ORCID Profile
0000-0002-3313-5097
Current Organisations
The University of Newcastle
,
Murdoch University
Does something not look right? The information on this page has been harvested from data sources that may not be up to date. We continue to work with information providers to improve coverage and quality. To report an issue, use the Feedback Form.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2020
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 12-07-2021
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 25-03-2019
DOI: 10.1111/RESP.13530
Abstract: Chronic lung diseases represent a significant global burden. Their increasing incidence and complexity render a comprehensive, multidisciplinary and personalized approach to each patient, critically important. Most recently, unique biochemical pathways and disease markers have been identified through large-scale metabolomic studies. Metabolomics is the study of metabolic pathways and the measurement of unique biomolecules in a living system. Analysing s les from different compartments such as bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and plasma has proven useful for the characterization of a number of pathological conditions and offers promise as a clinical tool. For ex le, several studies using mass spectrometry (MS) have shown alterations in the sphingolipid metabolism of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) sufferers. In this article, we present a practical review of the application of metabolomics to the study of chronic lung diseases (CLD): COPD, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and asthma. The insights, which the analytical strategies employed in metabolomics, have provided to the dissection of the biochemistry of CLD and future clinical biomarkers are explored.
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Date: 02-06-2023
DOI: 10.3389/FPUBH.2023.1105163
Abstract: Burn injury in children causes prolonged systemic effects on physiology and metabolism leading to increased morbidity and mortality, yet much remains undefined regarding the metabolic trajectory towards specific health outcomes. A multi-platform strategy was implemented to evaluate the long-term immuno-metabolic consequences of burn injury combining metabolite, lipoprotein, and cytokine panels. Plasma s les from 36 children aged 4–8 years were collected 3 years after a burn injury together with 21 s les from non-injured age and sex matched controls. Three different 1 H Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopic experiments were applied to capture information on plasma low molecular weight metabolites, lipoproteins, and α-1-acid glycoprotein. Burn injury was characterized by underlying signatures of hyperglycaemia, hypermetabolism and inflammation, suggesting disruption of multiple pathways relating to glycolysis, tricarboxylic acid cycle, amino acid metabolism and the urea cycle. In addition, very low-density lipoprotein sub-components were significantly reduced in participants with burn injury whereas small-dense low density lipoprotein particles were significantly elevated in the burn injured patient plasma compared to uninjured controls, potentially indicative of modified cardiometabolic risk after a burn. Weighted-node Metabolite Correlation Network Analysis was restricted to the significantly differential features (q & .05) between the children with and without burn injury and demonstrated a striking disparity in the number of statistical correlations between cytokines, lipoproteins, and small molecular metabolites in the injured groups, with increased correlations between these groups. These findings suggest a ‘metabolic memory’ of burn defined by a signature of interlinked and perturbed immune and metabolic function. Burn injury is associated with a series of adverse metabolic changes that persist chronically and are independent of burn severity and this study demonstrates increased risk of cardiovascular disease in the long-term. These findings highlight a crucial need for improved longer term monitoring of cardiometabolic health in a vulnerable population of children that have undergone burn injury.
Publisher: Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales
Date: 20-05-2022
DOI: 10.7882/AZ.2022.021
Abstract: An increase in the frequency and intensity of catastrophic wildfires is associated with anthropogenic climate change. Wildfires are extreme environmental events that result in dramatic fluctuations in temperature and moisture, which are likely to disproportionately impact animals such as hibians (Anura) whose distributions and ecology are strongly tied to climate. In response to the 2019/20 Australian summer wildfires, we used expert elicitation to analyse the traits of frogs that potentially influence fire sensitivity or resilience. Traits that were ranked high in terms of influencing fire sensitivity were range size, dominant adult habitat, reproductive mode, and relative abundance. While species restricted to cool, moist habitats are less exposed to the threat of wildfire, they had the highest sensitivity scores. This is due to their typically low fecundity, reliance on micro-refugia away from water for reproduction and shelter, and small, isolated distributions. The group considered least sensitive were those which occupy riparian zones as macro-refugia, which includes species with wide geographic distributions, general reproductive strategies, high fecundity, and moderate physiological capacity. Our findings suggest that it is the behavioural capacity of frogs to locate micro-refugia, a morphology that enables them to move into these safe spaces, and physiological adaptations to subsequently maintain water balance during and after wildfire that influence the probability of surviving wildfire. While many traits have evolved among hibians to avoid climatic extremes and likely confer resistance to wildfire as “exaptations”, it remains unknown to what extent they protect populations from predicted hotter and drier climates. Our predictions should be tested by obtaining direct measures of the thermal and moisture buffering capacities of micro-refuges, along with the continued monitoring of species recovery post-fire, so that they can feedback into future trait-based analyses. We suggest that strategic management actions for mitigating the effect of climate-driven wildfires on hibians should involve protection and enhancement of micro-refugia components of the landscape, which are used as shelter during times of heat and moisture stress, and provision of buffer zones around macro-refugia habitat, such as around streams.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 18-03-2021
Abstract: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterised by airway inflammation and progressive airflow limitation, whereas idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is characterised by a restrictive pattern due to fibrosis and impaired gas exchange. We undertook metabolomic analysis of blood s les in IPF, COPD and healthy controls (HC) to determine differences in circulating molecules and identify novel pathogenic pathways. An untargeted metabolomics using an ultra‐high‐performance liquid chromatography‐quadrupole time‐of‐flight mass spectrometer (UHPLC‐QTOF‐MS) was performed to profile plasma of patients with COPD (n = 21), and IPF (n = 24) in comparison to plasma from healthy controls (HC n = 20). The most significant features were identified using multiple database matching. One‐way ANOVA and variable importance in projection (VIP) scores were also used to highlight metabolites that influence the specific disease groups. Non‐polar metabolites such as fatty acids (FA) and membrane lipids were well resolved and a total of 4805 features were identified. The most prominent metabolite composition differences in lipid mediators identified at ∼2–3 fold higher in both diseases compared to HC were palmitoleic acid, oleic acid and linoleic acid and dihydrotestosterone was lower in both diseases. We demonstrated that COPD and IPF were characterised by systemic changes in lipid constituents such as essential FA s led from circulating plasma.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 16-10-2023
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 21-07-2022
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 21-07-2022
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 11-11-2008
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 05-05-2021
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 16-03-2021
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 29-04-2020
DOI: 10.1002/CNCR.32910
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 24-04-2023
DOI: 10.1111/DDI.13700
Abstract: Changes to the extent and severity of wildfires driven by anthropogenic climate change are predicted to have compounding negative consequences for ecological communities. While there is evidence that severe weather events like drought impact hibian communities, the effects of wildfire on such communities are not well understood. The impact of wildfire on hibian communities and species is likely to vary, owing to the ersity of their life‐history traits. However, no previous research has identified commonalities among the hibians at most risk from wildfire, limiting conservation initiatives in the aftermath of severe wildfire. We aimed to investigate the impacts of the unprecedented 2019–2020 black summer bushfires on Australian forest hibian communities. Eastern coast of New South Wales, Australia. We conducted visual encounter surveys and passive acoustic monitoring across 411 sites within two regions, one in northeast and one in southeast New South Wales. We used fire severity and extent mapping in two multispecies occupancy models to assess the impacts of fire on 35 forest hibian species. We demonstrate a negative influence of severe fire extent on metacommunity occupancy and species richness in the south with weaker effects in the north—reflective of the less severe fires that occurred in this region. Both threatened and common species were impacted by severe wildfire extent. Occupancy of burrowing species and rain forest specialists had mostly negative relationships with severe wildfire extent, while arboreal hibians had neutral relationships. Metacommunity monitoring and adaptive conservation strategies are needed to account for common species after severe climatic events. Ecological, morphological and life‐history variation drives the susceptibility of hibians to wildfires. We document the first evidence of climate change‐driven wildfires impacting temperate forest hibian communities across a broad geographic area, which raises serious concern for the persistence of hibians under an increasingly fire‐prone climate.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 29-07-2022
DOI: 10.1038/S41598-022-16886-W
Abstract: A growing body of evidence supports the concept of a systemic response to non-severe thermal trauma. This provokes an immunosuppressed state that predisposes paediatric patients to poor recovery and increased risk of secondary morbidity. In this study, to understand the long-term systemic effects of non-severe burns in children, targeted mass spectrometry assays for biogenic amines and tryptophan metabolites were performed on plasma collected from child burn patients at least three years post injury and compared to age and sex matched non-burn (healthy) controls. A panel of 12 metabolites, including urea cycle intermediates, aromatic amino acids and quinolinic acid were present in significantly higher concentrations in children with previous burn injury. Correlation analysis of metabolite levels to previously measured cytokine levels indicated the presence of multiple cytokine-metabolite associations in the burn injury participants that were absent from the healthy controls. These data suggest that there is a sustained immunometabolic imprint of non-severe burn trauma, potentially linked to long-term immune changes that may contribute to the poor long-term health outcomes observed in children after burn injury.
