Publications by authors named "O'Kane K"

There is a critical gap in sex education such that many people lack access to evidence-based and accessible information about sexuality, putting them at risk for endorsing myths about sex and in turn having poorer sexual wellbeing. To address this gap, we developed a novel social media knowledge translation initiative-MisconSEXions-to debunk common myths about sexuality. The goal of this study was twofold.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The ability to cope with concussion symptoms and manage stress is an important determinant of risk for prolonged symptoms.

Objective: This open-label mixed-methods pilot study assessed the acceptability and credibility of a mindfulness-based intervention delivered through a digital therapeutic (DTx; therapeutic smartphone app) for pediatric concussion.

Methods: Participants aged 12 to 18 years were recruited from an emergency department within 48 hours of a concussion (acute cohort) or from a tertiary care clinic at least 1-month post-concussion (persisting symptoms cohort).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Despite the promising benefits of self-guided digital interventions for adolescents recovering from concussion, attrition rates for such interventions are high. Evidence suggests that adults can develop therapeutic alliance with self-guided digital interventions, which is in turn associated with intervention engagement. However, no research has examined whether adolescents develop therapeutic alliance with self-guided digital interventions and what factors are important to its development.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Negative genital self-image is linked with lower sexual satisfaction, but no research has examined its association with perceptions of partners' sexual satisfaction. In two studies ( = 475,  = 234), we examined links between genital self-image and own and individuals' perceived partner sexual satisfaction. In the second study, we tested whether a mindfulness intervention moderated these associations.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Importance: Polymicrogyria is the most commonly diagnosed cortical malformation and is associated with neurodevelopmental sequelae including epilepsy, motor abnormalities, and cognitive deficits. Polymicrogyria frequently co-occurs with other brain malformations or as part of syndromic diseases. Past studies of polymicrogyria have defined heterogeneous genetic and nongenetic causes but have explained only a small fraction of cases.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: Many patients presenting with suspected acute coronary syndrome (ACS) have high-sensitivity cardiac troponin (hs-cTn) concentrations between rule-in and rule-out thresholds and hence need serial testing, which is time consuming. The Prospective RandOmised Trial of Emergency Cardiac Computerised Tomography (PROTECCT) assessed the utility of coronary CT angiography (CCTA) in patients with suspected ACS, non-ischaemic ECG and intermediate initial hs-cTn concentration.

Methods: Patients were randomised to CCTA-guided management versus standard of care (SOC).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Men and women differ in the degree of specificity of sexual response and differences in attention to sexual cues may be a mechanism underlying these gendered patterns. The majority of previous research has examined attention using static images, which differ considerably from the dynamic videos used in studies of sexual response. To test attention as a potential mechanism involved in gendered sexual response, we used eye-tracking to examine visual attention patterns of 33 gynephilic men and 36 androphilic women to videos depicting preferred and nonpreferred gender targets engaging in varying sexual activities.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Free oligosaccharides (fOSs) are soluble oligosaccharide species generated during N-glycosylation of proteins. Although little is known about fOS metabolism, the recent identification of NGLY1 deficiency, a congenital disorder of deglycosylation (CDDG) caused by loss of function of an enzyme involved in fOS metabolism, has elicited increased interest in fOS processing. The catabolism of fOSs has been linked to the activity of a specific cytosolic mannosidase, MAN2C1, which cleaves α1,2-, α1,3-, and α1,6-mannose residues.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Dyspnoea, a common and multifactorial symptom in patients with acute coronary syndrome, has been associated with lower quality of life and hospital readmission. Prescriber preference for antiplatelet therapy, the standard of care in this patient group, is shifting to ticagrelor due to mortality benefits demonstrated in trials compared with clopidogrel. In these trials, dyspnoea was more commonly reported in patients prescribed ticagrelor but the aetiology is still debated.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The key guidelines in the management of primary spontaneous pneumothorax (PSP) include the 2010 British Thoracic Society (BTS) Pleural Disease guideline and 2001 American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP) Consensus Statement. Current recommendations are dependent on radiographic measures which differ between these two guidelines. The aim of this study is to compare size classification of PSP cases, according to BTS and ACCP guidelines, and to evaluate guideline compliance.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Letters not directly related to articles published in and presenting unpublished original data should be submitted for publication in this section. Clinical and scientific letters should not exceed 500 words and may include one table and up to five references.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Rationale: Hospitalised patients with acute exacerbation of COPD may deteriorate despite treatment, with early readmission being common.

Objectives: To investigate whether neural respiratory drive, measured using second intercostal space parasternal muscle electromyography (EMGpara), would identify worsening dyspnoea and physician-defined inpatient clinical deterioration, and predict early readmission.

Methods: Patients admitted to a single-site university hospital with exacerbation of COPD were enrolled.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Fever-induced refractory epileptic encephalopathy in school-age children (FIRES) is a clinically recognized epileptic encephalopathy of unknown aetiology. Presentation in previously healthy children is characterized by febrile status epilepticus. A pharmacoresistant epilepsy ensues, occurring in parallel with dramatic cognitive decline and behavioural difficulties.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Study Design: Retrospective analysis.

Objectives: The objectives of this research were to, in subjects with lower cervical spinal cord injury (SCI), examine the relationship between strength of muscle groups as measured by the manual muscle test (MMT) and function (reflected as burden of care) as measured by individual functional independence measure (FIM) motor tasks, and investigate the extent to which MMT scores explain the variance of the motor FIM scores.

Setting: Acute rehabilitation hospitals, Boston, MA, USA.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: It is thought that oestrogen replacement therapy may reduce the conversion of angiotensin I to angiotensin II in postmenopausal women by inhibiting angiotensin converting enzyme. We sought to determine the effects of 3 months oestrogen replacement therapy (ERT) on the response to angiotensin I and II in postmenopausal women.

Methods: Eighteen postmenopausal women were randomised to either three months of 2 mg oral oestradiol or placebo in a double blind, placebo controlled, protocol.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: On-demand therapy may offer an effective approach to the long-term management of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) without oesophagitis.

Aim: To examine the efficacy of the novel proton pump inhibitor esomeprazole as on-demand therapy in endoscopy-negative GORD.

Patients And Methods: Endoscopy-negative GORD patients who achieved complete resolution of heartburn after short-term esomeprazole or omeprazole treatment (n = 721) were randomized to esomeprazole 20 mg (n = 282), 40 mg (n = 293) or placebo (n = 146) on demand (maximum one dose/day) for 6 months.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

An extended implementation of the Mumps language is described that facilitates vendor neutral migration of legacy Mumps applications to SQL-based relational database servers. Implemented as a compiler, this system translates Mumps programs to operating system independent, standard C code for subsequent compilation to fully stand-alone, binary executables. Added built-in functions and support modules extend the native hierarchical Mumps database with access to industry standard, networked, relational database management servers (RDBMS) thus freeing Mumps applications from dependence upon vendor specific, proprietary, unstandardized database models.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives: The goal of this study was to determine the long-term effects of estrogen replacement therapy on the response to endothelin-1 (ET-1) in postmenopausal women with coronary heart disease.

Background: It is thought that the vasoconstrictor ET-1 is involved in the development and progression of atherosclerosis. Estrogen replacement may slow the development of atherosclerosis in postmenopausal women.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The physiological effects of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition may be in part mediated by bradykinin. We investigated the effect of coadministration of the specific bradykinin B(2) receptor antagonist icatibant on hemodynamic and neurohormonal responses to acute intravenous ACE inhibition in normal men on a normal sodium diet. We performed a 4-phase, double-blind, double-dummy, placebo-controlled study in 12 male volunteers.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF