Spectroscopic Methods for Detecting Conformational Changes During Sec18-Lipid Interactions.

Vacuole fusion is driven by SNARE proteins that require activation-or priming-by the AAA+ protein Sec18 (NSF) before they can bring membranes together and trigger the merger of two bilayers into a continuous membrane. Sec18 resides on vacuoles prior to engaging inactive cis-SNARE complexes through its interaction with the regulatory lipid phosphatidic acid (PA). Binding PA causes Sec18 to undergo large conformational changes that keeps it bound to the membrane, thus precluding its interactions with SNAREs.

Circulating immune biomarkers correlating with response in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma on immunotherapy.

As multiple front-line immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI)-based combinations are approved for metastatic renal cell carcinoma, biomarkers predicting for ICI responses are needed past clinical prognostication scores and transcriptome gene expression profiling. Circulating markers represent opportunities to assess baseline and dynamic changes in immune cell frequency and cytokine levels while on treatment. We conducted an exploratory prospective correlative study of 33 patients with metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma undergoing treatment with ICIs and correlated changes in circulating immune cell subsets and cytokines with clinical responses to treatment.

Submacular Hemorrhage Rates Following Anti-Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Injections for Exudative Age-Related Macular Degeneration.

Purpose: To examine rates of submacular hemorrhage in patients undergoing anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) injections, comparing rates between specific anti-VEGF agents.

Design: Retrospective clinical cohort study.

Methods: All patients in the database from January 2015 to November 2023 with a diagnosis of neovascular age-related macular degeneration and accompanying submacular hemorrhage (SMH).

Kidney complications in children with bronchopulmonary dysplasia.

Background: To describe kidney outcomes in a cohort of children with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD).

Methods: We assessed short-term (acute kidney injury defined using neonatal KDIGO criteria) and long-term kidney outcomes, including chronic kidney disease (defined as a GFR < 90 ml/min/1.73 m), albuminuria, and hypertension in a single-center retrospective cohort of children with BPD born between 2010 and 2020.

Urinary Neutrophil Gelatinase-Associated Lipocalin Values in Preterm Neonates: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Objective:  Acute kidney injury (AKI) is common in hospitalized preterm neonates. Urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (uNGAL) is a promising noninvasive AKI biomarker. However, normal values of uNGAL in preterm neonates without AKI are poorly characterized.

Characterization of the Biological Variability of the Angiome Biomarkers over Time in Healthy Participants.

Background: Biomarker analyses are an integral part of cancer research. Despite the intense efforts to identify and characterize biomarkers in patients with cancer, little is known regarding the natural variation of biomarkers in healthy populations. Here we conducted a clinical study to evaluate the natural variability of biomarkers over time in healthy participants.

Utilising integrated bio-behavioural surveillance (IBBS) to investigate declining hepatitis C antibody prevalence among people who inject drugs in the Australian Needle and Syringe Program Survey.

Background: Prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibody (Ab) on dried blood spot (DBS) samples in the Australian Needle and Syringe Program Survey (ANSPS) decreased nationally from 57 % in 2015 to 32 % in 2022. We aimed to investigate potential explanations for this decline.

Methods: Changes in DBS HCV Ab prevalence were investigated by redefining positive cases as those with those with either a positive HCV Ab test result or a self-reported history of ever having HCV treatment (modified prevalence), examining HCV Ab prevalence by birth and age cohorts, and assessing trends in key risk behaviours.

Trends in Research Payments for Age-Related Macular Degeneration From 2015 to 2021.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate characteristics of industry and public research payments for age-related macular degeneration studies.

Materials And Methods: Studies involving "age-related macular degeneration" or "AMD" from 2015 to 2021 were extracted from the Open Payments Database and the National Eye Institute RePORTER tool and compared to each other.

Results: From 2015 to 2021, 620 ophthalmologists received $178,394,734.

Acquisition of Prehospital Stroke Severity Scale is associated with shorter door-to-puncture times in patients with prehospital notifications transported directly to a thrombectomy center.

Background: We sought to identify systemic factors influencing door-to-puncture times (DTP) among patients with pre-arrival notifications presenting directly to a comprehensive stroke center (CSC) and undergoing emergent mechanical thrombectomy (MT).

Methods: In this retrospective analysis of a prospectively maintained registry of acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients undergoing MT at two CSCs between January 2021 and October 2023, we included consecutive AIS patients presenting directly to the CSC with pre-arrival notifications via emergency medical services (EMS) and who underwent emergent MT. We excluded patients with known confounders to DTP and divided this cohort into two groups: DTP ≤75 min and >75 min.

Kidney Health Monitoring in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Graduates: A Modified Delphi Consensus Statement.

Importance: Kidney disease is common in infants admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Despite the risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in infants discharged from the NICU, neither evidence- nor expert-based recommendations exist to guide clinical care after discharge.

Objective: To develop recommendations for risk stratification and kidney health monitoring among infants after discharge from the NICU.

Preservation of functionality, immunophenotype, and recovery of HIV RNA from PBMCs cryopreserved for more than 20 years.

Background: Many research laboratories have long-term repositories of cryopreserved peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), which are costly to maintain but are of uncertain utility for immunological studies after decades in storage. This study investigated preservation of cell surface phenotypes and functional capacity of PBMC from viraemic HIV+ patients and healthy seronegative control subjects, after more than 20 years of cryopreservation.

Methods: PBMC were assessed by 18-colour flow cytometry for major lymphocyte subsets within T, B, NK, and dendritic cells and monocytes.

Characteristics and outcomes of children ≤ 10 kg receiving continuous kidney replacement therapy: a WE-ROCK study.

Background: Continuous kidney replacement therapy (CKRT) is often used for acute kidney injury (AKI) or fluid overload (FO) in children ≤ 10 kg. Intensive care unit (ICU) mortality in children ≤ 10 kg reported by the prospective pediatric CRRT (ppCRRT, 2001-2003) registry was 57%. We aimed to evaluate characteristics associated with ICU mortality using a contemporary registry.

Utilising Integrated Bio-behavioural Surveillance (IBBS) to investigate declining hepatitis C antibody prevalence among people who inject drugs in the Australian Needle and Syringe Program Survey.

Background: Prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibody (Ab) on dried blood spot (DBS) samples in the Australian Needle and Syringe Program Survey (ANSPS) decreased nationally from 57% in 2015 to 32% in 2022. We aimed to investigate potential explanations for this decline.

Methods: Changes in DBS HCV Ab prevalence were investigated by redefining positive cases as those with those with either a positive HCV Ab test result or a self-reported history of ever having HCV treatment (modified prevalence), examining HCV Ab prevalence by birth and age cohorts, and assessing trends in key risk behaviours.

ADVANCE: a biomedical informatics approach to investigate acute kidney injury in infants.

Background: Acute kidney injury (AKI) occurs in up to half of infants admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and is associated with increased risks of death and more days of mechanical ventilation, hospitalization, and vasopressor drug support. Our objective was to build a granular relational database to study the impact that AKI has on infants admitted to Level-IV NICUs.

Methods: A relational database was created by linking data from the Children's Hospitals Neonatal Database with AKI-focused data from electronic health records from 9 centers.

Association of delayed cord clamping with acute kidney injury and two-year kidney outcomes in extremely premature neonates: a secondary analysis of the Preterm Erythropoietin Neuroprotection Trial (PENUT).

Background: Delayed cord clamping (DCC) occurs in most preterm births.

Objective: Evaluate the association of DCC with acute kidney injury (AKI) and two-year kidney outcomes.

Methods: Secondary analysis of the Preterm Erythropoietin Neuroprotection Trial of neonates born 24 to 27 weeks' gestation.

VITREORETINAL OUTCOMES FOLLOWING SECONDARY INTRAOCULAR LENS IMPLANTATION WITH PARS PLANA VITRECTOMY.

Background: Retrospective cohort study of 561 adult patients undergoing secondary intraocular lens (IOL) implantation by vitreoretinal surgeons at a single institution from April 2015 to December 2020.

Methods: Patient historical factors, intraoperative/postoperative complications, and outcomes of IOL type (anterior chamber IOL versus scleral sutured IOL versus scleral fixated IOL versus. sulcus) were assessed.

RANDOMIZED TRIAL COMPARING MICROSERRATED VERSUS CONVENTIONAL INTERNAL LIMITING MEMBRANE FORCEPS FOR INTERNAL LIMITING MEMBRANE PEELING.

Purpose: To evaluate anatomic outcomes and surgeon response following the use of microserrated (Sharkskin, Alcon, Forth Worth, TX) internal limiting membrane (ILM) forceps compared with conventional (Grieshaber; Alcon) ILM forceps for peeling of the ILM.

Methods: Patients were prospectively assigned in a 1:1 randomized fashion to undergo ILM peeling using microserrated forceps or conventional forceps. Rates of retinal hemorrhages, deep retinal grasps, ILM regrasping, time to ILM removal, and surgeon questionnaire comparing the use of microserrated and conventional ILM forceps were analyzed.