Publications by authors named "Hopkins K"

A 7-week-old infant with a 1-week history of a SARS-CoV2 respiratory infection presented with tachypnea. Cardiomegaly was noted on chest roentgenogram. Echocardiogram showed a large pericardial effusion, with tamponade physiology and a large pericardial mass.

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The recommended treatment for cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma is surgical excision. An initial punch biopsy is often performed as an aid to diagnosis. A retrospective registry-based study was performed to assess histopathological concordance of punch biopsy of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma and subsequent excision.

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Objectives: In England, group B streptococci (GBS; Streptococcus agalactiae) are considered universally susceptible to penicillin. Reports from Africa, Asia, North America and a few European countries have described GBS isolates with penicillin MICs above the epidemiological cut-off (0.125 mg/L).

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Pulmonary vein stenosis is challenging to treat due to high rate of recurrence. Multiple interventions exist but are limited by high rates of restenosis. One theory for the high rate of recurrence is vascular inflammation.

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Objective: This pilot study aimed to explore knowledge, attitudes and confidence levels of Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA) before and after case-based education among dental hygiene students. Moreover, to give an international perspective, this study included students from the US and Scandinavia.

Methods: A longitudinal multicentre study assessed dental hygiene students' OSA knowledge, attitudes and confidence through a case-based education model.

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Article Synopsis
  • Patients with locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) who undergo incomplete total mesorectal excision (TME) generally have poorer cancer outcomes, and the link between TME quality, adjuvant chemotherapy, and these outcomes has been under-researched.
  • A study analyzed 746 LARC patients treated with neoadjuvant chemoradiation or short-course radiotherapy followed by surgery and found that adjuvant chemotherapy significantly reduced mortality risk for all patients and decreased locoregional recurrence specifically in those with complete TME.
  • The results indicate that adjuvant chemotherapy could improve oncologic outcomes for LARC patients undergoing surgery after neoadjuvant treatments, highlighting its potential benefits in clinical management.
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Purpose: Despite the volume of accumulating knowledge from prospective Aboriginal cohort studies, longitudinal data describing developmental trajectories in health and well-being is limited. The linkage of child and carer cohorts from a historical cross-sectional survey with longitudinal health-service and social-service administrative data has created a unique and powerful data resource that underpins the Western Australian Aboriginal Child Health Survey (WAACHS) linked data study. This study aims to provide evidence-based information to Aboriginal communities across Western Australia, governments and non-government agencies on the heterogeneous life trajectories of Aboriginal children and families.

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Misinformation related to vaccines has been shown to potentially negatively impact public perceptions and intentions to vaccinate in many contexts including COVID-19 vaccination in Ghana. Psychological inoculation - where recipients are warned about the misleading techniques used in misinformation - is a potential intervention which could preemptively boost public resistance against misinformation. is an interactive, digital game that applies inoculation, offering a scalable tool building public resilience against vaccine misinformation and promoting positive health-related behaviors.

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  • Streptococcus mitis is a major contributor to infective endocarditis (IE), but its genetics and disease-causing abilities are not well understood due to the disease's rarity.
  • Researchers conducted whole genome sequencing on 129 S. mitis samples from UK bloodstream infections over 15 years, finding a high level of genetic diversity among isolates without a single dominant lineage.
  • The study identified a variable presence of virulence genes, suggesting that S. mitis acts as an accidental pathogen in IE cases rather than being driven by specific resistant or aggressive strains.
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Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on different countries because of which various health and safety measures were implemented, with digital media playing a pivotal role. However, digital media also pose significant concerns such as misinformation and lack of direction.

Objective: We aimed to explore the effects of COVID-19-related infodemics through digital, social, and electronic media on the vaccine-related attitudes of caregivers and health care providers in Pakistan.

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Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of pharmacist-led interventions on diabetes distress and glucose management among people with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) in a community care clinic.

Methods: Adults with T2DM were recruited during routine visits at the pharmacist-run clinic. Participants completed a baseline A1C, demographic survey, Diabetes Distress Scale (DDS), and Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2).

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OXA-244, an R214G variant of OXA-48, is silently spreading worldwide likely because of difficulties in detection using classical screening media. Here, we characterized two clinical isolates of and that displayed reduced susceptibility to carbapenems but were lacking significant carbapenemase activity as revealed by negative Carba NP test results. However, positive test results were seen for OXA-48-like enzymes by lateral flow immunoassays.

