The SARS-CoV-2 test scale-up in the USA: an analysis of the number of tests produced and used over time and their modelled impact on the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: Rapid, accessible, and accurate testing was paramount to an effective US COVID-19 response. Federal partners supported SARS-CoV-2 testing scale-up through an interagency-coordinated approach that focused on expanding supply chains, research and development, validation, and improving patient access. We aimed to provide an overview of the federal efforts to scale up the testing response and study the impact of scale-up.

The Complex Relationship Between Cannabis Use and Mental Health: Considering the Influence of Cannabis Use Patterns and Individual Factors.

The relationship between cannabis use and mental health is complex, as studies often report seemingly contradictory findings regarding whether cannabis use results in more positive or negative treatment outcomes. With an increasing number of individuals using cannabis for both recreational (i.e.

Glutamatergic Medications for Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Importance: Obsessive-compulsive and related disorders (OCRDs) encompass various neuropsychiatric conditions that cause significant distress and impair daily functioning. Although standard treatments are often effective, approximately 60% of patients may not respond adequately, underscoring the need for novel therapeutic approaches.

Objective: To evaluate improvement in OCRD symptoms associated with glutamatergic medications as monotherapy or as augmentation to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, with a focus on double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized clinical trials (RCTs).

Age-related unstable transient states and imbalanced activation proportion of brain networks in people with autism spectrum disorder: A resting-state fMRI study using coactivation pattern analyses.

The atypical static brain functions related to the executive control network (ECN), default mode network (DMN), and salience network (SN) in people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has been widely reported. However, their transient functions in ASD are not clear. We aim to identify transient network states (TNSs) using coactivation pattern (CAP) analysis to characterize the age-related atypical transient functions in ASD.

Racial Discrimination-related Interoceptive Network Disruptions: A Pathway to Disconnection.

Background: Racial discrimination (RD) disrupts regulatory systems in minoritized individuals, particularly those that govern attention, including attention to visceral signals (interoception). RD frequency is linked to physiological "shut down" responses, characterized clinically by dissociation. We examined associations between RD frequency and functional connectivity of attention and interoceptive networks in sample of trauma-exposed Black women, investigating how connectivity alterations associate with dissociation severity.

Early developmental changes in GABAA receptor expression in nucleus accumbens medium spiny neurons.

The expression of GABARs goes through large scale, evolutionarily conserved changes through the early postnatal period. While these changes have been well-studied in brain regions such as the hippocampus and sensory cortices, less is known about early developmental changes in other brain areas. The nucleus accumbens (NAc) is a major hub in the circuitry that mediates motivated behaviors and disruptions in NAc activity is a part of the neuropathology observed in mood and substance use disorders.

Efficacy of Therapeutic Hypothermia During Transport of Newborns With Perinatal Hypoxic-Ischaemic Encephalopathy: Experience From Newborn and Paediatric Transport Service, New South Wales.

Aim: To examine the efficacy of current non-servo-based cooling methods used by NETS NSW in treating hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE) with therapeutic hypothermia (TH) in neonatal retrieval.

Methods: A retrospective observational study of infants treated with TH for HIE retrieved by NETS NSW from January 2017 to June 2020 inclusive. Primary outcomes were the proportion of neonates achieving TH within 6 h of life and maintaining temperature in a therapeutic range.

Evaluation of agreement between common clustering strategies for DNA methylation-based subtyping of breast tumours.

Aims: Clustering algorithms have been widely applied to tumor DNA methylation datasets to define methylation-based cancer subtypes. This study aimed to evaluate the agreement between subtypes obtained from common clustering strategies.

Materials & Methods: We used tumor DNA methylation data from 409 women with breast cancer from the Melbourne Collaborative Cohort Study (MCCS) and 781 breast tumors from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA).

The IMAP and MICAP Flaps for Autologous Breast Reconstruction: An Anatomic, Clinical, and Outcome Study.

Background: Local flaps for breast reconstruction are becoming recognized as a viable alternative to remote flaps.

Objectives: The purpose of this manuscript is to describe the anatomy and clinical outcomes using the internal mammary artery perforators and the lateral intercostal artery perforator flaps for breast reconstruction.

Methods: Twelve cadaveric specimens were injected with colored latex and dissected to demonstrate the medial perforators of the 5th intercostal space.

Identifying Pain Subtypes in Patients With Craniofacial Lesions of Fibrous Dysplasia/McCune-Albright Syndrome.

Background: Fibrous dysplasia/McCune-Albright syndrome (FD/MAS) is a genetic disorder, marked by bone lesions, often affecting the craniofacial skeleton. Pain is a prevalent yet heterogeneous symptom reported by patients with craniofacial FD. Effective treatments are currently lacking, posing a significant clinical challenge to patient care.

International prevalence patterns of low eGFR in adults aged 18-60 without traditional risk factors from a population-based cross-sectional disadvantaged populations eGFR epidemiology (DEGREE) study.

The disadvantaged populations eGFR (estimated glomerular filtration rate) epidemiology (DEGREE) study was designed to gain insight into the burden of chronic kidney disease (CKD) of undetermined cause (CKDu) using standard protocols to estimate the general-population prevalence of low eGFR internationally. Therefore, we estimated the age-standardized prevalence of eGFR under 60 ml/min per 1.73m in adults aged 18-60, excluding participants with commonly known causes of CKD; an ACR (albumin/creatinine ratio) over 300 mg/g or equivalent, or self-reported or measured (HT) hypertension or (DM) diabetes mellitus, stratified by sex and location.

SKA2 enhances stress-related glucocorticoid receptor signaling through FKBP4-FKBP5 interactions in neurons.

Genes involved in regulating the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, including the glucocorticoid receptor (GR), are linked to various stress-related psychopathologies including bipolar disorder as well as other mood and trauma-related disorders. The protein product of the cell cycle gene, is a GR interaction partner in peripheral cells. However, the precise roles of SKA2 in stress and GR signaling in the brain, specifically in nonreplicating postmitotic neurons, and its involvement in HPA axis regulation remain unclear.

Longitudinal Course of Physical and Psychosocial Impairment in Patients With Borderline Personality Disorder and Personality-Disordered Comparison Subjects: Description and Prediction.

This study describes the 8-year course of physical and psychosocial impairment in middle-aged patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD) and other personality disorders (OPD). This study also compares BPD subgroups (recovered vs. nonrecovered) and explores predictors of physical impairment.

Differential Mapping of Psychopathic Traits and General Psychopathology in a Large Young Adult Sample.

Psychopathy is a personality disorder characterized by affective-interpersonal features and an impulsive-antisocial lifestyle. Psychopathy commonly co-occurs with other forms of psychopathology, but current understanding of how behavioral features of psychopathy co-occur with, or are distinct from, other mental health problems is limited. In this study, we analysed data from a large sample of young adults to study the relationship between different facets of psychopathic traits and general psychopathology ("p").

Deep transcranial magnetic stimulation for adolescents with treatment-resistant depression: Behavioral and neural correlates of clinical improvement.

Background: Affective bias toward negativity is associated with depression and may represent a promising treatment target. Stimulating the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) with deep Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (dTMS) could lead to shifts in affective bias. The current study examined behavioral and neural correlates of affective bias in the context of dTMS in adolescents with treatment-resistant depression (TRD).

Changes to provision of childbirth education during COVID-19 and its implications for ongoing service delivery - An Australian Survey.

Background: Childbirth and parenting education (CBPE) programs provide participants with information about pregnancy and labour and have a multitude of positive health impacts. During COVID-19, many CBPE classes ceased or transitioned to an online format, significantly impacting pregnant women across Australia. Little is known about the provision and delivery of CBPE in Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic from the perspective of CBPE educators and hospital managers, regarding its impact on staff and implications for ongoing service delivery.

Dementia with lewy bodies patients with high tau levels display unique proteome profiles.

Background: Clinical studies have long observed that neurodegenerative disorders display a range of symptoms and pathological features and, in some cases, overlap, suggesting that these diseases exist on a spectrum. Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB), a synucleinopathy, is a prominent example, where symptomatic similarities with tauopathy, Alzheimer's disease, are observed. Although tau pathology has been observed in DLB, the interplay between tau and α-synuclein is poorly understood at a molecular level.

M1 recruitment during interleaved practice is important for encoding, not just consolidation, of skill memory.

The primary motor cortex (M1) is crucial for motor skill learning. We examined its role in interleaved practice, which enhances retention (vs. repetitive practice) through M1-dependent consolidation.

Optical coherence tomography in secondary progressive multiple sclerosis: cross-sectional and longitudinal exploratory analysis from the MS-SMART randomised controlled trial.

Background: Optical coherence tomography (OCT) inner retinal metrics reflect neurodegeneration in multiple sclerosis (MS). We explored OCT measures as biomarkers of disease severity in secondary progressive MS (SPMS).

Methods: We investigated people with SPMS from the Multiple Sclerosis-Secondary Progressive Multi-Arm Randomisation Trial OCT substudy, analysing brain MRIs, clinical assessments and OCT at baseline and 96 weeks.

Research active medical imaging professionals in Australian metropolitan health services embrace opportunities and can overcome obstacles to engage in research: A mixed methods study.

Introduction: A minority of medical imaging professionals within Australian metropolitan healthcare services are engaging in research activity as part of an emerging research culture. This study aimed to explore the characteristics and experience of medical imaging professionals who engage in research to identify contextual and individual factors that empower them to participate in research.

Methods: A mixed methods observational study consisting of quantitative (survey) and qualitative (semi-structured interview) components using an interpretative description approach was completed with research active medical imaging professionals (radiographers, nuclear medicine technologists and sonographers).