The Effect of Assisted Reproductive Technologies on Human Sex Ratios.

Background: Modern assisted reproductive technology (ART), including pre-implantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (PGT-A), has opened new avenues in understanding early embryonic events and has simultaneously raised questions about the impact of ART itself on sex ratios.

Aims: The primary aim was to investigate whether patient demographic characteristics, ovarian stimulation protocols or laboratory characteristics in ART influence sex ratios. The secondary aim was to relate the blastocyst sex ratio (BSR) to the corresponding secondary sex ratio (SSR) in our patient cohort.

Nurses' Perceptions of the Relevance of Their Role and Responsibilities for Adopting Evidence-Based Feedback Into Practice: An Implementation Study.

Aims: To evaluate the implementation process of a novel program focused on improving interactive (dialogic) feedback between clinicians and students during placement.

Design: Quantitative cross-sectional hybrid type 3 effectiveness-implementation study driven by a federated model of social learning theory and implementation theory.

Methods: From June to November 2018, feedback approaches supported by socio-constructive learning theory and Normalisation Process Theory were enacted in four clinical units of a healthcare facility in southeast Queensland, Australia.

Short-term evaluation of renal biochemical parameters in dogs completing chemotherapy for lymphoma.

Objectives: To identify if chemotherapeutic drugs in the CHOP-based protocol led to an increase in renal parameters in dogs with lymphoma during therapy and investigate whether factors such as prednisolone use or age affected this result.

Methods: Data were obtained retrospectively from private referral practice records of dogs diagnosed with lymphoma receiving a CHOP-based chemotherapy protocol between 2015 and 2019. Dogs included received a CHOP-based protocol as their first treatment, received four full cycles and were in remission at the end of the protocol.

Osteochondral Tissue Engineering: Scaffold Materials, Fabrication Techniques and Applications.

Osteochondral damage, caused by trauma, tumors, or degenerative diseases, presents a major challenge due to the limited self-repair capacity of the tissue. Traditional treatments often result in significant trauma and unpredictable outcomes. Recent advances in bone/cartilage tissue engineering, particularly in scaffold materials and fabrication technologies, offer promising solutions for osteochondral regeneration.

Sick Day Management Plans for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Peoples With Chronic Kidney Disease on the Cape York Peninsula of Australia: Health Workers' Perspectives.

Objective: This study aimed to explore the perspectives of healthcare professionals on the utility of sick day management plans for people with chronic kidney disease (CKD) in remote communities and collaboratively design a sick day management plan resource.

Design: This qualitative study utilised two phases of data collection: preliminary observational data and semi-structured interviews. The research design and analysis were guided by the normalisation process theory (NPT) framework, tailored for complex interventions in healthcare.

Advances in Prenatal Cell-Free DNA Screening for Dominant Monogenic Conditions: A Review of Current Progress and Future Directions in Clinical Implementation.

Prenatal cell-free DNA (cfDNA) screening has advanced significantly, extending beyond detecting aneuploidies to sub-chromosomal copy number variations. However, its application for screening dominant single-gene conditions, often caused by de novo variants, remains underutilized in the general obstetric population. This study reviews recent data and experience on prenatal cfDNA screening for dominant monogenic conditions using multiple-gene panels, highlighting its potential to enhance early detection and management of genetic disorders.

Incorporating Spatial and Spectral Saturation Modules Into MR Fingerprinting.

In this work, we introduce spatial and chemical saturation options for artefact reduction in magnetic resonance fingerprinting (MRF) and assess their impact on T and T mapping accuracy. An existing radial MRF pulse sequence was modified to enable spatial and chemical saturation. Phantom experiments were performed to demonstrate flow artefact reduction and evaluate the accuracy of the T and T maps.

Wolf's Isotopic Response: Acquired Arteriovenous Haemangioma Following Oral Herpes Simplex Virus Infection.

Cutaneous arteriovenous haemangioma (AVH) is a rare benign vascular lesion, which typically occurs on the head and neck. Its aetiology is unclear but thrombosis, trauma, infection or endocrine triggers have been proposed. We report the case of a 64-year-old female presenting with acquired AVH of the upper lip following oral herpes simplex virus infection.

Persistent effect of salt reduction in schoolchildren and their families: 1-year follow-up after an application-based cluster randomized controlled trial.

Background: A 12-month cluster randomized controlled trial (RCT) demonstrated the effectiveness of an application-based education program in reducing the salt intake and systolic blood pressure (SBP) of schoolchildren's adult family members. This study aimed to assess whether the effect at 12 months persisted at 24 months.

Methods: Fifty-four schools were randomly assigned to either the intervention or control group.

Recovery process of patients with iliac vein compression syndrome after stenting: a grounded theory study.

Background: Iliac vein compression syndrome (IVCS) impedes venous blood return from the lower extremities due to iliac vein compression, manifesting as leg swelling, varicose veins, and thrombosis. These symptoms significantly degrade quality of life. Although iliac vein stenting provides symptomatic relief, the recovery process is protracted and fraught with challenges such as in-stent restenosis and psychological distress.