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Article Synopsis
  • Carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CPE), particularly those encoding imipenemase (IMP), were studied for their emergence in a London healthcare network from 2016-2019, showcasing major antibiotic resistance issues across various species.
  • The research combined network analysis of patient pathways with genomic studies, identifying 84 Enterobacterales isolates, mainly from Klebsiella, Enterobacter, and E. coli, with a high prevalence of a specific plasmid linked to resistance genes.
  • Findings revealed an unnoticed interspecies outbreak through plasmid sharing, emphasizing the need for enhanced investigation techniques like DNA sequencing to effectively track and manage pathogen transmission in hospital settings.
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Promoting vaccine acceptance and demand is an essential, yet often underrecognized component of ensuring that everyone has access to the full benefits of immunization. Convened by the Sabin Vaccine Institute, the Vaccination Acceptance Research Network (VARN) is a global network of multidisciplinary stakeholders driving strengthened vaccination acceptance, demand, and delivery. VARN works to advance and apply social and behavioral science insights, research, and expertise to the challenges and opportunities facing vaccination decision-makers.

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Community engagement is vital to the development of people-centered, successful vaccination programs. The diverse Vaccination Acceptance Research Network (VARN) community brings together interdisciplinary professionals from across the immunization ecosystem who play a crucial role in vaccination acceptance, demand, and delivery. Over the course of the VARN2023 conference, researchers and practitioners alike shared ideas and experiences focused on strategies and approaches to building trust between communities and health systems to increase equity in vaccination.

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Assessment of pulmonary regurgitation (PR) guides treatment for patients with congenital heart disease. Quantitative assessment of PR fraction (PRF) by echocardiography is limited. Cardiac MRI (cMRI) is the reference-standard for PRF quantification.

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A 73-year-old man with a history of hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and obesity presented for cardiovascular evaluation. He was experiencing mild fatigue and dyspnea on exertion. Transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE) showed right ventricular dilation, which was otherwise unremarkable.

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Whole-genome reconstruction of bacterial pathogens has become an important tool for tracking transmission and antimicrobial resistance gene spread, but highly accurate and complete assemblies have largely only historically been achievable using hybrid long- and short-read sequencing. We previously found the Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT) R10.4/kit12 flowcell/chemistry produced improved assemblies over the R9.

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Article Synopsis
  • * Researchers analyzed 275 isolates from various countries using genomic techniques and found three main groups along with a proposed modified taxonomy for the genus.
  • * The findings suggest significant genetic diversity among Morganella spp and highlight the importance of monitoring these pathogens' resistance mechanisms for better treatment options.
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Article Synopsis
  • - The study evaluates the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of healthcare workers in Pakistan regarding the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) and proper vaccine storage and management.
  • - Conducted from January to June 2022, the research used a structured questionnaire to assess 186 registered vaccinators in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, revealing a lack of training and moderate to poor knowledge about EPI among them.
  • - Despite the knowledge gaps, most participants had a positive attitude towards the importance of national immunization programs and demonstrated good practices in managing vaccine storage and cold chain protocols.
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Objectives: The objective of this study was to describe the use of telemedicine for contraception in a sample of young adults and examine differences by health insurance coverage.

Study Design: We analyzed survey data collected from May 2020 to July 2022 from individuals at risk of pregnancy aged 18 to 29 recruited at 29 community colleges in California and Texas. We used multivariable mixed-effects logistic regression models with random effects for site and individual to compare the use of telemedicine to obtain contraception by insurance status, sociodemographic characteristics, and state.

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Symptoms of mental distress increased sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially among older adolescents and young adults. Mental health distress may make it more challenging for young people to seek other needed health care, including contraception. This study explored the association of symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress with delays in getting a contraceptive method or prescription.

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Ophidiomycosis is an emerging infectious disease affecting wild snakes in the Northern Hemisphere. Recently confirmed in Great Britain, the prevalence, severity and significance of ophidiomycosis has yet to be characterised in free-living snakes at a population level in Europe. Therefore, a population of barred grass snakes (Natrix helvetica) in eastern England was monitored for three seasons (May 2019 to October 2021), to investigate the prevalence (25.

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Background: Outbreaks linked to inadequate endoscope drying have infected numerous patients, and current standards and guidelines recommend at least 10 minutes of forced air for drying channels. This study evaluated a new forced-air drying system (FADS) for endoscopes.

Methods: Drying was assessed using droplet detection cards; visual inspection of air/water connectors, suction connectors, and distal ends; and borescope examinations of endoscope interiors.

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Borescope examinations of endoscope channels are commonly described in literature, but no studies on surgical instrument lumen inspection have been published recently. Inadequately processed surgical instruments have been implicated in patient infections. This study assessed the utility of borescopes for inspecting surgical instruments.

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