A review of submandibular gland extirpation in an Australian quaternary referral centre: aetiologies and trends over 35 years.

Background: Submandibular gland pathology is common but rarely reported. This study was performed to evaluate demographic, pathological, and survival outcomes associated with submandibular gland extirpation.

Methods: Retrospective analysis of patients treated in a single quaternary-care institution between 1989 and 2022 was performed.

Causes and consequences of divorce in a long-lived socially monogamous bird.

In socially monogamous species, sexual selection not only depends on initial mate choice but also mate switching. To date, studies lack assessment of (1) differences between passive (widowhood) and active (divorce) mate switching, (2) longer term fitness consequences (beyond the season post-divorce) and (3) how age masks reproductive costs and benefits of divorce. We investigated causes and short- and long-term consequences of mate switching and their age dependence using longitudinal data on Seychelles warblers (Acrocephalus sechellensis).

Sleep discrepancy and brain glucose metabolism in community-dwelling older adults.

Sleep discrepancy (negative discrepancy reflects worse self-reported sleep than objective measures, such as actigraphy, and positive discrepancy the opposite) has been linked to adverse health outcomes. This study is first to investigate the relationship between sleep discrepancy and brain glucose metabolism (assessed globally and regionally via positron emission tomography), and to evaluate the contribution of insomnia severity and depressive symptoms to any associations. Using data from cognitively unimpaired community-dwelling older adults ( = 68), cluster analysis was used to characterise sleep discrepancy (for total sleep time (TST), wake after sleep onset (WASO), and sleep efficiency (SE)), and logistic regression was used to explore sleep discrepancy's associations with brain glucose metabolism, while controlling for insomnia severity and depressive symptoms.

Concordance and test-retest consistency of sleep biomarker-based neurodegenerative disorder profiling.

Biomarkers that aid in early detection of neurodegeneration are needed to enable early symptomatic treatment and enable identification of people who may benefit from neuroprotective interventions. Increasing evidence suggests that sleep biomarkers may be useful, given the bi-directional relationship between sleep and neurodegeneration and the prominence of sleep disturbances and altered sleep architectural characteristics in several neurodegenerative disorders. This study aimed to demonstrate that sleep can accurately characterize specific neurodegenerative disorders (NDD).

Cardio-metabolic and cytoskeletal proteomic signatures differentiate stress hypersensitivity in dystrophin-deficient mdx mice.

Extreme heterogeneity exists in the hypersensitive stress response exhibited by the dystrophin-deficient mdx mouse model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Because stress hypersensitivity can impact dystrophic phenotypes, this research aimed to understand the peripheral pathways driving this inter-individual variability. Male and female mdx mice were phenotypically stratified into "stress-resistant" or "stress-sensitive" groups based on their response to two laboratory stressors.

A client-server based recognition system: Non-contact single/multiple emotional and behavioral state assessment methods.

Background And Objectives: In the current global health landscape, there is an increasing demand for rapid and accurate assessment of mental states. Traditional assessment methods typically rely on face-to-face interactions, which are not only time-consuming but also highly subjective. Addressing this issue, this study aims to develop a client-server-based, non-contact multimodal emotion and behavior recognition system to enhance the efficiency and accuracy of mental state assessments.

Unified Knowledge-Guided Molecular Graph Encoder with multimodal fusion and multi-task learning.

The remarkable success of Graph Neural Networks underscores their formidable capacity to assimilate multimodal inputs, markedly enhancing performance across a broad spectrum of domains. In the context of molecular modeling, considerable efforts have been made to enrich molecular representations by integrating data from diverse aspects. Nevertheless, current methodologies frequently compartmentalize geometric and semantic components, resulting in a fragmented approach that impairs the holistic integration of molecular attributes.

A comparison of the accuracy and feasibility of a low-cost mobile application versus higher-cost handheld 3D scanner for digital ear prosthetics.

Background: Facial prosthetics are an important means to rehabilitate patients with congenital or acquired facial defects. However, with a time-consuming manual workflow and workforce shortage, access to facial prosthetics is limited in Australia and worldwide, especially for rural and remote patients. Optical 3D scanning has been increasingly integrated in digitizing data.

Legacy effects of an invasive legume more strongly impact bacterial than plant communities in a Mediterranean-type ecosystem.

The impacts of invasive plants on ecosystem processes and functions may persist as "legacy effects" after their removal. Understanding these effects on native plant-soil interactions is critical for guiding ecological restoration efforts. This study examines the legacy effects of the invasive legume Acacia saligna (Labill.

Anti-VEGF therapy for proliferative diabetic retinopathy in Kearns-Sayre syndrome.

Purpose: Multiple mitochondrial syndromes, such as Kearns-Sayre, involve the concurrence of diabetes mellitus and inherited pigmentary retinopathy. It is rare, however, for proliferative disease to develop in these patients as existing inner retinal dysfunction is thought to be protective.

Methods: To our knowledge this is the first description of proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) in Kearns-Sayre syndrome.

Royal Far West's Allied Health Telehealth Services for Children Post-Bushfires.

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of Royal Far West allied health telehealth services to support the health and well-being of children affected by the bushfires.

Setting: In response to the 2019/2020 Black Summer bushfires, Royal Far West (RFW) implemented the Community Recovery Services (CRS) targeting the health and well-being of affected children. One component of the CRS was the delivery of allied health telehealth services to children.

Rural nursing and allied health placements during the latter stage of the COVID-19 public health emergency: A national study.

Objective: To explore changes to rural nursing and allied health placements during the latter stage of the COVID-19 public health emergency.

Setting: Regional, rural and remote Australia.

Participants: Nursing and allied health students with a scheduled University Department of Rural Health (UDRH) facilitated rural placement between 1 January 2022 and 31 October 2022.

Identification of Novel FosX Family Determinants from Diverse Environmental Samples.

Objectives: This study aimed to identify novel fosfomycin resistance genes across diverse environmental samples, ranging in levels of anthropogenic pollution. We focused on fosfomycin resistance, and given its increasing clinical importance, explored the prevalence of these genes within different environmental contexts.

Methods: Metagenomic DNA was extracted from wastewater and sediment samples collected from sites in India, Sweden, and Antarctica.

Independent Validation of a HER2-low Focused IHC Scoring System for Enhanced Pathologist Precision and Consistency.

For two decades the ASCO CAP HER2 testing criteria have included 0 and 1+ scores, but this distinction was inconsequential. Now, based on the DESTINY Breast-04 Trial (DB-04) results, for patients with metastatic breast cancer it underpins eligibility for T-DXd treatment. Discerning 0 from 1+ IHC staining is challenging, as HER2 low is not a biologically distinct cancer subset, there are no reference standards or controls and second-tier tests do not apply.

Europe-wide distribution and bat-host specific lineages in the malarial parasite Polychromophilus murinus revealed through genetic screening of bat flies.

Malaria parasites of the genus Polychromophilus commonly infect vespertilionid and miniopterid bats, and are transmitted by bat flies (Nycteribiidae). While Polychromophilus murinus has been recorded sporadically in Europe, its host range, distribution and phylogeographic structure have not been explored. Here we investigate the prevalence and genetic diversity of P.

Urothelial carcinoma in situ with "early papillary formation" vs "lateral spread/shoulder lesion" of prior high-grade noninvasive papillary urothelial carcinoma: A survey of pathologist and urologist interpretations.

Objectives: Urothelial carcinoma in situ (CIS) with early papillary formation is terminology sometimes used to suggest incipient high-grade papillary urothelial carcinoma (PUC) but may lead to confusion between true CIS and lateral flat spread of PUC.

Methods: It remains unclear how pathologists and urologists interpret this scenario, so a survey was circulated to 68 pathologists (group 1 = 28 academic genitourinary pathologists; group 2 = 17 pathologists with a self-reported genitourinary focus; group 3 = 23 pathologists self-reported as not genitourinary specialists) and 32 urologists.

Results: Regarding atypical urothelial lesions that appear mainly flat but contain possible papillae, group 3 was more likely to label this as CIS compared with groups 1 and 2 (35% for group 3 vs 13% for groups 1 and 2), while groups 1 and 2 more often adopted another descriptive diagnosis, such as "CIS with early papillary features" (38% for groups 1 and 2 vs 13% for group 3).

Internet-delivered cognitive behaviour therapy for university students: Preference trial for various course durations.

Background: Internet-delivered cognitive behaviour therapy (ICBT) is an accessible and effective treatment option for post-secondary students, but engagement and completion rates are less favourable than in non-student populations in routine care. Studies on students' treatment preferences suggest that a range of options should be offered. Examining students' engagement and outcomes associated with ICBT course options of varying durations can help inform how to optimally deliver ICBT to university students in routine care.

The MAASWERP Study: An International, Comparative Case Study on Measuring Biomechanics of the Aged Murine Aorta.

Introduction: Arterial stiffening is a hallmark of vascular ageing, and unravelling its underlying mechanisms has become a central theme in the field of cardiovascular disease. While various techniques and experimental setups are accessible for investigating biomechanics of blood vessels both in vivo and ex vivo, comparing findings across diverse methodologies is challenging.

Methods: Arterial stiffness in the aorta of adult (5 months) and aged (24 months) wild-type C57Bl/6J mice was measured in vivo, after which ex vivo biomechanical evaluation was performed using the Rodent Oscillatory Tension Setup to study Arterial Compliance (ROTSAC; University of Antwerp, Belgium) and the DynamX setup (Maastricht University, The Netherlands).

The Surgical Management of the Eye in Facial Palsy.

The surgical management of the periocular region in facial palsy is a critical aspect of addressing the ocular morbidity associated with facial paralysis. The reconstruction around the eye in facial palsy should take into account the duration of the facial palsy and underlying ocular pathologies. Exposure keratopathy can develop secondary to lagophthalmos, ectropion, and brow ptosis.

Periorbital Microcystic Adnexal Carcinoma With Distant Metastases.

Purpose: Microcystic adnexal carcinoma (MAC) is a locally aggressive adnexal carcinoma of the head and neck, which has a high tendency for recurrence. MAC rarely has distant metastasis, with only one previously reported case originating from the periorbital region. We present a patient with periorbital MAC with distant metastasis and a review of all reported patients with metastatic disease.

Widespread occurrence of benzimidazole resistance single nucleotide polymorphisms in the canine hookworm, Ancylostoma caninum, in Australia.

Canine hookworm (Ancylostoma caninum), a gastrointestinal nematode of domestic dogs, principally infects the small intestine of dogs and has the potential to cause zoonotic disease. In greyhounds and pet dogs in the USA, A. caninum has been shown to be resistant to multiple anthelmintics.

In-Gel and In-Solution Approaches to Protein and Peptide Fractionation.

Identifying proteins from living organisms helps us understand the biological functions of cells, discover new molecular mechanisms, and interrogate known mechanisms for improving our understanding. For a comprehensive understanding of cellular functions, identifying the whole protein content, or proteome, of a cell is desirable but challenging. Here, we describe in detail two methods of proteome fractionation at either the protein (SDS-PAGE) or peptide (high-pH reversed-phase fractionation) level, which can be used to maximize the identification of proteins from complex biological samples.