Towards applying NMR relaxometry as a diagnostic tool for bone and soft tissue sarcomas : a pilot study

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 668119 (project “IDentIFY”). This work received support from the EURELAX COST Action CA15209, supported by COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology). The authors would like to thank Professor David Lurie for his continuous support.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Intraperitoneal drain placement and outcomes after elective colorectal surgery: international matched, prospective, cohort study

Despite current guidelines, intraperitoneal drain placement after elective colorectal surgery remains widespread. Drains were not associated with earlier detection of intraperitoneal collections, but were associated with prolonged hospital stay and increased risk of surgical-site infections.Background Many surgeons routinely place intraperitoneal drains after elective colorectal surgery. However, enhanced recovery after surgery guidelines recommend against their routine use owing to a lack of clear clinical benefit. This study aimed to describe international variation in intraperitoneal drain placement and the safety of this practice. Methods COMPASS (COMPlicAted intra-abdominal collectionS after colorectal Surgery) was a prospective, international, cohort study which enrolled consecutive adults undergoing elective colorectal surgery (February to March 2020). The primary outcome was the rate of intraperitoneal drain placement. Secondary outcomes included: rate and time to diagnosis of postoperative intraperitoneal collections; rate of surgical site infections (SSIs); time to discharge; and 30-day major postoperative complications (Clavien-Dindo grade at least III). After propensity score matching, multivariable logistic regression and Cox proportional hazards regression were used to estimate the independent association of the secondary outcomes with drain placement. Results Overall, 1805 patients from 22 countries were included (798 women, 44.2 per cent; median age 67.0 years). The drain insertion rate was 51.9 per cent (937 patients). After matching, drains were not associated with reduced rates (odds ratio (OR) 1.33, 95 per cent c.i. 0.79 to 2.23; P = 0.287) or earlier detection (hazard ratio (HR) 0.87, 0.33 to 2.31; P = 0.780) of collections. Although not associated with worse major postoperative complications (OR 1.09, 0.68 to 1.75; P = 0.709), drains were associated with delayed hospital discharge (HR 0.58, 0.52 to 0.66; P < 0.001) and an increased risk of SSIs (OR 2.47, 1.50 to 4.05; P < 0.001). Conclusion Intraperitoneal drain placement after elective colorectal surgery is not associated with earlier detection of postoperative collections, but prolongs hospital stay and increases SSI risk

Uncovering a Model for Innovation Practices Through Excelling SMEs

No abstract available

Uncovering a Model for Innovation Practices Through Excelling SMEs

No abstract available

Quantitative Proteomic Profiling of Pleomorphic Human Sarcoma Identifies CLIC1 as a Dominant Pro-Oncogenic Receptor Expressed in Diverse Sarcoma Types

Sarcomas are rare forms of cancer with a high unmet clinical need that develop in connective tissue, such as muscle, bone, nerves, cartilage, and fat. The outcome for patients is poor, with surgery and postoperative radiotherapy the standard treatment for patients. A better understanding of the molecular pathology of sarcoma may allow for the development of novel therapeutics. There are dozens of sarcoma subtypes where there is a need for targetted therapeutics, with the most commonly studied including Ewing’s sarcoma and osteosarcoma. Here we initiate a proteomics-based target-discovery program to define “dominant” pro-oncogenic signaling targets in the most common sarcoma in adults: high-grade pleiomorphic soft tissue sarcoma. We have carried out a proteome screen using tandem mass tag isobaric labeling on three high-grade undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma biopsies from different tissue sites. We identified the commonly dysregulated proteins within the three sarcomas and further validated the most penetrant receptor as CLIC1, using immunohistochemistry arising from two different population cohorts representing over 300 patients. The dominant expression of CLIC1 in a broad range of human sarcomas suggests that studying this relatively unexplored signaling pathway might provide new insights into disease mechanism and facilitate the development of new CLIC1 targeted therapeutics

Quantitative Proteomic Profiling of Pleomorphic Human Sarcoma Identifies CLIC1 as a Dominant Pro-Oncogenic Receptor Expressed in Diverse Sarcoma Types

Sarcomas are rare forms of cancer with a high unmet clinical need that develop in connective tissue, such as muscle, bone, nerves, cartilage, and fat. The outcome for patients is poor, with surgery and postoperative radiotherapy the standard treatment for patients. A better understanding of the molecular pathology of sarcoma may allow for the development of novel therapeutics. There are dozens of sarcoma subtypes where there is a need for targetted therapeutics, with the most commonly studied including Ewing’s sarcoma and osteosarcoma. Here we initiate a proteomics-based target-discovery program to define “dominant” pro-oncogenic signaling targets in the most common sarcoma in adults: high-grade pleiomorphic soft tissue sarcoma. We have carried out a proteome screen using tandem mass tag isobaric labeling on three high-grade undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma biopsies from different tissue sites. We identified the commonly dysregulated proteins within the three sarcomas and further validated the most penetrant receptor as CLIC1, using immunohistochemistry arising from two different population cohorts representing over 300 patients. The dominant expression of CLIC1 in a broad range of human sarcomas suggests that studying this relatively unexplored signaling pathway might provide new insights into disease mechanism and facilitate the development of new CLIC1 targeted therapeutics

Field assessment of the risk of feral cat baits to non-target species in eastern Australia

ABSTRACT Feral cats pose a significant threat to wildlife, agriculture and human health through predation, disease transmission and competition with native animals. Controlling feral cats and their impacts, however, is challenging. New and emerging 1080-based feral cat baits have shown promising results in western and central Australia, however the safety of these new baits for non-target species in eastern Australia, where many native animals are more sensitive to 1080 than their western conspecifics, has not been assessed. We investigated the uptake by non-target animals of 499 toxic Eradicat® baits across five different eastern Australian environs, and the uptake of non-toxic Eradicat® and Hisstory® baits at an additional two sites. Using field-based observations of species eating or removing baits, we determined that 13 non-target species (eight mammals, four birds, one reptile) were at high risk of individual mortality, with individuals of 11 of those 13 species (four birds, seven mammals) observed consuming enough toxic Eradicat® in a single visit to ingest a lethal dose of 1080. Feral cats (the target species) consumed only 3.1% of monitored baits, which was only 52% of the 31 baits they encountered. We recommend undertaking targeted population monitoring of species identified at high risk of individual mortality, to determine whether Eradicat® baits present a population-level risk to these species. Our findings suggest that the small-sized Eradicat® baits present a greater risk to non-target species in eastern Australia than the larger traditional 1080-based meat baits used for the control of wild dogs and foxes. Our study highlights the importance of performing risk assessments for different bait types, even when the same toxin is used, and of performing site-specific non-target risk assessments of new baits such as Eradicat® to assist developing guidelines for their safe and effective use in different environs. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved