Management, outcomes and predictors of mortality of Cryptococcus infection in patients without HIV: a multicentre study in 46 hospitals from Australia and New Zealand.

Background: Limited data exist regarding outcomes of cryptococcosis in patients without HIV with few studies having compared outcomes of Cryptococcus gattii, versus C. neoformans, infection.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective study in 46 Australian and New Zealand hospitals to determine the outcomes of cryptococcosis in patients without HIV diagnosed between 2015 and 2019, and compared outcomes of C.

Infiltrative Myocardial T-Cell Lymphoma.

We report a unique case involving cardiac manifestation of T-cell lymphoma and associated risk management of ventricular arrhythmia and sudden cardiac death. A 39-year-old woman presented with a syndrome consistent with fever in a returned traveler, ultimately diagnosed with stage IV peripheral T-cell lymphoma involving the myocardium with ventricular tachycardia. Management of risk of sudden cardiac death was complicated by hematological management with an antibody-drug conjugate chemotherapy regimen and later autologous stem cell transplant.

Control and Elimination of Hepatitis C Virus Among People With HIV in Australia: Extended Follow-up of the CEASE Cohort (2014-2023).

Background: Approximately 10% of people with HIV in Australia had active hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection prior to availability of government-subsidized direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapy in 2016. This analysis evaluated progress toward HCV elimination among people with HIV in Australia between 2014 and 2023.

Methods: The CEASE cohort study enrolled adults with HIV with past or current HCV infection (anti-HCV antibody positive) from 14 primary and tertiary clinics.

Furosemide with adjunctive acetazolamide vs furosemide only in critically ill patients: A pilot two-center randomized controlled trial.

Purpose: Furosemide is the most commonly used diuretic in intensive care units (ICU). We aimed to evaluate the physiological effects of adjunctive acetazolamide with furosemide on diuresis and the prevention of potential furosemide-induced metabolic alkalosis.

Materials And Methods: We performed a two-center, pilot, open-label, randomized trial.

Xenon anaesthesia is associated with a reduction in frontal electroencephalogram peak alpha frequency.

Background: Administration of conventional anaesthetic agents is associated with changes in electroencephalogram (EEG) oscillatory dynamics, including a reduction in the peak alpha frequency. Computational models of neurones can reproduce such phenomena and are valuable tools for investigating their underlying mechanisms. We hypothesised that EEG data acquired during xenon anaesthesia in humans would show similar changes in peak alpha frequency and that computational neuronal models of recognised cellular actions of xenon would be consistent with the observed changes.

Evaluation of Risk Factors Associated with the Occurrence and Recurrence of Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo in Koreans: A Nested Case-Control Study.

Objectives: Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is the most prevalent cause of vertigo. This study analyzes the risk factors involved in the occurrence and recurrence of BPPV.

Methods: A database maintained by the Korean National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) was used to enroll 434,552 patients diagnosed with BPPV from 2011 to 2017.

Efficacy of Shoulder Rehabilitation Post-Cardiac Implantable Electronic Device Implantation.

: Cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) can prevent ventricular arrhythmia-related sudden cardiac death but cause paradoxical discomfort that impairs daily living and quality of life. No management guidelines exist for reducing pain, improving motion around the CIED implantation site, or preventing shoulder contractures. We evaluated the impact of continuous successive shoulder rehabilitation programs for CIED patients on reducing shoulder pain, improving shoulder range of motion, and patient satisfaction in daily living.

Segmentation-Based Measurement of Orbital Structures: Achievements in Eyeball Volume Estimation and Barriers in Optic Nerve Analysis.

Background/objective: Orbital diseases often require precise measurements of eyeball volume, optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD), and apex-to-eyeball distance (AED) for accurate diagnosis and treatment planning. This study aims to automate and optimize these measurements using advanced deep learning segmentation techniques on orbital Computed Tomography (CT) scans.

Methods: Orbital CT datasets from individuals of various age groups and genders were used, with annotated masks for the eyeball and optic nerve.

Prognostic Impact of Multiple Synchronous T1 Breast Cancer.

: The reported incidence of multiple breast cancers varies widely, ranging from 6 to 60%, depending on the definitions used and methods of detection. With advancements in preoperative imaging techniques, such as magnetic resonance imaging, the detection of multiple breast cancers has improved. However, the clinical significance of multiple breast cancers remains controversial, with conflicting results regarding their impact on prognosis.

Are Imaging Evaluations of Soft-Tissue Masses Before Referral to a Specialized Center Being Performed Properly? A Systematic Review.

Background/objectives: Since the initial approach towards the clinical presentation of soft-tissue masses is challenging for frontline physicians, some countries use clinical practice guidelines. Proper imaging work-up is crucial to differentiate between soft-tissue tumors. Recently, ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have been widely used.

Genetics, Fitness and Left Ventricular Remodeling: The Current State of Play.

Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) exists on a spectrum and is driven by a constellation of factors including genetic and environmental differences. This results in wide inter-individual variation in baseline CRF and the ability to improve CRF with regular endurance exercise training. As opposed to monogenic conditions, CRF is described as a complex genetic trait as it is believed to be influenced by multiple common genetic variants in addition to exogenous factors.

Awareness and driving safety during awake interictal epileptiform discharges in idiopathic generalised epilepsies: A systematic review.

Idiopathic generalised epilepsies (IGEs) are a family of epileptic syndromes that commonly occur in childhood or adolescence and can persist into adulthood. Whilst people with IGE may consider themselves seizure free, they often experience interictal epileptiform discharges (IEDs) that may be associated with unrecognised periods of impaired awareness. As such, the presence of long IEDs associated with unrecognised loss of awareness pose a major challenge in allowing these individuals to drive safely, particularly since not all IEDs are associated with impaired awareness.

The Development of Non-Invasive Optical Brain Pulse Monitoring: A Review.

Early detection of neurological deterioration in serious acute brain injury is seen as an important goal to reduce death and disability, but monitoring for neurological deterioration remains challenging. Routine methods, such as neurological examination and brain imaging, often identify brain injuries only after they have progressed to an irreversible stage. Alternate approaches such as invasive brain monitoring, are complex, costly and carry inherent risks.

Learning from the lived experiences of medical women working and studying at the national hospital in Fiji: A mixed methods study.

Objective: Our study aimed to explore the experience of attaining higher education among women in medicine at the largest national hospital in Fiji, focusing on barriers and enablers to completing training, and to explore women's perception of gender-based discrimination in the world of medicine. Findings subsequently informed evidence-based recommendations on enablers and barriers at the hospital and medical university to improve experiences of women in medicine.

Methods: We conducted a mixed-method study, emphasising the phenomenological qualitative component.

Performance of respiratory gated 4D flow MRI with adaptive k-space reordering in healthy controls and aortic dissection: reproducibility and agreement with 2D phase contrast MRI.

A four-dimensional phase-contrast magnetic resonance imaging sequence with respiratory-controlled adaptive k-space reordering (ReCAR-4DPC) offers potential benefits of improved scan efficiency and motion robustness. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the reproducibility of flow measurement using this technique and to compare hemodynamic metrics obtained to two-dimensional phase contrast MRI (2DPC)-derived metrics of the thoracic aorta. ReCAR-4DPC was performed with identical scan parameters in 15 healthy volunteers (6M,9F, mean [range] 37 [23-47] years) and 11 patients with thoracic aortic dissection (6M,5F, 56 [31-81] years) and acquisition time was recorded.

Association of Lupus Low Disease Activity State And Remission With Reduced Organ Damage And Flare in Systemic lupus erythematosus Patients With High Disease Activity.

Objective: High disease activity status (HDAS) in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is associated with adverse long-term outcomes. We examined the frequency of lupus low disease activity state (LLDAS) and remission (REM) attainment in HDAS patients and whether their attainment was associated with improved patient outcomes.

Methods: Demographic, clinical and outcomes data, collected prospectively from a multinational cohort between 2013 and 2020, were analysed.

Experiences of participation in daily life of adolescents and young adults with cerebral palsy: A scoping review.

Aim: To synthesize the experiences of 15- to 34-year-olds with cerebral palsy (CP) as they participate in key life situations of young adulthood.

Method: A mixed-methods scoping review was undertaken and six electronic databases searched (January 2001 to August 2023). Participation foci and thematic outcomes were mapped to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health.

Phase 1/2 Study of the Indoleamine 2,3-Dioxygenase 1 Inhibitor Linrodostat Mesylate Combined With Nivolumab or Nivolumab and Ipilimumab in Advanced Solid Tumors or Hematologic Malignancies.

Purpose: To evaluate linrodostat mesylate, a selective, oral indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1) inhibitor, combined with nivolumab ± ipilimumab in advanced solid tumors and hematologic malignancies.

Patients And Methods: In this phase 1/2 study, patients received once-daily (QD) linrodostat (part 1 [escalation], 25-400 mg; part 2 [expansion], 100 or 200 mg) plus nivolumab (480 mg every [Q] 4 weeks [W] or 240 mg Q2W) or triplet therapy (part 3, linrodostat 20-100 mg QD; nivolumab 360 mg Q3W or 480 mg Q4W; ipilimumab 1 mg/kg Q6W or Q8W). Endpoints included safety and efficacy (co-primary; parts 2, 3), pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, biomarkers, and efficacy (part 1).

Comorbid diseases in bullous pemphigoid: A population-based case-control study.

Bullous pemphigoid (BP) is the most prevalent autoimmune blistering disorder, triggered by autoantibodies targeting hemidesmosome components. It is associated with substantial morbidity and increased mortality. No studies comprehensively evaluate all comorbidities before and after diagnosing patients with BP.

A multitiered analysis platform for genome sequencing: Design and initial findings of the Australian Genomics Cardiovascular Disorders Flagship.

Purpose: The Australian Genomics Cardiovascular Disorders Flagship was a national multidisciplinary collaboration. It aimed to investigate the feasibility of genome sequencing (GS) and functional genomics to resolve variants of uncertain significance (VUS) in the clinical management of patients and families with cardiomyopathies, primary arrhythmias, and congenital heart disease (CHD).

Methods: Between April 2019 and December 2021, 600 probands meeting cardiovascular disorder criteria from 17 cardiology and genetics clinics across Australia were enrolled in the Flagship and underwent GS.

Perioperative outcomes of sinusoidal obstruction syndrome in patients undergoing liver resection for colorectal metastases after neoadjuvant chemotherapy: a retrospective cohort research.

Purpose: We investigated the factors that affect the occurrence of sinusoidal obstruction syndrome (SOS) and the effect of SOS on the patient's perioperative outcomes through histological review of liver resection specimens from patients who underwent chemotherapy.

Methods: From December 2007 to December 2020, liver specimens from patients who underwent liver resection for colorectal liver metastasis after neoadjuvant chemotherapy were analyzed regarding liver damage in the nontumorous lesion. Through pathological review, patients with grade 1-3 sinusoidal dilatation were categorized into the SOS (+) group, compared to a control group (grade 0, SOS [-]).

The frequency and clinical associations of opioid use in systemic sclerosis.

Objective: To define the frequency and associations of opioid use in SSc.

Methods: Australian Scleroderma Cohort Study participants meeting ACR/EULAR criteria for SSc were included. Current or previous opioid use was recorded at each visit, with long-term use defined as use on two or more consecutive visits.