Chitosan decoration enhanced the thermal and ultraviolet resistance of vitamin A-vitamin D coencapsulated in OSA starch-stabilized emulsion by regulating viscoelasticity, interfacial thickness and structure.

In this study, octenyl succinic acid sodium starch (OSAS) decorated with chitosan (CS) of different molecular weights (50-150 kDa) and concentrations (10-30 mg/mL) was used to stabilize an emulsion coencapsulating with vitamin A (V) and vitamin D (V). The effect of CS decoration on the thermal and UV stability of the emulsion, as well as the underlying mechanism, was elucidated. The incorporation of CS increased the retention rates of V and V by 11.

Colorectal carcinogenesis in the Lynch syndromes and familial adenomatous polyposis: trigger events and downstream consequences.

Carcinogenesis encompasses processes that lead to increased mutation rates, enhanced cellular division (tumour growth), and invasive growth. Colorectal cancer (CRC) carcinogenesis in carriers of pathogenic APC (path_APC) and pathogenic mismatch repair gene (path_MMR) variants is initiated by a second hit affecting the corresponding wild-type allele. In path_APC carriers, second hits result in the development of multiple adenomas, with CRC typically emerging after an additional 20 years.

Comparisons of neurodegenerative disease biomarkers across different biological fluids from patients with Huntington's disease.

Fluid biomarkers play important roles in many aspects of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Huntington's disease (HD). However, a main question relates to how well levels of biomarkers measured in CSF are correlated with those measured in peripheral fluids, such as blood or saliva. In this study, we quantified levels of four neurodegenerative disease-related proteins, neurofilament light (NfL), total tau (t-tau), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and YKL-40 in matched CSF, plasma and saliva samples from Huntingtin (HTT) gene-positive individuals (n = 21) using electrochemiluminescence assays.

Prevalence, Diagnosis, and Management of Stress Urinary Incontinence in Women: A Collaborative Review.

Background And Objective: Stress urinary incontinence (SUI), defined as any involuntary leakage of urine associated with physical activity, remains underdiagnosed and undertreated. This review aims to provide an updated overview of the prevalence, diagnosis, and treatment of SUI in women, drawing upon recent evidence-based literature and clinical guidelines.

Methods: A systematic search of the MEDLINE database was conducted to identify only the most up-to-date and relevant studies published up to February 26, 2024, including the reference ESTER systematic review.

Bridging thrombolysis with tenecteplase versus endovascular thrombectomy alone for large-vessel anterior circulation stroke: a target trial emulation analysis.

Background: Whether bridging thrombolysis with tenecteplase is beneficial compared with thrombectomy alone in patients who had a stroke with large-vessel occlusion remains unclear.

Methods: This is a causal inference study of observational data from the trials SWIFT DIRECT and EXTEND-IA TNK Parts 1 and 2 applying target trial emulation. We compared patients receiving thrombectomy alone to patients receiving tenecteplase 0.

Relative importance of tear homeostatic signs for the diagnosis of dry eye disease.

Aim: Disease misdiagnosis is more likely if standardised diagnostic criteria are not used. This study systematically examined the effect on diagnosing dry eye disease (DED), when tests for evaluating tear film homeostasis were included or excluded from a multi-test protocol.

Method: For 1,427 participants across five sites, data for the full suite of diagnostic tests defined in the Tear Film and Ocular Surface Society Dry Eye Workshop II (TFOS DEWS II) Diagnostic Methodology report algorithm were evaluated; diagnostic sensitivity was calculated when individual signs were removed, and when different combinations of signs were required.

Gender-Equity Model for Liver Allocation using Artificial Intelligence (GEMA-AI) for waiting list liver transplant prioritization.

Background & Aims: We aimed to develop and validate an artificial intelligence score (GEMA-AI) to predict liver transplant (LT) waiting list outcomes using the same input variables contained in existing models.

Methods: Cohort study including adult LT candidates enlisted in the United Kingdom (2010-2020) for model training and internal validation, and in Australia (1998-2020) for external validation. GEMA-AI combined international normalized ratio, bilirubin, sodium, and the Royal Free Glomerular Filtration Rate in an explainable Artificial Neural Network.

Weaving the strands together for a stronger future: Responding to the mental health needs of Pacific children and young people.

