Publications by authors named "Bamford A"

While policy efforts to promote health through integration across sectors are not new, the 2022 UK Health and Care Act formalised Integrated Care Systems (ICSs) as legal entities with statutory powers in England. This includes a legal responsibility to commission adequate palliative and end-of-life care services, including bereavement support, for the communities they serve. Cross-sector partnerships that leverage community assets are recommended to tackle inequities towards the end of life and in bereavement.

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  • - The study aimed to examine the occurrence of drug resistance mutations related to integrase strand transfer inhibitors (INSTI-DRMs) in children and adolescents with perinatally acquired HIV who were referred to a perinatal virtual clinic.
  • - Among 114 cases reviewed from October 2018 to January 2024, 90% had available resistance sequences, with significant findings showing that many had prior ART exposure and a notable percentage of those developed INSTI-DRMs, primarily from low/middle-income countries.
  • - The research recommended treatment adjustments, emphasizing the need for enhanced access to effective therapies and the importance of addressing drug resistance in this patient population, particularly those with extensive treatment histories.
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  • A survey was conducted among 32 senior clinicians across 20 European countries to understand current practices in postnatal prophylaxis (PNP) and infant feeding guidelines.
  • Twenty-three clinicians responded, revealing that all countries use risk stratification for PNP, but methods and regimens widely differ, with zidovudine being the most commonly used drug.
  • There is significant variation in guidelines regarding infant feeding for babies born to HIV-positive parents, highlighting the need for harmonization in policies to minimize HIV transmission and support informed feeding choices.
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Treatment options for children living with HIV have historically been less effective, less practical and more difficult to implement compared with those for adults, as the research and development of new drugs for children has lagged behind. Significant progress has been achieved in response to the paediatric HIV epidemic over the last decade. Several optimised paediatric antiretroviral formulations are currently available or in development, including fixed-dose combination tablets containing a complete World Health Organization-recommended regimen.

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  • The Good Grief Weston festival, co-designed with the community, aimed to enhance death and grief literacy in Weston-super-Mare, attracting around 3000 attendees over 8 days in May 2023.
  • A mixed methods evaluation, including online surveys and focus groups, was conducted to assess participants' experiences and gather insights for future events.
  • Results showed that 71.3% of participants felt more confident discussing grief after attending, with many expressing positive feedback about the festival's impact on their understanding and sense of community.
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The amyloid beta (Aβ) 42/40 ratio has been widely studied as a biomarker in Alzheimer's disease (AD); however, other Aβ peptides could also represent relevant biomarkers. We measured levels of Aβ38/40/42 in plasma samples from cognitively-unimpaired older adults and determined the relationships between Aβ levels and amyloid positron-emission-tomography (PET) and performance on a learning and memory task. We found that all Aβ peptides individually and the Aβ42/40 ratio, but not the Aβ42/38 ratio, were significantly correlated with brain amyloid (Aβ-PET).

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  • Dolutegravir (DTG) is metabolized in the body, producing an inactive form called DTG glucuronide (DTG-gluc), and the study focused on its metabolic ratio (DTG-MR) among 85 HIV-positive children aged 3 months to 18 years.
  • The research found that the overall DTG-MR in children was similar to that in adults and was primarily influenced by the use of rifampicin, which significantly increased the DTG-MR.
  • These results suggest that factors like age, body weight, and type of NRTI treatment do not affect the DTG-MR in children, paving the way for better pharmacokinetic modeling for pediatric patients based on adult data
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Congenital enterovirus infection can be associated with a pro-inflammatory state triggering haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH). Enteroviruses are also known to cause transient neutropenia in healthy children. Two infants presented with temperature instability, lethargy, thrombocytopaenia, hepatosplenomegaly and evidence of hyperinflammation in the setting of perinatal maternal rash and household contacts with gastrointestinal symptoms.

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We characterized population pharmacokinetics in 42 African children receiving once-daily 25 mg (14 to <20 kg) or 50 mg (>20 kg) dolutegravir. Coadministration with emtricitabine and tenofovir alafenamide reduced dolutegravir bioavailability by 19.6% (95% confidence interval: 8.

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Purpose Of Review: Universal antiretroviral (ART) coverage and virological suppression are fundamental to ending AIDS in children by 2030. Availability of new paediatric dolutegravir (DTG)-based ART formulations is a major breakthrough and will undoubtedly help achieve this goal, but treatment challenges still remain.

Recent Findings: Paediatric formulations remain limited compared to those for adults, especially for young children, those unable to tolerate DTG or with DTG-based first-line ART failure.

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  • During autumn/winter 2022, the UK saw an unusual rise in severe group A streptococcal infections in children, primarily manifesting as pneumonia with fluid in the lungs.
  • Clinicians documented 185 cases from children under 16, revealing that most patients were healthy prior to infection, with many also suffering from respiratory viral coinfections.
  • The study underscores the importance of routine vaccinations against common viruses and group A streptococcus, as well as the effectiveness of molecular testing to aid in diagnosis and reporting.
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Identifying which young people living with perinatally acquired HIV (PHIV) are less likely to engage in care is crucial to allow targeted interventions to support them to attend clinic. We adapted an existing Engagement in Care (EIC) algorithm for adults with HIV in England, for use in young people. We applied it to data from young people with PHIV in the Adolescents and Adults Living with Perinatal HIV (AALPHI) cohort.

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Objectives: In trials of acute severe infections or inflammations frequent administration of non-randomised treatment (ie, intercurrent event) in response to clinical events is expected. These events may affect the interpretation of trial findings. Swissped-RECOVERY was set up as one of the first randomised controlled trials worldwide, investigating the comparative effectiveness of anti-inflammatory treatment with intravenous methylprednisolone or intravenous immunoglobulins in children and adolescents with Paediatric Inflammatory Multisystem Syndrome Temporally Associated with SARS-CoV-2 (PIMS-TS).

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  • - Children and neonates are particularly vulnerable to antimicrobial resistance, making the development of suitable antibacterial agents for their use critical due to the existing barriers in research and development.
  • - In late 2022, WHO launched the first Paediatric Drug Optimisation (PADO) exercise focused on antibiotics, which aimed to identify and prioritize antibiotics for research and development that can address serious bacterial infections in children, especially in high-burden regions.
  • - The Review discusses the processes and outcomes of the PADO exercise, outlines follow-up actions for implementation, and emphasizes the importance of collaboration in improving access to essential medicines for children globally.
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Background: There is increasing interest in utilising two-drug regimens for HIV treatment with the goal of reducing toxicity and improve acceptability. The D3 trial evaluates the efficacy and safety of DTG/3TC in children and adolescents and includes a nested pharmacokinetics(PK) substudy for paediatric drug licensing.

Methods: D3 is an ongoing open-label, phase III, 96-week non-inferiority randomised controlled trial(RCT) conducted in South Africa, Spain, Thailand, Uganda and the United Kingdom.

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Cefiderocol, a novel siderophore cephalosporin, represents a treatment option for infections with multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria, of which rates are rising worldwide. Clinical data on its use in children is limited. In our pediatric case series, the largest reported to date, cefiderocol seems safe and well tolerated, with more favorable clinical outcomes when compared to the literature reviewing adult cases.

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  • Reproductive microbiomes play a crucial role in fertility and reproductive health in humans, but data on these microbiomes in most animal species, especially endangered ones like black-footed ferrets, is limited.
  • A study characterized the male and female microbiomes of 59 black-footed ferrets using advanced sequencing techniques, analyzing their links to fertility markers such as offspring viability and sperm concentration.
  • Findings revealed lower variation in vaginal microbiomes, the presence of soil bacteria in wild ferrets, and significant correlations between sperm concentration and specific bacterial taxa in males, indicating the importance of understanding microbiomes for improving conservation efforts.
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Introduction: During the COVID-19 pandemic, evidence emerged that immunosuppressed children were less affected by COVID-19 infections compared with immunosuppressed adults. The aim of our study was to investigate how COVID-19 infections affected paediatric kidney transplant recipients (pKTR) in the UK.

Methods: Questionnaires regarding COVID-19 infection data and care of pKTR during the COVID-19 pandemic were sent to all 13 UK paediatric nephrology centres examining asymptomatic and symptomatic pKTR with positive COVID-19 PCR testing from 1 April 2020 to 1 December 2021.

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  • The study aimed to investigate whether starting valganciclovir treatment after one month of age could enhance hearing in children with congenital cytomegalovirus-associated hearing loss.
  • Researchers conducted a randomized, double-blind trial involving 54 participants aged 1 month to 3 years, comparing the effects of 6 weeks of valganciclovir versus a placebo on hearing outcomes and viral load.
  • Results showed no significant improvement in hearing for the treatment group compared to the placebo, despite a notable reduction in viral load, indicating that starting treatment later does not effectively improve hearing in affected children.
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Darunavir (DRV) is an HIV protease inhibitor commonly used as part of antiretroviral treatment regimens globally for children and adolescents. It requires a pharmacological booster, such as ritonavir (RTV) or cobicistat. To better understand the pharmacokinetics (PK) of DRV in this younger population and the importance of the RTV boosting effect, a population PK substudy was conducted within SMILE trial, where the maintenance of HIV suppression with once daily integrate inhibitor + darunavir/ritonavir in children and adolescents is evaluated.

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The mammalian intestine is one of the most rapidly self-renewing tissues, driven by stem cells residing at the crypt bottom. Paneth cells form a major element of the niche microenvironment providing various growth factors to orchestrate intestinal stem cell homeostasis, such as Wnt3. Different Wnt ligands can selectively activate β-catenin-dependent (canonical) or -independent (noncanonical) signaling.

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Purpose Of Review: HIV screening in pregnancy, universal suppressive antiretroviral therapy (ART) and breastfeeding avoidance can almost completely prevent vertical transmission of HIV. Breastfeeding is associated with an additional risk of transmission, although this risk is extremely low with suppressive maternal ART. This minimal risk must be balanced with the benefits of breastfeeding for women living with HIV (WLHIV) and their infants.

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Background: Evidence suggests that engagement in care (EIC) may be worse in young people living with perinatal HIV (YPLPHIV) compared to adults or children living with HIV. We took a published EIC algorithm for adults with HIV, which takes patients' clinical scenarios into account, and adapted it for use in YPLPHIV in England, to measure their EIC.

Methods: The adult algorithm predicts when in the next 6 months the next clinic visit should be scheduled, based on routinely collected clinical indicators at the current visit.

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