The Persistence of Antibiotic Resistance in Observational Studies: Is It Really Due to Differences in Sub-Populations Rather than Antibiotic Use?

: The carriage of resistant bacteria and prior antimicrobial treatment are related, but in an individual, this diminishes over time. To better manage antimicrobial resistance risks, it is crucial that we better untangle any lasting impact of antibiotic use compared to other factors. This understanding is essential for informing antimicrobial stewardship programs and to better manage other important factors that likely contribute to persistently higher rates of antimicrobial resistance in different populations.

Remediating Cambridge: Human and Horse Co-Relationality in a Culture of Mis-Re-Presentation.

This case study aims to problematise concepts of equine and human co-relational agency in the context of 'mis-re-presentations' in the Australian media of harms experienced by the Anglo Arab stallion, Cambridge, following his development of laminitis and his consequent confinement at a leading national Equestrian centre. Autoethnographic narrative is used to retrospectively and selectively narrate the evolving relationship between Cambridge and his owners, farrier, and treating veterinarians within the dominant housing and veterinary practices and welfare paradigms in equestrian culture of 1990's Australia. Structured author/owner autoethnographic vignettes are framed by newspaper and internet reportage to highlight a productive tension between the public mediation of the case, and what it means to be fully embodied in relationship with an equine companion agent within a particular, racialised, gendered, and biopoliticised location.

The safety and efficacy of cannabinoids for the treatment of mental health and substance use disorders: protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis.

There has been a global increase in the use of cannabinoids as a treatment for mental health (MH) and substance use disorders (SUD). In 2016, an Australian government-funded review found that although medicinal cannabinoids accounted for a small reduction in MH symptoms, the results varied according to study design. There has since been a rise in randomised controlled trials (RCTs) aiming to examine the efficacy of cannabinoids for the treatment of MH and SUD.

Ten pressure points in primary care during COVID-19: findings from an international narrative review.

Background: Strong primary care (PC) services are the foundation of high-performing health care systems and can support effective responses to public health emergencies. Primary care practitioners (PCPs) and PC services played crucial roles in supporting global health system responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, these contributions have come at a cost, impacting on PC services and affecting patient care.

Oculomotor Function in Children and Adolescents with Autism, ADHD or Co-occurring Autism and ADHD.

Oculomotor characteristics, including accuracy, timing, and sensorimotor processing, are considered sensitive intermediate phenotypes for understanding the etiology of neurodevelopmental conditions, such as autism and ADHD. Oculomotor characteristics have predominantly been studied separately in autism and ADHD. Despite the high rates of co-occurrence between these conditions, only one study has investigated oculomotor processes among those with co-occurring autism + ADHD.

Antimicrobial Resistance in Curable Sexually Transmitted Infections.

Purpose Of Review: Antimicrobial resistance in sexually transmitted infections (STIs) has become an urgent global public health threat, raising the specter of untreatable infections. This review summarizes the determinants of resistance among the five most common curable STIs Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Chlamydia trachomatis, Mycoplasma genitalium, Treponema pallidum, and Trichomonas vaginalis, as well as strategies to mitigate the spread of resistance.

Recent Findings: Genetic mutations are key drivers of resistance for N.

Diagnostic yield of cystic fibrosis from a South Australian monocentric cohort: a retrospective study.

Objectives: To determine the diagnostic yield of cystic fibrosis (CF) using a two-tiered genetic testing approach. Although newborn screening includes CF, this typically only covers a selection of common genetic variants, and with over 2000 reported in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene, we hypothesised that patients will be missed and present clinically later in life.

Design: A retrospective study over a 5-year period (January 2018-December 2022).

Mapping the regional and remote specialised mental health workforce: Commentary on the AIHW data for 2022-2023.

Objective: The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare publishes statistical indicator reports on the specialised mental health workforce. These include data for 2022-2023 on psychiatrists, mental health nurses, mental health occupational therapists, psychologists and mental health social workers. We provide a brief commentary on these reports, reflecting upon the implications of such changes for psychiatric practice and patient care.

Congenital Titinopathy: Comprehensive Characterization of the Most Severe End of the Disease Spectrum.

Unlabelled: Congenital titinopathy has recently emerged as one of the most common congenital muscle disorders.

Objective: To better understand the presentation and clinical needs of the under-characterized extreme end of the congenital titinopathy severity spectrum.

Methods: We comprehensively analyzed the clinical, imaging, pathology, autopsy, and genetic findings in 15 severely affected individuals from 11 families.

Contextual Factors that Influence Antibiotic Prescribing: A Discrete Choice Experiment of GP Registrars.

Introduction: Antimicrobial resistance is a global emergency related to overprescribing of antibiotics. Few studies have explored how prescribing behaviours may change as the consequence of changing resistance. Understanding how contextual factors influence antibiotic prescribing will facilitate improved communication strategies to promote appropriate antibiotic prescribing.

Proximal remote sensing: an essential tool for bridging the gap between high-resolution ecosystem monitoring and global ecology.

A new proliferation of optical instruments that can be attached to towers over or within ecosystems, or 'proximal' remote sensing, enables a comprehensive characterization of terrestrial ecosystem structure, function, and fluxes of energy, water, and carbon. Proximal remote sensing can bridge the gap between individual plants, site-level eddy-covariance fluxes, and airborne and spaceborne remote sensing by providing continuous data at a high-spatiotemporal resolution. Here, we review recent advances in proximal remote sensing for improving our mechanistic understanding of plant and ecosystem processes, model development, and validation of current and upcoming satellite missions.

Remote Food Security Research Project: Applying an Indigenist Research Lens.

This paper aimed to reflect on how Rigney's model of Indigenist research informed the research design of a project which explored community-led solutions to improve food security in remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. The project was conducted in partnership with two Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHOs); Apunipima Cape York Health Council (Apunipima) and Central Australian Aboriginal Congress (Congress), communities in Central Australia and Cape York, Queensland and researchers from the University of Queensland, Monash University, Dalhousie University and Menzies School of Health Research. On reflection the principles of Indigenist research were evident providing a means of resistance to oppression through Indigenous stakeholders being in control of research to address social determinants, in this case food security.

Mapping Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis Treatment Outcomes in Hunan Province, China.

Background: Drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) remains a major public health challenge in China, with varying treatment outcomes across different regions. Understanding the spatial distribution of DR-TB treatment outcomes is crucial for targeted interventions to improve treatment success in high-burden areas such as Hunan Province. This study aimed to map the spatial distribution of DR-TB treatment outcomes at a local level and identify sociodemographic and environmental factors associated with poor treatment outcomes in Hunan Province, China.

Electrocardiographic Assessment of National-Level Triathletes: Sinus Bradycardia and Other Electrocardiographic Abnormalities.

Background: High-intensity endurance training induces specific cardiac adaptations, often observed through electrocardiographic (ECG) changes. This study investigated the prevalence of ECG abnormalities in national-level Australian triathletes compared to sedentary controls.

Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted involving 22 triathletes and 7 sedentary controls.

Assembling branched and macrocyclic peptides on proteins.

A two-step, biocompatible strategy enables site-specific generation of branched and macrocyclic peptide-protein conjugates. Solvent-exposed cysteines on proteins are modified by a small bifunctional reagent at near-physiological pH, followed by cyanopyridine-aminothiol click reactions to create branched or macrocyclic peptide architectures. This method offers design strategies for next-generation protein therapeutics.

Acclimation of thermal tolerance in juvenile plants from three biomes is suppressed when extremes co-occur.

Given the rising frequency of thermal extremes (heatwaves and cold snaps) due to climate change, comprehending how a plant's origin affects its thermal tolerance breadth (TTB) becomes vital. We studied juvenile plants from three biomes: temperate coastal rainforest, desert and alpine. In controlled settings, plants underwent hot days and cold nights in a factorial design to examine thermal tolerance acclimation.

The Benefits of Hearing Aids for Adults: A Systematic Umbrella Review.

Objectives: This umbrella review aims to summarize the major benefits of hearing aid usage in adults by synthesizing findings from published review articles.

