Machine-learning versus traditional methods for prediction of all-cause mortality after transcatheter aortic valve implantation: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Accurate mortality prediction following transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is essential for mitigating risk, shared decision-making and periprocedural planning. Surgical risk models have demonstrated modest discriminative value for patients undergoing TAVI and are typically poorly calibrated, with incremental improvements seen in TAVI-specific models. Machine learning (ML) models offer an alternative risk stratification that may offer improved predictive accuracy.

Socioeconomic position across the life course and falls among middle- and older-aged adults: protocol for a systematic review.

Introduction: Individuals experiencing disadvantaged socioeconomic positions (SEPs) may be at increased risk of falls during middle and older age, and these impacts of socioeconomic factors may vary according to the duration, timing and sequencing of exposures across the life course. However, there has not been a recent systematic review of this evidence. This study, therefore, aims to synthesise existing knowledge on the association between SEP across the life course and falls within middle- and older-aged adults.

Global comparison of the economic costs of coronary heart disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objectives: Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the leading cause of global morbidity and mortality, yet no comprehensive evaluation of its global economic costs exists. We conducted a systematic review with meta-analysis to examine the costs of CHD treatment by region and CHD subtypes, examine whether there are cost difference by sex, and examine costing methodologies.

Design: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of non-randomised studies.

Persistent pain and fever unmasking aortic angiosarcoma at the site of previous endovascular aortic repair.

Aortic angiosarcomas are extremely rare and difficult to diagnose. Here, we report a case of persistent pain and fever of unknown origin, culminating in the diagnosis of aortic epithelioid angiosarcoma at the site of a previous Dacron aortic graft.

Retrospective cross-sectional study on bronchiectasis in adult Aboriginal Australians: disease characteristics and comparison with ethnically diverse global bronchiectasis registry cohorts.

Background: Globally, adult Indigenous people, including Aboriginal Australians, have a high burden of chronic respiratory disorders, and bronchiectasis is no exception. However, literature detailing bronchiectasis disease characteristics among adult Indigenous people is sparse. This study assessed the clinical profile of bronchiectasis among adult Aboriginal Australians and compared against previously published international bronchiectasis registry reports.

Engineered antigen-specific T regulatory cells suppress autoreactivity to the anti-glomerular basement membrane disease antigen.

Anti-glomerular basement membrane (anti-GBM) disease is accompanied by insufficient antigen-specific T regulatory cells (Tregs) and clonally expanded antigen-specific T conventional cells (Tconvs). In particular, this applied to the immunodominant T cell auto- epitope of type IV collagen, α3(IV)NC1135-145 , presented by HLA-DR15. Here, we investigated whether Tregs engineered to express GBM-T cell receptors (TCR) specific for α3(IV)NC1135- 145 better suppress autoimmunity.

Characteristics of supervised injection site clients and factors associated with requiring overdose intervention, Montreal, Canada, 2018-2022.

Background: Supervised injection sites (SIS) offer a hygienic environment in which people can inject drugs under observation; as such, these harm reduction services have been on the forefront of the overdose epidemic. We sought to understand factors predictive of an overdose requiring an emergency response intervention at SIS in Montréal, Canada.

Methods: We used administrative data from all four Montréal SIS from 1 March 2018 - 31 October 2022 to first calculate the rate of onsite overdose requiring intervention (e.

Tracking Outcomes Post Intensive Care: Findings of a longitudinal observational study.

Background: Many intensive care unit (ICU) survivors experience new or worsening impairments, termed post-intensive care syndrome. Substantial investment has been made in identifying patients at risk and developing interventions, but evidence remains equivocal. A more nuanced understanding of risk and outcomes is therefore warranted.

Characterising mental wellbeing and associations with subcortical grey matter volume at short intervals in early adolescence.

This temporally rich, longitudinal study of early adolescents (N = 88, 277 datasets, 12-13 years) investigated the relationship between bilateral subcortical grey matter volume (GMV) in the hippocampus, amygdala, accumbens-area, caudate, putamen and pallidum with self-reported mental wellbeing at four timepoints, across 12 months. Generalised Estimating Equations (GEE) revealed (1) higher 'total wellbeing' was associated with smaller left caudate and larger left accumbens-area; (2) higher eudaimonic wellbeing was associated with smaller left caudate and larger right caudate; and (3) higher hedonic wellbeing was associated with larger left accumbens-area. Further analyses and plots highlighted different associations between GMV and wellbeing for adolescents who consistently experienced 'moderate-to-flourishing' wellbeing (n = 63, 201 datasets), compared with those who experienced 'languishing' wellbeing at any timepoint (n = 25, 76 datasets).

Nanoscale interaction mechanism between bubbles and microplastics under the influence of natural organic matter in simulated marine environment.

Bubble-microplastic (MP) interaction is a significant process that changes the routes of MP circulation in marine environment and thereby determines the risk of MPs, which could be strongly influenced by natural organic matter (NOM) in oceans. However, the quantitative interaction mechanisms between bubbles and MPs under the effect of NOM remain elusive. Herein, bubble-MP interactions in simulated seawater were quantified at nanoscale based on atomic force microscope coupled with the Stokes-Reynold-Young-Laplace model.

'Every woman deserves that': A qualitative exploration of the impact of Australia's national maternity strategy.

Background: Since 2019, maternity care in Australia has been guided by the national maternity policy, Woman-centred care: Strategic directions for Australian maternity services (the Strategy). The Strategy has four core values (safety, respect, choice and access), which underpin 12 principles of woman-centred care.

Aim: To describe women's experiences of receiving maternity care in Australia and explore how their care aligned with the values and principles of the Strategy.

Tetrahedral Lithium Stuffing in Disordered Rocksalt Cathodes for High-Power-Density and Energy-Density Batteries.

Li-rich cation-disordered rocksalt (DRX) materials introduce new paradigms in the design of high-capacity Li-ion battery cathode materials. However, DRX materials show strikingly sluggish kinetics due to random Li percolation with poor rate performance. Here, we demonstrate that Li stuffing into the tetrahedral sites of the Mn-based rocksalt skeleton injects a novel tetrahedron-octahedron-tetrahedron diffusion path, which acts as a low-energy-barrier hub to facilitate high-speed Li transport.

Physical development and sociocultural context influences on children's physical activity.

Objective: To examine the predictive strength of cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), motor competence (MC), maternal educational status, and parental perception of their children's favorite leisure activities for meeting physical activity (PA) guidelines of each gender among children aged 3-6 years.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional study with 367 preschoolers (53% girls), assessing CRF (PREFIT 20m shuttle run), MC (battery of motor skills), PA (accelerometry), maternal education and parental perception of children's preferred leisure (questionnaires). Factorial analysis of covariance, multiple logistic regression, and chi-square tests were conducted.

Respiratory virus detections in children presenting to an Australian paediatric referral hospital pre-COVID-19 pandemic, January 2014 to December 2019.

Acute respiratory infections cause significant paediatric morbidity, but for pathogens other than influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and SARS-CoV-2, systematic monitoring is not commonly performed. This retrospective analysis of six years of routinely collected respiratory pathogen multiplex PCR testing at a major paediatric hospital in New South Wales Australia, describes the epidemiology, year-round seasonality, and co-detection patterns of 15 viral respiratory pathogens. 32,599 respiratory samples from children aged under 16 years were analysed.

Walking coral: Complex phototactic mobility in the free-living coral Cycloseris cyclolites.

Not all corals are attached to the substrate; some taxa are solitary and free-living, allowing them to migrate into preferred habitats. However, the lifestyle of these mobile corals, including how they move and navigate for migration, remains largely obscure. This study investigates the specific biomechanics of Cycloseris cyclolites, a free-living coral species, during phototactic behaviour in response to blue and white light stimuli.

Life satisfaction around the world: Measurement invariance of the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS) across 65 nations, 40 languages, gender identities, and age groups.

The Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS) is a widely used self-report measure of subjective well-being, but studies of its measurement invariance across a large number of nations remain limited. Here, we utilised the Body Image in Nature (BINS) dataset-with data collected between 2020 and 2022 -to assess measurement invariance of the SWLS across 65 nations, 40 languages, gender identities, and age groups (N = 56,968). All participants completed the SWLS under largely uniform conditions.

Increasing access to pain care services to improve rural pain management: a realist review investigating factors affecting uptake, implementation, and sustainability.

Guideline-based care for chronic pain is challenging to deliver in rural settings. Evaluations of programs that increase access to pain care services in rural areas report variable outcomes. We conducted a realist review to gain a deep understanding of how and why such programs may, or may not, work.

Improving Therapeutic Adherence and Reducing Therapeutic Inertia in the Management of People with Cardiometabolic Diseases: A Call-to-Action from the Middle East.

Hypertension, dyslipidemia, and type 2 diabetes are highly prevalent and poorly controlled cardiometabolic diseases in the Middle East. Therapeutic non-adherence and therapeutic inertia are major contributors to this suboptimal disease control. Regardless of the cardiometabolic disease, evidence-based solutions may be used to improve therapeutic non-adherence and overcome inertia, and thereby help to alleviate the heavy burden of cardiovascular disease in the Middle East.

Lactobacillus and Saccharomyces fermentation products impact performance and the fecal microbiome in weanling pigs inoculated with enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli.

Background: Enterotoxigenic F4 E. coli (F4-ETEC) pose an economic threat to the swine industry through reduced growth, increased mortality and morbidity, and increased costs associated with treatment. Prevention and treatment of F4-ETEC often relies on antimicrobials; however, due to the threat of antimicrobial resistance, antimicrobial use is being minimized, and hence alternative control methods are needed.

A systematic review to determine the effect of strategies to sustain chronic disease prevention interventions in clinical and community settings.

This review assessed the effect of strategies designed to sustain the delivery of evidenced based interventions (EBIs) which target behavioural risk factors linked to leading causes of chronic disease in clinical and community settings. Seven electronic databases were searched for randomised controlled studies published from earliest record to November 2022. Studies were included if they tested a strategy to sustain the delivery of an EBI within clinical or community settings.

Sonographer Experiences of Interprofessional Ultrasound Education: A Qualitative Study.

Introduction: Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) technology has evolved rapidly and is being embraced by many health professionals as a valuable clinical tool. Sonographers are now teaching ultrasound skills to other health professionals in the clinical setting, including doctors, nurses, midwives, paramedics, and physiotherapists. The purpose of this study was to understand the breadth of the opportunities, transitions, and challenges experienced by sonographer educators navigating new interprofessional teaching roles.

Distribution and role of peripheral arterial chemoreceptors in cardio-respiratory control of the south american rattlesnake (Crotalus durissus).

Peripheral arterial chemoreceptors monitor the levels of arterial blood gases and adjust ventilation and perfusion to meet metabolic demands. These chemoreceptors are present in all vertebrates studied to date but have not been described fully in reptiles other than turtles. The goals of this study were to 1) identify functional chemosensory areas in the South American rattlesnake (Crotalus durissus) 2) determine the neurochemical content of putative chemosensory cells in these areas and 3) determine the role each area plays in ventilatory and cardiovascular control.

Human Endogenous Retrovirus K in Astrocytes Is Altered in Parkinson's Disease.

Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) is the most common neurodegenerative movement disease. Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) are proviral remnants of ancient retroviral infection of germ cells that now constitute about 8% of the human genome. Under certain disease conditions, HERV genes are activated and partake in the disease process.

Supervision of Pediatric Anesthesia After-Hours: A Survey of Pediatric Anesthetists in Australia and New Zealand.

Background: After-hours pediatric anesthesia may pose increased risks, with a heightened potential for sudden cardio-respiratory decline. While mortality rates are low in Australia and New Zealand, critical events and morbidity occur more frequently and present ongoing challenges. However, little is known about how trainees are supervised during these high-risk periods.