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The Promoting Radio Astronomy in Ghana through School visits and Astronomy Clubs (PRAGSAC) project was an intervention to promote astronomy education in schools in Ghana. It was initiated by a group of enthusiastic students who were trained in radio astronomy and astrophysics under a Royal Society/Newton Fund UK project termed Development in Africa with Radio Astronomy. The team's aim is to expose school children to astronomy and to increase their interest in the sciences. Approximately 800 school children from seven junior high schools were positively impacted by this project. Astronomy clubs were formed in the selected schools with practical astronomy lessons taught. The kids visited the largest single radio telescope in Africa at Kuntunse in Accra and were amazed about the engineering and the science that it undertakes. For the patrons of the clubs, a teacher training workshop was organised for them, so as to equip them to manage the clubs. The feedback from students and teachers was exceptionally positive, implying that the PRAGSAC project has helped inspire more students to pursue courses and consider careers within the sciences.

Importance: The administration of a high fraction of oxygen following return of spontaneous circulation in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest may increase reperfusion brain injury. Objective: To determine whether targeting a lower oxygen saturation in the early phase of postresuscitation care for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest improves survival at hospital discharge. Design, Setting, and Participants: This multicenter, parallel-group, randomized clinical trial included unconscious adults with return of spontaneous circulation and a peripheral oxygen saturation (Spo2) of at least 95% while receiving 100% oxygen. The trial was conducted in 2 emergency medical services and 15 hospitals in Victoria and South Australia, Australia, between December 11, 2017, and August 11, 2020, with data collection from ambulance and hospital medical records (final follow-up date, August 25, 2021). The trial enrolled 428 of a planned 1416 patients. Interventions: Patients were randomized by paramedics to receive oxygen titration to achieve an oxygen saturation of either 90% to 94% (intervention; n = 216) or 98% to 100% (standard care; n = 212) until arrival in the intensive care unit. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was survival to hospital discharge. There were 9 secondary outcomes collected, including hypoxic episodes (Spo2<90%) and prespecified serious adverse events, which included hypoxia with rearrest. Results: The trial was stopped early due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Of the 428 patients who were randomized, 425 were included in the primary analysis (median age, 65.5 years; 100 [23.5%] women) and all completed the trial. Overall, 82 of 214 patients (38.3%) in the intervention group survived to hospital discharge compared with 101 of 211 (47.9%) in the standard care group (difference, -9.6% [95% CI, -18.9% to -0.2%]; unadjusted odds ratio, 0.68 [95% CI, 0.46-1.00]; P =.05). Of the 9 prespecified secondary outcomes collected during hospital stay, 8 showed no significant d

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Primary Immunodeficiency diseases (PID) are a heterogeneous group of conditions with variable clinical features that are frequently associated with significant diagnostic delay. Accurate diagnosis has significant therapeutic benefit and may lead to personalized therapies. We established the Immunology Flagship of Melbourne Genomics Health Alliance in Australia to determine the clinical utility of genomic sequencing for diagnosis and management of individuals with suspected and confirmed cases of PID. 198 adults and children with suspected or confirmed PID (n=153), autoinflammatory disease (n=33) and hereditary angioedema (HAE, n=11) were recruited to the Melbourne Genomics Immunology Flagship.Whole-exome sequencing (WES) was performed, with targeted gene analysis. Variant curation and reporting was performed according to the American Council of Medical Genetics guidelines. Overall, WES was diagnostic in 15% (30/198), confirming a preexisting diagnosis in 7% (14/198), and offering a new or more specific diagnosis in 8% (16/198). Variants of uncertain significance were identified in a further 28 patients (14%) in genes known to be associated with their clinical diagnosis, that warrant further functional validation. In the HAE group, diagnosis was confirmed in only 5 patients (45%), suggesting thatWES may not be the appropriate technique for genetic diagnosis in this condition. A higher diagnostic rate was observed for autoinflammatory disorders (20%; 8/40) compared to PID (12%; 18/146). Of those who received a diagnosis, immediate changes to patient management and treatment occurred for 17/29 patients (59%), including HSCT for 3 and specific targeted therapy for 11 (38%) individuals. We have demonstrated the utility ofWES for accurate diagnosis of complex immune diseases, with the potential to change diagnoses, guide therapeutic intervention and provide opportunities for genetic counseling. Further longitudinal analysis will determine clinical outcomes and health econ

In Australia, compulsory microchipping legislation requires that animals are microchipped before sale or prior to 3 months in the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria, and by 6 months in Western Australia and Tasmania. Describing the implementation of microchipping in animals allows the data guardians to identify individual animals presenting to differing veterinary practices over their lifetimes, and to evaluate compliance with legislation. VetCompass Australia (VCA) collates electronic patient records from primary care veterinary practices into a database for epidemiological studies. VCA is the largest companion animal clinical data repository of its kind in Australia, and is therefore the ideal resource to analyse microchip data as a permanent unique identifier of an animal. The current study examined the free-text ‘examination record’ field in the electronic patient records of 1000 randomly selected dogs and cats in the VCA database. This field may allow identification of the date of microchip implantation, enabling comparison with other date fields in the database, such as date of birth. The study revealed that the median age at implantation for dogs presented as individual patients, rather than among litters, was 74.4 days, significantly lower than for cats (127.0 days, p = 0.003). Further exploration into reasons for later microchipping in cats may be useful in aligning common practice with legislative requirements.

In Australia, compulsory microchipping legislation requires that animals are microchipped before sale or prior to 3 months in the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria, and by 6 months in Western Australia and Tasmania. Describing the implementation of microchipping in animals allows the data guardians to identify individual animals presenting to differing veterinary practices over their lifetimes, and to evaluate compliance with legislation. VetCompass Australia (VCA) collates electronic patient records from primary care veterinary practices into a database for epidemiological studies. VCA is the largest companion animal clinical data repository of its kind in Australia, and is therefore the ideal resource to analyse microchip data as a permanent unique identifier of an animal. The current study examined the free-text 'examination record' field in the electronic patient records of 1000 randomly selected dogs and cats in the VCA database. This field may allow identification of the date of microchip implantation, enabling comparison with other date fields in the database, such as date of birth. The study revealed that the median age at implantation for dogs presented as individual patients, rather than among litters, was 74.4 days, significantly lower than for cats (127.0 days, p = 0.003). Further exploration into reasons for later microchipping in cats may be useful in aligning common practice with legislative requirements.

Circulating tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) levels are reduced in patients with cardiovascular disease, and TRAIL gene deletion in mice exacerbates atherosclerosis and inflammation. How TRAIL protects against atherosclerosis and why levels are reduced in disease is unknown. Here, multiple strategies were used to identify the protective source of TRAIL and its mechanism(s) of action. Samples from patients with coronary artery disease and bone-marrow transplantation experiments in mice lacking TRAIL revealed monocytes/macrophages as the main protective source. Accordingly, deletion of TRAIL caused a more inflammatory macrophage with reduced migration, displaying impaired reverse cholesterol efflux and efferocytosis. Furthermore, interleukin (IL)-18, commonly increased in plasma of patients with cardiovascular disease, negatively regulated TRAIL transcription and gene expression, revealing an IL-18-TRAIL axis. These findings demonstrate that TRAIL is protective of atherosclerosis by modulating monocyte/macrophage phenotype and function. Manipulating TRAIL levels in these cells highlights a different therapeutic avenue in the treatment of cardiovascular disease.

Background and aims: Immune diseases are a heterogeneous group of conditions with variable clinical features, therefore frequently associated with significant diagnostic delay. Accurate genetic diagnosis has significant therapeutic benefit and may lead to personalized therapies. Access to genetic testing has previously been limited by cost and a limited number of Australian laboratories offering testing. We established the Immunology Flagship of Melbourne Genomics Health Alliance to determine the clinical utility of genomic sequencing for diagnosis and management of 3 groups of immune diseases. Method(s): 197 adults and children with suspected or confirmed Primary Immunodeficiency (PID; n = 153), systemic auto-inflammatory disease (SAID; n = 33) and hereditary angioedema (HAE; n = 11) were recruited to the Melbourne Genomics Immunology Flagship. Whole-exome sequencing (WES) was performed at the Australian Genomic Research Facility (AGRF), with targeted gene analysis. Variant curation and reporting was performed according to the American Council of Medical Genetics guidelines. Result(s): Overall, WES was diagnostic in 30 patients (15%), confirming a preexisting diagnosis in 14 (7%), and offering a more specific diagnosis in 16 (8%). A further 29 patients (14%) had variants of uncertain significance (VUS) identified in genes known to be associated with their clinical diagnosis, that warrant further functional validation. In the HAE group, diagnosis was confirmed in only 5 patients (45%), suggesting that WES may not be the appropriate technique for genetic diagnosis in this condition. SAIDs had a higher diagnostic rate than PIDs, at 20% and 12% respectively. Conclusion(s): WES is a useful tool for accurate diagnosis of complex immune diseases, and has the potential to change diagnoses, guide therapeutic intervention and provide opportunities for genetic counseling. Further longitudinal analysis, and continuing progress of the Australian Genomics Health Alliance, Geneti