A distinct immunophenotype in children carrying the Blautia enterotype: The generation R study.

Objective: Studies in mouse models and human adults have shown that the intestinal microbiota composition can affect peripheral immune cells. We here examined whether the gut microbiota compositions affect B and T-cell subsets in children.

Methods: The intestinal microbiota was characterized from stool samples of 344 10-year-old children from the Generation R Study by performing 16S rRNA sequencing.

Assessing the scientific integrity of the collected work of one author or author-group.

Objective: No published methods for research integrity review include both statistical techniques applied to groups of randomised trials and individual assessment of papers. We propose a method based on practical experience of investigating data integrity across the collected papers of one author or author-group.

Study Design And Setting: We report our approach to investigating the collected papers of an author or author-group suspected of academic misconduct.

What happened next? A survey of review clients evaluating impacts of rapid reviews.

Introduction: End-user evaluation of the impact of evidence syntheses is critical to demonstrating value. This study presents results of a survey evaluating the impact of rapid reviews undertaken by two teams based in Melbourne, Australia and Hamilton, Canada.

Methods: Clients were invited to participate in a short, written survey following delivery of a rapid review.

Characteristics, care and support needs of older Victorians requiring a government-funded Home Care Package: An observational study.

Objectives: To describe sociodemographic characteristics and comprehensive day-to-day care and support needs of older Victorians requiring government-funded home-based aged-care, and to explore associations between vulnerability factors and complexity indicators in this population.

Methods: A population-based observational study was conducted using de-identified, routinely collected aged-care assessment data for Victorians approved for a Home Care Package (HCP) between January 2019 and June 2022.

Results: The study population (n = 94,975 individuals), approved for one of four HCP levels (Levels 1 (5%), 2 (38%), 3 (34%) or 4 (24%)), was aged 82 years on average (SD 7.

Carbohydrate-based co-encapsulation of spice oleoresin blends: Impact on flavor release profiles, storage stability, and sensory acceptance.

The study highlights the impact of different carbohydrate-based wall materials on the encapsulation and release of flavors and physicochemical characteristics of spray-dried oleoresin blends. The inlet temperature and the wall material type significantly affected the spray drying yield, and Hi-Cap 100, at 150 °C, produced the highest yield. All the wall materials had high water solubility, and Hi-Cap 100 reported the best wettability.

A conserved switch to less catalytically active Polycomb repressive complexes in non-dividing cells.

Polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2), composed of the core subunits EED, SUZ12, and either EZH1 or EZH2, is critical for maintaining cellular identity in multicellular organisms. PRC2 deposits H3K27me3, which is thought to recruit the canonical form of PRC1 (cPRC1) to promote gene repression. Here, we show that EZH1-PRC2 and cPRC1 are the primary Polycomb complexes on target genes in non-dividing, quiescent cells.

Impacts of Housing Costs on Health and Satisfaction With Life Circumstances: Evidence From Australia.

This paper examines the causal impacts of rising housing costs on individual health and satisfaction with life circumstances, using a fixed-effects instrumental variable approach and individual-level panel data from Australia. Relying on the historical patterns of immigrant settlement, we construct an instrumental variable that exploits exogenous variation in housing costs driven by foreign investments that flow differentially into localities. We find that rising housing costs-as measured by composite housing costs faced by homeowners and renters living in an area-have a significant positive impact on individuals' self-assessed physical health and a significant negative impact on satisfaction ratings, but no significant impact on self-assessed emotional health.

Emerging and re-emerging viral infections of the central nervous system in Australasia and beyond.

Viral infections of the central nervous system (CNS) have been emerging and re-emerging worldwide, and the Australasia region has not been spared. Enterovirus A71 and enterovirus D68, both human enteroviruses, are likely to replace the soon-to-be eradicated poliovirus to cause global outbreaks associated with neurological disease. Although prevalent elsewhere, the newly emergent orthoflavivirus, Japanese encephalitis virus (genotype IV), caused human infections in Australia in 2021, and almost certainly will continue to do so because of spillovers from the natural animal host-vector life cycle endemic in the country.

Determining the effects of transcranial alternating current stimulation on corticomotor excitability and motor performance: A sham-controlled comparison of four frequencies.

Transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) modulates brain oscillations and corticomotor plasticity. We examined the effects of four tACS frequencies (20 Hz, 40 Hz, 60 Hz, and 80 Hz) on motor cortex (M1) excitability and motor performance. In a randomised crossover design, 12 adults received 20-minute tACS sessions, with Sham as control.

Six months of hybrid closed-loop therapy improves diabetes-specific positive well-being, and reduces diabetes distress and fear of hypoglycemia: secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial.

Introduction: This analysis aimed to investigate diabetes-specific psychological outcomes among adults with type 1 diabetes (T1D) using hybrid closed-loop (HCL) versus standard therapy.

Research Design And Methods: In this multicenter, open-label, randomized, controlled, parallel-group clinical trial, adults with T1D were allocated to 26 weeks of HCL (MiniMed™ 670G) or standard therapy (insulin pump or multiple daily injections without real-time continuous glucose monitoring). Psychological outcomes (awareness and fear of hypoglycemia; and diabetes-specific positive well-being, diabetes distress, diabetes treatment satisfaction, and diabetes-specific quality of life (QoL)) were measured at enrollment, mid-trial and end-trial.

Ward-delivered nasal high-flow oxygen and non-invasive ventilation are safe for people with acute respiratory failure: a cohort study.

Background And Aims: Ward-delivered non-invasive respiratory supports (NIRS) (conventional oxygen therapy (COT), high-flow nasal oxygen (HFNO), continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) and non-invasive ventilation (NIV)), are often used to treat hospitalised patients with acute respiratory failure (ARF) both in high acuity and general wards. This study aimed to describe the processes of care adopted and examine patient outcomes from a specialist, ward-delivered NIRS service caring for people with COVID-19 in general wards or in a respiratory care unit (RCU).

Methods: A cohort study was undertaken including all consecutive patients admitted to a quaternary hospital with ARF secondary to COVID-19 and requiring ward-delivered NIRS between 28 February 2020 and 18 March 2022.

Risk factors associated with 30-day mortality following COVID-19 infection in patients receiving kidney replacement therapy in Australian and New Zealand.

Background And Aims: The COVID-19 pandemic impacted greatest among patients with pre-existing chronic health conditions, including chronic kidney disease. This retrospective cohort study aimed to investigate the 30-day mortality of patients receiving kidney replacement therapy (KRT) after infection with COVID-19, living in Australia and New Zealand between 2020 and 2022, including patients on haemodialysis (HD), peritoneal dialysis (PD) and renal transplant (KT) recipients.

Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study using data from the Australian and New Zealand Dialysis and Transplant Registry (ANZDATA).

Pain and Dyspnea During Acute Exacerbations of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: Documentation Audit 2019-2020.

Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) assess the severity and impact of both pain and dyspnea in those with acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but their frequency of use in clinical practice is unknown. This study aimed to determine the point prevalence of pain and dyspnea assessment in patients hospitalized with an acute exacerbation of COPD and the measurement tools applied for this purpose in clinical practice. Clinical notes and observation charts of patients admitted with acute exacerbations of COPD to a metropolitan hospital in 2019 and 2020 were retrospectively audited to identify the point prevalence of pain and dyspnea assessment, the PROMs applied, and their associated focal periods.

Recent Advancements in Localization Technologies for Wireless Capsule Endoscopy: A Technical Review.

Conventional endoscopy is limited in its ability to examine the small bowel and perform long-term monitoring due to the risk of infection and tissue perforation. Wireless Capsule Endoscopy (WCE) is a painless and non-invasive method of examining the body's internal organs using a small camera that is swallowed like a pill. The existing active locomotion technologies do not have a practical localization system to control the capsule's movement within the body.

Long-Term Outcomes and Quality of Life of High-Risk Neuroblastoma Patients Treated with a Multimodal Treatment Including Anti-GD2 Immunotherapy: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Background: The incorporation of anti-GD2 antibodies such as ch14.18/SP2/0 into the multimodal treatment of high-risk neuroblastoma (HR-NB) patients has improved their outcomes. As studies assessing the long-term outcomes, long-term sequelae, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of this treatment are limited, this retrospective analysis aimed to explore these.

The Role of Nutrient Supplements in Female Infertility: An Umbrella Review and Hierarchical Evidence Synthesis.

Background And Objectives: Nutrient supplements are commonly used to improve fertility outcomes by women with infertility trying to conceive spontaneously or utilising medically assisted reproduction (MAR). However, despite their widespread use and perceived safety, there is a lack of clear guidance on the efficacy and safety of these supplements for female infertility. The aim of this umbrella review was to identify the best available and most recent evidence on the efficacy and safety of nutrient supplements for female infertility to provide evidence-based guidance for clinicians and reproductive couples.

The Accuracy of the Passive Leg Raising Test Using the Perfusion Index to Identify Preload Responsiveness-A Single Center Study in a Resource-Limited Setting.

We investigated the accuracy of predicting preload responsiveness by means of a passive leg raising test (PLR) using the perfusion index (PI) in critically ill patients showing signs of hypoperfusion in a resource-limited setting. We carried out a prospective observational single center study in patients admitted for sepsis or severe malaria with signs of hypoperfusion in Chattogram, Bangladesh. A PLR was performed at baseline, and at 6, 24, 48, and 72 h.

Scaffolding informed consent.

The principle of respecting patient autonomy underpins the concept and practice of informed consent. Yet current approaches to consent often ignore the ways in which the exercise of autonomy is deeply epistemically dependent.In this paper, we draw on philosophical descriptions of autonomy 'scaffolding' and apply them to informed consent in medicine.

Adjunctive Fresh Frozen Plasma Versus Adjunctive Cryoprecipitate in Cardiac Surgery Patients Receiving Platelets for Perioperative Bleeding.

Objective(s): This study was designed to assess the relative association between adjunctive fresh frozen plasma (FFP) or adjunctive cryoprecipitate and morbidity and mortality in cardiac surgery patients receiving platelets for perioperative bleeding.

Design: Retrospective cohort study using inverse probability of treatment weighting with entropy balancing.

Setting: Multi-institutional study of 58 centers using the Australian and New Zealand Society of Cardiac and Thoracic Surgeons National Cardiac Surgery Database from January 1, 2005, to December 31, 2021.

Strategies for phosphorus management and greenhouse gas reduction via plant harvesting in the water-level fluctuation zone of the Three Gorges Reservoir.

The water-level fluctuation zones (WLFZ) in Three Gorges Reservoir encounter several ecological challenges, particularly potential greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and water eutrophication due to water level variations. Therefore, to address those challenges, our study explores the relationships between soil properties (Phosphorus cycle), plant conditions, microbial community, and GHG emissions. Our findings reveal that aboveground plants are the key link in the WLFZ ecosystem, which has previously been overlooked.