Publications by authors named "MacFarlane M"

Aims/background: Children from unintended pregnancies are at an increased risk of experiencing less positive parenting practices as well as abuse and neglect. Thus, identifying factors that may explain the association between pregnancy intention and caregiving behaviours is critical, as well as identifying if these associations can be assessed during pregnancy.

Design/methods: In a sample of 297 pregnant people (M = 31.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Dysregulated mitochondrial fusion and fission has been implicated in the pathogenesis of numerous diseases. We have identified a novel function of the p53 family protein TAp73 in regulating mitochondrial dynamics. TAp73 regulates the expression of Optic Atrophy 1 (OPA1), a protein responsible for controlling mitochondrial fusion, cristae biogenesis and electron transport chain function.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Electrochemotherapy (ECT) is a treatment modality that combines the electroporation of cell membranes with chemotherapy to facilitate the transport of non-permeant molecules into cells. Several canine and feline studies have shown promising results, suggesting that ECT can be a valid adjuvant or alternative treatment option for some tumours. The objective of this paper is to provide a bibliographic review of the principles and applications of ECT in veterinary medicine and to compare to its use in human medicine.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Breast Cancer is the most common cancer among women globally. Despite significant improvements in overall survival, many tumours are refractory to therapy and so novel approaches are required to improve patient outcomes. We have evaluated patient-derived explants (PDEs) as a novel preclinical platform for breast cancer (BC) and implemented cutting-edge digital pathology and multi-immunofluorescent approaches for investigating biomarker changes in both tumour and stromal areas at endpoint.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Receptor-interacting serine/threonine-protein kinase 1 (RIPK1) functions as a critical stress sentinel that coordinates cell survival, inflammation, and immunogenic cell death (ICD). Although the catalytic function of RIPK1 is required to trigger cell death, its non-catalytic scaffold function mediates strong pro-survival signaling. Accordingly, cancer cells can hijack RIPK1 to block necroptosis and evade immune detection.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer of the mesothelial layer associated with an extensive fibrotic response. The latter is in large part mediated by cancer-associated fibroblasts which mediate tumour progression and poor prognosis. However, understanding of the crosstalk between cancer cells and fibroblasts in this disease is mostly lacking.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Antipsychotic drugs are primarily used to treat schizophrenia and assist with other mental health issues but can cause serious movement disorders called extrapyramidal syndromes (EPS) in some patients.
  • The newest generation of these drugs like aripiprazole act differently from older ones and are still linked to EPS in a small percentage of users, as their exact mechanism of causing these side effects is not completely understood.
  • Research indicates that aripiprazole and similar drugs can harm mitochondria in neurons, leading to reduced energy production and cell viability, with chronic use resulting in structural damage and locomotion problems in model organisms.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Cell death coordinates repair programs following pathogen attack and tissue injury. However, aberrant cell death can interfere with such programs and cause organ failure. Cellular FLICE-like inhibitory protein (cFLIP) is a crucial regulator of cell death and a substrate of Caspase-8.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Scientists studied brain scans from people with a condition called bvFTD and compared them to healthy people to see what's different in their brains.
  • They found that changes in certain parts of the brain, like the thalamus and cortex, can help tell if someone has bvFTD.
  • Their results showed that the brain changes could predict bvFTD with a high level of accuracy, helping doctors understand the disease better.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

In their paper "Challenges with international medical graduate selection: finding positive attributes predictive of success in family medicine residency," (BMC Prim Care 23(256):2-9, 2022) the authors report on their research into qualitative attributes that positively correspond to success in residency with the objective of assisting in the selection of International Medical Graduate (IMG) residents most likely to achieve success in family medicine residency. The authors found that positive predictors of IMG residents' success were: presence of a positive attitude, proficient communication skills, high level of clinical knowledge, and trainability. The authors conclude that selecting IMG residents who possess these attributes will result in residents developing increased aptitudes for patient care.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Asbestos-driven inflammation contributes to malignant pleural mesothelioma beyond the acquisition of rate-limiting mutations. Genetically modified conditional allelic mice that were previously shown to develop mesothelioma in the absence of exposure to asbestos were induced with lentiviral vector expressing Cre recombinase with and without intrapleural injection of amosite asbestos and monitored until symptoms required euthanasia. Resulting tumours were examined histologically and by immunohistochemistry for expression of lineage markers and immune cell infiltration.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The purpose of this study was to identify a characteristic elemental tyre fingerprint that can be utilised in atmospheric source apportionment calculations. Currently zinc is widely used as a single element tracer to quantify tyre wear, however several authors have highlighted issues with this approach. To overcome this, tyre rubber tread was digested and has been analysed for 25 elements by ICP-MS to generate a multielement profile.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Age-associated B cells (ABC) accumulate with age and in individuals with different immunological disorders, including cancer patients treated with immune checkpoint blockade and those with inborn errors of immunity. Here, we investigate whether ABCs from different conditions are similar and how they impact the longitudinal level of the COVID-19 vaccine response. Single-cell RNA sequencing indicates that ABCs with distinct aetiologies have common transcriptional profiles and can be categorised according to their expression of immune genes, such as the autoimmune regulator (AIRE).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Apoptosis is a form of regulated cell death (RCD) that involves proteases of the caspase family. Pharmacological and genetic strategies that experimentally inhibit or delay apoptosis in mammalian systems have elucidated the key contribution of this process not only to (post-)embryonic development and adult tissue homeostasis, but also to the etiology of multiple human disorders. Consistent with this notion, while defects in the molecular machinery for apoptotic cell death impair organismal development and promote oncogenesis, the unwarranted activation of apoptosis promotes cell loss and tissue damage in the context of various neurological, cardiovascular, renal, hepatic, infectious, neoplastic and inflammatory conditions.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: To assess treatment planning system (TPS) accuracy in estimating the stopping-power ratio (SPR) of immobilization devices commonly used in proton therapy and to evaluate the dosimetric effect of SPR estimation error for a set of clinical treatment plans.

Methods: Computed tomography scans of selected clinical immobilization devices were acquired. Then, the water-equivalent thickness (WET) and SPR values of these devices based on the scans were estimated in a commercial TPS.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Malignant mesothelioma is an aggressive tumour of the pleura (MPM) or peritoneum with a clinical presentation at an advanced stage of the disease. Current therapies only marginally improve survival and there is an urgent need to identify new treatments. Carcinoma-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) represent the main component of a vast stroma within MPM and play an important role in the tumour microenvironment.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: This study aimed to determine the quantity and quality of lower genital tract disease (LGTD) research by topic published across a variety of gynecology and dermatology journals.

Methods: Authors accessed all articles that were rejected (1,111, 59.5%) and accepted (755, 40.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: Well-designed routine multileaf collimator (MLC) quality assurance (QA) is important to assure external-beam radiation treatment delivery accuracy. This study evaluates the clinical necessity of a comprehensive weekly (C-Weekly) MLC QA program compared to the American Association of Physics in Medicinerecommended weekly picket fence test (PF-Weekly), based on our seven-year experience with weekly MLC QA.

Methods: The C-Weekly MLC QA program used in this study includes 5 tests to analyze: (1) absolute MLC leaf position; (2) interdigitation MLC leaf position; (3) picket fence MLC leaf positions at static gantry angle; (4) minimum leaf-gap setting; and (5) volumetric-modulated arc therapy delivery.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Epitheliotropic lymphoma is an uncommon cutaneous malignancy of T lymphocytes. Limited information is available regarding the treatment and outcome of dogs with this disease.

Objectives: To evaluate the treatment outcome and toxicity profile of isotretinoin in dogs with epitheliotropic lymphoma.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Case Summary: A 4-year-old domestic shorthair cat presented to North Downs Specialist Referrals for treatment of a 7 mm melanoma of the nasal planum. Two treatments of electrochemotherapy using intravenous bleomycin as a chemotherapeutic agent were administered. The tumour was no longer visible after treatment.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Scientists are studying myeloma cells (a type of cancer) to find new proteins on their surface that can be targeted for treatment.
  • They discovered a new protein called SEMA4A that is important for myeloma cell growth, which means it could be a good target for therapy.
  • They created a special treatment that can specifically attack SEMA4A and tested it successfully in labs and on animals.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study looks at how sleeping on sofas, caregivers using drugs or alcohol, and other factors can affect the risk of sudden unexpected death in babies in New Zealand.
  • Researchers collected information from parents over three years and found that sleeping on sofas and caregiver drug use greatly increased the risk of dangerous situations for babies, especially for those under 3 months old.
  • The main conclusion is that stopping smoking during pregnancy and promoting safe sleeping environments can help reduce these risks, especially for Māori infants who are more affected.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: There is a paucity of veterinary literature on the safety or outcome of zoledronic acid (ZA) use in dogs for either bone pain or hypercalcemia.

Hypothesis/objectives: The primary aim was to report the adverse events in dogs receiving intravenous administration of ZA.

Animals: Ninety-five dogs with ZA use.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is a commonly encountered diagnosis in the general inpatient and intensive care unit settings. We report a rare case of pembrolizumab-induced DKA in a patient with bladder carcinoma in situ with no prior diagnosis of diabetes. Our case highlights the importance of understanding immune-related adverse events (IRAEs) as immunotherapy is becoming a mainstay of treatment for a variety of diagnoses.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF