Publications by authors named "Clare D"

Introduction: Pathway innovation using smartphone otoscopy and tablet-based audiometry technologies to deliver ear and hearing services via trained audiologists may improve efficiency of the service. An ENT-integrated-community-ear service (ENTICES-combining community audiology management, remote ENT review and novel technologies) was piloted. We aimed to assess the efficiency and safety of ENTICES.

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The widespread adoption of cryoEM technologies for structural biology has pushed the discipline to new frontiers. A significant worldwide effort has refined the single-particle analysis (SPA) workflow into a reasonably standardized procedure. Significant investments of development time have been made, particularly in sample preparation, microscope data-collection efficiency, pipeline analyses and data archiving.

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Electron cryo-microscopy image-processing workflows are typically composed of elements that may, broadly speaking, be categorized as high-throughput workloads which transition to high-performance workloads as preprocessed data are aggregated. The high-throughput elements are of particular importance in the context of live processing, where an optimal response is highly coupled to the temporal profile of the data collection. In other words, each movie should be processed as quickly as possible at the earliest opportunity.

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Simulations of cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) images of biological samples can be used to produce test datasets to support the development of instrumentation, methods, and software, as well as to assess data acquisition and analysis strategies. To be useful, these simulations need to be based on physically realistic models which include large volumes of amorphous ice. The gold standard model for EM image simulation is a physical atom-based ice model produced using molecular dynamics simulations.

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Article Synopsis
  • - Hemocyanins are multi-protein complexes in the blood of arthropods and molluscs, functioning as oxygen transporters, with structures featuring decameric building blocks that can assemble in larger structures (didecamer, tridecamer) displaying specific symmetries.
  • - The study utilized cryo-electron microscopy (cryoEM) to examine hemocyanin structures from the slipper limpet at high resolution, revealing unique assembly configurations and suggesting the presence of various higher-order multimers.
  • - By using Alphafold for molecular modeling, researchers highlighted the structural similarities between the studied hemocyanin and other known hemocyanins, providing insight into the assembly mechanisms and functional units involved
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Article Synopsis
  • A TMJ Patient-Led RoundTable initiative was formed due to inconsistent reports about TMJ implant outcomes, leading to the need for a Coordinated Registry Network (CRN) to gather and analyze data on temporomandibular disorders (TMD) and their treatment.
  • The study aimed to establish a core minimum dataset for TMD patients, using a Delphi survey to collect and refine data elements based on input from 92 participants, retaining only those with over 75% consensus.
  • Ultimately, 397 data elements were selected for inclusion, with a focus on integrating these into the HIVE web application and CHIOS™ blockchain platform to enhance data reliability and patient consent tracking.
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Coral reef ecosystems are expected to undergo significant declines over the coming decades as oceans become warmer and more acidic. We investigate the environmental tolerances of over 650 Scleractinian coral species based on the conditions found within their present-day ranges and in areas where they are currently absent but could potentially reach via larval dispersal. These "environmental envelopes" and connectivity constraints are then used to develop global forecasts for potential coral species richness under two emission scenarios, representing the Paris Agreement target ("SSP1-2.

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Membrane proteins (MPs) are essential components of all biological membranes, contributing to key cellular functions that include signalling, molecular transport and energy metabolism. Consequently, MPs are important biomedical targets for therapeutics discovery. Despite hardware and software developments in cryo-electron microscopy, as well as MP sample preparation, MPs smaller than 100 kDa remain difficult to study structurally.

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Education regarding ballistic injuries in the emergency department is sparse and may rarely be encountered if not training or practicing in a trauma center or a military wartime setting. This article provides a comprehensive review on the management of ballistic injuries in the emergency department, including how to assess and manage gunshot wounds, how to recognize when further imaging or evaluation is needed, and how to recognize when transfer to another facility is required. Algorithms are proposed for the management of gunshot wounds based on body part: head, neck, chest and abdomen, and extremities/soft tissue.

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Background: Many patients with temporomandibular disorders (TMD) find it difficult to undergo dental care due to challenges caused by their condition, previous temporomandibular joint surgery or invasive dental procedures, and the impact of comorbid conditions. Managing routine dental care for some patients with TMD can be seen as challenging by some dental practitioners.

Objective: The objective of this study was to work with patients experiencing TMD and clinicians to co-produce recommendations aimed at helping general dentists to provide routine dental care for patients with TMD.

