Comparison of Random Forest and Stepwise Regression for Variable Selection Using Low Prevalence Predictors: A case Study in Paediatric Sepsis.

Introduction: Variable selection is a common technique to identify the most predictive variables from a pool of candidate predictors. Low prevalence predictors (LPPs) are frequently found in clinical data, yet few studies have explored their impact on model performance during variable selection. This study compared the Random Forest (RF) algorithm and stepwise regression (SWR) for variable selection using data from a paediatric sepsis screening tool, where 18 out of 32 predictors had a prevalence < 10%.

Biomarkers in Ataxia-Telangiectasia: a Systematic Review.

Ataxia-Telangiectasia (A-T) is a very rare multisystem disease of DNA repair, associated with progressive disabling neurological symptoms, respiratory failure, immunodeficiency and cancer predisposition, leading to premature death. There are no curative treatments available for A-T but clinical trials have begun. A major limiting factor in effectively evaluating therapies for A-T is the lack of suitable outcome measures and biomarkers.

Experiences of Oral Corticosteroid Use and Adverse Effects: A National Cross-Sectional Survey of People with Asthma.

Purpose: Oral corticosteroids (OCS) are an effective treatment for severe uncontrolled asthma or asthma exacerbations, but frequent bursts or long-term use carry serious and sometimes irreversible adverse effects, or complications such as adrenal insufficiency upon discontinuation. Our aim was to survey people with asthma on their experiences of, and attitudes towards, using OCS.

Patients And Methods: This study was a national descriptive cross-sectional survey of people with asthma in Australia.

Repeat expansions in gene in refractory chronic cough.

Introduction: Refractory chronic cough (RCC), persisting despite addressing contributory diagnoses, is likely underpinned by neurally mediated cough hypersensitivity. disorders are genetic neurodegenerative conditions caused by biallelic repeat expansion sequences, commonly presenting with cough, followed by neurological features including cerebellar ataxia with neuropathy and vestibular areflexia syndrome (CANVAS). The prevalence and identifying clinical characteristics of repeat-expansion disorders in patients with RCC are unknown.

Developing airport management practices towards net zero emissions: Experiences from the Australian aviation industry.

Emissions from airport sources degrade air quality impacting community health. While some airports assess air pollution, others assess broader environmental effects, including CO emissions and noise. Utilising a transition management approach, this paper examines Australian airport practices and develops key sustainable strategies to reduce environmental impacts.

MOANA: Multi-objective ant nesting algorithm for optimization problems.

This paper presents the Multi-Objective Ant Nesting Algorithm (MOANA), a novel extension of the Ant Nesting Algorithm (ANA), specifically designed to address multi-objective optimization problems (MOPs). MOANA incorporates adaptive mechanisms, such as deposition weight parameters, to balance exploration and exploitation, while a polynomial mutation strategy ensures diverse and high-quality solutions. The algorithm is evaluated on standard benchmark datasets, including ZDT functions and the IEEE Congress on Evolutionary Computation (CEC) 2019 multi-modal benchmarks.

A non-randomised open-label exploratory 'window of opportunity' study of TG02 treatment in patients with locally advanced primary and recurrent mutant colorectal cancer.

Background: TG02 is a peptide-based cancer vaccine eliciting immune responses to oncogenic codon 12/13 mutations. This phase 1 clinical trial (NCT02933944) assessed the safety and immunological efficacy of TG02 adjuvanted by GM-CSF in patients with -mutant colorectal cancer.

Methods: In the interval between completing CRT and pelvic exenteration, patients with resectable mutation-positive, locally advanced primary or current colorectal cancer, received 5-6 doses of TG02/GM-CSF.

Baseline Characteristics of Frailty and Disease Stage in Older People Living With CKD.

Introduction: The GOAL trial, a cluster randomized controlled trial, investigated the effect of comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) on frail older people with chronic kidney disease (CKD). This paper describes the following: (i) participant baseline characteristics, and (ii) their relationship with CKD stage and frailty severity.

Methods: Sixteen kidney outpatient clinics (clusters) were randomly allocated 1:1 to CGA or usual care.

Effect of Postoperative Neck-Shaft and Anteversion Angles on Biomechanical Outcomes in Proximal Femoral Osteotomy: An In Silico Study.

Effective surgical planning is crucial for maximizing patient outcomes following complex orthopedic procedures such as proximal femoral osteotomy. In silico simulations can be used to assess how surgical variations in proximal femur geometry, such as femur neck-shaft and anteversion angles, affect postoperative system mechanics. This study investigated the sensitivity of femur mechanics to postoperative neck-shaft angles, anteversion angles, and osteotomy contact areas using patient-specific finite element analysis informed by neuromusculoskeletal models.

Factors associated with true-positive and false-positive diagnoses of behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia in 100 consecutive referrals from specialist physicians.

Background: The behavioural variant of frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) is a challenging diagnosis due to overlapping symptoms with psychiatric and other neurological conditions. Accordingly, misdiagnosis is common. The present study aimed to identify clinical factors contributing to misdiagnoses of bvFTD by specialist physicians.

'Which treatment do you believe you received?' A randomised blinding feasibility trial of spinal manual therapy.

Background: Blinding is essential for mitigating biases in trials of low back pain (LBP). Our main objectives were to assess the feasibility of blinding: (1) participants randomly allocated to active or placebo spinal manual therapy (SMT), and (2) outcome assessors. We also explored blinding by levels of SMT lifetime experience and recent LBP, and factors contributing to beliefs about the assigned intervention.

Structural changes of muscle spindles in the multifidus muscle after intervertebral disk injury are resolved by targeted muscle activation.

Purpose: Fibrosis of muscle spindles (sensory organs) in back muscles induced by intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration could limit transmission of muscle stretch to the sensory receptor and explain the proprioceptive deficits common in back pain. Exercise reduces back muscles fibrosis. This study investigated whether targeted muscle activation via neurostimulation reverses or resolves muscle spindle fibrosis in a model of IVD injury.

Multiplex genome editing eliminates lactate production without impacting growth rate in mammalian cells.

The Warburg effect, which describes the fermentation of glucose to lactate even in the presence of oxygen, is ubiquitous in proliferative mammalian cells, including cancer cells, but poses challenges for biopharmaceutical production as lactate accumulation inhibits cell growth and protein production. Previous efforts to eliminate lactate production in cells for bioprocessing have failed as lactate dehydrogenase is essential for cell growth. Here, we effectively eliminate lactate production in Chinese hamster ovary and in the human embryonic kidney cell line HEK293 by simultaneous knockout of lactate dehydrogenases and pyruvate dehydrogenase kinases, thereby removing a negative feedback loop that typically inhibits pyruvate conversion to acetyl-CoA.

A synthetic cyclic peptide for promoting antigen presentation and immune activation.

Cyclic peptides are often used as scaffolds for the multivalent presentation of drug molecules due to their structural stability and constrained conformation. We identified a cyclic deca-peptide incorporating lipoamino acids for delivering T helper and B cell epitopes against group A Streptococcus (GAS), eliciting robust humoral immune responses. In this study, we assessed the function-immunogenicity relationship of the multi-component vaccine candidate (referred to as VC-13) to elucidate a mechanism of action.

Lattice defect engineering advances n-type PbSe thermoelectrics.

Te-free thermoelectrics have garnered significant interest due to their immense thermoelectric potential and low cost. However, most Te-free thermoelectrics have relatively low performance because of the strong electrical and thermal transport conflicts and unsatisfactory compatibility of interfaces between device materials. Here, we develop lattice defect engineering through Cu doping to realize a record-high figure of merit of ~1.

The trochlea for the intermediate tendon of the digastric muscle: a review.