Objective: The aim of this paper is to summarise the findings of a virtual workshop at the Creating Futures 2023 Conference held on October 18 with 45 participants attending from Fiji, PNG, Solomon Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Cook Islands, Australia and New Zealand. Brief presentations about future mental health needs of Pacific children & young people were followed by small group discussions. These focussed on how island nation participants could "make it real" by considering actions to promote mental health and wellbeing in their communities.

Extent of genetic and epigenetic factor reprogramming via a single viral vector construct in deaf adult mice.

In the adult mammalian cochlea, hair cell loss is irreversible and causes deafness. The basic helix-loop transcription factor Atoh1 is essential for normal hair cell development in the embryonic ear. Over-expression of Atoh1 in the adult cochlea by gene therapy can convert supporting cells (cells that underlie hair cells) into a hair cell lineage.

Pembrolizumab in microsatellite instability-high/mismatch repair deficient (MSI-H/dMMR) and non-MSI-H/non-dMMR advanced endometrial cancer: Phase 2 KEYNOTE-158 study results.

Objective: We report updated results with longer follow-up in patients with MSI-H/dMMR endometrial cancer (EC) in cohort D (advanced EC of any MSI/dMMR status) and cohort K (any MSI-H/dMMR advanced solid tumor, except colorectal) of the phase 2 KEYNOTE-158 study (NCT02628067) and the first results from patients with non-MSI-H/non-dMMR advanced EC (cohort D).

Methods: Patients received pembrolizumab 200 mg Q3W for ≥35 cycles. The primary endpoint was objective response rate (ORR) per RECIST v1.

Ultraviolet radiation vs air filtration to mitigate virus laden aerosol in an occupied clinical room.

Mitigation measures against infectious aerosols are desperately needed. We aimed to: 1) compare germicidal ultraviolet radiation (GUV) at 254 nm (254-GUV) and 222 nm (222-GUV) with portable high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters to inactivate/remove airborne bacteriophage ϕX174, 2) measure the effect of air mixing on the effectiveness of 254-GUV, and 3) determine the relative susceptibility of ϕX174, SARS-CoV-2, and Influenza A(H3N2) to GUV (254 nm, 222 nm). A nebulizer generated ϕX174 laden aerosols in an occupied clinical room (sealed-low flow).

Health provider perspectives on establishing service linkages for treatment and follow-up from an Australian, web-based STI testing service: a qualitative study.

Background Web-based, testing for sexually transmitted infections (STI) is becoming increasingly available. However, treatment pathways from web-based services are often not well-coordinated, contributing to treatment delays and access gaps. This study investigated clinician perspectives on building service linkages with a new, web-based, STI testing service in Victoria, Australia.

Modes and mechanisms for the inheritance of mitochondria and plastids in pathogenic protists.

Pathogenic protists are responsible for many diseases that significantly impact human and animal health across the globe. Almost all protists possess mitochondria or mitochondrion-related organelles, and many contain plastids. These endosymbiotic organelles are crucial to survival and provide well-validated and widely utilised drug targets in parasitic protists such as Plasmodium and Toxoplasma.

Disproportionate, differential and targeted treatment: people who use drugs' experiences of policing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, governments worldwide introduced law enforcement measures to deter and punish breaches of emergency public health orders. For example, in Victoria, Australia, discretionary fines of A$1,652 were issued for breaching stay-at-home orders, and A$4,957 fines for 'unlawful gatherings'; to date, approximately 30,000 fines remain outstanding or not paid in full. Studies globally have revealed how the expansion of policing powers produced significant collateral damage for marginalized populations, including people from low-income neighboorhoods, Indigenous Peoples, sex workers, and people from culturally diverse backgrounds.

Feasibility and effects of cognitive training on cognition and psychosocial function in Huntington's disease: a randomised pilot trial.

Background: Huntington's disease (HD) is a rare neurodegenerative disease that causes progressive cognitive, physical, and psychiatric symptoms. Computerised cognitive training (CCT) is a novel intervention that aims to improve and maintain cognitive functions through repeated practice. The effects of CCT have yet to be established in HD.

Whole-Heart Histological and CMR Validation of Electroanatomic Mapping by Multielectrode Catheters in an Ovine Model.

Background: Accurate electroanatomic mapping is critical for identifying scar and the long-term success of ventricular tachycardia ablation.

Objectives: This study sought to determine the accuracy of multielectrode mapping (MEM) catheters to identify scar on cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) and histopathology.

Methods: In an ovine model of myocardial infarction, we examined the effect of electrode size, spacing, and mapping rhythm on scar identification compared to CMR and histopathology using 5 multielectrode mapping catheters.

Effect of antipsychotics on the focal adhesion pathway.

Unlabelled: Focal adhesions and their dynamic nature are essential for various physiological processes, including the formation of neurites, synaptic function and plasticity. Alterations in these processes have been associated with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

Objectives: This study aimed to explore the impact of pharmacological treatments used for bipolar disorder and schizophrenia on the expression of genes involved in the focal adhesion pathway, addressing a gap in understanding the interaction between medication effects and disease pathophysiology.

Cost of Illness Study on Oral Cancer in Australia.

Objectives: The aim of this study is to estimate the economic burden of oral cancer in Australia from the societal perspective.

Methods: The population consisted of the prevalence of lip and oral cavity cancer, and other lip, oral cavity, and pharynx cancers for ages 40 years and older. Healthcare costs of oral cancer were estimated using 2019-2020 Australian Disease Expenditure Data.

Multiple Imputation for Longitudinal Data: A Tutorial.

Longitudinal studies are frequently used in medical research and involve collecting repeated measures on individuals over time. Observations from the same individual are invariably correlated and thus an analytic approach that accounts for this clustering by individual is required. While almost all research suffers from missing data, this can be particularly problematic in longitudinal studies as participation often becomes harder to maintain over time.

Multidimensional, integrative profiling identifies BCL2L1 methylation as a predictor of MCL1 dependency in pediatric malignancies.

Pediatric high-grade gliomas (pHGGs) are the most aggressive brain tumors in children, necessitating innovative therapies to improve outcomes. Unlike adult gliomas, recent research reveals that childhood gliomas have distinct biological features, requiring specific treatment strategies. Here, we focused on deciphering unique genetic dependencies specific to childhood gliomas.

Adaptive functioning in children and young adults with monogenic neurodevelopmental disorders.

Aim: To examine the adaptive behaviour profiles of children with monogenic neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) to determine whether syndrome-specific or transdiagnostic approaches provide a better understanding of the adaptive behavioural phenotypes of these NDDs.

Method: This cross-sectional study included parents and caregivers of 243 (48% female) individuals (age range = 1-25 years; mean = 8 years 10 months, SD = 5 years 8 months) with genetically confirmed monogenic NDDs (CDK13, DYRK1A, FOXP2, KAT6A, KANSL1, SETBP1, BRPF1, and DDX3X). Parents and caregivers completed the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales, Third Edition to assess communication, daily living, socialization, and motor skills.

A global review of national guidelines of post-exposure prophylaxis for the prevention of HIV.

Introduction: The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends the use of antiretroviral drugs as post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) for preventing HIV acquisition for occupational and non-occupational exposures. To inform the development of global WHO recommendations on PEP, we reviewed national guidelines of PEP for their recommendations.

Methods: Policies addressing PEP from 38 WHO HIV priority countries were obtained by searching governmental and non-governmental websites and consulting country and regional experts; these countries were selected based on HIV burden, new HIV acquisitions and the number of HIV-associated deaths.

Urethra-sparing prostate cancer radiotherapy: Current practices and future insights from an international survey.

Purpose: In prostate cancer patients, high radiation doses to the urethra have been associated with an increased risk of severe genitourinary toxicity following dose-escalated radiotherapy. Urethra-sparing techniques have emerged as a promising approach to reduce urinary toxicity. This international survey aims to evaluate current global practices in urethra-sparing and explore future directions for the implementation of this technique in external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) for prostate cancer.

Basic self-disorders may play a role in the development of depression in schizophrenia: a seven-year follow-up study.

Introduction: Depression is the most common co-morbid psychiatric disorder in patients with schizophrenia and has a negative effect on functional outcomes and quality of life. There are several possible pathways leading to depressive symptoms in schizophrenia. Self-disorders are disturbances in the deepest, pre-reflective level of the self and are suggested to be core features of schizophrenia.