Blood and urine multi-omics analysis of the impact of e-vaping, smoking, and cessation: from exposome to molecular responses.

Cigarette smoking is a major preventable cause of morbidity and mortality. While quitting smoking is the best option, switching from cigarettes to non-combustible alternatives (NCAs) such as e-vapor products is a viable harm reduction approach for smokers who would otherwise continue to smoke. A key challenge for the clinical assessment of NCAs is that self-reported product use can be unreliable, compromising the proper evaluation of their risk reduction potential.

Impact of the '10,000 lives' program on Quitline referrals, use and outcomes by demography and Indigenous status.

Introduction: In November 2017, Central Queensland Public Health Unit launched the '10,000 Lives' initiative to reduce smoking prevalence in Central Queensland. The program partnered with local champions and other programs (e.g.

Parent ratings on the MEMRY questionnaire predict children's academic performance.

Given the high rates of learning challenges in children with medical conditions, efficient and reliable screening methods are crucial. This study examined whether parent report of daily learning and memory predicts academic achievement in youth. Parents of 213 youth (aged 6-18) with varied medical diagnoses completed the Multidimensional Everyday Memory Ratings for Youth (MEMRY), and youth completed subtests from the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test-Third Edition (WIAT-III) as part of a comprehensive assessment.

Hepatocellular carcinoma amongst Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples of Australia.

Background: Liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are important contributors to the mortality gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. However, there is a lack of population based high quality data assessing the differences in HCC epidemiology and outcomes according to Indigenous status. The aim of this study was therefore to perform a large epidemiological study of HCC investigating differences between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians with HCC.

Advances in the Detection of Toxic Algae Using Electrochemical Biosensors.

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) are more frequent as climate changes and tropical toxic species move northward, especially along the Iberian Peninsula, a rich aquaculture area. Monitoring programs, detecting the presence of toxic algae before they bloom, are of paramount importance to protect ecosystems, aquaculture, human health and local economies. Rapid, reliable species identification methods using molecular barcodes coupled to biosensor detection tools have received increasing attention as an alternative to the legally required but impractical microscopic counting-based techniques.

End-of-life care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with cancer: an exploratory study of service utilisation and unmet supportive care needs.

Background: Indigenous Australians diagnosed with cancer have substantially higher cancer mortality rates compared with non-Indigenous Australians, yet there is a paucity of information about their end-of-life service utilisation and supportive care needs.

Purpose: To describe the service utilisation and supportive care needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with cancer at end-of-life.

Method: Hospital admission data were linked to self-reported data from a study of Indigenous cancer patients from Queensland, Australia during the last year of their life.

Neuropsychological profiles of two patients with differing SCN8A-pathogenic variants.

The impact of gene-related early infancy onset epilepsies in cognitive development can be potentially devastating. Here we report two cases of SCN8A-related epilepsy that highlight the neuropsychological heterogeneity seen with differing de-novo pathogenic variants. Case 1 is a 6-year-old right-handed girl who presented with SCN8A-developmental and epileptic encephalopathy (SCN8A-DEE) and a missense pathogenic variant (c.

Application of the μAqua microarray for pathogenic organisms across a marine/freshwater interface.

Monitoring drinking water quality is an important public health issue and pathogenic organisms present a particularly serious health hazard in freshwater bodies. However, many pathogenic bacteria, including cyanobacteria, and pathogenic protozoa can be swept into coastal lagoons and into near-shore marine environments where they continue to grow and pose a health threat to marine mammals and invertebrates. In this study, we tested the suitability of a phylochip (microarray for species detection) developed for freshwater pathogenic organisms to be applied to samples taken across a marine/freshwater interface at monthly intervals for two years.

Empowering Voice through the Creation of a Safe space: An experience of Aboriginal Women in Regional Queensland.

Background: Sharing stories creates a space for respectful conversation and contributes to both knowledge and a sense of fellowship. This paper reflects on the experience of the research team in supporting a group of Aboriginal women to create safe spaces and to share their stories of healing, social and emotional wellbeing.

