Publications by authors named "NICOL"

This study investigated the relationships between performance and force-velocity (F-v) parameters obtained from a ballistic lower limb (BLL) and a 30-m sprint test in 24 adolescent elite footballers (13.2-15.1 years old).

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Artificial intelligence (AI) offers promising solutions for many steps of the cardiac imaging workflow, from patient and test selection through image acquisition, reconstruction, and interpretation, extending to prognostication and reporting. Despite the development of many cardiac imaging AI algorithms, AI tools are at various stages of development and face challenges for clinical implementation. This scientific statement, endorsed by several societies in the field, provides an overview of the current landscape and challenges of AI applications in cardiac CT and MRI.

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Introduction: Dolutegravir is now extensively used in sub-Saharan Africa as a preferred component of antiretroviral therapy (ART). There is a paucity of large studies using routinely collected data from African people living with HIV on dolutegravir-based regimens to inform HIV programmes. We reviewed data in a large programme clinic of people living with HIV on dolutegravir to determine the real-world safety and tolerability of dolutegravir and to describe drivers of treatment discontinuation.

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Background: Cardiac Computed Tomography (CCT) is increasingly used for evaluation of congenital heart disease (CHD) in patients of all ages. Pediatric and adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) surgical programs require high quality CCT imaging as part of the multimodality imaging support expected of comprehensive care centers. Despite these expectations, there are no benchmarks or defined programmatic elements specific to the performance of CCT in patients with CHD.

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Polioviruses have caused crippling disease in humans for centuries, prior to the successful development of vaccines in the mid-1900's, which dramatically reduced disease prevalence. Continued use of these vaccines, however, threatens ultimate disease eradication and achievement of a polio-free world. Virus-like particles (VLPs) that lack a viral genome represent a safer potential vaccine, although they require particle stabilization.

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Background: A number of UK transplantation centres use isotope studies to estimate the relative contribution from each kidney in living kidney donor assessment. The evidence that the estimation of pre-donation split function of the non-donated kidney influences post-donation renal recovery is limited. The aim of this study was to analyse whether, in the context of other donor factors, the split function of the non-donated kidney predicts the percentage recovery of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) at one-year post-donation.

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Introduction: Currently, few prospective guidelines exist for the surveillance of children with low-risk neuroblastic tumors (LRNBTs), including ganglioneuroma or ganglioneuroblastoma intermixed. This study aims to describe our institutional approach to LRNBT surveillance following surgical resection or nonoperative management. We hypothesize that length of surveillance can be reduced due to low recurrence risk.

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Background: Self-management interventions empower individuals to manage their chronic conditions and daily life after stroke. However, traditional in-person self-management interventions often face transportation and geographical barriers. Digital interventions may offer a solution to address this gap.

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Background: Diabetes mellitus is an established cardiovascular risk factor. We assessed the impact of diabetes mellitus on quantitative plaque and long-term outcomes in patients with and without diabetes mellitus in the Scottish COmputed Tomography of the HEART (SCOT-HEART) trial.

Methods: Coronary artery calcium (CAC) was assessed on non-contrast computed tomography (CT).

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Despite advancements in existing antiretroviral-based prevention strategies, including daily oral, locally acting, and injectable options, there is a pressing need for more inclusive and flexible event-driven pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) strategies for all. Event-driven or intermittent dosing of PrEP in populations beyond cisgender men who have sex with men would offer a promising alternative by fitting prevention into the diverse lifestyles of affected populations and thereby advancing health equity. Evidence from PrEP clinical trials, pharmacokinetic studies, modelling studies, and real-world observational research suggests that event-driven PrEP could be a flexible and inclusive option, yet optimal dosing has not been established across sex and gender spectrums.

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Using joint genomic-transcriptomic analysis of 243 samples, we reveal recurrent patterns of nongenetic evolution in ccRCC not exclusively governed by genetic factors, including T-cell depletion, tumor T-cell receptor coevolution, potential cGAS-STING repression, and increased cell proliferation. These patterns can aid clinical management and guide novel treatment approaches.

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Signal transduction downstream of axon guidance molecules is essential for steering developing axons. Second messengers including cAMP are key molecules shared by a multitude of signaling pathways and are required for a wide range of cellular processes including axon pathfinding. Yet, how these signaling molecules achieve specificity for each of their downstream pathways remains elusive.

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While the key aspects of genetic evolution and their clinical implications in clear cell renal-cell carcinoma (ccRCC) are well-documented, how genetic features co-evolve with the phenotype and tumor microenvironment (TME) remains elusive. Here, through joint genomic-transcriptomic analysis of 243 samples from 79 patients recruited to the TRACERx Renal study, we identify pervasive non-genetic intratumor heterogeneity, with over 40% not attributable to genetic alterations. By integrating tumor transcriptomes and phylogenetic structures, we observe convergent evolution to specific phenotypic traits, including cell proliferation, metabolic reprogramming and overexpression of putative cGAS-STING repressors amid high aneuploidy.

