Digital Commons Network^™

Fractional Anisotropy Of Thalamic Nuclei Is Associated With Verticality Misperception After Extra-Thalamic Stroke, Taiza E. G. Santos, Jussara A. O. Baggio, Carlo Rondinoni, Laura Machado, Karina T. Weber, Luiz H. Stefano, Antonio C. Santos, Octavio M. Pontes-Neto, Joao P. Leite, Dylan J. Edwards

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Verticality misperception after stroke is a frequent neurological deficit that leads to postural imbalance and a higher risk of falls. The posterior thalamic nuclei are described to be involved with verticality perception, but it is unknown if extra-thalamic lesions can have the same effect via diaschisis and degeneration of thalamic nuclei. We investigated the relationship between thalamic fractional anisotropy (FA, a proxy of structural integrity), and verticality perception, in patients after stroke with diverse encephalic extra-thalamic lesions. We included 11 first time post-stroke patients with extra-thalamic primary lesions, and compared their region-based FA to a group of 25 age-matched healthy …

A Systematic Review Of The Antecedents And Prevalence Of Suicide, Self-Harm And Suicide Ideation In Australian Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander Youth, Joanne M. Dickson, Kate Cruise, Clare A. Mccall, Peter J. Taylor

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Suicide and self-harm represent serious global health problems and appear to be especially elevated amongst indigenous minority groups, and particularly amongst young people (aged 24 years or younger). This systematic review investigates for the first time the antecedents and prevalence of suicide, self-harm and suicide ideation among Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth. Web of Science, PubMed, PsychINFO, CINAHL databases and grey literature were searched from earliest records to April 2019 for eligible articles. Twenty-two empirical articles met the inclusion criteria. The data confirmed that indigenous youth in Australia have elevated rates of suicide, self-harm and suicidal ideation relative …

Cetacean Sightings Within The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, Susan E. Gibbs, Chandra P. Salgado Kent, Boyan Slat, Damien Morales, Leila Fouda, Julia Reisser

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Here, we report cetacean sightings made within a major oceanic accumulation zone for plastics, often referred to as the ‘Great Pacific Garbage Patch’ (GPGP). These cetacean records occurred in October 2016 and were made by sensors and trained observers aboard a Hercules C-130 aircraft surveying the GPGP at 400 m height and 140 knots speed. Four sperm whales (including a mother and calf pair), three beaked whales, two baleen whales, and at least five other cetaceans were observed. Many surface drifting plastics were also detected, including fishing nets, ropes, floats and fragmented debris. Some of these objects were close to …

Cannabis Teratology Explains Current Patterns Of Coloradan Congenital Defects: The Contribution Of Increased Cannabinoid Exposure To Rising Teratological Trends, Albert S. Reece, Gary K. Hulse

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Rising Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol concentrations in modern cannabis invites investigation of the teratological implications of prenatal cannabis exposure. Data from Colorado Responds to Children with Special Needs (CRCSN), National Survey of Drug Use and Health, and Drug Enforcement Agency was analyzed. Seven, 40, and 2 defects were rising, flat, and falling, respectively, and 10/12 summary indices rose. Atrial septal defect, spina bifida, microcephalus, Down’s syndrome, ventricular septal defect, and patent ductus arteriosus rose, and along with central nervous system, cardiovascular, genitourinary, respiratory, chromosomal, and musculoskeletal defects rose 5 to 37 times faster than the birth rate (3.3%) to generate an excess of …

The Evidence For Services To Avoid Or Delay Residential Aged Care Admission: A Systematic Review, Julie A. Luker, Anthea Worley, Mandy Stanley, Jeric Uy, Amber M. Watt, Susan L. Hillier

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background

Interventions that enable people to remain in their own home as they age are of interest to stakeholders, yet detailed information on effective interventions is scarce. Our objective was to systematically search and synthesise evidence for the effectiveness of community-based, aged care interventions in delaying or avoiding admission to residential aged care.

Method

Nine databases were searched from January 2000 to February 2018 for English publications. Reference lists of relevant publications were searched. The databases yielded 55,221 citations and 50 citations were gleaned from other sources. Where there was sufficient homogeneity of study design, population, intervention and measures, meta-analyses …

Acute Effects Of Fine Particulate Matter (Pm2.5) On Hospital Admissions For Cardiovascular Disease In Beijing, China: A Time-Series Study, Endawoke Amsalu, Tianqi Wang, Haibin Li, Yue Liu, Anxin Wang, Xiangtong Liu, Lixin Tao, Yanxia Luo, Feng Zhang, Xinghua Yang, Xia Li, Wei Wang, Xiuhua Guo

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background

Air pollution and cardiovascular disease are increasing problems in China. However, the short-term association between fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) is not well documented. The purpose of this study is to estimate the short-term effects of PM2.5 on CVD admissions in Beijing, China.

Methods

In total, 460,938 electronic hospitalization summary reports for CVD between 2013 and 2017 were obtained. A generalized additive model using a quasi-Poisson distribution was used to investigate the association between exposure to PM2.5 and hospitalizations for total and cause-specific CVD, including coronary heart disease (CHD), atrial fibrillation (AF), and heart failure (HF) …

Patient-Defined Meaningfulness Within Chronic Pain Rehabilitation: A Concept Analysis, Katrina Liddiard, Annette J. Raynor, Annette M. Rivard, Cary A. Brown

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background: As the problem of chronic pain grows worldwide, rehabilitation is critical to improved patient well-being. There is thus a need for rehabilitation-focused research. It appears that outcomes are improved when patients perceive the rehabilitation process to be meaningful. However, there is no empirical evidence determining how this would be achieved. An important first step is to identify and describe the concept of meaningfulness as it is used in the chronic pain rehabilitation literature. Objective: This paper reports the findings of a structured concept analysis to define meaningfulness from the patient perspective in chronic pain rehabilitation. Methodology: In consultation with …

The Future Of Blue Carbon Science, Peter Macreadie, Andrea Anton, John A. Raven, Nicola Beaumont, Rod M. Connolly, Daniel A. Friess, Jeffrey J. Kelleway, Hilary Kennedy, Tomohiro Kuwae, Paul Lavery, Catherine E. Lovelock, Dan A. Smale, Eugenia T. Apostolaki, Trishia B. Atwood, Jeff Baldock, Thomas S. Bianchi, Gail L. Chmura, Bradley D. Eyre, James W. Fourqurean, Jason M. Hall-Spencer, Mark Huxham, Iris E. Hendriks, Dorte Krause-Jensen, Dan Laffoley, Tiziana Luisetti, Nuria Marba, Pere Masque´, Karen J. Mcglathery, J. Patrick Megonigal, Daniel Murdiyaso, Bayden D. Russell, Rui Santos, Oscar Serrano, Brian R. Silliman, Kenta Watanabe, Carlos M. Duarte

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The term Blue Carbon (BC) was first coined a decade ago to describe the disproportionately large contribution of coastal vegetated ecosystems to global carbon sequestration. The role of BC in climate change mitigation and adaptation has now reached international prominence. To help prioritise future research, we assembled leading experts in the field to agree upon the top-ten pending questions in BC science. Understanding how climate change affects carbon accumulation in mature BC ecosystems and during their restoration was a high priority. Controversial questions included the role of carbonate and macroalgae in BC cycling, and the degree to which greenhouse gases …

A Corrective Justice Justification For Considering The Response Of The Hypothetical Person Of An “Ordinary Level Of Susceptibility” When Assessing Reasonable Foreseeability In Cases Involving Negligently Inflicted Psychiatric Injury, Martin Allcock

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The law has long been concerned with limiting recovery for pure psychiatric injury in negligence in order to prevent liability to plaintiffs who are unusually susceptible to this type of injury. The justifications provided by courts for this concern have often centred on the idea that holding a defendant liable to such a plaintiff will be unreasonable. However, there is a gap in the reasoning of the courts and in the scholarly literature as to the potential theoretical justifications for measuring the reasonableness of the defendant’s conduct against the effect of that conduct on the hypothetical person of an “ordinary …

Isolation, Characterization, And Cross‐Amplification Of 20 Microsatellite Markers For Conospermum Undulatum (Proteaceae), Nicola Delnevo, Andrea Piotti, Eddie J. Van Etten, William D. Stock, Margaret Byrne

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

PREMISE: Recent habitat fragmentation is posing a risk to the wavy‐leaved smokebush, Conospermum undulatum (Proteaceae), a rare plant species endemic to southwestern Western Australia. Microsatellite markers are required to characterize the genetic diversity and structure of the species for conservation purposes and to facilitate ecological studies.