Methods: Secondary data of a study exploring community perceptions about cancer were analysed using the holistic model of Indigenous Wellbeing developed by the Rumbalara Aboriginal Cooperative (2008).

Development of a qPCR assay to detect and quantify ichthyotoxic flagellates along the Norwegian coast, and the first Norwegian record of Fibrocapsa japonica (Raphidophyceae).

Blooms of ichthyotoxic microalgae pose a great challenge to the aquaculture industry world-wide, and there is a need for fast and specific methods for their detection and quantification in monitoring programs. In this study, quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) assays for the detection and enumeration of three ichthyotoxic flagellates: the dinoflagellate Karenia mikimotoi (Miyake & Kominami ex Oda) Hansen & Moestrup and the two raphidophytes Heterosigma akashiwo (Hada) Hada ex Hara & Chihara and Fibrocapsa japonica Toriumi & Takano were developed. Further, a previously published qPCR assay for the dinoflagellate Karlodinium veneficum (Ballantine) Larsen was used.

Molecular detection of harmful cyanobacteria and expression of their toxin genes in Dutch lakes using multi-probe RNA chips.

Harmful cyanobacterial blooms are a major threat to water quality and human health. Adequate risk assessment is thus required, which relies strongly on comprehensive monitoring. Here, we tested novel multi-probe RNA chips developed in the European project, μAqua, to determine the abundance of harmful cyanobacterial species and expression of selected toxin genes in six Dutch lakes.

Seasonal dynamics of freshwater pathogens as measured by microarray at Lake Sapanca, a drinking water source in the north-eastern part of Turkey.

Monitoring drinking water quality is an important public health issue. Two objectives from the 4 years, six nations, EU Project μAqua were to develop hierarchically specific probes to detect and quantify pathogens in drinking water using a PCR-free microarray platform and to design a standardised water sampling program from different sources in Europe to obtain sufficient material for downstream analysis. Our phylochip contains barcodes (probes) that specifically identify freshwater pathogens that are human health risks in a taxonomic hierarchical fashion such that if species is present, the entire taxonomic hierarchy (genus, family, order, phylum, kingdom) leading to it must also be present, which avoids false positives.

Molecular Techniques for the Detection of Organisms in Aquatic Environments, with Emphasis on Harmful Algal Bloom Species.

Molecular techniques to detect organisms in aquatic ecosystems are being gradually considered as an attractive alternative to standard laboratory methods. They offer faster and more accurate means of detecting and monitoring species, with respect to their traditional homologues based on culture and microscopic counting. Molecular techniques are particularly attractive when multiple species need to be detected and/or are in very low abundance.

A validated UPLC-MS/MS method for the surveillance of ten aquatic biotoxins in European brackish and freshwater systems.

Over the past few decades, there has been an increased frequency and duration of cyanobacterial Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) in freshwater systems globally. These can produce secondary metabolites called cyanotoxins, many of which are hepatotoxins, raising concerns about repeated exposure through ingestion of contaminated drinking water or food or through recreational activities such as bathing/swimming. An ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) multi-toxin method has been developed and validated for freshwater cyanotoxins; microcystins-LR, -YR, -RR, -LA, -LY and -LF, nodularin, cylindrospermopsin, anatoxin-a and the marine diatom toxin domoic acid.

Distribution, occurrence and biotoxin composition of the main shellfish toxin producing microalgae within European waters: A comparison of methods of analysis.

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) are a natural global phenomena emerging in severity and extent. Incidents have many economic, ecological and human health impacts. Monitoring and providing early warning of toxic HABs are critical for protecting public health.

Microarray (phylochip) analysis of freshwater pathogens at several sites along the Northern German coast transecting both estuarine and freshwaters.

