Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is a highly infectious transboundary emergency animal disease posing a significant threat to the global economy. Australia strengthened border security following the 2022 FMD outbreak in Indonesia allocating resources to promote biosecurity awareness and engagement. This study qualitatively investigated the impact of this extension on the biosecurity perceptions and practices of sheep producers in New South Wales, Australia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNeuronal connection dysfunction is a convergent cause of cognitive deficits in mental disorders. Cognitive processes are finely regulated at the synaptic level by membrane proteins, some of which are shed and detectable in patients' cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). However, whether these soluble synaptic proteins can harnessed as innovative pro-cognitive factors to treat brain disorders remains unclear.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRegional neuron loss following stroke can result in remote brain changes due to diaschisis and secondary brain atrophy. Whole brain changes post-stroke can be captured by the predicted brain age difference (brain-PAD), a neuroimaging-derived biomarker of global brain health previously associated with poorer chronic stroke outcomes. We hypothesized that greater lesion damage would be longitudinally associated with worsening brain-PAD during subacute stroke, and conversely, that poorer baseline brain-PAD would be associated with enlarged lesion damage.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Melioidosis, caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei, is an important disease that is endemic in areas of northern Australia and can cause a wide range of clinical signs in people and animals. There is limited published data on the disease in marsupials.
Case Report: Two captive red-legged pademelons (Thylogale stigmatica) with collective signs of lethargy, dysphagia and bloody oral discharge were submitted for necropsy and showed variations in pathology findings ranging from multifocal abscessation in various tissues to evidence of fulminant septicaemia.
Little is known about the causes of the decline in blue mussel populations in the North Atlantic. If mussel beds are to be protected, and maybe even restored, we need knowledge about environmental conditions under which blue mussels can survive and grow. Wave exposure impacts the growth and abundance of blue mussels by impacting food availability, predation, competition and sedimentation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Prognoses for pediatric brain tumors are suboptimal, as even in low-grade tumors, management techniques can lead to damage in the developing brain. Therefore, advanced neuroimaging methods are critical for developing optimal management plans and improving patient care. Magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) has allowed for the characterization of adult gliomas by their mechanical properties, which are uniquely sensitive to the complex interplay of cellularity, vasculature, and interstitium.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEfficient traceability is paramount for Australia's biosecurity system and market access. Electronic identification (eID) offers higher traceability performance than that achieved with visual and mob-based identification used for the sheep and goats National Livestock Identification System (NLIS). The current study aims to gain an understanding of the barriers and motivations of using eID for NLIS sheep and goats in New South Wales (NSW) and to provide recommendations to support the transition to eID.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The use of both clinical factors and social determinants of health (SDoH) in referral decision-making for case management may improve optimal use of resources and reduce outcome disparities among patients with diabetes.
Objective: This study proposes the development of a data-driven decision-support system incorporating interactions between clinical factors and SDoH into an algorithm for prioritizing who receives case management services. The paper presents a design for prediction validation and preimplementation assessment that uses a mixed methods approach to guide the implementation of the system.
Background: Limited evidence exists on the preferred feeding method when breastfeeding is not possible in late and moderate preterm (LMPT) infants. This RCT evaluates growth, safety, and tolerance of a concept infant formula (IF) with large, milk phospholipid-coated lipid droplets enriched in dairy lipids in LMPT infants with primary objective to demonstrate non-inferiority of daily weight gain from randomization to 3 months corrected age compared to a standard IF.
Methods: LMPT infants were randomized before or around term equivalent age to either the concept (n = 21) or standard IF (n = 20).
A hexanucleotide GGGGCC repeat expansion in the non-coding region of the C9orf72 gene is the most common genetic mutation identified in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). The resulting repeat RNA and dipeptide repeat proteins from non-conventional repeat translation have been recognized as important markers associated with the diseases. CRISPR/Cas13d, a powerful RNA-targeting tool, has faced challenges in effectively targeting RNA with stable secondary structures.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Body composition, blood pressure, estimated maximal oxygen uptake (VO), lung function, physical activity, muscle architecture, and endothelial function had not previously been examined in people with young onset dementia. Therefore, the study measured these variables in a young onset dementia group, compared them to age-matched controls.
Methods: Estimated VO (via the Astrand-Rhyming test), body composition, blood pressure, lung function (via spirometry), muscle architecture (via ultrasonography), and endothelial function (via flow-mediated dilation) were assessed.
Elevated blood ketone levels (ketosis) in inpatients with diabetes can herald diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). However, ketosis can also occur in individuals without diabetes in certain settings. It is unclear what proportion of inpatients with ketosis are in DKA and which patients are at the highest risk of DKA.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA fire in one of the Windscale nuclear reactors at Sellafield (Cumbria, England) in October 1957 released 1,800 TBq of I (half-life, 8 days) to atmosphere. Measurements of I activity in thyroids of exposed children showed typical thyroid doses of tens of milligray, but with some exceeding 100 mGy. Radiation exposure in childhood is known to increase the risk of thyroid cancer.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA 17-year-old male presented with acute onset right-sided facial swelling, trismus, pharyngitis, and sepsis. An initial CT abdomen and pelvis revealed multifocal bilateral nodular cavitary lung lesions. CT soft tissue neck with contrast demonstrated a parapharyngeal abscess and thrombophlebitis of the right internal jugular vein.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe timing of exposure to the steroid hormone, testosterone, produces activational and organizational effects in vertebrates. These activational and organizational effects are hypothesized to relate with the number of female mating partners and reproductive success in males. We tested this hypothesis by examining 151 wild degu (Octodon degus) males across a 10-year study.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFetal intracranial teratoma presents a rare and devastating diagnosis. Typically, this condition is first detected during routine prenatal ultrasounds, appearing as an irregular heterogeneous lesion. Further insights are gained through fetal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), better characterizing the anomaly.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMany bees visit just one flower species during a foraging trip, i.e. they show flower constancy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground And Objectives: Quality improvement (QI) and simulation employ complementary approaches to improve the care provided to patients. There is a significant opportunity to leverage these disciplines, yet little is known about how they are utilized in concert. The purpose of this study is to explore how QI and simulation have been used together in health care.
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