Sydney College of Divinity

More effective treatments for metastatic prostate cancer (mPC) are needed as disease progression remains universal. 177Lu-PSMA-617 radiopharmaceutical therapy (RPT)—Pluvicto (Novartis)—was first approved for the treatment of castration-resistant prostate cancer (PC) based on the landmark VISION

Abstract Background Here we present a novel single-channel multiplex qPCR assay with real-time detection in 3 separate readouts in a single optical channel. Traditional multiplex qPCR technologies are limited to detection of one target per optical channel, limiting throughput and utility of existing instruments. This assay utilizes multiple probes that each fluoresce at a specific temperature in a single optical channel such as FAM, but only in the presence of their respective targets. The fluorescence signals from each probe are contained within their discrete temperature range, ensuring no cross talk between temperatures. Probes are universal and cleaved by target-specific PlexZymes®, making this probe system adaptable for any targets of interest. A reverse transcriptase qPCR assay (3T Respi) was developed for detection of 5 viral targets in 3 readouts in the FAM channel; Respiratory Syncytial Viruses A and B (RSV A and B) were detected at the first temperature (45°C); Influenza A (Flu A) and Influenza B (Flu B) were detected at the second temperature (61°C); and SARS-CoV-2 (ORF1ab and RdRp gene targets) was detected at the third temperature (78°C). Methods The assay performance was assessed in a retrospective evaluation of 657 nasopharyngeal swab (NPS) extracts provided by symptomatic individuals, on the CFX96™ Touch Real-Time PCR Detection System (Bio-Rad) against the CE-IVDR approved comparator PKamp™ Respiratory SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR panel 1 (Revvity). The samples had been previously extracted with the Chemagic™ Viral DNA/RNA 300 Kit (Revvity). Any discordant extracts were tested with the CE-IVDR approved PlexPCR® Flu/RSV/SARS-CoV-2 (SpeeDx) on the Applied Biosystems™ QuantStudio5 Real-Time PCR instrument. Sensitivity of detection was established using commercial genomic RNA. Results The 3T Respi showed a positive percent agreement (PPA) of 83.5%, 92.9% and 96.0% for RSV A/B, Flu A/B and SARS-CoV-2 respectively with NPS extracts. Sample degradation over prolonged storage in -80°C was suspected as the reason for the PPA below 90% with RSV A/B. The negative percent agreement (NPA) was 99.8%, 95.8% and 99.1% for RSV A/B, Flu A/B and SARS-CoV-2 respectively. Further, the 3T Respi detected down to 9 copies of target per reaction (cps/rxn) of RSV A, FluA (H1N1), FluB and SARS-CoV-2, and 3 cps/rxn of RSV B and FluA (H3N2). Conclusion The 3T Respi assay showed detection of 5 viral targets in 3 independent readouts in a single optical channel, with detection down to 9 copies of target per reaction. In a retrospective clinical evaluation study against a comparator qPCR test, this assay demonstrated a PPA >90% for Flu A/B and SARS-CoV-2 targets, and a PPA of 83.5% for RSV A/B; lower PPA for RSV A/B was likely due to sample degradation over prolonged storage. NPA was over 95% for all targets. This assay can be run on standard qPCR instruments as demonstrated, or on point-of-care qPCR instruments typically with less optical channels. Overall, this data exemplifies the suitability of the utilised single-channel multiplex qPCR probe system for clinical applications, adaptable to any targets of interest.

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The Reformed theology that dominated Cambridge in the mid seventeenth century tended strongly towards a voluntarist conception of God's relation to morality, on which God's will is the sole determiner of moral truths. This chapter demonstrates that over the same short period (c. 1642–51), the Cambridge Platonists all took a controversial stand against the voluntarism of their Calvinist colleagues, arguing for a kind of moral realism on which God's goodness precedes, and in a sense even constrains his will. They did this despite the fact that their realist position was routinely denied and condemned in Reformed preaching about predestination. Whichcote, More, Cudworth and Smith's arguments against voluntarism and in favour of realism in this narrow time period suggest close intellectual contact while also matching Tuckney's description of the doctrinal profile of Whichcote's 'learned and ingenious' Plato-loving scholars.

Background and Objectives: Cannabidiol (CBD) is increasingly being studied as a therapeutic option for a range of health conditions; however, the pharmacokinetics of CBD is not well understood. This study characterized CBD pharmacokinetics in healthy adults using a population pharmacokinetic approach, informing drug development of oral-based dose forms of CBD. Materials and Methods: CBD concentration-time data were obtained from a phase I, randomized, open-label, four-way crossover study (n=12) and modeled using Phoenix NLME. Monte Carlo simulations were conducted to estimate CBD exposure with chronic dosing as intended for clinical use (50 mg b.i.d.). Results: A three-compartment pharmacokinetic model with a chain of absorption transit compartments and first-order elimination most adequately described CBD pharmacokinetics. Substantial variability in population pharmacokinetic parameters was identified (up to 60%CV), which could not be accounted for by any covariates. Simulations indicated a 3.6-fold difference in drug exposure at steady state with multiple dosing (AUCτ 95% prediction interval: 65.5-138 ng·h/mL), and variability in the time to reach steady state, which was predicted to be up to ∼3 weeks in some individuals (95% prediction interval: 18.6-297 h). Conclusions: The findings of this study have important implications for drug development. The lack of a clear dose-response relationship, due to large pharmacokinetic variability, indicates that a one-size-fits-all approach to CBD dosing may not be feasible, at least with current dosing approaches. Furthermore, an extended time to reach steady state means that the full effect of a selected dose level is not truly observed for some time and requires careful consideration in trial design.

Patients are reluctant to use telemedicine health services. Telemedicine is an “experience good,” one that can be accurately evaluated and compared to its substitute (in this case, in-person visits) only after the product has been adopted and experienced. As such, an intervention that increases the probability of a first experience can have lasting effects. This article reports the results of a randomized field experiment conducted in collaboration with a health insurance company in Argentina. During the intervention, about two thousand households with no previous experience with telemedicine received periodic e-mails with information about the available services. It effectively increased the take-up and demand for telemedicine. Within the first eight months of the experiment, patients assigned to the treatment group were 6pp more likely to have used the service at least once (12pp higher for those who opened at least one e-mail.) This first use led to large cumulative effects over time. After eight months, the number of virtual consultations by the treatment group was six times larger than those of the control group. These results provide additional evidence about how information interventions can increase technological take-up within the health sector and add to the understanding of how behavioral barriers affect patients resistance to technological adoption.

Abstract This article explores the “mission of God” and its relationship with refugees and migrants in Australia. At its best, this mission is experienced as hospitality to, by, and with people of cultural diversity. Ross Langmead (2014) called for a theology of mission as an expression of divine hospitality to those marginalized and forcefully displaced, and recalled the significance of the cultural diversity that the Bible celebrates. By hospitably serving and learning from refugees and migrants, Australian local churches function as both guests and hosts. Langmead suggested this hospitality has ten dimensions including advocacy, meals, mutual learning, and “openness to a transforming divine presence” (2014:39ff). It is this last dimension that invites reflection as to how all ten may be more broadly applied. This article is a conversation on the experience of Australian churches at large in giving and receiving hospitality with refugees and other migrants. The conversation demonstrates the value of practicing hospitality for the sake of mutual learning and shared mission amongst the global diaspora in the Australian context.

This article considers three issues. The first is the nature of the Church’s missions and its relation to the mission of Jesus. This may help uncover at least one of the ways in which that mission may be perverted. The second is the nature of reform in the Church, identifying three dimensions of possible reform. And finally, it considers the question of suffering, suffering inflicted and suffering embraced as a path to reform.

Abstract Veronica Roth’s Divergent is a young adult fiction and movie franchise that addresses issues of political power, social inequity, border control, politics of fear, gender, ethnicity, violence, surveillance, personal authenticity and mind control. It is possible a large part of the popularity of the series is its attention to these issues which young Western audiences are concerned about. The narrative makes heroes of protagonists who become activists for justice and struggle against oppressive social-political systems. What follows is a literary analysis of Divergent, evaluating its treatment of public theology and social justice themes, and discussing implications for Christian activism, especially for youth and young adults. It affirms the ethos in the books of resisting oppression, and questions assumptions about gender and abuse, violence and imperial control, personal authenticity and categorization, and difference and sameness.