Monitoring the quality of drinking water is an important issue for public health. Two of the main objectives of the European Project μAQUA were (i) the development of specific probes to detect and quantify pathogens in drinking water and (ii) the design of standardized sampling programs of water from different sources in Europe in order to obtain sufficient material for downstream analysis. Our phylochip contains barcodes that specifically identify freshwater pathogens for enabling the detection of organisms that can be risks for human health.

Electrochemical RNA genosensors for toxic algal species: enhancing selectivity and sensitivity.

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) are becoming more frequent as climate changes, with tropical species moving northward. Monitoring programs detecting the presence of toxic algae before they bloom are of paramount importance to protect aquatic ecosystems, aquaculture, human health and local economies. Rapid and reliable species identification methods using molecular barcodes coupled to biosensor detection tools have received increasing attention over the past decade as an alternative to the impractical standard microscopic counting-based techniques.

Monitoring of freshwater toxins in European environmental waters by using novel multi-detection methods.

Monitoring the quality of freshwater is an important issue for public health. In the context of the European project μAqua, 150 samples were collected from several waters in France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, and Turkey for 2 yr. These samples were analyzed using 2 multitoxin detection methods previously developed: a microsphere-based method coupled to flow-cytometry, and an ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) method.

Detection of Human Enteric Viruses in Freshwater from European Countries.

The transmission of water-borne pathogens typically occurs by a faecal-oral route, through inhalation of aerosols, or by direct or indirect contact with contaminated water. Previous molecular-based studies have identified viral particles of zoonotic and human nature in surface waters. Contaminated water can lead to human health issues, and the development of rapid methods for the detection of pathogenic microorganisms is a valuable tool for the prevention of their spread.

Are Prorocentrum hoffmannianum and Prorocentrum belizeanum (DINOPHYCEAE, PROROCENTRALES), the same species? An integration of morphological and molecular data.

The taxonomic assignment of Prorocentrum species is based on morphological characteristics; however, morphological variability has been found for several taxa isolated from different geographical regions. In this study, we evaluated species boundaries of Prorocentrum hoffmannianum and Prorocentrum belizeanum based on morphological and molecular data. A detailed morphological analysis was done, concentrating on the periflagellar architecture.

New Insights into Plagiogrammaceae (Bacillariophyta) Based on Multigene Phylogenies and Morphological Characteristics with the Description of a New Genus and Three New Species.

Plagiogrammaceae, a poorly described family of diatoms, are common inhabitants of the shallow marine littoral zone, occurring either in the sediments or as epiphytes. Previous molecular phylogenies of the Plagiogrammaceae were inferred but included only up to six genera: Plagiogramma, Dimeregramma, Neofragilaria, Talaroneis, Psammogramma and Psammoneis. In this paper, we describe a new plagiogrammoid genus, Orizaformis, obtained from Bohai Sea (China) and present molecular phylogenies of the family based on three and four genes (nuclear-encoded large and small subunit ribosomal RNAs and chloroplast-encoded rbcL and psbC).

Detection of emerging and re-emerging pathogens in surface waters close to an urban area.

Current knowledge about the spread of pathogens in aquatic environments is scarce probably because bacteria, viruses, algae and their toxins tend to occur at low concentrations in water, making them very difficult to measure directly. The purpose of this study was the development and validation of tools to detect pathogens in freshwater systems close to an urban area. In order to evaluate anthropogenic impacts on water microbiological quality, a phylogenetic microarray was developed in the context of the EU project µAQUA to detect simultaneously numerous pathogens and applied to samples from two different locations close to an urban area located upstream and downstream of Rome in the Tiber River.

Uptake of influenza vaccination in pregnancy amongst Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women: a mixed-methods pilot study.

Background: Influenza infection during pregnancy causes significant morbidity and mortality. Immunisation against influenza is recommended during pregnancy in several countries however, there are limited data on vaccine uptake, and the determinants of vaccination, in pregnant Australian Aboriginal and/or Torres Islander women. This study aimed to collect pilot data on vaccine uptake and attitudes towards, and perceptions of, maternal influenza vaccination in this population in order to inform the development of larger studies.