Publications by authors named "Desmond L"

The prevalence of noncommunicable inflammatory disease is increasing in modern urban societies, posing significant challenges to public health. Novel prevention and therapeutic strategies are needed to effectively deal with this issue. One promising approach is leveraging microorganisms such as Mycobacterium vaccae ATCC 15483, known for its anti-inflammatory, immunoregulatory, and stress-resilience properties.

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Crawfurd Hospital (CFH) set up a Transitional Care Facility (TCF) in November 2022 as an interim holding facility for medically stable patients awaiting a long-term discharge disposition. The team invented the SAFE score, to monitor 4 main domains commonly impacted in long-term stays - namely Skin, Action (Behaviour), Function and Emotion. A sample size of 50 patients met the inclusion criteria and were scored by the nurses on day 7, day 14, and monthly thereafter during their TCF stay, and once more within 72 h prior to their discharge.

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Osteosarcoma (OS) is a rare form of primary bone cancer, impacting approximately 3.4 × 10 individuals worldwide each year, primarily afflicting children. Given the limitations of existing cancer therapies, the emergence of nanotheranostic platforms has generated considerable research interest in recent decades.

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Previous studies have shown that the in vivo administration of soil-derived bacteria with anti-inflammatory and immunoregulatory properties, such as NCTC 11659, can prevent a stress-induced shift toward an inflammatory M1 microglial immunophenotype and microglial priming in the central nervous system (CNS). It remains unclear whether NCTC 11659 can act directly on microglia to mediate these effects. This study was designed to determine the effects of NCTC 11659 on the polarization of naïve BV-2 cells, a murine microglial cell line, and BV-2 cells subsequently challenged with lipopolysaccharide (LPS).

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Drug delivery carriers are considered an encouraging approach for the localized treatment of disease with minimum effect on the surrounding tissue. Particularly, layer-by-layer releasing particles have gained increasing interest for their ability to develop multifunctional systems able to control the release of one or more therapeutical drugs and biomolecules. Although experimental methods can offer the opportunity to establish cause and effect relationships, the data collection can be excessively expensive or/and time-consuming.

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Successful transition to an academic nurse educator role is challenging; it is necessary to identify facilitators and barriers that aide or hinder this process. This study used an autoethnographic qualitative design to explore the lived experiences of a cohort of faculty during their transition into a tenure-track role. Three facilitators (noncompetitive environment, resource sharing, and cohort approach) and two barriers (work-life balance and intrusion of old habits) emerged as themes.

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Objective: To measure confidence and attitudes of the current and emerging interprofessional workforce concerning osteoarthritis (OA) care.

Methods: Study design is a multinational (Australia, New Zealand, Canada) cross-sectional survey of clinicians (general practitioners [GPs], GP registrars, primary care nurses, and physiotherapists) and final-year medical and physiotherapy students. GPs and GP registrars were only sampled in Australia/New Zealand and Australia, respectively.

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Few data are available on complications occurring during inter-hospital transfer from a primary stroke center (PSC) to a comprehensive stroke center (CSC) for endovascular treatment (EVT) after large vessel occlusion (LVO). Therefore, we prospectively studied data from consecutive patients transferred from our PSC to the next CSC during 4 years to determine the incidence and risk factors of complications during transfer. This observational, single-center study included consecutive patients transferred from January 1, 2015 to December 31, 2018.

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To explain the pathophysiology of pelvic organ prolapse, we must first understand the complexities of the normal support structures of the uterus and vagina. In this review, we focus on the apical ligaments, which include the cardinal and uterosacral ligaments. The aims of this review are the following: (1) to provide an overview of the anatomy and histology of the ligaments; (2) to summarize the imaging and biomechanical studies of the ligament properties and the way they relate to anterior and posterior vaginal wall prolapse; and (3) to synthesize these findings into a conceptual model for the progression of prolapse.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates the effectiveness of endovascular treatment (EVT) for patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) caused by large vessel occlusion (LVO) when transferred from a primary stroke center (PSC) to a comprehensive stroke center (CSC).
  • Out of 529 patients, 52.6% were transferred, with 55% of those receiving EVT, leading to a reperfusion rate of 21.7%. Time metrics showed delays in treatment from PSC to CSC, emphasizing the impact of transfer distance.
  • The findings indicate that while transfers occur, they may limit early access to EVT, suggesting the need for on-site EVT capabilities at high-volume PSCs to improve patient outcomes.
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Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common childhood cancer diagnosed in the United States. The disease causes a decrease in hematopoiesis, so children often present with symptoms related to anemia, thrombocytopenia, and leukopenia. Symptoms for this malignancy may have significant overlap with other conditions such as osteomyelitis.

