Investigating the prognostic utility of promoter methylation in prostate cancer.

Objectives: We aim to determine the prognostic significance of DNA methylation () in two independent prostate cancer cohorts with long-term clinical follow-up data.

Subjects/patients And Methods: We first re-examined a published, in-house whole genome bisulphite sequencing (WGBS) prostate cancer dataset, derived from radical prostatectomy (RP) tissue ( = 15) with median follow-up 19.5 years, to confirm and visualise the association between and patient mortality.

Temperate Intertidal Ecosystems are Functionally Richer but More Vulnerable to Loss Than Tropical Ecosystems.

Gastropods are major contributors to a range of key ecosystem services on intertidal rock platforms, supporting trophic structure in both terrestrial and marine contexts and manipulating habitat complexity. However, the functional structure of these assemblages is rarely examined across broad spatial scales. Here, we describe patterns in gastropod functional diversity, redundancy and vulnerability to functional loss across a latitudinal gradient following the west coast of Australia (18° S-34° S).

Leaf pigmentation in : Characterization of anthocyanin biosynthesis in colorful Cannabis varieties.

Cannabis plants produce a spectrum of secondary metabolites, encompassing cannabinoids and more than 300 non-cannabinoid compounds. Among these, anthocyanins have important functions in plants and also have well documented health benefits. Anthocyanins are largely responsible for the red/purple color phenotypes in plants.

Are private hospital emergency departments in Australia distributed to serve the wealthy community?

Objective: This study investigates the geographical distribution of private hospitals in Australian capital cities in relation to the Index of Relative Socioeconomic Disadvantage.

Methods: Using Geographic Information System analysis, the study examined how private hospitals are distributed across different socioeconomic quartiles, providing a comprehensive visualisation of health care accessibility.

Results: The results indicate an unequal distribution with a substantial concentration of private hospitals within the vicinity of communities classified in the highest socioeconomic classification.

Hepatic steatosis: Qualitative and quantitative sonographic assessment in comparison to histology.

Introduction: Globally, B-mode ultrasound is the most common modality used for the diagnosis of hepatic steatosis. We aimed to assess the correlation between qualitative liver ultrasound parameters, attenuation imaging (ATI) and histopathology-diagnosed steatosis grade obtained from liver biopsy. Our secondary aim was to examine the interobserver variability of qualitative ultrasound features.

Incidence and Predictors of Stroke in Australian Adults With Congenital Heart Disease (2000-2017).

Background: Adults with congenital heart disease (CHD) are at increased risk of stroke but high-quality population level data on stroke incidence in these patients are scant.

Methods And Results: A retrospective whole-population Western Australian cohort of adult patients with CHD aged 18 to 64 years was created and followed from January 2000 to December 2017 using linked hospital data. Stroke incidence rates within the adult cohort with CHD were calculated and compared with the general population via direct standardization.

A new method for ecologists to estimate heterozygote excess and deficit for multi-locus gene families.

The fixation index, , has been a staple measure to detect selection, or departures from random mating in populations. However, current Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) cannot easily estimate , in multi-locus gene families that contain multiple loci having similar or identical arrays of variant sequences of ≥1 kilobase (kb), which differ at multiple positions. In these families, high-quality short-read NGS data typically identify variants, but not the genomic location, which is required to calculate (based on locus-specific observed and expected heterozygosity).

Sustained predation pressure may prevent the loss of anti-predator traits from havened populations.

Conservation havens free of invasive predators are increasingly relied upon for fauna conservation, although havened populations can lose anti-predator traits, likely making them less suitable for life 'beyond the fence'. Sustaining low levels of mammalian predator pressure inside havens may prevent the loss of anti-predator traits from havened populations. We opportunistically compared behavioural and morphological anti-predator traits between four woylie () populations- one haven isolated from all mammalian predators, one haven containing a native mammalian predator (chuditch; ), and their respective non-havened counterparts (each containing both chuditch and invasive predators).

A new troglomorphic species of (Pseudoscorpiones, Larcidae) from Colorado.

A new species of is described from dry habitats in a cave in central Colorado. Like other cave-dwelling species of , the new species , shows relatively modest morphological adaptations, such as pale colouration and slightly elongated appendages, compared with their epigean counterparts. This species is the sixth cave-dwelling species of described from North America and, like other cave-dwelling in North America and Europe, tends to be distributed in more southerly regions.

Population density effects on gamete traits and fertilisation dynamics under varying sperm environments in mussels.

Gamete traits can vary widely among species, populations and individuals, influencing fertilisation dynamics and overall reproductive fitness. Sexual selection can play an important role in determining the evolution of gamete traits with local environmental conditions determining the strength and direction of sexual selection. Here, we test for signatures of post-mating selection on gamete traits in relation to population density, and possible interactive effects of population density and sperm concentration on sperm motility and fertilisation rates among natural populations of mussels.

 sp. nov., a gracile new species of the hypogaeic ant genus (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) from the Pilbara, with a key to Australian .

The genus Emery, 1870 of the family Formicidae, subfamily Leptanillinae, comprises miniscule, pale, blind ants that are rarely collected and poorly understood due to their hypogaeic (i.e. underground) lifestyles.

Comparing fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography with computed tomography in staging for nodal and distant metastasis in urothelial/bladder cancer.

Objectives: We aim to assess the clinical value of F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron (F-FDG-PET) scan in detecting nodal and distant metastasis compared with computed tomography (CT) scan in patients with urothelial carcinoma or bladder cancer, aiming to improve staging accuracy and thereby better prognosticate and determine therapy.

Methods: A retrospective review of 75 patients with invasive bladder cancer (≥T1) who were staged with both CT and F-FDG-PET within an 8-week interval was performed for the period between 2015 and 2020. Seventy-two per cent (54/75) had formal pelvic lymph node (LN) dissection or biopsy of lesions suspicious for metastases.

Optimal sampling interval for characterisation of the circadian rhythm of body temperature in homeothermic animals using periodogram and cosinor analysis.

Core body temperature ( ) is a critical aspect of homeostasis in birds and mammals and is increasingly used as a biomarker of the fitness of an animal to its environment. Periodogram and cosinor analysis can be used to estimate the characteristics of the circadian rhythm of from data obtained on loggers that have limited memory capacity and battery life. The sampling interval can be manipulated to maximise the recording period, but the impact of sampling interval on the output of periodogram or cosinor analysis is unknown.

The genetic signature left by the range expansion of red foxes in Australia is detectable after more than 80 years of population stability.

Reconstructing biological invasions from historical sources can provide insights into how they occur but are difficult to do when invasions are poorly documented. Genetic signatures left by invaders can also offer insights into invasion routes, points of origin and general biology but often present conclusions that are contradictory to expectations. Here, we test the ability of continental-wide microsatellite genotype data from 29 loci and 3122 samples to reconstruct the well-documented invasion of red foxes from the United Kingdom into Australia over 150 years ago, an invasion that has led to the extinction of many native species.

Validating a molecular clock for nudibranchs-No fossils to the rescue.

Time calibrated phylogenies are typically reconstructed with fossil information but for soft-bodied marine invertebrates that lack hard parts, a fossil record is lacking. In these cases, biogeographic calibrations or the rates of divergence for related taxa are often used. Although nudibranch phylogenies have advanced with the input of molecular data, no study has derived a divergence rate for this diverse group of invertebrates.

A genomic predictor for age at sexual maturity for mammalian species.

Age at sexual maturity is a key life history trait that can be used to predict population growth rates and develop life history models. In many wild animal species, the age at sexual maturity is not accurately quantified. This results in a reduced ability to accurately model demography of wild populations.

Colour change and colour phases in Lethrinidae with insights into ecology.

Colour change is used by a wide range of animals. It is used for intra- and interspecific communication and crypsis, and can occur on morphological and physiological levels. Bony fish employ rapid physiological colour change and display various types of patterns and colouration (colour phases) useful for aposematic and cryptic purposes.

A new genus and five new species of pseudoscorpions (Arachnida, Pseudoscorpiones, Withiidae) from Colombia.

The pseudoscorpion family Withiidae is widely distributed around the world, with most of its diversity in tropical areas. Five new species and a new genus from Colombia are described: , , , and the genus with two species and A reassessment of the subgenus Dolichowithius (Oligowithius) Beier, 1936 allows the elevation to a full generic level, and the transfer of the only known species to , forming the new combination (Beier, 1936),

The cycle of seagrass life: From flowers to new meadows.

Understanding sexual reproduction and recruitment in seagrasses is crucial to their conservation and restoration. Flowering, seed production, seed recruitment, and seedling establishment data for the seagrass was collected annually between 2013 and 2018 in meadows at six locations around Rottnest Island, Western Australia. Variable annual rates of flowering and seed production were observed among meadows between northern and southern sides of the island and among years.

Ocean connectivity and habitat characteristics predict population genetic structure of seagrass in an extreme tropical setting.

Understanding patterns of gene flow and processes driving genetic differentiation is important for a broad range of conservation practices. In marine organisms, genetic differentiation among populations is influenced by a range of spatial, oceanographic, and environmental factors that are attributed to the seascape. The relative influences of these factors may vary in different locations and can be measured using seascape genetic approaches.