Digital Commons Network^™

Health Utilities And Quality-Adjusted Life Years For Patients With Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Receiving Reldesemtiv Or Placebo In Fortitude-Als, Paulos Gebrehiwet, Lisa Meng, Stacy A Rudnicki, Phil Sarocco, Jenny Wei, Andrew A Wolff, Michael Butzner, Adriano Chiò, Jinsy A Andrews, Angela Genge, Dyfrig A Hughes, Carlayne E Jackson, Noah Lechtzin, Timothy M Miller, Jeremy M Shefner

2020-Current year OA Pubs

AIMS: To estimate the health utilities and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) receiving

MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed a post hoc analysis of clinical trial data from FORTITUDE-ALS (NCT03160898). This Phase IIb, double-blind, randomized, dose-ranging, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, 12-week trial evaluated

RESULTS: The full analysis set consisted of 456 patients (

CONCLUSIONS: This post hoc analysis of FORTITUDE-ALS suggests that

CLINICALTRIALS.GOV IDENTIFIER: NCT03160898.

Functional Divergence Of The Sarcomeric Myosin, Myh7b, Supports Species-Specific Biological Roles, Lindsey A. Lee, Samantha K. Barrick, Artur Meller, Jonathan Walklate, Jeffrey M. Lotthammer, Jian Wei Tay, W. Tom Stump, Gregory Bowman, Michael A. Geeves, Michael J. Greenberg, Leslie A Leinwand

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Myosin heavy chain 7b (MYH7b) is an evolutionarily ancient member of the sarcomeric myosin family, which typically supports striated muscle function. However, in mammals, alternative splicing prevents MYH7b protein production in cardiac and most skeletal muscles and limits expression to a subset of specialized muscles and certain nonmuscle environments. In contrast, MYH7b protein is abundant in python cardiac and skeletal muscles. Although the MYH7b expression pattern diverges in mammals versus reptiles, MYH7b shares high sequence identity across species. So, it remains unclear how mammalian MYH7b function may differ from that of other sarcomeric myosins and whether human and python MYH7b …

Apolipoprotein E Genetic Variation, Atherogenic Index And Cardiovascular Disease Risk Assessment In An African Population: An Analysis Of Hiv And Malaria Patients In Ghana, Nicholas Ekow Thomford, Akwasi Anyanful, Richmond Owusu Ateko, Dee Blackhurst, Robert Peter Biney, Dennis Boadi, Samuel Badu Nyarko, Martins Ekor, George Boateng Kyei

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Apolipoprotein E is involved in lipid transport and clearance of lipoprotein through low-density lipoprotein receptors (LDLR). ApoE variation has been linked to cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. There are 3 isoforms of ApoE which originate from two non-synonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms denoted as ε2, ε3 and ε4. The ε2 isoform is implicated in higher levels of atherogenic lipoprotein with the ε4 isoform causing LDLR downregulation. This leads to variable effects and differential CVD risk. Malaria and HIV are life-threatening diseases affecting several countries globally especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Parasite and viral activities have been implicated in lipid dysregulation leading to …

Characterization Of Combined Endoscopies And Aerodigestive Care: An Analysis Of Utilization And Financial Feasibility, Jennifer Brinkmeier, Noor Al-Hammadi, Sumana Shashidhar, Leslie Hinyard, Dhiren Patel

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Aerodigestive care is one model of multi-disciplinary care, which is a valuable tool for both providers and patients. Aerodigestive care models are associated with improved outcomes, reduced anesthesia exposure, reduction in hospital admissions, and fewer days of missed work or school. This is the first study to explore national usage and cost trends in combined endoscopy utilization to identify gaps in care and the potential for financial resource optimization.

METHODS: Data from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) Kid's Inpatient Sample (KID) was used from 2016 and 2019. Diagnoses and procedures were identified using ICD-10 codes, for patients …

Glioblastoma Induces Whole-Brain Spectral Change In Resting State Fmri: Associations With Clinical Comorbidities And Overall Survival, Ki Yun Park, Abraham Z Snyder, Michael Olufawo, Gabriel Trevino, Patrick H Luckett, Bidhan Lamichhane, Tao Xie, John J Lee, Joshua S Shimony, Eric C Leuthardt

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Glioblastoma, a highly aggressive form of brain tumor, is a brain-wide disease. We evaluated the impact of tumor burden on whole brain resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) activity. Specifically, we analyzed rs-fMRI signals in the temporal frequency domain in terms of the power-law exponent and fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (fALFF). We contrasted 189 patients with newly-diagnosed glioblastoma versus 189 age-matched healthy reference participants from an external dataset. The patient and reference datasets were matched for age and head motion. The principal finding was markedly flatter spectra and reduced grey matter fALFF in the patients as compared to the …

Evolution And Implementation Of Radiographic Response Criteria In Neuro-Oncology, Divya Ramakrishnan, Marc Von Reppert, Mark Krycia, Matthew Sala, Sabine Mueller, Sanjay Aneja, Ali Nabavizadeh, Norbert Galldiks, Philipp Lohmann, Cyrus Raji, Ichiro Ikuta, Fatima Memon, Brent D Weinberg, Mariam S Aboian

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Radiographic response assessment in neuro-oncology is critical in clinical practice and trials. Conventional criteria, such as the MacDonald and response assessment in neuro-oncology (RANO) criteria, rely on bidimensional (2D) measurements of a single tumor cross-section. Although RANO criteria are established for response assessment in clinical trials, there is a critical need to address the complexity of brain tumor treatment response with multiple new approaches being proposed. These include volumetric analysis of tumor compartments, structured MRI reporting systems like the Brain Tumor Reporting and Data System, and standardized approaches to advanced imaging techniques to distinguish tumor response from treatment effects. In …

Supplementary Feeding And Infection Control In Pregnant Adolescents-A Secondary Analysis Of A Randomized Trial Among Malnourished Women In Sierra Leone, Aminata S Koroma, Mariama Ellie, Kadiatu Bangura, Per O Iversen, David T Hendrixson, Kevin Stephenson, Mark J Manary

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Undernutrition during pregnancy in adolescence confers a high risk of maternal morbidity and adverse birth outcomes, particularly in low-resource settings. In a secondary analysis, we hypothesized that younger undernourished pregnant adolescents (<18 years) would benefit more than undernourished pregnant adults (>20 years) from the intervention of supplementary food and anti-infective treatments. The original trial in Sierra Leone enrolled 236 younger adolescents (<18 years), 454 older adolescents (aged 18-19 years), and 741 adults (≥20 years), all with a mid-upper arm circumference ≤23 cm. Younger adolescents had lower final fundal height as well as smaller newborns (-0.3 kg; 95% confidence interval [CI], -0.3, -0.2; p < 0.001) and shorter newborns (-1.1 cm; 95% CI, -1.5, -0.7; p < 0.001) than adults. The intervention's effect varied significantly between maternal age groups: adults benefited more than younger adolescents with respect to newborn birth weight (difference in difference, 166 g; 95% CI, 26, 306; interaction p = 0.02), birth length (difference in difference, 7.4 mm; 95% CI, 0.1, 14.8; interaction p = 0.047), and risk for low birth weight (<2.5 kg) (interaction p = 0.019). The differences in response persisted despite adjustments for maternal anthropometry, the number of prior pregnancies, and human immunodeficiency virus status. Older adolescents similarly benefited more than younger adolescents, though differences did not reach statistical significance. In conclusion, newborns born to younger adolescent mothers had worse outcomes than those born to adult mothers, and adults and their newborns benefited more from the intervention than younger adolescents.

Associations Of Snfl With Clinico-Radiological Measures In A Large Ms Population, Elias S Sotirchos, Robert T Naismith, Min Qiao, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

OBJECTIVE: Evaluation of serum neurofilament light chain (sNfL), measured using high-throughput assays on widely accessible platforms in large, real-world MS populations, is a critical step for sNfL to be utilized in clinical practice.

