reference site and two historical metal mining areas: Almadén, which is considered one of the most heavily mercury-contaminated sites worldwide, and the Sierra Madrona mountains where lead has been mined since ancient times. The quantification of aluminum (Al), arsenic (As), barium (Ba), beryllium (Be), cadmium (Cd), cobalt (Co), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), mercury (Hg), magnesium (Mg), manganese (Mn), molybdenum (Mo), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), selenium (Se), thorium (Th), thallium (Tl), uranium (U), vanadium (V) and zinc (Zn) was performed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Feather analysis revealed contamination by Hg and Pb, in Almadén and Sierra Madrona, respectively. We found that granivorous birds had the lowest feather Hg levels compared to those found in omnivorous, insectivorous, and piscivorous species, whereas feather Pb was about twice as high in granivores and omnivores, than in insectivorous and piscivorous birds. We also found differences among study sites in 13 elements and confirmed the influence of feather age, migratory patterns of the birds, and external deposition of elements, on metal concentrations in the feathers. Our results highlight that despite the cessation of metal mining in the study areas, local avifauna are being exposed to Hg and Pb from abandoned mines and old tailings sites, indicating that appropriate measures are needed to protect biota from overexposure to these toxic metals.
Topics: Animals; Birds; Ecosystem; Environmental Monitoring; Lead; Mercury; Mining; Trace Elements
PubMed: 35644495
DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2022.113575 -
BioMed Research International 2017Acidic mine drainage (AMD) is regarded as a pollutant and considered as potential source of valuable metals. With diminishing metal resources and ever-increasing demand... (Review)
Review
Acidic mine drainage (AMD) is regarded as a pollutant and considered as potential source of valuable metals. With diminishing metal resources and ever-increasing demand on industry, recovering AMD metals is a sustainable initiative, despite facing major challenges. AMD refers to effluents draining from abandoned mines and mine wastes usually highly acidic that contain a variety of dissolved metals (Fe, Mn, Cu, Ni, and Zn) in much greater concentration than what is found in natural water bodies. There are numerous remediation treatments including chemical (lime treatment) or biological methods (aerobic wetlands and compost bioreactors) used for metal precipitation and removal from AMD. However, controlled biomineralization and selective recovering of metals using sulfidogenic bacteria are advantageous, reducing costs and environmental risks of sludge disposal. The increased understanding of the microbiology of acid-tolerant sulfidogenic bacteria will lead to the development of novel approaches to AMD treatment. We present and discuss several important recent approaches using low sulfidogenic bioreactors to both remediate and selectively recover metal sulfides from AMD. This work also highlights the efficiency and drawbacks of these types of treatments for metal recovery and points to future research for enhancing the use of novel acidophilic and acid-tolerant sulfidogenic microorganisms in AMD treatment.
Topics: Bacteria; Biodegradation, Environmental; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Metals, Heavy; Mining; Water; Water Microbiology
PubMed: 29119111
DOI: 10.1155/2017/7256582 -
World Journal of Clinical Cases Feb 2017Conductor externalization and insulation failure are frequent complications with the recalled St. Jude Medical Riata implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) leads.... (Review)
Review
Conductor externalization and insulation failure are frequent complications with the recalled St. Jude Medical Riata implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) leads. Conductor externalization is a "unique" failure mechanism: Cables externalize through the insulation ("inside-out" abrasion) and appear outside the lead body. Recently, single reports described a similar failure also for Biotronik leads. Moreover, some studies reported a high rate of electrical dysfunction (not only insulation failure) with Biotronik Linox leads and a reduced survival rate in comparison with the competitors. In this paper we describe the case of a patient with a Biotronik Kentrox ICD lead presenting with signs of insulation failure and conductor externalization at fluoroscopy. Due to the high risk of extraction we decided to implant a new lead, abandoning the damaged one; lead reimplant was uneventful. Subsequently, we review currently available literature about Biotronik Kentrox and Linox ICD lead failure and in particular externalized conductors. Some single-center studies and a non-prospective registry reported a survival rate between 88% and 91% at 5 years for Linox leads, significantly worse than that of other manufacturers. However, the preliminary results of two ongoing multicenter, registries (GALAXY and CELESTIAL) showed 96% survival rate at 5 years after implant, well within industry standards. Ongoing data collection is needed to confirm longer-term performance of this family of ICD leads.
PubMed: 28255544
DOI: 10.12998/wjcc.v5.i2.27 -
Indian Journal of Anaesthesia Sep 2016Literature search is a key step in performing good authentic research. It helps in formulating a research question and planning the study. The available published data... (Review)
Review
Literature search is a key step in performing good authentic research. It helps in formulating a research question and planning the study. The available published data are enormous; therefore, choosing the appropriate articles relevant to your study in question is an art. It can be time-consuming, tiring and can lead to disinterest or even abandonment of search in between if not carried out in a step-wise manner. Various databases are available for performing literature search. This article primarily stresses on how to formulate a research question, the various types and sources for literature search, which will help make your search specific and time-saving.
PubMed: 27729689
DOI: 10.4103/0019-5049.190618 -
Current Opinion in Gastroenterology Sep 2004Clinicians are learning more about chronic pancreatitis but are entering an era of some confusion, primarily driven by uncovering new etiologies of chronic pancreatitis....
PURPOSE OF REVIEW
Clinicians are learning more about chronic pancreatitis but are entering an era of some confusion, primarily driven by uncovering new etiologies of chronic pancreatitis. Ideally, this knowledge will lead to better diagnosis and treatment, and abandonment of ill-conceived treatments. In contrast with previous reviews, this review highlights select contributions this year that may develop into true advances in chronic pancreatitis.
RECENT FINDINGS
Small steps have been made to understand better the molecular basis of chronic pancreatitis. Diagnosis of early chronic pancreatitis remains challenging. Rapid diagnosis by combining endoscopy and a direct stimulatory test of pancreatic function may lead to more widespread use of function testing, but this test is not ready for clinical use. Application of microarray and proteomic technologies may aid future diagnosis of chronic pancreatitis. The failure to account clearly for the phenotype of patients with chronic pancreatitis may confound delineating the etiologies of chronic pancreatitis. Clinical description and studies of autoimmune pancreatitis have led to the realization that steroids are an effective treatment for this form of chronic pancreatitis. Genetic-based studies have provided insight into the pathogenic mechanisms of chronic pancreatitis. Investigation of the role of stellate cells, an essential component fibrogenesis, has led to identification of potential novel treatments for chronic pancreatitis.
SUMMARY
Ongoing basic and clinical research this past year has characterized further the histologic, genetic, molecular, and clinical aspects of chronic pancreatitis, efforts that may translate into novel therapies once well-designed, controlled studies have been performed.
PubMed: 15689677
DOI: 10.1097/00001574-200409000-00005 -
Chemical Research in Toxicology Dec 2016"Sola dosis facit venenum." These words of Paracelsus, "the dose makes the poison", can lead to a cavalier attitude concerning potential toxicities of the vast array of... (Review)
Review
"Sola dosis facit venenum." These words of Paracelsus, "the dose makes the poison", can lead to a cavalier attitude concerning potential toxicities of the vast array of low abundance environmental chemicals to which humans are exposed. Exposome research teaches that 80-85% of human disease is linked to environmental exposures. The human exposome is estimated to include >400,000 environmental chemicals, most of which are uncharacterized with regard to human health. In fact, mass spectrometry measures >200,000 m/z features (ions) in microliter volumes derived from human samples; most are unidentified. This crystallizes a grand challenge for chemical research in toxicology: to develop reliable and affordable analytical methods to understand health impacts of the extensive human chemical experience. To this end, there appears to be no choice but to abandon the limitations of measuring one chemical at a time. The present review looks at progress in computational metabolomics to provide probability-based annotation linking ions to known chemicals and serve as a foundation for unambiguous designation of unidentified ions for toxicologic study. We review methods to characterize ions in terms of accurate mass m/z, chromatographic retention time, correlation of adduct, isotopic and fragment forms, association with metabolic pathways and measurement of collision-induced dissociation products, collision cross section, and chirality. Such information can support a largely unambiguous system for documenting unidentified ions in environmental surveillance and human biomonitoring. Assembly of this data would provide a resource to characterize and understand health risks of the array of low-abundance chemicals to which humans are exposed.
Topics: Cluster Analysis; Computational Biology; Environmental Exposure; Environmental Monitoring; Humans; Metabolomics
PubMed: 27629808
DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrestox.6b00179 -
Hellenic Journal of Cardiology : HJC =... 2019Characterized by lack of evidence of structural heart disease or any secondary causes of atrial fibrillation (AF), "lone AF" is used to represent a unique subtype of AF... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study Review
Characterized by lack of evidence of structural heart disease or any secondary causes of atrial fibrillation (AF), "lone AF" is used to represent a unique subtype of AF among young individuals aged less than 60 years. Although the longstanding definition has been proposed for years, the diagnostic criteria for "lone AF" remain ambiguous. As more contributing factors causing AF are recognized gradually, the validity of the term "lone AF" is in question. Despite advances in the past few decades, the mechanism of AF remains poorly understood, particularly in the absence of other structural changes. It is generally accepted that three essential electrophysiological elements (trigger, substrate, and modulators) contribute to the initiation and maintenance of lone AF. In addition, the role of microRNAs and genomic variations in the pathogenesis of lone AF has been also gaining attention. Some changes in relevant biomarker levels have also been proven to correlate with lone AF. Accumulating insights into the pathogenesis of lone AF strongly suggest coexistent disorders in patients with lone AF. Consequently, the growing evidence of these numerous and diverse pathogenic mechanisms and factors related to lone AF inevitably raises the question of whether the term "lone AF" is a meaningful category. The classification of lone AF as a separate identity has not lead to any unique clinical management. In this review, we update knowledge of definition, mechanisms, genetics, biomarkers, and clinical management of "lone AF." With this comprehensive review, we suggest that the term "lone AF" should be abandoned for its futility.
Topics: Adult; Atrial Fibrillation; Biomarkers; Cardiac Electrophysiology; Female; Genomics; Heart Diseases; Humans; Incidence; Male; MicroRNAs; Middle Aged; Patient Care Management; Stroke
PubMed: 31004765
DOI: 10.1016/j.hjc.2019.04.005 -
Scandinavian Journal of Trauma,... Feb 2020Autoresuscitation describes the return of spontaneous circulation after termination of resuscitation (TOR) following cardiac arrest (CA). We aimed to identify phenomena... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Autoresuscitation describes the return of spontaneous circulation after termination of resuscitation (TOR) following cardiac arrest (CA). We aimed to identify phenomena that may lead to autoresuscitation and to provide guidance to reduce the likelihood of it occurring.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
We conducted a literature search (Google Scholar, MEDLINE, PubMed) and a scoping review according to PRISMA-ScR guidelines of autoresuscitation cases where patients undergoing CPR recovered circulation spontaneously after TOR with the following criteria: 1) CA from any cause; 2) CPR for any length of time; 3) A point was reached when it was felt that the patient had died; 4) Staff declared the patient dead and stood back. No further interventions took place; 5) Later, vital signs were observed. 6) Vital signs were sustained for more than a few seconds, such that staff had to resume active care.
RESULTS
Sixty-five patients with ROSC after TOR were identified in 53 articles (1982-2018), 18 (28%) made a full recovery.
CONCLUSIONS
Almost a third made a full recovery after autoresuscitation. The following reasons for and recommendations to avoid autoresuscitation can be proposed: 1) In asystole with no reversible causes, resuscitation efforts should be continued for at least 20 min; 2) CPR should not be abandoned immediately after unsuccessful defibrillation, as transient asystole can occur after defibrillation; 3) Excessive ventilation during CPR may cause hyperinflation and should be avoided; 4) In refractory CA, resuscitation should not be terminated in the presence of any potentially-treatable cardiac rhythm; 5) After TOR, the casualty should be observed continuously and ECG monitored for at least 10 min.
Topics: Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation; Heart Arrest; Humans; Respiration; Vital Signs
PubMed: 32102671
DOI: 10.1186/s13049-019-0685-4 -
Journal of Environmental Quality Nov 2020Atmospheric deposition samples were collected over 15 mo at several locations near an operating smelter and an abandoned Pb smelter to investigate the contribution of Pb...
Atmospheric deposition samples were collected over 15 mo at several locations near an operating smelter and an abandoned Pb smelter to investigate the contribution of Pb smelting to depositional fluxes and potential local air quality degradation. Samples were analyzed for As, Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn and subjected to scanning electron microscopy (SEM)-energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). Concentrations of Cd and Pb at both sites were greater than at the control site (p < .05), and significant correlations existed between Cd and Pb concentrations at both sites (p < .05). Monthly depositional flux variations at both sites were similar, with greater deposition during cold and dry periods. Heavy metal(loid)s deposition during these periods was correlated with wind speed. Greater Cd depositional flux differences were found between the smelter and control sites compared with other elements. The SEM images suggested that some particles at the operating smelter site were from Pb smelting material. However, most particles at both sites had no characteristics of smelting, suggesting reactions occurred between the smelter-emitted particles and soil components. The EDS results indicated that atmospheric deposition from both sites had lower Pb concentrations than smelting material or ash. The main atmospheric deposition source at the operating and abandoned sites was likely from the resuspension of heavy metal(loid)-enriched soil particles. Greater risk of air pollution from historical Pb smelting facilities exists years after closing down. Reducing soil wind erosional losses may help reduce heavy metal(loid)s dispersion across environments.
Topics: Arsenic; Cadmium; China; Copper; Environmental Monitoring; Lead; Metals, Heavy; Soil Pollutants; Zinc
PubMed: 33107090
DOI: 10.1002/jeq2.20151