Strategies to determine positive anti-SARS-CoV-2 memory T lymphocyte response during the evolution of an epidemic.

During SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, the assessment of immune protection of people at risk of severe infection was an important goal. The appearance of VOCs (Variant of Concern) highlighted the limits of evaluating immune protection through the humoral response. While the humoral response partly loses its neutralizing activity, the anti-SARS-CoV-2 memory T cell response strongly cross protects against VOCs becoming an indispensable tool to assess immune protection.

The outcomes for women planning a VBAC at a private hospital in Australia.

Background: Rates of cesarean birth (CBs) are steadily increasing and account for 36.7% of all births in New South Wales (NSW), with primary cesareans driving the increase. NSW Health guidelines recommend women attempt a vaginal birth after a previous CB (VBAC); however, rates of VBAC are decreasing, particularly within the private hospital setting.

Mismatch identified in symptom burden profiles in lung transplantation.

Background: There is considerable heterogeneity in symptom burden among lung transplant candidates that may not be explained by objective measures of illness severity.

Objectives: This study aimed to characterize symptom burden, identify distinct profiles based on symptom burden and illness severity, and determine whether observed profiles are defined by differences in social determinates of health (SDOH).

Methods: This was a prospective study of adult lung transplant candidates.

Virtual reality in the diagnostic and therapy for mental disorders: A systematic review.

Background: Virtual reality (VR) technologies are playing an increasingly important role in the diagnostics and treatment of mental disorders.

Objective: To systematically review the current evidence regarding the use of VR in the diagnostics and treatment of mental disorders.

Data Source: Systematic literature searches via PubMed (last literature update: 9 of May 2022) were conducted for the following areas of psychopathology: Specific phobias, panic disorder and agoraphobia, social anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), obsessive-compulsive disorder, eating disorders, dementia disorders, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, depression, autism spectrum disorder, schizophrenia spectrum disorders, and addiction disorders.

Evidence-based circumcision policy for Australia.

The aim was (1) to perform an up-to-date systematic review of the male circumcision (MC) literature and (2) to determine the number of adverse medical conditions prevented by early MC in Australia. Searches of PubMed using "circumcision" with 39 keywords and bibliography searches yielded 278 publications meeting our inclusion criteria. Early MC provides immediate and lifetime benefits, including protection against: urinary tract infections, phimosis, inflammatory skin conditions, inferior penile hygiene, candidiasis, various STIs, and penile and prostate cancer.

Nurse practitioner integration: Conceptual development to enhance application in policy and research.

Background: Nurse practitioners (NPs) have been introduced across the world to improve care quality and solve provider shortages. Realizing these benefits relies on their successful integration into health care systems. Although NP integration has been discussed extensively, the concept is defined inconsistently.

The palliative care needs of lung transplant candidates.

Background: Little is known about the palliative care needs of patients awaiting lung transplantation. The aim of this study was to describe these needs in patients undergoing evaluation for or awaiting lung transplantation.

Methods: Cross-sectional survey using an adapted version of the Needs at the End-of-life Screening Tool (NEST-13) at a US-based transplant program.

An Integrative Review of the Role of Palliative Care in Lung Transplantation.

Background: Lung transplant patients experience significant physical symptoms and psychological stress that affect their quality of life. Palliative care is an interdisciplinary specialty associated with improved symptom management and enhanced quality of life. Little, however, is known about the palliative care needs of lung transplant patients and the role it plays in their care.

Frailty phenotypes and mortality after lung transplantation: A prospective cohort study.

Frailty is associated with increased mortality among lung transplant candidates. We sought to determine the association between frailty, as measured by the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB), and mortality after lung transplantation. In a multicenter prospective cohort study of adults who underwent lung transplantation, preoperative frailty was assessed with the SPPB (n = 318) and, in a secondary analysis, the Fried Frailty Phenotype (FFP; n = 299).

Beneficial Effects on Pregnancy Outcomes of Thyroid Hormone Replacement for Subclinical Hypothyroidism.

. Hypothyroidism and raised thyroid antibody levels have been associated with adverse obstetrical outcomes. Several studies have investigated causal associations, but results have been inconsistent and few studies have reported the effects of thyroxine replacement therapy on pregnancy outcomes in hypothyroid patients.

Missing Domains of Lung Transplant Patient Selection.

Unlabelled: The goal of consistent, predictable, and improved outcomes has continued to elude the scientific community in the 30 years since lung transplantation became the procedure of choice for patients with terminal, nonmalignant lung disease.

Background: Although there is consensus regarding disease-specific indications for lung transplant, ambiguity remains regarding how patient-specific attributes should influence lung transplant candidacy. This study had 3 aims (1) to establish the missing domains of the interdisciplinary assessment of the lung transplant candidate, (2) to have these domains validated by an international panel of lung transplant experts, and (3) to recommend the next step for inclusion of these domains into the lung transplant candidate selection process.

Prevalence of thyroid dysfunction and thyroid antibodies in a private obstetrical practice in Sydney.

Background: Hypothyroidism in pregnancy is associated with adverse obstetrical events and neurodevelopmental disorders in infants. The prevalence of thyroid dysfunction during pregnancy in Australia is not well documented, and universal screening remains questionable.

Aim: To assess the prevalence of thyroid dysfunction and positive thyroid antibodies and review the indications for universal screening of thyroid function in pregnancy.

Frailty Phenotypes, Disability, and Outcomes in Adult Candidates for Lung Transplantation.

Rationale: Frailty is associated with morbidity and mortality in abdominal organ transplantation but has not been examined in lung transplantation.

Objectives: To examine the construct and predictive validity of frailty phenotypes in lung transplant candidates.

Methods: In a multicenter prospective cohort, we measured frailty with the Fried Frailty Phenotype (FFP) and Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB).

Adult cardiothoracic transplant nursing: an ISHLT consensus document on the current adult nursing practice in heart and lung transplantation.

Background: The role of nurses in cardiothoracic transplantation has evolved over the last 25 years. Transplant nurses work in a variety of roles in collaboration with multidisciplinary teams to manage complex pre- and post-transplantation issues. There is lack of clarity and consistency regarding required qualifications to practice transplant nursing, delineation of roles and adequate levels of staffing.

Stochastic nanoroughness modulates neuron-astrocyte interactions and function via mechanosensing cation channels.

Extracellular soluble signals are known to play a critical role in maintaining neuronal function and homeostasis in the CNS. However, the CNS is also composed of extracellular matrix macromolecules and glia support cells, and the contribution of the physical attributes of these components in maintenance and regulation of neuronal function is not well understood. Because these components possess well-defined topography, we theorize a role for topography in neuronal development and we demonstrate that survival and function of hippocampal neurons and differentiation of telencephalic neural stem cells is modulated by nanoroughness.

Hydrophilization of poly(caprolactone) copolymers through introduction of oligo(ethylene glycol) moieties.

In this study, a new family of poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) copolymers that bear oligo(ethylene glycol) (OEG) moieties is described. The synthesis of three different oligo(ethylene glycol) functionalized epoxide monomers derived from 2-methyl-4-pentenoic acid, and their copolymerization with ε-caprolactone (CL) to poly(CL-co-OEG-MPO) copolymers is presented. The statistical copolymerization initiated with SnOct2/BnOH yielded the copolymers with varying OEG content and composition.

Should we reconsider lung transplantation through uncontrolled donation after circulatory death?

Lung transplantation through controlled donation after circulatory death (cDCD) has slowly gained universal acceptance with reports of equivalent outcomes to those through donation after brain death. In contrast, uncontrolled DCD (uDCD) lung use is controversial and requires ethical, legal and medical complexities to be addressed in a limited time. Consequently, uDCD lung use has not previously been reported in the United States.

Cognitive function, mental health, and health-related quality of life after lung transplantation.

Rationale: Cognitive and psychiatric impairments are threats to functional independence, general health, and quality of life. Evidence regarding these outcomes after lung transplantation is limited.

Objectives: Determine the frequency of cognitive and psychiatric impairment after lung transplantation and identify potential factors associated with cognitive impairment after lung transplantation.

Iodine Intake and Thyroid Function in Pregnant Women in a Private Clinical Practice in Northwestern Sydney before Mandatory Fortification of Bread with Iodised Salt.

Aim. The primary objective of the study was to assess the iodine nutritional status, and its effect on thyroid function, of pregnant women in a private obstetrical practice in Sydney. Methods.