The Use of Etanercept in the Palliative Treatment of a Patient With Generalised Bullous Fixed Drug Eruption.

Generalised Bullous Fixed Drug Eruption (GBFDE) is a subtype of Fixed Drug Eruption (FDE) characterised by the development of generalised blisters on the background of dusky macules. There is no gold standard treatment, but the condition is conventionally managed with supportive care, topical and oral steroids and occasionally ciclosporin. We describe the case of a 75-year-old female with GBFDE, who demonstrated a rapid halt in disease progression and re-epithelialisation following a single dose of etanercept.

Outcomes of Dialysis Patients Living With HIV in Australia and New Zealand: A Cohort Study Using the Australia and New Zealand Dialysis and Transplant Registry (ANZDATA).

Aim: To describe the demographics and comorbidities of people living with HIV (PLWH) starting on dialysis in Australia and New Zealand and to assess mortality outcomes and rates of infective complications.

Methods: Retrospective population-based cohort study of between 1996 and 2022. The primary outcome was the difference in survival between PLWH and HIV-negative patients started on dialysis.

Prolonged dengue viremia with predominantly ocular manifestations in a lung transplant recipient.

Background: The clinical manifestations of dengue are well-described, but ocular involvement is being increasingly recognized and alterations to the natural trajectory of disease, including protracted viraemia, have also been recognized in immunocompromised patients. We describe a case of dengue in a lung transplant recipient which manifested predominantly as ocular symptoms following short-lived systemic features, and with protracted viraemia with delayed IgM to IgG seroconversion.

Case Presentation: A 40-year-old woman who had a bilateral lung transplant 15 years prior for cystic fibrosis presented with headaches, bilateral scotomata and rapidly deteriorating visual acuity.

Radiology Registrar Learning in an Online World.

Introduction: Radiology education has evolved significantly with the rise of online learning resources. While digital platforms are now integral to trainee study, the growing volume of content and variable access present challenges. Globally, studies have highlighted the benefits of curated digital learning, yet there is limited data on how radiology trainees in Australia and New Zealand use online resources and integrate them with traditional materials.

Advanced immunophenotyping of lymphocyte and monocyte subsets in healthy Australian adults using a novel spectral flow cytometry panel.

Introduction: Lymphocytes play pivotal roles in disease pathogenesis and can be used as potential biomarkers for various immunological conditions. Yet, current flow cytometry methods used in clinical settings are often only capable of measuring between four to eight distinct lymphocyte populations. The purpose of our study was to measure many lymphocyte and monocyte populations from a single sample, with the long-term aim of validating our assay for diagnostic use in the Australian regulatory environment.

Prognostic performance of machine learning in predicting haematological cancer outcomes: systematic review and meta-analysis.

Diagnosis and treatment of haematologic malignancies present significant challenges, underscoring the need for highly individualized therapeutic approaches. Incorporating machine learning (ML) algorithms into predictions of haematological cancer outcomes has been increasingly investigated in recent years. However, it has not been investigated whether ML-based approach is superior to standard regression methods.

Investigation of the possible cause of over-estimation of human aldosterone in plasma, using a unique, non-synthetic human aldosterone-free matrix.

Objectives: Aldosterone is over-estimated by direct immunoassay when compared to assay by LC-MS/MS. We have investigated the mechanism for this over-estimation, using dichloromethane (DCM) extraction and a unique matrix of non-synthetic aldosterone-free plasma (ALFP).

Methods: Samples used were from patients with normal estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate (eGFR).

Prophylactic Antibiotics Before Insertion of Tunneled Hemodialysis Catheters: A Nationwide Cohort Study.

Rationale & Objective: It is unknown whether administration of prophylactic systemic antibiotics immediately before tunneled catheter insertion can prevent early hemodialysis catheter-related bloodstream infections (HDCRBSI). We aimed to estimate the effect of systemic prophylactic antibiotics on early HDCRBSI.

Study Design: An observational secondary analysis using data from the nationwide REDUcing the burden of dialysis Catheter ComplicaTIOns: a National approach trial.

A comparison of two bolus types for radiotherapy following immediate breast reconstruction.

Immediate breast Reconstruction is increasing in use in Australia and accounts for almost 10% of breast cancer patients (Roder in Breast 22:1220-1225, 2013). Many treatments include a bolus to increase dose to the skin surface. Air gaps under bolus increase uncertainty in dosimetry and many bolus types are unable to conform to the shape of the breast or are not flexible throughout treatment if there is a swelling induced contour change.

Targeting cardiometabolic risk in type 1 diabetes through incretin physiology.

People living with type 1 diabetes have significantly increased cardiovascular risk compared with the general population. Traditional risk factors include hypertension, dyslipidaemia, and obesity. However, those with type 1 diabetes contend with treatment-induced insulin resistance and pancreatic and incretin hormone dysfunction, leading to dysglycaemia, which also impacts cardiovascular risk.

