Publications by authors named "Florence Lai"

Article Synopsis
  • * It outlines the objectives of a study aimed at assessing the effectiveness of various interventions before, during, and after surgery to prevent SSIs and evaluate their impact on patient outcomes.
  • * The study includes a comprehensive search for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) related to SSI prevention in adult cardiac surgery and aims to establish a clearer standard of care for managing these infections.
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This study investigates why individuals with multimorbidity-two or more chronic conditions-are more prone to adverse outcomes after surgery. In our cohort, ninety-eight of 144 participants had multimorbidity. The myocardial transcriptome and metabolites involved in energy production were measured in 53 and 57 sequential participants, respectively.

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Introduction: Both micro- and macrostructural white matter (WM) abnormalities, particularly those related to axonal degeneration, are associated with cognitive decline in adults with Down syndrome (DS) prior to a diagnosis of Alzheimer disease. Neurofilament light chain (NfL) is a support protein within myelinated axons released into blood following axonal damage. In this study we investigated cross-sectional relationships between WM microstructural changes as measured by diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and plasma NfL concentration in adults with DS without dementia.

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Background And Aims: Frailty is increasingly prevalent in people presenting with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). This high-risk group is typically excluded from trials of interventions in ACS, and there is uncertainty about the risks and benefits of invasive management.

Methods: Patients with an ACS diagnosis between 2010 and 2015 in England were identified from Hospital Episode Statistics, with linked Office for National Statistics mortality data.

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Article Synopsis
  • - Development of Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology occurs faster in individuals with Down's syndrome (DS) compared to others; this study focuses on comparing specific biomarkers in DS individuals and their siblings.
  • - Researchers found that plasma levels of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and pTau-217 were elevated in individuals with DS, indicating increased astrogliosis and tau pathology, and GFAP played a mediating role in the relationship between amyloid and tau levels.
  • - The findings suggest that astrogliosis is crucial in the early stages of Alzheimer's in DS, and targeting neuroinflammation might be beneficial primarily for those with amyloid positivity.
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Article Synopsis
  • - Individuals with Down syndrome (DS) face a high risk of developing Alzheimer's disease (AD), but about 20% do not show dementia symptoms until later in life, potentially due to the presence of mosaicism, which can reduce gene expression from chromosome 21.
  • - Researchers analyzed data from two major studies (ABC-DS and a legacy study) that included neuropsychological assessments and biomarkers to determine the prevalence and impact of mosaicism, finding it in less than 10% of participants.
  • - Those with mosaicism exhibited lower levels of AD-related biomarkers and a slower decline in cognitive scores compared to individuals with full trisomy, indicating a potential protective effect against dementia, though more research is needed to fully understand these findings.
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Article Synopsis
  • By age 40, over 90% of adults with Down syndrome develop Alzheimer’s disease, with many progressing to dementia, despite having few typical vascular risk factors.
  • This study analyzed how small vessel cerebrovascular disease impacts Alzheimer's disease progression and neurodegeneration in adults with Down syndrome, using MRI and plasma biomarker data from 185 participants.
  • Results indicated a complex relationship where white matter hyperintensity (WMH) levels influenced phosphorylated tau, linked by glial fibrillary acidic protein, suggesting that cerebrovascular health affects Alzheimer’s pathology in this population.
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Background: We aimed to characterise the variation in access to and outcomes of cardiac surgery for people in England.

Methods: We included people >18 years of age with hospital admission for ischaemic heart disease (IHD) and heart valve disease (HVD) between 2010 and 2019. Within these populations, we identified people who had coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) and/or valve surgery, respectively.

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Article Synopsis
  • * Key findings include her ApoE genotype (E2/3) linked to a lower dementia risk, neuroimaging showing stable amyloid and moderate tau levels, and intermediate Alzheimer’s pathology with added Lewy body and cerebrovascular issues.
  • * The study highlights the complex relationship between Alzheimer's symptoms and brain changes in Down syndrome, suggesting the need for more research on factors that contribute to cognitive resilience in this population.
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Adults with Down syndrome are less likely to have hypertension than neurotypical adults. However, whether blood pressure measures are associated with brain health and clinical outcomes in this population has not been studied in detail. Here, we assessed whether pulse pressure is associated with markers of cerebrovascular disease and is linked to a diagnosis of dementia in adults with Down syndrome via structural imaging markers of cerebrovascular disease and atrophy.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates early Alzheimer's disease changes in the brains of people with Down syndrome and those with genetic variants linked to Alzheimer's, aiming to better understand disease development and improve prevention strategies.
  • Using cross-sectional data from two cohort studies, researchers analyzed tau protein spread and its relationship with amyloid accumulation in participants aged 25 and older.
  • Findings revealed significant differences in the pattern and timing of tau accumulation in the two groups, suggesting implications for early intervention and clinical trials targeting Alzheimer's pathology.
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Introduction: People with Down syndrome (DS) have a 75% to 90% lifetime risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD). AD pathology begins a decade or more prior to onset of clinical AD dementia in people with DS. It is not clear if plasma biomarkers of AD pathology are correlated with early cognitive and functional impairments in DS, and if these biomarkers could be used to track the early stages of AD in DS or to inform inclusion criteria for clinical AD treatment trials.

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Article Synopsis
  • Cardiac surgery causes significant inflammation, and the use of corticosteroids is being examined as a way to reduce this inflammation and prevent complications post-surgery, but their safety and effectiveness remain uncertain.
  • The study aims to compare the effects of corticosteroids versus no treatment in adults undergoing cardiac surgery, focusing on mortality, myocardial and pulmonary complications, among other outcomes like atrial fibrillation and length of hospital stay.
  • The research involved comprehensive searches for randomised controlled trials and analyzed data using standard methods to assess various outcomes, with new studies added since the original 2011 review.
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Prior authorization criteria for Federal Drug Administration (FDA) approved immunotherapeutics, among the class of anti-amyloid monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), established by state drug formulary committees, are tailored for adults with late-onset Alzheimer's disease. This overlooks adults with Down syndrome (DS), who often experience dementia at a younger age and with different diagnostic assessment outcomes. This exclusion may deny DS adults access to potential disease-modifying treatments.

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Introduction: Virtually all people with Down syndrome (DS) develop neuropathology associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Atrophy of the hippocampus and entorhinal cortex (EC), as well as elevated plasma concentrations of neurofilament light chain (NfL) protein, are markers of neurodegeneration associated with late-onset AD. We hypothesized that hippocampus and EC gray matter loss and increased plasma NfL concentrations are associated with memory in adults with DS.

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Importance: By age 40 years over 90% of adults with Down syndrome (DS) have Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology and most progress to dementia. Despite having few systemic vascular risk factors, individuals with DS have elevated cerebrovascular disease (CVD) markers that track with the clinical progression of AD, suggesting a role for CVD that is hypothesized to be mediated by inflammatory factors.

Objective: To examine the pathways through which small vessel CVD contributes to AD-related pathophysiology and neurodegeneration in adults with DS.

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Individuals with Down syndrome (DS) are less likely to have hypertension than neurotypical adults. However, whether blood pressure measures are associated with brain health and clinical outcomes in this population has not been studied in detail. Here, we assessed whether pulse pressure is associated with markers of cerebrovascular disease, entorhinal cortical atrophy, and diagnosis of dementia in adults with DS.

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Background: Organ injury is a common and severe complication of cardiac surgery that contributes to the majority of deaths. There are no effective treatment or prevention strategies. It has been suggested that innate immune system activation may have a causal role in organ injury.

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Background: Trisomy 21 causes Down syndrome (DS) and is a recognized cause of early-onset Alzheimer's disease (AD).

Objective: The current study sought to determine if premorbid intellectual disability level (ID) was associated with variability in age-trajectories of AD biomarkers and cognitive impairments. General linear mixed models compared the age-trajectory of the AD biomarkers PET Aβ and tau and cognitive decline across premorbid ID levels (mild, moderate, and severe/profound), in models controlling trisomy type, APOE status, biological sex, and site.

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Introduction: Acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylase (ACCase) inhibition is an attractive herbicide target. However, issues with fetal developmental toxicity identified at the late stages of the development process can halt progression of previously promising candidates.

Objectives: To select and verify predictive lipid biomarkers of ACCase inhibition activity in vivo using liver samples obtained from early stage 7 day repeat dose studies in non-pregnant female Han Wistar rats that could be translated to developmental toxicity endpoints discovered during late-stage studies to provide an early screening tool.

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Background: Virtually all adults with Down syndrome (DS) develop Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology, but research gaps remain in understanding early signs of AD in DS.

Objective: The goal of the present study was to determine if unintentional weight loss is part of AD in DS. The specific aims were to: 1) examine relation between chronological age, weight, AD pathology, and AD-related cognitive decline were assessed in a large cohort of adults with DS, and 2) determine if baseline PET amyloid-β (Aβ) and tau PET status (-versus+) and/or decline in memory and mental status were associated with weight loss prior to AD progression.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study aims to compare amyloid accumulation and its timing in two groups: individuals with autosomal dominant Alzheimer's disease and those with Down syndrome, both significant for understanding Alzheimer's pathogenesis.
  • Participants included adults aged 25 and older who underwent MRI and amyloid PET scans, allowing researchers to analyze differences in amyloid burden based on genetic factors and cognitive status.
  • The study found that patterns of amyloid accumulation may vary between the two groups, with a focus on factors like mutation type, age, and APOE genotype, enhancing our understanding of Alzheimer's disease risk and progression.
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Aims: The choice of revascularization with coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) vs. percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in people with ischaemic left ventricular dysfunction is not guided by high-quality evidence.

Methods And Results: A trial of CABG vs.

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Objective: This study aimed to systematically review the effects of declared and undeclared conflicts of interest on randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of patient blood management (PBM) interventions.

Design: We performed a secondary analysis of a recently published meta-analysis of RCTs evaluating five common PBM interventions in patients undergoing major surgery.

Data Sources: The databases searched by the original systematic reviews were searched using subject headings and Medical Subject Headings terms according to search strategies from the final search time-points until 1 June 2019.

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