The role of interleukin-6 signalling in pleural infection: observational and genetic analyses.

Background: Pleural infection is associated with marked local and systemic inflammation leading to significant morbidity. It may be possible to therapeutically augment this response and interleukin-6 is a key signalling cascade in inflammatory pathologies.

Methods: We performed a prospective observational study recruiting patients with pleural effusions secondary to infection and measured interleukin-6 in matched pleural fluid and serum (n = 76).

Burden of respiratory syncytial virus infection in older adults hospitalised in England during 2023/24.

Objectives: We aimed to describe the incidence, presentation and clinical outcomes of RSV-associated acute respiratory infection (ARI) in older adults using a new national Hospital-based ARI Sentinel Surveillance (HARISS) system in England, prior to RSV vaccine introduction.

Methods: Adults aged ≥65 years from seven hospitals admitted for ≥24 hours with symptomatic ARI were included. We estimated the hospitalisation rate of RSV-associated ARI compared to influenza-associated ARI and assessed clinical outcomes using Poisson regression and mortality using Cox regression.

Innovations In Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation: Advances in the Diagnosis, Treatment, and Care of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive motor neuron disease that causes loss of upper and lower motor neurons, leading to muscle weakness and ultimately death. This review highlights recent advancements in Neuromuscular Medicine and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R), emphasizing innovations in the diagnosis, treatment, and care delivery for ALS. The field of PM&R emphasizes a multidisciplinary, patient-centered approach, incorporating advanced diagnostic tools, therapeutic strategies, adaptive equipment, and telerehabilitation to optimize function.

Novel neurofilament light (Nefl) E397K mouse models of Charcot-Marie-tooth type 2E (CMT2E) present early and chronic axonal neuropathy.

Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) is the most common hereditary peripheral neuropathy with an incidence of 1:2500. CMT2 clinical symptoms include distal muscle weakness and atrophy, sensory loss, toe and foot deformities, with some patients presenting with reduced nerve conduction velocity. Mutations in the neurofilament light chain (NEFL) gene result in a specific form of CMT2 disease, CMT2E.

Transoesophageal endoscopic ultrasound with bronchoscope: insights from an Australian Local Health District ahead of lung cancer screening.

Background: The combined use of endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) and transoesophageal endoscopic ultrasound with bronchoscope-guided fine-needle aspiration (EUS-B-FNA) is preferred in the diagnosis and staging of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC); however, there is limited utilisation of EUS-B-FNA in Australia. With a National Lung Cancer Screening program (NLCSP) commencing in 2025, additional diagnostics may be required by bronchoscopists.

Aims: We describe the endoscopic model of care offered and outcomes achieved by Respiratory Physicians experienced in EUS-B-FNA practicing in a regional Australian tertiary referral hospital.

Building Nondiscriminatory Algorithms in Selected Data.

We develop new quasi-experimental tools to understand algorithmic discrimination and build non-discriminatory algorithms when the outcome of interest is only selectively observed. We first show that algorithmic discrimination arises when the available algorithmic inputs are systematically different for individuals with the same objective potential outcomes. We then show how algorithmic discrimination can be eliminated by measuring and purging these conditional input disparities.

Multi-Frequency Electrical Impedance Myography as a Predictor of Muscle Function in Older Adults.

Introduction/aims: This study examined the potential of multi-frequency electrical impedance myography (EIM) to predict hand grip strength (HGS) variability among adults, including a large proportion of older adults, with and without sarcopenia. The objective was to develop predictive models using EIM data for assessing HGS and to explore its potential use in clinical evaluations of muscle function.

Methods: Seventy-three participants aged 18-93 years were recruited at community events, with 69 completing EIM and HGS assessments.

Current Challenges in Elucidating ALS Disease Mechanisms and Therapeutic Advances.

As a researcher and a physician working together to combat amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), we are acutely aware of both the urgent need for innovation and the persistent divide between laboratory discoveries and clinical care [...

The trope of the microscope in nineteenth-century India.

Of all the many instruments that symbolized scientific endeavour in British India by the end of the nineteenth century, microscopes were among the most iconic, and yet, for both empirical and ideological reasons, their rise to scientific authority was slow and often contested. Moving from recreational use and marginal scientific status in the 1830s, by the 1870s microscopes were becoming integral to colonial education and governance and deployed across a wide scientific spectrum, their expanding use and heightened public presence facilitated by a rich and diverse visual culture. The eventual triumph of the microscope in India cannot be detached from its ongoing entanglement with local issues and agencies, its ascent to medical authority in particular constrained by scepticism about its utility.

Retrospective analysis of the sensitivity of reporting of thoracic computed tomography for pleural malignancy: an Australian multi-centre study.

Background: Contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CE-CT) is crucial in the early detection of malignant pleural effusion (MPE) and has significant impacts on diagnosis, staging and guiding procedural intervention. In real world practice, the sensitivity of CE-CT for MPE is significantly lower than initially described in the literature. We aim to assess the sensitivity of CE-CT reporting in assessment of suspected MPE in a real-world setting.

Targeting senescence in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: senolytic treatment improves neuromuscular function and preserves cortical excitability in a TDP-43 mouse model.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disorder marked by progressive motor neuron degeneration in the primary motor cortex (PMC) and spinal cord. Aging is a key factor in ALS onset and progression, with evidence suggesting that biological aging-a process involving cellular decline- far outpaces chronological aging in ALS. This promotes senescent cell accumulation-marked by irreversible cell-cycle arrest, impaired apoptosis, and chronic inflammation-disrupting tissue homeostasis and impairing neuronal support functions.

Intermediate Grade Salivary Gland Mucoepidermoid Carcinoma: Is Neck Dissection Indicated?

Objective: NCCN guidelines recommend a neck dissection addressing at least levels II-IV for high-grade mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) and close observation of the lymphatic basins for low-grade MEC. However, no guidelines exist for intermediate-grade MEC with clinically and radiologically uninvolved cervical lymph nodes.

Study Design: Retrospective analysis.

Socioeconomic disparities: a more important risk factor for advanced-stage oral cancer in Florida than smoking?

Purpose: To explore the associations between sociodemographic factors with advanced-stage oral cavity cancer (OCC) presentation among Floridians.

Methods: Demographic and cancer data on OCC patients (n = 7,826) diagnosed between 2010 and 2017 were retrieved from the Florida Cancer Data System (FCDS). Census tract median income and percentage of population with a bachelor's degree or higher were used to infer income and education.

Weighted cart pull: A novel outcome measure for sustained motor function in mice.

Sarcopenia, the pathological age-related decline in muscle mass and strength, compromises independence and quality of life in older adults. Currently, no effective treatments are available. To enhance translational research using aged mouse models, we developed and validated the weighted cart pull (WCP) as a novel assessment of sustained motor function.

The Community Attitudes Towards Mental Illness (CAMI) Scale 40 Years Later: An Investigation Using Confirmatory Factor Analysis and Free-Response Data.

The community attitudes towards mental illness scale (CAMI) is widely used to measure authoritarianism, benevolence, social restrictiveness, and community mental health attitudes held by general populations and medical professionals. This study compares the fit of published alternative factor structures of the CAMI to a general population English-speaking sample and examines what mental illnesses individuals think about when responding. Using data from 749 US MTurk participants, confirmatory factor analysis supported a modified version of Morris' (2012) structure - fear/exclusion, social control, and goodwill - χ(183) = 1094.

A randomised, double-blind clinical study into the effect of zinc citrate trihydrate toothpaste on oral plaque microbiome ecology and function.

The oral microbiome is a diverse community of microbes residing on all oral surfaces. A balanced oral microbiome is associated with good oral health, and disruption can result in imbalance associated with diseases including gingivitis and dental caries. It is important, therefore, to understand how daily use of oral hygiene products impacts the microbiome.

Novel neurofilament light () E397K mouse models of Charcot-Marie-Tooth type 2E (CMT2E) present early and chronic axonal neuropathy.

Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) is the most common hereditary peripheral neuropathy with an incidence of 1:2,500. CMT2 clinical symptoms include distal muscle weakness and atrophy, sensory loss, toe and foot deformities, with some patients presenting with reduced nerve conduction velocity. Mutations in the neurofilament light chain () gene result in a specific form of CMT2 disease, CMT2E.

Triumphs, Trials, and Future Considerations in Genetic Therapies for Hereditary Neuromuscular Diseases.

Neuromuscular diseases include conditions that affect the spinal motor neurons, peripheral nerves, neuromuscular junctions, and muscles, and they can result from acquired and inherited causes. The number of genetic therapies targeting the inherited causes of neuromuscular diseases has surged in the last decade. This review aims to highlight the current state of genetic therapies within the framework of precision medicine, focusing on the achievements and the gaps that remain.

5-HT agonism as a neurotherapeutic for sarcopenia: preclinical proof of concept.

Sarcopenia, the pathological age-related loss of muscle mass and strength, contributes to physical decline, frailty, and diminished healthspan. The impact of sarcopenia is expected to rise as the aging population grows, and treatments remain limited. Therefore, novel approaches for enhancing physical function and strength in older adults are desperately needed.

The association between gait speed and falls in ambulatory adults with spinal muscular atrophy: a retrospective pilot study.

Introduction: Fatigue and gait speed are established determinants of fall risk in patients with neurological disorders. However, data on adults with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is limited. The aim of this pilot study was to investigate falls and risk factors in adults with SMA.

Tunable synthesis of magnetoelectric CoFeO-BaTiO core-shell nanowires.

A template-assisted synthesis approach was employed to tune the structure and properties of CoFeO-BaTiO core-shell magnetoelectric nanowires. By adjusting the composition of the nanowires, we achieved control over the magnetic anisotropy in the CoFeO core phase. This work highlights the potential for enhanced magnetic anisotropy to improve magnetoelectric performance.