Publications by authors named "Andrew Murdock"

Acute dystonia is a neurological condition characterized by involuntary muscle contractions that can affect various parts of the body. It is commonly triggered by the use of antipsychotic medications, especially within the first few days after administration. Respiratory acute laryngeal dystonia, a particularly severe form of this condition and a very subtype of laryngeal dystonia, can lead to respiratory distress and airway obstruction if not promptly treated.

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Olanzapine is an antipsychotic medication that is used in the management of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, but it is not without any adverse effects. We present the following case of a 24-year-old man with a history of schizoaffective disorder, obesity, and anxiety, who developed hypertriglyceridemia-induced acute pancreatitis after six months on olanzapine. Despite his adherence to the medication, routine metabolic monitoring was not performed leading to a delayed diagnosis of hypertriglyceridemia and subsequent complications.

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Background: Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid, exposure to which has led to hundreds of thousands of overdose deaths. Novel vaccines are being developed that might protect against fentanyl overdose. Proactive attention to strategic communications and stakeholder engagement may smooth uptake of a novel vaccine given known challenges around vaccine hesitancy and concern for stigma related to substance use.

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CRISPR-Cas enzymes enable RNA-guided bacterial immunity and are widely used for biotechnological applications including genome editing. In particular, the Class 2 CRISPR-associated enzymes (Cas9, Cas12 and Cas13 families), have been deployed for numerous research, clinical and agricultural applications. However, the immense genetic and biochemical diversity of these proteins in the public domain poses a barrier for researchers seeking to leverage their activities.

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Article Synopsis
  • Regular surveillance testing of asymptomatic individuals for SARS-CoV-2 was key to preventing outbreaks on college campuses, notably at UC Berkeley in 2020.
  • The university implemented a voluntary saliva testing program as part of a research study, allowing for improvement of testing methods before wider clinical use.
  • The success of the program highlighted effective strategies for promoting participation and fostering a sense of community responsibility among students.
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In the process of undertaking a comprehensive review of the pteridophytes of the Solomon Islands, multiple unidentified specimens of the fern genus Murdock (Marattiaceae) were collected. Morphological and molecular phylogenetic analyses as well as field observations were required to identify the Solomon Islands taxa. Four species and one variety are recognized from the Solomon Islands: Murdock & C.

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Objective: Symptoms and clinical course during inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) vary among individuals. Personalised care is therefore essential to effective management, delivered by a strong patient-centred multidisciplinary team, working within a well-designed service. This study aimed to fully rewrite the UK Standards for the healthcare of adults and children with IBD, and to develop an IBD Service Benchmarking Tool to support current and future personalised care models.

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Background: Environmental impacts of human activities on the deep seafloor are of increasing concern. While activities within waters shallower than 200 m have been the focus of previous assessments of anthropogenic impacts, no study has quantified the extent of individual activities or determined the relative severity of each type of impact in the deep sea.

Methodology: The OSPAR maritime area of the North East Atlantic was chosen for the study because it is considered to be one of the most heavily impacted by human activities.

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Background: Tortula ruralis, a widely distributed species in the moss family Pottiaceae, is increasingly used as a model organism for the study of desiccation tolerance and mechanisms of cellular repair. In this paper, we present the chloroplast genome sequence of T. ruralis, only the second published chloroplast genome for a moss, and the first for a vegetatively desiccation-tolerant plant.

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Closely related outgroups are optimal for rooting phylogenetic trees; however, such ideal outgroups are not always available. A phylogeny of the marattioid ferns (Marattiaceae), an ancient lineage with no close relatives, was reconstructed using nucleotide sequences of multiple chloroplast regions (rps4 + rps4-trnS spacer, trnS-trnG spacer + trnG intron, rbcL, atpB), from 88 collections, selected to cover the broadest possible range of morphologies and geographic distributions within the extant taxa. Because marattioid ferns are phylogenetically isolated from other lineages, and internal branches are relatively short, rooting was problematic.

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A spectrum of histological changes may be seen in coeliac disease. Interpretation of duodenal biopsies can be problematic due to inadequate specimens or difficulties in detecting the minimal histological lesion. If serology is negative but clinical suspicion is high, a duodenal biopsy should always be performed.

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