Publications by authors named "Laura Ward"

Background: Studies on avoidable mortality in adults with intellectual disabilities are limited, as are studies on causes of death.

Objectives: We aimed to quantify mortality rates, and causes, and identify factors (i.e.

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There is compelling evidence that although the increased availability of sensitive imaging is the main cause of the increasing incidence of differentiated thyroid cancer, particularly the papillary type, there are other factors involved. Despite the acknowledged role of genetic and certain lifestyle factors, comprehensive studies delineating the interactions between multiple risk factors and the mechanistic pathways involved are scarce. A greater understanding of both modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors for thyroid cancer is critical to prevent and manage the disease and could provide a scientific basis for future research into more appropriate lifestyles and living environments for people at high risk.

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Background: Adults with intellectual disability experience more pain than adults without and, despite a higher number of medications being prescribed, may be less likely to receive medication for pain. We conducted a systematic review of existing literature on medication for pain and painful conditions in adults with intellectual disability to explore if there is any association with polypharmacy, multimorbidity or demographic characteristics.

Methods: This systematic review followed PRISMA guidelines.

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  • * A study involving 521 EVD survivors in Sierra Leone found that significant eye conditions such as cataracts, uveitis, and dry eyes were present, highlighting the prevalence of visual impairments in this population even years after recovery.
  • * EVD survivors with certain eye conditions, like cataracts and uveitis, were at greater risk of having vision impairment, underscoring the importance of ongoing eye care for those affected by the disease.
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  • The study investigates how acute psychological stress impacts cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality, focusing on autonomic dysfunction as indicated by electrocardiographic measures.
  • In a cohort of 765 participants with stable CVD, researchers monitored heart rate variability (HRV) during stress tests and found a significant association between decreased HRV during stress and a higher risk of CVD death.
  • The findings suggest that both stress-induced decreases in HRV and low resting HRV independently increase the risk of CVD mortality, highlighting the need for further research on managing autonomic dysfunction to improve health outcomes.
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Background: Discrimination may contribute to sleep health disparities among women, yet limited research has investigated the association between discrimination and insomnia with short sleep.

Methods And Results: Among a racially and ethnically diverse sample of women (N=25 920; mean age, 72.2±6.

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Disruptive domestic and global events can directly affect health care workers' ability to deliver safe, quality care. Health care workers should have an awareness and understanding of the disaster continuum and how their actions throughout each phase can affect the crisis response. Robust, intentional education and training for all team members is essential to uphold safe clinical environments and delivery of high-quality care during crises.

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Introduction: Active surveillance (AS) is increasingly recognized as an appropriate strategy for selected patients with papillary thyroid microcarcinomas (PTMC). However, some factors, including physician-related ones, hinder its widespread adoption.

Methods: To explore the prevailing barriers and the impact of information on attitudes towards AS implementation, we developed a questionnaire that was completed before and after reading a simple information leaflet by 317 doctors working in different work environments.

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Background: Use of standardized feeding protocols and donor breast milk (DBM) have been studied primarily in infants born <1500 g and not examined exclusively in infants born >1500 g.

Methods: In this retrospective pre-post-implementation cohort study, we evaluated a protocol for preterm infants born >1500 g that was implemented clinically to standardize feeding advancements at 30 mL/kg/day, with infants born <33 weeks eligible to receive DBM. We compared placement of peripherally inserted central catheters for parenteral nutrition, feeding tolerance, growth, and maternal milk provision in the 18 months before/after implementation.

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: : To provide contemporary data on cancer mortality rates within the context of incidence in the population with intellectual disabilities. : : Scotland's 2011 Census was used to identify adults with intellectual disabilities and controls with records linked to the Scottish Cancer Registry and death certificate data (March 2011-December 2019). The control cohort without intellectual disabilities and/or autism were used for indirect standardisation and calculation of crude incident rates/crude mortality rates, and age-sex standardised incident rate ratios/standardised mortality ratios (SIR/SMR), with 95% CIs.

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Rates of mother's own milk (MOM) provision in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) vary widely, despite acceptance as the gold standard for nutrition in preterm infants. Direct breastfeeding (DBF) supports long-term provision of MOM, but factors that support DBF in preterm infants are unknown. The purpose of this study was to identify factors that predict DBF at oral feeding initiation and at NICU discharge.

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Introduction: Samples classified as indeterminate correspond to 10-20% of cytologies obtained by fine needle biopsy of thyroid nodules, preventing an adequate distinction between benign and malignant lesions and leading to diagnostic thyroidectomies that often prove unnecessary, as most cases are benign. Furthermore, although the vast majority of patients with differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) have such a good prognosis that active surveillance is permitted as an initial therapeutic option, relapses are not rare, and a non-negligible number of patients experience poor outcomes. MicroRNAs (miR) emerge as potential biomarkers capable of helping to define more precise management of patients in all these situations.

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Thyroid cancer is the most common endocrine malignancy. It presents a significant challenge despite advances in treatment. Immunotherapy, which harnesses the body's immune system to fight cancer, has emerged as a potential solution.

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Background/objectives: Studies on uveitis in Sierra Leone were conducted prior to the Ebola Virus Disease epidemic of 2013-16, which was associated with uveitis in 20% of survivors. They did not include imaging or investigation of tuberculosis and used laboratory services outside the country. We performed a cross-sectional study on patients presenting with uveitis to establish their clinical characteristics and identify the impact of in-country laboratory diagnoses.

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Dissociative identity disorder is a posttraumatic, psychobiological syndrome that develops over time during childhood. Despite empirical evidence supporting the validity of this diagnosis and its relation to trauma, the disorder remains a misunderstood and stigmatized condition. This article highlights expert consensus guidelines and current empirical research on the treatment of dissociative identity disorder.

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Understanding the complex mechanisms involved in diseases caused by or related to important genetic variants has led to the development of clinically useful biomarkers. However, the increasing number of described variants makes it difficult to identify variants worthy of investigation, and poses challenges to their validation. We combined publicly available datasets and open source robust bioinformatics tools with molecular quantum chemistry methods to investigate the involvement of selectins, important molecules in the cell adhesion process that play a fundamental role in the cancer metastasis process.

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Blended Intensive Programmes (BIP's) represent a valuable tool for gathering knowledge and summarising the latest trends in medicine and dentistry. Blended education has been found, even before the COVID-19 pandemic, to increase the level of education and stimulate effective learning for postgraduate healthcare professionals. Interprofessional education is critical for preparing students to enter the health workforce, where teamwork and collaboration are important competencies.

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Introduction: Dissociative identity disorder (DID) is a treatable mental health condition that is associated with a range of psychobiological manifestations. However, historical controversy, modern day misunderstanding, and lack of professional education have prevented accurate treatment information from reaching most clinicians and patients. These obstacles also have slowed empirical efforts to improve treatment outcomes for people with DID.

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Postpartum hemorrhage continues to be a leading cause of maternal morbidity and mortality in the United States. With the use of appropriate screening tools and treatment modalities, most of these deaths are preventable. Various interventions are used to prevent and treat postpartum hemorrhage, though intraoperative cell salvage historically has been contraindicated in the obstetric setting.

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Ongoing nursing education is vital for keeping nurses' knowledge and skills current and promoting positive patient outcomes. Providing meaningful, quality nursing education in the perioperative setting requires the development and implementation of innovative and effective teaching strategies. Adult learning theory is complex, and it can be challenging to engage multigenerational perioperative staff members in education-often, a variety of creative teaching modalities are required to bridge the gaps among learning styles.

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Objective: Historically minoritized individuals experience greater exposure to light at night, yet it is unclear whether the association between light at night and sleep duration vary by race/ethnicity or sex. We examined the association between light at night and sleep duration by race/ethnicity and sex.

Methods: Participants (N = 6089, mean age=49.

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The recent incorporation of immune checkpoint inhibitors targeting the PD-1 (programmed cell death receptor 1) and CTLA-4 (cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen 4) pathways into the therapeutic armamentarium of cancer has increased the need to understand the correlation between the immune system, autoimmunity, and malignant neoplasms. Both autoimmune thyroid diseases and thyroid cancer are common clinical conditions. The molecular pathology of autoimmune thyroid diseases is characterized by the important impact of the PD-1/PD-L1 axis, an important inhibitory pathway involved in the regulation of T-cell responses.

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Background: Evidence from the UK from the early stages of the covid-19 pandemic showed that people with Intellectual Disabilities (ID) had higher rates of covid-19 mortality than people without ID. However, estimates of the magnitude of risk vary widely; different studies used different time periods; and only early stages of the pandemic have been analysed. Existing analyses of risk factors have also been limited.

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