Patterns of Social Support and LGBTQ + Community Involvement Among Gay, Bisexual, and Other Men Who Have Sex with Men in Australia and Their Effect on HIV-Related Outcomes: A Latent Class Analysis.

Peer support from social networks of gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM) has been recognised as a critical driver of engagement with HIV prevention. Using data from an online cross-sectional survey of 1,032 GBMSM aged 18 or over in Australia, a latent class analysis was conducted to categorise participants based on social support, LGBTQ + community involvement, and social engagement with gay men and LGBTQ + people. Comparisons between classes were assessed using multivariable multinomial logistic regression.

The influence of tooth shade on near-infrared light transmission through human dentine and enamel: an in-vitro study.

This in-vitro study assessed the influence of the shade of human teeth on the transmission of near-infrared light. A total of 40 teeth were used. After cleaning the root surface and removing cementum, the teeth were sectioned into slices 3 mm thick, with each comprising a portion of the crown (enamel-dentine (ED)) and of the root (dentine only).

Strategies to overcome barriers to the statistical representation of femicide data-a technical note.

Mortality data systems are upstream determinants of health, providing critical information on causes of death and population health trends and influencing health outcomes by shaping policies, research, and resource allocation. Moreover, the gender-related deaths of women and girls are significantly underrepresented or underrecognized in mortality data across many countries. This paper seeks to identify potential barriers and facilitators to improving the representation of femicide data.

Inoculation reduces social media engagement with affectively polarized content in the UK and US.

The generation and distribution of hyper-partisan content on social media has gained millions of exposure across platforms, often allowing malevolent actors to influence and disrupt democracies. The spread of this content is facilitated by real users' engaging with it on platforms. The current study tests the efficacy of an 'inoculation' intervention via six online survey-based experiments in the UK and US.

Pain in adults with cystic fibrosis - Are we painfully unaware?

Background: A previous Australia-wide pilot study identified pain as a significant burden in people with CF (pwCF). However, the prevalence, frequency and severity have not been evaluated using validated tools.

Methods: Australian adults, pwCF and healthy controls (HC) were invited to complete an online questionnaire from July 2023 - February 2024, consisting of four validated tools: Brief Pain Inventory, Pain Catastrophising Scale, PAGI-SYM and PAC-SYM.

Sleep and circadian rhythms modeling: From hypothalamic regulatory networks to cortical dynamics and behavior.

Sleep and circadian rhythms are regulated by dynamic physiologic processes that operate across multiple spatial and temporal scales. These include, but are not limited to, genetic oscillators, clearance of waste products from the brain, dynamic interplay among brain regions, and propagation of local dynamics across the cortex. The combination of these processes, modulated by environmental cues, such as light-dark cycles and work schedules, represents a complex multiscale system that regulates sleep-wake cycles and brain dynamics.

Translation and psychometric validation of the Evidence-Based Practice Competency Questionnaire for Registered Nurses (EBP-COQ Prof©) in Bahasa Indonesia.

Aims: This study aims to translate, cross-culturally adapt, and conduct initial psychometric testing of the EBP-COQ Prof© to Bahasa Indonesia.

Background: The availability of evidence-based practice competency tools evaluating nurses' knowledge, skills attitudes and adoption in the context of Indonesian nursing practice are limited. A valid tool in EBP that measures nurses' self-perceived competency in knowledge, skills, attitudes, and utilization was used in this study for translation and psychometric validation.

The challenge of belonging: Exploring collegiality and incivility in the transition to academia for nurse clinicians.

Background: Registered nurses are ethically and professionally obligated to foster sustainable and respectful workplaces. However, when transitioning to academia, many nurses encounter unexpected challenges, including hierarchical and individualistic environments that contrast with the collaborative ethos of clinical practice.

Method: This qualitative study explored the experiences of 11 registered nurses from six Australian universities as they transitioned into academic roles.

The mediating role of health literacy for COVID-19 between preventive behaviors and quality of life.

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic rapidly developed around the world. Plenty of health information about the virus was available from multiple media platforms, but such information was not always accurate. Identifying misinformation depends on an individual's health literacy.

The effect of muscle warm-up on voluntary and evoked force-time parameters: A systematic review and meta-analysis with meta-regression.

Background: While muscle contractility increases with muscle temperature, there is no consensus on the best warm-up protocol to use before resistance training or sports exercise due to the range of possible warm-up and testing combinations available. Therefore, the objective of the current study was to determine the effects of different warm-up types (active, exercise-based vs. passive) on muscle function tested using different activation methods (voluntary vs.

Obsessive-compulsive symptoms in individuals with a history of eating disorders.

Background: OCD symptoms are well documented in anorexia nervosa (AN) and to a lesser extent in bulimia nervosa (BN), yet remain virtually unstudied in binge-eating disorder (BED).

Methods: In this cross-sectional observational study, 5927 participants with lifetime eating disorders (EDs) (i.e.