Publications by authors named "Gray J"

Treatment with radioactive drugs (molecular radiotherapy, MRT) is an option for selected children with neuroblastoma and neuroendocrine cancers. As few hospitals are appropriately equipped and staffed to provide paediatric MRT, many families have to travel long distances from home for prolonged periods. To improve professional understanding of the challenges faced by children receiving these treatments and their parents, and to help them appreciate the difficulties faced by professionals in delivering complex treatments, a meeting bringing together parents, patients and professionals was held.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives: To examine the patient's perspective of the informed consent process, particularly with regards to reading the informed consent form, understanding and recall of the informed consent.

Methods: Between June and August 2022, 281 patients/proxies at King Fahad Medical City, Saudi Arabia, were surveyed within 7 days before having a medical procedure.

Results: In all, 66.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Importance: Recently, the US Food and Drug Administration gave premarketing approval to an algorithm based on its purported ability to identify individuals at genetic risk for opioid use disorder (OUD). However, the clinical utility of the candidate genetic variants included in the algorithm has not been independently demonstrated.

Objective: To assess the utility of 15 genetic variants from an algorithm intended to predict OUD risk.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: The development and strengthening of midwifery education requires a focus on midwifery faculty as an important strategy to improve quality of care provision. Despite the need for high-quality midwifery educators in all-countries, preparation and development of faculty is challenging, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.

Aim: The aim was to explore the experiences of midwifery faculty in low- and middle-income countries in the Asia Pacific region regarding their pathway to being a faculty member, programs of development and/or factors that supported their transition to faculty.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Animal venoms, distinguished by their unique structural features and potent bioactivities, represent a vast and relatively untapped reservoir of therapeutic molecules. However, limitations associated with comprehensively constructing and expressing highly complex venom and venom-like molecule libraries have precluded their therapeutic evaluation via high throughput screening. Here, we developed an innovative computational approach to design a highly diverse library of animal venoms and "metavenoms".

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • MDMA, also known as Ecstasy or Molly, has been used since the 1970s for both recreational and therapeutic purposes, with the FDA recognizing its potential for treating PTSD as a Breakthrough Therapy in 2017.
  • The effects of MDMA in therapeutic settings are distinct, promoting trust and self-compassion while allowing cognitive clarity, which differentiates it from other psychedelics.
  • Preliminary evidence indicates that MDMA-Assisted Therapy is effective, with 67%-71% of PTSD patients no longer meeting diagnostic criteria after treatment, significantly more than those receiving placebo therapy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Osteosarcoma is the most common primary bone cancer, occurring frequently in children and young adults. Patients are treated with surgery and multi-agent chemotherapy, and despite the introduction of mifamurtide in 2011, there has been little improvement in survival for decades. 3-dimensional models offer the potential to understand the complexity of the osteosarcoma tumor microenvironment and aid in developing new treatment approaches.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

We profiled a large heterogenous cohort of matched diagnostic-relapse tumour tissue and paired plasma-derived cell free DNA (cfDNA) from patients with relapsed and progressive solid tumours of childhood. Tissue and cfDNA sequencing results were concordant, with a wider spectrum of mutant alleles and higher degree of intra-tumour heterogeneity captured by the latter, if sufficient circulating tumour-derived DNA (ctDNA) was present. Serial tumour sequencing identified putative drivers of relapse, with alterations in epigenetic drivers being a common feature.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study reviewed biotinidase gene variants in a large group of women undergoing reproductive carrier screening to improve management of those with significant gene changes.
  • About 6.1% of the 91,637 women tested had pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants, with a specific variant (D444H) being the most common in 92.3% of cases.
  • The results showed variations in heterozygote rates among different racial and ethnic groups, highlighting the potential for reproductive carrier screening to lead to earlier diagnoses compared to traditional newborn screening methods.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Anti-GD2 antibody therapy offers benefits for neuroblastoma patients, but its effectiveness is limited by the tumor's immunosuppressive environment.
  • Research shows that using copper chelation can enhance this therapy by improving immune responses, specifically by boosting the activity of neutrophils that help fight the tumor.
  • The study suggests repurposing the approved copper chelator Cuprior as a safe and effective method to improve the outcomes of anti-GD2 therapy in neuroblastoma patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Timely estimation of rice yields is essential for food security and agricultural policy development, particularly in countries like Bangladesh, where existing methods lack integration into national reporting systems.
  • This study introduces a new workflow using remote sensing data to estimate boro rice yields at a high spatial resolution of 1,000 meters, achieving a low mean percentage root mean square error (RMSE) compared to district yields.
  • The analysis reveals trends in boro rice yield from 2002 to 2021, showing 23% of the area with an increasing trend, while providing scalable yield estimates that can enhance food security management in Bangladesh.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Unlabelled: Non-enveloped viruses like poliovirus (PV) have evolved the capacity to spread by non-lytic mechanisms. For PV, this mechanism exploits the host secretory autophagy pathway. Virions are selectively incorporated into autophagosomes, double-membrane vesicles that travel to the plasma membrane, fuse, and release single-membrane vesicles containing virions.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

When maternal milk is unavailable, donor human milk (DHM) from human milk banks (HMBs) is the optimal alternative, as recommended by the World Health Organisation. The microbiota of DHM could contain opportunistic pathogens, which means rigorous microbiological screening for DHM, prior to pasteurisation, is recommended to safeguard recipients. Here, an analysis of 6863 DHM samples from 1419 donors at the Hearts Milk Bank between 2017 and 2023 showed approximately 70.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Thymic carcinoma is a rare and aggressive malignancy with few treatment options. Preclinical studies suggested that targeting the angiogenic pathway may be beneficial in this disease.

Methods: This randomized phase 2 trial enrolled patients with unresectable, locally advanced, recurrent, or metastatic thymic carcinoma.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose Of The Article: Generative AI can potentially streamline the creation of practice exam questions. This study sought to evaluate medical students' confidence using generative AI for this purpose, and overall attitudes towards its use.

Materials And Methods: The study used a mixed-methods approach with a pre-post intervention design.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: In the United Kingdom there are 37 physician associate (PA) training programs with limited knowledge of the educators involved, their training, and specific needs.

Method: An online questionnaire was sent to PA educators in all UK training programs requesting information on academic title and responsibilities, clinical and nonclinical background, education and qualifications before becoming a PA educator, formal and informal training received in the role, and insights into career progression.

Discussion: The questionnaire highlighted 5 specific areas that should be specific recommendations for UK training programs to support PA educators, alongside existing guidance.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Ganglioneuroblastoma intermixed (GNBi) and ganglioneuroma (GN) represent benign variants of peripheral neuroblastic tumours. While historically surgical resection was recommended, watchful active observation has become the accepted management for a subset of patients.

Objectives: To review clinical features, biology, natural history and management of a retrospective UK CCLG study cohort of GN and GNBi, and compare outcomes of patients treated with surgical resection or watchful active observation.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

This paper reports on an acoustic emission (AE) sensor based on relaxor ferroelectric single crystal (RFSC) transduction. The sensor crystal is arranged into a Linear Array for Modal Decomposition and Analysis (LAMDA), with the sensor interrogated by a bespoke high-bandwidth instrument. The efficacy of RFSC LAMDA sensors is showcased through a series of comparative experiments, which include the simultaneous acquisition of pencil lead break (PLB) AEs in a 1.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Fluid resuscitation choices in prehospital trauma care are limited, with most Emergency Medical Services (EMS) agencies only having access to crystalloids. Which solution to use, how much to administer, and judging the individual risks and benefits of giving or withholding fluids remains an area of uncertainty. To address the role of crystalloid fluids in prehospital trauma care, we reviewed the available relevant literature and developed recommendations to guide clinical care.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • - The study examines how identifying fossils and comparing them to modern species can be misleading due to challenges in classifying fossils based on limited skeletal remains, especially in squamates (lizards and snakes), where morphological variation is not well understood.
  • - Using 3D geometric morphometrics, researchers analyzed skull bones from 14 genera of lizards from Australia and Papua New Guinea to assess their ability to define taxonomic relationships and ecological roles, finding that specific skull bones are effective at the generic level but may underestimate species-level diversity.
  • - The research also suggests that intraspecific variability (variation within a species) can help estimate extinct species diversity; however, reducing sample sizes to mimic fossil conditions can decrease classification accuracy and increase variability in
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Human immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies are one of the most important classes of biotherapeutic agents and undergo glycosylation at the conserved N297 site in the C2 domain, which is critical for IgG Fc effector functions and anti-inflammatory activity. Hence, technologies for producing authentically glycosylated IgGs are in high demand. While attempts to engineer for this purpose have been described, they have met limited success due in part to the lack of available oligosaccharyltransferase (OST) enzymes that can install linked glycans within the QYNST sequon of the IgG C2 domain.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The oligomerization of protein macromolecules on cell membranes plays a fundamental role in regulating cellular function. From modulating signal transduction to directing immune response, membrane proteins (MPs) play a crucial role in biological processes and are often the target of many pharmaceutical drugs. Despite their biological relevance, the challenges in experimental determination have hampered the structural availability of membrane proteins and their complexes.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Transcription factors (TFs) are crucial for regulating gene expression and influencing an organism's traits, and gene-regulatory networks (GRNs) are used to identify potential target genes for these TFs.
  • Researchers conducted experiments in maize using a reverse genetics approach to isolate mutant alleles of 22 TFs but found no significant physical changes in the plants.
  • Although no major morphological changes were observed, transcriptomic profiling revealed differences in gene expression and phenolic compound levels in some mutants, suggesting that while individual TFs may not show dramatic effects, they can still influence gene regulatory networks.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Tackling health inequalities demands whole systems strategies with reach beyond the traditional sphere of influence of health care systems. Practitioners and researchers have long recognised that wider social determinants, where people are born, the communities they live in, their built environment, access to education and resources and, most significantly for this discussion, their relationship to the labour market, profoundly shape health experiences and expectations over the lifecourse. At macro-level, economic structures and systems play a fundamental role in the distribution of good health and incidence of inequalities.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

N-acetylcysteine (NAC) may serve as a novel pharmacotherapy for substance use and substance craving in individuals with substance use disorders (SUDs), possibly through its potential to regulate glutamate. Though prior meta-analyses generally support NAC's efficacy in reducing symptoms of craving, individual trials have found mixed results. The aims of this updated meta-analysis were to (1) examine the efficacy of NAC in treating symptoms of craving in individuals with SUD and (2) explore subgroup differences, risk of bias and publication bias across trials.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF