Publications by authors named "D A Simpkins"
The gut microbiota is important for host health and immune system function. Moreover autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, are associated with significant gut microbiota dysbiosis, although the causes and consequences of this are not fully understood. It has become clear that the composition and metabolic outputs of the microbiome exhibit robust 24 h oscillations, a result of daily variation in timing of food intake as well as rhythmic circadian clock function in the gut.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective To describe patterns of emergency department (ED) presentations and predictors of 30-day mortality in patients referred from a residential aged care facility (RACF). Methods A retrospective analysis of linked state-wide emergency, inpatient and death data from 136 public ED hospitals in New South Wales, Australia. Data were collected from the NSW Emergency Department Data Collection database, the NSW Admitted Patient Data Collection database and the NSW Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- - Chronic inflammation, such as that seen in rheumatoid arthritis, leads to rhythmic joint inflammation and alters energy metabolism in muscles and the liver at different times of the day.
- - Research using a mouse model indicates that inflammatory conditions trigger changes in gene expression and fat metabolism, particularly through mechanisms involving EGFR-JAK-STAT3 signaling.
- - The study found an increase in ceramides and sphingolipid production, especially during the day when inflammation peaks, highlighting a connection between inflammation timing and lipid metabolism issues.
The circadian clock is an intrinsic oscillator that imparts 24 h rhythms on immunity. This clock drives rhythmic repression of inflammatory arthritis during the night in mice, but mechanisms underlying this effect are not clear. Here we show that the amplitude of intrinsic oscillators within macrophages and neutrophils is limited by the chronic inflammatory environment, suggesting that rhythms in inflammatory mediators might not be a direct consequence of intrinsic clocks.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To gain insights into the experience and challenges faced by Australasian geriatricians who have recently made the transition from advanced trainee to consultant.
Methods: An interpretative exploratory qualitative study. Geriatricians with five or less years of experience as consultants were recruited by email.