This review explores the novel perspective that the intermediate tendon of the digastric muscle may function as an anatomical trochlear pulley system within the human body, challenging the traditional understanding of trochlear systems. While widely recognized trochlear units include structures like the medial part of the humerus and the superior oblique muscle of the orbit, the review focuses on the unique anatomical arrangement of the intermediate tendon of the digastric muscle in connection with the anterior and posterior bellies of the digastric muscles. Despite current debates within the anatomical community about labeling the digastric muscles as having a trochlea, this paper delves into the scientific definition of a trochlear pulley system, presenting the intermediate tendon of the digastric muscle as a potential trochlea.

Prolonged grief reactions and help-seeking in bereaved adults during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted many care systems limiting bereaved people's ability to access social, community, and professional support. This study investigated help-seeking of people living with probable prolonged grief disorder (PGD) to identify challenges and facilitators of care, with the aim of informing bereavement practice and policy recommendations.

Methods: Participants (N = 786; 96.

Random walk models in the life sciences: including births, deaths and local interactions.

Random walks and related spatial stochastic models have been used in a range of application areas, including animal and plant ecology, infectious disease epidemiology, developmental biology, wound healing and oncology. Classical random walk models assume that all individuals in a population behave independently, ignoring local physical and biological interactions. This assumption simplifies the mathematical description of the population considerably, enabling continuum-limit descriptions to be derived and used in model analysis and fitting.

Clonally expanded, targetable, natural killer-like NKG7 T cells seed the aged spinal cord to disrupt myeloid-dependent wound healing.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) increasingly affects aged individuals, where functional impairment and mortality are highest. However, the aging-dependent mechanisms underpinning tissue damage remain elusive. Here, we find that natural killer-like T (NKLT) cells seed the intact aged human and murine spinal cord and multiply further after injury.

Evaluating the effect of detached mindfulness techniques on gaming-related urges and intentions to play.

Individuals who struggle to regulate their gaming involvement, particularly those with gaming disorder, often report strong subjective urges to play games. Desire thinking has been proposed to be an active driver of urge, and therefore disrupting desire thinking processes may reduce urges to play. Detached mindfulness, a meta-cognitive therapy technique, is a candidate option for reducing desire thinking, but the available research in relation to gaming is limited.

Intrapartum hydration assessment and management: A cross-sectional survey of Australian and New Zealand maternity units.

Background: Hydration assessment and management during labour play an important role in maternal and newborn outcomes. Studies indicate that clinical practice is inconsistent, with limited consensus evident in clinical guidelines. Current practices in fluid management across public and private maternity units within Australia and New Zealand remain unknown.

Blood Transfusions for Chronic Malaria Anemia in Prisoners of War on the Thai-Burma Railway 1943-1945.

Allied prisoners of war (POWs) working on the Imperial Japanese Army's railroad from Thailand to Burma during 1943-1945 devised a blood transfusion service to rescue severely ill fellow prisoners who were otherwise unlikely to survive the war. Extant transfusion records (1,251 recipients, 1,189 donors) in ledger books held by the United Kingdom National Archives at Kew were accessed and analyzed. Survival to the end of the war in 1945 was determined from Commonwealth War Graves Commission records.

Population Pharmacokinetics of Telmisartan in Healthy Subjects and Hypertensive Patients.

Background And Objective: Telmisartan exhibits significant pharmacokinetic (PK) variability, but it remains unclear whether its PK profile is altered in hypertensive patients. This study aimed to characterize telmisartan PKs by conducting a meta-analysis and developing a pooled population PK model based on data from healthy subjects and hypertensive patients.

Methods: Relevant literature was identified by a systematic approach.

International trends in the implementation of assessment for learning : Implications for policy and practice in a post-COVID world.

This paper discusses the evolution of assessment for learning (AfL) across the globe with particular attention given to Western educational jurisdictions. Scholars from Australia, Canada, Ireland, Israel, New Zealand, Norway, and the United States discuss prominent assessment reforms within their respective countries over the last decade. Particular attention is given to the impact of the pandemic as well as technological developments for classroom assessment policies and practices.