Publications by authors named "Laura Turner"

Study Design: Case series.

Objective: To describe the assessment and surgical approach to dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR) for patients with nasolacrimal duct obstruction (NLDO) in the presence of orbital wall hardware.

Methods: The pre-operative assessment, management and outcomes of two patients with secondary acquired NLDO following medial orbital wall fracture repair treated by nasal endoscopic DCR.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Hundreds of novel candidate human epilepsy-associated genes have been identified thanks to advancements in next-generation sequencing and large genome-wide association studies, but establishing genetic etiology requires functional validation. We generated a list of >2,200 candidate epilepsy-associated genes, of which 48 were developed into stable loss-of-function (LOF) zebrafish models. Of those 48, evidence of seizure-like behavior was present in 5 (, , , , and ).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Hundreds of novel candidate human epilepsy-associated genes have been identified thanks to advancements in next-generation sequencing and large genome-wide association studies, but establishing genetic etiology requires functional validation. We generated a list of >2200 candidate epilepsy-associated genes, of which 81 were determined suitable for the generation of loss-of-function zebrafish models via CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing. Of those 81 crispants, 48 were successfully established as stable mutant lines and assessed for seizure-like swim patterns in a primary F screen.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: MLH1 loss due to methylation, detected during Lynch syndrome screening, is one of the most common molecular changes in endometrial cancer. It is well established that environmental influences such as nutritional state can impact gene methylation, both in the germline and in a tumor. In colorectal cancer and other cancer types, aging is associated with changes in gene methylation.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Traumatic experiences can have significant health effects, particularly when they are experienced during childhood. Structural determinants of health including environmental disasters and limited access to mental health services and affordable housing can contribute additional stress for parents with a personal history of childhood adversity. These factors can directly affect their children, contributing to intergenerational trauma.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological disorders. The X-linked gene PCDH19 is associated with sporadic and familial epilepsy in humans, typically with early-onset clustering seizures and intellectual disability in females but not in so-called 'carrier' males, suggesting that mosaic PCDH19 expression is required to produce epilepsy. To characterize the role of loss of PCDH19 function in epilepsy, we generated zebrafish with truncating pcdh19 variants.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Fluorine is a critical element for the design of bioactive compounds, driving advances in selective and sustainable fluorination. However, stereogenic tertiary fluorides pose a synthetic challenge and are thus present in only a few approved drugs (fluticasone, solithromycin, and sofosbuvir). The aldol reaction of fluorinated donors provides an atom-economical approach to asymmetric C-F motifs via C-C bond formation.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • A study investigated whether adding a 30-hour aerobic exercise program to cognitive remediation could enhance cognitive function in individuals with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder compared to cognitive remediation alone.
  • Both groups showed significant improvement in cognitive function, but there was no difference between them, indicating that exercise didn't provide additional benefits.
  • Additionally, exercise did not lead to notable changes in brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels, suggesting that moderate aerobic exercise may not reliably influence cognitive gains in those with severe mental illness.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

We used behavioral skills training (BST) to teach multiple skills to 2 cohorts of 18 participants. BST consisted of the standard 4 components: (a) didactic instruction, (b) modeling, (c) role-play, and (d) feedback, modified to be delivered in a large-group format. All components were provided by 1 trainer, simultaneously to all participants, with peers delivering feedback during role-plays.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Description The disproportionate impact of COVID on the mortality and morbidity of people of black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds has been recognised and is under investigation. Here we present a different impact: that on the psyche. As three doctors of BAME heritage, we shared an experience of being redeployed from ophthalmology to the COVID Intensive Care Unit.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Acute kidney injury after cardiopulmonary bypass surgery is associated with morbidity and mortality. This study aims to evaluate the role of low perfusion flow and pressure in the development of cardiopulmonary bypass-associated acute kidney injury, stroke and death, using multicentre registry data.

Methods: We identified patients from the Australian and New Zealand Collaborative Perfusion Registry who underwent coronary artery bypass grafting and/or valvular surgery between 2008 and 2018.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: To describe changes in the racial and ethnic diversity of the membership of a national academic health professional organization, the Academic Pediatric Association (APA) from 2009 to 2018.

Methods: Administrative data from the APA was used for the study. Our sample was limited to dues-paying members of the APA with complete profile information.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Aim: To examine the impact of engagement in a self-chosen community-based activity on three relevant body functions (motor, cognitive, and affective) as well as on the performance of the selected activity.

Method: An individual-based interrupted time series design with multiple baselines was used. Seven young people (four males, three females) aged 15 to 25 years (median 18y; interquartile range 17-20y) with physical disabilities participated in an 8-week community activity of choice (e.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) research has demonstrated a strong correlation between a traumatic childhood and poor health and social status in adulthood. Maternal/child Public Health Nursing (PHN) home visiting teams frequently encounter families experiencing trauma, thus offering a unique opportunity to assist parents in recognizing the potential harm such stress may have for their child. The Sonoma County Field Nursing team developed a trauma-informed model utilizing ACEs education in a self-reflective approach with parents to increase family resilience and reduce the risk for future childhood trauma.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives: In addition to the motor and cognitive symptoms that people with Parkinson's disease (PD) typically experience, psychiatric symptoms such as anxiety are also commonly experienced by people with PD. The overall purpose of the current study was to explore driving and driving cessation for people with PD and their families.

Methods: A descriptive phenomenological approach was employed using semi-structured interviews and 34 interviews were conducted overall (22 participants with PD and 12 family members).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The health of young people can be considered an indicator of the health of Australia's future population. To improve access to healthcare, the perspectives of adolescents on the design and delivery of services need to be championed. The objective of this study was to identify what young people in north-west Tasmania value when seeking healthcare at general practices.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Competency-based supervision of trainees has recently come to the forefront of behavior analytic practice; however, there are minimal data to support the effectiveness of various supervision practices on trainee outcomes. Accordingly, this paper is intended to spark further discussion and research activity regarding the supervision of those seeking to become Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBA). We present a practice model and considerations for supervising applied behavior analytic trainees consistent with the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) Supervisor Training Curriculum Outline (Behavior Analyst Certification Board, 2012b), the Professional and Ethical Compliance Code for Behavior Analysts (Behavior Analyst Certification Board, 2014), and extant literature from behavior analysis and related fields.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Dysfunction and loss of synapses are early pathogenic events in Alzheimer's disease. A central step in the generation of toxic amyloid-β (Aβ) peptides is the cleavage of amyloid precursor protein (APP) by β-site APP-cleaving enzyme (BACE1). Here, we have elucidated whether downregulation of septin (SEPT) protein family members, which are implicated in synaptic plasticity and vesicular trafficking, affects APP processing and Aβ generation.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Enrollment of patients in sickle cell intervention trials has been challenging due to difficulty in obtaining consent from a legal guardian and lack of collaboration between emergency medicine and hematology. We utilized education and preconsent in a pediatric multisite sickle cell intervention trial to overcome these challenges. Overall, 48 patients were enrolled after being preconsented.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The environment plays a key role in supporting children's participation and can serve as a focus of intervention. This study aimed to elicit the perceptions and experiences of occupational therapists who had applied the PREP approach--Pathways and Resources for Engagement and Participation. PREP is a novel 12-week intervention for youth with physical disabilities, aimed at improving participation in leisure community-based activities by modifying aspects of the environment.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Children's exposure to food marketing is one environmental determinant of childhood obesity. Measuring the extent to which children are aware of food brands may be one way to estimate relative prior exposures to food marketing. This study aimed to develop and validate an Australian Brand Awareness Instrument (ABAI) to estimate children's food brand awareness.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background/aim: Youth with physical disabilities experience restrictions to participation in community-based leisure activities; however, there is little evidence about how to improve their involvement. This study examined whether an intervention to remove environmental barriers and develop strategies using a coaching approach improved youth participation in leisure activities.

Methods: An Interrupted Time Series design was employed, where replication of the intervention effect was examined across individualised participation goals and across participants.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: Age-related changes in motion sensitivity have been found to relate to reductions in various indices of driving performance and safety. The aim of this study was to investigate the basis of this relationship in terms of determining which aspects of motion perception are most relevant to driving.

Methods: Participants included 61 regular drivers (age range 22-87 years).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: There are a variety of devices currently available to measure physical activity. Activity monitors are technologically advanced and provide complex data, leading to higher costs. Pedometers are simple, inexpensive devices that provide easy-to-view data.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF