Evaluation of a long-term antimicrobial dental adhesive via in vitro biodegradation and in vivo rodent secondary caries models.

Objectives: Bacterial-derived secondary caries is a primary cause of dental treatment failure at the artificial material-tissue interface. We previously developed ultra-long-term antimicrobial/antidegradative drug-silica particles (DSPs) to counter this interfacial failure. The aim of the current study was to evaluate a novel DSP-filled-adhesive system via in vitro and in vivo (rat) anti-secondary-caries studies.

Debates about Death Definitions: Six Truths We Need to Accept.

The 2025 Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) Inquiry into Human Tissue presents an opportunity for the Australian public to discuss the legal definition of death. Questions about death are not simply medical questions - they are deeply inscribed with legal, ethical and sociocultural concerns. In thinking through these concerns, it is crucial that we do not simply reiterate current practices or norms.

Genome-wide analysis of host-encoded microRNAs modulating SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Viruses exploit cellular machinery to complete their replication cycle. Furthering our understanding of this process provides insight into the mechanism of virus replication and potential targets for antiviral therapeutics. Genome-wide CRISPR screens have identified cellular pathways important in the SARS-COV-2 infection process, including vesicular traffic, lipid homeostasis and PI3K signalling.

Loss of FCoV-23 spike domain 0 enhances fusogenicity and entry kinetics.

The ability of coronaviruses to recombine and cross species barriers affects human and animal health globally and is a pandemic threat. FCoV-23 is a recently emerged, highly pathogenic recombinant coronavirus responsible for a widespread outbreak of feline infectious peritonitis. Here we report cryogenic electron microscopy structures of two FCoV-23 spike isoforms that correspond to the in-host loss of domain 0 observed in clinical samples.

Sub-Nucleolar Trafficking of Hendra Virus Matrix Protein Is Regulated by Ubiquitination.

Hendra virus (HeV) is a highly pathogenic member of the genus (family , order ), for which all basic replication processes are located in the cytoplasm. The HeV matrix (M) protein plays essential roles in viral assembly and budding at the plasma membrane, but also undergoes dynamic nuclear and nucleolar trafficking, accumulating in nucleoli early in infection, before relocalising to the plasma membrane. We previously showed that M targets sub-nucleolar compartments-the fibrillar centre (FC) and dense fibrillar component (DFC)-to modulate rRNA biogenesis by mimicking a process occurring during a nucleolar DNA-damage response (DDR).

Desktop Legal Research and Human Ethics Review: Problems of Juridification and "Ethics-Creep".

This column discusses whether desktop legal research must be reviewed by a human research ethics committee (HREC). We have been made aware that some HRECs have interpreted the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research as compelling legal researchers to seek ethics review for desktop legal research. We argue that this literal interpretation of the National Statement erroneously treats desktop legal research as "human research".

Phylogeny-driven design of broadly protective sarbecovirus receptor-binding domain nanoparticle vaccines.

Vaccines against emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants and sarbecoviruses with pandemic potential must elicit a robust humoral immune response in a population imprinted with the SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein. Here, we designed protein nanoparticle (NP) vaccines co-displaying the SARS-CoV-2 BA.5, SARS-CoV-1, and BtKY72 receptor-binding domains (RBDs) with or without the Wuhan-Hu-1 (Wu) RBD.

Potent neutralization of Marburg virus by a vaccine-elicited monoclonal antibody.

Marburg virus (MARV) is a filovirus that causes a severe and often lethal hemorrhagic fever. Despite the increasing frequency of MARV outbreaks, no vaccines or therapeutics are licensed for use in humans. Here, we designed mutations that improve the expression and thermostability of the prefusion MARV glycoprotein (GP) ectodomain trimer, which is the sole target of neutralizing antibodies and vaccines in development.

Designed miniproteins potently inhibit and protect against MERS-CoV.

Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is a zoonotic pathogen with a 36% case-fatality rate in humans. No vaccines or specific therapeutics are currently approved for use in humans or the camel host reservoir. Here, we computationally designed monomeric and homo-oligomeric miniproteins that bind with high affinity to the MERS-CoV spike (S) glycoprotein, the main target of neutralizing antibodies and vaccine development.

Critical care nurses' responses to clinical scenarios involving cardiopulmonary resuscitation for deceased inpatients without a Do Not Resuscitate order: A cross-sectional study.

Background: Current Australian resuscitation training focusses on the practical application of cardiopulmonary resuscitation but lacks clarity on when it is inappropriate. Nurses are often first responders to inpatient emergencies and may take different approaches to cardiopulmonary resuscitation due to their views about its benefit. There is a lack of literature on how the absence of Do Not Resuscitate orders affect nurses' decisions regarding resuscitation in hospital settings.

Ethics, orthodoxies and defensive practice: a cross-sectional survey of nurse's decision-making surrounding CPR in deceased inpatients without Do Not Resuscitate orders.

Background: In hospital, nurses are often the first to identify patients in cardiorespiratory arrest and must decide whether to call a CODE BLUE and commence cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). In Australia, there are no legal or policy obligations to commence CPR when unequivocal signs of death are present. The use of CPR where it cannot provide any benefit to a patient raises profound questions about decision-making and ethical practice.

The role of HRECs in regulating medical research: from peer review to regulation.

In Australia, Human Research Ethics Committees (HRECs) play a ubiquitous role reviewing human subjects research, as do Institutional Review Boards in the US and elsewhere. While HRECs were established as peer review bodies, we argue they should now be characterised a 'devolved regulator' within the broader context of the regulatory state. We evidence HRECs' regulatory role through three examples of current responsibilities.

Circulating microRNAs associated with immune competence in Angus cattle.

An immune competence (IC) trait has been developed in livestock to combat infectious diseases through selective breeding. Here, we investigate whether circulating host-encoded microRNAs (miRNAs) are associated with immune responses to a commercial multivalent clostridial and leptospiral vaccine in Australian Angus steers, a proxy measure for IC. A total of 332 animals from 2 herds in New South Wales, Australia-Herd 1 (n = 168) and Herd 2 (n = 164)-were IC phenotyped on the day of yard weaning.

Ethical and legal considerations governing use of health data for quality improvement and performance management: a scoping review of the perspectives of health professionals and administrators.

Background: The rapid digitisation of healthcare has resulted in the capture of a vast amount of health data, which are increasingly being used for secondary purposes, such as quality improvement and performance management.

Objectives: This study examined the legal and ethical considerations that affect if and how health professionals and administrators implement and use their performance data from the perspective of these stakeholder groups.

Eligibility Criteria: The search strategy focused on the use of health data (1) for quality improvement and performance management, (2) by health professionals and (3) discussion of ethicolegal concerns.

Circulating microRNA profiles are associated with acute pain and stress in castrated and tail docked lambs.

Maintaining animal welfare is an essential component of animal production systems. However, multiple measurements are required to inform an animal's welfare state as there are currently no universal measurement tools. Novel biomarkers are increasingly being explored as measures of stress, pain and disease status in livestock.

End-of-Life Decisions and the Need for Greater Rigour in the Determination of a Child's Best Interests.

This column discusses the New South Wales Supreme Court decision in H v OL [2024] NSWSC 271. That decision raises a number of issues about how the "best interests" principle is employed in cases where disputes arise about whether life-sustaining treatments should be withheld or withdrawn from children. The column argues that these cases would be better served by adopting the "balance sheet" approach that is employed in England and Wales.

Molecular basis of convergent evolution of ACE2 receptor utilization among HKU5 coronaviruses.

DPP4 was considered a canonical receptor for merbecoviruses until the recent discovery of African bat-borne MERS-related coronaviruses using ACE2. The extent and diversity of ACE2 utilization among merbecoviruses and their receptor species tropism remain unknown. Here, we reveal that HKU5 enters host cells utilizing Pipistrellus abramus (P.

Multiple independent acquisitions of ACE2 usage in MERS-related coronaviruses.

The angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor is shared by various coronaviruses with distinct receptor-binding domain (RBD) architectures, yet our understanding of these convergent acquisition events remains elusive. Here, we report that two bat MERS-related coronaviruses (MERSr-CoVs) infecting Pipistrellus nathusii (P.nat)-MOW15-22 and PnNL2018B-use ACE2 as their receptor, with narrow ortholog specificity.

Psychological Screening of Medical School Applicants and Medical Students.

Should medical schools psychologically screen medical school applicants and students? Arguably, psychological screening could be used to identify at-risk candidates who have psychological conditions that make them more likely to act unprofessionally. In this column we analyse the arguments for and against such screening. We argue that psychological testing should be used by medical schools as part of a program to support students so that they are at less risk of engaging in poor professional behaviour.

Injecting Tighter Regulation: Implications of the TGA's Clampdown on Cosmetic Injectables Advertising.

Recently, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) updated its guidance on cosmetic injectables advertising. The updates confirm that all direct or indirect advertising of cosmetic injectable products, including botulinum toxins or dermal fillers, is prohibited in Australia. While some commentators have lamented these updates, they present no changes to the law.

Protein nanoparticle vaccines induce potent neutralizing antibody responses against MERS-CoV.

Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is a betacoronavirus that causes severe respiratory illness in humans. There are no licensed vaccines against MERS-CoV and only a few candidates in phase I clinical trials. Here, we develop MERS-CoV vaccines utilizing a computationally designed protein nanoparticle platform that has generated safe and immunogenic vaccines against various enveloped viruses, including a licensed vaccine for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

Voluntary assisted dying: impacts on health professionals.

Objective The introduction and implementation of voluntary assisted dying (VAD) legislation represents a major shift in Australian health policy. Given potential repercussions for health professionals, understanding how they are being affected by this legislation is important to guide future policy and legislative changes. This study aims to explore the perspectives and experiences of Australian health professionals on VAD and compare impacts on those working under different state legislation in Victoria and WA.