Publications by authors named "D L Sparkes"

Antimicrobial resistance is a globally recognised health emergency. Intensive care is an area with significant antimicrobial consumption, particularly increased utilisation of broad-spectrum antibacterials, making stewardship programmes essential. We aimed to explore antibacterial consumption, partnered with pathogen surveillance, over a five-year period (2018 to 2023) in a tertiary referral adult general intensive care unit (ICU).

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Article Synopsis
  • The study assessed the effectiveness of bivalent and monovalent mRNA COVID-19 boosters among UK healthcare workers from October 2023 to March 2024 during the circulation of the XBB.1.5 and JN.1 variants.
  • Among 2867 participants, about half received a booster, and 19% experienced confirmed infections; the monovalent booster showed better effectiveness compared to the bivalent one, especially in the first two months post-vaccination.
  • Results indicated that recent infections boosted immunity, and the findings suggest that tailored vaccines for circulating variants could be beneficial for seasonal immunization among healthcare workers.
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Rationale & Objective: Formalized peer support is a promising approach for addressing the emotional and practical needs of people living with chronic kidney disease (CKD). We systematically identified and summarized peer support interventions studied in individuals with CKD with or without kidney replacement therapy (KRT).

Sources Of Evidence: Search of electronic databases and grey literature sources in March 2023.

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Background: The protection of fourth dose mRNA vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 is relevant to current global policy decisions regarding ongoing booster roll-out. We aimed to estimate the effect of fourth dose vaccination, prior infection, and duration of PCR positivity in a highly-vaccinated and largely prior-COVID-19 infected cohort of UK healthcare workers.

Methods: Participants underwent fortnightly PCR and regular antibody testing for SARS-CoV-2 and completed symptoms questionnaires.

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Third doses of COVID-19 vaccines were widely deployed following the primary vaccine course waning and the emergence of the Omicron-variant. We investigated protection from third-dose vaccines and previous infection against SARS-CoV-2 infection during Delta-variant and Omicron-variant (BA.1 & BA.

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