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People living with HIV (PLWH) can exhibit impaired immune responses to vaccines. Accumulating evidence indicates that PLWH, particularly those receiving antiretroviral therapy, mount strong antibody responses to COVID-19 vaccines, but fewer studies have examined cellular immune responses to the vaccinations. Here, we used an activation-induced marker (AIM) assay to quantify SARS-CoV-2 spike-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cells generated by two and three doses of COVID-19 vaccines in 50 PLWH receiving antiretroviral therapy, compared to 87 control participants without HIV. In a subset of PLWH, T-cell responses were also assessed after post-vaccine breakthrough infections and/or receipt of a fourth vaccine dose. All participants remained SARS-CoV-2 infection-naive until at least one month after their third vaccine dose. SARS-CoV-2 infection was determined by seroconversion to a Nucleocapsid (N) antigen, which occurred in 21 PLWH and 38 control participants after the third vaccine dose. Multivariable regression analyses were used to investigate the relationships between sociodemographic, health- and vaccine-related variables, vaccine-induced T-cell responses, and breakthrough infection risk. We observed that a third vaccine dose boosted spike-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell frequencies significantly above those measured after the second dose (all p < 0.0001). Median T-cell frequencies did not differ between PLWH and controls after the second dose ( p > 0.1), but CD8+ T-cell responses were modestly lower in PLWH after the third dose ( p = 0.02), an observation that remained significant after adjusting for sociodemographic, health- and vaccine-related variables ( p = 0.045). In PLWH who experienced a breakthrough infection, median T-cell frequencies increased even higher than those observed after three vaccine doses ( p < 0.03), and CD8+ T-cell responses in this group remained higher even after a fourth vaccine dose ( p = 0.03). In multivariable analyses, the only factor associated with an increased breakthrough infection risk was younger age, which is consistent with the rapid increase in SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity that was seen among younger adults in Canada after the initial appearance of the Omicron variant. These results indicate that PLWH receiving antiretroviral therapy mount strong T-cell responses to COVID-19 vaccines that can be enhanced by booster doses or breakthrough infection.

Introduction: While older adults generally mount weaker antibody responses to a primary COVID-19 vaccine series, T-cell responses remain less well characterized in this population. We compared SARS-CoV-2 spike-specific T-cell responses after 2- and 3-dose COVID-19 mRNA vaccination and subsequent breakthrough infection in older and younger adults., Methods: We quantified CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells reactive to overlapping peptides spanning the ancestral SARS-CoV-2 spike protein in 40 older adults (median age 79) and 50 younger health care workers (median age 39), all COVID-19 naive, using an activation-induced marker assay. T-cell responses were further assessed in 24 participants, including 8 older adults, who subsequently experienced their first SARS-CoV-2 breakthrough infection., Results: A third COVID-19 mRNA vaccine dose significantly boosted spike-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell frequencies to above 2-dose levels in older and younger adults. T-cell frequencies did not significantly differ between older and younger adults after either dose. Multivariable analyses adjusting for sociodemographic, health, and vaccine-related variables confirmed that older age was not associated with impaired cellular responses. Instead, the strongest predictors of CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell frequencies post-third-dose were their corresponding post-second-dose frequencies. Breakthrough infection significantly increased both CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell frequencies, to comparable levels in older and younger adults. Exploratory analyses revealed an association between HLA-A*02:03 and higher post-vaccination CD8+ T-cell frequencies, which may be attributable to numerous strong-binding HLA-A*02:03-specific CD8+ T-cell epitopes in the spike protein., Conclusion: Older adults mount robust T-cell responses to 2- and 3-dose COVID-19 mRNA vaccination, which are further boosted following breakthrough infection., Competing Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interest to declare., (Copyright © 2023 Pathogens and Immunity.)

