Publications by authors named "N G McWilliam"

Introduction: The scale and geographical distribution of the current outbreak in West Africa raised doubts as to the effectiveness of established methods of control. Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) was first detected in Sierra Leone in May 2014 in Kailahun district. Despite high case numbers elsewhere in the country, transmission was eliminated in the district by December 2014.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

This paper reports an exploratory study of a school peer mediation program implemented as an alternative way to manage bullying and other destructive conflict. The study explores the effects of the program on the well-being of members of the school community by examining perceptions of students, staff and a sample of parents and former students. Drawing on therapeutic jurisprudence (TJ) the study explores whether the component parts of the program, separately or together, promote intended or unintended therapeutic effects.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Thrombin has been proposed to play a key role in the development of atherosclerosis, both by promoting fibrin deposition into the atherosclerotic vessel wall and also by signalling through thrombin receptors. Unfortunately, mice homozygous for a deletion of the prothrombin gene (FII) die in utero, making a direct assessment of the role of thrombin during atherogenesis difficult. We have assessed the contribution of thrombin-dependent processes to vascular lipid lesion formation in the atherosclerosis-prone apolipoprotein E (ApoE)-deficient mice by inhibiting thrombin generation with warfarin.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Plasma and platelet factor Va represent different substrates for activated protein C (APC). In this study, we have measured platelet-dependent APC resistance and the effect of aspirin and a platelet glycoprotein IIbIIIa antagonist (GR144053F) on this phenomenon. In platelet rich plasma (PRP), progressive APC resistance was observed with increasing platelet activation.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Leukaemic and normal bone marrow samples were compared in terms of their content of the fibrinolytic agents, tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) and urokinase-type plasminogen activator (u-PA) and their inhibitors. plasminogen activator inhibitors 1 and 2 (PAI-1 and PAI-2). Normal marrow contained t-PA as the principal plasminogen activator, whereas in leukaemic marrow samples u-PA was the predominant activator.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF