Publications by authors named "DA Bell"

Nitric oxide (NO) is one of the most studied molecules in medical science. The role of NO as an endogenous regulator of inflammation, as an antibacterial agent and as an endogenous gasotransmitter is well established. Even so, despite a plethora of excellent wound healing data, hard-to-heal (chronic) wounds are of epidemic proportions, and still growing in number.

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The persistence of small populations is influenced by the degree and cost of inbreeding, with the degree of inbreeding depending on whether close-kin mating is passively or actively avoided. Few studies have simultaneously studied these factors. We examined inbreeding in a small, isolated population of westslope cutthroat trout using extensive genetic and demographic data.

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  • Adrenal vein sampling (AVS) is the preferred method for identifying unilateral subtypes of primary aldosteronism (PA), which can be treated with surgery for a potential cure.
  • The procedure is technically demanding and often performed by specialized interventional radiologists, but variations in protocols can affect its success and patient care.
  • To standardize AVS practices and improve outcomes, an Australian and New Zealand AVS Working Group was formed to create expert consensus recommendations that can be utilized by all healthcare professionals involved in PA management.
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Introduction: Apolipoprotein (apo)C-III, a key regulator of plasma triglyceride (TG) levels, is a prime candidate for the treatment of hypertriglyceridemia (HTG), prevention of acute pancreatitis, and reduction of future atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) events.

Areas Covered: We discuss the role of apoC-III as a therapeutic target for HTG, describe the pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics, and metabolism of olezarsen, as well as report on the findings of recent clinical trials with this liver-directed antisense oligonucleotide (ASO).

Expert Opinion: Olezarsen, a GalNac-conjugated ASO targeting apoC-III, can reduce TG levels by ~ 50% in patients with extreme HTG due to familial chylomicronemia syndrome, as well as in patients with moderate HTG.

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  • Inherited metabolic diseases in adults are often overlooked, leading to serious health issues and increased risk of death.
  • Diagnosis is difficult due to vague symptoms that can mimic common problems and the belief that these diseases mainly affect children.
  • The paper presents cases of patients with multiple acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency (MADD) to showcase the complexities in diagnosing these disorders in adults.
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Acute hyperammonaemia is a medical emergency as it can progress to cerebral oedema, seizures, coma and death. Hepatic encephalopathy secondary to cirrhotic disease or portosystemic shunting are relatively well-known causes, but non-cirrhotic aetiologies of acute hyperammonaemia are less well-known, especially in the emergency department. However, an elevated ammonia is not required to make the diagnosis of hepatic encephalopathy.

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  • The PLAG1 gene fusions have been found in some uterine myxoid leiomyosarcomas (M-LMS), but there are cases of PLAG1-rearranged uterine sarcomas that do not resemble M-LMS or show smooth muscle markers.
  • A study involving 11 cases of these sarcomas showed diverse features, with patient ages ranging from 34 to 72 years and tumor sizes between 6.5 to 32 cm.
  • Follow-up data indicated varying outcomes; while some patients showed no disease evidence, others experienced disease progression or died within a few years, and the tumors displayed significant morphological diversity, including unusual characteristics like hyalinized stroma and adipocytic differentiation
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  • Lung cancer affects a significant number of never smokers, with epigenetic factors like DNA methylation being explored as potential causes.
  • A study was conducted involving 80 lung cancer cases and 83 controls to identify DNA methylation changes related to lung cancer, using oral rinse samples for analysis.
  • Three DNA methylation positions were found to be significantly associated with lung cancer, hinting at new avenues for understanding the disease in never smokers, although more research is needed to confirm these findings.
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Context.—: Artificial intelligence is a transforming technology for anatomic pathology. Involvement within the workforce will foster support for algorithm development and implementation.

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Elevated plasma lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] is a common, inherited condition independently causing cardiovascular disease. Recent expert recommendations suggest opportunistically testing for elevated Lp(a) during cascade testing for familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH). We investigated the effectiveness of detecting elevated Lp(a) in 103 children and adolescents who were first-degree relatives of 66 adult index FH cases as part of an established FH cascade screening program.

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Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a prevalent chronic lung disease of prematurity with limited treatment options. To uncover biomarkers of BPD risk, this study investigated epigenetic and transcriptomic signatures of prematurity at birth and during the neonatal period at day 14 and 28. Peripheral blood DNAs from preterm infants were applied to methylation arrays and cell-type composition was estimated by deconvolution.

