The effects of plasma exchange and glucocorticoids on early kidney function among patients with ANCA-associated vasculitis in the PEXIVAS trial.

Therapeutic plasma exchange (PLEX) is an adjunctive treatment for patients with anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis and kidney involvement. Little is known about the effect of PLEX on early changes in kidney function. This post-hoc analysis of the PEXIVAS trial investigated the effects of PLEX on changes in kidney function within 12 months.

aPKC/Par3/Par6 polarity complexes regulate podocyte motility and crescent formation in the progression of ANCA-associated vasculitis.

Objectives: Podocyte bridging may be a key initial event occurring early in crescent formation. This study aims to probe the underlying mechanism of atypical protein kinase C (aPKC)/protease-activated receptor 3(Par3)/Par6 polarity complexes on podocyte motility and crescent formation during the progression of antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV).

Methods: The effects of anti-TNF-α monoclonal antibody (mAb) on the crescent formation, localization and expression of aPKC/Par3/Par6 polarity complexes, and activities of small GTPases (Rho/Rac1/Cdc42) were explored in an AAV mouse model.

Host-specific viral predation network on coral reefs.

Viral infections are major modulators of marine microbial community assembly and biogeochemical cycling. In coral reefs, viral lysis controls bacterial overgrowth that is detrimental to coral health. However, methodological limitations have prevented the identification of viral hosts and quantification of their interaction frequencies.

Ontology-based integration and querying of heterogeneous rare disease data sources - POLVAS perspective.

The integration of rare disease medical databases belonging to different countries is an important problem, as a large number of observations are required for reliable statistical inference of patient data in order to facilitate clinical research. Such integration of national registry data, which requires harmonization of the heterogeneous data sets into a unified view, is facilitated in the European FAIRVASC project by developing a domain-specific ontology. The FAIRVASC project is dedicated to the rare disease of anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA) associated vasculitis (AAV).

Autoantibodies towards HFE and SYT5 in anti-neutrophil cytoplasm antibody-associated vasculitis relapse.

Objective: Identification of those at high and low risk of disease relapse is a major unmet need in the management of patients with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV). Precise stratification would allow tailoring of immunosuppressive medication. We profiled the autoantibody repertoire of AAV patients in remission to identify novel autoantibodies associated with relapse risk.

Evaluation of nurse practitioners' extended scope of practice in a regional hospital emergency department in tropical Australia.

Objectives: There is very little literature examining the workload and impact of nurse practitioners (NPs) working in emergency departments (ED) in regional and rural Australia. The aim of this paper was to review the ED NPs scope of practice in the ED discharge stream and patient outcomes at Cairns Hospital over a 7-month period.

Methods: This retrospective study examined the ED electronic medical record between 14 May 2019 and 31 December 2019.

Enabling data linkages for rare diseases in a resilient environment with the SERDIF framework.

Environmental factors amplified by climate change contribute significantly to the global burden of disease, disproportionately impacting vulnerable populations, such as individuals with rare diseases. Researchers require innovative, dynamic data linkage methods to enable the development of risk prediction models, particularly for diseases like vasculitis with unknown aetiology but potential environmental triggers. In response, we present the Semantic Environmental and Rare Disease Data Integration Framework (SERDIF).

Advantages of metagenomic next-generation sequencing in the management of ANCA-associated vasculitis patients with suspected pulmonary infection as a rule-out tool.

Objective: Pulmonary infection is one of the leading causes of death in patients with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV). It is sometimes difficult to differentiate pulmonary infection from pulmonary involvement of vasculitis in AAV patients. Fiberoptic bronchoscopy and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) assays are useful diagnostic methods.

Two-Year Outcomes of Prostatic Artery Embolization for Symptomatic Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia: An International, Multicenter, Prospective Study.

Purpose: To describe clinical outcomes among patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) 24 months following prostatic artery embolization (PAE).

Materials And Methods: This was an international, multicenter, prospective trial of males with BPH with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) or acute urinary retention (AUR) treated with PAE. The primary outcome was the 12 month change in the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) for patients referred for bothersome LUTS, or urinary catheter independence for patients treated for AUR.

Data-driven subclassification of ANCA-associated vasculitis: model-based clustering of a federated international cohort.

Background: Antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis is a heterogenous autoimmune disease. While traditionally stratified into two conditions, granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) and microscopic polyangiitis (MPA), the subclassification of ANCA-associated vasculitis is subject to continued debate. Here we aim to identify phenotypically distinct subgroups and develop a data-driven subclassification of ANCA-associated vasculitis, using a large real-world dataset.

Recommendations on statistical approaches to account for dose uncertainties in radiation epidemiologic risk models.

Purpose: Epidemiological studies of stochastic radiation health effects such as cancer, meant to estimate risks of the adverse effects as a function of radiation dose, depend largely on estimates of the radiation doses received by the exposed group under study. Those estimates are based on dosimetry that always has uncertainty, which often can be quite substantial. Studies that do not incorporate statistical methods to correct for dosimetric uncertainty may produce biased estimates of risk and incorrect confidence bounds on those estimates.

Revisiting an Inverse Dose-Fractionation Effect of Ionizing Radiation Exposure for Ischemic Heart Disease: Insights from Recent Studies.

Over the last two decades, there has been emerging evidence suggesting that ionizing radiation exposures could be associated with elevated risks of cardiovascular disease (CVD), particularly ischemic heart disease (IHD). Excess CVD risks have been observed in a number of exposed groups, with generally similar risk estimates both at low and high radiation doses and dose rates. In 2014, we reported for the first time significantly higher risks of IHD mortality when radiation doses were delivered over a protracted period of time (an inverse dose-fractionation effect) in the Canadian Fluoroscopy Cohort Study.