Publications by authors named "Andrew A"

We developed viral sensor and restriction factor-cytometry by time of flight (VISOR-CyTOF), which profiles 19 viral sensors and restriction factors (VISORs) simultaneously in single cells, and applied it to 41 postmortem tissues from people with HIV. Mucosal myeloid cells are well equipped with SAMHD1 and sensors of viral capsid and DNA while CD4 T cells are not. In lymph node CD4 Tfh, VISOR expression patterns reflect those favoring integration but blocking HIV gene expression, thus favoring viral latency.

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Polyploidy is a common outcome of chemotherapies, but there is conflicting evidence as to whether polyploidy is an adverse, benign or even favourable outcome. We show Aurora B kinase inhibitors efficiently promote polyploidy in many cell types, resulting in the cell cycle exit in RB and p53 functional cells, but hyper-polyploidy in cells with loss of RB and p53 function. These hyper-polyploid cells (>8n DNA content) are viable but have lost long-term proliferative potential in vitro and fail to form tumours in vivo.

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Comprehensive evaluation of cancer screening activities based on individual experiences is urgently needed to address the burden of cancer among Métis people. In this co-designed and co-led study, a cancer screening questionnaire developed for Métis people to evaluate their cancer screening histories and to explore barriers and facilitators to cancer screening was used. Adult Métis Albertans were invited to participate in the anonymous survey through a multi-modal strategy used for community consultations.

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Article Synopsis
  • Needle stick injuries (NSIs) are common among healthcare workers, with a 31% prevalence found in a study of 210 HCWs in a hospital in Kerala, India, where the intravenous cannula was the most involved device.
  • The study highlighted that older healthcare workers (above 31 years) were more likely to experience NSIs, suggesting a need for targeted safety measures for this group.
  • The results emphasize the necessity for improved documentation, adherence to safety protocols, and effective post-exposure prophylaxis to mitigate the risks associated with NSIs in the healthcare setting.
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Aurora B kinase (AURKB) inhibitors have been trialled in a range of different tumour types but are not approved for any indication. Expression of the human papilloma virus (HPV) oncogenes and loss of retinoblastoma (RB) protein function has been reported to increase sensitivity to AURKB inhibitors but the mechanism of their contribution to sensitivity is poorly understood. Two commonly reported outcomes of AURKB inhibition are polyploidy and senescence, although their relationship is unclear.

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Chikungunya fever, caused by Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) exhibits clinical features that mimic that of other arbovirus infections such as dengue. CHIKV Envelope 2 (E2) protein, an antigenic epitope of CHIKV, has been identified as an ideal marker for diagnostics. The current CHIKV antigen detection tests are largely based on antibodies but are beleaguered by issues such as sensitivity to high temperature, expensive and prone to batch-to-batch variations.

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  • ALS is a severe neurodegenerative disease that leads to paralysis and death, with its genetic causes not fully understood.
  • Researchers conducted a study involving 435 ALS patients and 279 controls to identify genetic risk factors, using methods like GWAS and TWAS to analyze gene variants and their effects.
  • The study found a significant variant linked to increased ALS risk and indicated that certain genetic factors might reduce the risk, highlighting the need for further research into these genetic and environmental interactions.
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For several decades, Aotearoa New Zealand has maintained a relatively strict regulatory approach towards tobacco. In response to the significant impact of tobacco-related illnesses, many countries worldwide have worked to enhance tobacco control measures. These efforts include introducing plain tobacco packaging with graphic health warnings, improving access to smoking cessation services and offering supportive treatments for tobacco dependence.

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  • * The newly developed multi-ancestry PRS showed a strong correlation with LUAD risk, indicating that individuals in the highest PRS percentile had significantly increased risk compared to those in the lowest.
  • * Findings suggest that those in the highest risk category have a lifetime risk of about 6.69%, and they reach the average population's 10-year risk for LUAD by age 41, highlighting the importance of multi-ancestry PRS for better risk assessment in this group.
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Introduction New Zealand's health care system faces significant shortages in health care workers. To address workforce challenges and meet the population's health needs, health care systems around the world have introduced new clinical roles, such as physician associates/assistants (PAs) into existing health care teams. Aim This article aims to examine the benefits, challenges, and broader implications of regulating PAs in the context of New Zealand's primary care sector, with a specific emphasis on how it may impact general practice.

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The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is notable among infectious diseases for its distinctive impact, which has halted millions of livelihoods owing to strict social distancing rules and lockdowns. Consequently, millions of individuals have turned to online sources, particularly social media, to remain informed about the virus. The transition to digital sources has resulted in an abundance of information, including both accurate and misleading or false content being shared and consumed on online platforms, contributing to what is commonly referred to as an "infodemic.

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Background: Although polygenic risk score (PRS) has emerged as a promising tool for predicting cancer risk from genome-wide association studies (GWAS), the individual-level accuracy of lung cancer PRS and the extent to which its impact on subsequent clinical applications remains largely unexplored.

Methods: Lung cancer PRSs and confidence/credible interval (CI) were constructed using two statistical approaches for each individual: (1) the weighted sum of 16 GWAS-derived significant SNP loci and the CI through the bootstrapping method (PRS-16-CV) and (2) LDpred2 and the CI through posteriors sampling (PRS-Bayes), among 17,166 lung cancer cases and 12,894 controls with European ancestry from the International Lung Cancer Consortium. Individuals were classified into different genetic risk subgroups based on the relationship between their own PRS mean/PRS CI and the population level threshold.

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In Aotearoa New Zealand, personal injuries resulting from medical treatment are covered under the Accident Compensation Act 2001. However, before victims of medical injury can receive cover and compensation, they must first satisfy several legal tests. Much criticism and legal action have surrounded the interpretation and application of these legal tests, primarily because of its focus lying on injury causation instead of supporting the incapacitated.

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The recent release of highly advanced generative artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots, including ChatGPT and Bard, which are powered by large language models (LLMs), has attracted growing mainstream interest over its diverse applications in clinical practice, including in health and healthcare. The potential applications of LLM-based programmes in the medical field range from assisting medical practitioners in improving their clinical decision-making and streamlining administrative paperwork to empowering patients to take charge of their own health. However, despite the broad range of benefits, the use of such AI tools also comes with several limitations and ethical concerns that warrant further consideration, encompassing issues related to privacy, data bias, and the accuracy and reliability of information generated by AI.

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Bladder cancer and therapy responses hinge on immune profiles in the tumor microenvironment (TME) and blood, yet studies linking tumor-infiltrating immune cells to peripheral immune profiles are limited. DNA methylation cytometry quantified TME and matched peripheral blood immune cell proportions. With tumor immune profile data as the input, subjects were grouped by immune infiltration status and consensus clustering.

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Long COVID (LC) occurs after at least 10% of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections, yet its etiology remains poorly understood. We used 'omic" assays and serology to deeply characterize the global and SARS-CoV-2-specific immunity in the blood of individuals with clear LC and non-LC clinical trajectories, 8 months postinfection. We found that LC individuals exhibited systemic inflammation and immune dysregulation.

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Background: Clinical, molecular, and genetic epidemiology studies displayed remarkable differences between ever- and never-smoking lung cancer.

Methods: We conducted a stratified multi-population (European, East Asian, and African descent) association study on 44,823 ever-smokers and 20,074 never-smokers to identify novel variants that were missed in the non-stratified analysis. Functional analysis including expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) colocalization and DNA damage assays, and annotation studies were conducted to evaluate the functional roles of the variants.

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Unlabelled: Cigarette smoke, containing both nicotine and carcinogens, causes lung cancer. However, not all smokers develop lung cancer, highlighting the importance of the interaction between host susceptibility and environmental exposure in tumorigenesis. Here, we aimed to delineate the interaction between metabolizing ability of tobacco carcinogens and smoking intensity in mediating genetic susceptibility to smoking-related lung tumorigenesis.

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Background: Although the associations between genetic variations and lung cancer risk have been explored, the epigenetic consequences of DNA methylation in lung cancer development are largely unknown. Here, the genetically predicted DNA methylation markers associated with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) risk by a two-stage case-control design were investigated.

Methods: The genetic prediction models for methylation levels based on genetic and methylation data of 1595 subjects from the Framingham Heart Study were established.

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Purpose: To develop a reproducible in vitro model simulating central venous catheter (CVC) exchange with high potential for air embolization and test the hypothesis that a closed catheter clamp over hydrophilic guide wire exchange technique will significantly reduce the volume of air introduced during CVC exchange.

Materials And Methods: The model consisted of a 16-F valved sheath, 240-mL container, and pressure transducer submerged in water in a 1,200-mL suction canister system. Continuous wall suction was applied to the canister to maintain negative pressure at -7 mm Hg or -11 mm Hg.

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Article Synopsis
  • A study examined the link between how long patients abstained from smoking before being diagnosed with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and their survival rates, aiming to inform public health messaging.
  • Conducted using data from 26 cohorts across various continents, researchers analyzed survival outcomes based on smoking history and demographic factors of nearly 42,087 patients diagnosed with NSCLC.
  • Findings revealed that longer periods of smoking abstinence (1-3 years, 3-5 years, and over 5 years) before diagnosis were correlated with improved overall and NSCLC-specific survival rates, indicating that quitting smoking can enhance cancer outcomes.
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  • The study investigates the relationship between immune cell subtypes and bladder cancer outcomes, uncovering potentially important prognostic information for managing recurrence and survival in patients.
  • Researchers measured DNA methylation from peripheral blood to quantify various immune cell types and analyzed their associations with patient survival using statistical models.
  • Results showed that higher CD8T memory cells correlated with better survival, while factors like age acceleration and certain neutrophil proportions were linked to worse outcomes, allowing for the classification of patient groups based on survival differences.
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