Publications by authors named "Gunn K"

Phagocytic clearance of apoptotic cancer cells (efferocytosis) by tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) contributes in a substantial manner to the establishment of an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. This puts in context our observation that the female steroid hormone 17β-estradiol (E2) facilitates tumor immune resistance through cancer cell extrinsic Estrogen Receptor (ERalpha;) signaling in TAMs. Notable was the finding that E2 induces the expression of CX3CR1 in TAMs to enable efferocytosis of apoptotic cancer cells which results in the suppression of type I interferon (IFN) signaling.

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Article Synopsis
  • Over two decades, initiatives have aimed to enhance STEM undergraduate outcomes, with the inclusive Research Education Community (iREC) emerging as a scalable reform model that supports STEM faculty in implementing course-based research to improve student learning.
  • This study utilized pathway modeling to describe the HHMI Science Education Alliance (SEA) iREC, identifying how faculty engagement leads to sustainable adoption and improvement of new teaching strategies through feedback from over 100 participating faculty members.
  • The findings indicate that iREC fosters a collaborative environment where STEM faculty can share expertise and data, thereby enhancing their teaching practices and contributing to the overall evolution of undergraduate science education.
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Lipoprotein lipase (LPL) is a critical enzyme in humans that provides fuel to peripheral tissues. LPL hydrolyzes triglycerides from the cores of lipoproteins that are circulating in plasma and interacts with receptors to mediate lipoprotein uptake, thus directing lipid distribution via catalytic and non-catalytic functions. Functional losses in LPL or any of its myriad of regulators alter lipid homeostasis and potentially affect the risk of developing cardiovascular disease-either increasing or decreasing the risk depending on the mutated protein.

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Introduction: Pharmacists are often not recognised as a core part of palliative care teams, despite their ideal placement to assist with the burden of medication management.

Objective: This study explored the role of pharmacists working in the rural palliative care team, in the home-based setting.

Design: Health care professionals working with palliative care patients in rural South Australia participated in semi-structured interviews.

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Background: Farmers face numerous barriers to accessing professional mental health services and instead report a preference for informal support systems, such as lay or peer networks. Farmers also experience barriers to investing time in maintaining or improving their wellbeing, stemming from sociocultural norms and attitudes that are widespread in agricultural communities. The Vocal Locals social network campaign is an ifarmwell initiative that aims to promote conversations about wellbeing and challenge attitudes and behaviours that contribute to farmers' poor mental health.

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Introduction: Diabetes-related foot disease (DFD) is one of the most prevalent causes of global hospitalisation and morbidity, and it accounts for up to 75% of lower-extremity amputations globally. The 5-year mortality rate following any amputation ranges from 53% to 100%. Early identification of wounds and multidisciplinary management can reduce amputation rates by 39-56%.

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Introduction: People exposed to bushfires are known to be at heightened risk of experiencing mental health challenges. When farms are impacted, farmers often risk losing not only their homes but also their businesses, containing their livestock, infrastructure and identities.

Objective: To understand the psychological experiences of farmers who have been exposed to fires on their farms and identify the coping strategies they already employ to recover and prepare psychologically for future bushfires.

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Isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 and 2 (IDH1 and IDH2) are metabolic enzymes that interconvert isocitrate and 2-oxoglutarate (2OG). Gain-of-function mutations in and occur in a number of cancers, including acute myeloid leukemia, glioma, cholangiocarcinoma, and chondrosarcoma. These mutations cripple the wild-type activity of IDH and cause the enzymes to catalyze a partial reverse reaction in which 2OG is reduced but not carboxylated, resulting in production of the ()-enantiomer of 2-hydroxyglutarate (()-2HG).

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Radiotherapy remains a common treatment modality for cancer despite skeletal complications. However, there are currently no effective treatments for radiation-induced bone loss, and the consequences of radiotherapy on skeletal progenitor cell (SPC) survival and function remain unclear. After radiation, leptin receptor-expressing cells, which include a population of SPCs, become localized to hypoxic regions of the bone and stabilize the transcription factor hypoxia-inducible factor-2α (HIF-2α), thus suggesting a role for HIF-2α in the skeletal response to radiation.

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Objective: The objective of this scoping review is to describe models of palliative care for under-served populations in high-income countries, defined as adults of culturally and linguistically diverse communities, low socioeconomic status, and/or residing in rural areas.

Introduction: Models of palliative care are processual, referring to the way palliative care services are delivered as people experience a condition, injury, or event. The aim of these models is to ensure people get the right care, at the right time, by the right team, in the right place.

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Background: Many Australians experience mental health challenges, but only a third access face-to-face psychological services, due to multiple barriers including long waitlists. Additional strategies to prevent or help people de-escalate distress at an early stage are needed. Web-based mental health interventions are becoming increasingly acceptable to consumers and referring General Practitioners (GPs), but most are designed for specific disorders/populations.

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Issue Addressed: Farmers experience skin cancer and die from melanoma at significantly higher rates than the general Australian population. This study examined Australian farmers' engagement with self-skin examinations (SSE), participation in clinical skin examinations (CSE) by a health professional, and self-reported barriers to engagement with these important skin cancer detection practices.

Methods: A cross-sectional, mixed-methods design was used.

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Background: Diabetes-related foot disease (DFD) accounts for up to 75% of lower-extremity amputations globally. Rural and remote communities are disproportionately affected by DFD. Telehealth has been advocated as a strategy to improve equity of access to health care in rural and remote communities.

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Introduction: A growing body of research has examined the physical, psychological, social and financial impacts of living kidney donation. However, little is known about the unique experiences or additional burdens faced by living donors from regional or remote locations.

Objective: To explore the experiences of living kidney donors who live outside metropolitan centres and to determine how support services could be orientated to better meet their unique needs.

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Introduction: Patient education is a critical component of healthcare delivery. However, medical information and knowledge are complex and can be difficult for patients and families to comprehend when delivered verbally. The use of virtual reality (VR) to convey medical information to patients may bridge this communication gap and lead to more effective patient education.

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Issue Addressed: Rurality is associated with poorer health outcomes and access to health services, yet a strength of rural living includes community cohesion indicated by high rates of volunteering. While volunteerism is an effective means to target health needs in resource-restricted contexts, research on volunteerism to address rural Australian health needs is limited. This research aimed to explore rural adults' perspectives of volunteerism in local activities and programs that had a direct health related benefit (health volunteering).

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Purpose: The aim of this research was to develop a contextually and culturally appropriate scale to assess farmers' barriers to health-related help-seeking.

Methods: An initial pool of items was developed from the academic literature and input from an expert panel of farmers, rural academics, and rural clinicians. A draft 32-item questionnaire was then developed and sent to farmers registered with FARMbase, which is an Australian national farmer database.

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Objective: To evaluate the psychometric properties of the Perceptions of Parental Illness Questionnaire for Cancer (PPIQ-C) among adolescents and young adults (AYAs).

Methods: A sample of 372 AYAs (aged 12-24 years) who had a parent diagnosed with cancer completed the PPIQ-C and the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10). Exploratory factor analyses were conducted to examine the dimensional structure of the PPIQ-C.

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Lipoprotein lipase (LPL) hydrolyzes triglycerides from circulating lipoproteins, releasing free fatty acids. Active LPL is needed to prevent hypertriglyceridemia, which is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Using cryogenic electron microscopy (cryoEM), we determined the structure of an active LPL dimer at 3.

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Introduction: Glycated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) is an important measure to assess glycemic control and predict diabetes complications. However, there is limited information on trends in HbA1c among people with diabetes (PwDs) who use insulin. The aim of this study was to describe trends in HbA1c among PwDs who use insulin by diabetes type and insulin regimen.

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Lipoprotein lipase (LPL), a crucial enzyme in the intravascular hydrolysis of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins, is a potential drug target for the treatment of hypertriglyceridemia. The activity and stability of LPL are influenced by a complex ligand network. Previous studies performed in dilute solutions suggest that LPL can appear in various oligomeric states.

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