Publications by authors named "Aucott L"

Importance: Despite the recovery advantages of minimally invasive surgical techniques, delayed return of gut function after colectomy is a common barrier to timely discharge from hospital.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of 2% perioperative intravenous lidocaine infusion on return of gut function after elective minimally invasive colon resection.

Design, Setting, And Participants: The ALLEGRO trial was a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial conducted in 27 UK hospitals.

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  • - Low testosterone levels in men lead to hypogonadism, characterized by sexual dysfunction, fatigue, and decreased muscle strength, and testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) is a common treatment despite concerns about its safety and effectiveness on cardiovascular health.
  • - The research aimed to investigate the safety and cost-effectiveness of TRT for men with hypogonadism, while also exploring men's personal experiences with the treatment.
  • - A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted, evaluating data from multiple studies, to assess primary outcomes like mortality and cardiovascular events, ultimately creating a model to analyze the economic benefits of TRT in improving quality of life.
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  • Peripheral artery disease is characterized by artery narrowing or blockage, leading to reduced blood flow and associated risks, but early intervention can decrease complications and mortality.
  • Traditional detection using the ankle-brachial pressure index can be uncomfortable for patients with leg ulcers, prompting the exploration of automated devices as a more acceptable alternative.
  • The appraisal aims to evaluate both the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of these automated devices for diagnosing peripheral artery disease in patients with leg ulcers, using various studies and economic models for analysis.
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Objective: To inform interventions focused on safely reducing urgent paediatric short stay admissions (SSAs) for convulsions.

Methods: Routinely acquired administrative data from hospital admissions in Scotland between 2015-2017 investigated characteristics of unscheduled SSAs (an urgent admission where admission and discharge occur on the same day) for a diagnosis of febrile and/or afebrile convulsions. Semi-structured interviews to explore perspectives of health professionals (n = 19) making referral or admission decisions about convulsions were undertaken.

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Objectives: To identify and prioritise interventions, from the perspectives of parents and health professionals, which may be alternatives to current unscheduled paediatric urgent care pathways.

Design: FLAMINGO (FLow of AdMissions in chIldren and youNG peOple) is a sequential mixed-methods study, with public and patient involvement (PPI) throughout. Data linkage for urgent admissions and three referral sources: emergency department, out of hours service and general practice, was followed by qualitative interviews with parents and professionals.

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Background: Testosterone replacement therapy is known to improve sexual function in men younger than 40 years with pathological hypogonadism. However, the extent to which testosterone alleviates sexual dysfunction in older men and men with obesity is unclear, despite the fact that testosterone is being increasingly prescribed to these patient populations. We aimed to evaluate whether subgroups of men with low testosterone derive any symptomatic benefit from testosterone treatment.

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  • - The study aimed to analyze the variation in pediatric short stay admission (SSA) rates across different Health Board regions in Scotland from 2015-2017, finding significant differences influenced by geographical and service-related factors.
  • - Researchers conducted mixed-methods analysis, comparing data from 11 regions and interviewing healthcare professionals and parents in five selected areas to understand the underlying reasons for these variations.
  • - The results indicated a fivefold variation in SSA rates, with higher rates in deprived communities, while factors such as service accessibility and definitions of SSA contributed to these discrepancies, although socioeconomic factors were not frequently mentioned by professionals during admissions.
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Background: Nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) accounts for 75% of bladder cancers. It is common and costly. Cost and detriment to patient outcomes and quality of life are driven by high recurrence rates and the need for regular invasive surveillance and repeat treatments.

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Introduction: The gestation when small for gestational age (SGA) is first associated with asthma is not well understood. Here, we use routinely acquired data from 10 weeks gestation to up to 28 years of age to test the hypothesis that SGA before birth is associated with an increased risk for asthma in a large population born between 1987 and 2015.

Methods: Databases were linked to produce a single database that held antenatal fetal ultrasound measurements; maternal characteristics; birth measurements; childhood anthropometric measurements at age 5 years; hospital admission data (1987-2015); and family doctor prescribing (2009-2015).

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  • The study aimed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of two interventions, a personalized exercise program (PEP) and a cognitive behavioral approach (CBA), for patients with chronic fatigue linked to inflammatory rheumatic diseases compared to standard care (UC).
  • After analyzing data from a clinical trial over 56 weeks, it was found that both PEP and CBA were more expensive than UC, with PEP being significantly more effective at improving patients' quality of life.
  • The findings suggest that adding PEP to standard care is likely a cost-effective option, with high probability of being beneficial to the UK healthcare system based on cost-per-quality-adjusted life year (QALY) gained.
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Introduction: This study identified the referral source for urgent short-stay admissions (SSAs) and compared characteristics of children with SSA stratified by different referral sources.

Methods: Routinely acquired data from urgent admissions to Scottish hospitals during 2015-2017 were linked to data held by the three referral sources: emergency department (ED), out-of-hours (OOH) service and general practice (GP).

Results: There were 171 039 admissions including 92 229 (54%) SSAs.

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Background: Numbers of urgent short stay admissions (SSAs) of children to UK hospitals are rising rapidly. This paper reports on experiences of SSAs from the perspective of parents accessing urgent care for their acutely unwell child and of health professionals referring, caring for, or admitting children.

Methods: A qualitative interview study was conducted by a multi-disciplinary team with patient and public involvement (PPI) to explore contextual factors relating to SSAs and better understand pre-hospital urgent care pathways.

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  • A study was done to see if remote therapy programs could help people with chronic fatigue who have inflammatory rheumatic diseases.
  • Researchers tested two types of support: cognitive behavioral therapy (CBA) and personalized exercise programs (PEP) against regular care only.
  • They found that both CBA and PEP helped reduce fatigue better than just the usual care among the patients involved.
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Stainless steel 316L is a widely used structural material in the nuclear industry because of its excellent corrosion resistance and mechanical properties. However, very little research can be found on its viscoplastic behaviour and microstructure evolution at warm and hot deformation conditions, which hinder the possible application of advanced manufacturing technologies for producing complex parts, such as superplastic forming or hydroforming. The aims of this study are to explore stainless steel 316L's viscoplastic behaviour, to determine its strain rate sensitivities, and to reveal its underlying microstructure evolution; this will allow appropriate manufacturing (forming) technologies and the optimal forming condition to be determined.

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Introduction And Hypothesis: Our aim was to compare the mid-term results of native tissue, biological xenograft and polypropylene mesh surgery for women with vaginal wall prolapse.

Methods: A total of 1348 women undergoing primary transvaginal repair of an anterior and/or posterior prolapse were recruited between January 2010 and August 2013 from 35 UK centres. They were randomised by remote allocation to native tissue surgery, biological xenograft or polypropylene mesh.

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Objectives: To assess the cost-effectiveness, resource use implications, quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) and cost per QALY of care pathways starting with either extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy (SWL) or with ureteroscopic retrieval (ureteroscopy [URS]) for the management of ureteric stones.

Patients And Methods: Data on quality of life and resource use for 613 patients, collected prospectively in the Therapeutic Interventions for Stones of the Ureter (TISU) randomized controlled trial (ISRCTN 92289221), were used to assess the cost-effectiveness of two care pathways, SWL and URS. A health provider (UK National Health Service) perspective was adopted to estimate the costs of the interventions and subsequent resource use.

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Background: Currently, with stroke burden increasing, there is a need to explore therapeutic options that ameliorate the acute insult. There is substantial evidence of a neuroprotective effect of marine-derived n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in animal models of stroke, leading to a better functional outcome.

Objectives: To assess the effects of administration of marine-derived n-3 PUFAs on functional outcomes and dependence in people with stroke.

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Background: Testosterone is the standard treatment for male hypogonadism, but there is uncertainty about its cardiovascular safety due to inconsistent findings. We aimed to provide the most extensive individual participant dataset (IPD) of testosterone trials available, to analyse subtypes of all cardiovascular events observed during treatment, and to investigate the effect of incorporating data from trials that did not provide IPD.

Methods: We did a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials including IPD.

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Background: Relapse is a major determinant of outcome for people with a diagnosis of schizophrenia. Early warning signs frequently precede relapse. A recent Cochrane Review found low-quality evidence to suggest a positive effect of early warning signs interventions on hospitalisation and relapse.

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Background: Early warning signs monitoring by service users with schizophrenia has shown promise in preventing relapse but the quality of evidence is low. We aimed to establish the feasibility of undertaking a definitive randomised controlled trial to determine the effectiveness of a blended digital intervention for relapse prevention in schizophrenia.

Methods: This multicentre, feasibility, cluster randomised controlled trial aimed to compare Early signs Monitoring to Prevent relapse in psychosis and prOmote Well-being, Engagement, and Recovery (EMPOWER) with treatment as usual in community mental health services (CMHS) in Glasgow and Melbourne.

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Background: The age at onset of the association between poverty and poor health is not understood. Our hypothesis was that individuals from highest household income (HI), compared to those with lowest HI, will have increased fetal size in the second and third trimester and birth.

Methods: Second and third trimester fetal ultrasound measurements and birth measurements were obtained from eight cohorts.

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Background: Convulsive status epilepticus is defined as ≥ 5 minutes of either continuous seizure activity or repetitive seizures without regaining consciousness. It is regarded as an emergency condition that requires prompt treatment to avoid hospitalisation and to reduce morbidity and mortality. Rapid pre-hospital first-line treatment of convulsive status epilepticus is currently benzodiazepines, administered either by trained caregivers in the community (e.

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Background: Urinary stone disease affects 2-3% of the general population. Ureteric stones are associated with severe pain and can have a significant impact on a patient's quality of life. Most ureteric stones are expected to pass spontaneously with supportive care; however, between one-fifth and one-third of patients require an active intervention.

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Background: Acute kidney injury is a serious complication that occurs in the context of an acute critical illness or during a postoperative period. Earlier detection of acute kidney injury may facilitate strategies to preserve renal function, prevent further disease progression and reduce mortality. Acute kidney injury diagnosis relies on a rise in serum creatinine levels and/or fall in urine output; however, creatinine is an imperfect marker of kidney function.

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Background: Convulsive status epilepticus is the most severe form of epilepsy and requires urgent treatment. We synthesised the current evidence on first-line treatments for controlling seizures in adults with convulsive status epilepticus before, or at, arrival at hospital.

Methods: We conducted a systematic review of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) assessing antiepileptic drugs offered to adults as first-line treatments.

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