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Background: Understanding symptoms of temporomandibular joint disorders (TMDs) can help doctors and patients document, monitor, and manage the disease and help researchers evaluate interventions. Patients with TMDs experience symptoms ranging from mild to severe, primarily in the head and neck region. This study describes findings from formative patient focus groups to capture, categorize, and prioritize symptoms of TMDs towards the development of a patient-reported outcome measure (PROM).

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Serial focussed ion beam scanning electron microscopy (FIB/SEM) enables imaging and assessment of subcellular structures on the mesoscale (10 nm to 10 µm). When applied to vitrified samples, serial FIB/SEM is also a means to target specific structures in cells and tissues while maintaining constituents' hydration shells for in situ structural biology downstream. However, the application of serial FIB/SEM imaging of non-stained cryogenic biological samples is limited due to low contrast, curtaining, and charging artefacts.

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Developments in cryo-EM have allowed atomic or near-atomic resolution structure determination to become routine in single particle analysis (SPA). However, near-atomic resolution structures determined using cryo-electron tomography and sub-tomogram averaging (cryo-ET STA) are much less routine. In this paper, we show that collecting cryo-ET STA data using the same conditions as SPA, with both correlated double sampling (CDS) and the super-resolution mode, allowed apoferritin to be reconstructed out to the physical Nyquist frequency of the images.

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Camelid single-domain antibodies, also known as nanobodies, can be readily isolated from naïve libraries for specific targets but often bind too weakly to their targets to be immediately useful. Laboratory-based genetic engineering methods to enhance their affinity, termed maturation, can deliver useful reagents for different areas of biology and potentially medicine. Using the receptor binding domain (RBD) of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike protein and a naïve library, we generated closely related nanobodies with micromolar to nanomolar binding affinities.

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The specimen preparation process is a key determinant in the success of any cryo electron microscopy (cryoEM) structural study and until recently had remained largely unchanged from the initial designs of Jacques Dubochet and others in the 1980s. The process has transformed structural biology, but it is largely manual and can require extensive optimisation for each protein sample. The chameleon instrument with its self-wicking grids and fast-plunge freezing represents a shift towards a robust, automated, and highly controllable future for specimen preparation.

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Biological traits analysis (BTA) provides insight into causes and consequences of biodiversity change that cannot be achieved using traditional taxonomic approaches. However, acquiring information on biological traits (i.e.

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Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has catalysed the need to implement the National Health Service Long-Term Plan to deliver more care in the community and to reduce face-to-face hospital appointments by up to 33%. This study aimed to assess the feasibility of a remote otology service from triage through to delivery.

Methods: New adult otology referrals at a tertiary ear, nose and throat (ENT) hospital aged between 18 and 70 with hearing loss or tinnitus were included.

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Cryo-electron tomography and subtomogram averaging (STA) has developed rapidly in recent years. It provides structures of macromolecular complexes in situ and in cellular context at or below subnanometer resolution and has led to unprecedented insights into the inner working of molecular machines in their native environment, as well as their functional relevant conformations and spatial distribution within biological cells or tissues. Given the tremendous potential of cryo-electron tomography STA in in situ structural cell biology, we previously developed emClarity, a graphics processing unit-accelerated image-processing software that offers STA and classification of macromolecular complexes at high resolution.

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In cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET) of biological samples, the quality of tomographic reconstructions can vary depending on the transmission electron microscope (TEM) instrument and data acquisition parameters. In this paper, we present Parakeet, a 'digital twin' software pipeline for the assessment of the impact of various TEM experiment parameters on the quality of three-dimensional tomographic reconstructions. The Parakeet digital twin is a digital model that can be used to optimize the performance and utilization of a physical instrument to enable optimization of sample geometries, data acquisition schemes and instrument parameters.

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SARS-CoV-2 remains a global threat to human health particularly as escape mutants emerge. There is an unmet need for effective treatments against COVID-19 for which neutralizing single domain antibodies (nanobodies) have significant potential. Their small size and stability mean that nanobodies are compatible with respiratory administration.

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Dynamin belongs to the large GTPase superfamily, and mediates the fission of vesicles during endocytosis. Dynamin molecules are recruited to the neck of budding vesicles to assemble into a helical collar and to constrict the underlying membrane. Two helical forms were observed: the one-start helix in the constricted state and the two-start helix in the super-constricted state.

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