Impact of distance from liver transplant centre on outcomes following liver transplantation: an Australian single-centre study.

Background: Access to liver transplantation (LT) is affected by geographic disparities. Higher waitlist mortality is observed in patients residing farther from LT centres, but the impact of distance on post-LT outcomes is unclear.

Aims: To evaluate whether the distance LT recipients reside from their LT centre affects graft and patient outcomes.

'Screening should not be based on ability to pay': Australian healthcare providers' and consumers' perspectives on public funding for non-invasive prenatal testing.

Background: Non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) does not receive any Medicare rebate. This study investigated the views of Australian healthcare providers and consumers on public funding of NIPT.

Materials And Methods: Two anonymous online, cross-sectional surveys were conducted from September 2022 to January 2023.

Trauma Outcomes Based on Remoteness of Injury in Australia: A Systemic Review.

Introduction: Research suggests a significant disparity between rural and urban trauma patient outcomes, causing substantial social, economic and emotional costs, impacting health-related quality of life and functionality, and straining our healthcare system. There has not been a systematic examination of contributing factors in Australia.

Objective: This study aims to systematically describe the nature of research on trauma outcomes by geographical location and (where possible) describe factors found to increase or decrease the likelihood and severity of injury in rural Australia.

Cardiac growth patterns and metabolism before and after birth in swine: Role of miR in proliferation, hypertrophy and metabolism.

The adult mammalian heart is unable to undergo cardiac repair, limiting potential treatment options after cardiac damage. However, the fetal heart is capable of cardiac repair. In preparation for birth, cardiomyocytes (CMs) undergo major maturational changes that include exit from the cell cycle, hypertrophic growth, and mitochondrial maturation.

Hydroperiod Influences Tadpole Growth and Development in the Endangered Littlejohn's Tree Frog ().

Amphibians are among the most threatened vertebrate taxa globally. Their global decline necessitates effective conservation actions to bolster populations across both the larval and adult stages. Constructing man-made ponds is one action proven to enhance reproduction in pond-breeding amphibians.

Perspectives on Frailty Among Emergency Physicians: A Qualitative Descriptive Study.

Background The proportion of older people in the general population is rising. Accompanying this rise is an increased prevalence of frailty. Frailty is a syndrome of increased vulnerability to stressors due to decreased physiological reserve and is linked to increased health services use.

Asian Pacific Society of Cardiology Position Statement on the Use of Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation in the Management of Aortic Stenosis.

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has been established as an effective treatment modality in patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS) and the uptake of TAVI is rapidly growing in the Asia-Pacific region. However, there exist a heterogeneity in the management of aortic stenosis and the use of TAVI among countries in the region. Reasons for these differences include anatomic variations, disparity in healthcare resources and infrastructure, and the lack of consensus on the optimal management of AS in the Asia-Pacific region.

An umbrella review of health outcomes following traumatic brain injury.

While numerous reviews have assessed the association between traumatic brain injury (TBI) and various mental and physical health outcomes, a comprehensive evaluation of the scope, validity, and quality of evidence is lacking. Here we present an umbrella review of a wide range of health outcomes following TBI and outline outcome risks across subpopulations. On 17 May 2023, we searched Embase, Medline, Global Health, PsycINFO, and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews for systematic reviews and meta-analyses.

Continuous Glucose Monitors and Programmed Shared Medical Appointments in Managing Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Among First Nation Women in Australia: A Co-Designed Feasibility Study.

First Nations women in Australia diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, co-designed and attended a programmed shared medical appointment that included continuous glucose monitors and culturally responsive food appreciation activities over 8 weekly sessions to improve glycaemic control. The project was a single site, longitudinal change from baseline, mixed methods, feasibility study using HbA1c as the primary outcome measure. Secondary outcome measures included, weight, metabolic health-related blood panels, CGM, Blood Glucose Levels (BGL) time-in-range percentage, Patient Activation Measure (PAM) and Problem Areas In Diabetes (PAID) tools and client satisfaction survey and semi focussed interviews.

From knife to needle - the trend of vascular neurosurgery in Belgium.

Introduction: The management of neurovascular pathologies has changed globally over the last few decades. Endovascular treatments are increasing, and fewer surgical procedures are performed.

Research Question: Evaluate the evolution of vascular neurosurgery in Belgium over the last 30 years and compare with other countries.

Medicine Meets Science: The Imperative of Scientific Research and Publishing for Physician-Scientists.

Physician-scientists serve as conduits between clinical practice and scientific research, leveraging their unique expertise to improve patient care and drive medical innovation. This article highlights the indispensable role of research and publishing in promoting evidence-based practices, facilitating professional growth, and shaping public health policy. Drawing on historical and contemporary examples, I examine the challenges faced by physician-scientists, such as ethical dilemmas and declining engagement in research, particularly in resource-constrained settings.

The RISES Model: A New Approach to Promoting Health Professionals' Motivation to Engage in Research.

Purpose: A decline in the number of health professionals (HPs) engaging in clinical and healthcare research has spurred governments, educational and healthcare organisations to focus on developing strategies to promote a resurgence of clinical researchers. Based on the Expectancy-Value-Cost theory which offers a comprehensive framework to understand motivation in research, this study aimed to explore how motivations and perceived values of research evolve across different career stages, and develop a model that promotes sustained research motivation.

Methods: This study employed a phenomenological qualitative research design and individual interviews to explore the experiences of 30 HPs (doctors, nurses, midwives, and allied health professionals) across three career stages-early, mid, and late-at three North Queensland Public Hospitals from March 19 to April 15, 2021.

Maternal and neonatal complications of pregnant women with bipolar disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Confidence in pregnancy outcome data for women with bipolar disorder is compromised by small cohort sizes. However, comprehensive national data have been published over the last decade, but no quantitative synthesis has been established to determine the factors associated with complications in these women. Our goal is to summarise the evidence of population-based data on obstetric complications and neonatal outcomes in women with bipolar disorder compared to women without bipolar disorder.

Children and providers' perspectives on once-weekly rifapentine and isoniazid TB preventive therapy.

Background: TB preventive treatment (TPT) prevents the development of TB disease in individuals at risk of progression from infection to disease. However, implementation of TPT for children is poor in most high-burden settings. The long duration and pill burden of the 6-month once-daily isoniazid regimen (6H) pose significant barriers to completion.

Drug repurposing screen targeting PARP identifies cytotoxic activity of efavirenz in high-grade serous ovarian cancer.

Drug repurposing has potential to improve outcomes for high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC). Repurposing drugs with PARP family binding activity may produce cytotoxic effects through the multiple mechanisms of PARP including DNA repair, cell-cycle regulation, and apoptosis. The aim of this study was to determine existing drugs that have PARP family binding activity and can be repurposed for treatment of HGSOC.

Orthoflavivirus circulation in South-East Queensland, Australia, before and during the 2021-2022 incursion of Japanese encephalitis virus assessed through sero-epidemiological survey of a sentinel equine population.

An incursion and outbreak of Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) was reported in Australia in 2021 and 2022, respectively. There was speculation that JEV may have been circulating in Australia unknowingly prior to the detection. In this study, we determined sero-prevalence and transmission of West Nile virus (WNV), Murray Valley encephalitis virus (MVEV) and JEV, prior to and post JEV incursion in a sentinel equine population in south-east Queensland (SEQ), Australia, using blocking ELISAs (screening test) and virus neutralisation test (confirmatory).

eHealth, digital information and technology use of men with prostate cancer.

Background: The investigation of digital information sources and technologies specifically used by men with prostate cancer is scarce. This study seeks to address current gaps in the literature by investigating prostate cancer-specific internet and technology use by men with prostate cancer and factors associated with this use.

Methods: Cross-sectional surveys were conducted in three Australian urology clinics (local in Sydney, Western Sydney and Murrumbidgee) in 2023.

Stem cell mechanoadaptation. II. Microtubule stabilization and substrate compliance effects on cytoskeletal remodeling.

Stem cells adapt to their local mechanical environment by rearranging their cytoskeleton, which underpins the evolution of their shape and fate as well as the emergence of tissue structure and function. Here, in the second part of a two-part experimental series, we aimed to elucidate spatiotemporal cytoskeletal remodeling and resulting changes in morphology and mechanical properties of cells and their nuclei. Akin to mechanical testing of the most basic living and adapting unit of life, i.

Stem cell mechanoadaptation. I. Effect of microtubule stabilization and volume changing stresses on cytoskeletal remodeling.

Here, we report on the first part of a two-part experimental series to elucidate spatiotemporal cytoskeletal remodeling, which underpins the evolution of stem cell shape and fate, and the emergence of tissue structure and function. In Part I of these studies, we first develop protocols to stabilize microtubules exogenously using paclitaxel (PAX) in a standardized model murine embryonic stem cell line (C3H/10T1/2) to maximize comparability with previously published studies. We then probe native and microtubule-stabilized stem cells' capacity to adapt to volume changing stresses effected by seeding at increasing cell densities, which emulates local compression and tissue template formation during development.

Altered brain functional connectivity in patients with tension-type headache.

Objective: To evaluate whether patients with tension-type headache (TTH) exhibit abnormal brain functional connectivity compared to healthy controls.

Background: TTH is one of the most prevalent headache disorders throughout the world. The present study delves into brain functional connectivity in patients with TTH to enhance the understanding of its underlying pathophysiology.

Comparing achievability and reproducibility of pulsed wave doppler and tissue doppler myocardial performance index and spatiotemporal image correlation annular plane systolic excursion in the cardiac function assessment of normal pregnancies.

Objectives: Multiple techniques have been proposed for functional fetal cardiology, including pulsed-wave (PW) and tissue Doppler imaging (TDI), Myocardial Performance Index (MPI), annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE/MAPSE) and spatiotemporal image correlation (STIC). We aimed to compare these techniques' achievability and reproducibility to determine their clinical utility for each cardiac side.

Methods: Uncomplicated pregnancies from 22 to 39 weeks were recruited and images and volumes stored for offline analysis.