Publications by authors named "Duncan R"

Introduction: We previously demonstrated efficacy of an 8-antigen recombinant subunit vaccine against a single species homologous challenge in lambs and in lambing ewes in pen trials. We subsequently demonstrated efficacy of a simplified, 2-antigen, version of this vaccine in lambs in pen trials. Here, we test both vaccines in lambing ewes in a field setting.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: It is unclear how accurately students can reproduce specific forces that are often required for physical examination maneuvers. This study aimed to determine the baseline accuracy of force application for preclinical medical students, evaluate the effectiveness of a quantitative visual feedback intervention, and investigate whether certain demographics influence accuracy.

Materials And Methods: First- and second-year medical students were enrolled and demographic data were collected.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: Functional/dissociative seizures (FDS) are common and pose a considerable burden on both individual patients and healthcare systems. Cognitive complaints are frequent in patients with FDS. Previous studies on cognitive function in patients with FDS have yielded mixed results.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: In the United States, sport is a common form of youth physical activity (PA) with demonstrated health benefits. However, limited longitudinal dataexists on the psychosocial determinants and consequences of youth sport participation. This study examined grade 6 (11-12-year-old) predictors of high school organized sport participation and effects of high school sport participation on age 26 behavior, mental health and wellbeing.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background/objectives: Anterior Gradient-2 (AGR2/PDIA17) is a member of the protein disulfide isomerase (PDI) family of oxidoreductases. AGR2 is up-regulated in several solid tumors, including pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Given the dire need for new therapeutic options for PDAC patients, we investigated the expression and function of AGR2 in PDAC and developed a novel series of affinity-matured AGR2-specific single-chain variable fragments (scFvs) and monoclonal antibodies.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Aim: To ascertain the current evidence about the support, education and learning needs of experienced registered nurses who are transitioning their work to intensive care nursing as a new context.

Design: A scoping review was conducted using established frameworks from JBI, Arksey and O'Malley.

Methods: A search was conducted in CINHAL and MEDLINE (April 2023).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Reproducibility is crucial in science as it boosts confidence in findings and enables comparison of data, yet evaluating it can be challenging, especially with RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) where multiple steps can introduce variance.
  • This study specifically examines the reproducibility of gene expression data from bacteria in cystic fibrosis models, utilizing samples from three labs and different sequencing pipelines to draw comparisons.
  • The results indicate high reproducibility of gene expression across labs, despite some variance introduced by different sequencing methods, with both pipelines detecting over 80% of the same differentially expressed genes, confirming the validity of RNA-seq data comparisons.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Adverse events (AEs) associated with vaccination have traditionally been evaluated by epidemiological studies. More recently, they have gained attention due to the emergency use authorization of several COVID-19 vaccines. As part of its responsibility to conduct postmarket surveillance, the US Food and Drug Administration continues to monitor several AEs of interest to ensure the safety of vaccines, including those for COVID-19.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: To examine how known causal factors (exercise self-efficacy, balance, walking capacity) affect outcomes (moderate-intensity physical activity, community access) in people with Parkinson disease (PD): through a direct pathway, indirectly through potential mediators (nonmotor impairments), or through combined direct and mediated paths.

Design: Causal mediation analyses using baseline and three-month data from pooled treatment groups in a randomized controlled trial.

Setting: Data were collected at 2 university clinical research centers.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to clarify the role of X chromosome parent of origin (POX) in phenotypic variations associated with Klinefelter syndrome (XXY) by analyzing a larger cohort and more detailed assessments.
  • Researchers sequenced genomes of 58 XXY individuals and their parents and evaluated 66 neurobehavioral traits and over 1000 anatomical features, discovering that maternal POX was present in 60.3% of cases but found no significant POX effects on cognitive or behavioral outcomes.
  • However, neuroimaging revealed two brain regions with greater surface area associated with paternal POX, indicating some localized anatomical differences but no corresponding behavioral impacts, suggesting the need to explore other factors
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most prevalent ocular disease in the elderly, resulting in blindness. Oxidative stress plays a role in retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) pathology observed in AMD. Tocopherols are potent antioxidants that prevent cellular oxidative damage and have been shown to upregulate the expression of cellular antioxidant proteins.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study investigated the impact of "hold" capability in electronic health records (EHR) on medication administration during patient transfers, focusing on critical medications.
  • It identified that many doses were either delayed or missed due to MAR holds, with significant improvements made through interventions like patient list indicators and pharmacist reports.
  • Although overall missed dose rates did not significantly change, there was a notable reduction in multiple missed doses and overall missed doses after implementing these interventions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Ensuring the viability and efficacy of probiotic microorganisms during manufacturing and gastrointestinal transit remains challenging, particularly for sensitive strains such as certain lactic acid bacteria and bifidobacteria. This has led to increased interest in spore-forming bacteria, such as Heyndrickxia coagulans (formerly Bacillus coagulans), which can endure environmental stresses through their endospore forms. This study presents a comprehensive analysis of the probiotic potential of strain LMG S-24828, originally isolated from healthy human feces.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

L. plants are sensitive to water stress conditions throughout their life cycle from seed germination to seed setting. This study aims at identifying quantitative trait loci (QTL) linked to tolerance to water stress mimicked by applications of 10% polyethylene glycol-6000 (PEG-6000).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

It has long been recognised that spreading ridges are kept in place by competing subduction forces that drive plate motions. Asymmetric strain rates pull spreading ridges in the direction of the strongest slab pull force, which partially explains why spreading ridges can migrate vast distances. However, the interaction between mantle plumes and spreading ridges plays a relatively unknown role on the evolution of plate boundaries.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus (STN-DBS) offers motor benefits for Parkinson's disease patients, but its effectiveness on postural and gait issues remains uncertain.
  • Physical therapy (PT) has shown effectiveness in improving mobility and stability in non-surgically treated Parkinson's patients, but its role after STN-DBS is less explored.
  • A study involving 21 experts highlighted that while PT could enhance motor function and quality of life post-STN-DBS, there’s a preference for conventional therapies over massage or manual techniques.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Disclaimer: In an effort to expedite the publication of articles, AJHP is posting manuscripts online as soon as possible after acceptance. Accepted manuscripts have been peer-reviewed and copyedited, but are posted online before technical formatting and author proofing. These manuscripts are not the final version of record and will be replaced with the final article (formatted per AJHP style and proofed by the authors) at a later time.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The first syntheses of the natural products alpinidinoid C and officinine B are reported. These unusual dimeric diarylheptanoids were accessed from a 3-substituted pyridine intermediate via a blue-light-mediated, triple-Minisci-type alkylation. Very few reports utilize -(acyloxy)phthalimides (NAPs) in the construction of natural products, and the syntheses reported herein highlight the power of this methodology toward the orthogonal construction of highly substituted arenes.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Resistance to androgen receptor (AR)-targeted therapies represents a major challenge in prostate cancer. A key mechanism of treatment resistance in patients who progress to castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) is the generation of alternatively spliced AR variants (AR-V). Unlike full-length AR isoforms, AR-Vs are constitutively active and refractory to current receptor-targeting agents and hence drive tumor progression.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

A National Nursing and Midwifery Digital Health Capability Framework was developed in 2020 to define and complement digital health knowledge and skills for professional practice. This mixed-methods study explored nurses' and midwives' Framework knowledge and its applicability, types and extent of nursing and midwifery informatics roles, and barriers and enablers to working in informatics. Survey respondents reported familiarity with the Framework, with content analysis identifying three themes - informatics as part of nursing or midwifery roles, descriptions and variability of informatics roles, and the need for informatics role development and recognition.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Rural populations experience ongoing health inequities with disproportionately high morbidity and mortality rates, but digital health in rural settings is poorly studied. Our research question was: How does digital health influence healthcare outcomes in rural settings? The objective was to identify how digital health capability enables the delivery of outcomes in rural settings according to the quadruple aims of healthcare: population health, patient experience, healthcare costs and provider experience.

Methods: A multi-site qualitative case study was conducted with interviews and focus groups performed with healthcare staff (n = 93) employed in rural healthcare systems (n = 10) in the state of Queensland, Australia.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Genetic medicines show promise for treating various diseases, yet clinical success has been limited by tolerability, scalability, and immunogenicity issues of current delivery platforms. To overcome these, we developed a proteolipid vehicle (PLV) by combining features from viral and non-viral approaches. PLVs incorporate fusion-associated small transmembrane (FAST) proteins isolated from fusogenic orthoreoviruses into a well-tolerated lipid formulation, using scalable microfluidic mixing.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Individuals with Alzheimer disease (AD), Huntington disease (HD) and Parkinson disease (PD) have impaired balance, and comparing these deficits could improve management of neurological diseases. Scores on the Balance Evaluation Systems Test (BESTest) were compared across three groups, consisting of individuals with AD, HD and PD in early stages of their respective disease. Individuals with PD had significantly higher scores on the BESTest than individuals with AD (95% CI [4.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Laboratory models are central to microbiology research, advancing the understanding of bacterial physiology by mimicking natural environments, from soil to the human microbiome. When studying host-bacteria interactions, animal models enable investigators to examine bacterial dynamics associated with a host, and in the case of human infections, animal models are necessary to translate basic research into clinical treatments. Efforts toward improving animal infection models are typically based on reproducing host genotypes/phenotypes and disease manifestations, leaving a gap in how well the physiology of microbes reflects their behavior in a human host.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Confectionary products hold promise as unconventional food carriers for probiotic microorganisms. This study explored the delivery of SNZ1969, a spore-forming probiotic, using gummy candies. In this study, we prepared gummy candies containing bacterial spores with a viable count that remained stable during a 24-month shelf-life period, meeting the label claim of at least one billion CFUs per serving (24 g).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF