Publications by authors named "BARBER T"

Objectives: Chronic kidney disease has a global morbidity burden of >10%, with diabetes being a major cause.  Nutrition therapy is vital in managing both chronic conditions, yet CKD dietary guidelines contradict healthy eating advice, and can result in major psychological and social burdens. Few studies investigate the patient's experience of being placed on such a restrictive diet.

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Background: SARS-CoV-2 antibody levels have been proposed as a correlate of protection (CoP) from infection. Yet, large-scale prospective studies of cost-effective scalable antibody measures as predictors of infection under real-world conditions are limited. We examined whether antibody levels measured using high-throughput variant-specific SARS-CoV-2 anti-spike immunoglobulin G (IgG) and ACE2-neutralization assays correlate with cell-based neutralizing antibody (NAb) measurements, and whether they can serve as a reasonable CoP from SARS-CoV-2 infection.

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Tire and road wear particles (TRWP) are generated at the frictional interface between tires and the road surface. This mixture of tire tread and road pavement materials can migrate from roads into nearby water bodies during precipitation events. The absence of mass-based measurements in marine environments introduces uncertainty in environmental risk assessments and fate and transport models.

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Article Synopsis
  • Heart failure is prevalent among hemodialysis patients, and high flow arteriovenous fistulas (AVFs) may be a risk factor; this study aims to create a predictive model to identify patients at risk of developing high flow AVFs.
  • Using data from 366 patients, the study compared various machine learning models to predict high flow AVF development, finding that the bootstrap forest model was the most effective.
  • Results showed that while 31.4% of patients had high flow AVFs, and 24.9% developed heart failure after AVF creation, no direct correlation was found between AVF flow and the onset of heart failure or death post-creation.
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Article Synopsis
  • - Arteriovenous fistula (AVF) is the ideal vascular access for patients undergoing hemodialysis, created by surgically connecting an artery and vein, but research indicates that many do not function beyond a year.
  • - This study utilized fluid-structure interaction (FSI) modeling to analyze non-Newtonian blood flow in a specific type of AVF over a 15-week and 1.5-year period, assessing both hemodynamic changes and wall alterations through ultrasound.
  • - Key findings included the presence of counter-rotating vortices affecting pressure, different patterns of blood flow characteristics over time, minimal low-wall shear stress in healthy AVFs, and shifts in areas of maximum wall deformation as time
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Flowering time synchronizes reproductive development with favorable environmental conditions to optimize yield. Improved understanding of the genetic control of flowering will help optimize varietal adaptation to future agricultural systems under climate change. Here, we investigate the genetic basis of flowering time in winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.

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VHL disease is an inherited and autosomal dominant disorder affecting 1 in 36,0000 individuals worldwide. It is caused by von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) gene mutations and can affect both genders and all ethnic backgrounds (Nordstrom-O'Brien et al., 2009; Maher, 2004).

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Introduction: The equity-focused ILANA study evaluated feasibility, acceptability, appropriateness of delivering on-label two-monthly cabotegravir and rilpivirine (CAB+RPV) injections for HIV-1 therapy in clinics and community settings.

Methods: The study, which mandated inclusive recruitment, was conducted May-December 2022 at six UK sites. Injections were delivered in clinic (months 1-6), and in clinic or community setting according to patient choice (months 6-12).

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Background: Opt-out Emergency Department blood borne virus (EDBBV) screening was introduced at the Royal Free Hospital under the NHSEI (NHS England and NHS Improvement) programme to expand opt-out testing in local authority areas with high HIV prevalence. This initiative was part of the "Toward Zero" policy towards ending HIV transmission in England by 2030.

Methods: All patients attending the Royal Free Hospital Emergency Department (ED) aged 16 and over were screened for blood borne viruses (HIV/HBV/HCV) unless they opted out.

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Objective: An investigation was performed to determine the relevant hemodynamic parameters which could help assess vascular pathology in human diseases. Using these parameters, this study aims to assess if there are any hemodynamic differences in the cerebral veins of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients and controls which could impact the etiology of MS.

Methods: 40 MS participants and 20 controls were recruited for this study.

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Article Synopsis
  • Globally, while people are living longer, many experience a decline in health due to age-related diseases, highlighting the need for better classification systems to address these issues.
  • A consensus meeting with 150 experts established criteria for identifying ageing-related pathologies, requiring a 70% agreement for approval among participants.
  • The agreed criteria focus on conditions that progress with age, contribute to functional decline, and are backed by human studies, setting a foundation for future classification and staging efforts.
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The Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) is usually the most significant HIV conference of the year in terms of basic and clinical scientific output. CROI 2024 in Denver, USA, felt very much back to 'business as usual' following COVID-19 disruptions that had impacted preceding years, but also felt more global and outward- facing. The British HIV Association supports a working group to attend CROI annually and deliver feedback in the UK.

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The prevalence of obesity globally has tripled over the last half century, and currently affects around 650 million adults and 340 million children and adolescents (ages 5-19 years). Obesity contributes towards >50 co-morbidities and premature mortality. Obesity is a highly stigmatised condition that is associated with much mental and emotional distress and dysfunction.

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Aims: Obesity is a leading contributor to global morbidity and mortality. Short sleep duration is significantly associated with the incidence of obesity, however, it remains unclear whether this relationship is influenced by sex. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to systematically evaluate the evidence of whether the association between short sleep duration and obesity differs between males and females.

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Arteriovenous fistula (AVF) is the optimal form of vascular access for most haemodialysis dependant patients; however, it is prone to the formation of stenoses that compromise utility and longevity. Whilst there are many factors influencing the development of these stenoses, pathological flow-related phenomena may also incite the formation of intimal hyperplasia, and hence a stenosis. Repeated CFD-derived resistance was calculated for six patient who had a radiocephalic AVF, treated with an interwoven nitinol stent around the juxta-anastomotic region to address access dysfunction.

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Introduction: Three-dimensional fractional moving blood volume (3D-FMBV) may provide superior noninvasive measurement of feto-placental perfusion compared to current methods. This study investigated the feasibility and repeatability of producing 3D-FMBV measurements of the placenta, fetal liver, kidney, and brain in a single ultrasound consultation.

Methods: The placenta, fetal liver, kidney, and brain were scanned in triplicate using 3D power Doppler ultrasound (3D-PDU) in 48 women ≥22 weeks of gestation with healthy fetuses.

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A myasthenic crisis denotes a severe exacerbation of myasthenia gravis, leading a patient to enter a life-threatening state due to progressing muscle weakness that ultimately results in respiratory failure. A crisis can require intubation, mechanical ventilation, and additional critical care to prevent further decompensation and potentially death. Numerous well-documented precipitating factors exist, such as infections, surgery, stress, and various medications.

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Article Synopsis
  • Long-acting injectable cabotegravir + rilpivirine (CAB + RPV LAI) was approved in November 2021 for use in virally suppressed adults in England and Wales, and the evaluation of its delivery processes took place across 12 clinics.* -
  • A total of 518 adults were approved for CAB + RPV LAI from February 2022 to December 2023, with 423 receiving at least one injection; the treatment had a median duration of 7.5 months and a high adherence rate of 97% for timely injections.* -
  • Results indicated only 0.7% experienced virological failure and 6% discontinued treatment, showcasing that effective clinic protocols and
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Objective: The study aimed to investigate the feasibility of a remote mindfulness based self-management intervention for individuals with type 2 diabetes. It is important to further our understanding of how to improve self-management to improve health outcomes and low levels of uptake to self-management courses.

Method: 29 participants with type 2 diabetes were recruited from the University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire NHS trust.

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Objective: Placental insufficiency contributes to many obstetric pathologies however there is no bedside clinical tool to evaluate placental perfusion. We have developed a method to acquire multiple three-dimensional power Doppler ultrasound (3D PD-US) volumes of placental vasculature with infrared camera tracking providing global coordinates. These are automatically reconstructed ('stitched') into a model of the entire placenta.

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Drug-induced aseptic meningitis is a rare condition that occurs because of an adverse reaction to medications such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and antibiotics. Unlike bacterial or viral meningitis, aseptic meningitis is not caused by an infection, but rather by an inflammatory response. This condition creates a challenge since patients with aseptic meningitis often present with classic clinical meningeal symptoms, including fever, headache, and neck stiffness.

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Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) induced TGF-β hyperactivation and reduced expression of cell adhesion proteins in the lung, suggesting that the disruption of retinoic acid (RA) signaling leads to epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). To elucidate the role of lung vitamin A status in EMT, several EMT markers and the expression of the proprotein convertase furin, which activates TGF-β, were analyzed in two experimental models. Our in vivo model included control rats, VAD rats, and both control rats and VAD rats, treated with RA.

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