Background: Genetic counselling aims to identify, and address, patient needs while facilitating informed decision-making about genetic testing and promoting empowerment and adaptation to genetic information. Increasing demand for cancer genetic testing and genetic counsellor workforce capacity limitations may impact the quality of genetic counselling provided. The use of a validated genetic-specific screening tool, the Genetic Psychosocial Risk Instrument (GPRI), may facilitate patient-centred genetic counselling.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: This study explored the experiences of young people with hereditary diffuse gastric cancer (HDGC), an inherited cancer predisposition syndrome, as they navigate becoming and being a parent.
Design: We used interpretive description and conducted semi-structured interviews with 13 young Australians (18-39 years) with a pathogenic variant (PV). Data were analyzed using team-based, reflexive thematic analysis.
J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry
July 2022
Germline loss-of-function variants in AXIN2 are associated with oligodontia and ectodermal dysplasia. The association between colorectal cancer (CRC) and colonic polyposis is less clear despite this gene now being included in multi-gene panels for CRC. Study participants were people with genetically unexplained colonic polyposis recruited to the Genetics of Colonic Polyposis Study who had a rare germline AXIN2 gene variant identified from either clinical multi-gene panel testing (n=2) or from whole genome/exome sequencing (n=2).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIncreasing demand for clinical genetic services may impact the resources and quality of genetic counseling, potentially impacting patient outcomes. Using a psychosocial screening tool may aid the provision of genetic counseling by reliably identifying patients' psychosocial needs. The Genetic Psychosocial Risk Instrument (GPRI) is a validated genetic-specific screening tool designed to identify psychological risk factors that predict distress in patients having genetic testing.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe most effective option for gastric cancer risk management in individuals with a CDH1 germline pathogenic or likely pathogenic variant (PV) in Australia is prophylactic total gastrectomy (PTG). There is, however, increasing confidence in endoscopic surveillance as a risk management strategy thus affording individuals with a CDH1 PV with challenging decisions regarding their gastric cancer risk management. For young people, this decision-making comes at a complex development stage of emerging and young adulthood.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCurrently there is no secured ongoing funding in Australia for next generation sequencing (NGS) such as exome sequencing (ES) for adult neurological disorders. Studies have focused on paediatric populations in research or highly specialised settings, utilised standard NGS pipelines focusing only on small insertions, deletions and single nucleotide variants, and not explored impacts on management in detail. This prospective multi-site study performed ES and an extended bioinformatics repeat expansion analysis pipeline, on patients with broad phenotypes (ataxia, dementia, dystonia, spastic paraparesis, motor neuron disease, Parkinson's disease and complex/not-otherwise-specified), with symptom onset between 2 and 60 years.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe AXIN2 gene, like APC, plays a role in the Wnt signalling pathway involved in colorectal tumour formation. Heterozygous mutations in AXIN2 have been shown to cause ectodermal dysplasia (including tooth agenesis, or more specifically, oligodontia), and, in some carriers, colorectal cancer and/or adenomatous polyposis develops. There is a paucity of published AXIN2 families making genotype-phenotype (polyposis, colorectal cancer and oligodontia) correlations challenging.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Environ Manage
October 2016
Sediment and phosphorus (P) are two primary pollutants of surface waters. Many studies have investigated loadings from upland sources or even streambed sediment, but in many cases, limited to no data exist to determine sediment and P loading from streambanks on a watershed scale. The objectives of this paper are to review the current knowledge base on streambank erosion and failure mechanisms, streambank P concentrations, and streambanks as P loading sources and then also to identify future research needs on this topic.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAbuse of methamphetamine (METH) is a major and significant societal problem in the US, as a number of studies have suggested that METH is associated with increased cerebrovascular events, hemorrhage or vasospasm. Although cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in METH-induced toxicity are not completely understood, changes in brain O₂ may play an important role and contribute to METH-induced neurotoxicity including dopaminergic receptor degradation. Given that O₂ is the terminal electron acceptor for many enzymes that are important in brain function, the impact of METH on brain tissue pO₂ in vivo remains largely uncharacterized.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe status epilepticus (SE) induced in rats by lithium-pilocarpine (Li-pilo) shares many common features with soman-induced SE including extensive limbic neuropathology. Reactive oxygen species are hypothesized to play a role in the SE induced neuropathology and we propose that the free radical scavengers alpha-phenyl-N-tert-butyl nitrone (PBN) and N-tert-butyl-alpha-(2 sulfophenyl) nitrone (S-PBN) may be neuroprotective. PBN or S-PBN were administered either immediately following pilocarpine (exposure treatment) or 5 min after the onset of SE as determined by ECoG activity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe status epilepticus (SE) induced in rats by lithium-pilocarpine (Li-pilo) shares many common features with soman-induced SE including a glutamatergic phase that is inhibited by NMDA antagonists. The present study determined whether 1-aminocyclopropanecarboxylic acid (ACPC) or D-cycloserine (DCS), both partial agonists of the strychnine-insensitive glycine site on the NMDA receptor ionophore complex, exerted anticonvulsant or neuroprotectant activity in Li-pilo SE. ACPC or DCS were administered either immediately following pilocarpine (exposure treatment) or 5 min after the onset of SE as determined by ECoG activity.
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