Design: A comprehensive search of databases, including MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, and Google Scholar, was conducted. The search was limited to English-language review articles published between 1990 and 2023, focusing on hearing aid outcomes in at least 5 adults (aged ≥18 years).

Targeting LMO2-induced autocrine FLT3 signaling to overcome chemoresistance in early T-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Early T-cell Precursor Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ETP-ALL) is an immature subtype of T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) commonly show deregulation of the LMO2-LYL1 stem cell transcription factors, activating mutations of cytokine receptor signaling, and poor early response to intensive chemotherapy. Previously, studies of the Lmo2 transgenic mouse model of ETP-ALL identified a population of stem-like T-cell progenitors with long-term self-renewal capacity and intrinsic chemotherapy resistance linked to cellular quiescence. Here, analyses of Lmo2 transgenic mice, patient-derived xenografts, and single-cell RNA-sequencing data from primary ETP-ALL identified a rare subpopulation of leukemic stem cells expressing high levels of the cytokine receptor FLT3.

SSRI is not associated with the intensity of romantic love, obsessive thinking about a loved one, commitment, or sexual frequency in a sample of young adults experiencing romantic love.

For >15 years, researchers have speculated that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) use is associated with negative romantic love outcomes. No one has empirically investigated this, however. Drawing on 810 participants from the Romantic Love Survey 2022, we used binary logistic regression to identify differences between young adults experiencing romantic love who were and were not taking SSRIs.

Gender-Equity Model for Liver Allocation using Artificial Intelligence (GEMA-AI) for waiting list liver transplant prioritization.

Background & Aims: We aimed to develop and validate an artificial intelligence score (GEMA-AI) to predict liver transplant (LT) waiting list outcomes using the same input variables contained in existing models.

Methods: Cohort study including adult LT candidates enlisted in the United Kingdom (2010-2020) for model training and internal validation, and in Australia (1998-2020) for external validation. GEMA-AI combined international normalized ratio, bilirubin, sodium, and the Royal Free Glomerular Filtration Rate in an explainable Artificial Neural Network.

Semaglutide in obesity-related heart failure with preserved ejection fraction and type 2 diabetes across baseline HbA levels (STEP-HFpEF DM): a prespecified analysis of heart failure and metabolic outcomes from a randomised, placebo-controlled trial.

Background: About half of patients with heart failure with mildly reduced or preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) have type 2 diabetes. In the STEP-HFpEF DM trial of adults with obesity-related HFpEF and type 2 diabetes, subcutaneous once weekly semaglutide 2·4 mg conferred improvements in heart failure-related symptoms and physical limitations, bodyweight, and other heart failure outcomes. We aimed to determine whether these effects of semaglutide differ according to baseline HbA.

Comparison of colorectal cancer surgery patients in intensive care between rural and metropolitan hospitals in Australia: a national cohort study.

Purpose: A small proportion of colorectal cancer (CRC) surgical patients will require an admission to an intensive care unit (ICU) within the early postoperative period. This study aimed to compare the characteristics and outcomes of patients admitted to an ICU following CRC surgery per hospital type (metropolitan vs. rural) over a decade in Australia.

Leptospirosis, melioidosis, and rickettsioses in the vicious circle of neglect.

The global priorities in the field of infectious diseases are constantly changing. While emerging viral infections have regularly dominated public health attention, which has only intensified after the COVID-19 pandemic, numerous bacterial diseases have previously caused, and continue to cause, significant morbidity and mortality-deserving equal attention. Three potentially life-threatening endemic bacterial diseases (leptospirosis, melioidosis, and rickettsioses) are a huge public health concern especially in low- and middle-income countries.

Antibiotics for Paediatric Community-Acquired Pneumonia: What is the Optimal Course Duration?

Despite significant global reductions in cases of pneumonia during the last 3 decades, pneumonia remains the leading cause of post-neonatal mortality in children aged <5 years. Beyond the immediate disease burden it imposes, pneumonia contributes to long-term morbidity, including lung function deficits and bronchiectasis. Viruses are the most common cause of childhood pneumonia, but bacteria also play a crucial role.