Co-delivery of IL-1Ra and SOX9 via AAV inhibits inflammation and promotes cartilage repair in surgically induced osteoarthritis animal models.

Osteoarthritis (OA), a prevalent joint disorder, can lead to disability, with no effective treatment available. Interleukin-1 (IL-1) plays a crucial role in the progression of OA, and its receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra), a natural IL-1 inhibitor, represents a promising therapeutic target by obstructing the IL-1 signaling pathway. This study delivered IL-1Ra via adeno-associated virus (AAV), a gene therapy vector enabling long-term protein expression, to treat knee osteoarthritis (KOA) in animal models.

Trust in scientists and their role in society across 68 countries.

Science is crucial for evidence-based decision-making. Public trust in scientists can help decision makers act on the basis of the best available evidence, especially during crises. However, in recent years the epistemic authority of science has been challenged, causing concerns about low public trust in scientists.

Perceptions of science, science communication, and climate change attitudes in 68 countries - the TISP dataset.

Science is integral to society because it can inform individual, government, corporate, and civil society decision-making on issues such as public health, new technologies or climate change. Yet, public distrust and populist sentiment challenge the relationship between science and society. To help researchers analyse the science-society nexus across different geographical and cultural contexts, we undertook a cross-sectional population survey resulting in a dataset of 71,922 participants in 68 countries.

Investigation of the sclerosing effect of increasing doses of polidocanol on pulmonary vessels: Experimental study.

Background: Percutaneous sclerotherapy as endovascular treatment may cause severe complications beside the target area. Pulmonary embolism and thrombosis may occur. In this regard, our study aimed to reveal whether increasing systemic doses of polidocanol affects the coronary or pulmonary alveolar levels.

A review of Returned and Services League venues operating electronic gambling machines in Victoria, Australia and the level of funding contributed to veterans.

Objective: Globally, funding 'good causes' is a legitimation tactic for gambling operations. This research aimed to determine if an Australian system allowing tax concessions to not-for-profits (NFPs) meets its primary intention of funding community purpose.

Methods: Not-for-profit (NFP) venues operating electronic gaming machines (EGMs) in the state of Victoria must submit records to the gambling regulator showing contribution to community purposes.

Antenatal pelvic floor muscle exercise intervention led by midwives in England to reduce postnatal urinary incontinence: APPEAL feasibility and pilot randomised controlled cluster trial.

Objectives: To assess the feasibility of an intervention of midwifery support for antenatal pelvic floor muscle exercises (PFME) to prevent postnatal urinary incontinence (UI).

Design: Feasibility and pilot cluster randomised controlled trial. Clusters were community midwifery teams.

How did the depression and anxiety levels of older New Zealanders change during the COVID-19 pandemic?

There has been widespread concern about the mental health impact of the global COVID-19 outbreak. Fears have been raised that depression and anxiety among older people may have increased in the pandemic, and that adverse health behaviours, such as increased alcohol use and decreased physical activity, may have contributed to the mental health decline. This study aimed to examine changes in depression, anxiety, alcohol use and physical activity scores of people aged 55 and older in New Zealand over the initial months of the pandemic.

Could entrustable professional activities support assessment in optometric clinical education in Australia and New Zealand?

Entrustable professional activities (EPAs) are increasingly being adopted as an assessment tool by medicine and other health professions in a bid to enhance competency-based health professional education. EPAs are well-defined professional activities that can be entrusted to students to perform with varying levels of supervision. They were introduced to overcome some of the limitations of traditional assessment methods of competency such as individual skills assessment or Direct Observation of Procedures and Objective Structured Clinical Examinations.

Proteomic characterization and comparison of the infective and adult life stage secretomes from Necator americanus and Ancylostoma ceylanicum.

More than 470 million people globally are infected with the hookworms Ancylostoma ceylanicum and Necator americanus, resulting in an annual loss of 2.1 to 4 million disability-adjusted-life-years. Current infection management approaches are limited by modest drug efficacy, the costs associated with frequent mass drug administration campaigns, and the risk of reinfection and burgeoning drug resistance.

Exploring the interface of religion, infertility and assisted reproduction: experiences of Pacific Christian adults in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Religion contributes to the identity, well-being, and life satisfaction of many people globally, however, its traditional stance on infertility and assisted reproductive technologies (ART) can conflict with individuals' personal reproductive aspirations and desire for a family. As the fertility rates of certain ethnic and religious groups decline, it is essential to discuss the interface between religion, infertility and ART, to understand how to best navigate the infertility journeys of proclaimed Christians. This article contextualises this discussion in the experiences of eight Pacific Christian adults living with infertility and/or accessing ART in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Evaluating Hepatitis B Screening During Pregnancy: A Study on Diagnostic Accuracy and Infection Control in Nigeria.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) remains a critical public health issue in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), particularly among pregnant women in Nigeria. Routine screening using rapid diagnostic kits is common in antenatal care, yet the accuracy of these tests can vary. This study aimed to determine the seroprevalencwe of HBV among pregnant women who had previously undergone screening using rapid diagnostic kits at Obafemi Awolowo Teaching Hospital, Ilesa, Osun State, Nigeria, to assess the effectiveness of initial screening and identify any missed cases.

In vivo simultaneous proton resonance frequency shift thermometry and single reference variable flip angle T measurements.

Purpose: The single reference variable flip angle sequence with a multi-echo stack of stars acquisition (SR-VFA-SoS) simultaneously measures temperature change using proton resonance frequency (PRF) shift and T-based thermometry methods. This work evaluates SR-VFA-SoS thermometry in MR-guided focused ultrasound in an in vivo rabbit model.

Methods: Simultaneous PRF shift thermometry and T-based thermometry were obtained in a New Zealand white rabbit model (n = 7) during MR-guided focused ultrasound surgery using the SR-VFA-SoS sequence at 3 T.

Gross Motor Development in Children With Autism: Longitudinal Trajectories From the Growing Up in New Zealand Study.

This study explored gross motor development (GMD) trajectories among 6359 children, with and without autism, from the Growing Up in New Zealand longitudinal cohort study. By the age of 8, 173 children had either an autism diagnosis (n = 108) or parent-reported autism concerns (n = 65). Gross motor milestones were reported by mothers when children were 9, 24, and 54 months of age.

Predictors of glycaemic improvement in children and young adults with type 1 diabetes and very elevated HbA1c using the MiniMed 780G system.

Aims: This study aimed to identify key factors with the greatest influence on glycaemic outcomes in young individuals with type 1 diabetes (T1D) and very elevated glycaemia after 3 months of automated insulin delivery (AID).

Materials And Methods: Data were combined and analysed from two separate and previously published studies with similar inclusion criteria assessing AID (MiniMed 780G) efficacy among young individuals naïve to AID (aged 7-25 years) with glycated haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) ≥69 mmol/mol (≥8.5%).

Breadth versus depth of knowledge: the need for new model trematode species.

The growth of knowledge and research practices in any discipline is characterised by a trade-off between depth and breadth: we can either invest efforts to learn a little about many things, or learn a lot about few things. In parasitology, breadth of knowledge corresponds to research on biodiversity and taxonomy: the discovery and description of an increasing number of new species. In contrast, depth of knowledge comes from focused research on a few model species, about which we accumulate much detailed information.

Transferrin Saturation, Serum Iron, and Ferritin in Heart Failure: Prognostic Significance and Proteomic Associations.

Background: Iron deficiency (ID) is currently defined as a serum ferritin level <100 or 100 to 299 ng/mL with transferrin saturation (TSAT) <20%. Serum ferritin and TSAT are currently used to define absolute and functional ID. However, individual markers of iron metabolism may be more informative than current arbitrary definitions of ID.

Burden of mental disorders and risk factors in the Western Pacific region from 1990 to 2021.

Background: The burden of mental disorders (MD) in the Western Pacific Region (WPR) remains a critical public health concern, with substantial variations across demographics and countries.

Aim: To analyze the burden of MD in the WPR from 1990 to 2021, along with associated risk factors, to reveal changing trends and emerging challenges.

Methods: We used data from the Global Burden of Disease 2021, analyzing prevalence, incidence, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) of MD from 1990 to 2021.

The Role of Local and Upstream Colonisation in Determining Stream Periphyton Metacommunity Assemblages.

Stream periphyton is an ideal study system for explaining how dispersal shapes community patterns. Few studies have tried to investigate periphyton metacommunities at the reach scale, and studies comparing local versus upstream periphyton propagule sources are lacking. We aimed to address these knowledge gaps by disentangling environmental constraints and dispersal sources, including dispersal hypotheses related to periphyton functional guilds.

A novel non-invasive murine model for rapidly testing drug activity via inhalation administration against .

The efficacy of many compounds against is often limited when administered via conventional oral or injection routes due to suboptimal pharmacokinetic characteristics. Inhalation-based delivery methods have been investigated to achieve high local therapeutic doses in the lungs. However, previous models, typically employing wild-type strains, were intricate, time-consuming, labor-intensive, and with poor reproducibility.

Introducing subgen. a new and very small lineage sharing with () an identical, largely circum-Pacific distribution pattern.

The application of DNA data on a worldwide sampling has revolutionized the infrageneric classification of the highly diverse ectomycorrhizal genus . Based on collections made in New Zealand, East Asia and North America, this study describes a new subgenus , the ninth subgenus of . Even though BLASTn of the ITS sequences suggested affinities with species of subgenera and the phylogenetic analysis based on a five-locus DNA dataset placed the target samples in an independent major clade that is taxonomically equivalent to subgenus.

Historical cultures provide insights into the taxonomy of .

Species morphologically typical of the genus are phylogenetically diverse, spread throughout . Phylogenetic studies based on DNA sequences have revealed the polyphyletic nature of the morphologically defined genus, the type species forming a clade phylogenetically distinct from all other sequenced species that had been placed in the genus. Some of the phylogenetic clades containing species can be distinguished on the basis of their asexual morphs.

D,L-3-hydroxybutyrate in the treatment of glucose transporter 1 deficiency syndrome (Glut1DS).

Background: Deficiency of the Glut1 transporter due to mono-allelic variants in causes hypoglycorrhachia, resulting in a neurological spectrum from neonatal epilepsy to adult-onset paroxysmal movement disorders (PMD). The brain utilises ketone bodies as an alternative energy source to glucose. Thus, early initiation of the ketogenic diet (KD) is standard care for Glut1 deficiency syndrome (Glut1DS).

Meta-analyses of the effects of high-intensity interval training in elite athletes-part I: mean effects on various performance measures.

Introduction: Meta-analysts have found that high-intensity interval training (HIIT) improves physical performance, but limited evidence exists regarding its effects on highly trained athletes, measures beyond maximum oxygen uptake ( O), and the moderating effects of different types of HIIT. In this study, we present meta-analyses of the effects of HIIT focusing on these deficits.

Methods: The effects of 6 types of HIIT and other moderators were derived from 34 studies involving highly trained endurance and elite athletes in percent units via log-transformation from separate meta-regression mixed models for sprint, time-trial, aerobic/anaerobic threshold, peak speed/power, repeated-sprint ability, O, and exercise economy.