Background: Midfoot pain is common but poorly understood, with radiographs often indicating no anomalies. This study aimed to describe bone, joint and soft tissue changes and to explore associations between MRI-detected abnormalities and clinical symptoms (pain and disability) in a group of adults with midfoot pain, but who were radiographically negative for osteoarthritis.
Methods: Community-based participants with midfoot pain underwent an MRI scan of one foot and scored semi-quantitatively using the Foot OsteoArthritis MRI Score (FOAMRIS).
Introduction: Midfoot osteoarthritis (OA) is a painful and disabling condition. Arch contouring foot orthoses have been recommended for midfoot OA, yet there is no high-quality evidence from randomised controlled trials to support their use. This clinical trial aims to evaluate the efficacy of arch contouring foot orthoses for midfoot OA.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: This study reviews the first 3 years of delivery of the first National Health Service (NHS)-commissioned trio rapid whole genome sequencing (rWGS) service for acutely unwell infants and children in Wales.
Methods: Demographic and phenotypic data were prospectively collected as patients and their families were enrolled in the Wales Infants' and childreN's Genome Service (WINGS). These data were reviewed alongside trio rWGS results.
Mechanical foot pain affects ∽20% of the UK population >50 years of age, with ∼10% reporting disabling pain that impacts daily activities. For most people, foot pain improves over time, but for some this can become chronic and disabling, affecting physical activity, participation, mental health and work capacity. Mechanical foot pain can present as localized pain, but more often the pain presents in multiple structures.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The first metatarsophalangeal joint is the most common site of osteoarthritis (OA) in the foot and ankle. Intra-articular corticosteroid injections are widely used for this condition, but little is known about their use in practice. This study explored current practice within the UK National Health Service (NHS) relating to the administration of intra-articular corticosteroids for people with painful first metatarsophalangeal joint (MTPJ) OA.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFProc Natl Acad Sci U S A
June 2023
Chemical communication by females remains poorly understood, with most attention focused on female advertisement of sexual receptivity to males or mother-offspring communication. However, in social species, scents are likely to be important for mediating competition and cooperation between females determining individual reproductive success. Here, we explore chemical signaling by female laboratory rats () to test i) whether females target their deployment of scent information differentially according to their sexual receptivity and the genetic identity of both female and male conspecifics signaling in the local environment and ii) whether females are attracted to gain the same or different information from female scents compared to males.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEvidence-based practice provides the foundation for high quality patient care, and in the NHS, research is seen as vital to enable service transformation and improve outcomes. Research is one of the four pillars of enhanced and advanced clinical practice and is therefore a fundamental part of podiatric surgery services. In order to meet the UK health research strategies, the most recent being 'Saving and Improving Lives: The Future of UK Clinical Research Delivery' (2021), the Faculty of Podiatric Surgery in the UK agreed to support the development of research priorities in order to inform a future research strategy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFVirilizer-like mA methyltransferase-associated protein (VIRMA) maintains the stability of the mA writer complex. Although VIRMA is critical for RNA mA deposition, the impact of aberrant VIRMA expression in human diseases remains unclear. We show that VIRMA is amplified and overexpressed in 15-20% of breast cancers.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: To compare intrinsic foot muscle size between people with and without symptomatic midfoot osteoarthritis, and examine the association between muscle size and strength, pain and foot-related disability.
Methods: Twenty-three participants with symptomatic midfoot osteoarthritis and 23 age, sex and BMI matched controls were included. Intrinsic foot muscle cross-sectional area was measured using MRI.
Serum tryptase is a biomarker used to aid in the identification of certain myeloid neoplasms, most notably systemic mastocytosis, where basal serum tryptase (BST) levels >20 ng/mL are a minor criterion for diagnosis. Although clonal myeloid neoplasms are rare, the common cause for elevated BST levels is the genetic trait hereditary α-tryptasemia (HαT) caused by increased germline TPSAB1 copy number. To date, the precise structural variation and mechanism(s) underlying elevated BST in HαT and the general clinical utility of tryptase genotyping, remain undefined.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To compare magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-detected structural abnormalities in patients with symptomatic midfoot osteoarthritis (OA), patients with persistent midfoot pain, and asymptomatic controls, and to explore the association between MRI features, pain, and foot-related disability.
Methods: One hundred seven adults consisting of 50 patients with symptomatic and radiographically confirmed midfoot OA, 22 adults with persistent midfoot pain but absence of radiographic OA, and 35 asymptomatic adults underwent 3T MRI of the midfoot and clinical assessment. MRIs were read for the presence and severity of abnormalities (bone marrow lesions [BMLs], subchondral cysts, osteophytes, joint space narrowing [JSN], effusion-synovitis, tenosynovitis, and enthesopathy) using the Foot Osteoarthritis MRI Score.
Objective: To summarise the available evidence relating to the diagnosis, epidemiology, burden, outcome assessment and treatment of foot and ankle osteoarthritis (OA) and to develop an agenda to guide future research.
Method: Members of the International Foot and Ankle Osteoarthritis Consortium compiled a narrative summary of the literature which formed the basis of an interactive discussion at the Osteoarthritis Research Society International World Congress in 2021, during which a list of 24 research agenda items were generated. Following the meeting, delegates were asked to rank the research agenda items on a 0 to 100 visual analogue rating scale (0 = not at all important to 100 = extremely important).
Age is a risk factor for numerous diseases, including neurodegenerative diseases, cancers, and diabetes. Loss of protein homeostasis is a central hallmark of aging. Activation of the endoplasmic reticulum unfolded protein response (UPR ) includes changes in protein translation and membrane lipid synthesis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAntagonist static-stretching and dynamic-stretching are both effective at improving muscular performance. The purpose of this study was to investigate responses to a dynamic stretching warm-up protocol, a static-stretching warm-up protocol and a combined dynamic-stretching and antagonist static stretching warm-up protocol on isokinetic leg extension performance. Twelve participants completed a baseline (PRE) isokinetic knee-extension test at 60°.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Leaders from a university, Area Health Education Center, and primary care centers (PCCs) collaborated to integrate Interprofessional Collaborative Practice (IPCP) in PCCs.
Purpose: Describe the facilitators and barriers of IPCP implementation in rural clinics and the impact on decision-making and safety culture.
Methods: The implementation team used engagement strategies to support the development of IPCP.
Single-molecule localization microscopy (SMLM) has the potential to quantify the diversity in spatial arrangements of molecules in intact cells. However, this requires that the single-molecule emitters are localized with ultrahigh precision irrespective of the sample format and the length of the data acquisition. We advance SMLM to enable direct distance measurements between molecules in intact cells on the scale between 1 and 20 nm.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMonocytes and macrophages are essential components of the innate immune system. Herein, we report that intron retention (IR) plays an important role in the development and function of these cells. Using Illumina mRNA sequencing, Nanopore direct cDNA sequencing and proteomics analysis, we identify IR events that affect the expression of key genes/proteins involved in macrophage development and function.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis study uses a 2018 stated preference survey to elicit a willingness to pay (WTP) to reduce the cancer morbidity and mortality risk from arsenic exposure through drinking water. Respondents who use a public water supply are willing to pay $35.43 per month for the risk reduction associated with lowering the maximum allowable level of arsenic in drinking water from 10 to a hypothetical level of 3 ppb; households on private wells are willing to pay $29.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArthritis Care Res (Hoboken)
June 2021
Objective: To compare foot and leg muscle strength in people with symptomatic midfoot osteoarthritis (OA) with asymptomatic controls, and to determine the association between muscle strength, foot pain, and disability.
Methods: Participants with symptomatic midfoot OA and asymptomatic controls were recruited for this cross-sectional study from general practices and community health clinics. The maximum isometric muscle strength of the ankle plantarflexors, dorsiflexors, invertors and evertors, and the hallux and lesser toe plantarflexors was measured using hand-held dynamometry.
Major urinary proteins (MUP) are the major component of the urinary protein fraction in house mice (Mus spp.) and rats (Rattus spp.).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCurr Opin Chem Biol
August 2019
Nanoclusters of cell surface receptors have been detected with single molecule localization microscopy (SMLM) and are thought to mediate signal transduction. Clustering of the T cell receptor (TCR), for example, was reported to control signalling efficiency and antigen discrimination. However, the ability to detect nanoclusters with SMLM has been questioned.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAn interprofessional collaborative practice (IPCP) environment was implemented in four inpatient acute care unit accountable care teams (ACT) through an academic-practice partnership. An action research methodology was implemented to empower healthcare professionals and promote ownership and sustainment of the IPCP strategies. Healthcare professionals on the ACT units, students, and faculty engaged in the multi-year project.
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