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 18-07-2023
Abstract: An integrative multi-modal metabolic phenotyping model was developed to assess the systemic plasma sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 (rRT-PCR positive) induced COVID-19 disease in patients with different respiratory severity levels. Plasma s les from 306 unvaccinated COVID-19 patients were collected in 2020 and classified into four levels of severity ranging from mild symptoms to severe ventilated cases. These s les were investigated using a combination of quantitative Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and Mass Spectrometry (MS) platforms to give broad lipoprotein, lipidomic and amino acid, tryptophan-kynurenine pathway, and biogenic amine pathway coverage. All platforms revealed highly significant differences in metabolite patterns between patients and controls (n = 89) that had been collected prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. The total number of significant metabolites increased with severity with 344 out of the 1034 quantitative variables being common to all severity classes. Metabolic signatures showed a continuum of changes across the respiratory severity levels with the most significant and extensive changes being in the most severely affected patients. Even mildly affected respiratory patients showed multiple highly significant abnormal biochemical signatures reflecting serious metabolic deficiencies of the type observed in Post-acute COVID-19 syndrome patients. The most severe respiratory patients had a high mortality (56.1%) and we found that we could predict mortality in this patient sub-group with high accuracy in some cases up to 61 days prior to death, based on a separate metabolic model, which highlighted a different set of metabolites to those defining the basic disease. Specifically, hexosylceramides (HCER 16:0, HCER 20:0, HCER 24:1, HCER 26:0, HCER 26:1) were markedly elevated in the non-surviving patient group (Cliff’s delta 0.91–0.95) and two phosphoethanolamines (PE.O 18:0/18:1, Cliff’s delta = −0.98 and PE.P 16:0/18:1, Cliff’s delta = −0.93) were markedly lower in the non-survivors. These results indicate that patient morbidity to mortality trajectories is determined relatively soon after infection, opening the opportunity to select more intensive therapeutic interventions to these “high risk” patients in the early disease stages.
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 12-02-2021
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 09-04-2021
DOI: 10.1186/S12931-021-01682-3
Abstract: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic interstitial lung disease characterized by fibrosis and progressive loss of lung function. The pathophysiological pathways involved in IPF are not well understood. Abnormal lipid metabolism has been described in various other chronic lung diseases including asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, its potential role in IPF pathogenesis remains unclear. In this study, we used ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-QTOF-MS) to characterize lipid changes in plasma derived from IPF patients with stable and progressive disease. We further applied a data-independent acquisition (DIA) technique called SONAR, to improve the specificity of lipid identification. Statistical modelling showed variable discrimination between the stable and progressive subjects, revealing differences in the detection of triglycerides (TG) and phosphatidylcholines (PC) between progressors and stable IPF groups, which was further confirmed by mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) in IPF tissue. This is the first study to characterise lipid metabolism between stable and progressive IPF, with results suggesting disparities in the circulating lipidome with disease progression.
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 11-01-2021
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2021
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 27-08-2020
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 23-01-2021
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 19-05-2021
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 07-2023
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 20-12-2021
DOI: 10.1071/WR21034
Abstract: Abstract Context Drones, or remotely piloted aircraft systems, equipped with thermal imaging technology (RPAS thermal imaging) have recently emerged as a powerful monitoring tool for koala populations. Before wide uptake of novel technologies by government, conservation practitioners and researchers, evidence of greater efficiency and cost-effectiveness than with other available methods is required. Aims We aimed to provide the first comprehensive analysis of the cost-effectiveness of RPAS thermal imaging for koala detection against two field-based methods, systematic spotlighting (Spotlight) and the refined diurnal radial search component of the spot-assessment technique (SAT). Methods We conducted various economic comparisons, particularly comparative cost-effectiveness of RPAS thermal imaging, Spotlight and SAT for repeat surveys of a low-density koala population. We compared methods on cost-effectiveness as well as long-term costs by using accumulating cost models. We also compared detection costs across population density using a predictive cost model. Key results Despite substantial hardware, training and licensing costs at the outset ( A$49 900), RPAS thermal imaging surveys were cost-effective, detecting the highest number of koalas per dollar spent. Modelling also suggested that RPAS thermal imaging requires the lowest survey effort to detect koalas within the range of publicly available koala population densities (~0.006–18 koalas ha−1) and would provide long-term cost reductions across longitudinal monitoring programs. RPAS thermal imaging would also require the lowest average survey effort costs at a landscape scale (A$3.84 ha−1), providing a cost-effective tool across large spatial areas. Conclusions Our analyses demonstrated drone thermal imaging technology as a cost-effective tool for conservation practitioners monitoring koala populations. Our analyses may also form the basis of decision-making tools to estimate survey effort or total program costs across any koala population density. Implications Our novel approach offers a means to perform various economic comparisons of available survey techniques and guide investment decisions towards developing standardised koala monitoring approaches. Our results may assist stakeholders and policymakers to confidently invest in RPAS thermal imaging technology and achieve optimal conservation outcomes for koala populations, with standardised data collection delivered through evidence-based and cost-effective monitoring programs.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 22-12-2020
DOI: 10.1111/COBI.13665
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 16-11-2020
DOI: 10.1371/JOURNAL.PONE.0242204
Abstract: Koalas ( Phascolarctos cinereus ) are cryptic and currently face regional extinction. The direct detection (physical sighting) of in iduals is required to improve conservation management strategies. We provide a comparative assessment of three survey methods for the direct detection of koalas: systematic spotlighting (Spotlight), remotely piloted aircraft system thermal imaging (RPAS), and the refined diurnal radial search component of the spot assessment technique (SAT). Each survey method was repeated on the same morning with independent observers (03:00–12:00 hrs) for a total of 10 survey occasions at sites with fixed boundaries (28–76 ha) in Port Stephens ( n = 6) and Gilead ( n = 1) in New South Wales between May and July 2019. Koalas were directly detected on 22 occasions during 7 of 10 comparative surveys (Spotlight: n = 7 RPAS: n = 14 and SAT: n = 1), for a total of 12 unique in iduals (Spotlight: n = 4 RPAS: n = 11 SAT: n = 1). In 3 of 10 comparative surveys no koalas were detected. Detection probability was 38.9 ± 20.03% for Spotlight, 83.3 ± 11.39% for RPAS and 4.2 ± 4.17% for SAT. Effective detectability per site was 1 ± 0.44 koalas per 6.75 ± 1.03 hrs for Spotlight (1 koala per 6.75 hrs), 2 ± 0.38 koalas per 4.35 ± 0.28 hrs for RPAS (1 koala per 2.18 hrs) and 0.14 ± 0.14 per 6.20 ± 0.93 hrs for SAT (1 koala per 43.39 hrs). RPAS thermal imaging technology appears to offer an efficient method to directly survey koalas comparative to Spotlight and SAT and has potential as a valuable conservation tool to inform on-ground management of declining koala populations.
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 12-04-2022
DOI: 10.3390/ANI12080990
Abstract: Zoo and wildlife hospital networks are set to become a vital component of Australia’s contemporary efforts to conserve the iconic and imperiled koala (Phascolarctos cinereus). Managed breeding programs held across zoo-based networks typically face high economic costs and can be at risk of adverse genetic effects typical of unavoidably small captive colonies. Emerging evidence suggests that biobanking and associated assisted reproductive technologies could address these economic and genetic challenges. We present a modelled scenario, supported by detailed costings, where these technologies are optimized and could be integrated into conservation breeding programs of koalas across the established zoo and wildlife hospital network. Genetic and economic modelling comparing closed captive koala populations suggest that supplementing them with cryopreserved founder sperm using artificial insemination or intracytoplasmic sperm injection could substantially reduce inbreeding, lower the required colony sizes of conservation breeding programs, and greatly reduce program costs. Ambitious genetic retention targets (maintaining 90%, 95% and 99% of source population heterozygosity for 100 years) could be possible within realistic cost frameworks, with output koalas suited for wild release. Integrating biobanking into the zoo and wildlife hospital network presents a cost-effective and financially feasible model for the uptake of these tools due to the technical and research expertise, captive koala colonies, and ex situ facilities that already exist across these networks.