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  • Resource managers often believe increasing genetic diversity is crucial for preventing extinction in small populations, but this might not always be necessary.
  • A study on the peregrine falcon showed that nonmigratory and island populations had lower genomic diversity and higher inbreeding, yet inbreeding might not be a significant threat for all populations.
  • The findings suggest that factors like population decline history may be more important to consider than just genetic diversity when making conservation decisions.
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Context: Hyperparathyroidism-jaw tumor (HPT-JT) syndrome is a heritable form of primary hyperparathyroidism caused by germline inactivating mutations in CDC73 encoding parafibromin and is associated with an increased risk of parathyroid cancer. There is little evidence to guide the management of patients with the disease.

Objective: (1) Characterize the natural history of HPT-JT, (2) correlate genotype and histology of parathyroid tumors with parafibromin immunostaining, (3) understand molecular changes downstream to CDC73 loss.

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Background: Tobacco smoking alters the DNA methylation profiles of immune cells which may underpin some of the pathogenesis of smoking-associated diseases. To link smoking-driven epigenetic effects in specific immune cell types with disease risk, we isolated six leukocyte subtypes, CD14+ monocytes, CD15+ granulocytes, CD19+ B cells, CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells, and CD56+ natural killer cells, from whole blood of 67 healthy adult smokers and 74 nonsmokers for epigenome-wide association study (EWAS) using Illumina 450k and EPIC methylation arrays.

Results: Numbers of smoking-associated differentially methylated sites (smCpGs) at genome-wide significance (p < 1.

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The objective was to determine the clinical and biochemical success rates and assess the nature of follow-up after adrenalectomy in patients with unilateral primary aldosteronism (PA), subtyped by adrenal vein sampling (AVS) in West Australia (WA) using the Primary Aldosteronism Surgical Outcome (PASO) criteria. Clinical and biochemical outcomes were retrospectively evaluated in patients with unilateral PA who underwent adrenalectomy according to AVS between September 2017 and September 2020. Pre- and post-surgical data were collected using a standardised questionnaire, review of clinic letters and examination of private and public pathology results and radiological reports.

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Purpose Of Review: Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) is a leading cause of mortality in adults with type 1 diabetes (T1D). Although dyslipidaemia is a modifiable and prevalent risk factor in individuals with T1D, determining when to initiate lipid-lowering therapy for primary prevention of ASCVD can be challenging. In this article, recommendations for lipid-lowering therapy from updated clinical guidelines over the last 5 years, additional risk-stratification methods, hypertriglyceridaemia management and potential barriers to optimal care in adults with T1D are discussed.

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Background: Increased risk of coronary artery disease (CAD) in familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) is modified by factors beyond defects in the low-density lipoprotein receptor pathway. The rs1250229-T single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the FN1 gene is associated with CAD in genome-wide association studies and is in linkage disequilibrium with another SNP (rs1250259-T) in FN1 that is associated with decrease fibronectin secretion.

Objective: We investigated whether rs1250229-T was also associated with prevalent CAD in patients with genetically confirmed FH.

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Objective: Patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery remain at high cardiovascular risk; however, few studies have evaluated lipid management and attainment of lipid targets in these patients. We investigated the proportion of CABG surgery patients who attained low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) targets.

Methods: Data were retrospectively obtained from patients undergoing CABG surgery at an Australian tertiary hospital between February 2015 and August 2020.

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Background: Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a lung disease in premature infants caused by therapeutic oxygen supplemental and characterized by impaired pulmonary development which persists into later life. While advances in neonatal care have improved survival rates of premature infants, cases of BPD have been increasing with limited therapeutic options for prevention and treatment. This study was designed to explore the relationship between gestational age (GA), birth weight, and estimated blood cell-type composition in premature infants and to elucidate early epigenetic biomarkers associated with BPD.

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Article Synopsis
  • The text mentions a correction to a previously published article with the DOI: 10.1016/j.ajpc.2021.100151.
  • This correction suggests that there were errors or inaccuracies in the original article that needed to be addressed.
  • The updated information is important for researchers and readers who rely on the findings of that specific study.
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In the United States, the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act prohibits take of golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) unless authorized by permit, and stipulates that all permitted take must be sustainable. Golden eagles are unintentionally killed in conjunction with many lawful activities (e.g.

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Summary: We report a case of an 11-year-old girl presenting with a new diagnosis of diabetes associated with a heterozygous missense mutation in the insulin receptor (INSR) gene. This case highlights that INSR gene variants can be a cause for monogenic diabetes in children and adolescents and the need for genetic evaluation in atypical presentations of diabetes. We also describe the possible role of metformin in treating individuals with type A insulin resistance syndrome due to INSR gene variants.

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Background: Polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) exposures have been associated with liver injury in human cohorts, and steatohepatitis with liver necrosis in model systems. MicroRNAs (miRs) maintain cellular homeostasis and may regulate the response to environmental stress.

Objectives: We tested the hypothesis that specific miRs are associated with liver disease and PCB exposures in a residential cohort.

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