Publications by authors named "Ndepana Andrew"

The chemistry of the extracellular electron transfer (EET) process in microorganisms can be understood by interfacing them with abiotic materials that act as external redox mediators. These mediators capture and transfer extracellular electrons through redox reactions, bridging the microorganism and the electrode surface. Understanding this charge transfer process is essential for designing biocapacitors capable of modulating and storing charge signatures as capacitance at the electrode interface.

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Background: Pilonidal sinus disease (PSD) is a chronic debilitating condition predominantly affecting young men. Laser hair depilation is an established adjunct to surgical treatment for PSD and can lead to reduced rates of recurrence, and post-surgical interventions.This study aimed to assess the outcome of laser hair depilation therapy on disease progression in pilonidal sinus disease patients at the Birmingham Skin Regional Laser Centre.

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Purpose: This study aimed to examine the approaches general practitioners (GPs) use to respond to the treatment burden faced by people with type 2 diabetes.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 29 videos of GP-patient consultations in an academic general practice clinic in China. Thematic analysis and a framework matrix approach were used to identify patterns in GPs' responses to the identified issues.

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We developed viral sensor and restriction factor-cytometry by time of flight (VISOR-CyTOF), which profiles 19 viral sensors and restriction factors (VISORs) simultaneously in single cells, and applied it to 41 postmortem tissues from people with HIV. Mucosal myeloid cells are well equipped with SAMHD1 and sensors of viral capsid and DNA while CD4 T cells are not. In lymph node CD4 Tfh, VISOR expression patterns reflect those favoring integration but blocking HIV gene expression, thus favoring viral latency.

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Corticosteroid binding globulin (CBG; SERPINA6) binds >85% of circulating glucocorticoids but its influence on their metabolic actions is unproven. Targeted proteolytic cleavage of CBG by neutrophil elastase (NE; ELANE) significantly reduces CBG binding affinity, potentially increasing 'free' glucocorticoid levels at sites of inflammation. NE is inhibited by alpha-1-antitrypsin (AAT; SERPINA1).

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Accurate prognostication guides optimal clinical management in skin cancer. Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is the most aggressive form of skin cancer that often presents in advanced stages and is associated with poor survival rates. There are no personalized prognostic tools in use in MCC.

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Polyploidy is a common outcome of chemotherapies, but there is conflicting evidence as to whether polyploidy is an adverse, benign or even favourable outcome. We show Aurora B kinase inhibitors efficiently promote polyploidy in many cell types, resulting in the cell cycle exit in RB and p53 functional cells, but hyper-polyploidy in cells with loss of RB and p53 function. These hyper-polyploid cells (>8n DNA content) are viable but have lost long-term proliferative potential in vitro and fail to form tumours in vivo.

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Background And Purpose: Cultural and language barriers may affect quality of care, such as adherence to medications. We examined whether adherence to prevention medications within the year after stroke/transient ischemic attack (TIA) differed by region of birth.

Methods: An observational study of adults with stroke/TIA admitted to hospitals in the Australian Stroke Clinical Registry (Queensland, Victoria; 2012-2016; n=45 hospitals), with linked administrative data.

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Objectives: This review aimed to investigate the relationship between staff experience and patient health and experience outcomes in hospital inpatient settings.

Design: Systematic review of reviews.

Methods: Searches were performed in Medline (OVID), CINAHL and Google Scholar using key terms from relevant review articles.

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While corticosteroids have led to significant reduction in ASUC mortality over the last few decades, they are associated with significant side effects and up to 30% of patients have steroid refractory ASUC, which means we require safer and better therapies for patients with ASUC. Several salvage therapies have been proposed in guidelines; however, we lack high quality head-to-head randomised controlled trials to assess effectiveness and safety of these agents. Furthermore, the role of newer novel agents in ASUC management is unclear.

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Background: Pandemic-related restrictions in nursing homes have undermined the critical role that family and friend caregivers play in enhancing resident quality of life.

Objective: We examined how family caregiver access restrictions in nursing homes were implemented and how they impacted the mutual well-being of and relationships between residents and their caregivers over time. s Between March 2021 and march 2022, 24 'designated caregivers' in Atlantic Canada were interviewed three times.

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Background: In Australia, with the recent introduction of electronic health records (EHRs) into hospitals, the use of hospital-based EHRs for research is a relatively new concept. The aim of this study was to explore the attitudes of older healthcare consumers on sharing their health data with an emerging EHR-based Research Data Platform within the National Centre for Healthy Ageing.

Methods: This was a qualitative study.

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Article Synopsis
  • Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are brief bursts of radio waves from distant galaxies, and their emission mechanisms are still debated, focusing on processes near a central engine versus shocks at large distances.
  • Researchers measured two scintillation scales for FRB 20221022A, one linked to the Milky Way and the other to its host galaxy, which allowed them to determine the FRB's emission region size to be less than 3 x 10 kilometers.
  • This size contradicts the large-distance model and suggests that the emission likely occurs close to a central compact object, supported by an observed S-shaped polarization angle, indicating a magnetospheric emission process.
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Article Synopsis
  • Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are intense signals from deep space that last for milliseconds and share some characteristics with pulsars, suggesting they may originate from neutron stars.
  • Despite similarities, FRBs like 20221022A display different patterns in their linear polarization position angle (PA), particularly a 130° rotation that aligns with pulsar behaviors, hinting at magnetospheric origins.
  • This study rules out short-period pulsars as potential sources for FRB 20221022A, supporting the idea that its unique PA evolution fits the rotating vector model commonly used for pulsars.
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Vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (vEDS) is a rare inherited connective tissue disorder predominantly caused by pathogenic COL3A1 variants. Characteristic arterial and intestinal fragility and generalised severe tissue friability can lead to clinical events from childhood. We highlight a paucity of literature regarding children diagnosed with vEDS, possibly explained by a restraint in predictive testing, and present data on 63 individuals (23 index cases) with a clinical and genetic diagnosis of vEDS in childhood (<18 years) to address this.

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Background: Understanding advocacy strategies is essential to improving dementia awareness, reducing stigma, supporting cognitive health promotion, and influencing policy to support people living with dementia. However, there is a dearth of evidence-based research on advocacy strategies used to support dementia awareness.

Objective: This study aimed to use posts from X (formerly known as Twitter) to understand dementia advocacy strategies during World Alzheimer's Awareness Month in September 2022.

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Chronic hypereosinophilia, defined as persistent elevated blood levels of eosinophils ≥1,500/μL, is associated with tissue infiltration of eosinophils and consequent organ damage by eosinophil release of toxic mediators. The current therapies for chronic hypereosinophilia have limited success, require repetitive administration, and are associated with a variety of adverse effects. As a novel approach to treat chronic hypereosinophilia, we hypothesized that adeno-associated virus (AAV)-mediated delivery of an anti-human eosinophil antibody would provide one-time therapy that would mediate persistent suppression of blood eosinophil levels.

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Using a model of UV-killed E. coli driven dermal inflammation in healthy human volunteers, we originally reported that following inflammatory resolution there was infiltration of macrophages, which, through prostanoids including prostaglandin (PG) E, imprints long-term tissue immunity. In addition to the prostanoids, data on levels of Specialised Pro-Resolution Lipid Mediators (SPMs) throughout inflammatory onset, resolution and post-resolution phases of this model were presented, but as illustrations rather than as primary data.

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Introduction: The transition from pediatric to adult care poses challenges for adolescents and young adults (AYA) with chronic conditions and their caregivers. A patient navigator (PN) intervention may mitigate transition-related barriers.

Methods: A qualitative study was conducted within a pragmatic randomized controlled trial.

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Background/aims: Upadacitinib is a novel selective Janus kinase inhibitor approved for use in ulcerative colitis. Clinical trials had rigorous criteria and excluded many patient subgroups. Given limited real-world effectiveness data, we examined outcomes of patients treated with upadacitinib for ulcerative colitis in a real-world population.

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The majority of the carbon footprint of the cement industry originates from the decomposition of alkaline carbonates during clinker production. Recent studies have demonstrated that calcium oxides and other alkaline oxides in cement materials can sequester CO through the carbonation process and partially offset the carbon emissions generated during cement production. This study employs a comprehensive analytical model to estimate the CO uptake via hydrated cement carbonation, including concrete, mortar, construction waste, and cement kiln dust (CKD), covering major cement production and consumption regions worldwide from 1930 to 2023.

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Background: Feeding practices during infancy have a significant impact on a child's cognitive development and long-term health outcomes. Dietary diversity guidelines from the WHO and UNICEF recommend a diverse range of foods for children aged below 24 months for their optimal growth and development. However, in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), little is known about the extent to which dietary diversity behaviour in children aged 6 to 24 months aligns with the recommendations and the factors associated with the differentials in dietary behaviour.

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Context: Increased mesenteric visceral fat is associated with the metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes.

Methods: Using Targeted Cell Separation and Extraction Technology (TC-SET), we examined the effect of removal of intra-abdominal fat, specifically small bowel mesenteric fat, on glycemic control and insulin sensitivity in 7 obese, poorly controlled type 2 diabetic individuals (HbA1c = 8.9±0.

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The Maddox rod is a staple in the assessment of strabismus. However, its optics mechanism is puzzling. How is it that an orthogonal line focus is formed? Surprisingly, few texts offer an explanation and those that do either provide insufficient detail, contain misleading information or are difficult to follow.

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