METHODS AND RESULTS: Illumina MiSeq high‐throughput sequencing was used to develop 20 novel microsatellite markers for C. undulatum. Polymorphism at each locus was assessed using 72 individuals from three natural populations. Nineteen markers were polymorphic, with the number of alleles per locus ranging from two to 21, and observed and expected heterozygosity ranging from …

Mixing Genetically And Morphologically Distinct Populations In Translocations: Asymmetrical Introgression In A Newly Established Population Of The Boodie (Bettongia Lesueur), Rujiporn Thavornkanlapachai, Harriet R. Mills, Kym Ottewell, Judy Dunlop, Colleen Sims, Keith Morris, Felicity Donaldson, W. Jason Kennington

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The use of multiple source populations provides a way to maximise genetic variation and reduce the impacts of inbreeding depression in newly established translocated populations. However, there is a risk that individuals from different source populations will not interbreed, leading to population structure and smaller effective population sizes than expected. Here, we investigate the genetic consequences of mixing two isolated, morphologically distinct island populations of boodies (Bettongia lesueur) in a translocation to mainland Australia over three generations. Using 18 microsatellite loci and the mitochondrial D-loop region, we monitored the released animals and their offspring between 2010 and 2013. Despite high …

Effect Of Al Alloying On Cavitation Erosion Behavior Of Tasi2 Nanocrystalline Coatings, Jiang Xu, Shuai Kang Zhang, Xiao Lin Lu, Shuyun Jiang, Paul Munroe, Zong-Han Xie

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

To broaden the scope of non-aerospace applications for titanium-based alloys, both hexagonal C40 binary TaSi₂ and ternary Al alloyed TaSi₂ nanocrystalline coatings were exploited to enhance the cavitation erosion resistance of Ti-6Al-4V alloy in acidic environments. To begin with, the roles of Al addition in influencing the structural stability and mechanical properties of hexagonal C40 Ta(Si_1-xAl_x)₂ compounds were modelled using first-principles calculations. The calculated key parameters, such as Pugh's index (B/G ratio), Poisson's ratio, and Cauchy pressures, indicated that there was a threshold value for Al addition, below which the increase of Al …

Theoretical Modelling Approaches Of Heat Pipe Solar Collectors In Solar Systems: A Comprehensive Review, Abdellah Sharifian, Mehdi Khiadani, Ataollah Nosrati

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The invention of heat pipe solar collectors (HPSCs) is considered as an immense step forward towards solving the challenges of conventional solar thermal systems. Their unique qualities have acted as a great motivation for researchers to focus their studies on HPSCs and their applications. A considerable share of these studies has been allocated to theoretical studies due to several technical and economic reasons. However, to the authors’ knowledge and despite many valuable efforts in this field, there is no review paper available to summarise the relevant proposed and developed theoretical models to date and identifies the research gaps in this …

Wellness In Allied Health Students: The Case For Change, Abigail Lewis, Alison Kirkman, Lisa Holmes

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Introduction: The case for change. There are increasing mental health issues among young people, including higher education students. millennial students face unique challenges relating to attention, critical thinking and managing stress. Specifically, allied health students engage in multiple placements in which they need to interact with real people in real time while being evaluated in assessment and treatment strategies. Some universities have been using wellness programs and mindfulness strategies to support student mental health across campuses for some time. However, as allied health students face unique challenges, there is a need for a particular focus on wellness at an individual …

The Nexus Between Social Impacts And Adaptation Strategies Of Workers To Occupational Heat Stress: A Conceptual Framework, Victor Fannam Nunfam, Kwadwo Adusei-Asante, Eddie John Van Etten, Jacques Oosthuizen, Samuel Adams, Kwasi Frimpong

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Adverse effects of occupational heat stress in the context of the changing climate on working populations are subtle but considerably harmful. However, social dimensions and impacts of climate change–related occupational heat concerns on workers’ safety and health, productivity and well-being are often overlooked or relegated as minor issues in social impact analyses of occupational heat exposure due to climate change. This paper offers a conceptual framework based on an appraisal and synthesis of the literature on social impacts of climate change–related occupational heat exposure on workers’ safety and health, productivity and social welfare and the quest to localise and achieve …

The Role Of Allopatric Speciation And Ancient Origins Of Bathynellidae (Crustacea) In The Pilbara (Western Australia): Two New Genera From The De Grey River Catchment, Giulia Perina, Ana I. Camacho, Joel Huey, Pierre Horwitz, Annette Koenders

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The stygofaunal family of Bathynellidae, is an excellent group to study the processes that shape diversity and distribution, since they have unknown surface or marine relatives, high level of endemism, and limited dispersal abilities. Recent research on Bathynellidae in Western Australia (Pilbara) has uncovered new taxa with unexpected distributions and phylogenetic relationships, but the biogeographical processes that drive their diversification on the continent are still unclear. By exploring the diversity, distribution, and divergence time of Bathynellidae in a setting such as the perched and isolated aquifers of the Cleaverville Formation in the north of the De Grey River catchment (Pilbara), …

Toward Collaborative Open Data Science In Metabolomics Using Jupyter Notebooks And Cloud Computing, Kevin M. Mendez, Leighton Pritchard, Stacey N. Reinke, David I. Broadhurst

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background

A lack of transparency and reporting standards in the scientific community has led to increasing and widespread concerns relating to reproduction and integrity of results. As an omics science, which generates vast amounts of data and relies heavily on data science for deriving biological meaning, metabolomics is highly vulnerable to irreproducibility. The metabolomics community has made substantial efforts to align with FAIR data standards by promoting open data formats, data repositories, online spectral libraries, and metabolite databases. Open data analysis platforms also exist; however, they tend to be inflexible and rely on the user to adequately report their methods …

Australian Vegetated Coastal Ecosystems As Global Hotspots For Climate Change Mitigation, Oscar Serrano, Catherine E. Lovelock, Trisha B. Atwood, Peter I. Macreadie, Robert Canto, Stuart Phinn, Ariane Arias-Ortiz, Le Bai, Jeff Baldock, Camila Bedulli, Paul Carnell, Rod M. Connolly, Paul Donaldson, Alba Esteban, Carolyn J. Ewers Lewis, Bradley D. Eyre, Matthew A. Hayes, Pierre Horwitz, Lindsay B. Hutley, Christopher R. J. Kavazos, Jeffrey J. Kelleway, Gary A. Kendrick, Kieryn Kilminster, Anna Lafratta, Shing Lee, Paul S. Lavery, Damien T. Maher, Núria Marbà, Pere Masque, Miguel A. Mateo, Richard Mount, Peter J. Ralph, Chris Roelfsema, Mohammad Rozaimi, Radhiyah Ruhon, Cristian Salinas, Jimena Samper-Villarreal, Jonathan Sanderman, Christian J. Sanders, Isaac Santos, Chris Sharples, Andrew D. L. Steven, Toni Cannard, Stacey M. Trevathan-Tackett, Carlos M. Duarte

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Policies aiming to preserve vegetated coastal ecosystems (VCE; tidal marshes, mangroves and seagrasses) to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions require national assessments of blue carbon resources. Here, we present organic carbon (C) storage in VCE across Australian climate regions and estimate potential annual CO₂ emission benefits of VCE conservation and restoration. Australia contributes 5–11% of the C stored in VCE globally (70–185 Tg C in aboveground biomass, and 1,055–1,540 Tg C in the upper 1 m of soils). Potential CO₂ emissions from current VCE losses are estimated at 2.1–3.1 Tg CO₂-e yr^-1, increasing annual CO …

Effects Of Different Combinations Of Concentric And Eccentric Resistance Training Programs On Traditional And Alternative Hamstrings-To-Quadriceps Ratios, Cassio V. Ruas, Ronei S. Pinto, Guy G. Haff, Camila D. Lima, Lee E. Brown

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Resistance training is often recommended for combined increases in traditional and alternative hamstrings-to-quadriceps (H:Q) ratios in order to reduce knee strength imbalance and associated hamstrings and knee ligament injury risk. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of different concentric and eccentric resistance training programs on traditional and alternative H:Q ratios. Forty male volunteers were assigned to one of 4 groups: concentric quadriceps and concentric hamstrings (CON/CON, n = 10), eccentric quadriceps and eccentric hamstrings (ECC/ECC, n = 10), concentric quadriceps and eccentric hamstrings (CON/ECC, n = 10), or no training (control (CNTRL), n = 10). Traditional …

The Owner-Manager’S Role As A Facilitator Of Informal Learning In Small Businesses, Alan Coetzer, Andreas Wallo, Henrik Kock

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Few studies have examined the owner-manager as a facilitator of learning in small businesses. Furthermore, these studies are typically not framed by distinctive characteristics of small businesses. These limitations of the literature stimulated us to ask: How do the situational opportunities and constraints that emanate from the distinctive characteristics of small businesses affect the small business owner-manager’s role as a facilitator of learning? To address this question, we first conducted a narrative review of existing research on the owner-manager as facilitator of learning in small businesses (10–49 employees). Four themes emerged from our analysis of research findings, including a theme …

Visualization Is Crucial For Understanding Microbial Processes In The Ocean, Marta Sebastián, Josep M. Gasol

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Recent developments in community and single-cell genomic approaches have provided an unprecedented amount of information on the ecology of microbes in the aquatic environment. However, linkages between each specific microbe's identity and their in situ level of activity (be it growth, division or just metabolic activity) are much more scarce. The ultimate goal of marine microbial ecology is to understand how the environment determines the types of different microbes in nature, their function, morphology and cell-to-cell interactions and to do so we should gather three levels of information, the genomic (including identity), the functional (activity or growth), and the morphological, …

Mating System Variation In Hybrid Zones: Facilitation, Barriers And Asymmetries To Gene Flow, Melinda Pickup, Yaniv Brandvain, Christelle Fraïsse, Sarah Yakimowski, Nicholas H. Barton, Tanmay Dixit, Christian Lexer, Eva Cereghetti, David L. Field

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Plant mating systems play a key role in structuring genetic variation both within and between species. In hybrid zones, the outcomes and dynamics of hybridization are usually interpreted as the balance between gene flow and selection against hybrids. Yet, mating systems can introduce selective forces that alter these expectations; with diverse outcomes for the level and direction of gene flow depending on variation in outcrossing and whether the mating systems of the species pair are the same or divergent. We present a survey of hybridization in 133 species pairs from 41 plant families and examine how patterns of hybridization vary …

Introducing The First Whole Genomes Of Nationals From The United Arab Emirates, Habiba S. Alsafar, Mariam Al-Ali, Gihan Daw Elbait, Mustafa H. Al-Maini, Dymitr Ruta, Braulio Peramo, Andreas Henschel, Guan K. Tay

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) provides an in depth description of genome variation. In the era of large-scale population genome projects, the assembly of ethnic-specific genomes combined with mapping human reference genomes of underrepresented populations has improved the understanding of human diversity and disease associations. In this study, for the first time, whole genome sequences of two nationals of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) at >27X coverage are reported. The two Emirati individuals were predominantly of Central/South Asian ancestry. An in-house customized pipeline using BWA, Picard followed by the GATK tools to map the raw data from whole genome sequences of …

Verifying Head Impacts Recorded By A Wearable Sensor Using Video Footage In Rugby League: A Preliminary Study, Lauchlan Carey, Peter Stanwell, Douglas P. Terry, Andrew S. Mcintosh, Shane V. Caswell, Grant L. Iverson, Andrew J. Gardner

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background: Rugby league is a full-contact collision sport with an inherent risk of concussion. Wearable instrumented technology was used to observe and characterize the level of exposure to head impacts during game play.

Purpose: To verify the impacts recorded by the x-patch™ with video analysis.

Study design: Observational case series.

Methods: The x-patch™ was used on eight men’s semi-professional rugby league players during the 2016 Newcastle Rugby League competition (five forwards and three backs). Game day footage was recorded by a trained videographer using a single camera located at the highest midfield location to verify the impact recorded by the …

'A Lot Better Than Medicine': Self-Organised Ocean Swimming Groups As Facilitators For Healthy Ageing, Leesa Costello, Marie-Louise Mcdermott, Purvi Patel, Julie Dare

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Exercise, spending time in nature and feeling part of a supportive community all contribute to better physical and mental health and to healthy ageing. This focused ethnography investigates how participation in self-organised ocean swimming groups contributes to healthy ageing amongst older men and women in the Australian coastal city of Perth. It explores the ways marine life, personal experiences and social connectedness mediate their group use of public blue space, and highlights that group membership promotes participants' enhanced health and wellbeing, and supports development of self-efficacy and resilience. These findings suggest that more inclusive access to ocean swimming and other …

Microbiological Evaluation Of The Ability Of The Deko-190 Washer/Disinfector To Remove Clostridium Difficile Spores From Bedpan Surfaces, Deirdre A. Collins, Kerry C. Carson, Thomas V. Riley

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

BACKGROUND: Clostridium difficile is a major nosocomial pathogen causing mild diarrhoea to life-threatening pseudomembranous colitis, and its spores frequently contaminate hospital environments and equipment. Washer/Disinfectors (WDs) are commonly used to clean and decontaminate soiled equipment in health care facilities. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the DEKO-190 WD in removing C. difficile spores from bedpans.

METHODS: Plastic carriers were inoculated with suspensions of C. difficile spores in autoclaved (sterile) human faeces. The carriers were then taped to a sterile plastic bedpan which was subjected to short, long or intensive wash cycles in the WD using one of two …

Plasma Neurofilament Light Chain And Amyloid-Β Are Associated With The Kynurenine Pathway Metabolites In Preclinical Alzheimer's Disease, Pratishtha Chatterjee, Henrik Zetterberg, Kathryn Goozee, Chai K. Lim, Kelly R. Jacobs, Nicholas J. Ashton, Abdul Hye, Steve Pedrini, Hamid R. Sohrabi, Tejal Shah, Prita R. Asih, Preeti Dave, Kaikai Shen, Kevin Taddei, David B. Lovejoy, Gilles J. Guillemin, Kaj Blennow, Ralph N. Martins

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

BACKGROUND: Blood markers indicative of neurodegeneration (neurofilament light chain; NFL), Alzheimer's disease amyloid pathology (amyloid-β; Aβ), and neuroinflammation (kynurenine pathway; KP metabolites) have been investigated independently in neurodegenerative diseases. However, the association of these markers of neurodegeneration and AD pathology with neuroinflammation has not been investigated previously. Therefore, the current study examined whether NFL and Aβ correlate with KP metabolites in elderly individuals to provide insight on the association between blood indicators of neurodegeneration and neuroinflammation.

METHODS: Correlations between KP metabolites, measured using liquid chromatography and gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry, and plasma NFL and Aβ concentrations, measured using …

False Image Injection Prevention Using Ichain, Mohiuddin Ahmed

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The advances in information and communication technology are consistently beneficial for the healthcare sector. A trend in the healthcare sector is the progressive shift in how data are acquired and the storage of such data in different facilities, such as in the cloud, due to the efficiency and effectiveness offered. Digital images related to healthcare are sensitive in nature and require maximum security and privacy. A malicious entity can tamper with such stored digital images to mislead healthcare personnel and the consequences of wrong diagnosis are harmful for both parties. A new type of cyber attack, a false image injection …

The Detection Of Cmv In Saliva Can Mark A Systemic Infection With Cmv In Renal Transplant Recipients, Shelley Waters, Silvia Lee, Megan Lloyd, Ashley Irish, Patricia Price

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Human cytomegalovirus (CMV) is often transmitted through saliva. The salivary gland is a site of CMV replication and saliva can be used to diagnose congenital CMV infections. CMV replication is monitored in whole blood or plasma in renal transplant recipients (RTR) and associates with clinical disease. However, these assays may not detect replication in the salivary gland and there is little data linking detection in saliva with systemic infection and clinical sequelae. RTR (n = 82) were recruited > 2 years after transplantation. An in-house quantitative PCR assay was used to detect CMV UL54 in saliva samples. CMV DNA was …

Steroid Therapy And Outcome Of Parapneumonic Pleural Effusions (Stoppe): Study Protocol For A Multicenter, Double-Blinded, Placebo-Controlled Randomized Clinical Trial, Deirdre B. Fitzgerald, Grant W. Waterer, Catherine A. Read, Edward T. Fysh, Ranjan Shrestha, Christopher Stanley, Sanjeevan Muruganandan, Norris S. H. Lan, Natalia D. Popowicz, Carolyn J. Peddle-Mcintyre, Najib M. Rahman, Seng Khee Gan, Kevin Murray, Yun Chor Gary Lee

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

BACKGROUND: Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a major global disease. Parapneumonic effusions often complicate CAP and range from uninfected (simple) to infected (complicated) parapneumonic effusions and empyema (pus). CAP patients who have a pleural effusion at presentation are more likely to require hospitalization, have a longer length of stay and higher mortality than those without an effusion. Conventional management of pleural infection, with antibiotics and chest tube drainage, fails in about 30% of cases. Several randomized controlled trials (RCT) have evaluated the use of corticosteroids in CAP and demonstrated some potential benefits. Importantly, steroid use in pneumonia has an acceptable safety …