Publications by authors named "McCallum A"

Background: The BACTEC Mycobacteria Growth Indicator Tube (MGIT) machine is the standard globally for detecting viable mycobacteria in patients' sputum. Samples are observed for no longer than 42 days, at which point the sample is declared 'negative' for tuberculosis (TB). This time to detection of bacterial growth, referred to as time-to-positivity (TTP), is increasingly of interest, not solely as a diagnostic tool but also as a continuous biomarker wherein change in TTP can be used for comparing the bactericidal activity of different TB treatments.

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  • Push-pull fluorophores with donor-π-acceptor structures are useful for two-photon microscopy, enhancing brightness through charge-delocalization in excited states.
  • The study focused on the fluorescent probe chromis-1, revealing that its pH-dependent emission is influenced by intramolecular proton transfer rather than direct deprotonation of water.
  • A modification of the pyridine nitrogen's position in the fluorophore significantly reduced its excited-state basicity, emphasizing the need for careful design in fluorescent probes to limit pH-induced variations in response.
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  • Residual microcalcifications on mammograms after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) complicate surgical decisions in breast cancer treatment.
  • A study assessed the link between these microcalcifications and pathological complete response (pCR), finding no significant relationship (p = 0.763).
  • Additionally, the impact of residual microcalcifications on recurrence and overall survival was determined to be non-significant, suggesting their predictive and prognostic value is still uncertain and should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
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While link prediction methods in knowledge graphs have been increasingly utilized to locate potential associations between compounds and diseases, they suffer from lack of sufficient evidence to explain why a drug and a disease may be indicated. This is especially true for knowledge graph embedding (KGE) based methods where a drug-disease indication is linked only by information gleaned from a vector representation. Complementary pathwalking algorithms can increase the confidence of drug repurposing candidates by traversing a knowledge graph.

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The BACTEC Mycobacteria Growth Indicator Tube (MGIT) machine is the standard globally for detecting viable mycobacteria in patients' sputum. Samples are observed for no longer than 42 days, at which point the sample is declared "negative" for tuberculosis (TB). This time to detection of bacterial growth, referred to as time-to-positivity (TTP), is increasingly of interest not solely as a diagnostic tool, but as a continuous biomarker wherein change in TTP over time can be used for comparing the bactericidal activity of different TB treatments.

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Background: In-hospital cardiac arrest/periarrest is a recognised trigger for consideration of admission to the intensive care unit (ICU). We aimed to investigate the rates of ICU admission following in-hospital cardiac arrest/periarrest, evaluate the outcomes of such patients and assess whether anticipatory care planning had taken place prior to the adult resuscitation team being called.

Methods: Analysis of all referrals to the ICU page-holder within our district general hospital is between 1st November 2018 and 31st May 2019.

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Rural and remote communities of Western Canada have struggled to recruit and retain nursing professionals since the turn of the twentieth century. Existing literature has identified the unique challenges of rural nursing due to the shifting context of rural and remote nursing practice. The objective of this narrative review is to explore the history of rural and remote nursing to better understand the contextual influences shaping rural nursing shortages in Western Canada.

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Glioblastoma (GBM), the most common human brain tumor, has been notoriously resistant to treatment. As a result, the dismal overall survival of GBM patients has not changed over the past three decades. GBM has been stubbornly resistant to checkpoint inhibitor immunotherapies, which have been remarkably effective in the treatment of other tumors.

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This essay offers reflective learning on how researchers in the Western science tradition connect to bodies of knowledge created and held outside that tradition. It begins with endogenous growth theory, which explains the unique role of knowledge as an input into economic production. The essay describes how Western science addresses the problem of validating and accessing knowledge, by hosting an expanding corpus of peer-reviewed publications.

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  • * Modern imaging techniques, such as ultrasound and CT scans, are crucial for diagnosing UGTB, especially as it can resemble other serious conditions like cancer, particularly in developed countries.
  • * A specific case of emphysematous tuberculous prostatitis—an uncommon type of prostate infection causing gas formation—highlights the importance of microbiological diagnosis to confirm UGTB, as it's typically not well recognized in clinical practice.
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Primary glioblastoma of the spinal cord (sGB) is a rare and challenging diagnosis. In the diagnostic algorithm, reversible causes should be considered while the diagnosis of sGB is under evaluation. We present a case of cervical sGB mimicking neuroschistosomiasis.

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Background: Despite the continued global decline in adult tobacco prevalence, rates continue to be significantly higher in groups with problematic drug or alcohol use (PDA). It is estimated that people with alcohol, drug or mental health problems account for approximately half of all smoking deaths. In the UK, there are free stop smoking services for the general population.

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Background: Intrapulmonary pharmacokinetics may better explain response to tuberculosis (TB) treatment than plasma pharmacokinetics. We explored these relationships by modeling bacillary clearance in sputum in adult patients on first-line treatment in Malawi.

Methods: Bacillary elimination rates (BER) were estimated using linear mixed-effects modelling of serial time-to-positivity in mycobacterial growth indicator tubes for sputum collected during the intensive phase of treatment (weeks 0-8) for microbiologically confirmed TB.

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The occurrence of a symptomatic post-infectious intrathecal to prevertebral fistula is rare. We report the presentation and management of a 38-year-old chronically paraplegic male with longstanding thoracic osteomyelitis and epidural infection who developed a cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) fistula causing symptomatic intracranial hypotension (IH). During an interventional radiology (IR)-guided aspiration of what was thought to be residual abscess, pulsatile, clear fluid was observed.

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Background: Acute subdural hematomas (aSDHs) occur in approximately 10% to 20% of all closed head injury and represent a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in traumatic brain injury patients. Conventional craniotomy is an invasive intervention with the potential for excess blood loss and prolonged postoperative recovery time.

Objective: To evaluate the outcomes of minimally invasive endoscopy for evacuation of aSDHs in a pilot feasibility study.

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This pilot study evaluated a high-energy, high-protein, peptide-based, (medium-chain triglycerides) MCT-containing enteral tube feed (Nutrison Peptisorb Plus HEHP, Nutricia Ltd., Trowbridge, BA14 0XQ, UK.) containing 1.

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Background: Further work is required to understand the intrapulmonary pharmacokinetics of first-line anti-tuberculosis drugs. This study aimed to describe the plasma and intrapulmonary pharmacokinetics of rifampicin, isoniazid, pyrazinamide, and ethambutol, and explore relationships with clinical treatment outcomes in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis.

Methods: Malawian adults with a first presentation of microbiologically confirmed pulmonary tuberculosis received standard 6-month first-line therapy.

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