Publications by authors named "Allwood R"

Article Synopsis
  • - Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) is an inherited heart condition that leads to replacement of heart muscle with fibrofatty tissue, which can cause serious cardiac issues, especially in young athletes.
  • - Individuals often present asymptomatically but may experience sudden cardiac problems, including fainting or sudden cardiac death, making it a critical condition to identify.
  • - Diagnosing ARVC is challenging due to its varying symptoms and lack of clear diagnostic criteria, with a focus on assessing right ventricular wall motion through echocardiography as outlined in the 2010 revised task force criteria.
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Background: Cardiac impairment has been associated with acute COVID-19 since the earliest reports of the pandemic. However, its role in postacute sequelae of COVID-19 ("long COVID") is undefined, and many existing observations about cardiovascular involvement in postacute sequelae of COVID-19 are uncontrolled.

Objective: To compare the prevalence of cardiac dysfunction in patients with long COVID and noninfected controls from the same community and explore their association with functional capacity.

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Exercise is associated with several cardiac adaptations that can enhance one's cardiac output and allow one to sustain a higher level of oxygen demand for prolonged periods. However, adverse cardiac remodelling, such as myocardial fibrosis, has been identified in athletes engaging in long-term endurance exercise. Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging is considered the noninvasive gold standard for its detection and quantification.

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Soccer is the most popular sport in the world, with over 265 million active players and approximately 0.05% professional players worldwide. The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) has made preparticipation screening recommendations which involve electrocardiography and echocardiography being performed prior to international competition.

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Background: Post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC or 'long COVID') reflect ongoing symptoms, but these are non-specific and common in the wider community. Few reports of PASC have been compared with a control group.

Aims: To compare symptoms and objective impairment of functional capacity in patients with previous COVID-19 infection with uninfected community controls.

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Objective: To assess the performance of the 'separation sign' as a predictor of normal placental separation in a large cohort of women at risk for placenta accreta spectrum (PAS) and in a high-risk subgroup with placenta previa or anterior low-lying placenta and at least one previous Cesarean delivery.

Methods: This was a prospective study of women at risk for PAS referred to a specialist clinic at between 22 and 38 weeks' gestation. All women underwent ultrasound assessment for the presence of the separation sign, which detects the difference in elasticity between the myometrium and the placenta, characterized by different rates of rebound after an ultrasound probe is used to apply pressure over the uteroplacental interface.

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Mitral annular calcification (MAC) is considered a chronic and degenerative process involving the fibrous annulus of the mitral valve. The prevalence of MAC has been reported between 8% and 15%. It significantly increases with age, often seen in females, individuals with hypertension, chronic kidney disease and those with multiple cardiovascular risk factors.

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Around a quarter of hospital beds in the UK are occupied by patients living with dementia (PWD), and communication impairments are common across all types of dementia, often exacerbated by the hospital environment. Unsurprisingly, healthcare professionals (HCPs) report particular challenges in caring for this patient group, whilst trying to recognise and value their personhood as per the underpinning ethos of person-centred care. However, whilst there is a growing body of research that underlines the importance of communication in dementia care, there is far less that actually examines this communication in real time interaction.

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