Birth weight and head circumference for 22-29 weeks gestation neonates from an international cohort.

Objective: Size at birth is a key indicator of in utero growth. Our objective was to generate sex-specific percentiles for birth weight and head circumference in neonates born between 22 and 29 weeks gestation from pregnancies without hypertension or diabetes and assess differences between vaginal and caesarean births and between singletons and twins.

Methods: We used data from 12 countries participating in the International Network for Evaluating Outcomes in Neonates database from 2007 to 2021.

The Evolution of Treatment-Free Remission.

One of the most remarkable achievements of the TKI era has been the capacity to induce deep molecular remissions that are sustainable off therapy in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients - treatment-free remission (TFR). TFR was first described in a handful of patients within 3-4 years of imatinib approval. In 2004 TFR was tested in a small French pilot study, followed soon after by the French STIM and Australasian TWISTER studies.

Metabolic reprogramming, malignant transformation and metastasis: Lessons from chronic lymphocytic leukaemia and prostate cancer.

Metabolic reprogramming is a hallmark of cancer, crucial for malignant transformation and metastasis. Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) and prostate cancer exhibit similar metabolic adaptations, particularly in glucose and lipid metabolism. Understanding this metabolic plasticity is crucial for identifying mechanisms contributing to metastasis.

Land Use Change Consistently Reduces α- But Not β- and γ-Diversity of Bees.

Land use change threatens global biodiversity and compromises ecosystem functions, including pollination and food production. Reduced taxonomic α-diversity is often reported under land use change, yet the impacts could be different at larger spatial scales (i.e.

The β Common Cytokine Receptor Family Reveals New Functional Paradigms From Structural Complexities.

Cytokines are small proteins that are critical for controlling the growth and activity of hematopoietic cells by binding to cell surface receptors and transmitting signals across membranes. The β common (βc) cytokine receptor family, consisting of the granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), interleukin (IL)-3, and IL-5 cytokine receptors, is an architype of the heterodimeric cytokine receptor systems. We now know that signaling by cytokine receptors is not always an "all or none" phenomenon.

Not "a cute" complication: phenotypic analysis of acute kidney injury in Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia.

Objectives: In this large retrospective cohort analysis, we aimed to determine the incidence of Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO)-defined acute kidney injury (AKI) within 14 days in patients with Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia (SAB), and the association of AKI with 30-day mortality.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study of adults with SAB between 1998 to 2023 admitted to a large regional Australian health service. Baseline creatinine was the lowest serum creatinine concentration in the 365 days before the day of index blood culture collection and AKI was defined and staged using the KGIDO criteria.

Affinity maturation endows potent activity onto class 6 SARS-CoV-2 broadly neutralizing antibodies.

The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs) has greatly diminished the neutralizing activity of previously FDA-approved monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), including that of antibody cocktails and of first-generation broadly neutralizing antibodies such as S309 (Sotrovimab). In contrast, antibodies targeting cryptic conformational epitopes of the receptor binding domain (RBD) have demonstrated broad activity against emerging variants, but exert only moderate neutralizing activity, which has so far hindered clinical development. Here, we utilize in vitro display technology to identify and affinity-mature antibodies targeting the cryptic class 6 epitope, accessible only in the "up" conformation of the SARS-CoV-2 spike trimer.

Embedding Specialised Educators in Modalities for Continuing Medical Education. A Study of Effectiveness, and Health Care Practitioner and Educator Preferences.

Introduction: As the delivery of continuing medical education moves towards digital modes, determining how to embed and capitalise on the skills of specialised educators in digital modalities is critical. Drawing on social theories of adult learning and behaviour change, this study trialled multiple delivery modes of education about reproductive genetic 'carrier screening' with varying levels of specialised educator (genetic counsellors) input to examine clinical effectiveness, and health care practitioners and educator preferences.

Methods: A subset of health care practitioners (n = 209) interested in offering carrier screening through a large study were randomly allocated to receive education via face-to-face, a pre-recorded video or an online module, with active or passive educator input.

Subtypes of brain change in aging and their associations with cognition and Alzheimer's disease biomarkers.

Structural brain changes underlie cognitive changes and interindividual variability in cognition in older age. By using structural MRI data-driven clustering, we aimed to identify subgroups of cognitively unimpaired older adults based on brain change patterns and assess how changes in cortical thickness, surface area, and subcortical volume relate to cognitive change. We tested (1) which brain structural changes predict cognitive change (2) whether these are associated with core cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) Alzheimer's disease biomarkers, and (3) the degree of overlap between clusters derived from different structural modalities in 1899 cognitively healthy older adults followed up to 16 years.

Sleep discrepancy and brain glucose metabolism in community-dwelling older adults.

Sleep discrepancy (negative discrepancy reflects worse self-reported sleep than objective measures, such as actigraphy, and positive discrepancy the opposite) has been linked to adverse health outcomes. This study is first to investigate the relationship between sleep discrepancy and brain glucose metabolism (assessed globally and regionally via positron emission tomography), and to evaluate the contribution of insomnia severity and depressive symptoms to any associations. Using data from cognitively unimpaired community-dwelling older adults ( = 68), cluster analysis was used to characterise sleep discrepancy (for total sleep time (TST), wake after sleep onset (WASO), and sleep efficiency (SE)), and logistic regression was used to explore sleep discrepancy's associations with brain glucose metabolism, while controlling for insomnia severity and depressive symptoms.

Trends in the surgical management of proximal humerus fractures over the last 20 years from Australian registry databases.

