Background Patients’ adherence to therapeutic regimes may be influenced by subjective beliefs about chronic conditions. One of the challenges for health professionals in enhancing adherence is taking patients’ understanding into account when giving health advice and/or providing medical treatment. Purpose This review aimed to evaluate the consequent effects of personal and cultural beliefs on medication adherence, in patients with chronic conditions such as hypertension, diabetes mellitus, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma. Method A systematic review methodology was used. PubMed, CINAHL, EMBASE and PsychINFO, databases were searched for relevant articles. The main terms analyzed were illness perceptions, health beliefs, cultural beliefs, chronic conditions and medication adherence. Results From 2,646 articles, 127 were retained for further assessment, and finally 25 met the inclusion criteria. A cross-sectional questionnaire survey research design was conducted in all included articles. Of these most (n=22) targeted hypertension or diabetes mellitus. A number of personal and cultural based factors were identified as being associated with adherence to medication regimes — 40% of articles (n=10) examined perception of illness, 20% (n=5) health literacy, 16% (n=4) cultural beliefs, 12% (n=3) self-efficacy, 16% (n=4) spiritual and religious beliefs, as well as 20% (n=5) illness knowledge. Statistically significant associations between medication adherence and these personal and cultural factors were found in 80% (n=20) of the included studies. However, the direction of associations varied between studies depending on the factor that was examined. Conclusion This review has evaluated the impact of personal and cultural factors on medication adherence and highlighted the gaps in literature regarding adherence. Further research is required to fully identify the associations between religious beliefs, control beliefs and illness knowledge and medication adherence.

In vitro studies have shown phenolics in olive oil to be strong radical scavengers. The absorption and elimination of two radiolabeled phenolic constituents of olive oil, hydroxytyrosol and tyrosol were studied in vivo using rats. Compounds were administered intravenously (in saline) and orally (in oil-and water-based solutions). For both compounds, the intravenously and orally administered oil-based dosings resulted in significantly greater elimination of the phenolics in urine within 24 h than the oral, aqueous dosing method. There was no significant difference in the amount of phenolic compounds eliminated in urine between the intravenous dosing method and the oral oil-based dosing method for either tyrosol or hydroxytyrosol. Oral bioavailability estimates of hydroxytyrosol when administered in an olive oil solution and when dosed as an aqueous solution were 99% and 75%, respectively. Oral bioavailability estimates of tyrosol, when orally administered in an olive oil solution and when dosed as an aqueous solution were 98% and 71%, respectively. This is the first study that has used a radiolabeled compound to study the in vivo biological fates of hydroxytyrosol and tyrosol.

Gallic acid and its structurally related compounds are found widely distributed in fruits and plants. Gallic acid, and its catechin derivatives are also present as one of the main phenolic components of both black and green tea. Esters of gallic acid have a diverse range of industrial uses, as antioxidants in food, in cosmetics and in the pharmaceutical industry. In addition, gallic acid is employed as a source material for inks, paints and colour developers. Studies utilising these compounds have found them to possess many potential therapeutic properties including anti-cancer and antimicrobial properties. In this review, studies of the effects of gallic acid, its esters, and gallic acid catechin derivatives on Phase I and Phase II enzymes are examined. Many published reports of the effects of the in vitro effects of gallic acid and its derivatives on drug metabolising enzymes concern effects directly on substrate (generally drug or mutagen) metabolism or indirectly through observed effects in Ames tests. In the case of the Ames test an antimutagenic effect may be observed through inhibition of CYP activation of indirectly acting mutagens and/or by scavenging of metabolically generated mutagenic electrophiles. There has been considerable interest in the in vivo effects of the gallate esters because of their incorporation into foodstuffs as antioxidants and in the catechin gallates with their potential role as chemoprotective agents. Principally an induction of Phase II enzymes has been observed however more recent studies using HepG2 cells and primary cultures of human hepatocytes provide evidence for the overall complexity of actions of individual components versus complex mixtures, such as those in food. Further systematic studies of mechanisms of induction and inhibition of drug metabolising enzymes by this group of compounds are warranted in the light of their distribution and consequent ingestion, current uses and suggested therapeutic potential. However, it must be noted that numerous constituents of foodstuffs have been found to be potent modulators of xenobiotic metabolism and the net human health effects may depend on concentrations of individual components and individual genetic makeup.

Hydroxytyrosol is quantitatively and qualitatively the principal phenolic antioxidant in olive oil. Recently it was shown that hydroxytyrosol and five metabolites were excreted in urine when hydroxytyrosol was dosed intravenously or orally in an olive oil solution to rats. The conclusive identification of three metabolites of hydroxytyrosol by MS/MS as a monosulfate conjugate, a 3-O-glucuronide conjugate, and 4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenylacetic acid (homovanillic acid) has been established in this investigation. The structural configurations of the glucuronide conjugate and 4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenylacetic acid were confirmed by (1)H NMR. The radical scavenging potencies of homovanillic acid, homovanillic alcohol, hydroxytyrosol, and the metabolites were examined with the radical 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl. These studies showed them to be potent antioxidants with SC(50) values of 14.8 and 11.4 microM for homovanillic acid and homovanillic alcohol, respectively. The 3-O-glucuronide conjugate was more potent than hydroxytyrosol, with an SC(50) of 2.3 in comparison to 11.0 microM, and the monosulfate conjugate was almost devoid of radical scavenging activity.

No abstract

Background/aim There has been limited research into the values of the Australian occupational therapy profession and as such, the values have not been made explicit. Explicit values provide insight into what professionalism means to a profession. They can be used by practitioners for self‐reflection purposes, shaping the future practice of individuals. Clear values can also enable the recognition and management of value conflicts between health professions. This study aimed to make a preliminary identification of the values of the profession, by exploring the professional values of 15 Australian occupational therapists. Methods A naturalistic approach and constructivist paradigm guided this study. Purposive sampling was employed to identify Australian occupational therapists who could contribute rich information to the study. Data were collected through semi‐structured interviews that were recorded and analysed using an inductive data analysis method. Results The professional values identified encompassed three main areas: the client and the client–therapist partnership; occupational therapy knowledge, skills and practice; and selfless values. The emerging values guided everyday practice, professional relationships and the responsibilities of being a professional. Conclusion This study provides insight into the professional values of Australian occupational therapists and contributes to research orientated towards identifying the values of the profession. The results also contribute to the understanding of what professionalism means to the Australian occupational therapy profession.

The results provide insight into several professional values and behaviours perceived as essential for practice. Consequently, these professional values need to be taken into consideration when defining the values of the profession. The professional behaviours need to be taken into account when finalising the essential behaviours that constitute professionalism in the profession. This study takes an initial but fundamental step towards defining professionalism within the Australian occupational therapy profession.

Podcasting is used commonly recreationally and is now increasingly used in education. The technology for podcasting is readily available, easy to use and inexpensive, making it an attractive option for providing additional flexible learning resources for students. However, little is known about how podcasts are used by students and the implications for learning. This paper describes how podcasts were used by students in a medical radiation program. In common with many other health science programs, the medical radiation program has a large content load, particularly in first year where courses such as anatomy and physiology are introduced. Students generally used podcasts to review lecture content, especially when they had difficulty with understanding lectures or new terminology. Students generally listened to the recordings whilst viewing the lecture PowerPoint presentations on a home computer. Results from this study indicate that academics need to contemplate the introduction of instructional methods such as podcast lectures within the broader context of instructional goals.