Publications by authors named "O'Brien A"

Background: Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) is increasingly offered to patients who have undergone lung resection for non-small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) as it can improve exercise tolerance and quality of life. However, designing and implementing such a complex multidisciplinary programme has its challenges.

Objective: This study aims to explore perspectives of patients offered PR services post-lung resection for NSCLC to gain an understanding of the potential barriers and facilitators behind implementing and designing PR programmes.

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Background: Insulin resistance and the G allele of rs738409 interact to create a greater risk of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease.

Objective: This study aims to confirm that one promising way to reduce insulin resistance is by following a very low-carbohydrate (VLC) dietary pattern.

Methods: Adults with rs738409-GG or -CG with liver steatosis and elevated liver function tests, were taught an ad libitum VLC diet, positive affect and mindful eating skills, goal setting, and self-monitoring and given feedback and coaching for 4 months.

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Objective: The purpose of this case study was to report the management of a patient with posterior tibialis tendon injury concurrent with gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT).

Clinical Features: A 31-year-old transgender male presented to a chiropractic clinic with spontaneous, right medial foot pain following running that day. Medical history revealed bilateral congenital pes planus and intramuscular administration of testosterone for 8 years.

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Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) has been frequently used to examine age-related deterioration of white matter microstructure and its relationship to cognitive decline. However, typical tensor-based analytical approaches are often difficult to interpret due to the challenge of decomposing and (mis)interpreting the impact of crossing fibers within a voxel. We hypothesized that a novel analytical approach capable of resolving fiber-specific changes within each voxel (i.

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Glioblastoma (GBM) is uniformly lethal due to profound treatment resistance. Altered cellular metabolism is a key mediator of GBM treatment resistance. Uptake of the essential sulfur-containing amino acid methionine is drastically elevated in GBMs compared to normal cells, however, it is not known how this methionine is utilized or whether it relates to GBM treatment resistance.

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Management of vulnerable amphibian populations requires a better understanding of the habitat factors that will make the greatest difference in their preservation. We set out to develop a predictive model of amphibian abundance based on habitat characteristics that may influence their survival and persistence. Our study system was the Sonoma County California tiger salamander (Ambystoma californiense; SCTS), an amphibian threatened by habitat loss and fragmentation.

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  • Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a genetic condition that leads to chronic pain and episodes called vaso-occlusive crises (VOCs), and this study investigates how certain brain chemicals are altered in patients with SCD.
  • Using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy, researchers measured levels of glutamate and glutamine (Glx) in the right posterior insula cortex of individuals with SCD and healthy controls, finding significantly higher Glx levels in SCD patients, along with notable correlations between Glx levels, VOC frequency, and pain sensitivity.
  • These findings suggest that an imbalance in excitatory neurotransmitters like glutamate in the insula may play a role in the pain experienced by SCD patients, highlighting the need for further
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  • The tumor suppressors p53 and ARF are crucial for controlling cell growth, and their loss is commonly linked to aggressive cancer forms.
  • When both p53 and ARF are non-functional, it leads to increased cell proliferation through heightened type I interferon signaling and active STAT1.
  • Research indicates that blocking JAK1, a kinase involved in this signaling pathway, can prevent the proliferation of tumors lacking p53 and ARF, presenting a potential treatment strategy for these aggressive cancers.
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Background: The initial baseline audit showed that only 24% of patients had a documented VTE- RA, this demonstrated an urgent need to improve VTE-RA in hospitalised patients. This quality improvement project (QIP) aimed to achieve 90% compliance in completing the VTE-RA tool and embedding this process into practice. Several measures were carried out which included the development of a TP policy, VTE-RA tool, education sessions and monthly point prevalence audits incorporating Plan, Do, Study, Act (PDSA) cycles.

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Introduction: The translational gap from the discovery of evidence-based solutions to their implementation in healthcare delivery organizations derives from an incorrect assumption that the need for change among executive, administrative, or clinical personnel is the same as the demand for change. For sickle cell disease (SCD), implementation of evidence-based guidelines is often delayed or obstructed due to lack of demand. This challenge allows for the persistence of resource limitations and care delivery models that do not meet the community's unique needs.

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Objective: The evaluation of perioperative and long term outcomes for endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) using anatomic (unibody) and proximal neck fixated (docking limbs) endografts across consecutive time cohorts.

Design: This study compares the outcomes of EVAR in Medicare patients stratified by mode of fixation.

Methods: All patients who underwent EVAR between 2012 and 2018 were identified in the Medicare database.

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  • Learning Networks, particularly during the second COVID-19 lockdown in Victoria, Australia, were utilized to provide updated information and evidence to healthcare professionals through COVID+ Learning Network webinars.
  • A qualitative study involving interviews with 15 participants highlighted that these webinars were effective for engaging health service managers and clinicians, offering vital support during the pandemic.
  • The findings emphasize the need for future webinars to be tailored to the specific informational needs of various participant groups, taking into account factors like geographic and socio-economic differences for better effectiveness.
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  • Dupuytren's disease (DD) is a disorder affecting the connective tissue in the hand, with unclear causes, and studies indicate that WNT4, a part of WNT signaling, may play a role in the disease.
  • The research involved isolating fibroblasts from both healthy individuals and those with DD in a family setting, using WNT4 siRNA to analyze gene expression changes through RNA sequencing.
  • Findings revealed that normal fibroblasts showed significant changes towards a 'DD-like' state when WNT4 was downregulated, suggesting that loss of WNT4 expression is a critical factor in the onset of Dupuytren's disease.
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  • Identified noncoding driver mutations in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) by mapping accessible chromatin regions and histone modifications in pancreatic cell lines and tissues, integrating this data with whole-genome mutations from 506 PDAC cases.
  • *From 3,614 noncoding somatic mutations (NCSMs) found, 178 were shown to significantly affect gene activity, highlighting their potential role in cancer progression.
  • *Further experiments pinpointed specific genes impacted by these mutations, with a focus on one gene (KLF9) that showed reduced expression due to interference from NCSMs, establishing it as a possible PDAC driver gene.
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Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the U.S. Both rare and common germline variants contribute to PDAC risk.

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Millions of people globally are exposed to the proven human carcinogen arsenic at unacceptable levels in drinking water. In contrast, arsenic is a poor rodent carcinogen, requiring >100-fold higher doses for tumor induction, which may be explained by toxicokinetic differences between humans and mice. The human ATP-binding cassette subfamily C (ABCC) transporter hABCC4 mediates the cellular efflux of a diverse array of metabolites, including the glutathione (GSH) conjugate of the highly toxic monomethylarsonous acid (MMA), monomethylarsenic diglutathione [MMA(GS)], and the major human urinary arsenic metabolite dimethylarsinic acid (DMA).

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Health mindsets refer to beliefs about the malleability (growth mindset) versus stability (fixed mindset) of physical health and have gained traction as a predictor of health beliefs and behaviors. Across two studies, we tested whether health mindsets were associated with avoiding personalized health risk information. In Study 2, we also tested whether conceptually-related constructs of internal and chance health locus of control, health self-efficacy, fatalism, and genetic determinism were associated with information avoidance.

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Grief is highly prevalent in adolescents, however, there have been no studies investigating internet delivered cognitive behaviour therapy for grief in adolescents (ICBT-G-A). In this paper, the co-design of an unguided ICBT-G-A intervention is described, and a protocol outlined for a pilot randomised controlled trial of the intervention. Participants will be randomised to the intervention (delivered via eight modules over a four-week period) or a four-week waitlist control.

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While biotic interactions often impose selection, species and populations vary in whether they are locally adapted to biotic interactions. Evolutionary theory predicts that environmental conditions drive this variable local adaptation by altering the fitness impacts of species interactions. To investigate the influence of an environmental gradient on adaptation between a plant and its associated rhizosphere biota, we cross-combined teosinte (Zea mays ssp.

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A 10-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding developed complications from a general anesthesia resulting in sling support and recurrent urinary catheterization. The horse subsequently presented signs of dysuria and pollakiuria, was diagnosed with sabulous cystitis, and developed a urethral stricture from the repeated catheterizations, which was confirmed on urethroscopy. Clinical signs persisted despite conservative management with topical corticosteroids and urethral bougienage with balloon dilators.

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  • * A multidisciplinary team of experts from various medical fields contributes to these guidelines, ensuring comprehensive care for patients with cancer-associated VTE.
  • * The guidelines provide specific evaluation processes and recommended treatment options tailored to the different types of cancer-associated VTE.
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Determining movement parameters for pest insects such as tephritid fruit flies is critical to developing models which can be used to increase the effectiveness of surveillance and control strategies. In this study, harmonic radar was used to track wild-caught male Queensland fruit flies (Qflies), Bactrocera tryoni, in papaya fields. Experiment 1 continuously tracked single flies which were prodded to induce movement.

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  • A study looked at how a very low-carbohydrate diet could help young women with obesity lose weight and improve their health.
  • Seventeen young women participated in a 4-month program where they learned about the diet with help from a coach and online sessions.
  • At the end, half of the women who were involved lost 5% or more of their weight, and everyone said they liked the program without any serious problems.
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