Does out of Hours Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography Lead to Higher Pancreatitis and Hospitalization Rates?

Background: Of endoscopic procedures, in which the skin is not breached, endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) has by far the highest complication rate. The aim of this study was to determine if ERCP-related morbidity is even higher if performed out of working hours.

Methods: Contemporaneously collected data of 3163 patients undergoing ERCP (213 out of hours and 2929 in hours).

Discovery and Validation of an Ancillary Genomic Test of Malignancy for Primary Melanocytic Tumors.

Purpose: Pathologic diagnosis of melanocytic tumors can be difficult and prone to error. More accurate ancillary tools are needed. We present a genomic model for distinguishing benign (nevi) from malignant (melanoma) melanocytic skin tumors.

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.

Depleting the action of EZH2 through PI3K-mTOR inhibition to overcome metastasis and immunotherapy resistance in triple-negative breast cancer.

Almost half of patients with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) develop distant metastases, heralding unfavorable outcomes. Here we provide novel insights into the contribution of the PI3K-mTOR pathway to the TNBC phenotypes that promote growth, migration, metastasis, and therapy resistance. Specifically, we demonstrate that dual targeting of PI3K and mTOR but not PI3K alone inhibits cancer cell proliferation and migration in vitro.

Glycerolipid Cycling in Thermogenesis, Energy Homeostasis, Signaling, and Diseases.

Mammals maintain body heat by adaptive energy expenditure through different organ-specific mechanisms. The glycerolipid/free fatty acid (FFA) cycle (glycerolipid cycle), encompassing triglyceride lipolysis and FFA release followed by their reesterification, is an ATP-consuming process that contributes to energy expenditure, heat production, and various lipid signaling pathways. The glycerolipid cycle, which was originally described as a whole body process, is now known to also occur intracellularly in many organs.

Loss of CXCR5 expression and monocyte epithelial-mesenchymal transition are blood-borne signatures of sterile granulomatous diseases.

Objectives: Sarcoidosis is the exemplar sterile granulomatous disease and can affect any organ system. Tattoo uveitis (TU) resembles sarcoidosis clinically and histologically but is distinguished by the absence of systemic lymphadenopathy, with inflammation restricted to skin and eyes. In this study, our objectives were, first, to resolve whether TU is a subset of sarcoidosis or a different antigen-driven condition and, second, by comparing TU and sarcoidosis, to identify blood-borne signatures of active and quiescent sterile granulomatous diseases.

Awareness of Venous Thromboembolism in Patients With Cancer and Their Carers: Protocol for Systematic Review.

Background: There is an increased risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) for people living with cancer. However, the awareness of VTE in this population or their carers appears to be low. This lack of awareness may lead to poor outcomes, such as VTE due to low adherence to thromboprophylaxis or delayed hospital presentations with neglected VTE symptoms.

Untargeted proteomics enables ultra-rapid variant prioritisation in mitochondrial and other rare diseases.

Background: Only half of individuals with suspected rare diseases receive a genetic diagnosis following genomic testing. A genetic diagnosis allows access to appropriate care, restores reproductive confidence and reduces the number of potentially unnecessary interventions. A major barrier is the lack of disease agnostic functional tests suitable for implementation in routine diagnostics that can provide evidence supporting pathogenicity of novel variants, especially those refractory to RNA sequencing.

Empirically Transformed Energy Patterns: A novel approach for capturing fNIRS signal dynamics in pain assessment.

The accurate assessment of pain in clinical settings is challenging due to its subjective nature. In this study, we used functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to measure brain activity by detecting changes in blood oxygenation. Leveraging the AI4Pain Grand Challenge dataset, we aimed to classify pain levels into No Pain (NP), Low Pain (LP), and High Pain (HP) categories using both binary (NP vs.

Falciform ligament cyst-a rare cause of abdominal pain.

Falciform ligament is a fatty fibrous peritoneal fold located in the anterior abdomen. Falciform ligament cysts are rare, but they can cause significant symptoms and complications. A 38-year-old woman was diagnosed with an 8 cm falciform ligament cyst via ultrasound and computed tomography after presenting with chronic supraumbilical abdominal pain and a palpable abdominal mass.

Outcomes of allogeneic haemopoietic transplant for chronic lymphocytic leukaemia in the modern era.

Background: Allogeneic haemopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is an effective therapy with curative potential for patients with high-risk or relapsed/refractory chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL). There are limited data on the use and outcomes of HSCT in the modern era of CLL treatment.

Aims: The aim of this study was to examine the use of HSCT performed for CLL in Australia and New Zealand, including patients exposed to pathway inhibitors (PIs) prior to transplant.