Is There Gender Disparity in RANZCR Radiation Oncology Grants and Prizes Success?

Introduction: Recent RANZCR studies have demonstrated gender disparity in research publication output of both radiation oncology (RO) trainees and specialists, favouring men. The purpose of this project was to examine success rates by gender of grant and prize (G&P) submissions to the RO Research Committee (RORC) to determine if anything needs to be done about the appraisal process to potentially address that disparity.

Methods: College records between 2011 and 2024 (where applicable) were searched by gender for one RO trainee, and two other research manuscript prizes, and two research grant rounds.

The decision to tell or not to tell is associated with experiences of stigma and hearing aid use among adults with hearing loss.

Objectives: To explore the extent to which an international sample of adults with hearing loss experience and respond to stigma-induced identity threat; and the associations between experiences of hearing loss stigma, responses to hearing loss stigma (concealment of hearing loss), and hearing aid use.

Design: Cross-sectional online survey comprising published questionnaires and multiple response questions designed to capture five of seven constructs of the Major and O'Brien model of stigma-induced identity threat. Multivariate modelling examined factors associated with hearing aid use and concealment of hearing loss.

Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons guidelines development: patient engagement update to standard operating procedure.

Introduction: The Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES) Guidelines Committee develops evidence-based surgical guidelines. Involvement of patient partners is important to ensure patient concerns and values are adequately addressed and incorporated. This standard operating procedure (SOP) for the process of patient partner involvement within the guidelines is described here.

Yearling laryngeal function grades II.2 and below are not associated with reduced performance.

Background: The relationship between Thoroughbred yearling laryngeal function (YLF) grade and race performance is unclear.

Objectives: To determine the effect of YLF on future race performance.

Study Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Avian telencephalon and cerebellum volumes can be accurately estimated from digital brain endocasts.

For studies of the evolution of vertebrate brain anatomy and potentially associated behaviours, reconstructions of digital brain endocasts from computed tomography scans have revolutionized our capacity to collect neuroanatomical data. However, measurements from digital endocasts must be validated as reflecting actual brain anatomy, which is difficult because the collection of soft tissue information through histology is laborious and time-consuming. In birds, the reliability of digital endocast measurements as volume proxies for the two largest brain regions-the telencephalon and cerebellum-remains to be validated despite their use as proxies, e.

Assessing the supportive care needs of parents of children with rare diseases in Ireland.

Purpose: Rare diseases are individually uncommon yet collectively prevalent. They affect over 300,000 people in Ireland, with 50-70 % impacting children. This study explores the supportive care needs of parents caring for children with rare diseases in Ireland, utilising a validated Parental Needs Scale for Rare Diseases (PNS-RD).

Paediatric breast disease and developmental breast cysts - reflection on 20 years of experience.

Introduction: Presentation with breast symptoms in the paediatric population is common but there is little existing literature on the workup and management of breast disease in this population.

Methods: Retrospective series of 140 cases of breast disease in the paediatric population managed by a single surgeon in Adelaide, South Australia between 2004 and 2024. Review of patient demographics, presentation, investigation, management and outcomes of various breast symptoms and pathologies using descriptive analysis.

Moral conflict and moral distress in veterinarians: a mixed-methods approach.

Veterinary professionals are often confronted with moral conflicts from which moral distress can develop. Moral distress can lead to a cascade of deleterious processes and outcomes including emotional anguish, distress, reduced patient care, and attrition from both the workplace and workforce. The current study established a pilot measure for moral distress in Australian veterinary clinicians, as well as reporting additional sources of moral and ethical conflicts in veterinary practice.

Beyond sleep: Rest and activity rhythm as a marker of preclinical and mild dementia in older adults with less education.

Background: Although sleep duration and sleep-related breathing disorders were associated with dementia previously, few studies examined the association between circadian rhythm association and cognitive status.

Objective: We aimed to investigate the association of rest and activity rhythm with cognitive performance in older people with cognitive complaints and less education.

Methods: Activity rhythm was evaluated with wrist actigraphy in 109 community-dwelling older people with cognitive complaints without diagnosed dementia.

Rehabilitation, reablement, and restorative care approaches in the aged care sector: a scoping review of systematic reviews.

Background: Ageing populations are set to drive up demand for aged care services, placing strain on economies funding social care systems. Rehabilitation, reablement, and restorative care approaches are essential to this demographic shift as they aim to support independent function and quality of life of older people. Understanding the impact of these approaches requires nuanced insights into their definitions, funding, and delivery within the aged care context.

Study protocol: multi-centre, randomised controlled clinical trial exploring stromal targeting in locally advanced pancreatic cancer; STARPAC2.

Background: Pancreatic cancer (PDAC: pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, the commonest form), a lethal disease, is best treated with surgical excision but is feasible in less than a fifth of patients. Around a third of patients presentlocally advanced, inoperable, non-metastatic (laPDAC), whose stadrd of care is palliative chemotherapy; a small minority are down-sized sufficiently to enable surgical excision. We propose a phase II clinical trial to test whether a combination of standard chemotherapy (gemcitabine & nab-Paclitaxel: GEM-NABP) and repurposing All Trans Retinoic Acid (ATRA) to target the stroma may extend progression-free survival and enable successful surgical resection for patients with laPDAC, since data from phase IB clinical trial demonstrate safety of GEM-NABP-ATRA combination to patients with advanced PDAC with potential therapeutic benefit.

Auditing Cause of Death Reporting to Australia and New Zealand's Dialysis and Transplant Registry: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Aim: National data registries provide a valuable source of data for epidemiological research but may be subject to inaccuracies. Whilst studies have compared agreement between cause of death (COD) data from Australia and New Zealand's dialysis and transplant registry (ANZDATA) to other databases, no studies have manually compared agreement with electronic medical records (EMR). This study aimed to assess the agreement between COD for dialysis patients in the Western Sydney renal service according to ANZDATA and EMR.

Disgust memory enhancement extends to more accurate memory but not more false memories.

People show enhanced memory recall for disgust over fear, despite both being highly negative and arousing emotions. But does disgust's 'stickiness' in memory result in more false memories for disgust versus fear? Existing research finds low false-memory rates for disgust and fear, perhaps from using image lures depicting content unrelated to target images. Therefore, we presented 111 participants with disgust, fear, (and neutral) images during an attention-monitoring task.

'Fighting every day': exploring caregiver quality of life and perspectives on healthcare services for children with dementia - a cross-sectional, mixed-methods study.

Objective: To explore quality of life outcomes for caregivers of children with childhood dementia including the positive and negative impact of caregiving. The secondary aim was to explore caregivers' perspectives on healthcare services for children with dementia.

Design: Cross-sectional, mixed-methods study with analyses of quantitative and qualitative data collected via online survey.

The acculturation challenge: A longitudinal investigation of acculturative stress and mental health of Chinese international students in Australia.

The Australian university sector had almost one million international students in 2024. This population faces significant mental health challenges that affect their wellbeing and academic success, but these issues have received minimal empirical attention. Past research reports that international students experience acculturative stress due to language barriers, lack of social support, and discrimination, which contribute to poor mental health.

Psychological symptoms, quality of life and dyadic relations in family members of intensive care survivors: a multicentre, prospective longitudinal cohort study.

Background: There is scarce literature evaluating long term psychological or Quality of Life (QoL) outcomes in family members of ICU survivors, who have not experienced invasive ventilation. The objective was to compare long-term psychological symptoms and QoL outcomes in family members of intubated versus non-intubated ICU survivors and to evaluate dyadic relationships between paired family members and survivors.

Methods: Prospective, multicentre cohort study among four medical-surgical ICUs in Australia.

Model Building with Youth: Applying a System Science Approach to Examine the Dynamic Social Context of Adolescent and Young Adult Marijuana Use.

Marijuana use in adolescence is associated with significant adverse outcomes. Romantic relationships are an important context for marijuana use. Prior research suggests a bi-directional relationship between marijuana use and relationship functioning; however, the complex interplay between adolescent relationship dynamics and marijuana use remains unclear.

A Clinical Care Pathway for Patients With Chronic Mechanical Low Back Pain Having Restorative Neurostimulation for Multifidus Muscle: Description, Patient Compliance, Clinical Outcomes, and Satisfaction in the First Two Years.

Objectives: Restorative neurostimulation for multifidus muscle is a novel therapy for chronic low back pain (CLBP). Optimal outcomes require interdisciplinary follow-up. We describe a clinical care pathway (CPW) for this therapy and report patient compliance, clinical outcomes, and patient satisfaction with the CPW.

Dynamic Light Scattering Analysis of Lipid Nanoparticles: Effect of Salts on the Diffusion Interaction Parameter and Hydrodynamic Radius at Infinite Dilution.

The rise in the popularity of lipid nanoparticle (LNP)-based formulations necessitates the need for screening tools to quickly predict their colloidal stability in the presence of common excipients. Protein chemists have employed the diffusion interaction parameter () determined using dynamic light scattering as an indicator of formulation stability, yet this approach has not been applied to particulate systems. Herein, measurements of LNPs revealed behavior dissimilar to that of proteins.

Magnitude of Depression and Associated Factors in Women Living With HIV in Northwest, Ethiopia: Mediation Analysis.

Depression in women living with HIV (WLWHIV), is one of the most common public health concerns worldwide. Depression has a negative impact on antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence, quality of life, poor HIV treatment outcomes, and mortality. However, there is a paucity of evidence in low-income countries such as Ethiopia in WLWHIV.

Fungal Planet description sheets: 1697-1780.

Novel species of fungi described in this study include those from various countries as follows: , from accumulated snow sediment sample. , on leaf spots of . , on submerged decaying wood in sea water, on , as endophyte from healthy leaves of .

Comparing Rotational Stability of Clareon and Eyhance Toric IOLs in a Real-World Setting.

Background: The Eyhance Toric intraocular lens (IOL) builds upon the Tecnis Toric platform, initially associated with considerable post-operative rotational instability. Version 2, the Eyhance Toric IOL has been modified to enhance rotational stability. This study evaluates the post-operative rotational stability of the Eyhance Toric IOL compared to the Clareon Toric IOL, recognized for its stable performance.

Children exposed to family and domestic violence perpetrated against their mother are at an increased risk of emergency department attendance in childhood.

Objective: To determine the association between family and domestic violence (FDV) exposure and ED attendance in Australian children.

Methods: The present study comprised a population-based retrospective cohort study using deidentified linked administrative data of children born 1987-2010, in Western Australia (n = 58 352). Multivariate Cox proportional hazards modelling was used to estimate the association of FDV exposure with ED attendance.

Methods for data extraction and data transformation in convergent integrated mixed methods systematic reviews.

Objective: The objective of this guidance paper is to describe data transformation involving qualitization, including when and how to undertake this process, and to clarify how it aligns with data extraction in order to expand on the current guidance for JBI convergent integrated mixed methods systematic reviews (MMSRs).

Introduction: The convergent integrated approach to MMSRs involves combining extracted data from both quantitative studies (including the quantitative components of mixed methods studies) and qualitative studies (including the qualitative components of mixed methods studies). This process requires data transformation, which can occur either by converting qualitative data into quantitative data (ie, quantitizing) or converting quantitative data into qualitative data (ie, qualitizing).