Publications by authors named "Craig J"

Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to investigate the relationship between the apolipoprotein E (E4) allele and the prevalence of glaucoma in large genetic cohorts, including data from over 438,000 participants in the UK Biobank and several other studies.* -
  • Results indicated that the E4 allele was inversely associated with glaucoma and negative control conditions like cataract and diabetic eye disease in the UK Biobank, suggesting a potential protective effect.* -
  • However, a separate association was found linking Alzheimer's dementia (AD) with both glaucoma and cataract, indicating complexities in the relationship between E4 and these eye conditions, with replication analyses failing to confirm initial findings.*
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: Cross-sectional studies on dry eye disease (DED) have relied on different diagnoses hindering conclusions about the disease epidemiology. This study offers an insight into DED epidemiology in the UK using prior and recent diagnostic recommendations.

Methods: Study participants comprised 282 volunteers from Birmingham, UK (median 40 years, range 18-88 years, 56% females).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is cured in over 60% of patients, but outcomes are poor for patients with relapsed or refractory disease (rrDLBCL). Here, we performed whole genome/exome sequencing (WGS/WES) on tumors from 73 serially-biopsied patients with rrDLBCL. Based on the observation that outcomes to salvage therapy/autologous stem cell transplantation are related to time-to-relapse, we stratified patients into groups according to relapse timing to explore the relationship to genetic divergence and sensitivity to salvage immunochemotherapy.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: We wanted to assess whether a regional approach to bed management and staffing could improve financial sustainability without reducing services in rural communities.

Methods: Regional approaches to patient placement, hospital throughput, and staffing were coupled with enhanced services at 1 hub hospital and 4 critical access hospitals.

Results: We improved the use of patient beds in the 4 critical access hospitals, increased hub hospital capacity, and improved the health system's financial performance while maintaining or enhancing services at the critical access hospitals.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Most patients with kidney failure commence and continue hemodialysis (HD) thrice weekly. Incremental initiation (defined as HD less than thrice weekly) is increasingly considered to be safe and less burdensome, but little is known about patients' perspectives. We aimed to describe patients' priorities and concerns regarding incremental HD.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The age-related increase in α-adrenergic tone may contribute to decreased leg vascular conductance (LVC) both at rest and during exercise in the old. However, the effect on passive leg movement (PLM)-induced LVC, a measure of vascular function, which is markedly attenuated in this population, is unknown. Thus, in eight young (25 ± 5 yr) and seven old (65 ± 7 yr) subjects, this investigation examined the impact of systemic β-adrenergic blockade (propanalol, PROP) alone, and PROP combined with either α-adrenergic stimulation (phenylephrine, PE) or α-adrenergic inhibition (phentolamine, PHEN), on PLM-induced vasodilation.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: To assess the association between physical activity and spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT)-measured rates of macular thinning in an adult population with primary open-angle glaucoma.

Methods: The correlation between accelerometer-measured physical activity and rates of macular ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer (GCIPL) thinning was measured in 735 eyes from 388 participants of the Progression Risk of Glaucoma: RElevant SNPs with Significant Association (PROGRESSA) study. The association between accelerometer-measured physical activity and cross-sectional SD-OCT macular thickness was then assessed in 8862 eyes from 6152 participants available for analysis in the UK Biobank who had SD-OCT, ophthalmic, comorbidity, and demographic data.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: IgA vasculitis (IgAV), previously known as Henoch-Schönlein purpura, is the most common vasculitis of childhood but may also occur in adults. This small vessel vasculitis is characterised by palpable purpura, abdominal pain, arthritis or arthralgia and kidney involvement. This is an update of a review first published in 2009 and updated in 2015.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Self-monitoring of blood pressure is a key strategy in managing hypertension but may be challenging and burdensome for patients. The aim of the study was to describe the perspectives and experiences of self-monitoring of blood pressure in patients with hypertension.