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Background: Centrifuge-free processing methods support stool Xpert Ultra testing for childhood tuberculosis (TB), but there are limited data on their accuracy, acceptability and usability.

Methods: We conducted a prospective evaluation of stool Xpert Ultra in India, South Africa, and Uganda with three methods: Stool Processing Kit (SPK), Simple One-Step (SOS), and Optimized Sucrose Flotation (OSF). Children <15 years old with presumptive TB had respiratory specimen testing with Xpert Ultra and culture.

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Grouping of chemicals has been proposed as a strategy to speed up the screening and identification of potential substances of concern among the broad chemical universe under REACH. Such grouping is usually based on shared structural features and should only be used for the prioritization objectives. However, additional considerations (as well as structural similarity) are needed, e.

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Background: Training gaps regarding the diagnosis and management of eating disorders in diverse populations, including racial, ethnic, sexual, and gender minoritized groups, have not been thoroughly examined.

Objective: This study aimed to examine resident physicians' knowledge and attitudes regarding eating disorders in diverse populations, with a focus on areas for improved training and intervention.

Methods: Ninety-two resident physicians in internal medicine, emergency medicine, obstetrics/gynecology, psychiatry, and surgery at an academic center completed an online survey from 12/1/2020-3/1/2021, which comprised multiple choice and vignette-style open-ended questions to assess knowledge and attitudes toward the management and clinical presentations of eating disorders.

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This study aimed to identify operating conditions and governance mechanisms that would help to facilitate trust in, and willingness to donate to, a hypothetical Australian national genomic repository for health research where commercial use of data is permitted. Semi-structured telephone interviews with members of the Australian public ( = 39) clarified perceived risks and preferred repository conditions. These insights were subsequently tested experimentally in a national sample ( = 1,117).

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The United States is facing a growing behavioral health crisis. Now more than ever, novel, safe and effective treatments are needed. Over the past decade, clinical trials of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapies (PAT) have shown promising results for treating a number of common behavioral health conditions with minimal adverse effects.

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For many years, a method that allowed systemic toxicity safety assessments to be conducted without generating new animal test data, seemed out of reach. However, several different research groups and regulatory authorities are beginning to use a variety of in silico, in chemico and in vitro techniques to inform safety decisions. To manage this transition to animal-free safety assessments responsibly, it is important to ensure that the level of protection offered by a safety assessment based on new approach methodologies (NAMs), is at least as high as that provided by a safety assessment based on traditional animal studies.

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Rationale: Unrecognised coronary artery disease (CAD) may contribute to adverse outcomes in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Improved identification of at-risk groups could inform better preventative care. We aimed to evaluate the burden and relationships of radiologically detectable CAD in COPD, establish frequency of occult disease, and examine potential cardiovascular screening methods.

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Objectives: To reassess the role of primary retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (RPLND) in patients with marker-negative non-seminomatous germ cell tumour (NSGCT) clinical stage (CS) 2a, to explore results in patients with CS 2b and to evaluate surgical methods, recurrence, and adjuvant chemotherapy indications.

Materials And Methods: Data from 17 institutions were collected, comprising 305 men who underwent primary RPLND for CS 2 NSGCT. Regression analyses were conducted to predict histology in the RPLND specimen and disease-free survival (DFS).

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Discourse around ownership of genomic sequence data has proliferated over recent years. There are likely to be few people who don't feel a degree of connectedness to their genomic data. The inclusion of individuals' genomic data in genomic datasets is critical to genomic research, and these datasets are most effective if shared widely.

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Post-translational modifications (PTMs) are important for the stability and function of many therapeutic proteins and peptides. Current methods for studying and engineering PTM installing proteins often suffer from low-throughput experimental techniques. Here we describe a generalizable, workflow coupling cell-free protein synthesis (CFPS) with AlphaLISA for the rapid expression and testing of PTM installing proteins.

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Objective: Children with HIV (CWH) are at increased risk for cognitive and developmental delays, although HIV's influence on reading development remains unclear. Research using internationally validated reading measures with control for factors known to influence literacy outcomes is needed. The Early Grade Reading Assessment (EGRA) is a tool for assessing students' progress toward reading that has been validated across countries.

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Little is understood about the roles of mitochondria in pregnancy-related adaptations. Therefore, we evaluated associations of maternal early-to-mid pregnancy mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNAcn) and mtDNA methylation with birth size and gestational length. Michigan women ( = 396) provided venous bloodspots at median 11 weeks gestation to quantify mtDNAcn marker NADH-ubiquinone oxidoreductase chain 1 () using real-time quantitative PCR and mtDNA methylation at several regions within four mitochondria-specific genes using pyrosequencing: (mitochondrially encoded tRNA phenylalanine), (D-loop promoter region, heavy strand), (cytochrome b), and (D-loop promoter region, light strand).

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