METHODS: Multiple Sclerosis Partners Advancing Technology and Health Solutions (MS PATHS) is a network of healthcare institutions in the United States and Europe collecting standardized clinical/imaging data and biospecimens during routine clinic visits. sNfL was measured in 6974 MS and 201 healthy control (HC) participants, using a high-throughput, scalable immunoassay.

RESULTS: Elevated sNfL levels for age (sNfL-E) were found in 1238 MS participants (17.8%). Factors associated with …

Sting Suppresses Mitochondrial Vdac2 To Govern Rcc Growth Independent Of Innate Immunity, Zhichuan Zhu, Xin Zhou, Hongwei Du, Erica W Cloer, Jiaming Zhang, Liu Mei, Ying Wang, Xianming Tan, Austin J Hepperla, Jeremy M Simon, Jeanette Gowen Cook, Michael B Major, Gianpietro Dotti, Pengda Liu

2020-Current year OA Pubs

STING is an innate immune sensor for immune surveillance of viral/bacterial infection and maintenance of an immune-friendly microenvironment to prevent tumorigenesis. However, if and how STING exerts innate immunity-independent function remains elusive. Here, the authors report that STING expression is increased in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) patients and governs tumor growth through non-canonical innate immune signaling involving mitochondrial ROS maintenance and calcium homeostasis. Mitochondrial voltage-dependent anion channel VDAC2 is identified as a new STING binding partner. STING depletion potentiates VDAC2/GRP75-mediated MERC (mitochondria-ER contact) formation to increase mitochondrial ROS/calcium levels, impairs mitochondria function, and suppresses mTORC1/S6K signaling leading to RCC growth …

Computerized Electrocardiogram Data Transformation Enables Effective Algorithmic Differentiation Of Wide Qrs Complex Tachycardias, Anthony H Kashou, Sarah Lococo, Preet A Shaikh, Bhavesh B Katbamna, Ojasav Sehrawat, Daniel H Cooper, Sandeep S Sodhi, Phillip S Cuculich, Marye J Gleva, Elena Deych, Ruiwen Zhou, Lei Liu, Abhishek J Deshmukh, Samuel J Asirvatham, Peter A Noseworthy, Christopher V Desimone, Adam M May

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Accurate automated wide QRS complex tachycardia (WCT) differentiation into ventricular tachycardia (VT) and supraventricular wide complex tachycardia (SWCT) can be accomplished using calculations derived from computerized electrocardiogram (ECG) data of paired WCT and baseline ECGs.

OBJECTIVE: Develop and trial novel WCT differentiation approaches for patients with and without a corresponding baseline ECG.

METHODS: We developed and trialed WCT differentiation models comprised of novel and previously described parameters derived from WCT and baseline ECG data. In Part 1, a derivation cohort was used to evaluate five different classification models: logistic regression (LR), artificial neural network (ANN), Random Forests [RF], support …

Quality Improvements In Radiation Oncology Clinical Trials, Koren Smith, Jeff Michalski, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Clinical trials have become the primary mechanism to validate process improvements in oncology clinical practice. Over the past two decades there have been considerable process improvements in the practice of radiation oncology within the structure of a modern department using advanced technology for patient care. Treatment planning is accomplished with volume definition including fusion of multiple series of diagnostic images into volumetric planning studies to optimize the definition of tumor and define the relationship of tumor to normal tissue. Daily treatment is validated by multiple tools of image guidance. Computer planning has been optimized and supported by the increasing use …

The Plasma Virome In Longitudinal Samples From Pregnant Patients, Molly J Stout, Anoop K Brar, Brandi N Herter, Ananda Rankin, Kristine M Wylie

2020-Current year OA Pubs

INTRODUCTION: Nucleic acid from viruses is common in peripheral blood, even in asymptomatic individuals. How physiologic changes of pregnancy impact host-virus dynamics for acute, chronic, and latent viral infections is not well described. Previously we found higher viral diversity in the vagina during pregnancy associated with preterm birth (PTB) and Black race. We hypothesized that higher diversity and viral copy numbers in the plasma would show similar trends.

METHODS: To test this hypothesis, we evaluated longitudinally collected plasma samples from 23 pregnant patients (11 term and 12 preterm) using metagenomic sequencing with ViroCap enrichment to enhance virus detection. Sequence data …

Predicting Incident Cardiovascular Disease Among African-American Adults: A Deep Learning Approach To Evaluate Social Determinants Of Health In The Jackson Heart Study, Matthew C. Morris, Hamidreza Moradi, Maryam Aslani, Mario Sims, David Schlundt, Chrystyna D. Kouros, Burel Goodin, Crystal Lim, Kerry Kinney

2020-Current year OA Pubs

The present study sought to leverage machine learning approaches to determine whether social determinants of health improve prediction of incident cardiovascular disease (CVD). Participants in the Jackson Heart study with no history of CVD at baseline were followed over a 10-year period to determine first CVD events (i.e., coronary heart disease, stroke, heart failure). Three modeling algorithms (i.e., Deep Neural Network, Random Survival Forest, Penalized Cox Proportional Hazards) were used to evaluate three feature sets (i.e., demographics and standard/biobehavioral CVD risk factors [FS1], FS1 combined with psychosocial and socioeconomic CVD risk factors [FS2], and FS2 combined with environmental features [FS3]) …

Symmetric Data-Driven Fusion Of Diffusion Tensor Mri: Age Differences In White Matter, Andrea Mendez Colmenares, Michelle B Hefner, Vince D Calhoun, Elizabeth A Salerno, Jason Fanning, Neha P Gothe, Edward Mcauley, Arthur F Kramer, Agnieszka Z Burzynska

2020-Current year OA Pubs

In the past 20 years, white matter (WM) microstructure has been studied predominantly using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). Decreases in fractional anisotropy (FA) and increases in mean (MD) and radial diffusivity (RD) have been consistently reported in healthy aging and neurodegenerative diseases. To date, DTI parameters have been studied individually (e.g., only FA) and separately (i.e., without using the joint information across them). This approach gives limited insights into WM pathology, increases the number of multiple comparisons, and yields inconsistent correlations with cognition. To take full advantage of the information in a DTI dataset, we present the first application of …

Treg-Specific Deletion Of The Phosphatase Shp-1 Impairs Control Of Inflammation In Vivo, Qinlei Gu, Kenneth S Tung, Ulrike M Lorenz

2020-Current year OA Pubs

INTRODUCTION: To achieve a healthy and functional immune system, a delicate balance exists between the activation of conventional T cells (Tcon cells) and the suppression by regulatory T cells (Treg). The tyrosine phosphatase SHP-1, a negative regulator of TCR signaling, shapes this 'activation-suppression' balance by modulating Tcon cell resistance to Treg-mediated suppression. Treg cells also express SHP-1, but its role in influencing Treg function is still not fully understood.

METHODS: We generated a Treg-specific SHP-1 deletion model,

RESULTS: We show that SHP-1 modulates Treg suppressive function at different levels. First, at the intracellular signaling level in Treg cells, SHP-1 attenuates …

The In Vivo Study Of Cardiac Mechano-Electric And Mechano-Mechanical Coupling During Heart Development In Zebrafish, Jonathan S Baillie, Alex Gendernalik, Deborah M Garrity, David Bark Jr, T Alexander Quinn

2020-Current year OA Pubs

In the adult heart, acute adaptation of electrical and mechanical activity to changes in mechanical load occurs

The Cerebrospinal Fluid Immune Cell Landscape In Animal Models Of Multiple Sclerosis, Gregory F Wu

2020-Current year OA Pubs

The fluid compartment surrounding the central nervous system (CNS) is a unique source of immune cells capable of reflecting the pathophysiology of neurologic diseases. While human clinical and experimental studies often employ cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis, assessment of CSF in animal models of disease are wholly uncommon, particularly in examining the cellular component. Barriers to routine assessment of CSF in animal models of multiple sclerosis (MS) include limited sample volume, blood contamination, and lack of feasible longitudinal approaches. The few studies characterizing CSF immune cells in animal models of MS are largely outdated, but recent work employing transcriptomics have been …

Mora And Ensembletfpredictor: An Ensemble Approach To Reveal Functional Transcription Factor Regulatory Networks, Kevin Boyer, Louis Li, Tiandao Li, Bo Zhang, Guoyan Zhao

2020-Current year OA Pubs

MOTIVATION: Our study aimed to identify biologically relevant transcription factors (TFs) that control the expression of a set of co-expressed or co-regulated genes.

RESULTS: We developed a fully automated pipeline, Motif Over Representation Analysis (MORA), to detect enrichment of known TF binding motifs in any query sequences. MORA performed better than or comparable to five other TF-prediction tools as evaluated using hundreds of differentially expressed gene sets and ChIP-seq datasets derived from known TFs. Additionally, we developed EnsembleTFpredictor to harness the power of multiple TF-prediction tools to provide a list of functional TFs ranked by prediction confidence. When applied to …

Rev-Erb Activation As A Novel Pharmacological Approach For Treating Inflammatory Pain, Sangeet Makhija, Joshua D Griffett, Giri Babu Veerakanellore, Thomas P Burris, Bahaa Elgendy, Kristine Griffett

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Pain is a complex problem affecting millions of people worldwide. The current therapies to reduce pain are limited as many treatment options inadequately address the causes of pain, lead to tolerance of the drug, or have adverse effects including abuse potential. While there are many causes of pain, one underlying mechanism to the pathogenesis and maintenance of pain conditions is chronic inflammation driven by the NLRP3 inflammasome. Several inflammasome inhibitors are currently under investigation however have the potential to suppress the functioning of the innate immune system, which may cause unwanted affects in patients. Here, we show that the nuclear …

What Is Operative? Conceptualizing Neuralgia: Neuroma, Compression Neuropathy, Painful Hyperalgesia, And Phantom Nerve Pain, Elspeth J R Hill, J Megan M Patterson, Andrew Yee, Lara W Crock, Susan E Mackinnon

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Neuralgia, or nerve pain, is a common presenting complaint for the hand surgeon. When the nerve at play is easily localized, and the cause of the pain is clear (eg, carpal tunnel syndrome), the patient may be easily treated with excellent results. However, in more complex cases, the underlying pathophysiology and cause of neuralgia can be more difficult to interpret; if incorrectly managed, this leads to frustration for both the patient and surgeon. Here we offer a way to conceptualize neuralgia into 4 categories-compression neuropathy, neuroma, painful hyperalgesia, and phantom nerve pain-and offer an illustrative clinical vignette and strategies for …

Disease-Causing Mutations In Genes Encoding Transcription Factors Critical For Photoreceptor Development, Chi Sun, Shiming Chen

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Photoreceptor development of the vertebrate visual system is controlled by a complex transcription regulatory network. OTX2 is expressed in the mitotic retinal progenitor cells (RPCs) and controls photoreceptor genesis. CRX that is activated by OTX2 is expressed in photoreceptor precursors after cell cycle exit. NEUROD1 is also present in photoreceptor precursors that are ready to specify into rod and cone photoreceptor subtypes. NRL is required for the rod fate and regulates downstream rod-specific genes including the orphan nuclear receptor NR2E3 which further activates rod-specific genes and simultaneously represses cone-specific genes. Cone subtype specification is also regulated by the interplay of …

Whole-Brain Imaging Of Freely-Moving Zebrafish, Hamid Hasani, Jipeng Sun, Shuyu I Zhu, Qiangzhou Rong, Florian Willomitzer, Rumelo Amor, Gail Mcconnell, Oliver Cossairt, Geoffrey J Goodhill

2020-Current year OA Pubs

One of the holy grails of neuroscience is to record the activity of every neuron in the brain while an animal moves freely and performs complex behavioral tasks. While important steps forward have been taken recently in large-scale neural recording in rodent models, single neuron resolution across the entire mammalian brain remains elusive. In contrast the larval zebrafish offers great promise in this regard. Zebrafish are a vertebrate model with substantial homology to the mammalian brain, but their transparency allows whole-brain recordings of genetically-encoded fluorescent indicators at single-neuron resolution using optical microscopy techniques. Furthermore zebrafish begin to show a complex …

Designing Implementation Strategies To Improve Identification, Cascade Testing, And Management Of Families With Familial Hypercholesterolemia: An Intervention Mapping Approach, Laney K Jones, Ross C Brownson, Anne C Goldberg, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

INTRODUCTION: Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is a common inherited cholesterol disorder that, without early intervention, leads to premature cardiovascular disease. Multilevel strategies that target all components of FH care including identification, cascade testing, and management are needed to address gaps that exist in FH care. We utilized intervention mapping, a systematic implementation science approach, to identify and match strategies to existing barriers and develop programs to improve FH care.

METHODS: Data were collected utilizing two methods: a scoping review of published literature, related to any component of FH care, and a parallel mixed method study using interviews and surveys. The scientific …

Nrg/Rtog 0837: Randomized, Phase Ii, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial Of Chemoradiation With Or Without Cediranib In Newly Diagnosed Glioblastoma, Tracy T Batchelor, Clifford G Robinson, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: A randomized, phase II, placebo-controlled, and blinded clinical trial (NCT01062425) was conducted to determine the efficacy of cediranib, an oral pan-vascular endothelial growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor, versus placebo in combination with radiation and temozolomide in newly diagnosed glioblastoma.

METHODS: Patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma were randomly assigned 2:1 to receive (1) cediranib (20 mg) in combination with radiation and temozolomide; (2) placebo in combination with radiation and temozolomide. The primary endpoint was 6-month progression-free survival (PFS) based on blinded, independent radiographic assessment of postcontrast T1-weighted and noncontrast T2-weighted MRI brain scans and was tested using a 1-sided …

Vancomycin-Induced Gut Microbial Dysbiosis Alters Enteric Neuron-Macrophage Interactions During A Critical Period Of Postnatal Development, Ellen Merrick Schill, Elisabeth L Joyce, Alexandria N Floyd, Sreeram Udayan, Brigida Rusconi, Shreya Gaddipati, Bibiana E Barrios, Vini John, Mitchell E Kaye, Devesha H Kulkarni, Jocelyn T Pauta, Keely G Mcdonald, Rodney D Newberry

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Vancomycin is a broad-spectrum antibiotic widely used in cases of suspected sepsis in premature neonates. While appropriate and potentially lifesaving in this setting, early-life antibiotic exposure alters the developing microbiome and is associated with an increased risk of deadly complications, including late-onset sepsis (LOS) and necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). Recent studies show that neonatal vancomycin treatment disrupts postnatal enteric nervous system (ENS) development in mouse pups, which is in part dependent upon neuroimmune interactions. This suggests that early-life antibiotic exposure could disrupt these interactions in the neonatal gut. Notably, a subset of tissue-resident intestinal macrophages, muscularis macrophages, has been identified as …

Glial Regulation Of Critical Period Plasticity, Jacob Starkey, Eric J Horstick, Sarah D Ackerman

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Animal behavior, from simple to complex, is dependent on the faithful wiring of neurons into functional neural circuits. Neural circuits undergo dramatic experience-dependent remodeling during brief developmental windows called critical periods. Environmental experience during critical periods of plasticity produces sustained changes to circuit function and behavior. Precocious critical period closure is linked to autism spectrum disorders, whereas extended synaptic remodeling is thought to underlie circuit dysfunction in schizophrenia. Thus, resolving the mechanisms that instruct critical period timing is important to our understanding of neurodevelopmental disorders. Control of critical period timing is modulated by neuron-intrinsic cues, yet recent data suggest that …

Relationship Between Baseline Plasma P-Tau181 And Longitudinal Changes In Cognition And Structural Brain Measures In A Cohort Of Cognitively Unimpaired Older Adults, Marcos V Pais, Chia-Ling Kuo, Beau M Ances, Julie Loebach Wetherell, Eric J Lenze, Breno S Diniz

2020-Current year OA Pubs

INTRODUCTION: Preclinical Alzheimer's disease (AD) affects a significant proportion of cognitively unimpaired (CU) older adults. Currently, blood-based biomarkers detect very early changes in the AD continuum with great accuracy.

METHODS: We measured baseline plasma phosphorylated tau (p-tau)181 using electrochemiluminescence (ECL)-based assay (MesoScale Discovery) in 533 CU older adults. Follow-up lasted up to 18 months. Cognitive performance assessment included memory and cognitive control. Structural brain measures included cortical thickness, which includes the AD magnetic resonance imaging (AD MRI) signature, and hippocampal volume.

RESULTS: In this cohort of CU older adults, baseline plasma p-tau181 levels were not associated with short-term changes in …

Do Physiological Variables Predict The Need For Transport To Hospital From Music Festivals? An Analysis Of Australian Festival Data, Ned Douglas, Jake Donovan, James Carew, Kayla Brouwer, Ebony Edwards, Mitchell Gibson, Jacqueline Leverett, Joseph Paul, Lachlan Holbery-Morgan, Jessica Pritchard, Elyssia Bourke, Erin Smith

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Objective:

Using physiological markers to detect patients at risk of deterioration is common. Deaths at music festivals in Australia prompted scrutiny of tools to identify critically unwell patients for transport to hospital. This study evaluated initial physiological parameters to identify patients selected for transport to hospital from a music festival.

Methods:

A retrospective audit of 2045 presentations at music festivals in Victoria, Australia, was performed. Presentation heart rate, systolic blood pressure, respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, temperature, and Glasgow Coma Scale were assessed using area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) analysis, with a prespecified threshold of 0.7.

Results:

The …

Managing Emotional Labour: The Importance Of Organisational Support For Managing Police Officers In England And Italy, Yvonne Brunetto, Ben Farr-Wharton, Paresh Wankhade, Chiara Saccon, Matthew Xerri

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This paper empirically examines the impact of organisational psychological support on employees’ outcomes as an example of the ‘Common Good HRM’ model on the well-being–performance continuum of police officers, using a Conservation of Resources (COR) theoretical framework. The study uses Structural Equation Modelling to analyse data from 220 Italian police and 228 English police officers to compare the impact of Perceived Organisational Support (POS) on organisational stress, employees’ resilience, and engagement. The findings show that low Perceived Organisational Support (POS) leads to high stress, which then comprises employees’ resilience and likely demotivates them from being engaged on the job, explaining …

Supply Chain Insights From Social Media Users’ Responses To Panic Buying During Covid-19: The Herd Mentality, Violetta Wilk, Saiyidi Mat Roni, Ferry Jie

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Purpose:

This study applied the herd mentality theory to explore local and global social media users’ responses to panic buying across the USA, UK and Australia during the COVID-19 crisis to understand the implications on operations and supply chains.

Design/methodology/approach:

A total of 208,806 social media user-generated content (UGC) pieces were collected from Twitter in three countries – the USA, UK and Australia. The analysis of this big qualitative data was performed using machine learning–based software – Leximancer.

Findings:

Positive and negative sentiment towards panic buying during the COVID-19 crisis was observed in the UGC. No significant differences in social …