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.

Steady-state pharmacokinetics of intravenous colistin methanesulphonate in patients with cystic fibrosis.

Abstract: OBJECTIVES To define the steady-state pharmacokinetics of colistin methanesulphonate and colistin in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) following intravenous administration of the former. MATERIALS AND METHODS The study was conducted in 12 patients with CF following intravenous administration of colistin methanesulphonate (1.63-3.11 mg/kg) every 8 h for at least 2 days. On the day of study, four blood samples were collected from each patient at 60, 120, 240 and 360 min after the end of the infusion. Concentrations of colistin methanesulphonate and colistin in plasma were measured separately by HPLC. RESULTS At steady-state, colistin methanesulphonate had a mean (+/- S.D.) total body clearance, volume of distribution and half-life of 2.01 +/- 0.46 mL/min per kg, 340 +/- 95 mL/kg and 124 +/- 52 min, respectively. Colistin had a significantly longer mean half-life of 251 +/- 79 min (P<0.001). With the regimen used, colistin methanesulphonate was well tolerated. This is the first report on the pharmacokinetics of colistin methanesulphonate in CF patients determined using concentrations of colistin methanesulphonate and colistin in plasma. CONCLUSIONS Based on the in vitro pharmacodynamics against Pseudomonas aeruginosa previously published by our group and these pharmacokinetic findings, dose escalating trials may be warranted to maximize efficacy.

Serious Games and Edutainment Applications

Abstract: The recent re-emergence of serious games as a branch of video games and as a promising frontier of education has introduced the concept of games designed for a serious purpose other than pure entertainment. To date the major applications of serious games include education and training, engineering, medicine and healthcare, military applications, city planning, production, crisis response, to name just a few. If utilised alongside, or combined with conventional training and educational approaches, serious games could provide a more powerful means of knowledge transfer in almost every application domain. Serious Games and Edutainment Applications offers an insightful introduction to the development and applications of games technologies in educational settings. It includes cutting-edge academic research and industry updates that will inform readers of current and future advances in the area. The book is suitable for both researchers and educators who are interested in using games for educational purposes, as well as game professionals requiring a thorough understanding of issues involved in the application of video games technology into educational settings. It is also applicable to programmers, game artists, and management contemplating or involved in the development of serious games for educational or training purposes.

Do Internet interventions for consumers cause more harm than good? A systematic review

Abstract: Objective To systematically review the effect of consumer use of online health information on decision-making, attitudes, knowledge, satisfaction and health outcomes and utilization. Search strategy Electronic databases searched included the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register, MEDLINE, PREMEDLINE (to 14 March 2001), CINAHL, Australian Medical Index, Health and Society, National Institutes of Health Clinical Trials Database and CenterWatch. Inclusion criteria All post-1995 comparative studies (including controlled studies, before and after studies, and interrupted time series analyses) of Internet users vs. non-Internet users and other communications mediums, and Internet characteristics such as e-mail vs. other communication mediums, were included. Outcomes included consumer decision-making, attitudes, knowledge, satisfaction and measurable changes in health status or health utilization. Data extraction and synthesis One reviewer screened all papers then two reviewers independently assessed studies against the selection criteria and any discrepancies were resolved by discussion with a third reviewer. No attempt was made to combine the data for further statistical analysis. Main results We identified 10 comparative studies. Studies evaluated the effectiveness of using the Internet to deliver a smoking cessation programme, cardiac and nutrition educational programmes, behavioural interventions for headache and weight loss, and pharmacy and augmentative services. All studies showed some positive effects on health outcomes, although the methodological quality of many studies was poor. Conclusions Despite widespread consumer Internet use to obtain health-care information, there is almost a complete lack of evidence of any effects this may have on health outcomes.

A high-performance Bi2WO6-graphene photocatalyst for visible light-induced H2 and O2 generation.

Abstract: We developed a highly efficient photocatalyst for both H2 and O2 generation under visible-light irradiation by attaching Bi2WO6 (BWO) nanocrystals on graphene nanosheets to produce a graphene–Bi2WO6 composite (Gr–BWO-T). The composite was prepared by a sonochemical method where graphene oxide (GO) served as the support on which BWO formed in situ. Bi2WO6 nanoparticles with the size of 30–40 nm were homogeneously dispersed on the surface of graphene sheets, due to their bonding with graphene. When used as a photocatalyst under visible-light irradiation, O2 production rate reached a value up to 20.60 μmol h−1, 4.18 times higher than that of bare BWO, resulting from the strong covalent bonding between graphene and BWO nanoparticles. The chemical bonding facilitated the electron collection and transportation and inhibited the recombination of photo-generated charge carriers, even in this system with a large amount of graphene inside (40 wt%). More interestingly, H2-production by Gr–BWO-T was also observed to be as high as 159.20 μmol h−1. This could be ascribed to the existence of the graphene that led to decrease in conduction band potential and resulted in a more negative reduction potential than H+/H2. This facile sonochemical approach provides a new strategy for engineering ternary compound nanoparticles on graphene sheets, with great potential application in energy conversion.