Factors associated with recruitment to randomised controlled trials in general practice: a systematic mixed studies review.

Background: A common challenge for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) is recruiting enough participants to be adequately powered to answer the research question. Recruitment has been set as a priority research area in trials to improve recruitment and thereby reduce wasted resources in conducted trials that fail to recruit sufficiently.

Methods: We conducted a systematic mixed studies review to identify the factors associated with recruitment to RCTs in general practice.

Early Joint Use Following Elbow Dislocation Limits Range-of-Motion Loss and Tissue Pathology in Posttraumatic Joint Contracture.

Background: Simple elbow dislocation occurs at an incidence of 2.9 to 5.21 dislocations per 100,000 person-years, with as many as 62% of these patients experiencing long-term elbow joint contracture, stiffness, and/or pain.

A Remote Longitudinal Observational Study of Individuals at Genetic Risk for Parkinson Disease: Baseline Results.

Background And Objectives: To recruit and characterize a national cohort of individuals who have a genetic variant ( G2019S) that increases risk of Parkinson disease (PD), assess participant satisfaction with a decentralized, remote research model, and evaluate interest in future clinical trials.

Methods: In partnership with 23andMe, Inc., a personal genetics company, G2019S carriers with and without PD were recruited to participate in an ongoing 36-month decentralized, remote natural history study.

Genetic prediction of impulse control disorders in Parkinson's disease.

Objective: To develop a clinico-genetic predictor of impulse control disorder (ICD) risk in Parkinson's disease (PD).

Methods: In 5770 individuals from three PD cohorts (the 23andMe, Inc.; the University of Pennsylvania [UPenn]; and the Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative [PPMI]), we used a discovery-replication strategy to develop a clinico-genetic predictor for ICD risk.

Recruitment for Remote Decentralized Studies in Parkinson's Disease.

Background: Traditional in-person Parkinson's disease (PD) research studies are often slow to recruit and place unnecessary burden on participants. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has added new impetus to the development of new research models.

Objective: To compare recruitment processes and outcomes of three remote decentralized observational PD studies with video visits.

Donor age and sex have limited effects on the mechanical and microstructural properties of human connective tissues.

Connective tissues, such as tendons, ligaments, and capsules, play a large role in locomotion and joint stability and are often subjected to traumatic injuries and degeneration. The purpose of this study was to evaluate if the mechanical and microstructural properties of connective tissues correlate with the age and sex of the human donor. Dissected samples were prepared for mechanical testing, consisting of 10 cycles of preconditioning, a stress-relaxation ramp and hold, and a quasi-static ramp to failure.

Current practice trends for lacrimal gland neurotoxin in the management of epiphora-a BOPSS survey.

Purpose: Injection of botulinum neurotoxin A (BoNTA) to the lacrimal gland (LG) offers a simple and effective treatment in the management of epiphora. However, there is little data on current practice trends or uptake as an alternative to surgery. This study assesses current practice trends of such treatment amongst BOPSS (British Oculoplastic Surgery Society) members.

Phylogenetic Position of -Like Endophytes on Bamboos and the Diverse Biosynthesis of Hypocrellin and Hypocrellin Derivatives.

The main active ingredients of the fruiting bodies of and are Hypocrellins, belonging perylenequinones with potential photodynamic activity against cancer and microbial diseases. However, the strains of and do not produce hypocrellins in culture, so resource exploitation of natural products was seriously restricted. In this study, a series of novel -like fungal endophyte strains, with varying sporulation ability and synthesizing diverse secondary metabolites, was isolated from different bamboos.

Unhealthy Behaviours and Risk of Parkinson's Disease: A Mendelian Randomisation Study.

Background: Tobacco smoking and alcohol intake have been identified in observational studies as potentially protective factors against developing Parkinson's disease (PD); the impact of body mass index (BMI) on PD risk is debated. Whether such epidemiological associations are causal remains unclear. Mendelian randomsation (MR) uses genetic variants to explore the effects of exposures on outcomes; potentially reducing bias from residual confounding and reverse causation.

Characterizing the Genetic Architecture of Parkinson's Disease in Latinos.

Objective: This work was undertaken in order to identify Parkinson's disease (PD) risk variants in a Latino cohort, to describe the overlap in the genetic architecture of PD in Latinos compared to European-ancestry subjects, and to increase the diversity in PD genome-wide association (GWAS) data.

Methods: We genotyped and imputed 1,497 PD cases and controls recruited from nine clinical sites across South America. We performed a GWAS using logistic mixed models; variants with a p-value <1 × 10 were tested in a replication cohort of 1,234 self-reported Latino PD cases and 439,522 Latino controls from 23andMe, Inc.

Genomewide Association Studies of LRRK2 Modifiers of Parkinson's Disease.

Objective: The aim of this study was to search for genes/variants that modify the effect of LRRK2 mutations in terms of penetrance and age-at-onset of Parkinson's disease.

Methods: We performed the first genomewide association study of penetrance and age-at-onset of Parkinson's disease in LRRK2 mutation carriers (776 cases and 1,103 non-cases at their last evaluation). Cox proportional hazard models and linear mixed models were used to identify modifiers of penetrance and age-at-onset of LRRK2 mutations, respectively.

The effects of physical activity, fast-mimicking diet and psychological interventions on cancer survival: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Background: Health professionals are often asked if non-pharmacological interventions prolong life. This review aims to evaluate the effects of physical activity, fast-mimicking diet (FMD) and psychological interventions on survival in all cancers.

Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs).

Cutaneous pleomorphic adenoma of the periocular region - a case series.

Mixed tumour of the skin is a rare entity also known as chondroid syringoma and pleomorphic adenoma. These usually present as slow-growing skin nodules with a smooth surface, clear boundaries, and no ulceration. Case series exist describing pleomorphic adenomas in the periocular region including the lids and orbit, separate to the more familiar lacrimal gland pleomorphic adenoma.

Females and males exhibit similar functional, mechanical, and morphological outcomes in a rat model of posttraumatic elbow contracture.

Posttraumatic joint contracture (PTJC) is a debilitating condition characterized by loss of joint motion following injury. Previous work in a rat model of elbow PTJC investigated disease etiology, progression, and recovery in only male animals; this study explored sex-based differences. Rat elbows were subjected to a unilateral anterior capsulotomy and lateral collateral ligament transection followed by 42 days of immobilization and 42 days of free mobilization.

Radiology for medical students (1925-2018): an overview.

Objective: Radiology has been espoused as an excellent tool for educating medical students since 1925. Advances in technology and PACS mean it has never been easier to demonstrate living anatomy and clinical pathology in exquisite detail to students. The aim of this study was to provide an overview of radiologic publications related to teaching medical students and its evolution through time.

A Virtual Cohort Study of Individuals at Genetic Risk for Parkinson's Disease: Study Protocol and Design.

Background: The rise of direct-to-consumer genetic testing has enabled many to learn of their possible increased risk for rare diseases, some of which may be suitable for gene-targeted therapies. However, recruiting a large and representative population for rare diseases or genetically defined sub-populations of common diseases is slow, difficult, and expensive.

Objective: To assess the feasibility of recruiting and retaining a cohort of individuals who carry a genetic mutation linked to Parkinson's disease (G2019S variant of LRRK2); to characterize this cohort relative to the characteristics of traditional, in-person studies; and to evaluate this model's ability to create an engaged study cohort interested in future clinical trials of gene-directed therapies.

The effect of LRRK2 loss-of-function variants in humans.

Human genetic variants predicted to cause loss-of-function of protein-coding genes (pLoF variants) provide natural in vivo models of human gene inactivation and can be valuable indicators of gene function and the potential toxicity of therapeutic inhibitors targeting these genes. Gain-of-kinase-function variants in LRRK2 are known to significantly increase the risk of Parkinson's disease, suggesting that inhibition of LRRK2 kinase activity is a promising therapeutic strategy. While preclinical studies in model organisms have raised some on-target toxicity concerns, the biological consequences of LRRK2 inhibition have not been well characterized in humans.

Prostaglandin analogues: A double-edged sword in orbital glaucoma disease management.

Introduction: The authors describe benefits of the recognised adverse effects of prostaglandin analogues on periocular structures in patients with unilateral proptosis and intraocular pressure rise. This case points to intentional consideration of prostaglandin analogue therapy in this selected cohort of patients with secondary ocular hypertension and proptosis.

Case Description: A 70-year-old gentleman who presented with a 1-week history of a red and painful right eye associated with tortuous and dilated episcleral blood vessels.

Fine-Mapping of SNCA in Rapid Eye Movement Sleep Behavior Disorder and Overt Synucleinopathies.

Objective: Rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder (RBD) is a prodromal synucleinopathy, as >80% will eventually convert to overt synucleinopathy. We performed an in-depth analysis of the SNCA locus to identify RBD-specific risk variants.

Methods: Full sequencing and genotyping of SNCA was performed in isolated/idiopathic RBD (iRBD, n = 1,076), Parkinson disease (PD, n = 1,013), dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB, n = 415), and control subjects (n = 6,155).