Publications by authors named "Gerrard A"

Article Synopsis
  • Lynch syndrome (LS) patients have a high risk of colorectal cancer, currently monitored through biennial colonoscopy, which can be burdensome and invasive.
  • This study assessed whether faecal immunochemical testing (FIT) for faecal haemoglobin could effectively replace the need for routine colonoscopy in LS surveillance.
  • Results showed FIT has low sensitivity for detecting adenomas, with no improvement when a second test was added, suggesting it may not be a viable alternative to colonoscopy.
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  • The study evaluated the non-return rate of faecal immunochemical tests among patients referred for high-risk colorectal cancer symptoms, finding that 11.9% of 7345 patients did not submit their tests.
  • Non-returners tended to be younger, predominantly male, and from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, and they exhibited different clinical outcomes compared to those who returned the test.
  • Despite a higher prevalence of colorectal cancer in those who underwent investigations, the overall cancer prevalence was similar between returners and non-returners over a median follow-up of 25 months, indicating potential issues in care access or follow-up for non-returners.
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  • Faecal immunochemical testing (FIT) is commonly used for detecting colorectal cancer (CRC) in screening programs, but the effectiveness of repeat tests to improve detection rates is still uncertain.
  • A systematic review analyzed 68 studies on the efficacy of double FIT tests compared to single tests, focusing on different patient populations (asymptomatic, mixed, symptomatic).
  • Results showed that using a second FIT test significantly increased the detection of CRC, with some studies noting a reduction in missed cases by at least 50%, and an estimated sensitivity of 94% for the double test in certain cohorts.
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The Radiation Belt Storm Probes Ion Composition Experiment (RBSPICE) on both the Van Allen Probes spacecraft is a time-of-flight versus total energy instrument that provided ion composition data over the ring current energy (∼7 keV to ∼1 MeV), and electrons over the energy range ∼25 keV to ∼1 MeV throughout the duration of the mission (2012 - 2019). In this paper we present instrument calibrations, implemented after the Van Allen Probes mission was launched. In particular, we discuss updated rate dependent corrections, possible contamination by "accidentals" rates, and caveats concerning the use of certain products.

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Chylothorax and chylous ascites occur when lymphatic fluid accumulates in the pleural space or peritoneum, respectively. They are classified as either traumatic or non-traumatic, and lymphomas are the most common non-traumatic cause. Lymphomas can obstruct the lymphatic architecture causing lipid-rich chyle to leak out below the level of the obstructing mass.

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Background: Faecal immunochemical test (FIT)-directed pathways based on a single test have been implemented for symptomatic patients. However, with a single test, the sensitivity is 87 per cent at 10 µg haemoglobin (Hb) per g faeces. This aims of this study were to define the diagnostic performance of a single FIT, compared with double FIT in symptomatic populations.

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  • - The Van Allen Probes mission used a distributed operational model where the Mission Operations Center (MOC) managed overall tasks while individual instrument-specific Science Operations Centers (SOCs) focused on data acquisition, processing, and instrument performance for their specific instruments.
  • - Significant collaboration between the instrument SOCs and the project science team led to crucial discoveries through coordinated observations and cross-calibration of instruments during the mission.
  • - Key lessons learned emphasized the value of having dedicated SOCs, which improved the quality and timeliness of instrument data for scientists studying magnetospheric and radiation belt phenomena.
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Homocystinuria (HCU) refers to a group of inherited disorders of homocysteine metabolism associated with high blood homocysteine concentration, thromboembolic tendency and neurocognitive symptoms. The most common causes of a high blood homocysteine relate to underlying vitamin B or folate deficiency which must be excluded first. Thereafter, an inherited metabolic condition can be considered.

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Background: Cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) is an important cause of stroke particularly in younger patients and potentially fatal if diagnosis is delayed. The presentation of symptoms is highly variable and consequently the diagnosis and underlying cause is often delayed or overlooked. Homocystinuria, a rare autosomal recessive disorder is an identified risk factor for CVT.

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  • Lymph nodes (LNs) are important in detecting colorectal cancer spread, but traditional imaging methods like CT and MRI have limitations in accurately assessing them.
  • B-mode and contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) could enhance LN detection, but further research is needed before they can be widely adopted in clinical settings.
  • A pilot study using a mouse model found that a new scoring system based on various LN characteristics may provide better predictive accuracy for cancer involvement than simply measuring LN size.
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Background: A growing literature describes promising practices for patient-oriented research (POR) generally; however, those for systematic reviews are largely derived through the lens of a researcher. This rapid review sought to understand meaningful engagement in synthesis reviews from the patient partner (PP) perspective.

Design: The review team comprised PPs, librarians, SCPOR staff and academic faculty.

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Results from the NASA Van Allen Probes mission indicate extensive observations of mirror/drift-mirror (M/D-M hereafter) unstable plasma regions in the night-side inner magnetosphere. Said plasmas lie on the threshold between the kinetic and frozen-in plasma regimes and have favorable conditions for the formation of M/D-M modes and subsequent ultralow frequency (ULF) wave signatures in the surrounding plasma. We present the results of a climatological analysis of plasma- (anisotropy measure) and total plasma- (ratio of particle to magnetic field pressure) in regard to the satisfaction of instability conditions on said M/D-M modes under bi-Maxwellian distribution assumption, and ascertain the most likely region for such plasmas to occur.

