Publications by authors named "Ferguson P"

Whippets abuse, prevalent among recreational drug users, poses significant health risks, particularly through the inactivation of vitamin B12 by nitrous oxide (NO). This deficiency can lead to myelopathy, resulting in serious neurological complications. We present two female patients, aged 22 and 35, with a history of regular whippet use over the past three years, who exhibited clinical symptoms of myelopathy, including motor weakness, rigidity, sensory changes, and gait abnormalities.

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Background: Peritumoral edema on staging magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is associated with higher local recurrence in soft tissue sarcoma (STS). This may relate to the presence of satellite malignant cells that are difficult to distinguish from benign atypia, leading to over- or undertreatment. This study evaluated a novel targeted molecular approach to identify malignancy in STS peritumoral planes as a means to improve personalized care.

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Introduction: Approximately 40-50 % of sarcoma patients will develop lung metastasis, but only 10 % will develop bone metastasis. The survival benefit of surgery for solitary bone metastasis remains unclear.

Methods: From 1987 to 2019, 47 patients who underwent curative-intent treatment for localized bone or soft tissue sarcoma in the extremities or trunk wall developed solitary bone metastases as the first distant recurrence.

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Lentigo maligna (LM) is a growing problem worldwide and the main type of melanoma in situ in some Caucasian populations. It presents as a spectrum from atypical intraepidermal melanocytic proliferation (AIMP) to invasive lentigo maligna melanoma (LMM). Accurate diagnosis and staging are crucial for determining appropriate management strategies.

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There is growing concern surrounding the human health effects following inhalation exposure to microplastic fibers (MPFs). MPFs can harbor chemical additives, such as azobenzene disperse dyes (ADDs), that may contribute to their toxicity. The goal of this study was to determine the acute biological effects of dyed polyethylene terephthalate MPFs to fully differentiated normal human bronchial epithelial (NHBE) cells cultured at an air-liquid interface.

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Article Synopsis
  • Poor accuracy and reproducibility in diagnosing melanocytic skin lesions can potentially be improved by providing clinical information to pathologists.
  • A review of studies from various countries showed that clinical images and information increased diagnostic certainty, leading to more agreement among pathologists and upgraded diagnoses in a notable percentage of cases.
  • While including clinical details may help prevent missed melanomas, further research is necessary to understand the full implications of integrating clinical information with histopathology diagnoses.
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  • Generalized epileptic seizures typically lead to a postictal phase with symptoms like drowsiness and confusion; however, in rare cases, skin rashes can also occur.
  • A 45-year-old male developed a pinpoint rash with non-blanchable petechiae after a seizure, which was resolved after a week of seizure management.
  • This case highlights the importance of recognizing skin manifestations post-seizure to aid in diagnosis and reduce unnecessary medical tests, suggesting they may result from changes in blood flow and inflammation during seizures.
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  • Cutaneous leiomyosarcoma (cLMS) is a rare skin tumor with smooth muscle differentiation, showing key genetic mutations in TP53 and RB1, along with copy number changes in other genes like MYCOD and IGF1R.
  • This study aimed to thoroughly investigate the genetics of cLMS by analyzing a larger sample size (38 cases) using whole-exome and RNA sequencing, revealing significant recurrent mutations and potential environmental factors like UV exposure.
  • Findings indicated critical genetic alterations, including various deletions and amplifications, highlighting the complexity of cLMS and emphasizing the need for extensive genetic analysis in rare tumors for better understanding and potential treatment options.
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  • Cutaneous confocal microscopy (CCCM) is a technique that allows for detailed imaging of the skin at a cellular level, and this study tested a remote version (Remote-CCM) to enhance access to skin cancer diagnoses.
  • In the study, 201 lesions were assessed, with Remote-CCM showing a sensitivity of 89% for detecting skin malignancies and a specificity of 64%, effectively reducing unnecessary biopsies in 90% of benign cases.
  • The findings suggest that while Remote-CCM is accurate and can lower biopsy rates, it may not be suitable for potential cases of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), indicating a need for follow-up on uncertain melanoc
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Strokes are a major cause of morbidity and mortality across the globe. An ischemic stroke of thalamic origin should be considered if a patient presents with a set of non-localizing symptoms such as speech issues, sensory abnormalities, chorea-like movements, ataxia and confusion that cannot be explained by a single lesion. A 78-year-old female with a past medical history of hypertension and smoking developed right-hand numbness and ataxia that progressively worsened to numbness of the entire right side of the body and right-arm hemiballismus.

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  • - Tumoral melanosis (TM) is characterized by clusters of melanin-filled macrophages in tissues, commonly linked to regressed melanoma, and is increasingly recognized due to advancements in melanoma treatments.
  • - A study from 2006 to 2018 examined TM cases at a single institution, finding 79 patients with TM, predominantly in older males and often localized to the skin or lower limb, highlighting a strong correlation with melanoma cases.
  • - Results indicated that patients with TM showed improved melanoma-specific survival compared to non-TM cases, particularly those without prior treatment, although no significant differences were found in recurrence-free survival.
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Background: Phthalates and their replacements have been implicated as developmental toxicants. Young children may be exposed to phthalates/replacements when using skin care products (SCPs).

Objectives: Our objective is to assess the associations between use of SCPs and children's urinary phthalate/replacement metabolite concentrations.

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Background: Despite the goal of an acceptable functional result, the surgical treatment of soft-tissue sarcoma can portend a prolonged course of recovery. More comprehensive data on the expected course of recovery following extremity sarcoma surgery are needed to help to inform physicians and patients. The purpose of the present study was to describe the typical course of functional recovery following limb-salvage resection of a soft-tissue sarcoma and to identify factors associated with a delayed postoperative course of recovery.

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Wristband personal samplers enable human exposure assessments for a diverse range of chemical contaminants and exposure settings with a previously unattainable scale and cost-effectiveness. Paired with nontargeted analyses, wristbands can provide important exposure monitoring data to expand our understanding of the environmental exposome. Here, a custom scripted suspect screening workflow was developed in the R programming language for feature selection and chemical annotations using gas chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry data acquired from the analysis of wristband samples collected from five different cohorts.

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The New South Wales Biocontainment Centre is a statewide referral facility for patients with high-consequence infectious disease (HCID). The facility collaborates with researchers to adapt existing HCID procedures such as donning and doffing of personal protective equipment (PPE). However, information on how to respond safely to collapse of a healthcare provider in full PPE within a contaminated zone is scarce.

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Purpose: To quantify the rates and identify risk factors for the complications of central venous access devices (CVADs) removal in children.

Method: Retrospective (2018-2023) review of children undergoing CVADs removal at a single institution. Data are reported as frequency, percentages and median.

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Background And Objectives: Intraoperative frozen section analysis is commonly used to evaluate marrow margins during extremity bone sarcoma resections, but its efficacy in the era of magnetic resonance imaging is debated. This study aimed to compare the accuracy of intraoperative frozen section assessment with final pathology, assess its correlation with gross intraoperative margin assessment, and evaluate its impact on surgical decision making.

Methods: Consecutive patients undergoing extremity bone sarcoma resections from 2010 to 2022 at a single sarcoma center were included.

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Introduction: Perioperative bleeding increases morbidity and mortality in sarcoma patients. Tranexamic acid (TXA), an antifibrinolytic, is widely utilized in non-sarcoma orthopaedic surgeries, but its adoption in sarcoma surgery is hindered by concerns about thrombotic events.

Methods: Searches in Ovid MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CENTRAL were performed without date restrictions.

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  • Lithium-ion batteries (LiBs) are essential for clean energy, but they now use a group of contaminants called bis-perfluoroalkyl sulfonimides (bis-FASIs), which are toxic and mobile like other harmful PFAS substances.
  • Research shows that the environmental levels of bis-FASIs near manufacturing sites and their harmful effects are similar to those from banned PFAS, highlighting a significant concern for the clean energy sector.
  • The study emphasizes the need to evaluate the environmental implications of clean energy initiatives to ensure they don't inadvertently increase the release of pollutants, counteracting benefits of reduced carbon emissions.
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Background: Alcohol craving is related to problematic alcohol use; therefore, pharmacotherapies that modulate alcohol craving are of interest. N-acetylcysteine, an over-the-counter antioxidant, is a candidate pharmacotherapy for adolescent alcohol use with the potential to impact craving. Cue-reactivity paradigms using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) can identify neural regions implicated in craving and serve as a screening tool for novel pharmacotherapy options.

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Background: Only a small per cent of new melanocytic lesions developing in adults are expected to represent melanomas. Total body photography (TBP) has been widely incorporated in clinical practice, especially for follow-up of high-risk individuals with multiple naevi. However, dynamic changes detected with TBP need to be interpreted with caution to avoid unnecessary excisions.

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