Publications by authors named "Leveson S"

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in unique challenges for in-patients across the National Health Service as visitors, both family and friends, are prevented from visiting patients owing to infection prevention and control measures. The Attend Anywhere platform was used as the basis of a quality improvement project to mitigate the detrimental effects of reduced social contact for patients. The use of video conferencing led to increased subjective satisfaction for both patients and healthcare professionals, thereby providing further evidence of the benefit that this emerging technology has on healthcare delivery.

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Article Synopsis
  • Clinicians in UK mental health facilities faced significant challenges during COVID-19, including medical, psychiatric, and staffing issues while enforcing social distancing.
  • One mental health hospital established a COVID-19 isolation ward for adult psychiatric patients from March to June 2020, overcoming various operational hurdles through teamwork and problem-solving.
  • The transition led to valuable improvements in patient care and staff working conditions, with some changes remaining in place post-pandemic.
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Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a well-recognised complication of obesity. One of the microvascular complications of T2DM is diabetic retinopathy (DR). Bariatric surgery has been shown to effectively treat obesity and can induce remission of T2DM.

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Obesity has become an increasingly important health problem over the past 30 years. Presently around a quarter of the UK adult population are obese and this figure is set to increase further in the coming decades. The health consequences of obesity on multiple body systems have been well established as has the financial cost of the condition to both the individuals affected as well as to society as a whole.

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It is well established that weight loss in general and bariatric surgery in particular can improve glycaemic control in diabetics. Current NICE guidelines recommend that those patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and a BMI of 35 kg/m(2) or more should be considered for bariatric surgery in order to optimise their glycaemic control and minimise their risk of long-term complications. The commonest bariatric procedure in the UK is the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass that has been shown to result in long-standing type 2 diabetes resolution in 83 % of patients.

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It is well established that hypertension and obesity appear to be associated. The exact mechanism by which they are linked is unclear and remains a topic of a great deal of research. Current NICE guidelines recommend that patients with a BMI in excess of 35 kg/m(2) should be considered for bariatric surgery if they have a concomitant obesity-associated condition, of which hypertension is one.

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Point-of-care testing (POCT) is a sensitive, specific and rapid form of testing for the presence of HIV antibodies. Post-exposure prophylaxis for HIV infection can reduce seroconversion rates by up to 80%. Needlestick injuries are the second commonest cause of occupational injury in the NHS and 20% of these occur during operations.

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Background: Needlestick injuries are common during surgical procedures. Following such an injury, local protocols should be followed to minimize the risk of infection.

Aims: To identify who sustains such injuries, under what circumstances and what actions are taken to minimize the risk and in response to intraoperative needlestick injuries.

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Objective: This study was undertaken to evaluate the cumulative incidence, onset and risk predicting factors for acute and chronic pouchitis.

Method: A consecutive series of patients (n = 210), who underwent restorative proctocolectomy (RPC) and had a minimum follow-up of 12 months was reviewed. The cumulative incidence and onset of pouchitis was determined.

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Aneurysms of visceral arteries are uncommon and their rupture is rare. We report a case of an aneurysm of the marginal artery of Drummond, which was complicated by rupture leading to massive hemoperitoneum. A selective superior mesenteric arteriogram suggested the possibility of segmental arterial mediolysis (SAM) as a possible etiology and this was confirmed by histological examination.

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Objective: To identify predictors of early symptomatic recurrence of Crohn's disease (CD) after surgical resection.

Method: We studied a cohort of 128 patients who had undergone at least one intestinal resection for CD. Factors that might predict early recurrence were documented for analysis using a standardized pro forma.

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Nicorandil is a vasodilator used to control severe angina. It has been associated with oral and anal ulceration that resolves upon withdrawal of the drug. We report a series of four patients, all of whom were receiving nicorandil therapy and developed nonspecific para-stomal ulcerations of similar clinical and histological appearance.

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Several cases of portal vein thrombosis following laparoscopic procedures have been reported over the past few years. To date, no formal description of this phenomenon has been provided. In this paper, we summarize and analyze the features of the 4 reported cases to date as well as a fifth case encountered at our institution.

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Spontaneous regression of adult solid tumours is rare. Here, we present the case of a 51-year-old man who underwent a curative resection for an adenocarcinoma of the rectum in 1989. He remained well until 12 months after surgery when he developed a large-fixed mass proximal to the anastomosis, which was treated with radiotherapy but did not respond.

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Purpose: This study aims to determine the incidence, demography, pathologic nature, and clinical significance of ileitis in ulcerative colitis patients who underwent restorative proctocolectomy.

Methods: A prospectively collected pouch database and the case notes of 100 consecutive patients who underwent restorative proctocolectomy for ulcerative colitis, under the care of a single surgeon, between 1988 and 2003 were reviewed. The original proctocolectomy specimens and pouch biopsies were reexamined and regraded blind, using the current diagnostic criteria.

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Purpose: Pouchitis is the most frequent long-term complication of restorative proctocolectomy; its long-term consequences are inadequately described. This prospective study evaluates the effect of pouchitis on the functional results, general health perception, and patient satisfaction.

Methods: A total of 100 consecutive patients who underwent stapled restorative proctocolectomy for ulcerative colitis were divided into three groups: no pouchitis, acute pouch-itis and chronic pouchitis.

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Introduction: Pilonidal sinus is a common condition of uncertain etiology. There is no agreed best surgical treatment. Treatment of fistula-in-ano has been described with some success with fibrin tissue glue.

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Objective: Treatment of chronic refractory pouchitis is often difficult and disappointing and some of the affected pouches subsequently fail. This study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of treatment with rifaximin, a nonabsorbable oral antibiotic with immunomdulatory functions, in combination with ciprofloxacin for chronic active refractory pouchitis.

Patients And Methods: Eight patients with chronic active refractory pouchitis were treated orally with a combination of rifaximin 1 g b.

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A 43-year-old female with ulcerative colitis treated by proctocolectomy and ileal pouch--anal anastomosis developed acute pouchitis. Although no extra-intestinal manifestations were present before the surgical procedure, pyoderma gangrenosum developed concomitantly with the appearance of acute pouchitis. Both conditions completely resolved with oral metronidazole only.

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The levels of aflatoxin B(1)-DNA and aflatoxin B(1)-albumin adducts were investigated by accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) in humans and rats following exposure to a known, dietary relevant amount of carbon-14 labeled aflatoxin B(1) ([(14)C]AFB(1)). The aims of the study were to: (a) investigate the dose-dependent formation of DNA and protein adducts at very low doses of AFB(1) (0.16 ng/kg-12.

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Purpose: Pain after hemorrhoidectomy appears to be multifactorial and dependent on individual pain tolerance, mode of anesthesia, postoperative analgesia, and surgical technique. Spasm of the internal sphincter is believed to play an important role. The aim of this study was to assess the role of botulinum toxin in reducing pain after Milligan-Morgan hemorrhoidectomy.

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Acute dissection of the aorta is a vascular surgical emergency. The majority of dissections originate in the thoracic aorta. Dissection originating in the infrarenal abdominal aorta is very rare and, given the vagueness of presenting symptoms of uncomplicated dissection, diagnosis is very difficult in the early stages.

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MeIQx and PhIP are putative carcinogenic heterocyclic amines formed during the cooking of meat and fish. Using accelerator mass spectrometry, we have investigated the metabolism and macromolecule binding of 14C-labelled MeIQx and PhIP in human cancer patients compared to the rat. Following oral administration of MeIQx and PhIP, more DNA adducts were formed in human colon tissue compared with rats.

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[2-14C]2-amino-3,8-dimethylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoxaline (MeIQx) was administered orally (304 ng/kg body-weight dose based upon an average 70-kg-body-weight subject) to 5 human colon-cancer patients (58 to 84 years old), as well as to F344 rats and B6C3F1 mice. Colon tissue was collected from the human subjects at surgery and from the rodents 3.5 to 6 hr after administration.

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