Comorbidity patterns and mortality in atrial fibrillation: a latent class analysis of the EURopean study of Older Subjects with Atrial Fibrillation (EUROSAF).

Background: Most older patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) have comorbidities. However, it is unclear whether specific comorbidity patterns are associated with adverse outcomes. We identified comorbidity patterns and their association with mortality in multimorbid older AF patients with different multidimensional frailty.

Shifting Student Attitudes of Gerontology Nursing: A Quasi-Experimental Evaluation of a Clinical Educator Programme.

Background: Enduring shortages in the gerontology nursing workforce are projected to increase as demand for services for older persons grows. Recruitment of Registered Nurses in gerontology is further hindered by negative perceptions held by students towards nursing older people.

Aim: To determine whether a professional development activity designed to assist clinical supervisors to build the mentorship capacity of care staff in residential aged care facilities could positively improve their clinical learning environment and improve student attitudes towards working with older adults.

Acalculous Cholecystitis as an Atypical Presentation of Viral Pericarditis: A Case Report.

BACKGROUND Acalculous cholecystitis is a rare form of gallbladder inflammation that occurs without the presence of gallstones. It primarily affects critically ill patients and warrants prompt treatment given its association with high mortality. Pericarditis, an inflammation of the pericardium, typically arises from viral infections but can also be secondary to rheumatological, malignant, or bacterial causes.

Functional variants in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene are associated with increased risk of colorectal cancer.

Background: Individuals with cystic fibrosis (CF; a recessive disorder) have an increased risk of colorectal cancer (CRC). Evidence suggests individuals with a single CFTR variant may also have increased CRC risk.

Methods: Using population-based studies (GECCO, CORECT, CCFR, and ARIC; 53 785 CRC cases and 58 010 controls), we tested for an association between the most common CFTR variant (Phe508del) and CRC risk.

Blood biomarker profiles in young-onset neurocognitive disorders: A cohort study.

Introduction: Young-onset neurocognitive symptoms result from a heterogeneous group of neurological and psychiatric disorders which present a diagnostic challenge. To identify such factors, we analysed the Biomarkers in Younger-Onset Neurocognitive Disorders cohort, a study of individuals <65 years old presenting with neurocognitive symptoms for a diagnosis and who have undergone cognitive and biomarker analyses.

Methods: Sixty-five participants (median age at assessment of 56 years, 45% female) were recruited during their index presentation to the Royal Melbourne Hospital Neuropsychiatry Centre, a tertiary specialist service in Melbourne, Australia, and categorized as either early-onset Alzheimer's disease ( = 18), non-Alzheimer's disease neurodegeneration ( = 23) or primary psychiatric disorders ( = 24).

Evaluation of preventive medicine amongst people living with human immunodeficiency virus attending a hospital-based care setting.

Background: With improved outcomes in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) due to the use of anti-retroviral therapy, ensuring adequate preventative healthcare and management of HIV-related comorbidities is essential.

Aims: To evaluate adherence with recommended guidelines for comorbidity and immunisation status screening amongst people living with HIV within a hospital-based setting across two timepoints.

Methods: A single-centre retrospective case series was conducted at a hospital between 2011 and 2021.

Impact of a multidisciplinary diabetes care programme on glycaemic and metabolic outcomes in regional and First Nations communities: a retrospective observational study.

Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) poses a significant public health challenge in Australia, particularly among underserved populations such as First Nations people and rural communities. In response, the Together Strong Connected Care (TSCC) programme was developed to address these disparities by offering a culturally appropriate, multidisciplinary approach to diabetes management in a regional hospital setting.

Aims: The aim of the study was to assess the impact of the TSCC programme on glycaemic and metabolic control in people living with diabetes.

Prevalence of and risk factors for osteoporosis and fragility fracture in adults with cerebral palsy: A systematic review.

Aim: To systematically review the prevalence and incidence of osteoporosis, osteopenia, low bone mass, and fragility fracture in adults with cerebral palsy (CP), and identify the risk factors for osteoporosis and fracture.

Method: A systematic literature search was performed in the MEDLINE, PubMed, CINAHL, AMED, Cochrane Reviews, EMBASE, and EBM database reviews from inception until May 2024. Search terms covered a combination of keywords for CP, fracture, osteoporosis, incidence and prevalence, and risk factors.

Myoelectric pattern recognition with virtual reality and serious gaming improves upper limb function in chronic stroke: a single case experimental design study.

Background: Myoelectric pattern recognition (MPR) combines multiple surface electromyography channels with a machine learning algorithm to decode motor intention with an aim to enhance upper limb function after stroke. This study aims to determine the feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of a novel intervention combining MPR, virtual reality (VR), and serious gaming to improve upper limb function in people with chronic stroke.

Methods: In this single case experimental A-B-A design study, six individuals with chronic stroke and moderate to severe upper limb impairment completed 18, 2 h sessions, 3 times a week.

Leaf Photosynthetic and Respiratory Thermal Acclimation in Terrestrial Plants in Response to Warming: A Global Synthesis.

Leaf photosynthesis and respiration are two of the largest carbon fluxes between the atmosphere and biosphere. Although experiments examining the warming effects on photosynthetic and respiratory thermal acclimation have been widely conducted, the sensitivity of various ecosystem and vegetation types to warming remains uncertain. Here we conducted a meta-analysis on experimental observations of thermal acclimation worldwide.

Tumour DNA methylation markers associated with breast cancer survival: a replication study.

Background: Tumour DNA methylation has been investigated as a potential marker for breast cancer survival, but findings often lack replication across studies.

Methods: This study sought to replicate previously reported associations for individual CpG sites and multi-CpG signatures using an Australian sample of 425 women with breast cancer from the Melbourne Collaborative Cohort Study (MCCS). Candidate methylation sites (N = 22) and signatures (N = 3) potentially associated with breast cancer survival were identified from five prior studies that used The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) methylation dataset, which shares key characteristics with the MCCS: comparable sample size, tissue type (formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded; FFPE), technology (Illumina HumanMethylation450 array), and participant characteristics (age, ancestry, and disease subtype and severity).

Hypoxia impairs decitabine-induced expression of HLA-DR in acute myeloid leukaemia cell lines.

Background: Hypomethylating agents (HMA), such as azacytidine (AZA) and decitabine (DAC), are epigenetic therapies used to treat some patients with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndrome. HMAs act in a replication-dependent manner to remove DNA methylation from the genome. However, AML cells targeted by HMA therapy are often quiescent within the bone marrow, where oxygen levels are low.

Implementation of a Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) for microbiology in Timor-Leste: challenges, mitigation strategies, and end-user experiences.

Background: Effective diagnostic capacity is crucial for clinical decision-making, with up to 70% of decisions in high-resource settings based on laboratory test results. However, in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) access to diagnostic services is often limited due to the absence of Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS). LIMS streamline laboratory operations by automating sample handling, analysis, and reporting, leading to improved quality and faster results.

Exploring barriers to accessing health care services by young women in rural settings: a qualitative study in Australia, Canada, and Sweden.

Background: The aim of this study is to explore young rural women's perceived barriers in accessing healthcare services with a focus on the interrelation between three marginalization criteria: age (youth), gender (female), and place of residence (rural areas) in Australia, Canada, and Sweden.

Methods: Using a qualitative interpretive approach, we conducted semi-structured in-depth interviews with 31 young women aged 18 to 24 in selected rural communities. Data collection took place from May 2019 to January 2021, and the qualitative data were analyzed using NVivo software.

The effect of Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative compliance on the association between mode of birth and breastfeeding initiation in Sri Lanka.

Background: In Sri Lanka, there is some evidence that the likelihood of breastfeeding initiation varies by exposure to Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative [BFHI]-compliant care and mode of birth. Globally, there is some evidence that exposure to mother-baby skin-to-skin contact (BFHI Step 4) is lower in caesarean section births. Therefore, we aimed to determine how breastfeeding initiation varies by mode of birth in Sri Lanka, and the extent to which women's exposure to BFHI practices explains any associations found.

Tucatinib and trastuzumab in HER2-mutated metastatic breast cancer: a phase 2 basket trial.

Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2, also known as ERBB2) signaling promotes cell growth and differentiation, and is overexpressed in several tumor types, including breast, gastric and colorectal cancer. HER2-targeted therapies have shown clinical activity against these tumor types, resulting in regulatory approvals. However, the efficacy of HER2 therapies in tumors with HER2 mutations has not been widely investigated.

Explainable deep learning and virtual evolution identifies antimicrobial peptides with activity against multidrug-resistant human pathogens.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a promising approach to identify new antimicrobial compounds in diverse microbial species. Here we developed an AI-based, explainable deep learning model, EvoGradient, that predicts the potency of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) and virtually modifies peptide sequences to produce more potent AMPs, akin to in silico directed evolution. We applied this model to peptides encoded in low-abundance human oral bacteria, resulting in the virtual evolution of 32 peptides into potent AMPs.

The Sir Ludwig Guttmann lecture 2023: psychosocial factors and adjustment dynamics after spinal cord injury.

Study Design: Narrative review OBJECTIVES: Sir Ludwig Guttmann realised spinal cord injury (SCI) rehabilitation should incorporate more than a biomedical approach if SCI patients were to adjust to their injury and achieve productive social re-integration. He introduced components into rehabilitation he believed would assist his patients build physical strength as well as psychological resilience that would help them re-engage with their communities. We pay tribute to Sir Ludwig by presenting research that has focussed on psychosocial factors that contribute to adjustment dynamics after SCI.

Gambling advertising regulation in Ghana: what do we know and where to next?

In Ghana and many other sub-Saharan African countries gambling advertising has become pervasive due to weak regulations that allow gambling operators to zealously promote their products as a risk-free way to make money. In this commentary, we provide a public health perspective based on document analysis of the Ghana Gaming Commission's guidelines on advertisements, and recommendations for strengthening Ghana's gambling regulatory environment. With the industry intensifying its focus on new markets to grow and sustain profits, and new global players entering Ghana's market, the competition for market share will most likely intensify with an associated and aggressive increase in gambling advertising.

Suppression of Aedes aegypti may not affect sympatric Aedes albopictus populations: findings from two years of entomological surveillance in Singapore.

Globally, multiple trials have successfully demonstrated the effectiveness of novel tools, such as the sterile and incompatible insect techniques, in suppressing Aedes aegypti populations. However, there is concern that Aedes albopictus, another arbovirus-competent vector, may occupy the niches vacated by Ae. aegypti in areas where these species occur in sympatry.

Enhanced CH emissions from global wildfires likely due to undetected small fires.

Monitoring methane (CH) emissions from terrestrial ecosystems is essential for assessing the relative contributions of natural and anthropogenic factors leading to climate change and shaping global climate goals. Fires are a significant source of atmospheric CH, with the increasing frequency of megafires amplifying their impact. Global fire emissions exhibit large spatiotemporal variations, making the magnitude and dynamics difficult to characterize accurately.

Climate change influences on the potential geographic distribution of the invasive Asian longhorned tick, Haemaphysalis longicornis.

The Asian long-horned tick, Haemaphysalis longicornis Neumann, 1901, is the competent vector for severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV). Haemaphysalis longicornis originated mainly in eastern Asia and invaded many areas like Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific islands, and was recently introduced to eastern parts of the USA. This species is characterized by high adaptability to a wide range of temperatures and can reproduce parthenogenically under stressful conditions.

Undoped ruthenium oxide as a stable catalyst for the acidic oxygen evolution reaction.

Reducing green hydrogen production cost is critical for its widespread application. Proton-exchange-membrane water electrolyzers are among the most promising technologies, and significant research has been focused on developing more active, durable, and cost-effective catalysts to replace expensive iridium in the anode. Ruthenium oxide is a leading alternative while its stability is inadequate.

Compositional data analysis enables statistical rigor in comparative glycomics.

Comparative glycomics data are compositional data, where measured glycans are parts of a whole, indicated by relative abundances. Applying traditional statistical analyses to these data often results in misleading conclusions, such as spurious "decreases" of glycans when other structures increase in abundance, or high false-positive rates for differential abundance. Our work introduces a compositional data analysis framework, tailored to comparative glycomics, to account for these data dependencies.