Publications by authors named "A L Darling"

Article Synopsis
  • A systematic review analyzed the relationship between vitamin D status and immune function in dark-skinned individuals, focusing on acute respiratory tract infections (ARTI).
  • Researchers reviewed 2077 articles and included 18 studies in the analysis, but only three high-quality RCTs offered strong enough data for further assessment.
  • The findings indicated a possible inverse link between vitamin D levels and inflammation or ARTI occurrence; however, vitamin D supplementation showed no significant effect on ARTI rates amongst ethnic minority groups, highlighting the need for more diverse research.
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Article Synopsis
  • The study focused on establishing continuous reference intervals for cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers homovanillic acid (HVA) and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA), which are important for diagnosing neurological diseases related to dopamine and serotonin.
  • Utilizing data from a large cohort of pediatric patients, researchers created age-specific models to define these intervals more accurately, addressing the issue of not having healthy control groups.
  • The results showed that the continuous reference intervals reduced the number of secondary deficiencies identified and found no significant links between HVA and 5-HIAA levels and the effects of antiepileptic or neuroleptic medications, indicating that these biomarkers may not always correlate with neurological disorders.
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Objective:  This study aimed to assess the rates of vaginal delivery (VD) and the predictors of VD in a cohort of patients with early (<34 weeks) preeclampsia with severe features (Early Severe PreEClampsia [ESPEC]).

Study Design:  We conducted a retrospective cohort study of patients with ESPEC admitted to a single center from 2013 to 2019. Exclusion criteria included patients with contraindications to labor, multifetal gestation, or presenting in spontaneous labor.

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Characterizing the timing of menarche and the factors that are associated with it is important for understanding a population's reproductive health needs and long-term health trajectories. We estimated the age at the menstrual onset among adolescent girls and the association between dietary and nutritional factors and menarche in four sub-Saharan African urban sites. We used cross-sectional school-based data from 2307 female adolescents aged 10-14 years collected by the Africa Research, Implementation Science, and Education (ARISE) Network in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso; Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Khartoum, Sudan; and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

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Aim: This exploratory study evaluates rating scale usage by experts from the European Reference Network for Rare Neurological Diseases (ERN-RND) for paediatric MD, considering factors like diagnosis, intellectual disability, age, and transition to adult care. The aim is to propose a preliminary framework for consistent application.

Methods: A multicentre survey among 25 ERN-RND experts from 10 European countries examined rating scale usage in paediatric MD, categorizing MD into acute, non-progressive, and neurodegenerative types.

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