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"Cameron, Patrick"
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Common clinical findings identified in working equids in low- and middle-income countries from 2005 to 2021
Despite several millions of working equids worldwide, there are few published studies regarding the epidemiology of their health and welfare. Data collected by non-governmental organisations (NGOs) operating in the working equid sphere therefore have important epidemiological value and could be used towards animal health surveillance. The aim of this study was to identify common clinical findings and mortality patterns of working equids in low- and middle-income countries and investigate their epidemiology using data collected from an international NGO. A retrospective analysis was conducted to determine the proportion of clinical findings and mortality risk by equid species, year and region. Negative binomial regression models were generated to investigate differences in mortality risk and proportion of key clinical findings between equid species, hemispheres and calendar month. A total of 4,313,606 presentations were reported from 14 countries between January 2005 and March 2021 (mean 22,121; SD ± 7,858 per month). Wounds and abscesses were the most reported clinical finding for all equid species (mean proportion 35%; SD ±0.19 of all findings). A higher proportion of wounds (mean proportion 41.7%; SD±0.2) was recorded in donkeys than mules or horses (P<0.001). Mules had higher reported mortality risk (1.2%; 95% CI 0.94–1.46%) than horses (0.4%; 95% CI 0.36–0.55%; p<0.001) or donkeys (0.2%; 95% CI 0.14–0.22%). Work-related wounds were the predominant finding in working equids, particularly so in donkeys. Prevention strategies should focus on improvements to work equipment and practices for all equids. Future investigations required include refinement of diagnostic approaches for donkeys and investigation of risk factors to understand the higher mortality in mules. Routine monitoring of clinical findings reported by national or international NGOs could be included in animal health surveillance strategies, although standardisation of data for this purpose is needed so that changes in prevalence following implementation of prevention strategies can be monitored.
Journal Article
The impact of inter-observer variation in delineation on robustness of radiomics features in non-small cell lung cancer
Artificial intelligence and radiomics have the potential to revolutionise cancer prognostication and personalised treatment. Manual outlining of the tumour volume for extraction of radiomics features (RF) is a subjective process. This study investigates robustness of RF to inter-observer variation (IOV) in contouring in lung cancer. We utilised two public imaging datasets: ‘NSCLC-Radiomics’ and ‘NSCLC-Radiomics-Interobserver1’ (‘Interobserver’). For ‘NSCLC-Radiomics’, we created an additional set of manual contours for 92 patients, and for ‘Interobserver’, there were five manual and five semi-automated contours available for 20 patients. Dice coefficients (DC) were calculated for contours. 1113 RF were extracted including shape, first order and texture features. Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was computed to assess robustness of RF to IOV. Cox regression analysis for overall survival (OS) was performed with a previously published radiomics signature. The median DC ranged from 0.81 (‘NSCLC-Radiomics’) to 0.85 (‘Interobserver’—semi-automated). The median ICC for the ‘NSCLC-Radiomics’, ‘Interobserver’ (manual) and ‘Interobserver’ (semi-automated) were 0.90, 0.88 and 0.93 respectively. The ICC varied by feature type and was lower for first order and gray level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM) features. Shape features had a lower median ICC in the ‘NSCLC-Radiomics’ dataset compared to the ‘Interobserver’ dataset. Survival analysis showed similar separation of curves for three of four RF apart from ‘original_shape_Compactness2’, a feature with low ICC (0.61). The majority of RF are robust to IOV, with first order, GLCM and shape features being the least robust. Semi-automated contouring improves feature stability. Decreased robustness of a feature is significant as it may impact upon the features’ prognostic capability.
Journal Article
Prevalence of subclinical lung cancer detected at autopsy: a systematic review
Background
Lung cancer screening in high-risk populations with low-dose computed tomography is supported by international associations and recommendations. Overdiagnosis is considered a risk of screening with associated harms. The aim of this paper is to determine the prevalence of subclinical lung cancer diagnosed post-mortem to better understand the reservoir of subclinical lung cancer.
Methods
We searched EMBASE, PubMed, and MEDLINE databases from inception until March 2022 with no language restrictions. We considered all studies with ≥100 autopsies in adults. Two reviewers independently assessed eligibility of studies, extracted data, and assessed risk of bias of included studies. We performed a meta-analysis using a random-effects model for prevalence of subclinical lung cancer diagnosed post-mortem with sensitivity and subgroup analyses.
Results
A total of 13 studies with 16 730 autopsies were included. Pooled prevalence was 0.4% (95% CI 0.20 to 0.82%, I
2
= 84%, tau
2
= 1.19, low certainty evidence,16 730 autopsies). We performed a sensitivity analysis excluding studies which did not specify exclusion of children in their cohort, with a pooled prevalence of subclinical lung cancer of 0.87% (95% CI 0.48 to 1.57%, I
2
= 71%, tau
2
= 0.38, 6998 autopsies, 8 studies).
Conclusions
This is the first published systematic review to evaluate the prevalence of post-mortem subclinical lung cancer. Compared to autopsy systematic reviews in breast, prostate and thyroid cancers, the pooled prevalence is lower in lung cancer for subclinical cancer. This result should be interpreted with caution due to the included studies risk of bias and heterogeneity, with further high-quality studies required in target screening populations.
Journal Article
Contact with Mature Cows and Access to Pasture during Early Life Shape Dairy Heifer Behaviour at Integration into the Milking Herd
This study aimed to determine the effects of early-life physical and social enrichment on the ability of dairy heifers to integrate into a herd of mature cows. Fifty heifer calves were reared from the ages of 2–13 weeks in one of three treatments: (1) Hand-reared and group-housed in sheds (CC); (2) Hand-reared and group-housed at pasture (−S); or (3) Hand-reared and group-housed at pasture, with 3 non-familial dry cows per group (+S). At 23 months of age, these heifers were introduced in groups to small herds of cows (Cows) at pasture. Social interactions were recorded continuously for two 1-h periods. Feeding, ruminating and resting behaviours of all animals and walking, standing and lying behaviours of 36 heifers only (+S = 14, −S = 13, CC = 9) were recorded for 48 h after mixing. Heifers that were managed as calves according to the CC treatment delivered less agonistic behaviour to other heifers after mixing than those reared in the +S or −S treatments (p = 0.002 and p = 0.041, respectively). On Day 2, +S heifers and cows spent the lowest proportion of time feeding (p = 0.961), with −S heifers spending significantly more time feeding than cows (p = 0.046), while CC heifers spent more time feeding than both +S heifers and cows (p = 0.027 and p < 0.002, respectively). Increasing the complexity of the early-life environment, particularly socially, may aid heifers in integrating into groups of multiparous cows later in life and shape their lifelong social experiences with same-age conspecifics.
Journal Article
Perfectionism Contributes to Sleep-Wake State Discrepancy: The Mediating Role of Pre-Sleep Arousal
Sleep-wake state discrepancy, the discrepancy between self-reported and objective sleep measures, is commonly experienced in poor sleep and insomnia. While perfectionism is implicated in insomnia, its relationship to sleep-wake state discrepancy has not been investigated. This study aimed to assess the association between sleep-wake state discrepancy and perfectionism and explore whether dysfunctional sleep beliefs and pre-sleep arousal mediate that relationship.
Sixty adult participants from community and clinical populations were conveniently sampled (85% females, mean age 30.28 ± 11.13 years, 38% with insomnia symptoms). Sleep-wake state discrepancy measures were calculated using data from actigraphy and sleep diary collected over 14 days. The Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (FMPS), Hewitt-Flett Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (HFMPS), Dysfunctional Beliefs about Sleep (DBAS), and Pre-sleep Arousal Scale (PSAS) were also collected.
High perfectionism levels were associated with high levels of sleep-wake state discrepancy. Concern over Mistakes and Doubts about Actions correlated with sleep onset latency discrepancy with small effects (
= 0.26 and 0.29, respectively). Doubts about Actions was associated with sleep onset latency discrepancy. Furthermore, pre-sleep arousal and cognitive pre-sleep arousal mediated relationships between sleep onset latency discrepancy and Concern over Mistakes and Doubts about Actions.
Concern over Mistakes and Doubts about Actions relate to a poorer perception of sleep relative to objective sleep measures. During sleep onset, cognitive pre-sleep arousal appears to mediate relationships between perfectionism and sleep-wake state discrepancy. Therefore, perfectionism may be an important cognitive-emotional factor to consider when assessing and treating sleep-wake state discrepancy that commonly accompanies insomnia.
Journal Article
Pixel super-resolution with spatially entangled photons
Pixelation occurs in many imaging systems and limits the spatial resolution of the acquired images. This effect is notably present in quantum imaging experiments with correlated photons in which the number of pixels used to detect coincidences is often limited by the sensor technology or the acquisition speed. Here, we introduce a pixel super-resolution technique based on measuring the full spatially-resolved joint probability distribution (JPD) of spatially-entangled photons. Without shifting optical elements or using prior information, our technique increases the pixel resolution of the imaging system by a factor two and enables retrieval of spatial information lost due to undersampling. We demonstrate its use in various quantum imaging protocols using photon pairs, including quantum illumination, entanglement-enabled quantum holography, and in a full-field version of N00N-state quantum holography. The JPD pixel super-resolution technique can benefit any full-field imaging system limited by the sensor spatial resolution, including all already established and future photon-correlation-based quantum imaging schemes, bringing these techniques closer to real-world applications.
Pixelation is common in quantum imaging systems and limit the image spatial resolution. Here, the authors introduce a pixel super-resolution approach based on measuring the full spatially-resolved joint probability distribution of spatially-entangled photons, and improve pixel resolution by a factor two.
Journal Article
Nonsense-mediated decay machinery in Plasmodium falciparum is inefficient and non-essential
Nonsense-mediated decay (NMD) is a conserved mRNA quality control process that eliminates transcripts bearing a premature termination codon. In addition to its role in removing erroneous transcripts, NMD is involved in post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression via programmed intron retention in metazoans. The apicomplexan parasite Plasmodium falciparum shows relatively high levels of intron retention, but it is unclear whether these variant transcripts are functional targets of NMD. In this study, we use CRISPR-Cas9 to disrupt and epitope-tag the P. falciparum orthologs of two core NMD components: Pf UPF1 (PF3D7_1005500) and Pf UPF2 (PF3D7_0925800). We localize both Pf UPF1 and Pf UPF2 to puncta within the parasite cytoplasm and show that these proteins interact with each other and other mRNA-binding proteins. Using RNA-seq, we find that although these core NMD orthologs are expressed and interact in P. falciparum , they are not required for degradation of nonsense transcripts. Furthermore, our work suggests that the majority of intron retention in P. falciparum has no functional role and that NMD is not required for parasite growth ex vivo . In many organisms, the process of destroying nonsense transcripts is dependent on a small set of highly conserved proteins. We show that in the malaria parasite, these proteins do not impact the abundance of nonsense transcripts. Furthermore, we demonstrate efficient CRISPR-Cas9 editing of the malaria parasite using commercial Cas9 nuclease and synthetic guide RNA, streamlining genomic modifications in this genetically intractable organism.
Journal Article
Shaping the spatial correlations of entangled photon pairs
Quantum imaging enhances imaging systems performance, potentially surpassing fundamental limits such as noise and resolution. However, these schemes have limitations and are still a long way from replacing classical techniques. Therefore, there is a strong focus on improving the practicality of quantum imaging methods, with the goal of finding real-world applications. With this in mind, in this tutorial we describe how the concepts of classical light shaping can be applied to imaging schemes based on entangled photon pairs. We detail two basic experimental configurations in which a spatial light modulator is used to shape the spatial correlations of a photon pair state and highlight the key differences between this and classical shaping. We then showcase two recent examples that expand on these concepts to perform aberration and scattering correction with photon pairs. We include specific details on the key steps of these experiments, with the goal that this can be used as a guide for building photon-pair-based imaging and shaping experiments.
Journal Article
Physical activity and lung cancer screening (PALS): feasibility randomised controlled trial of exercise and physical activity in lung cancer screening
Background
There is increasing evidence that screening provides a catalyst for behavioural change. Low physical activity (PA) levels are a potentially modifiable risk factor for developing lung cancer. This study aims to assess the feasibility and safety of a semi-supervised 8-week multi-modal exercise program to improve health-related quality of life and PA levels of participants of lung cancer screening.
Methods
Participants without lung cancer from a single Australian International Lung Screen Trial (ILST; NCT02871856) site were invited to this feasibility randomised controlled trial. Enrolled participants were randomised to usual care, written material, or a home-based exercise program (in addition to written material). Assessments occurred at baseline, 9 weeks, and 6 months.
Results
75 participants were enrolled over a 3-month period in 2022 (consent rate of 67%). 43% of participants were female, median age 66 years old (IQR 62, 73). Of the 25 participants randomised to the home-based exercise program, 22 participants (88%) attended > 70% of weekly sessions. 99% (74/75) of study participants attended their 9-week and 6-month follow-up assessments.
Conclusions
This study confirms the feasibility and high compliance of delivering a semi-supervised 8-week multi-modal exercise program to participants of a lung cancer screening program. It was safe, with no adverse events.
Clinical trial registration
Australian Clinical Trials Register
https://www.australianclinicaltrials.gov.au
ACTRN12622001001785.
Journal Article