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Background: The treatment of pelvic malignancies has continued to improve over recent years, with neoadjuvant radiotherapy often considered the gold standard to downstage disease. Radiosensitisers are routinely employed in an attempt to improve response of cancers to radiotherapy. Previous preclinical evidence has suggested a role for metformin, a commonly used drug for type 2 diabetes.

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  • The study investigated how different types of reamers (acorn vs. fluted) affect the size and shape of the tibial tunnel's outer aperture during ACL reconstruction.
  • Results showed that a 10-degree deviation from the guidewire had minimal impact on the acorn reamer's aperture dimensions but significantly increased the length of the aperture when using the fluted reamer.
  • The fluted reamer produced a larger and irregularly shaped aperture compared to the acorn reamer, highlighting the importance of choosing the right reamer for optimal tunnel creation in ACL surgery.
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Background: Nitisinone is used to treat hereditary tyrosinemia type 1 (HT-1) by preventing accumulation of toxic metabolites, including succinylacetone (SA). Accurate quantification of SA during newborn screening is essential, as is quantification of both SA and nitisinone for disease monitoring and optimization of treatment. Analysis of dried blood spots (DBS) rather than plasma samples is a convenient method, but interlaboratory differences and comparability of DBS to serum/plasma may be issues to consider.

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Lactating mice increase food intake 4- to 5-fold, reaching an asymptote in late lactation. A key question is whether this asymptote reflects a physiological constraint, or a maternal investment strategy (a 'restraint'). We exposed lactating mice to periods of food restriction, hypothesizing that if the limit reflected restraint, they would compensate by breaching the asymptote when refeeding.

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  • - A 22-year-old man suffered a 15-meter fall and was stable for over 10 hours before suddenly experiencing severe hemorrhagic shock, necessitating urgent surgery.
  • - During the initial surgery, 2 liters of blood were found in his abdomen, but no active bleeding source was identified at that time.
  • - After closing the abdomen, additional bleeding was detected, leading to a second surgery where a previously overlooked injury to the proper hepatic artery was discovered, highlighting the complexity of abdominal injuries.
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  • - The study investigates surgeon-led intraoperative ultrasound (IOUS) as an alternative to wire-guided localization for breast conserving therapy (BCT) in nonpalpable breast cancer patients, showing promising results in lesion detection and surgical outcomes.
  • - Researchers conducted a retrospective study on 95 patients who underwent IOUS-marked BCT between 2014 and 2018, successfully identifying and removing all tumors, with a re-excision rate of 14 cases (only 2 contained residual tumors).
  • - The findings indicate that IOUS is a safe and effective localization technique for BCT, providing benefits such as reduced reliance on radiology services, making it a valuable option for breast cancer treatment in the UK.
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  • - A meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate the outcomes of surgical intervention for medial knee plica, with a focus on patient-reported satisfaction scores like "good" and "excellent".
  • - Out of 731 articles reviewed, 12 met the inclusion criteria, leading to a total analysis of 643 knees, and 7 articles were used for a more detailed meta-analysis.
  • - The overall success rate for favorable outcomes post-surgery was 84.2%, suggesting that arthroscopic surgical excision is a valid option for treating symptomatic medial knee plica, especially if non-surgical treatments have failed.
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  • - Primary bile duct perforation in adults is uncommon and often leads to serious complications like biliary peritonitis, which can be life-threatening.
  • - A case involving a 72-year-old man showed that he was admitted with pancreatitis but was later diagnosed with a contained bile duct perforation limited to the lesser sac.
  • - The patient's condition was successfully treated using stenting through endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, avoiding the need for more invasive procedures.
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Introduction: 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA (HMG-CoA) lyase deficiency is an autosomal recessive disorder that usually presents in the neonatal period with vomiting, metabolic acidosis, hypoglycemia and absent ketonuria. Few cases are reported in the literature, and optimal dietary management and long term outcome are not fully understood.

Case Report: We report a 2 year old girl with HMG-CoA-lyase deficiency who had limited fasting tolerance on a low protein diet, with several recurrent hospital admissions with severe hypoketotic hypoglycaemia and metabolic acidosis.

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Background: Children with long-chain fatty acid β-oxidation disorders (LCFAOD) presenting with clinical symptoms are treated with a specialist infant formula, with medium chain triglyceride (MCT) mainly replacing long chain triglyceride (LCT). It is essential that the safety and efficacy of any new specialist formula designed for LCFAOD be tested in infants and children.

Methods: In an open-label, 21-day, phase I trial, we studied the safety of a new MCT-based formula (feed 1) in six well-controlled children (three male), aged 7-13 years (median 9 years) with LCFAOD (very long chain acyl CoA dehydrogenase deficiency [VLCADD], n=2; long chain 3-hydroxyacyl CoA dehydrogenase deficiency [LCHADD], n=2; carnitine acyl carnitine translocase deficiency [CACTD], n=2).

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