Using a novel approach to classification images (CIs), we investigated the visual expertise of surveyors for luminance and binocular disparity cues simultaneously after screening for stereoacuity. Stereoscopic aerial images of hedges and ditches were classified in 10,000 trials by six trained remote sensing surveyors and six novices. Images were heavily masked with luminance and disparity noise simultaneously.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTransgender and gender diverse (TGD) individuals experience minority stress that includes internalizing the negative attitudes that exist in society about those whose identities rest outside of the gender binary. The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of the experience of internalized stigma and associated coping methods among six TGD adults utilizing photovoice. Thematic and iconographic analysis of 35 works produced by the participants revealed themes involving metaphors for internalized transphobia, internalized social messages, the psychological debt or emotional cost of internalized transphobia, and a range of coping strategies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground And Objectives: Electronic medical records (EMRs) are often composed of multiple interlinking systems, each serving a particular task, including transfusion ordering and administration. Transfusion may not be prioritized when developing or implementing electronic platforms. Uniform guidelines may assist information technology (IT) developers, institutions and healthcare workforces to progress with shared goals.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMalignant melanoma is an aggressive form of cancer, which can be treated with anti-CTLA-4 and anti-PD-1 checkpoint inhibitor antibodies but while anti-CTLA-4 antibodies have clear benefits for some patients with melanoma, productive responses are difficult to predict and often associated with serious immune related adverse events. Antibodies specific to CTLA-4 bind two major isoforms of CTLA-4 in humans, the receptor isoform and a second naturally secretable, soluble isoform - sCTLA-4. The primary aim here was to examine the effect of selectively blocking the function of sCTLA-4 on immune responses from volunteer healthy or melanoma patient PBMC samples.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Seasonal variations have been reported for immune markers. However, the relative contributions of sunlight and vitamin D variability on such seasonal changes are unknown.
Objective: This double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial tested whether daily 400 IU vitamin D supplementation affected short-term (12 weeks) and long-term (43 weeks) natural regulatory T cell (nTreg) populations in healthy participants.
J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol
August 2021
The glasshouse whitefly (Trialeurodes vaporariorum Westwood) is a polyphagous arthropod pest that is of particular detriment to glasshouse grown tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) across temperate regions of the world. Control of whiteflies with synthetic pesticides has resulted in the evolution of resistant genotypes and a reduction in natural enemies, thus highlighting the need for environmentally sound control strategies. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) offer an environmentally benign alternative to synthetic chemical sprays and this study explored the use of VOCs as insect repellents and plant defence elicitors to control whiteflies on tomato in a commercial glasshouse setting.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHorticulturalists and gardeners in temperate regions often claim that planting marigolds next to tomato plants protects the tomatoes from the glasshouse whitefly (Trialeurodes vaporariorum Westwood). If shown to hold true, this technique could be used in larger-scale tomato production, protecting the crop and helping to introduce greater plant diversity into these agro-ecosystems. Here we present two large-scale glasshouse trials corresponding to the two main ways growers are likely to use marigolds to control whiteflies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Patients with psoriasis and clinicians are concerned that infliximab may be associated with a risk of serious infections.
Objectives: To compare the risk of serious infections associated with infliximab in patients with chronic plaque psoriasis against a cohort on nonbiologic systemic therapies.
Methods: A prospective cohort study was performed using data from the British Association of Dermatologists Biologic Interventions Register (BADBIR).
Background: Cancer risk following long-term exposure to systemic immunomodulatory therapies in patients with psoriasis is possible.
Objectives: To assess a dose-response relationship between cumulative length of exposure to biological therapy and risk of cancer.
Methods: Four national studies (a healthcare database from Israel, and prospective cohorts form Italy, Spain and the U.
Importance: Pyoderma gangrenosum is a rare inflammatory skin condition that is difficult to diagnose. Currently, it is a "diagnosis of exclusion," a definition not compatible with clinical decision making or inclusion for clinical trials.
Objective: To propose and validate diagnostic criteria for ulcerative pyoderma gangrenosum.
Background: Psoriasis is a chronic T-cell-mediated skin disease with marked social and economic burdens. Current treatments are unsatisfactory, with unpredictable remission times and incompletely understood modes of action. Recent advances in our understanding of the pathogenesis of psoriasis have identified the imbalance between CD4 T effector cells, particularly the T helper (Th)17 subset, and regulatory T cells (Tregs) as key to the development of psoriatic lesions, and therefore a novel therapeutic target.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFClinical trials may benefit clinical practice in three ways: firstly, clinicians may change their practice according to the new trial evidence; secondly, clinical processes can improve when working on a trial; and thirdly, research capacity is increased. We held a meeting to present and discuss the results of two large multicentre randomized controlled trials delivered through the U.K.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSerious infection is a concern for patients with psoriasis receiving biologic therapies. We assessed the risk of serious infections for biologics used to treat psoriasis by comparison with a cohort receiving non-biologic systemic therapies in a propensity score-weighted Cox proportional hazards model using data from the British Association of Dermatologists Biologic Interventions Register. Overall, 1,352; 3,271; and 994 participants were included in the etanercept, adalimumab, ustekinumab cohorts, respectively, and 3,421 participants were in the non-biologic cohort.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Pyoderma gangrenosum (PG) is a painful, ulcerating skin disease with poor evidence for management. Prednisolone and ciclosporin are the most commonly used treatments, although not previously compared within a randomized controlled trial (RCT).
Objectives: To compare the cost-effectiveness of ciclosporin and prednisolone-initiated treatment for patients with PG.