70040 research outputs found
Sort by
Could intratumoural microbiota be key to unlocking treatment responses in hepatocellular carcinoma?
No full textHepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Current treatments include surgery and immunotherapy with variable response. Despite aggressive treatment, disease progression remains the biggest contributor to mortality. Thus, there is an urgent unmet need to improve current treatments through a better understanding of HCC tumourigenesis. The gut microbiota has been intensively examined in the context of HCC, with evidence showing gut modulation has the potential to modulate tumourigenesis and prognosis. In addition, recent literature suggests the presence of an intratumoural microbiota that may exert significant impacts on the development of solid tumours including HCC. By drawing parallels between the gut and hepatic/tumoural microbiota, we explore in the present review how the hepatic microbiota is established, its impact on tumourigenesis, and how modulation of the gut and hepatic microbiota may be key to improving current treatments of HCC. In particular, we highlight key bacteria that have been discovered in HCC tumours, and how they may affect the tumour immune microenvironment and HCC tumourigenesis. We then explore current therapies that target the intratumoural microbiota. With a deeper understanding of how the intratumoural microbiota is established, how different bacteria may be involved in HCC tumourigenesis, and how they can be targeted, we hope to spark future research in validating intratumoural microbiota as an avenue for improving treatment responses in HCC
Development of Radar and Optical Tracking of Near-Earth Asteroids at the University of Tasmania
Get PDFWe detail the use of the University of Tasmania’s (UTAS) optical and radio telescopes to conduct observations of near-Earth asteroids from 2021 to 2024. The Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex transmitted a radio signal at 7159.45 MHz, with the radar echo detected by the UTAS radio telescopes. The method of accounting for the Doppler shift between the stations and the near-Earth object is described so that others can implement a similar program. We present our results, with confirmed detections of 1994 PC1 and 2003 UC20 asteroids using the Hobart and Katherine 12-m antennas, demonstrating the feasibility of using small radio telescopes for these observations. Additionally, the recently upgraded Ceduna 30 m antenna was used to detect 2024 MK. Data collected from other observatories, such as Tidbinbilla, as well as the UTAS radar tracking of the moon are also presented in the context of demonstrating the means of applying these Doppler corrections and the accuracy of each method. Optical observations conducted in this period are also detailed as they complement radar observations and aid in refining the orbit parameters
Approaches in landscape fire smoke pregnancy research and the impact on offspring: A review of knowledge gaps and recommendations
Get PDFThe increase in wildfires and bushfires due to climate change means that more people, including pregnant women and their fetuses will be exposed to landscape fire smoke. Although there is evidence to suggest that pregnancy landscape fire exposure is associated with lower birth weight, preterm birth and pregnancy loss, there is a lack of information on many other perinatal outcomes, as well as information on subsequent respiratory outcomes in children. Furthermore, due to the generally short term (hours/days) and intermittent nature of landscape fire smoke exposure, the knowledge to date has largely relied on natural experiments and ecological studies which can be subject to misclassification of exposure and a lack of precision. On the other hand, general urban outdoor air pollution exposure during pregnancy and subsequent perinatal and respiratory effects has been well studied. In particular, as air exposure modelling has improved so have the adaptations of methods to analyze the effects of air pollution exposure during pregnancy enabling critical windows of exposure to be identified. In this narrative review we summarize the current state of knowledge about the perinatal and respiratory effects of pregnancy landscape fire and particulate matter 2.5) air pollution exposure, including a comment on analysis methods to date, and an assessment of how methodologies used in general air pollution research in relation to pregnancy exposure can be further harnessed for landscape fire smoke exposure pregnancy research
Understanding the Neuromuscular Mechanisms of Perturbation-based Balance Training in Older People
Get PDFOne third of older people fall each year, most commonly due to trips. Exercise is an effective intervention to reduce fall rates, however, requires high doses and lacks the specificity to train reactive balance. Perturbation-based balance training (PBT) is a task-specific intervention characterised by repeated exposure to perturbations such as trips in a safe environment. It aims to train reactive balance and has shown promising effects in reducing falls. However, the mechanisms of PBT remain unclear.
This thesis investigates the neuromuscular mechanisms underlying the effect of PBT in older people through two systematic reviews and three studies. The systematic reviews highlight the detrimental impacts of age and pathological conditions in delaying muscle responses to unpredictable perturbations. Evidence is also provided for adaptations in muscle responses following exercise interventions over the long-term. The first experimental study demonstrates how, following an unpredictable obstacle-trip, older people activate their muscles in a less efficient and less effective manner, and fall more often when compared to young people.
To design an effective PBT intervention, the second experimental study compared the muscle responses triggered by walkway obstacle-trips and treadmill belt-accelerations. Differences were found in the muscle responses following a treadmill belt-acceleration compared to a walkway obstacle trip in terms of timing and scale. Furthermore, neuromuscular adaptations acquired during PBT with treadmill belt-accelerations were distinct and did not transfer to an obstacle-trip on the walkway. Therefore, treadmill belt-accelerations did not sufficiently simulate obstacle-contact trips.
The final study was a randomised control trial investigating the effects of a low dose 12-month PBT intervention using walkway obstacle-trips on the long-term adaptation of muscle responses and falls. Adaptations were evident in muscle responses for the intervention compared to control group at the end of the 12-month trial which may contribute to fewer injurious falls.
This thesis provides a mechanistic understanding of how lower limb muscles respond and adapt to PBT and their contribution to falls. Specificity in PBT design is key to replicate and train for trip recovery. Future research should investigate the feasibility, acceptability and efficacy of PBT interventions in clinical practice with respect to fall prevention
Putting the GenAI Back into the Bottle? Regulating Generative Artificial Intelligence Use in Litigation.
Get PDFThis presentation explores current attempts to regulate the use of ‘generative’ artificial intelligence (GenAI) by the legal profession in Australia, considering whether they are effective and how they may impact the profession, courts, regulators, and clients.
More familiar AI applications, such as predictive analytics, discovery and disclosure, and technology-assisted review (TAR) in litigated disputes have gradually reshaped the delivery of legal services over the past decade. Some Australian courts have issued Practice Notes encouraging the use of TAR but have not otherwise sought to regulate lawyers’ use of AI tools, noting that lawyers are already subject to extensive regulatory controls. However, courts in Victoria, Queensland and now New South Wales have issued guidance or practice notes seeking to direct or limit the use of GenAI tools in litigation.
This presentation examines the motivations for this regulatory approach and ask whether it is both feasible and desirable. Does it appropriately balance the profession’s need to innovate with ethical and regulatory considerations? Does it consider how deeply GenAI is becoming embedded in widely used business productivity, practice management and legal research tools? Will it curtail, or reduce the incidence of, lawyers, litigants and third parties putting “hallucinated” GenAI material before the courts? Or does it represent a failure to understand that (as many legal professionals and commentators argue) the adoption of AI is at a critical inflection point, with GenAI poised to transform not only legal services, but also the nature of professional work itself
Fashion’s Relation to the “Geo”: From Global Impacts to Earthly Practices
Get PDFThis article stages a radical rethinking of the relation between fashion and the “geo.” Fashion studies, within and beyond geography, have largely articulated this relation through global modes of thought, which also deploy problematic concepts of capitalist progress, placing fashion within a linear and Eurocentric geohistory of modernization, industry and Anthropocene. Moreover, such approaches often maintain clear boundaries between humans and other earthly forces. We argue these tendencies must be undone if we are to comprehend that fashion operates beyond globalized industry and is a result of the earth’s lively and agentic matter(s) and forces, not just a producer of its waste and environmental impact. To achieve this, we rethink fashion in geohistorical and geophilosophical terms. By doing so, we show how to comprehend the complexity and contingency of divergent fashion geohistories beyond the Anthropocene and practice fashion “after progress,” where fashioning becomes capable of recognizing and expressing the contingency and precarity of earthly beings and things. Taken overall, this article appeals to geographers and fashion scholars to take both fashion and earth seriously as implicated matters of history, thought, and practice
Survivorship care plans in cancer: An evaluation of the use and impact on adult and childhood cancer survivors
No full textAdult and childhood cancer survivors need knowledge of their cancer diagnosis, treatment, and potential late effects to ensure better health self-management and outcomes. Survivorship care plans (SCPs) provide this information, plus recommendations for screening, follow-up, and healthy behaviours. SCPs are suggested to increase survivors’ and healthcare providers’ knowledge and guide survivorship care provision, especially in primary care settings. Research is needed into the impact of SCPs on survivors’ patient-reported outcomes and SCP utilization. This thesis addresses this research gap, using a systematic review, meta-analysis, and observational studies. Chapter 1 examines why cancer is a public health issue and describes survivorship. Chapter 2 summarises evidence on the impact and implementation of SCPs for survivors. Chapter 3 presents my meta-analysis, comparing patient-reported outcomes between survivors who did and did not receive SCPs. No differences were found between these groups on survivors’ patient-reported outcomes. I also systematically reviewed SCP feasibility and their impact on healthcare providers’ knowledge and follow-up care provision, reporting that SCPs were acceptable and may improve survivors’ adherence to medical recommendations and healthcare providers’ knowledge of survivorship care and late effects. Chapter 5 includes data from 1,123 Australian and New Zealand adult and childhood cancer survivors or parent proxies, regarding their SCP utilization and 21 healthcare providers’ SCP-dissemination practices. Few participants recalled receiving SCPs, but most recipients used their SCP. There were clinical and sociodemographic differences between participants who did or did not receive or use SCPs. Chapter 6 reports on the impact of SCPs on the patient-reported outcomes of 1,123 adult and childhood cancer survivors or parent proxies. SCPs appeared to be beneficial to survivors’ “proximal” outcomes, including attendance at, and awareness of follow-up, and unmet information needs about “follow-up required” and “possible late effects”. SCPs improved global quality of life for survivors of adult cancer, proxy-reported health-related quality of life, and satisfaction with follow-up care for survivors of childhood cancer. This thesis found SCPs were acceptable and may positively impact survivors, parents, and healthcare providers. The format, delivery, presentation, and readability of SCPs require consideration to ensure SCPs offer the most benefit to survivors, parents, and healthcare providers
Awareness and experiences of contemporary options for HIV testing among untested and under-tested gay and bisexual men: research to inform targeted promotion of HIV testing to address increased late HIV diagnoses in NSW
Get PDFThis study explored awareness and experiences of HIV testing options among gay and bisexual men (GBM) in New South Wales (NSW), with a focus on those who had never or only infrequently tested for HIV. Motivated by ongoing high rates of late HIV diagnoses—including among recently arrived overseas-born GBM—the research aimed to inform targeted health promotion strategies. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted in late 2024, recruiting 520 participants via dating apps and social media platforms, with geo-targeting applied to postcodes with high concentrations of recent migrants, on advertising platforms that supported such strategies.
Despite targeted efforts, only 5.8% of participants were untested and 9.2% were infrequent testers. These groups were less likely to identify as gay, be employed full-time, or be born in Asia, and reported lower awareness of community-based and self-testing options. They also experienced greater discomfort and stigma in healthcare settings, including concerns about privacy and identity concealment.
Findings highlight the need to expand access to HIV self-testing, improve healthcare provider training, and promote inclusive, confidential sexual health services. Geo-targeted recruitment showed some promise but requires further refinement. These strategies are essential to reduce late HIV diagnoses and improve testing uptake among under-tested GBM populations in NSW
Inverse kinematics solution for a six-degree-of-freedom upper limb rehabilitation robot using deep learning models
No full textThe inverse kinematics problem in serially manipulated upper limb rehabilitation robots implies the usage of the end-effector position to obtain the joint rotation angles. In contrast to the forward kinematics, there are no systematic approaches for solving the inverse kinematics problem. Furthermore, for some morphology of the upper limb rehabilitation robots, the inverse kinematics problem is particularly challenging to solve. Conventional methods to solve the inverse kinematics problem reported in the literature are computationally expensive. In the present work, we propose a deep learning-based model to acquire the joint angles for a given end-effector position. The proposed approach exhibits high efficacy in determining the joint angles for various target positions and can accurately predict the end-effector positions once trained, improving the ability of the upper limb rehabilitation robot to adapt to varying patient needs. Due to its improved capability and effectiveness to track positions, the proposed algorithm lays the foundation for the development of efficient controllers in future
The stromal-immune landscape of triple-negative breast cancer
No full textMesenchymal cells in solid tumours have emerged as important mediators of immune function and may be promising candidates for therapeutic targeting. The contradictory findings from preclinical studies and the unsatisfactory outcomes from clinical trials of stromal-directed therapies to date underscore the necessity for additional research into the phenotypic and functional heterogeneity of these cells and their interactions with the immune system in a clinical context. This thesis applies a combination of in vitro experiment models with advanced multi-omic technologies to study the complex stromal-immune landscape of human breast cancers, with a focus on triple-negative breast cancer.
To overcome the challenge of a lack of well-characterised human stromal cell lines to characterise these cells functionally, I isolated and cultured primary stromal cells from TNBC tumours and normal breast samples. These lines were characterised comprehensively using single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) to assess phenotypic and transcriptomic changes upon culturing. I then used these cells in co-culture systems to functionally assess stromal-immune interactions in vitro and determine whether stromal-induced immunosuppressive effects can be reversed using stromal-targeting agents. Pathways and factors contributing to these suppressive effects were evaluated using mass spectrometry and scRNA-seq, revealing several candidates to investigate in future therapeutic studies.
Lastly, to better understand the stromal-immune interactions of breast cancer in a clinical and spatial context, I applied multiplexed immunofluorescence to image novel stromal and immune subsets in two large clinical cohorts of breast cancer patients. Results revealed that stromal subsets have prognostic values, distinct spatial segregation and interactions with immune cells. The results of this thesis provide a holistic view of the stromal-immune landscape of breast cancers, and I envisage that they will help guide the development of new effective stromal-directed therapies to improve the efficacy of immunotherapy in breast cancer