Scoping literature review to identify candidate domains for the OMERACT Systemic Lupus Erythematosus core outcome set.

Objective: To identify candidate Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) domains from the literature for consideration towards the development of the SLE Core Outcome Set.

Methods: This was a comprehensive scoping literature review of SLE clinical trials and systematic reviews published since 2010. Studies were identified from 5 databases and were screened for eligibility.

Impact of long-term and short-term magnesium hydroxide dosing on transformation of chemical biomarkers in the sewer systems.

Magnesium hydroxide (Mg(OH)₂) dosing is widely applied for sewer odour control. However, its impact on the fate of biomarkers used for wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) has been overlooked. This study investigated the long-term and short-term impact of Mg(OH)₂ dosing on in-sewer transformation of 20 biomarkers.

Evaluating the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant efficacy of complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) used for management of inflammatory bowel disease: a comprehensive review.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic autoimmune condition whose pathogenesis has not been fully elucidated, and current treatments are not definitive and often carry several side effects. The Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) offers a new approach to conventional medicine. However, their clinical application and mechanisms remain limited.

Evidence on the Use of Topical Ciclosporin for Ocular Surface Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: To identify evidence on the use of topical CsA for ocular surface diseases (OSD).

Methods: A literature search was conducted following the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) through June 2023 via Cochrane Central Registries, Clinical Trials Registry, Grey literature and citation searching. Randomised clinical trials (RCTs) in which different concentrations of topical CsA were compared with one another or other topical therapies were included.

The Influence of Symbiont Identity on the Proteomic and Metabolomic Responses of the Model Cnidarian Aiptasia to Thermal Stress.

We examined the effects of symbiont identity and heat stress on the host metabolome and proteome in the cnidarian-dinoflagellate symbiosis. Exaiptasia diaphana ('Aiptasia') was inoculated with its homologous (i.e.

Stomal calprotectin as a biomarker for assessing Crohn disease activity in patients with stomas.

Background: Faecal calprotectin is a reliable biomarker for lower gastrointestinal inflammation. However, there are limited data on the utility of calprotectin from stoma effluent.

Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the performance of stomal calprotectin in identifying Crohn disease activity in those with a stoma.

Diagnostic dilemma: application of real-time PCR assays for the detection of Dientamoeba fragilis in medical and veterinary specimens.

Background: Real-time PCR (qPCR) diagnostics developed for use in human clinical settings have been implemented to identify new animal hosts of the gastrointestinal protozoan Dientamoeba fragilis. The gut microbiome varies between species; unrecognised cross-reactivity could occur when applying these assays to new animal hosts. The use of qPCR diagnostics was assessed for the identification of new animal hosts of the gastrointestinal protozoan Dientamoeba fragilis.

Circulating tumor DNA analysis guiding adjuvant therapy in stage II colon cancer: 5-year outcomes of the randomized DYNAMIC trial.

Early data from the DYNAMIC study of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA)-guided adjuvant chemotherapy (ACT) versus standard approach met its primary outcome demonstrating reduced ACT use without compromising 2-year recurrence-free survival (RFS) for stage II colon cancer. We report here other prespecified analyses of overall survival, ctDNA clearance and ctDNA level. At a median follow-up of 59.

Learning lessons from nano-medicine to improve the design and performances of nano-agrochemicals.

Sharing concepts and knowledge between medical and agricultural fields can promote the development of improved nano-enabled technologies. A central idea behind drug delivery systems is that the active substances are encapsulated in nanoparticles (nano-medicines) to protect the drugs from premature degradation and allow them to be transported to the target site within the body. After three decades of development, nano-medicines are now used in many practical applications, including clinical oncology, infectious disease, cosmetics, and vaccines.

Fire ecology database for documenting plant responses to fire events in Australia.

An understanding of fire-response traits is essential for predicting how fire regimes structure plant communities and for informing fire management strategies for biodiversity conservation. Quantification of these traits is complex, encompassing several levels of data abstraction scaling up from field observations of individuals, to general categories of species responses. We developed the Fire Ecology Database to accommodate this complexity.

Structure and dynamics of GAD65 in complex with an autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome type 2-associated autoantibody.

The enzyme glutamate decarboxylase (GAD) produces the neurotransmitter GABA, using pyridoxal-5'-phosphate (PLP). GAD exists as two isoforms, GAD65 and GAD67. Only GAD65 acts as a major autoantigen, frequently implicated in type 1 diabetes and other autoimmune diseases.

Association between exposure to volatile organic compounds and allergic symptoms: Emphasis on the cocktail effect and potential mechanisms of toxicity.

Assessment of the influence of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) on allergic symptoms is usually limited to the effect of individual VOC exposure, with fewer substances being considered. Furthermore, the impact of mixed VOC exposure on allergic symptoms has rarely been addressed. This study aimed to investigate the association between mixed VOC exposure and allergic symptoms while identifying key risk factors.

Navigating a hidden disability: Lived experiences and challenges of adults with early stage inherited retinal diseases.

Background: Inherited retinal diseases (IRDs) are genetic conditions that typically cause vision loss in working-age adults, representing a unique hidden disability characterised by variable progression rates.

Objective: This qualitative study explored the lived experiences of adults in the early stages of IRDs, when vision loss is not outwardly apparent.

Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 individuals with IRDs (mean age 37 ± 17 years) with experiences of progressive vision loss in the last 10 years, exploring participants' experiences and challenges following their IRD diagnosis.

Improving maternal and PeRinatal Outcomes aMong wOmen with and without obEsity (PROMOTE): protocol for a prospective pregnancy cohort study.

Introduction: The Improving maternal and PeRinatal Outcomes aMongst wOmen with and without obEsity (PROMOTE) cohort study is a prospective pregnancy cohort study that seeks to test current assumptions and understanding of cardiometabolic disease and risk during pregnancy. The demographic shift among pregnant women, including older age and increasing obesity, has resulted in an increased risk of cardiometabolic complications during pregnancy and over the lifetime for mother and offspring. Unfortunately, lifestyle interventions during pregnancy have not yet produced clinically meaningful outcomes.

Factors influencing prosthesis selection and variation: a survey of orthopaedic surgeons in Australia.

Background: There is increasing demand for knee and hip arthroplasty with considerable health system cost implications. Despite the high surgical costs relating to the prosthesis used, little is known about which factors are most influential in prosthesis choice, nor is it clear what level of variation may be warranted for clinical reasons.

Objectives: This study had dual objectives: (1) identify factors influencing prosthesis selection for total hip arthroplasty (THA) and total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and (2) develop a working definition for unwarranted variation in THA and TKA implant selection.

'It's basically 'have that or die'': a qualitative study of older patients' choices between dialysis and conservative kidney management.

Objectives: Older people with kidney failure often have a limited range of treatment options, with few being well enough to receive a transplant. Instead, they either start dialysis or have 'conservative kidney management' (CKM). CKM involves care that focuses on managing the symptoms of kidney failure and maintaining quality of life in the absence of dialysis.

Effects of a protein kinase C epsilon inhibitor on insulin signalling in lipid-treated HepG2 hepatocytes and glucose tolerance in fat-fed mice.

Aims: Protein kinase C epsilon (PKCε) plays a causative role in the development of glucose intolerance, and is a potential target for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Here, we examined the effects of the PKCε inhibitor CIDD-0150612 (CP612) on insulin action in palmitate-treated HepG2 hepatocytes in vitro and on glucose homeostasis in fat-fed mice in vivo.

Methods: HepG2 cells were treated with palmitate and CP612 and stimulated with insulin.

Efficacy and safety of minimally invasive interventions targeting the genicular nerves for knee osteoarthritis: A meta-analysis.

Importance: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a prevalent and disabling joint disorder. Minimally invasive interventions targeting the genicular nerves are widely used for the clinical management of knee OA, but evidence on their efficacy and safety remains uncertain.

Objective: To assess the efficacy and safety of minimally invasive interventions targeting the genicular nerves in knee OA.

ELECTRICAL STIMULATION OF THE DORSOLATERAL PREFRONTAL CORTEX INHIBITS VESTIBULAR SIGNALLING IN HUMANS: A BOLD FMRI STUDY.

Background: Low-frequency sinusoidal galvanic vestibular stimulation (sGVS) can induce perceptions of sway and nausea through entraining vestibular afferent firing to the sinusoidal stimulus. As recently shown, concurrent dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) stimulation via transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) greatly attenuates these vestibular perceptions.

Objective: Given that both vestibular afferents and dlPFC efferents project to the insular cortex, it was reasoned that the insula is the most likely area for the top-down inhibitory interaction to take place.

Implementing the PEIR Framework and PEIRS-22 to facilitate improved and sustainable patient engagement in OMERACT.

Background: OMERACT (Outcome Measures in Rheumatology) is an international initiative focused on improving outcome measurement in rheumatology research, fostering collaboration among PRPs, clinicians, and researchers to develop Core Outcome Sets. The 22-item Patient Engagement In Research Scale (PEIRS-22) is a tool designed to measure the level of meaningful patient engagement and guide efforts towards improvement.

Aim: 1) To describe the current profile of patient engagement at OMERACT using the scores generated by the PEIRS-22 and 2) to assess the validity of the PEIRS-22 within the OMERACT group of PRPs.