Terrible triad injuries of the elbow are complex injuries which can result in long term complications and significant disability. They must be identified correctly, and managed appropriately in order to maximise functional outcomes. A clear understanding of the bony and ligamentous anatomy is essential to plan appropriate surgical reconstruction to provide elbow stability. Urgent reduction of the elbow, followed by 3-dimensional imaging and surgical repair or replacement of the injured structures is the mainstay of treatment in the majority of cases. This review presents a summary of the relevant anatomy and the evidence for the management of these complex injuries., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest We wish to confirm that there are no known conflicts of interest associated with this publication. Additionally there has been no financial support for this work that has influenced its outcome., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

SARS-CoV-2 Omicron infections are common among individuals who are vaccinated or have recovered from prior variant infection, but few reports have immunologically assessed serial Omicron infections. We characterized SARS-CoV-2 humoral responses in an individual who acquired laboratory-confirmed Omicron BA.1.15 ten weeks after a third dose of BNT162b2, and BA.2 thirteen weeks later. Responses were compared to 124 COVID-19-naive vaccinees. One month post-second and -third vaccine doses, the participant's wild-type and BA.1-specific IgG, ACE2-displacement and virus neutralization activities were average for a COVID-19-naive triple-vaccinated individual. BA.1 infection boosted the participant's responses to the cohort ≥95th percentile, but even this strong "hybrid" immunity failed to protect against BA.2. Reinfection increased BA.1 and BA.2-specific responses only modestly. Though vaccines clearly protect against severe disease, results highlight the continued importance of maintaining additional protective measures to counteract the immune-evasive Omicron variant, particularly as vaccine-induced immune responses naturally decline over time., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Lapointe, Mwimanzi, Cheung, Sang, Yaseen, Kalikawe, Datwani, Waterworth, Umviligihozo, Ennis, Young, Dong, Kirkby, Burns, Leung, Holmes, DeMarco, Simons, Matic, Montaner, Brumme, Prystajecky, Niikura, Lowe, Romney, Brockman and Brumme.)

The importance of legal actor contributions has been highlighted in recent international guidelines proposed for the evaluation of court programs and is evident when reviewing the literature on good research design. However, attempts to measure legal actor contributions from an objective and therapeutic perspective as part of the ongoing therapeutic jurisprudence movement are scarce in the literature. To date, no court evaluation programs have included an objective measurement of legal actor contributions as a feature of their research design. However, several programs have attempted to measure this variable via self-report or the perceptions of other legal actors. This article highlights the necessity and usefulness for both the mainstreaming therapeutic jurisprudence movement and problem-solving courts to find a way to measure legal actor contributions effectively and objectively when evaluating court processes, impacts and outcomes. The proposed measurement tool could also function as a respectful mechanism to give feedback for magistrates wishing to embed therapeutic jurisprudence practices into their work in mainstream courts and could potentially be used in judicial training., Competing Interests: Rhondda Waterworth has declared no conflicts of interest., (© 2018 The Australian and New Zealand Association of Psychiatry, Psychology and Law.)

Mental health and criminal justice legislation must provide the appropriate mechanisms for ensuring the assessment and care of mentally ill individuals. It must also balance the right to justice of these individuals with the rights of the community. In Australia, each jurisdiction has its own legislative provisions related to mental health, criminal legislation and sentencing, with variation in the mental health diversion options that are available. This article uses a national survey of court liaison services and mental health courts in Australia and a review of the relevant legislative frameworks to compare jurisdictional approaches to mental health diversion. Despite calls from the National Mental Health Commission for consistency, the Australian approach to the provision of mental health services to people in the criminal justice system is heterogeneous and piecemeal. Variation in the diversion pathways available to individuals with mental illness exists across Australia. The presence of problem-solving courts in some, but not all, jurisdictions results in differences in access to legal and treatment options., Competing Interests: No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors., (© 2017 The Australian and New Zealand Association of Psychiatry, Psychology and Law.)

Accurate ground-based estimation of the carbon stored in terrestrial ecosystems is critical to quantifying the global carbon budget. Allometric models provide cost-effective methods for biomass prediction. But do such models vary with ecoregion or plant functional type? We compiled 15 054 measurements of individual tree or shrub biomass from across Australia to examine the generality of allometric models for above-ground biomass prediction. This provided a robust case study because Australia includes ecoregions ranging from arid shrublands to tropical rainforests, and has a rich history of biomass research, particularly in planted forests. Regardless of ecoregion, for five broad categories of plant functional type (shrubs; multistemmed trees; trees of the genus Eucalyptus and closely related genera; other trees of high wood density; and other trees of low wood density), relationships between biomass and stem diameter were generic. Simple power-law models explained 84-95% of the variation in biomass, with little improvement in model performance when other plant variables (height, bole wood density), or site characteristics (climate, age, management) were included. Predictions of stand-based biomass from allometric models of varying levels of generalization (species-specific, plant functional type) were validated using whole-plot harvest data from 17 contrasting stands (range: 9-356 Mg ha(-1) ). Losses in efficiency of prediction were <1% if generalized models were used in place of species-specific models. Furthermore, application of generalized multispecies models did not introduce significant bias in biomass prediction in 92% of the 53 species tested. Further, overall efficiency of stand-level biomass prediction was 99%, with a mean absolute prediction error of only 13%. Hence, for cost-effective prediction of biomass across a wide range of stands, we recommend use of generic allometric models based on plant functional types. Development of new species-specific models is only warranted when gains in accuracy of stand-based predictions are relatively high (e.g. high-value monocultures)., (© 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

The uniparental parasitoid Closteroceruschamaeleon (Girault) is discovered to be fortuitously present on a population of the invasive Eucalyptus Gall Wasp Ophelimusmaskelli (Ashmead) in Riverside, California. This is the first report from the New World of Closteroceruschamaeleon, which has proven to be a highly effective natural enemy of Ophelimusmaskelli in the Mediterranean Basin. The taxonomy and identification of Closteroceruschamaeleon is discussed.

Twenty-nine patients presenting to their general practitioners with acute gout were treated with tenoxicam 40 mg daily for two days then 20 mg daily for five days. The treatment was well tolerated and 79% of participants responded to therapy. Side affects were minor with no patients withdrawing from the treatment course.

One hundred and twelve patients with acute mechanical low back pain were randomly divided into three treatment groups. All patients received ergonomic advice and then either a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug or conservative or manipulative types of physiotherapy. Serial assessments of pain and spinal mobility showed similar response rates in all three treatment groups and no significant difference between therapies. The overall improvement ratings, time off work, and economic cost favoured the group treated with the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, but this group had a better range of spinal flexion at the onset so firm conclusions regarding the preferred management of these patients in general practice cannot be drawn. Treatment failures occurred in all groups highlighting the need for a variety of therapeutic approaches in managing the patient with low back pain.

Several previous studies have demonstrated an increased prevalence of gout in New Zealand Maoris. The aetiology of the hyperuricaemia and its effect on morbidity, apart from gout, are unknown. A survey of 115 Maori men of working age revealed a history of gout in 10 (8%) and asymptomatic hyperuricaemia in 26 (23%). The relationship of hyperuricaemia with obesity was confirmed. Alcohol did not make an obvious contribution to the prevalence of hyperuricaemia. Hypertension was more common and creatinine clearance lower amongst those with gout, but not significantly so. The frequency of hypertension and mean creatinine clearance were similar to that seen in asymptomatic hyperuricaemia and normouricaemia. Urate clearance was lower in the gouty and hyperuricaemic subjects. The normouricaemic Maoris had a reduced fractional urate clearance compared with normal men elsewhere. They also excreted a relatively small proportion of hydrogen as ammonium. Both these features are characteristic of gout, and suggest that the Maoris' susceptibility to hyperuricaemia has a renal mechanism. Obesity is common amongst the Maoris and accentuates their natural tendency to hyperuricaemia.

Recently the association of congenitial complete heart block (CCHB) and maternal systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) has been recognised. This is the second reported case of both CCHB and SLE occurring in the one individual.

An open, noncomparative study was undertaken to examine the safety of tenoxicam, a new nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug (NSAID) in general practice. One thousand two hundred and sixty-seven patients with rheumatic conditions were recruited by 392 general practitioners throughout New Zealand. Forty-three point six percent of patients recruited were over 65 years of age, 62.5% had some form of concomitant disease and 76.3% of patients were already receiving NSAIDs. Three hundred and four (23.9%) patients experienced adverse drug reactions, the commonest being gastrointestinal (11.4%), central and peripheral nervous system disorders (2.8%) and skin reactions (2.5%). The profile of adverse drug reactions in those more than 65 was similar to those in patients under 65 years. Of the reactions reported, 14.7% were considered severe. Three peptic ulcers were reported. There were no unexpected adverse drug reactions. Eight hundred and forty-nine patients completed 6 months treatment. Subjective assessments of overall efficacy, pain at night, pain on movement and stiffness made before treatment and at 1, 3 and 6 months posttreatment showed that tenoxicam significantly improved all parameters. The clinical response was maintained throughout the 6 month study period and was not different in patients less than or greater than 65 years.