Publications by authors named "Finch N"

Article Synopsis
  • The C9orf72 gene features a non-coding hexanucleotide repeat expansion linked to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia, and previous research has struggled to assess its methylation levels due to technology limits.
  • We employed a targeted long-read sequencing method to analyze blood DNA from 27 individuals with expanded C9orf72 repeats, aiming to quantify methylation and measure repeat length.
  • Our findings indicate that the expanded repeat is significantly methylated, with levels varying greatly among individuals, and show correlations between methylation, age, and repeat length, highlighting the clinical significance of these methylation differences.
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Objective: Cefiderocol is a novel antibiotic used to treat multidrug-resistant bacterial infections. However, there is limited data on its effectiveness for ventriculitis. The objective of this study was to evaluate cefiderocol concentrations in both serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) during the treatment of ventriculitis.

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Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by upper and lower motor neuron signs. There are, however, cases where upper motor neurons (UMNs) are predominantly affected, leading to clinical presentations of UMN-dominant ALS or primary lateral sclerosis. Furthermore, cases exhibiting an UMN-predominant pattern of motor neuron disease (MND) presenting with corticobasal syndrome (CBS) have been sparsely reported.

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Objectives: This case-control study aimed to evaluate calcitonin response in naturally occurring hypercalcemia in cats and assess the relationships between calcitonin and ionized calcium (iCa) and examine relationships between calcitonin, iCa and bone turnover.

Methods: Hypercalcemic cats (persistently increased iCa concentration [>1.40 mmol/l]) were identified retrospectively via a medical database search; additional hypercalcemic and normocalcemic cats were recruited prospectively.

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The most prominent genetic cause of both amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) is a repeat expansion in the gene C9orf72. Importantly, the transcriptomic consequences of the C9orf72 repeat expansion remain largely unclear. Here, we used short-read RNA sequencing (RNAseq) to profile the cerebellar transcriptome, detecting alterations in patients with a C9orf72 repeat expansion.

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Article Synopsis
  • Pathogenic heterozygous mutations in the GRN gene are a significant cause of frontotemporal dementia (FTD), leading to lower levels of the progranulin protein in biofluids, which has sparked therapeutic trials aimed at increasing these levels.
  • A systematic review of literature on biofluid PGRN concentrations included data from 7071 individuals, primarily focusing on plasma PGRN levels derived from a single assay type, which accounted for variations based on mutation type, age, sex, and clinical diagnosis.
  • Key findings established specific concentration cut-offs for plasma (74.8 ng/mL) and CSF (3.43 ng/mL) and indicated that plasma PGRN levels vary by mutation type,
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Objectives: The aim of this study was to describe the clinical and diagnostic findings and outcome of cats with bicavitary effusion presenting to a referral centre.

Methods: Medical records of cats presenting with bicavitary effusion were identified and their history, physical examination findings, clinicopathological data, diagnostic imaging findings, aetiology of bicavitary effusions (cardiac disease, neoplasia, infectious disease, sterile inflammatory disease, severe hypoalbuminaemia, trauma, coagulopathy or 'open' if no definitive diagnosis was reached) and outcome were recorded. Cox regression analysis was performed to identify independent predictors of death in cats with bicavitary effusion.

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Article Synopsis
  • Glomerular endothelial cell (GEnC) fenestrations are essential for maintaining the filtration barrier in kidneys, allowing for proper fluid movement.
  • The review discusses how these structures are created and regulated, highlighting their importance in both normal function and in various diseases.
  • Additionally, it explores potential research methods to better study fenestrations, referencing related cells like liver sinusoidal endothelial cells for comparative understanding.
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The vapor pressure values of common elements are available in the literature over a limited temperature range and the accuracy and reliability of the reported data are not generally available. We evaluate the reliability and uncertainty of the available vapor pressure versus temperature data of fifty common pure elements and recommend vapor pressure versus temperature relations. By synthesizing the vapor pressure values from measurements reported in the literature with the values computed using the Clausius Clapeyron relation beyond the boiling point, we extend the vapor pressure range from 10 atm to 10 atm.

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Objective: Recent evidence supports a link between increased TDP-43 burden and the presence of an APOE4 gene allele in Alzheimer's disease (AD); however, it is difficult to conclude the direct effect of APOE on TDP-43 pathology due to the presence of mixed AD pathologies. The goal of this study is to address how APOE isoforms impact TDP-43 pathology and related neurodegeneration in the absence of typical AD pathologies.

Methods: We overexpressed human TDP-43 via viral transduction in humanized APOE2, APOE3, APOE4 mice, and murine Apoe-knockout (Apoe-KO) mice.

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Background: Vancomycin (VAN)-associated acute kidney injury (AKI) is increased when VAN is combined with certain beta-lactams (BLs) such as piperacillin-tazobactam (TZP) but has not been evaluated with ceftolozane-tazobactam (C/T). Our aim was to investigate the AKI incidence of VAN in combination with C/T (VAN/C/T) compared with VAN in combination to TZP (VAN-TZP).

Methods: We conducted a multicenter, observational, comparative study across the United States.

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This article substantially extends the existing constitutional and legal critiques of the use of soft law public health guidance in the UK during the COVID-19 pandemic. Drawing upon the findings of a national survey undertaken during the first wave of the pandemic in June 2020, it shows how the perceived legal status of lockdown rules made a significant difference as to whether the UK public complied with them and that this effect is a product of the legitimacy that law itself enjoys within UK society. Based on this analysis, it argues that the problems with the Government's approach to guidance, that have been subjected to criticism in constitutional and legal terms, may also be open to critique on the basis that they risk undermining the public's loyalty to the law itself.

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Article Synopsis
  • SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing COVID-19, has led to significant global health issues, but recently two oral antiviral treatments, Molnupiravir and Nirmatrelvir/ Ritonavir, have received emergency use authorization for mild to moderate cases.
  • Molnupiravir works by introducing lethal mutations during viral replication, while Nirmatrelvir inhibits the main protease, combined with Ritonavir to enhance its effectiveness; both reduce the risk of severe outcomes significantly when taken shortly after symptom onset.
  • While these treatments are crucial for managing early COVID-19 in at-risk patients, Molnupiravir is not safe for children or pregnant individuals, and Nirmatrel
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The endothelial glycocalyx (eGlx) is a critically important structure lining the luminal surface of endothelial cells. There is increasing evidence, in human patients and animal models, for its crucial role in the maintenance of health. Moreover, its damage is associated with the pathogenesis of multiple disease states.

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Article Synopsis
  • The endothelial glycocalyx (eGlx) is a vital layer on endothelial cells that helps maintain vascular health, and its damage is linked to various diseases.
  • This study used established techniques to visualize the eGlx in the microvasculature of reproductive tissues in five healthy dogs during elective neutering, focusing on uterine and testicular arteries.
  • The results showed that eGlx was successfully visualized in the arteries of two dogs, revealing specific depths, but highlighted the need for further research to improve methods for measuring eGlx health in clinical settings.
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The endothelial glycocalyx (eGlx) lines the luminal surface of endothelial cells, maintaining vascular health. Glycocalyx damage is pathophysiologically important in many diseases across species however few studies have investigated its breakdown in naturally occurring disease in dogs. The aims of the study were to investigate eGlx damage in dogs with myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD) diagnosed on echocardiography, and dogs in a hypercoagulable state diagnosed using thromboelastography (TEG), by measuring serum hyaluronan concentrations.

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Background: Glomerular endothelial cell (GEnC) fenestrations are recognized as an essential component of the glomerular filtration barrier, yet little is known about how they are regulated and their role in disease.

Methods: We comprehensively characterized GEnC fenestral and functional renal filtration changes including measurement of glomerular and GFR in diabetic mice (BTBR ). We also examined and compared human samples.

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Objective: The use of benchtop metabolic profiling technology based on nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) was evaluated in a small cohort of cats with a view to applying this as a viable and rapid metabolic tool to support clinical decision making.

Results: Urinary metabolites were analysed from four subjects consisting of two healthy controls and two chronic kidney disease (CKD) IRIS stage 2 cases. The study identified 15 metabolites in cats with CKD that were different from the controls.

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Frontotemporal lobar degeneration with TDP-43 inclusions (FTLD-TDP) is a complex heterogeneous neurodegenerative disorder for which mechanisms are poorly understood. To explore transcriptional changes underlying FTLD-TDP, we performed RNA-sequencing on 66 genetically unexplained FTLD-TDP patients, 24 FTLD-TDP patients with GRN mutations and 24 control participants. Using principal component analysis, hierarchical clustering, differential expression and coexpression network analyses, we showed that GRN mutation carriers and FTLD-TDP-A patients without a known mutation shared a common transcriptional signature that is independent of GRN loss-of-function.

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What Is Known And Objective: Outpatient parenteral antibiotic therapy (OPAT) is an attractive option for patients who require parenteral antimicrobials as outpatients. Few OPAT studies have assessed the impact of IV antibiotic therapy via elastomeric continuous pumps, with most having been conducted outside the United States and few in county hospitals. The OPAT program in Harris Health system, the county hospital system of Houston, Texas, United States, has implemented a disposable elastomeric continuous infusion pump (eCIP) for self-administered intravenous antibiotics (s-OPAT) since December 2018.

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Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is an important cause of feline morbidity and mortality. There is currently no agreement on which outcomes are most important in CKD treatment trials to assist evidence-based decision making. Core Outcome Sets (COSs) originated in human healthcare and are an agreed set of outcomes to be measured and reported as a minimum in any trial conducted relating to a particular disease.

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Article Synopsis
  • A study utilized No-Amp sequencing to analyze hexanucleotide expansions in the C9orf72 gene, a leading genetic cause of certain neurodegenerative diseases, by examining cerebellar tissue from 28 patients.
  • The research found a strong correlation between expansion sizes measured by No-Amp sequencing and traditional Southern blotting methods, indicating the effectiveness of this new sequencing technique.
  • Results revealed that smaller C9orf72 expansions were associated with increased survival rates and higher levels of specific transcripts and proteins, with a high GC content observed in the repeat expansions, emphasizing the significance of the expansion size in C9orf72-related disorders.
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