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 20-07-2021
Abstract: Improved methods are required for investigating the systemic metabolic effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection and patient stratification for precision treatment. We aimed to develop an effective method using lipid profiles for discriminating between SARS-CoV-2 infection, healthy controls, and non-SARS-CoV-2 respiratory infections. Targeted liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry lipid profiling was performed on discovery (20 SARS-CoV-2-positive 37 healthy controls 22 COVID-19 symptoms but SARS-CoV-2negative) and validation (312 SARS-CoV-2-positive 100 healthy controls) cohorts. Orthogonal projection to latent structure-discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) and Kruskal–Wallis tests were applied to establish discriminant lipids, significance, and effect size, followed by logistic regression to evaluate classification performance. OPLS-DA reported separation of SARS-CoV-2 infection from healthy controls in the discovery cohort, with an area under the curve (AUC) of 1.000. A refined panel of discriminant features consisted of six lipids from different subclasses (PE, PC, LPC, HCER, CER, and DCER). Logistic regression in the discovery cohort returned a training ROC AUC of 1.000 (sensitivity = 1.000, specificity = 1.000) and a test ROC AUC of 1.000. The validation cohort produced a training ROC AUC of 0.977 (sensitivity = 0.855, specificity = 0.948) and a test ROC AUC of 0.978 (sensitivity = 0.948, specificity = 0.922). The lipid panel was also able to differentiate SARS-CoV-2-positive in iduals from SARS-CoV-2-negative in iduals with COVID-19-like symptoms (specificity = 0.818). Lipid profiling and multivariate modelling revealed a signature offering mechanistic insights into SARS-CoV-2, with strong predictive power, and the potential to facilitate effective diagnosis and clinical management.
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2018
DOI: 10.1071/CP18026
Abstract: Three experiments were conducted to develop a bioassay method for assessing the bioavailability of prosulfocarb, pyroxasulfone and trifluralin in both crop residue and soil. In preliminary experiments, Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.), cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) and beetroot (Beta vulgaris L.) were tested as bioassay plant species for the three pre-emergent herbicides. Four growth parameters (shoot length, root length, fresh weight and dry weight) were measured for all plant species. Shoot-length inhibition was identified as the most responsive to the herbicide application rates. Italian ryegrass was the most sensitive species to all tested herbicides, whereas beetroot and cucumber had lower and similar sensitivity to shoot inhibition for the three herbicides. The bioassay species performed similarly in wheat and canola residues collected a few days after harvest. In bioassay calibration experiments, dose–response curves were developed for prosulfocarb, pyroxasulfone and trifluralin in a sandy loam soil typical of the grain belt of Western Australia and with wheat residue. The developed bioassay uses ryegrass shoot inhibition for relatively low suspected concentrations of herbicide, and cucumber shoot inhibition for higher rates. The bioassay was validated by spraying the three herbicides separately onto wheat residue and soil and comparing the concentrations derived from chemical analysis with those from the bioassay. All of the linear correlations between concentrations derived from chemical analyses and the bioassays were highly significant. These results indicate that the bioassay calibration curves are suitable for estimating herbicide concentrations in crop residue collected soon after harvest and a sandy-loam soil, low in organic matter.
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 07-07-2021
DOI: 10.1071/AM20043
Abstract: Remotely piloted aircraft system (RPAS), or drone, technology has emerged as a promising survey method for the cryptic koala. We demonstrate an in-field protocol for wild koala RPAS surveys which provides real-time validation of thermal signatures. During 15 trial flights using a quadcopter drone (DJI Matrice 200 v2) we successfully detected and validated koala thermal signatures (n = 12) using two in-field approaches: validation by on-ground observer (n = 10) and validation using 4K footage captured and reviewed directly after the survey (n = 2). We also provide detectability considerations relative to survey time, temperature, wildlife–RPAS interactions and detection of non-target species, which can be used to further inform RPAS survey protocols.
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 17-08-2020
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 05-01-2022
DOI: 10.1021/ACS.ANALCHEM.1C04576
Abstract: Proton nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 03-2022
DOI: 10.1021/ACS.ANALCHEM.1C05389
Abstract: SARS-CoV-2 infection causes a significant reduction in lipoprotein-bound serum phospholipids give rise to supramolecular phospholipid composite (SPC) signals observed in diffusion and relaxation edited
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2023
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 19-05-2021
DOI: 10.1002/ECE3.7644
Abstract: The squirrel glider ( Petaurus norfolcensis ) is a threatened, gliding marsupial that persists in fragmented landscapes despite its restricted capacity to cross large gaps. As measures to maintain and/or restore suitable habitat depend on knowledge about the species' ecological requirements, we investigated the area used by squirrel gliders in an urban area near Newcastle, Australia. Using GPS telemetry data and the autocorrelated kernel density estimator, we estimated area used to average 10.8 ha and varied from 4.6 to 15 ha, which is equal to or greater than found in previous studies that spanned longer time periods. This has implications when identifying the minimum patch size necessary for ensuring the long‐term conservation of a squirrel glider population.
No related grants have been discovered for Sze-How Bong.