Tolerability and efficacy of sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitors in Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders with type 2 diabetes mellitus: an observational study.

Sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) have renal and cardiovascular benefits in addition to their glucose-lowering potential. Data on the efficacy and safety of SGLT2i in Australian Aboriginal and Torres-Strait Islanders are lacking. We conducted a single-centre retrospective study assessing the safety and effects on glycaemic control and albuminuria of SGLT2i in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Persistence and efficacy of second generation CAR T cell against the LeY antigen in acute myeloid leukemia.

In a phase I study of autologous chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) anti-LeY T-cell therapy of acute myeloid leukemia (AML), we examined the safety and postinfusion persistence of adoptively transferred T cells. Following fludarabine-containing preconditioning, four patients received up to 1.3 × 109 total T cells, of which 14-38% expressed the CAR. Grade 3 or 4 toxicity was not observed. One patient achieved a cytogenetic remission whereas another with active leukemia had a reduction in peripheral blood (PB) blasts and a third showed a protracted remission. Using an aliquot of In111-labeled CAR T cells, we demonstrated trafficking to the bone marrow (BM) in those patients with the greatest clinical benefit. Furthermore, in a patient with leukemia cutis, CAR T cells infiltrated proven sites of disease. Serial PCR of PB and BM for the LeY transgene demonstrated that infused CAR T cells persisted for up to 10 months. Our study supports the feasibility and safety of CAR-T-cell therapy in high-risk AML, and demonstrates durable in vivo persistence.

Health map for HealthGap: Defining a geographical catchment to examine cardiovascular risk in Victoria, Australia.

The HealthGap study aimed to understand cardiovascular risk among Indigenous Australians in Victoria using linked administrative data. A key challenge was differing spatial coverages of sources: state-level data for risk factors but cardiovascular outcomes for three hospitals. Catchments were defined based on hospital postcodes to estimate denominator populations for risk modelling: first- and second-order neighbours, and spatial distribution of outcomes ('spatial event distribution'). Catchment coverage was assessed through proportions of patients presenting to study hospitals from catchment postcodes. The spatial event distribution performed best, capturing 82% events overall (first-order:40%; second-order:64%) and 65% Indigenous (27% and 45%). No approach excluded proximal non-study hospitals. Spatial event distributions could help define denominator populations when geographic information on outcome data is available but may not avoid potential misclassification.

The APPRISE Virtual Biobank for Infectious Diseases.

The Australian Partnership for Preparedness Research on InfectiouS disease Emergencies (APPRISE) has developed a virtual biobank to support infectious disease research in Australia. The virtual biobank (https://apprise.biogrid.org.au) integrates access to existing distributed infectious disease biospecimen collections comprising multiple specimen types, including plasma, serum, and peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Through the development of a common data model, multiple collections can be searched simultaneously via a secure web portal. The portal enhances the visibility and searchability of existing collections within their current governance and custodianship arrangements. The portal is easily scalable for integration of additional collections.