Background: Proximal humerus fractures (PHF) are common with approximately 30% requiring surgical intervention. This ranges from open reduction internal fixation (ORIF) to shoulder arthroplasty (including hemiarthroplasty, total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA), reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (RTSA)). The aim of this study was to assess trends in operative interventions for PHF in an Australian population.

A comparison of the accuracy and feasibility of a low-cost mobile application versus higher-cost handheld 3D scanner for digital ear prosthetics.

Background: Facial prosthetics are an important means to rehabilitate patients with congenital or acquired facial defects. However, with a time-consuming manual workflow and workforce shortage, access to facial prosthetics is limited in Australia and worldwide, especially for rural and remote patients. Optical 3D scanning has been increasingly integrated in digitizing data.

Testing the Dispersal-Origin-Status-Impact (DOSI) scheme to prioritise non-native and translocated species management.

Assessing actual and potential impacts of non-native species is necessary for prioritising their management. Traditional assessments often occur at the species level, potentially overlooking differences among populations. The recently developed Dispersal-Origin-Status-Impact (DOSI) assessment scheme addresses this by treating biological invasions as population-level phenomena, incorporating the complexities affecting populations of non-native species.

Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Advanced Technology Clinical Simulation Manikins in Improving the Capability of Australian Paramedics to Deliver High-Quality Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation: Pre- and Postintervention Study.

Background: Emergency medical services attend out-of-hospital cardiac arrests all across Australia. Resuscitation by emergency medical services is attempted in nearly half of all cases. However, resuscitation skills can degrade over time without adequate exposure, which negatively impacts patient survival.

A comparative analysis of a central metaphyseal humeral fixation stemless shoulder arthroplasty to an anatomic shoulder arthroplasty in a national registry cohort.

Background: This study aimed to determine the revision outcome between a centrally fixed stemless anatomic design and other total anatomic shoulder replacements using data from a large national arthroplasty registry.

Methods: The study period was from December 2011 to December 2022 and included three cohorts; primary Affinis stemless anatomic (AFS), all other primary total stemless anatomic (sTSA) and primary total stemmed anatomic shoulder arthroplasty (aTSA). The endpoint was all-cause revision using cumulative percent revision (CPR).

Factors associated with not smoking among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adolescents and young people: Analysis of data from the 2014 to 15 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey.

Issue Addressed: Smoking rates have been steadily declining among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Examining the factors associated with not smoking in young people is crucial for understanding the motivations and influences that lead individuals to adopt healthy behaviours.

Methods: Secondary analysis was undertaken of data collected as part of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey (NATSISS) 2014-15 (n = 1456).

PFOA, PFOS and PFHxS toxicokinetic considerations for the development of an in vivo approach for assessing PFAS relative bioavailability in soil.

A Sprague-Dawley rat model was utilized to elucidate perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS) toxicokinetics with a goal of developing an in vivo approach for quantifying PFAS relative bioavailability in impacted soil. Following single dose administration (gavage) of ∼ 0.2-2000 µg kg BW of PFOA, PFOS or PFHxS, differences in PFAS blood, organ and excreta concentrations were observed over 120 h although linear dose responses were determined for area under the blood plasma time curves (AUC; PFOA, PFHxS), liver accumulation (LA: PFOS) and urinary excretion (UE; PFOA, PFHxS).

Predicting type 2 diabetes and testosterone effects in high-risk Australian men: development and external validation of a 2-year risk model.

Objective: We have shown that men aged 50 years+ at high risk of type 2 diabetes treated with testosterone together with a lifestyle program reduced the risk of type 2 diabetes at 2 years by 40% compared to a lifestyle program alone. To develop a personalized approach to treatment, we aimed to explore a prognostic model for incident type 2 diabetes at 2 years and investigate biomarkers predictive of the testosterone effect.

Design: Model development in 783 men with impaired glucose tolerance but not type 2 diabetes from Testosterone for Prevention of Type 2 Diabetes; a multicenter, 2-year trial of Testosterone vs placebo.

Building global collaborative research networks in paediatric critical care: a roadmap.

Paediatric critical care units are designed for children at a vulnerable stage of development, yet the evidence base for practice and policy in paediatric critical care remains scarce. In this Health Policy, we present a roadmap providing strategic guidance for international paediatric critical care trials. We convened a multidisciplinary group of 32 paediatric critical care experts from six continents representing paediatric critical care research networks and groups.

The cost of recovering Australia's threatened species.

Accounting for the cost of repairing the degradation of Earth's biosphere is critical to guide conservation and sustainable development decisions. Yet the costs of repairing nature through the recovery of a continental suite of threatened species across their range have never been calculated. We estimated the cost of in situ recovery of nationally listed terrestrial and freshwater threatened species (n = 1,657) across the megadiverse continent of Australia by combining the spatially explicit costs of all strategies required to address species-specific threats.

A mixed-methods assessment of the Australasian Society of Genetic Counselors (ASGC) Mentor Program.

Purpose: In Australia and New Zealand, one third of genetic counselors have less than 5 years' experience. Sharing experienced practitioners' professional knowledge is needed as the profession grows. Formal mentoring is an important facilitator of career progression and shared knowledge.

Genetic counseling workforce diversity, inclusion, and capacity in Australia and New Zealand.

Purpose: To understand diversity, inclusion, and capacity of genetic counselors (GCs) in Australasia (Australia and New Zealand).

Methods: Individuals with or working toward a GC qualification in Australasia were invited to complete an online survey, between November 2022 and March 2023. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, 1-sample proportion -tests, 2-sample -tests, and χ tests.