To compare variability of echocardiographic and cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) measured left ventricular (LV) function parameters and their relationship to cancer therapeutics-related cardiac dysfunction (CTRCD).We prospectively recruited 60 participants (age: 49.8±11.6 years), 30 women with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive breast cancer (15 with CTRCD and 15 without C...

High blood pressure (BP) continues to be a major, poorly controlled but modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular death. Amongst key Western lifestyle factors, a diet poor in fibre is associated with prevalence of high BP. The impact of lack of prebiotic fibre and the associated mechanisms that lead to higher BP are unknown. Here we show that lack of prebiotic dietary fibre leads to the develop...

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is one of the most common chronic diseases manifesting in early life, with the prevalence increasing worldwide at a rate of approximately 3% per annum. The prolonged hyperglycaemia characteristic of T1D upregulates the receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) and accelerates the formation of RAGE ligands, including advanced glycation end products, high-mobility ...

Hypertension is a risk factor for a large number of vision-threatening eye disorders. In this study, we investigated for the first time the retinal neural structure of the hypertensive BPH/2J mouse (Schlager mouse) and compared it to its control counterpart, the normotensive BPN/3J strain. The BPH/2J mouse is a selectively inbred mouse strain that develops chronic hypertension due to elevated s...

Due to improved durability and survival rates, rotary blood pumps (RBPs) are the preferred left ventricular assist device when compared to volume displacement pumps. However, when operated at constant speed, RBPs lack a volume balancing mechanism which may result in left ventricular suction and suboptimal ventricular unloading. Starling-like controllers have previously been developed to balance...

This study sought to determine change in chronic condition risk factors in a remote Indigenous community following a 3-year period of community-led health promotion initiatives.Data were compared between two cross-sectional surveys of Indigenous Australian community residents before and after health promotion activities, and longitudinal analysis of participants present at both surveys using mu...

In vitro fertilization has overcome infertility issues for many couples. However, achieving implantation of a viable embryo into the maternal endometrium remains a limiting step in optimizing pregnancy success. The molecular mechanisms which characterize the transient state of endometrial receptivity, critical in enabling embryo-endometrial interactions, and proteins which underpin adhesion at ...

High-throughput computational techniques have become invaluable tools to help increase the overall success, process efficiency, and associated costs of drug development. By designing ligands tailored to specific protein structures in a disease of interest, an understanding of molecular interactions and ways to optimize them can be achieved prior to chemical synthesis. This understanding can hel...

The goal of this study was to describe functional endocardial-epicardial dissociation (FEED), signal complexities, and three-dimensional activation dynamics of the human atrium with structural heart disease (SHD).SHD commonly predisposes to arrhythmias. Although progressive remodeling is implicated, direct demonstration of FEED in the human atrium has not been reported previously.Simultaneous i...

Excessive alcohol consumption is associated with incident atrial fibrillation and adverse atrial remodeling; however, the effect of abstinence from alcohol on secondary prevention of atrial fibrillation is unclear.We conducted a multicenter, prospective, open-label, randomized, controlled trial at six hospitals in Australia. Adults who consumed 10 or more standard drinks (with 1 standard drink ...

The reactive oxygen species (ROS) producing enzyme, NADPH oxidase 4 (Nox4), is upregulated in response to TGFβ in lens epithelial cells in vitro, and its selective inhibition was shown to block aspects of TGFβ-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). In the present in situ study we validate the role(s) of Nox4 in TGFβ-induced lens EMT leading to anterior subcapsular cataract (ASC) forma...

In developed and developing countries, social, economic, and environmental transitions have led to physical inactivity and large amounts of time spent sitting. Research is now unraveling the adverse public health consequences of too much sitting. We describe improvements in device-based measurement that are providing new insights into sedentary behavior and health. We consider the implications ...

Asthma is a common condition caused by immune and respiratory dysfunction, and it is often linked to allergy. A systems perspective may prove helpful in unravelling the complexity of asthma and allergy. Our aim is to give an overview of systems biology approaches used in allergy and asthma research. Specifically, we describe recent "omic"-level findings, and examine how these findings have been...

Interaction between B and CD4 T cells is crucial for their optimal responses in adaptive immunity. Immune responses augmented by their partnership promote chronic inflammation. Here we report that interaction between B and CD4 T cells augments their atherogenicity to promote lipid-induced atherosclerosis. Genetic deletion of the gene encoding immunoglobulin mu (μ) heavy chain (μMT) in ApoE mice...

Studies have revealed a robust and independent correlation between chronic kidney disease (CKD) and cardiovascular (CV) events, including death, heart failure, and myocardial infarction. Recent clinical trials extend this range of adverse CV events, including malignant ventricular arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death (SCD). Moreover, other studies point out that cardiac structural and electroph...

Individuals with left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) and elevated cardiac biomarkers in middle age are at high risk for the development of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). However, it is unknown what the pathophysiological underpinnings of this high-risk state may be. We tested the hypothesis that patients with LVH and elevated cardiac biomarkers would demonstrate elevated...

An intuitive graphical interface that allows statistical analyses and visualizations of extensive data without any knowledge of dedicated statistical software or programming.EpiMetal is a single-page web application written in JavaScript, to be used via a modern desktop web browser.Standard epidemiological analyses and self-organizing maps for data-driven metabolic profiling are included. Multi...

To assess the performance of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk equations in Indigenous Australians.We conducted an individual participant meta-analysis using longitudinal data of 3618 Indigenous Australians (55% women) aged 30-74 years without CVD from population-based cohorts of the Cardiovascular Risk in IndigenouS People(CRISP) consortium. Predicted risk was calculated using: 1991 and 2008 F...