Methods: MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, and CINAHL were searched from database inception to March 2022.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

An experimental and computational investigation of in situ chemical oxidation (ISCO) of weathered diesel fuel in soil columns was undertaken to validate a reactive-transport model capable of predicting contaminant mass reduction from a residual source zone. Reactivity tests with contaminated groundwater in batch reactors were used to estimate a priori the kinetic parameters of a phenomenological model of the oxidation of petroleum hydrocarbon (PHC) mixture fractions. The transport model, which incorporated groundwater flow, dissolution of main PHC fractions, and homogeneous reaction in the aqueous phase, was subsequently validated against experimental data of ISCO in soil columns using repetitive treatments with unactivated and alkaline-activated persulfate.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Cancer is an important outcome in kidney transplantation, but the scope and consistency of how cancer is defined and reported in trials involving kidney transplant recipients has not been evaluated. This study aimed to assess the range and variability of cancer outcomes in trials involving kidney transplant recipients.

Methods: The ClinicalTrials.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: Genetic variants in regions that include the mitochondrial genes thioredoxin reductase 2 (TXNRD2) and malic enzyme 3 (ME3) are associated with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) in genome-wide association studies (GWASs). To assess their clinical impact, we investigated whether TXNRD2 and ME3 genetic risk scores (GRSs) are associated with specific glaucoma phenotypes.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) are commonly used to treat anaemia in people with chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, their use has been associated with cardiovascular events. This is an update of a Cochrane review first published in 2014.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Menopause is associated with vascular dysfunction and increased risk of developing metabolic syndrome. Associations between vascular and metabolic health, and interactions with aerobic exercise training, are unknown in postmenopausal women (PMW).

Methods: In habitually aerobically trained PMW (PMWtr; n = 10; 57 ± 1 years; 40 ± 1 mL/kg/min), strain-gauge plethysmography was used to compare resting and peak calf blood flow (CBFr and CBFpk, respectively) and vascular resistance (CVRr; CVRpk) versus untrained PMW (PMWun; n = 13; 56 ± 1 years; 29 ± 1 mL/kg/min) and premenopausal women (PreM; n = 14; 26 ± 1 years; 40 ± 1 mL/kg/min).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

To assess the transcriptomic profile of disease-specific cell populations, fibroblasts from patients with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) were reprogrammed into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) before being differentiated into retinal organoids and compared with those from healthy individuals. We performed single-cell RNA sequencing of a total of 247,520 cells and identified cluster-specific molecular signatures. Comparing the gene expression profile between cases and controls, we identified novel genetic associations for this blinding disease.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background And Aims: Epigenetic modifications are associated with hepatic fat accumulation and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). However, few epigenetic modifications directly implicated in such processes have been identified during adolescence, a critical developmental window where physiological changes could influence future disease trajectory. To investigate the association between DNA methylation and NAFLD in adolescence, we undertook discovery and validation of novel methylation marks, alongside replication of previously reported marks.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: Many women with epilepsy need to continue anti-seizure medications (ASMs) throughout pregnancy. The current study investigated adaptive behaviour outcomes in children exposed to topiramate in the womb.

Method: An observational, cross-sectional study was designed, recruiting mother-child-pairs from the UK Epilepsy and Pregnancy Register (UKEPR).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) reduces quality-of-life and hinders work productivity of millions of patients, with high direct and indirect societal costs. Thickened meibum obstructs the glands and disrupts ocular surface health. Heating the eyelids to soften and express meibum from the glands can be beneficial.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Dental caries is a microbial disease and the most common chronic health condition, affecting nearly 3.5 billion people worldwide. In this study, we used a multiomics approach to characterize the supragingival plaque microbiome of 91 Australian children, generating 658 bacterial and 189 viral metagenome-assembled genomes with transcriptional profiling and gene-expression network analysis.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Prior research suggests the elementary school lunchroom is an important context for children's social development. Using a sample of 659 fourth-grade students in 10 public schools (50.7% female; 42.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Reading and spelling skills are important to communicate in today's literate society, however, the underlying processes of spelling skills are under-researched compared to reading skills. Our goals were to (a) study how the component skills of phonological, orthographic and morphological awareness are different in adults with and without reading difficulties, and (b) characterize the relationship between the component skills and reading and spelling performance in both skilled and poor readers. Participants (N = 37, N = 15 with reading impairments and N = 22 skilled readers) took part in the study where they completed several literacy-based measures.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Cancer incidence and mortality may change with varying kidney allograft function and after graft loss. We aimed to quantify cancer incidence and mortality during periods with a functioning graft and after graft loss.

Methods: We included all adult Australians aged 20 and above who commenced kidney replacement therapy between 1982 and 2014 using data from Australia and New Zealand Dialysis and Transplant Registry.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF