University of South Australia

About: University of South Australia is a education organization based out in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Poison control. The organization has 10086 authors who have published 32587 publications receiving 913683 citations. The organization is also known as: The University of South Australia & UniSA.

Effects of two commercial electronic prescribing systems on prescribing error rates in hospital in-patients: a before and after study.

Abstract: In a before-and-after study, Johanna Westbrook and colleagues evaluate the change in prescribing error rates after the introduction of two commercial electronic prescribing systems in two Australian hospitals.

Programmed necrotic cell death of macrophages: Focus on pyroptosis, necroptosis, and parthanatos.

Abstract: Macrophages are highly plastic cells of the innate immune system. Macrophages play central roles in immunity against microbes and contribute to a wide array of pathologies. The processes of macrophage activation and their functions have attracted considerable attention from life scientists. Although macrophages are highly resistant to many toxic stimuli, including oxidative stress, macrophage death has been reported in certain diseases, such as viral infections, tuberculosis, atherosclerotic plaque development, inflammation, and sepsis. While most studies on macrophage death focused on apoptosis, a significant body of data indicates that programmed necrotic cell death forms may be equally important modes of macrophage death. Three such regulated necrotic cell death modalities in macrophages contribute to different pathologies, including necroptosis, pyroptosis, and parthanatos. Various reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, such as superoxide, hydrogen peroxide, and peroxynitrite have been shown to act as triggers, mediators, or modulators in regulated necrotic cell death pathways. Here we discuss recent advances in necroptosis, pyroptosis, and parthanatos, with a strong focus on the role of redox homeostasis in the regulation of these events.

Normative health-related fitness values for children: analysis of 85347 test results on 9–17-year-old Australians since 1985

Abstract: Objectives To provide sex- and age-specific normative values for health-related fitness of 9–17-year-old Australians. Methods A systematic literature search was undertaken to identify peer-reviewed studies reporting health-related fitness data on Australian children since 1985—the year of the last national fitness survey. Only data on reasonably representative s amples of apparently healthy (free from known disease or injury) 9–17-year-old Australians, who were tested using field tests of health-related fitness, were included. Both raw and pseudo data (generated using Monte Carlo simulation) were combined with sex- and age-specific normative centile values generated using the Lambda Mu and Sigma (LMS) method. Sex- and age-related differences were expressed as standardised effect sizes. Results Normative values were displayed as tabulated percentiles and as smoothed centile curves for nine health-related fitness tests based on a dataset comprising 85347 test performances. Boys typically scored higher than girls on cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength, muscular endurance, speed and power tests, but lower on the flexibility test. The magnitude of the age-related changes was generally larger for boys than for girls, especially during the teenage years. Conclusion This study provides the most up-to-date sex- and age-specific normative centile values for the health-related fitness of Australian children that can be used as benchmark values for health and fitness screening and surveillance systems.

Angle-resolved X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy of the surface of imidazolium ionic liquids

Abstract: The surfaces of three imidazolium based ionic liquids with a common anion were studied with angle-resolved X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The room temperature ionic liquids (RTILs): 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium (bmim), 1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium (hmim), and 1-octyl-3-methylimidazolium (omim) tetrafluoroborates, were meticulously purified and dried under vacuum. Survey and high-resolution spectra were obtained at different take-off angles (0–84°), thus increasing the surface sensitivity of the measurement. No impurities were detected and the survey spectra at normal emission (0°) confirmed the stoichiometric composition of the liquids. However, the spectra at take-off angles of 60, 70, 80 and 84° indicated a higher amount of carbon. High resolution spectra of C1s, at these angles, showed an increased amount of aliphatic carbon when compared to the spectra at normal emission. The longer the side chain (R) of the imidazolium cation (Rmim), the larger was the amount of aliphatic carbon detected. Previous studies with other surface sensitive techniques have yielded contradictory conclusions about the surface orientation of the Rmim. We conclude unequivocally that the alkyl chain of the imidazolium ring of the investigated RTILs is oriented away from the liquid. Our study demonstrates the ability of XPS to probe the structure, along with the composition, of the free liquid surface by comparing signals from different penetration depths.