Antigenicity evaluation of lac color and exploratory study for identifying potential biomarkers of anaphylaxis.

Background: Lac color, a natural red dye derived from the larvae of laccifer lacca kerr, is one of the most commonly used substances in food. To date, no studies have reported on the antigenicity of lac color and the other biomarkers that can determine anaphylactic reactions. To address this, we evaluated the antigenicity of lac color through active systemic anaphylaxis (ASA) in addition to identifying potential biomarkers performing exploratory studies.

Changes in isolation guidelines for CPE patients results in only mild reduction in required hospital beds.

Background: Carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CPE) are an emerging public health concern globally as they are resistant to a broad spectrum of antibiotics. Colonisation with CPE typically requires patients to be managed under 'contact precautions', which creates additional physical bed demands in healthcare facilities.

Methods: This study examined the potential impact of revised isolation guidelines introduced in late 2023 in Victoria, Australia, that relaxed the requirement for indefinite isolation of CPE-colonised patients in contact precautions, based on admission of CPE-diagnosed cases prior to the guideline change.

Clinicians' and Patients' Experiences and Perceptions on the Prevention and Management of Surgical Site Infections: A Mixed-Methods Systematic Review.

Aim: To explore clinicians' and patients' perceptions of implementing evidence-based practice to improve clinical practice for preventing and managing surgical site infections within hospital acute care settings.

Design: A convergent integrated mixed-methods systematic review using the Joanna Briggs Institute approach.

Methods: Included studies reported (i) acute care hospital clinicians' and patients' experiences and preferences for preventing and managing surgical site infections and (ii) barriers and facilitators to implementing surgical site infection prevention and management guidelines.

The impact of ethnicity and its definition on diabetes prevalence: A national Australian whole-of-population study.

Aims: We assessed the extent to which using large geographic regions to group ethnicities (ancestries or countries-of-birth) masked intra-regional variation in diabetes risk.

Methods: We performed a cross-sectional analysis of the 2021 Australian National Census, which included self-reported health data. Ethnicity-specific diabetes prevalence was age/sex-standardised to a reference population of all census respondents 20 years and above.

Plasma neurofilament light outperforms glial fibrillary acidic protein in differentiating behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia from primary psychiatric disorders.

Objective: Timely, accurate distinction between behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) and primary psychiatric disorders (PPD) is a clinical challenge. Blood biomarkers such as neurofilament light chain (NfL) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) have shown promise. Prior work has shown NfL helps distinguish FTD from PPD.

Expert consensus on antimicrobial resistance research priorities to focus development and implementation of antibacterial vaccines and monoclonal antibodies.

To reduce antimicrobial resistance (AMR), pathogen-specific AMR burden data are crucial to guide target selection for research and development of vaccines and monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). We identified knowledge gaps through previously conducted systematic reviews, which informed a Delphi expert consultation on future AMR research priorities and harmonisation strategies to support data-driven decision-making. Consensus (≥80% agreement) on importance and feasibility of research topics was achieved in two rounds, involving 24 of 39 and 19 of 24 invited experts, respectively.

Preferences for attributes of an artificial intelligence-based risk assessment tool for HIV and sexually transmitted infections: a discrete choice experiment.

Introduction: Early detection and treatment of HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are crucial for effective control. We previously developed MySTIRisk, an artificial intelligence-based risk tool that predicts the risk of HIV and STIs. We examined the attributes that encourage potential users to use it.

Wild-Type Domestication: Loss of Intrinsic Metabolic Traits Concealed by Culture in Rich Media.

Bacteria are typically isolated on rich media to maximise isolation success, removing them from their native evolutionary context. This eliminates selection pressures, enabling otherwise deleterious genomic events to accumulate. Here, we present a cautionary tale of these 'quiet mutations' which can persist unnoticed in bacterial culture lines.

Similar Weaning Success Rate with High-Intensity and Sham Inspiratory Muscle Training: A Randomized Controlled Trial (IMweanT).

Rationale: Inspiratory muscle training (IMT) improves respiratory muscle function in patients with weaning difficulties. IMT protocols involve performing daily sets of breaths against external loads. However, the impact of IMT on weaning outcomes while incorporating sham control interventions remains unclear.

Duration of kissing in different intimate positions among men who have sex with men: A cross-sectional study.

Background: Despite mounting evidence showing that kissing (tongue-kissing) may transmit gonorrhoea between men who have sex with men (MSM), little data exists on factors influencing the duration of kissing while they are above and/or lying underneath a partner for this population group.

Methods: Between May 2019 and March 2020, we invited MSM aged ≥18 years who attended the Melbourne Sexual Health Centre (MSHC) to participate in a survey about the duration of their kissing (minutes) and intimate position while kissing (i.e.

Neuropsychological Outcomes After Stereo-EEG Radiofrequency Thermocoagulation.

Background And Objectives: Stereo-EEG-guided radiofrequency thermocoagulation (RFTHC) has been proposed as relatively safe from a cognitive perspective; however, there is a lack of evidence based on neuropsychological assessments supporting this. This study is the first prospective evaluation of neuropsychological outcomes associated with stereo-EEG-guided RFTHC in patients with focal drug-resistant epilepsy.

Methods: This cohort study involved prospective recruitment of consecutive patients undergoing stereo-EEG from 2 Australian centers.

HPV vaccination is highly effective and cost-effective for cervical cancer prevention in women living with HIV in China: A cost-effectiveness analysis.

The presence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection increases the risk of acquiring human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and developing HPV-related adversities. We aimed to estimate the cost-effectiveness of HPV vaccination for women living with HIV in a Chinese setting. A decision-analysis Markov model was developed to estimate the cost-effectiveness of 36 HPV vaccination strategies for women living with HIV aged 18-45 years, from the healthcare system perspective.

Baseline Characteristics of Participants in STAREE: A Randomized Trial for Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease Events and Prolongation of Disability-Free Survival in Older People.

Background: The risk-benefit balance of statin use in healthy older people is uncertain. We describe the baseline characteristics of the STAREE (Statins in Reducing Events in the Elderly) trial, which is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial among community-dwelling older people; the trial evaluated the effect of atorvastatin 40 mg for the prevention of major cardiovascular events (cardiovascular death, nonfatal myocardial infarction or stroke), and on disability-free survival (survival free of both dementia and persistent physical disability).

Methods And Results: STAREE enrolled people aged ≥70 years from 1583 general practices across Australia with no history of clinical cardiovascular disease, diabetes, or dementia.

Lefamulin for treatment failure in Australia and the USA: a case series and pilot open-label parallel arm randomised trial.

Objectives: (MG) causes urethritis and is associated with cervicitis, pelvic inflammatory disease and preterm delivery. Antimicrobial resistance is widespread and cure rates are declining. Lefamulin, a novel pleuromutilin, may be effective in cases of treatment failure.