Are clinical trial eligibility criteria representative of older patients with lung cancer? A population-based data linkage study.

Objectives: Older adults constitute the majority of patients with lung cancer. However, they are under-represented in clinical trials as eligibility criteria often restrict enrolment based on comorbidities that are common with aging. We aimed to describe comorbidities relating to trial exclusion criteria in older adults with lung cancer, determine the proportion that would typically be excluded from trials, and examine the impact on treatment uptake.

AXL Inhibition in Macrophages Stimulates Host-versus-Leukemia Immunity and Eradicates Naïve and Treatment-Resistant Leukemia.

Acute leukemias are systemic malignancies associated with a dire outcome. Because of low immunogenicity, leukemias display a remarkable ability to evade immune control and are often resistant to checkpoint blockade. Here, we discover that leukemia cells actively establish a suppressive environment to prevent immune attacks by co-opting a signaling axis that skews macrophages toward a tumor-promoting tissue repair phenotype, namely the GAS6/AXL axis.

The changing face of Australian data reforms: impact on pharmacoepidemiology research.

Objective: A wealth of data is generated through Australia's universal health care arrangements. However, use of these data has been hampered by different federal and state legislation, privacy concerns and challenges in linking data across jurisdictions. A series of data reforms have been touted to increase population health research capacity in Australia, including pharmacoepidemiology research.

Underground heterosis for yield improvement in melon.

Heterosis, the superiority of hybrids over their parents, is a major genetic force associated with plant fitness and crop yield enhancement. We investigated root-mediated yield heterosis in melons (Cucumis melo) by characterizing a common variety grafted onto 190 hybrid rootstocks, resulting from crossing 20 diverse inbreds in a diallel-mating scheme. Hybrid rootstocks improved yield by more than 40% compared with their parents, and the best hybrid yield outperformed the reference commercial variety by 65% under both optimal and minimal irrigation treatments.

Search for Dark Matter Produced in Association with a Dark Higgs Boson Decaying into W^{±}W^{∓} or ZZ in Fully Hadronic Final States from sqrt[s]=13 TeV pp Collisions Recorded with the ATLAS Detector.

Several extensions of the Standard Model predict the production of dark matter particles at the LHC. An uncharted signature of dark matter particles produced in association with VV=W^{±}W^{∓} or ZZ pairs from a decay of a dark Higgs boson s is searched for using 139  fb^{-1} of pp collisions recorded by the ATLAS detector at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. The s→V(qq[over ¯])V(qq[over ¯]) decays are reconstructed with a novel technique aimed at resolving the dense topology from boosted VV pairs using jets in the calorimeter and tracking information.

Longitudinal Flow Decorrelations in Xe+Xe Collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=5.44 TeV with the ATLAS Detector.

The first measurement of longitudinal decorrelations of harmonic flow amplitudes v_{n} for n=2-4 in Xe+Xe collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=5.44  TeV is obtained using 3  μb^{-1} of data with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. The decorrelation signal for v_{3} and v_{4} is found to be nearly independent of collision centrality and transverse momentum (p_{T}) requirements on final-state particles, but for v_{2} a strong centrality and p_{T} dependence is seen.

Risk Factors for Repeat Infection and Mortality After Extraction of Infected Cardiovascular Implantable Electronic Devices.

Objectives: This study sought to investigate the factors associated with repeat infection following lead extraction procedures.

Background: Although lead extraction is an essential therapy for patients with cardiovascular implantable electronic device (CIED) infection, repeat infection still occurs in some patients.

Methods: The authors reviewed data for consecutive patients who underwent extraction of infected CIEDs from August 2003 to May 2019.

Sulfur Amino Acid Status Controls Selenium Methylation in Pseudomonas tolaasii: Identification of a Novel Metabolite from Promiscuous Enzyme Reactions.

Selenium (Se) deficiency affects many millions of people worldwide, and the volatilization of methylated Se species to the atmosphere may prevent Se from entering the food chain. Despite the extent of Se deficiency, little is known about fluxes in volatile Se species and their temporal and spatial variation in the environment, giving rise to uncertainty in atmospheric transport models. To systematically determine fluxes, one can rely on laboratory microcosm experiments to quantify Se volatilization in different conditions.

To Flip or Not to Flip: Learning Style Preferences among Millennial Physician Assistant Students.

Introduction: Presenting material in a manner that is most palatable to students is important to improve the learning process. We evaluated the efficacy of different teaching styles including the flipped classroom and assessed the learning style preferences of a cohort of medical learners in a preclinical obstetrics and gynecology course.

Methods: We conducted three teaching sessions with 35 physician assistant students.

Interrupted time series analysis using autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) models: a guide for evaluating large-scale health interventions.

Background: Interrupted time series analysis is increasingly used to evaluate the impact of large-scale health interventions. While segmented regression is a common approach, it is not always adequate, especially in the presence of seasonality and autocorrelation. An Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) model is an alternative method that can accommodate these issues.

Medium-Induced Modification of Z-Tagged Charged Particle Yields in Pb+Pb Collisions at 5.02 TeV with the ATLAS Detector.

The yield of charged particles opposite to a Z boson with large transverse momentum (p_{T}) is measured in 260  pb^{-1} of pp and 1.7  nb^{-1} of Pb+Pb collision data at 5.02 TeV per nucleon pair recorded with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider.

Ancestral haplotype reconstruction in endogamous populations using identity-by-descent.

In this work we develop a novel algorithm for reconstructing the genomes of ancestral individuals, given genotype or sequence data from contemporary individuals and an extended pedigree of family relationships. A pedigree with complete genomes for every individual enables the study of allele frequency dynamics and haplotype diversity across generations, including deviations from neutrality such as transmission distortion. When studying heritable diseases, ancestral haplotypes can be used to augment genome-wide association studies and track disease inheritance patterns.

Cardiac assessment in Australian patients receiving (neo)adjuvant trastuzumab for HER2-positive early breast cancer: a population-based study.

Purpose: Cardiac function assessment is important for detecting and managing trastuzumab-associated cardiotoxicity. Our study estimates rates and predictors of cardiac assessment among patients receiving trastuzumab for HER2-positive early breast cancer (HER2+EBC) in Australia.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of Australians initiating (neo)adjuvant trastuzumab for HER2+EBC between 1 January 2015 and 15 April 2019.

The ontogeny of kisspeptin receptor in the uterine contractions in rats: Its possible role in the quiescence of non-pregnant and pregnant uteri.

The objectives of this study were to investigate the effects of KISS1 94-121 fragment on the contractility of non-pregnant and pregnant rat uteri, and to determine the uterine and myometrial expressions of Kiss1r. Uterine muscle strips were obtained from non-pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats in oestrous phase and from pregnant rats on gestational days 5, 15, 18, 20 or 22. The in vitro contractility measurements were carried out in an isolated organ bath in the presence of KISS1 94-121.

Early serious illness communication in hospitalized patients: A study of the implementation of the Speaking About Goals and Expectations (SAGE) program.

Background: Early conversations about patients' goals and values in advancing serious illness (serious illness conversations) can drive better healthcare. However, these conversations frequently happen during acute illness, often near death, without time to realize benefits of early communication.

Methods: The Speaking About Goals and Expectations (SAGE) Program, adapted from the Serious Illness Care Program, is a multicomponent intervention designed to foster earlier and more comprehensive serious illness conversations for patients admitted to the hospital.

Observation and Measurement of Forward Proton Scattering in Association with Lepton Pairs Produced via the Photon Fusion Mechanism at ATLAS.

The observation of forward proton scattering in association with lepton pairs (e^{+}e^{-}+p or μ^{+}μ^{-}+p) produced via photon fusion is presented. The scattered proton is detected by the ATLAS Forward Proton spectrometer, while the leptons are reconstructed by the central ATLAS detector. Proton-proton collision data recorded in 2017 at a center-of-mass energy of sqrt[s]=13  TeV are analyzed, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 14.