Parameters for one health genomic surveillance of Escherichia coli from Australia.

Genomics is a cornerstone of modern pathogen epidemiology yet demonstrating transmission in a One Health context is challenging, as strains circulate and evolve within and between diverse hosts and environments. To identify phylogenetic linkages and better define relevant measures of genomic relatedness in a One Health context, we collated 5471 Escherichia coli genome sequences from Australia originating from humans (n = 2996), wild animals (n = 870), livestock (n = 649), companion animals (n = 375), environmental sources (n = 292) and food (n = 289) spanning over 36 years. Of the 827 multi-locus sequence types (STs) identified, 10 STs were commonly associated with cross-source genomic clusters, including the highly clonal ST131, pandemic zoonotic lineages such as ST95, and emerging human ExPEC ST1193.

Unbiased analysis of knee cartilage thickness change over three years after sprifermin vs. placebo treatment - A post-hoc analysis from the phase 2B FORWARD study.

Objective: Post-treatment cartilage morphometry in the FORWARD study was performed without blinding to MRI acquisition order, involving potential reader bias. Here we obtained unbiased estimates of cartilage change post-treatment, reading year (Y)2 and Y5 MRIs with blinding to time point. We studied whether post-treatment cartilage thickness change differed between sprifermin- and placebo-treated knees.

Genetic heterogeneity in the Typhi Vi capsule locus: a population genomic study from Fiji.

Typhoid fever is endemic in many parts of the world and remains a major public health concern in tropical and sub-tropical developing nations, including Fiji. To address high rates of typhoid fever, the Northern Division of Fiji implemented a mass vaccination with typhoid conjugate vaccine (Vi-polysaccharide conjugated to tetanus toxoid) as a public health control measure in 2023. In this study we define the genomic epidemiology of Typhi in the Northern Division prior to island-wide vaccination, sequencing 85% (=419) of the total cases from the Northern and Central Divisions of Fiji that occurred in the period 2017-2019.

Evaluation of an automated laminar cartilage T2 relaxation time analysis method in an early osteoarthritis model.

Objective: A fully automated laminar cartilage composition (MRI-based T2) analysis method was technically and clinically validated by comparing radiographically normal knees with (CL-JSN) and without contra-lateral joint space narrowing or other signs of radiographic osteoarthritis (OA, CL-noROA).

Materials And Methods: 2D U-Nets were trained from manually segmented femorotibial cartilages (n = 72) from all 7 echoes (All), or from the 1st echo only (1) of multi-echo-spin-echo (MESE) MRIs acquired by the Osteoarthritis Initiative (OAI). Because of its greater accuracy, only the All U-Net was then applied to knees from the OAI healthy reference cohort (n = 10), CL-JSN (n = 39), and (1:1) matched CL-noROA knees (n = 39) that all had manual expert segmentation, and to 982 non-matched CL-noROA knees without expert segmentation.

Clinical validation of fully automated laminar knee cartilage transverse relaxation time (T2) analysis in anterior cruciate ligament (ACL)-injured knees- on behalf of the osteoarthritis (OA)-Bio consortium.

Background: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) cartilage transverse relaxation time (T2) reflects cartilage composition, mechanical properties, and early osteoarthritis (OA). T2 analysis requires cartilage segmentation. In this study, we clinically validate fully automated T2 analysis at 1.

They approve but they don't act: promoting sustainable minority behavior with (conflicting) social norm appeals.

Background: Social norm appeals are effective in promoting sustainable majority behavior but could backfire when the target behavior is only performed by a minority of people. However, emphasizing that an increasing number of people have started engaging in the behavior or that the majority approve the behavior might prevent such negative effects. However, only a few studies have investigated the combination of descriptive minority and injunctive majority social norm appeals, with inconsistent results.

Anterior cruciate ligament injury and age affect knee cartilage T2 but not thickness.

Objective: To investigate the effect of unilateral anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury on cartilage thickness and composition, specifically laminar transverse relaxation time (T2) by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), in younger and older participants and to compare within-person side differences in these parameters between ACL-injured and healthy controls.

Design: Quantitative double-echo steady-state 3 Tesla MRI-sequences were acquired in both knees of 85 participants in four groups: 20-30 years: healthy, HEA, n = 24; ACL-injured, ACL, n = 23; 40-60 years: healthy, HEA, n = 24; ACL-injured, ACL, n = 14 (ACL injury 2-10 years prior to study inclusion). Weight-bearing femorotibial cartilages were manually segmented; cartilage T2 and thickness were computed using custom software.

Sexual dimorphism in peri-articular tissue anatomy - More keys to understanding sex-differences in osteoarthritis?

Objective: Osteoarthritis prevalence differs between women and men; whether this is the result of differences in pre-morbid articular or peri-articular anatomical morphotypes remains enigmatic. Albeit sex within humans cannot be reduced to female/male, this review focusses to the sexual dimorphism of peri-articular tissues, given lack of literature on non-binary subjects.

Methods: Based on a Pubmed search and input from experts, we selected relevant articles based on the authors' judgement of relevance, interest, and quality; no "hard" bibliometric measures were used to evaluate the quality or importance of the work.

PhyloJS: Bridging phylogenetics and web development with a JavaScript utility library.

There is an increasing number of libraries devoted to parsing, manipulating and visualising phylogenetic trees in JavaScript. Many of these libraries bundle tree manipulation with visualisation, but have limited ability to manipulate trees and lack detailed documentation. As the number of web-based phylogenetic tools and the size of phylogenetics datasets increases, there is a need for a library that parses, writes and manipulates phylogenetic trees that is interoperable with other phylogenetic and data visualisation libraries.

Sexual dimorphism in articular tissue anatomy - Key to understanding sex differences in osteoarthritis?

Objective: Osteoarthritis (OA) prevalence and incidence varies between women and men, but it is unknown whether this follows sex-specific differences in systemic factors (e.g. hormones) and/or differences in pre-morbid joint anatomy.

Is detection of disease-modifying osteoarthritis drug treatment more effective when performing cartilage morphometry without blinding to MR image acquisition order?

Objective: We here explore whether observed treatment effects of a putative disease-modifying osteoarthritis drug (DMOAD) are greater when cartilage morphometry is performed with rather than without knowledge of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) acquisition order (unblinded/blinded to time point).

Methods: In the FORWARD (FGF-18 Osteoarthritis Randomized Controlled Trial with Administration of Repeated Doses) randomized controlled trial, 549 knee osteoarthritis patients were randomized 1:1:1:1:1 to three once-weekly intra-articular injections of placebo, 30 µg sprifermin every 6 or 12 months (M), or 100 µg every 6/12 M. After year 2, cartilage segmentation of BL through 24 M MRIs was performed, with blinding to acquisition order.

No Ranaviral DNA Found in Australian Freshwater Turtles, 2014-19, Despite Previous Serologic Evidence.

Ranaviruses are pathogens of ectothermic vertebrates (fish, amphibians, and reptiles). Turtles are the most common group of reptiles reported with ranaviral infections. However, there have been no surveys for wild ranaviral infection in any turtles from the suborder Pleurodira, despite ranaviral distributions and experimentally susceptible pleurodiran turtle populations overlapping in several areas, including Australia.

Can gait patterns be explained by joint structure in people with and without radiographic knee osteoarthritis? Data from the IMI-APPROACH cohort.

Objective: To determine the association between joint structure and gait in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA).

Methods: IMI-APPROACH recruited 297 clinical knee OA patients. Gait data was collected (GaitSmart®) and OA-related joint measures determined from knee radiographs (KIDA) and MRIs (qMRI/MOAKS).

Shades and shifts in flexitarian and meat-oriented consumer profiles in a German panel study.

Consumers' growing awareness of the adverse effects of high meat consumption has led to increased attention to flexitarian or meat-reduced diets. However, most flexitarians do not significantly reduce their meat consumption and still eat many meat-based meals. This study aims to classify the large and heterogeneous consumer group of flexitarians into different profiles based on attitudinal, normative, and control beliefs about meat reduction.

Effects of neuromuscular control and strengthening exercises on MRI-measured thigh tissue composition and muscle properties in people with knee osteoarthritis - an exploratory secondary analysis from a randomized controlled trial.

Objective: To investigate the effects of adding strength training to neuromuscular control exercises on thigh tissue composition and muscle properties in people with radiographic-symptomatic knee osteoarthritis (KOA).

Methods: In this exploratory secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial, using a complete-case approach, participants performed 12 weeks of twice-weekly neuromuscular control exercise and patient education (NEMEX, n = 34) or NEMEX plus quadriceps strength training (NEMEX+ST, n = 29). Outcomes were MRI-measured inter- and intramuscular adipose tissue (InterMAT, IntraMAT), quadriceps muscle cross-sectional area (CSA), knee-extensor strength, specific strength (strength/lean CSA) and 30 s chair-stands.

30 Years of MRI-based cartilage & bone morphometry in knee osteoarthritis: From correlation to clinical trials.

Objective: The first publication on morphometric analysis of articular cartilage using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in 1994 set the scene for a game change in osteoarthritis (OA) research. The current review highlights milestones in cartilage and bone morphometry, summarizing the rapid progress made in imaging, its application to understanding joint (patho-)physiology, and its use in interventional clinical trials.

Methods: Based on a Pubmed search of articles from 1994 to 2023, the authors subjectively selected representative work illustrating important steps in the development or application of magnetic resonance-based cartilage and bone morphometry, with a focus on studies in humans, and on the knee.

Imaging Biomarkers of Osteoarthritis.

Currently no disease-modifying osteoarthritis drug has been approved for the treatment of osteoarthritis (OA) that can reverse, hold, or slow the progression of structural damage of OA-affected joints. The reasons for failure are manifold and include the heterogeneity of structural disease of the OA joint at trial inclusion, and the sensitivity of biomarkers used to measure a potential treatment effect.This article discusses the role and potential of different imaging biomarkers in OA research.

The Impact of Exercise Training and Supplemental Oxygen on Peripheral Muscles in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Objective: Exercise training is a cornerstone of the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, whereas the related interindividual heterogeneity in skeletal muscle dysfunction and adaptations are not yet fully understood. We set out to investigate the effects of exercise training and supplemental oxygen on functional and structural peripheral muscle adaptation.

Methods: In this prospective, randomized, controlled, double-blind study, 28 patients with nonhypoxemic chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (forced expiratory volume in 1 second, 45.

Association of quantitative measures of medial meniscal extrusion with structural and symptomatic knee osteoarthritis progression - Data from the OAI FNIH biomarker study.

Objective: To study the association of quantitative medial meniscal position measures with radiographic and symptomatic knee osteoarthritis (OA) progression over 2-4 years.

Methods: The FNIH OAI Biomarkers study comprised 600 participants in four subgroups: 194 case knees with combined structural (medial minimum joint space width (minJSW) loss ≥0.7 mm) and symptomatic (persistent Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) pain subscale increase ≥9 [0-100 scale]) progression; 200 knees with neither structural nor symptomatic progression; 103 knees with isolated structural and 103 with isolated symptomatic progression.

Which risk factors determine cartilage thickness and composition change in radiographically normal knees? - Data from the Osteoarthritis Initiative.

Objective: Therapy for osteoarthritis ideally aims at preserving structure before radiographic change occurs. This study tests: a) whether longitudinal deterioration in cartilage thickness and composition (transverse relaxation-time T2) are greater in radiographically normal knees "at risk" of incident osteoarthritis than in those without risk factors; and b) which risk factors may be associated with these deteriorations.

Design: 755 knees from the Osteoarthritis Initiative were studied; all were bilaterally Kellgren Lawrence grade [KLG] 0 initially, and had magnetic resonance images available at 12- and 48-month follow-up.