The Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland consensus guidelines in emergency colorectal surgery

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Review and editing: S.R. Brown, Professor of Surgery, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Sheffield, UK. Email [email protected]. Patient summary: R.G. Arnott, Retired Professor, Patient Liaison Group, Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland, Royal College of Surgeons of England, London, UK. Email [email protected]. Delphi review: C.P. Macklin. BMedSci BM BS FRCS DM, Consultant Colorectal Surgeon, Mid Yorkshire Hospitals, UK. Email [email protected] reviewedPublisher PD

A real-time, quantitative PCR method using hydrolysis probes for the monitoring of Plasmodium falciparum load in experimentally infected human volunteers

Background: The accurate quantification of Plasmodium falciparum parasite numbers by PCR is an important tool for monitoring growth kinetics in subjects infected and subsequently treated with anti-malarial agents

Novel Human Parechovirus 3 Diversity, Recombination, and Clinical Impact Across 7 Years: An Australian Story

BACKGROUND A novel human parechovirus 3 Australian recombinant (HPeV3-AR) strain emerged in 2013 and coincided with biennial outbreaks of sepsis-like illnesses in infants. We evaluated the molecular evolution of the HPeV3-AR strain and its association with severe HPeV infections. METHODS HPeV3-positive samples collected from hospitalized infants aged 5-252 days in 2 Australian states (2013-2020) and from a community-based birth cohort (2010-2014) were sequenced. Coding regions were used to conduct phylogenetic and evolutionary analyses. A recombinant-specific polymerase chain reaction was designed and utilized to screen all clinical and community HPeV3-positive samples. RESULTS Complete coding regions of 54 cases were obtained, which showed the HPeV3-AR strain progressively evolving, particularly in the 3' end of the nonstructural genes. The HPeV3-AR strain was not detected in the community birth cohort until the initial outbreak in late 2013. High-throughput screening showed that most (>75%) hospitalized HPeV3 cases involved the AR strain in the first 3 clinical outbreaks, with declining prevalence in the 2019-2020 season. The AR strain was not statistically associated with increased clinical severity among hospitalized infants. CONCLUSIONS HPeV3-AR was the dominant strain during the study period. Increased hospital admissions may have been from a temporary fitness advantage and/or increased virulence

Imaging biomarker roadmap for cancer studies.

Imaging biomarkers (IBs) are integral to the routine management of patients with cancer. IBs used daily in oncology include clinical TNM stage, objective response and left ventricular ejection fraction. Other CT, MRI, PET and ultrasonography biomarkers are used extensively in cancer research and drug development. New IBs need to be established either as useful tools for testing research hypotheses in clinical trials and research studies, or as clinical decision-making tools for use in healthcare, by crossing 'translational gaps' through validation and qualification. Important differences exist between IBs and biospecimen-derived biomarkers and, therefore, the development of IBs requires a tailored 'roadmap'. Recognizing this need, Cancer Research UK (CRUK) and the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) assembled experts to review, debate and summarize the challenges of IB validation and qualification. This consensus group has produced 14 key recommendations for accelerating the clinical translation of IBs, which highlight the role of parallel (rather than sequential) tracks of technical (assay) validation, biological/clinical validation and assessment of cost-effectiveness; the need for IB standardization and accreditation systems; the need to continually revisit IB precision; an alternative framework for biological/clinical validation of IBs; and the essential requirements for multicentre studies to qualify IBs for clinical use.Development of this roadmap received support from Cancer Research UK and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (grant references A/15267, A/16463, A/16464, A/16465, A/16466 and A/18097), the EORTC Cancer Research Fund, and the Innovative Medicines Initiative Joint Undertaking (grant agreement number 115151), resources of which are composed of financial contribution from the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) and European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA) companies' in kind contribution

Imaging biomarker roadmap for cancer studies.

Imaging biomarkers (IBs) are integral to the routine management of patients with cancer. IBs used daily in oncology include clinical TNM stage, objective response and left ventricular ejection fraction. Other CT, MRI, PET and ultrasonography biomarkers are used extensively in cancer research and drug development. New IBs need to be established either as useful tools for testing research hypotheses in clinical trials and research studies, or as clinical decision-making tools for use in healthcare, by crossing 'translational gaps' through validation and qualification. Important differences exist between IBs and biospecimen-derived biomarkers and, therefore, the development of IBs requires a tailored 'roadmap'. Recognizing this need, Cancer Research UK (CRUK) and the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) assembled experts to review, debate and summarize the challenges of IB validation and qualification. This consensus group has produced 14 key recommendations for accelerating the clinical translation of IBs, which highlight the role of parallel (rather than sequential) tracks of technical (assay) validation, biological/clinical validation and assessment of cost-effectiveness; the need for IB standardization and accreditation systems; the need to continually revisit IB precision; an alternative framework for biological/clinical validation of IBs; and the essential requirements for multicentre studies to qualify IBs for clinical use.Development of this roadmap received support from Cancer Research UK and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (grant references A/15267, A/16463, A/16464, A/16465, A/16466 and A/18097), the EORTC Cancer Research Fund, and the Innovative Medicines Initiative Joint Undertaking (grant agreement number 115151), resources of which are composed of financial contribution from the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) and European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA) companies' in kind contribution

Bioeconomic Modelling to Assess the Impacts of Using Native Shrubs on the Marginal Portions of the Sheep and Beef Hill Country Farms in New Zealand

New Zealand hill country sheep and beef farms contain land of various slope classes. The steepest slopes have the lowest pasture productivity and livestock carrying capacity and are the most vulnerable to soil mass movements. A potential management option for these areas of a farm is the planting of native shrubs which are browsable and provide erosion control, biodiversity, and a source of carbon credits. A bioeconomic whole farm model was developed by adding a native shrub sub-model to an existing hill country sheep and beef enterprise model to assess the impacts on feed supply, flock dynamics, and farm economics of converting 10% (56.4 hectares) of the entire farm, focusing on the steep slope areas, to native shrubs over a 50-year period. Two native shrub planting rates of 10% and 20% per year of the allocated area were compared to the status quo of no (0%) native shrub plantings. Mean annual feed supply dropped by 6.6% and 7.1% causing a reduction in flock size by 10.9% and 11.6% for the 10% and 20% planting rates, respectively, relative to 0% native shrub over the 50 years. Native shrub expenses exceeded carbon income for both planting rates and, together with reduced income from sheep flock, resulted in lower mean annual discounted total sheep enterprise cash operating surplus for the 10% (New Zealand Dollar (NZD) 20,522) and 20% (NZD 19,532) planting scenarios compared to 0% native shrubs (NZD 22,270). All planting scenarios had positive Net Present Value (NPV) and was highest for the 0% native shrubs compared to planting rates. Break-even carbon price was higher than the modelled carbon price (NZD 32/ New Zealand Emission Unit (NZU)) for both planting rates. Combined, this data indicates planting native shrubs on 10% of the farm at the modelled planting rates and carbon price would result in a reduction in farm sheep enterprise income. It can be concluded from the study that a higher carbon price above the break-even can make native shrubs attractive in the farming system

Application of intravital microscopy in studies of tumor microcirculation

To grow and progress, solid tumors develop a vascular network through co-option and angiogenesis that is characterized by multiple structural and functional abnormalities, which negatively influence therapeutic outcome through direct and indirect mechanisms. As such, the morphology and function of tumor blood vessels, plus their response to different treatments, are a vital and active area of biological research. Intravital microscopy (IVM) has played a key role in studies of tumor angiogenesis, and ongoing developments in molecular probes, imaging techniques, and postimage analysis methods have ensured its continued and widespread use. In this review we discuss some of the primary advantages and disadvantages of IVM approaches and describe recent technological advances in optical microscopy (e.g., confocal microscopy, multiphoton microscopy, hyperspectral imaging, and optical coherence tomography) with examples of their application to studies of tumor angiogenesis

Different serologic behavior of MCPyV, TSPyV, HPyV6, HPyV7 and HPyV9 polyomaviruses found on the skin.

The polyomavirus family is rapidly expanding with twelve new human viruses identified since 2007. A significant number of the new human polyomaviruses (HPyV) has been found on the skin. Whether these viruses share biological properties and should be grouped together is unknown. Here we investigated the serological behavior of cutaneous HPyVs in a general population. 799 sera from immunocompetent Australian individuals aged between 0-87 were analyzed with a Luminex xMAP technology-based immunoassay for the presence of VP1-directed IgG antibodies against MCPyV, HPyV6, HPyV7, TSPyV, HPyV9, and BKPyV as a control. Except for HPyV9, overall seropositivity was high for the cutanous polyomaviruses (66-81% in adults), and gradually increased with age. Children below 6 months displayed seropositivity rates comparable to the adults, indicative of maternal antibodies. TSPyV seroreactivity levels strongly increased after age 2 and waned later in life comparable to BKPyV, whereas MCPyV, HPyV6 and HPyV7 seroreactivity remained rather stable throughout. Based on the identified serologic profiles, MCPyV seems to cluster with HPyV6 and HPyV7, and TSPyV and HPyV9 by themselves. These profiles indicate heterogeneity among cutaneous polyomaviruses and probably reflect differences in exposure and pathogenic behavior of these viruses

In Vitro Fermentation of Browsable Native Shrubs in New Zealand

Information on the nutritive value and in vitro fermentation characteristics of native shrubs in New Zealand is scant. This is despite their potential as alternatives to exotic trees and shrubs for supplementary fodder, and their mitigation of greenhouse gases and soil erosion on hill-country sheep and beef farms. The objectives of this study were to measure the in vitro fermentation gas production, predict the parameters of the in vitro fermentation kinetics, and estimate the in vitro fermentation of volatile fatty acids (VFA), microbial biomass (MBM), and greenhouse gases of four native shrubs (Coprosma robusta, Griselinia littoralis, Hoheria populnea, and Pittosporum crassifolium) and an exotic fodder tree species, Salix schwerinii. The total in vitro gas production was higher (p S. schwerinii. A prediction using the single-pool model resulted in biologically incorrect negative in vitro total gas production from the immediately soluble fraction of the native shrubs. However, the dual pool model better predicted the in vitro total gas production and was in alignment with the measured in vitro fermentation end products. The in vitro VFA and greenhouse gas production from the fermentation of leaf and stem material was higher (p p S. schwerinii. The lower in vitro total gas production, VFA, and greenhouse gases production and higher MBM of the S. schwerinii may be explained by the presence of condensed tannins (CT), although this was not measured and requires further study. In conclusion, the results from this study suggest that when consumed by ruminant livestock, browsable native shrubs can provide adequate energy and microbial protein, and that greenhouse-gas production from these species is within the ranges reported for typical New Zealand pastures