Publications by authors named "Meechan D"

The aim of this study was to compare the effects of rest redistribution (RR) on kinetics and kinematics during the hang pull (HP). Twenty-one male athletes (age 29.5 ± 4.

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Meechan, D, McMahon, JJ, Suchomel, TJ, and Comfort, P. The effect of rest redistribution on kinetic and kinematic variables during the countermovement shrug. J Strength Cond Res 37(7): 1358-1366, 2023-This study compared the effects of rest redistribution (RR) on kinetic and kinematic variables during the countermovement shrug (CMS).

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The genesis of a mature complement of neurons is thought to require, at least in part, precursor cell lineages in which neural progenitors have distinct identities recognized by exclusive expression of one or a few molecular markers. Nevertheless, limited progenitor types distinguished by specific markers and lineal progression through such subclasses cannot easily yield the magnitude of neuronal diversity in most regions of the nervous system. The late Verne Caviness, to whom this edition of Developmental Neuroscience is dedicated, recognized this mismatch.

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Facial dysmorphology is a hallmark of 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11DS). Nearly all affected individuals have facial features characteristic of the syndrome: a vertically long face with broad nasal bridge, narrow palpebral fissures and mild micrognathia, sometimes accompanied by facial skeletal and oropharyngeal anomalies.

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Digital health interventions that specifically target working women across the preconception, pregnancy and postpartum (PPP) life stages may address the unique barriers to engaging in healthy lifestyle behaviours and self-care during this life phase. This paper describes the development of a workplace digital health intervention to promote healthy lifestyles and wellbeing for PPP women working at a community service organization in Australia. Intervention Mapping is a framework that guides program development, implementation, and evaluation.

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Poor lifestyle practices, combined with excess weight gain and weight retention during the preconception, pregnancy and postpartum periods can increase health risks for mothers and their children. Little is known about how workplaces impact the health and well-being of women of child-bearing age, particularly across work roles and settings. This qualitative descriptive study explored the enablers and barriers to the healthy lifestyle practices and well-being of women of reproductive age within an Australian community services organisation by capturing the perspectives of both the women and workplace executives.

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The effect of load on time-series data has yet to be investigated during weightlifting derivatives. This study compared the effect of load on the force-time and velocity-time curves during the countermovement shrug (CMS). Twenty-nine males performed the CMS at relative loads of 40%, 60%, 80%, 100%, 120%, and 140% one repetition maximum (1RM) power clean (PC).

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Meechan, D, Suchomel, TJ, McMahon, JJ, and Comfort, P. A comparison of kinetic and kinematic variables during the midthigh pull and countermovement shrug, across loads. J Strength Cond Res 34(7): 1830-1841, 2020-This study compared kinetic and kinematic variables during the midthigh pull (MTP) and countermovement shrug (CMS).

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Meechan, D, McMahon, JJ, Suchomel, TJ, and Comfort, P. A comparison of kinetic and kinematic variables during the pull from the knee and hang pull, across loads. J Strength Cond Res 34(7): 1819-1829, 2020-Kinetic and kinematic variables during the pull from the knee (PFK) and hang pull (HP) were compared in this study.

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Under-connectivity between cerebral cortical association areas may underlie cognitive deficits in neurodevelopmental disorders, including the 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11DS). Using the LgDel 22q11DS mouse model, we assessed cellular, molecular, and developmental origins of under-connectivity and its consequences for cognitive function.

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Objective: To explore the impact of risk-adjustment on surgical complication rates (CRs) for benchmarking gynaecological oncology centres.

Design: Prospective cohort study.

Setting: Ten UK accredited gynaecological oncology centres.

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Objective: To assess the overall effect of the English urgent referral pathway on cancer survival.

Setting: 8049 general practices in England.

Design: Cohort study.

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Understanding the developmental etiology of autistic spectrum disorders, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder and schizophrenia remains a major challenge for establishing new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to these common, difficult-to-treat diseases that compromise neural circuits in the cerebral cortex. One aspect of this challenge is the breadth and overlap of ASD, ADHD, and SCZ deficits; another is the complexity of mutations associated with each, and a third is the difficulty of analyzing disrupted development in at-risk or affected human fetuses. The identification of distinct genetic syndromes that include behavioral deficits similar to those in ASD, ADHC and SCZ provides a critical starting point for meeting this challenge.

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Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of the 1999 national recommendations for ovarian cancer surgery in England to be performed by specialist surgeons in specialist centres.

Methods: A retrospective analysis of English cancer registry records, Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data for all English NHS providers and General Medical Council (GMC) sub-specialty accreditation, to consider changes to the annual proportion of ovarian cancer (ICD10 C56-C57) patients undergoing major gynaecological surgery in gynaecological cancer centres (GCCs) or by specialist gynaecological oncologists (GOs).

Results: From 2000 to 2009, 2428 consultants were responsible for surgery on 30,753 patients.

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Background: There are limited data on surgical outcomes in gynaecological oncology. We report on predictors of complications in a multicentre prospective study.

Methods: Data on surgical procedures and resulting complications were contemporaneously recorded on consented patients in 10 participating UK gynaecological cancer centres.

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Ranbp1, a Ran GTPase-binding protein implicated in nuclear/cytoplasmic trafficking, is included within the DiGeorge/22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome (22q11.2 DS) critical region associated with behavioral impairments including autism and schizophrenia.

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Proper assembly of cortical circuitry relies on the correct migration of cortical interneurons from their place of birth in the ganglionic eminences to their place of terminal differentiation in the cerebral cortex. Although molecular mechanisms mediating cortical interneuron migration have been well studied, intracellular signals directing their migration are largely unknown. Here we illustrate a novel and essential role for c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) signaling in guiding the pioneering population of cortical interneurons into the mouse cerebral cortex.

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Background: For some cancers, late presentation is associated with poor survival. In England, less than half of patients are diagnosed following a general practitioner-initiated urgent referral. We explore whether particular practice or practitioner characteristics are associated with use of the urgent referral system.

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We established a relationship between cognitive deficits and cortical circuits in the LgDel model of 22q11 Deletion Syndrome (22q11DS)-a genetic syndrome with one of the most significant risks for schizophrenia and autism. In the LgDel mouse, optimal acquisition, execution, and reversal of a visually guided discrimination task, comparable to executive function tasks in primates including humans, are compromised; however, there is significant individual variation in degree of impairment. The task relies critically on the integrity of circuits in medial anterior frontal cortical regions.

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Background: Most studies use hospital data to calculate postoperative complication rates (PCRs). We report on improving PCR estimates through use of patient-reporting.

Methods: A prospective cohort study of major surgery performed at 10 UK gynaecological cancer centres was undertaken.

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Interneurons are thought to be a primary pathogenic target for several behavioral disorders that arise during development, including schizophrenia and autism. It is not known, however, whether genetic lesions associated with these diseases disrupt established molecular mechanisms of interneuron development. We found that diminished 22q11.

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We asked whether key morphogenetic signaling pathways interact with 22q11 gene dosage to modulate the severity of cranial or cardiac anomalies in DiGeorge/22q1 deletion syndrome (22q11DS). Sonic hedgehog (Shh) and retinoic acid (RA) signaling is altered in the brain and heart-clinically significant 22q11DS phenotypic sites-in LgDel mouse embryos, an established 22q11DS model. LgDel embryos treated with cyclopamine, an Shh inhibitor, or carrying mutations in Gli3(Xtj), an Shh-signaling effector, have morphogenetic anomalies that are either not seen, or seen at significantly lower frequencies in control or single-mutant embryos.

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Background: A 2-Week Wait (2WW) referral pathway for earlier diagnosis of suspected cancer was introduced in England in 2000. Nevertheless, a significant proportion of patients with cancer are diagnosed by other routes (detection rate), only a small proportion of 2WW referrals have cancer (conversion rate) and there is considerable between-practice variation.

Aim: This study examined use by practices of the 2WW referral in relation to all cancer diagnoses.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study examines how the stage at which ovarian cancer is diagnosed affects survival rates across different countries, including Australia, Canada, Denmark, Norway, and the UK.
  • Data from over 20,000 women diagnosed between 2004-07 reveal that survival rates vary, with the UK having the lowest one-year survival at 69%, particularly for those diagnosed at advanced stages (III-IV).
  • The findings suggest that differences in how cancer is staged, potential delays in diagnosis, and inequalities in treatment access contribute to these survival disparities, highlighting the need for improved consistency in cancer registry data globally.
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Background: Cancer survival is a key measure of the effectiveness of health-care systems. Persistent regional and international differences in survival represent many avoidable deaths. Differences in survival have prompted or guided cancer control strategies.

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