Once littered, disposable e-cigarettes present a complex type of waste in the environment. They typically contain a lithium battery, electronics to produce vapour and remnant e-liquid, all of which ...could leach into the environment. The effects of littered e-cigarettes are not well understood, and they have not been tested in terrestrial ecosystems. To address this, an experiment was set up to assess how leachate from e-cigarettes with or without a battery, but also e-liquid on its own can alter fundamental physical characteristics of Lolium perenne (perennial ryegrass) when irrigated with contaminated water. After 31 days, shoot length of L. perenne was not measurably affected, but the biomass was significantly reduced by 30% when e-liquid, and 24% when leachate from intact e-cigarettes was present compared to control plants. Plants grown with leachate or e-liquid displayed a significant level of early senescence of leaf apices, and the chlorophyll content was increased. Furthermore, root biomass was significantly less (29–46%) compared to the control. Leachate from used disposable e-cigarettes can affect the performance of plants when entering the soil ecosystem, therefore stricter regulations are needed to prevent this new type of electronic litter from becoming more widespread.
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•E-cigarettes are increasingly littered in the environment where they can be hazardous.•E-liquid and leachate from e-cigarettes caused Lolium perenne to senesce within 31 days.•E-liquid and leachate from e-cigarettes affected above and belowground biomass of L. perenne.
Plastic is an essential component of agriculture globally, becoming a concerning form of pollution. Biodegradable alternatives are gaining attention as a potential replacement for commonly used, ...non-degradable plastics, but there is little known about the impacts of biodegradable plastics as they age and potential leachates are released. In this study, different types (conventional: polyethylene and polypropylene and biodegradable: polyhydroxybutyrate and polylactic acid) of micro- and meso-films were added to soil at 0.1% (w/w) prior to being planted with
Lolium perenne
(perennial ryegrass) to evaluate the plant and soil biophysical responses in a pot experiment. Root and shoot biomass and chlorophyll content were reduced when soil was exposed to plastics, whether conventional or biodegradable, pristine, aged or when just their leachate was present. The pH and organic matter content of soil exposed to these plastics and their leachates was significantly reduced compared to control samples; furthermore, there was an increase in CO
2
respiration rate from soil. In general, meso (> 5 mm) and micro (< 5 mm) plastic films did not differ in the impact on plants or soil. This study provides evidence that conventional and biodegradable plastics have both physical and chemical impacts on essential soil characteristics and the growth of
L. perenne
, potentially leading to wider effects on soil carbon cycling.
Graphical abstract
Objective
Birth family contact can be undermined by relationship difficulties between adults from children's two families, especially in relation to role ambiguity for mother figures. Research to ...understand relationships between birth mothers and female caregivers across all placement types is needed.
Background
In Australia, children in long‐term care, guardianship, and open adoption have direct contact with members of their birth families. The extent to which maternal figures work together is critical to children's ability to enjoy ongoing birth family connections, particularly First Nations children, who are overrepresented in out‐of‐home care.
Method
Qualitative methods were used to understand the personal attributes that influence relationships between five dyads of birth mothers and their child's female caregivers in New South Wales. Four were foster or kinship carers, two had adoptions underway, and one was a legal guardian. Three birth mothers identified as Aboriginal, and no caregivers did so. Analysis mapped birth mothers' acceptance and carers' communicative openness and interpreted influences of interpersonal skills, contact, and power dynamics on relationship quality.
Results
Positive and natural interactions between children’ mother figures can exist irrespective of legal arrangement when both are able to demonstrate emotional competence and learn relationship‐building skills and overcome power imbalances.
Conclusion
The complexity of managing relationships in the context of permanent child removal is influenced by how well children's two mother figures renegotiate their roles.
Implications
Families need support to discuss the goals and purpose of contact and identify relational resources and challenges. Professionals could use visit coaching to support children's two families in navigating contact.
Myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein-associated disorders (MOGAD) is an autoimmune central nervous system disease. Antigen-specific immune tolerance using nanoparticles such as Polylactic-co-glycolic ...acid (PLGA) have recently been used as a new therapeutic tolerization approach for CNS autoimmune diseases. We examined whether MOG
conjugated with PLGA could induce MOG-specific immune tolerance in an experimental autoimmune encephalitis (EAE) mouse model. EAE was induced in sixty C57BL/6 J wild-type mice using MOG
peptide with complete Freund's Adjuvant. The mice were divided into 12 groups (n = 5 each) to test the ability of MOG
conjugated PLGA intervention to mitigate the severity or improve the outcomes from EAE with and without rapamycin compared to antigen alone or PLGA alone. EAE score and serum MOG-IgG titers were compared among the interventions.Kindly check and confirm the processed Affiliation "4" is appropriate.I confirmed the Aff 4.Affiliation: Corresponding author information have been changed to present affiliation. Kindly check and confirm.I checked and confirmed the Corresponding author's information.
Mice with EAE that were injected intraperitoneally with MOG
conjugated PLGA + rapamycin complex showed dose-dependent mitigation of EAE score. Intraperitoneal and intravenous administration resulted in similar clinical outcomes, whereas 80% of mice treated with subcutaneous injection had a recurrence of clinical score worsening after approximately 1 week. Although there was no significant difference in EAE scores between unconjugated-PLGA and MOG-conjugated PLGA, serum MOG-IgG tended to decrease in the MOG-conjugated PLGA group compared to controls.
Intraperitoneal administration of PLGA resulted in dose-dependent and longer-lasting immune tolerance than subcutaneous administration. The induction of immune tolerance using PLGA may represent a future therapeutic option for patients with MOGAD.
The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of acute high-intensity interval training (HIIT) compared with continuous moderate-intensity (CMI) exercise on postprandial hyperglycemia in ...overweight or obese adults. Ten inactive, overweight or obese adults (41 ± 11 yrs, BMI = 36 ± 7 kg/m
2
) performed an acute bout of HIIT (10 × 1 min at approximately 90% peak heart rate (HR
peak
) with 1-min recovery periods) or matched work CMI (30 min at approximately 65% HR
peak
) in a randomized, counterbalanced fashion. Exercise was performed 2 h after breakfast, and glucose control was assessed by continuous glucose monitoring under standardized dietary conditions over 24 h. Postprandial glucose (PPG) responses to lunch, dinner, and the following day’s breakfast were analyzed and compared with a no-exercise control day. Exercise did not affect the PPG responses to lunch, but performing both HIIT and CMI in the morning significantly reduced the PPG incremental area under the curve (AUC) following dinner when compared with control (HIIT = 110 ± 35, CMI = 125 ± 34, control = 162 ± 46 mmol/L × 2 h, p < 0.05). The PPG AUC (HIIT = 125 ± 53, CMI = 186 ± 55, control = 194 ± 96 mmol/L × 2 h) and the PPG spike (HIIT = Δ2.1 ± 0.9, CMI = Δ3.0 ± 0.9, control = Δ3.0 ± 1.5 mmol/l) following breakfast on the following day were significantly lower following HIIT compared with both CMI and control (p < 0.05). Absolute AUC and absolute glucose spikes were not different between HIIT, CMI, or control for any meal (p > 0.05 for all). We conclude that a single session of HIIT has greater and more lasting effects on reducing incremental PPG when compared with CMI.
A Mediterranean-style eating pattern (Mediterranean Pattern) is often described as being low in red meat. Research shows that lean, unprocessed red meat can be incorporated into healthy eating ...patterns to improve cardiometabolic disease (CMD) risk factors.
We assessed the effects of consuming different amounts of lean, unprocessed red meat in a Mediterranean Pattern on CMD risk factors. We hypothesized that consuming a Mediterranean Pattern would improve CMD risk factors and that red meat intake would not influence these improvements.
In an investigator-blinded, randomized, crossover, controlled feeding trial, 41 subjects mean ± SD age: 46 ± 2 y; mean ± SD body mass index (kg/m2): 30.5 ± 0.6 were provided with a Mediterranean Pattern for two 5-wk interventions separated by 4 wk of self-selected eating. The Mediterranean Patterns contained ∼500 g typical US intake (Med-Red) and ∼200 g commonly recommended intake in heart-healthy eating patterns (Med-Control) of lean, unprocessed beef or pork per week. Red meat intake was compensated by poultry and other protein-rich foods. Baseline and postintervention outcomes included fasting blood pressure, serum lipids, lipoproteins, glucose, insulin, and ambulatory blood pressure. The presented results were adjusted for age, sex, and body mass at each time point (P < 0.05).
Total cholesterol decreased, but greater reductions occurred with Med-Red than with Med-Control (−0.4 ± 0.1 and −0.2 ±0.1 mmol/L, respectively, intervention × time = 0.045. Low-density lipoprotein decreased with Med-Red but was unchanged with Med-Control −0.3 ± 0.1 and −0.1 ± 0.1 mmol/L, respectively, intervention × time = 0.038, whereas high-density lipoprotein (HDL) concentrations decreased nondifferentially −0.1 ± 0.0 mmol/L. Triglycerides, total cholesterol:HDL, glucose, and insulin did not change with either Med-Red or Med-Control. All blood pressure parameters improved, except during sleep, independent of the red meat intake amount.
Adults who are overweight or moderately obese may improve multiple cardiometabolic disease risk factors by adopting a Mediterranean-style eating pattern with or without reductions in red meat intake when red meats are lean and unprocessed. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT02573129.
Aims and objectives
To explore the use of Indigenous philosophies and ways of knowing as a means to critique, understand and improve the care of Indigenous infants and families in the neonatal ...intensive care unit (NICU).
Background
The ability of health professionals to provide culturally safe and equitable care to Indigenous infants and their families can affect infant development and long‐term health outcomes. Research suggests that family involvement in care benefits both the infant and their family, but there is limited research that addresses the experience of Indigenous families in the NICU and advances understanding of how nurses involve Indigenous families in their infants' care.
Design
A discursive, critical review will be presented to outline the assumptions of Indigenous philosophies and to explore how the consideration and implementation of Indigenous ways of knowing can improve the nursing care of Indigenous infants and their families in the NICU.
Method
First, our subjective positioning as Indigenous nurses and as health researchers is described. Second, our understanding of Indigenous philosophical frameworks and how these approaches fit in the context of the philosophy of science is defined. Third, the key elements of an Indigenous philosophical paradigm are described. Fourth, an application of Indigenous paradigms to supporting the care of Indigenous infants and families in the NICU context is made.
Conclusions
An Indigenous philosophical approach to nursing is ideal for understanding and improving the experiences of Indigenous infants and families in the NICU. This approach allows nurses to critically analyse the history and legacy of colonialism and its impact on the health and wellbeing of Indigenous peoples. By prioritising the voices and concerns of Indigenous families in the clinical setting and in nursing research, nurses can better understand the experiences of these families in the NICU and use strengths‐based approaches to facilitate family involvement in care.
Relevance to clinical practice
The application of Indigenous philosophies in the nursing context can be used to inform the care of Indigenous infants and families in the NICU. Potential benefits include improved therapeutic relationships between nurses and Indigenous families, and increased uptake of parent‐led interventions in nursing practice, which may lead to improved health outcomes for Indigenous infants in the NICU and throughout their subsequent development.
Inequitable access to health care, social inequities, and racist and discriminatory care has resulted in the trend toward poorer health outcomes for Indigenous infants and their families when ...compared to non‐Indigenous families in Canada. How Indigenous mothers experience care during an admission of their infant to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit has implications for future health‐seeking behaviors which may influence infant health outcomes. Nurses are well positioned to promote positive health care interactions and improve health outcomes by effectively meeting the needs of Indigenous families. This qualitative study was guided by interpretive description and the Two‐Eyed Seeing framework and aimed to understand how Indigenous mothers experience accessing and using the health care system for their infants. Data were collected by way of interviews and a discussion group with self‐identifying Indigenous mothers of infants less than two years of age living in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Data underwent thematic analysis, identifying nursing strategies to support positive health care interactions and promote the health and wellness of Indigenous infants and their families. Building relationships, providing holistic care, and taking a trauma‐informed approach to the involvement of child protection services are three key strategies that nurses can use to positively impact health care experiences for Indigenous families.
Peak bodies (“peaks”) are funded by Australian governments to fulfil a multifaceted role, including presenting a collective voice to government on behalf of their nongovernmental service provider ...members and the vulnerable client populations they serve. However, the relationship between peaks and governments has been fraught, with governments imposing contractual conditions in exchange for funding, thereby constraining advocacy. During the COVID‐19 pandemic, the nongovernmental sector provided vital services, including care and support for children and families, and dispensed emergency funding through their service networks. This research investigates engagement between peak bodies and governments during the COVID‐19 pandemic in 2020–2021. Nineteen CEOs and senior executives were interviewed from 16 peak bodies. Additionally, 27 surveys were completed by peak and nongovernmental sector representatives. Interview transcripts were coded using NVivo and thematically analysed. Four types of interactions between government and peak bodies were identified: collective leadership; partnership; advocacy to influence; and advocacy designed for public pressure. These four types of interactions formed a public advocacy continuum. In some Australian jurisdictions, the study showed that collective and partnership mechanisms between peaks and government were strengthened or revived, yet sustained work will be needed to entrench these positive developments in a postcrisis environment.
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