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Importance: Community-acquired pneumonia remains a leading cause of hospitalization, mortality, and health care costs worldwide. Randomized clinical trials support the use of adjunctive corticosteroids, early progressive mobilization, antibiotic switching rules, and dietary interventions in improving outcomes. However, it is uncertain whether implementing these interventions will translate into effectiveness under routine health care conditions.

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Introduction: Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are a vital component of patient-centred care. Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a significant contributor to morbidity, mortality and health service costs globally, but there is a lack of consensus regarding PROMs for this condition.

Methods: We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE and Cochrane Collaboration for studies, both interventional and observational, of adult recovery from CAP that applied at least one validated PROM instrument and were published before 31 December 2017.

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Background: Community-Acquired Pneumonia (CAP) is one of the highest health burden conditions in Australia. Disease notifications and other data from routine diagnosis suffers from selection bias that may misrepresent the true contribution of various aetiological agents. However existing Australian prospective studies of CAP aetiology have either under-represented elderly patients, not utilised Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) diagnostics or been limited to winter months.

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Objective: Consistent evidence-practice gaps in osteoarthritis (OA) care are observed in primary care settings globally. Building workforce capacity to deliver high-value care requires a contemporary understanding of barriers to care delivery. We aimed to explore barriers to OA care delivery among clinicians and students.

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Problem: Distracted practice is the result of individuals interacting with the environment and technology in the performance of their jobs. The resultant behaviors can lead to error and affect patient safety.

Methods: A qualitative descriptive approach was used that integrated observations with semistructured interviews.

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Problem: Distracted practice is a growing concern for all healthcare professionals working in today's complex, technology-rich, acute care hospital environment. Distractions are a threat to patient safety, frequently cited as a contributing factor when reporting an adverse event. The number of new technologies introduced to the healthcare environment has significantly increased the number of distractions.

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Background: Francisella tularensis causes tularaemia, a life-threatening zoonosis, and has potential as a biowarfare agent. F. tularensis subsp.

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Objective: We set out to examine the effectiveness and tolerability of psychostimulants in children and adolescents with pervasive developmental disorders (PDDs).

Methods: Medical records of all patients with PDDs treated with a stimulant were retrospectively reviewed. Demographics, stimulant type, drug dosage, trial duration, and adverse effects were recorded.

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Unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) is an animal model of accelerated renal tubulointerstitial fibrosis. We have recently shown, using this model, that mice lacking the bradykinin B2-receptor (B2(-/-)) were more susceptible than control animals to the development of tubulointerstitial fibrosis. Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition slows down UUO-induced renal fibrosis.

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Loss of active tumor suppressor alleles on fibroblast chromosomes 11 and 14 are involved in radiation-induced neoplastic transformation of human hybrid CGL1 cells. Loss of either chromosome 11 or 14 alone is not sufficient for neoplastic transformation. To gain insight into the potential functions of these tumor suppressor loci, we have investigated the effects of chromosome 11 or 14 loss on radiation-induced neoplastic transformation.

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CGL1 (HeLa x fibroblast) hybrid cells have been utilized to study mechanisms of radiation-induced neoplastic transformation of human cells in vitro. Previous analysis has shown that loss of active tumor suppressor alleles on fibroblast chromosomes 11 and 14 may be required for radiation-induced neoplastic transformation of CGL1 cells. Loss of chromosome 11 alone was, therefore, found to be necessary but not sufficient for neoplastic transformation.

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HeLa X human skin fibroblast hybrid cells have been developed into a model for radiation-induced neoplastic transformation of human cells. Previous studies indicate that the appearance of neoplastically transformed foci in this system is delayed for several population doublings after irradiation and appears to involve the loss of putative tumor suppressor loci on fibroblast chromosomes 11 and 14. We now show that after treatment with 7 Gy of X-rays, transformed foci initiation correlates with delayed apoptosis initiated in the progeny of the irradiated cells after 10-12 cell divisions and with reduced plating efficiency (delayed death).

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