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Abstract Older age (≥ 65 years) is associated with impaired responses to influenza vaccination, leading to the preferential recommendation of MF59-adjuvanted (MF59Flu) or high-dose (HDFlu) influenza vaccines for this age group in the United States. Herein, we characterized transcriptomic profiles of CD4+ T cells isolated from 234 recipients (≥ 65 years) of either MF59Flu or HDFlu vaccine, prior to vaccination and 28 days thereafter. We identified 412 and 645 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in CD4+ T cells of older adults after receiving MF59Flu and HDFlu, respectively. DEGs in CD4+ T cells of MF59Flu recipients were enriched in 14 KEGG pathways, all of which were downregulated. DEGs in CD4+ T cells of HDFlu recipients were enriched in 11 upregulated pathways and 20 downregulated pathways. CD4+ T cells in both vaccine groups shared 50 upregulated genes and 75 downregulated genes, all of which were enriched in 7 KEGG pathways. The remaining 287 and 520 DEGs were specifically associated with MF59Flu and HDFlu, respectively. Unexpectedly, none of these DEGs was significantly correlated with influenza A/H3N2-specific HAI titers, suggesting these DEGs at the individual level may have a limited role in protection against influenza. Our findings emphasize the need for further investigation into other factors influencing immunity against influenza in older adults.

Abstract This paper introduces the DERCo (Dublin EEG-based Reading Experiment Corpus), a language resource combining electroencephalography (EEG) and next-word prediction data obtained from participants reading narrative texts. The dataset comprises behavioral data collected from 500 participants recruited through the Amazon Mechanical Turk online crowd-sourcing platform, along with EEG recordings from 22 healthy adult native English speakers. The online experiment was designed to examine the context-based word prediction by a large sample of participants, while the EEG-based experiment was developed to extend the validation of behavioral next-word predictability. Online participants were instructed to predict upcoming words and complete entire stories. Cloze probabilities were then calculated for each word so that this predictability measure could be used to support various analyses pertaining to semantic context effects in the EEG recordings. EEG-based analyses revealed significant differences between high and low predictable words, demonstrating one important type of potential analysis that necessitates close integration of these two datasets. This material is a valuable resource for researchers in neurolinguistics due to the word-level EEG recordings in context.

Yersinochloa nianheana sp. nov. from Vietnam is described and illustrated. It is found in southern Vietnam, where it occurs at an elevation of 1400–1500 m in Voi Mountain, Duc Trong District, Lam Dong Province. This new species is distinguished from a similar species, Yersinochloa dalatensis, by culm nodes with a thick swollen patella, culm leaf blades erect, auricles conspicuous, margins bearing long hairs, palea dorsal view showing rachilla extension and rudimentary floret at the apex and lodicules purple gradually towards the top. Besides that, the species is distinguished from Yersinochloa nghiana by the leaf blades without being swollen at the base, the prophyllate bud 2-keeled, lodicules purple at ½ upper parts and unbifid at the base.

Abstract Neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), particularly in treating developmental and epileptic encephalopathy (DEE) and metabolic epilepsy (ME), requires a deep understanding of their complex etiologies and treatment responses. After excluding treatable cases such as infectious or autoimmune encephalitis, our focus shifted to a more challenging subgroup of 59 patients for in-depth genetic analysis using exome sequencing (ES). The ES analysis identified 40 genetic abnormalities, significantly including de novo variants. Notably, we found structural variation as duplications in regions 2q24.3, including SCN1A and SCN2A were observed in 7 cases. These genetic variants, impacting ion channels, glucose transport, transcription regulation, and kinases, play a crucial role in determining medication efficacy. More than one-third (34.2%) of patients with DEE had an unfavorable response to anti-seizure medications (ASMs) in the chronic phase. However, since the ketogenic supplementary diet showed a positive effect, more than three-quarters (80%) of these drug-resistant patients improved during a 3-month follow-up. In contrast, the ME had a lower adverse reaction rate of 9.1% (2/22) to specialized medications, yet there were 5 fatalities and 10 cases with unidentified genetic etiologies. This study suggests the potential of categorizing drug-resistant variants and that a ketogenic diet could be beneficial in managing DEE and ME. It also opens new perspectives on the mechanisms of the ketogenic diet on the discovered genetic variants.

Abstract Background Many Australian adults are not receiving timely or effective diabetes management to prevent or delay the onset of diabetes related complications. Integrated care, a worldwide trend in healthcare reform, aims to reduce the fragmented delivery of health services and improve outcomes. This study aimed to test whether a specialist-led integrated model of care provided to a small subset of patients in general practices leads to spillover clinical improvements in all patients of the practice with type 2 diabetes. Methods Seventy-two general practice sites (clusters) in New South Wales, Australia received the Diabetes Alliance intervention, creating a non-randomised open cohort stepped wedge trial. The intervention comprised of case conferencing, delivered directly to a small proportion of adults with type 2 diabetes (n = 1,072) of the general practice sites; as well as practice feedback, education and training. Spillover clinical improvements were assessed on all adults with type 2 diabetes within the general practice sites (n = 22,706), using practice level data recorded in the MedicineInsight electronic database, compared before and after the intervention. Outcome measures included frequency of diabetes screening tests in line with the Annual Cycle of Care, and clinical results for weight, blood pressure, HbA1c, lipids, and kidney function. Results Compared to before Diabetes Alliance, the odds of all practice patients receiving screening tests at or above the recommended intervals were significantly higher for all recommended tests after Diabetes Alliance (odds ratio range 1.41–4.45, p

Abstract Background Globally, women 15–24 years are at heightened risk of sexual violence victimization, a risk factor for adverse mental, physical, and behavioral health outcomes. Sexual violence is common at universities and most often perpetrated by men, yet few evidence-based prevention strategies targeting men have been tested in low- and middle-income countries. GlobalConsent is a six-module, web-based educational program adapted from an efficacious U.S.-based program. Nine months post-treatment in a randomized trial in Vietnam, GlobalConsent reduced men’s sexually violent behavior (odds ratio [OR] = 0.71, 95%CI 0.50–1.00) and increased prosocial intervening behavior (OR = 1.51, 1.00–2.28) relative to an attention-control. Evidence regarding optimal implementation strategies for scale up is needed. Methods We will randomize six medical universities in North, Central, and South Vietnam to deliver GlobalConsent using two different packages of implementation strategies that vary in intensity. Higher-intensity strategies will include greater (1) pre- and post-implementation engagement with university leaders and faculty and (2) greater pre-implementation outreach, follow-up, and incentives for students to promote engagement and completion of GlobalConsent. Higher intensity universities will receive additional training and support for their added activities. We will compare implementation drivers and outcomes, intervention effectiveness, and cost-effectiveness across the two implementation bundles. Our mixed-methods comparative interrupted time series design includes (1) qualitative interviews and quantitative surveys with university leaders and implementation teams to assess implementation barriers and facilitators; (2) repeated surveys with leaders and faculty, implementation teams, and male students to assess multilevel implementation drivers and outcomes; (3) repeated surveys with male students to assess behavioral outcomes (sexual violence and intervening behavior) and mediating variables (knowledge, attitudes, affect, and capacities); and (4) time diaries and cost tracking to assess cost-effectiveness of the two implementation-strategies bundles. Discussion This project is the first to assess packages of implementation strategies to deliver an efficacious web-based sexual violence prevention program for undergraduate men across all regions of Vietnam and synergizes with a violence-prevention training initiative (D43TW012188). This approach will produce rigorous evidence about how to disseminate GlobalConsent nationally, which holds promise to reduce gender-based health inequities linked to sexual violence as GlobalConsent is brought to scale. Trial registration NCT06443541. Retrospectively registered with ClinicalTrials.gov. Registered on June 05, 2024.

Abstract Serious infection is common in patients with multiple myeloma due to immune deficiency from the underlying disease and/or its treatment. Immunoglobulin replacement is one approach to reduce infection risk in these patients. However, few real‐world data exist on its use in patients with myeloma. We investigated immunoglobulin use in Australia, New Zealand and Asia‐Pacific using registry data and explored its association with survival outcomes. A total of 2374 patients with a median follow‐up time of 29.5 months (interquartile range 13.3–54.3 months) were included in the analysis – 1673 from Australia, 313 Korea, 281 New Zealand and 107 Singapore. Overall, 7.1% of participants received immunoglobulin replacement within 24 months of diagnosis. Patients who received immunoglobulin replacement were likely to be younger, had lower baseline IgG levels (excluding paraprotein), were more likely to have baseline hypogammaglobulinaemia, baseline severe hypogammaglobulinaemia and abnormal baseline fluorescent in‐situ hybridisation status, receive first‐line myeloma treatment with immunomodulatory drugs or anti‐CD38 therapy and undergo upfront autologous stem cell transplant. In our patient cohort, the use of immunoglobulin was not associated with overall survival benefit at the time of last follow‐up (adjusted hazard ratio 0.72, 95% CI 0.46–1.14, p = 0.16). Understanding treatment approaches in clinical practice can help support future planning and provision of immunoglobulin resources.

Abstract Although neutralizing antibody is an established correlate of protection for measles, T cell-mediated responses play at least two critical roles in immunity to measles: first, through provision of ‘help’ enabling robust humoral immune responses; and second, through clearance of measles virus-infected cells. Previously, we identified 13 measles-derived peptides that bound to human leukocyte antigen (HLA) molecules in Priess cells infected with measles virus. In this study, we evaluated the immunogenicity of these peptides in a transgenic mouse model. Our results demonstrated that these peptides induced Th1-biased immune responses at varying levels. Of the 13 peptides, the top four immunogenic peptides were further selected for a viral challenge study in mice. A vaccine based on a combination of these four peptides reduced morbidity and weight loss after viral challenge compared to placebo. Our results emphasize the potential of T cell-mediated, peptide-based vaccines against measles.

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are becoming more common due to the overuse of antibiotics in aquaculture. Alternative antibiotic solutions are fascinating and under the consideration in many countries. This study's objective was to isolate and identify certain actinomycete isolates with inhibitory action against the hemorrhagic disease-causing Aeromonas hydrophila in intensively cultivated catfish. This investigation isolated ten actinomycete isolates from sediment and water samples of catfish ponds in Vinh Long province. Using the diffusion well method, the study identified all isolates with antogonisttic activity against A. hydrophila. In particular, two isolates, BCA1.2 and BCA1.5, presented the highest inhibitory activity with inhibitory diameter zones of 11±1.0 mm and 10±1.0 mm, respectively. Two actinomycete isolates, BCA1.2 and BCA1.5, had their growth affected by pH, temperature, and NaCl. The findings revealed that two of these isolates showed optimum growth in a pH range of 7.0–8.0 and at 37°C. Two isolates, BCA1.2 and BCA1.5, survived well on medium containing a high salt concentration of NaCl ranging from 3% to 7% and were able to utilize different sources of carbon. They produced a wide range of hydrolytic extracellular enzymes, such as cellulase, amylase, protease, lipase, and chitinase. Isolates BCA1.2 and BCA1.5 were identified as Streptomyces based on morphological, cultural, physiological, and biochemical characteristics and 16S rRNA gene sequencing.

This paper describes the research protocol for the Educational and Developmental Gains in Early Childhood (EDGE) Study, which will examine the implementation of two years of funded kindergarten prior to the first year of school in Victoria, Australia. EDGE will examine whether children's language, cognitive, social-emotional, and behavioural outcomes are improved after two years of kindergarten compared to one year. The experiences of (and impacts on) teachers, service leaders, and families will also be examined. The study includes a cross-sectional cohort of 95 early childhood education and care (ECEC) services, and an embedded longitudinal observational cohort of children attending these services. Case studies of 15-20 ECEC services will also be collected, in addition to interviews with policy stakeholders.

In this paper, we report the initial stages of Response to Intervention (RTI) implementation in one school that participated in the Getting it Right from the Start (GIRFTS) pilot study. Implementation of an RTI framework for oral language and reading was supported by teacher professional learning and a dedicated Implementation Support Partner (ISP). Participants were interviewed to explore their perceptions of the change process and identify barriers and enablers to implementation. Thematic analysis was used to identify factors that supported the implementation of RTI, including strategic collegial relationships, teacher motivation, and a desire to achieve consistency of assessment and instruction. The ISP was seen as a crucial coaching role for keeping implementation on track, providing feedback and advice, and helping teachers translate professional learning into their school context. This study highlights some key factors that schools and policy-makers should focus on to promote successful early implementation of RTI approaches.

Objective: Understanding how children cope is an important factor in investigating the impact of adversity on child development. With children increasingly experiencing adverse situations -- such as the COVID-19 pandemic -- having methods of assessing coping strategies is an essential step in supporting self-regulation development. Parent report is a common method of measuring child outcomes, as parents observe children across a range of settings. Thus, the goal of this study was to investigate the reliability and validity of the KidCOPE-Parent form -- an adaptation of the original KidCOPE self-report. Methods: A sample of 253 children, aged 6-7 years old, across 19 government and catholic schools in Melbourne, Victoria. Results: Findings indicate that a two-factor model best fits the data, with the KidCOPE-P demonstrating moderately acceptable reliability and validity. There were some differences in mean scores reported between males and females for items relating to problem-solving, social support, and resignation coping strategies. Conclusion: Overall, the KidCOPE-P is moderately suitable for assessing children's coping strategies, as observed by a parent. Future research is needed to replicate these findings and continue to explore the KidCOPE-P's reliability as a parent-report measure of child coping strategies.

Schools are often seen as a key setting for the provision of mental health support for children. This study aimed to explore the professional perspectives of primary school educators in Victoria, Australia, regarding how schools can support the mental health of their students. Semi-structured interviews and focus groups were conducted with 17 primary school educators, from four schools. Thematic analysis was used to generate themes from the data. This study indicates that educators report significant concerns about the complexities of their role and their capacity to support children's mental health due to a lack of resources, overwhelming demands, and inadequate training. Educators highlighted the importance of partnership and communication with families and of a school culture that prioritises mental health. This study provides insights into external factors that can undermine effective support of children's mental health within primary schools and indicates a need for a more integrated approach to supporting children's mental health across education and healthcare.

A thyroidectomy is a safe and low-risk procedure done for a wide variety of thyroid disorders. Complications of a thyroidectomy are commonly due to damage of structures adjacent to the thyroid gland. In this case report, we present the case of a 39-year-old patient with a cervical pneumatocele a month after thyroidectomy for thyroid papillary carcinoma. The symptoms included neck swelling when speaking that resolved with rest. A follow-up neck CT scan found a collection of air anterior to the trachea most compatible with cervical pneumatocele. Exploratory surgery ensued and a pneumatocele arising from a tracheal subcutaneous fistula was cauterized. On follow-up laryngoscopy a month later, no further complications were found, and the patient reported resolution of symptoms. Tracheal injury following thyroidectomy is a rare complication and CT imaging can be helpful in diagnosing these complications and expediting management.