Publications by authors named "Lawrence H"

Background: With higher valency pneumococcal vaccines on the horizon and new adult immunisation strategies under discussion, we aimed to evaluate the contribution of individual pneumococcal serotypes to the burden of pneumococcal community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). Over 10 years, trends in pneumococcal pneumonia epidemiology in adults hospitalised with CAP were assessed. The risk factors and severity associated with serotype 3 were examined.

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Background: Group work is employed in higher education institutions to foster communication, collaborative learning, leadership qualities and teamwork skills. The rationale behind group work as a learning strategy is to ensure that graduates are equipped with teamwork skills.

Aim: The aim of this study was to establish whether the final-year radiography students of the National Diploma curriculum in three universities in South Africa were exposed to effective group work.

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Objectives: We aimed to determine the prevalence of and risk factors for nasopharyngeal and oral pneumococcal carriage in adults with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), and the relationship between carried and disease-causing serotypes.

Methods: Between 2016 and 2018, nasopharyngeal swabs, oral-fluid, and urine were collected from hospitalised adults recruited into a prospective cohort study of CAP. Pneumococcal carriage was detected by semi-quantitative real-time PCR of direct and culture-enriched nasopharyngeal swabs and culture-enriched oral-fluid.

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Community-based participatory research is an equitable and wholesome approach that aims to respectfully collaborate with the communities that it seeks to impact. It offers everyone a seat at the table when trying to create transformative clinical, behavioral, and health services change. Oral health scientists and program implementers can apply this framework for research and programming in communities where past approaches have not necessarily benefited the peoples or their communities in an equitable manner.

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Global rates of mental health concerns are rising, and there is increasing realization that existing models of mental health care will not adequately expand to meet the demand. With the emergence of large language models (LLMs) has come great optimism regarding their promise to create novel, large-scale solutions to support mental health. Despite their nascence, LLMs have already been applied to mental health-related tasks.

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The human CMG helicase (Cdc45-MCM-GINS) is a novel target for anticancer therapy. Tumor-specific weaknesses in the CMG are caused by oncogene-driven changes that adversely affect CMG function, and CMG activity is required for recovery from replicative stresses such as chemotherapy. Herein, we developed an orthogonal biochemical screening approach and identified CMG inhibitors (CMGi) that inhibit ATPase and helicase activities in an ATP-competitive manner at low micromolar concentrations.

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Article Synopsis
  • Acquired generalized lipodystrophy (AGL) is a rare condition marked by the loss of body fat and various metabolic issues, often starting in childhood or adolescence.
  • There are three types of AGL: type 1 involves panniculitis, type 2 is related to autoimmune diseases, and type 3 is idiopathic (unknown cause).
  • This report discusses a specific case of type 1 AGL in a healthy 3-year-old girl who showed symptoms like red subcutaneous nodules, fat loss, and findings consistent with lobular panniculitis.
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Purpose: Factors increasing the risk of maternal critical illness are rising in prevalence in maternity populations. Studies of general critical care populations highlight that severe illness is associated with longer-term physical and psychological morbidity. We aimed to compare short- and longer-term outcomes between women who required critical care admission during pregnancy/puerperium and those who did not.

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Article Synopsis
  • New treatment strategies are urgently needed for patients with triple-negative Myelofibrosis (TN-MF), who show poor outcomes and lack mutations in the JAK2 pathway.
  • Research reveals that MYC copy number gain and elevated MYC expression are common in TN-MF, driving the disease's development through the activation of S100A9, an inflammation-related protein.
  • Targeting the MYC-S100A9 pathway, either through genetic methods or small molecules, effectively improves Myelofibrosis symptoms, presenting a potential new treatment approach for this difficult-to-treat patient group.
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A The PROMIS Pediatric Physical Activity (PA) measure is a new instrument with established validity that measures a child self-report on short bouts of moderate to rigorous physical activity. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship of the PROMIS Pediatric PA item bank with cardiorespiratory fitness and self-efficacy. The study was conducted at the Minnesota State Fair.

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Background: Higher-valency pneumococcal vaccines are anticipated. We aimed to describe serotype distribution and risk factors for vaccine-serotype community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in the two years pre-SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.

Methods: We conducted a prospective cohort study of adults hospitalised with CAP at three UK sites between 2018 and 2020.

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Introduction: In partnership with the Norway House Cree Nation (NHCN) in Manitoba, Canada, this study developed a framework based on how Indigenous parents/caregivers of young children and community-based oral health decision-makers perceive 'quality of preventive oral health services'.

Methods: Concept mapping was used to develop the 'quality of preventive oral health services' framework. This involved brainstorming/idea generation, sorting and rating, visual representation, and interpretation sessions with parents/caregivers (CG) and decision-makers (DM) in Norway House, Manitoba.

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Despite the importance of consultation in early intervention of mental health difficulties, there has been little consideration of the specific competencies needed nor a model underpinning this intervention. Eleven schools- and children's centre-based child and adolescent mental health services clinicians were interviewed with semi-structured interviews before and after a systemic consultation training. Four main themes emerged; participants gained: (1) a better understanding of organisational and multi-agency contexts, (2) a clear theoretical basis for practice, consistent with a destigmatising understanding of mental wellbeing, (3) clarity on the role, remit, and process of consultation, and (4) confidence and skills to carry out the role.

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Centering the perspectives of youth with lived experience (YWLE) in psychopathology is critical to engaging in impactful clinical research to improve youth mental health outcomes. Over the past decade there has been a greater push in clinical science to include community members, and especially community members with lived experience, in all aspects of the research process. The goal of this editorial is to highlight the need for and importance of integrating YWLE into every stage of clinical science research, from idea generation to interpretation and dissemination of research findings.

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Neuraxial analgesia and anaesthesia are widely accepted and well-tolerated modes of delivery analgesia, being employed in up to 76% of vaginal deliveries and 94% of caesarean deliveries in the United States. A cause of considerable concern for postpartum women, their family and caring health professionals is the occurrence of unexplained postpartum complications, not only for management in the index pregnancy, but the uncertain risk of recurrence in future pregnancies. Complications of neuraxial blocks may impact significantly on the ability of mothers to care for and bond with their newborn.

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Background: Glioblastoma (GBM) is refractory to current treatment modalities while side effects of treatments result in neurotoxicity and cognitive impairment. Here we test the hypothesis that inhibiting CDK7 or CDK9 would effectively combat GBM with reduced neurotoxicity.

Methods: We examined the effect of a CDK7 inhibitor, THZ1, and multiple CDK9 inhibitors (SNS032, AZD4573, NVP2, and JSH150) on GBM cell lines, patient-derived temozolomide (TMZ)-resistant and responsive primary tumor cells and glioma stem cells (GSCs).

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Introduction: Readmission rates following hospital admission with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) have increased in the UK over the past decade. The aim of this work was to describe the cohort of patients with emergency 30-day readmission following hospitalisation for CAP in England and explore the reasons for this.

Methods: A retrospective analysis of cases from the British Thoracic Society national adult CAP audit admitted to hospitals in England with CAP between 1 December 2018 and 31 January 2019 was performed.

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Recent studies have demonstrated the ability of the positive allosteric modulator (PAM) of the GABA receptor (GABA PAM), KK-92A, to suppress operant alcohol self-administration and reinstatement of alcohol seeking in selectively bred Sardinian alcohol-preferring (sP) rats. The present study was designed to scrutinize the suppressing effects of KK-92A on alcohol-related behaviors; to this end, four separate experiments were conducted to address just as many new research questions, some of which bear translational value. Experiment 1 found that 7-day treatment with KK-92A (0, 5, 10, and 20 mg/kg, intraperitoneally [i.

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Purpose: Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is a curative treatment option for small lung metastases, which conventionally involves multiple freehand manipulations until the treating electrode is satisfactorily positioned. Stereotactic and robotic guidance has been gaining popularity for liver ablation, although has not been established in lung ablation. The purpose of this study is to determine the feasibility, safety, and accuracy of robotic RFA for pulmonary metastases, and compare procedures with a conventional freehand cohort.

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