Entry-level competency standards for optometry 2022.

The Entry-level Competency Standards for Optometry in Australia identify the required knowledge, skills and attributes for an optometrist to practise safely and competently. The 2022 competencies are the sixth generation of entry-level competency standards. To ensure the standards reflect contemporary practice and the expectations placed on optometrists, a full revision of the standards was commenced in late 2019.

Functional Outcomes of Congenital Scoliosis at a Mean 35-Year Follow-up Post In Situ Fusion. Revisiting Patients From the 2002 Goldberg et al Study.

Background: The management of congenital scoliosis poses a significant challenge for treating surgeons. The aim of our study was to provide insight into the long-term clinical results of spinal fusion in congenital scoliosis.

Methods: We performed a retrospective review of the scoliosis database in our institution for the period 1976 until 2002 identifying 43 patients with congenital scoliosis who underwent spinal fusion.

Collagen-I influences the post-translational regulation, binding partners and role of Annexin A2 in breast cancer progression.

Introduction: The extracellular matrix (ECM) has been heavily implicated in the development and progression of cancer. We have previously shown that Annexin A2 is integral in the migration and invasion of breast cancer cells and in the clinical progression of ER-negative breast cancer, processes which are highly influenced by the surrounding tumor microenvironment and ECM.

Methods: We investigated how modulations of the ECM may affect the role of Annexin A2 in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells using western blotting, immunofluorescent confocal microscopy and immuno-precipitation mass spectrometry techniques.

X-linked cerebral adrenoleukodystrophy.

A man in his 30s presented with a 6-month history of progressive left face, arm and leg weakness. Medical history included epilepsy and vitamin B deficiency. Three maternal second degree relatives died before the age of 7 from various neurological disorders.

Revised nucleic acid test window periods: Applications and limitations in organ donation practice.

Background: Nucleic acid test window periods for HIV, HCV, and HBV facilitate estimation of the residual risk of unexpected disease transmission and assist clinicians in determining the timeframe in which a recently acquired infection is at risk of nondetection.

Objectives: Firstly, to provide revised estimates of the NAT window periods based on a currently used triplex NAT assay. Secondly, to examine their validity in organ donation and transplantation practice.

Large-scale characterization of hospital wastewater system microbiomes and clinical isolates from infected patients: profiling of multi-drug-resistant microbial species.

Background: Hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) and infectious agents exhibiting antimicrobial resistance (AMR) are challenges globally. Environmental patient-facing wastewater apparatus including handwashing sinks, showers and toilets are increasingly identified as sources of infectious agents and AMR genes.

Aim: To provide large-scale metagenomics analysis of wastewater systems in a large teaching hospital in the Republic of Ireland experiencing multi-drug-resistant HAI outbreaks.

Weight Gain and Nutritional Improvement After Magnetically Controlled Growing Rod Surgery in Early-Onset Scoliosis: A Single Centre Analysis of 68 Patients.

Background: Early-onset scoliosis (EOS) is frequently associated with complex spine and chest wall deformities that may lead to severe cardiopulmonary impairment and malnutrition. The aim of this study is to evaluate the change in the nutritional status of EOS patients after treatment with magnetically controlled growing rod instrumentation (MCGR) in a single center.

Methods: We prospectively collected data of patients treated with MCGR for EOS in a single center.

Histone Deacetylase 6 Inhibition Exploits Selective Metabolic Vulnerabilities in LKB1 Mutant, KRAS Driven NSCLC.

Introduction: In KRAS-mutant NSCLC, co-occurring alterations in LKB1 confer a negative prognosis compared with other mutations such as TP53. LKB1 is a tumor suppressor that coordinates several signaling pathways in response to energetic stress. Our recent work on pharmacologic and genetic inhibition of histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6) revealed the impaired activity of numerous enzymes involved in glycolysis.

Recently Acquired Blood-borne Virus Infections in Australian Deceased Organ Donors: Estimation of the Residual Risk of Unexpected Transmission.

Unlabelled: Unexpected donor-derived infections of hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and HIV are rare but important potential complications of deceased organ transplantation. The prevalence of recently acquired (yield) infections has not been previously described in a national cohort of Australian deceased organ donors. Donor yield infections are of particularly significance, as they can be used to gain insights in the incidence of disease in the donor pool and in turn, estimate the risk of unexpected disease transmission to recipients.

What Are the Effects of Posterior Corrective Surgery, With or Without Thoracoplasty, on Pulmonary Function in Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis? A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Study Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objectives: This study's objective is to provide a critical review of the current literature regarding the changes in pulmonary function (PF) in Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) patients who have undergone posterior spinal fusion and instrumentation (PSF), with and without thoracoplasty (TP).

Methods: A comprehensive search was performed using the following databases: EMBASE, PubMed, EBSCOhost (CINAHL and Medline) and OpenGrey.

An Outbreak of Japanese Encephalitis Virus in Australia; What Is the Risk to Blood Safety?

A widespread outbreak of Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) was detected in mainland Australia in 2022 in a previous non-endemic area. Given JEV is known to be transfusion-transmissible, a rapid blood-safety risk assessment was performed using a simple deterministic model to estimate the risk to blood safety over a 3-month outbreak period during which 234,212 donors attended. The cumulative estimated incidence in donors was 82 infections with an estimated 4.

West Nile virus transfusion-transmission risk in Australia associated with a seasonal outbreak in the United States.

Background: West Nile virus (WNV) is a potentially transfusion-transmissible virus endemic in the US. The aim of this study was to estimate the monthly WNV transfusion transmission (TT) risk in Australia associated with donors returning from the US in 2018 and consider the implications for mitigation strategies.

Study Design And Methods: We used a probabilistic risk model to estimate the monthly WNV TT risks for each outbreak state/district in the US for the 2018 transmission season and the cumulative monthly risk for all US states/districts.

The Utility of Myositis Specific Antibodies in Clinical Practice.

Background: Fifteen myositis-specific antibodies have been described and characterized over the past 40 years. Approximately two thirds of patients with idiopathic inflammatory myositis have a myositis-specific antibody and only rarely more than one. Assays to detect them are now widely available within clinical practice.

Risk of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease transmission by blood transfusion in Australia.

Background And Objectives: Most of the 233 worldwide cases of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) have been reported in the United Kingdom and 3 have been associated with transfusion-transmission. To mitigate the potential vCJD risk to blood safety, Australian Red Cross Lifeblood imposes restrictions on blood donation from people with prior residency in, or extended travel to, the United Kingdom during the risk period 1980-1996. We have modified a previously published methodology to estimate the transfusion-transmission risk of vCJD associated with fresh component transfusion in Australia if the UK residence deferral was removed.