Childhood, adolescent, and adulthood adiposity are associated with risk of PCOS: a Mendelian randomization study with meta-analysis.

Study Question: What is the influence of body composition during childhood, adolescence, and adulthood, as well as metabolic parameters, on incident polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)?

Summary Answer: Excess body fat, even during childhood/adolescence, and metabolic parameters, suggestive of hyperinsulinaemia/insulin resistance, significantly impact the risk of PCOS in a linear fashion.

What Is Known Already: Observational and Mendelian randomization (MR) data have demonstrated an association between adulthood overweight/obesity and development of PCOS. However, the contribution of body composition in childhood/adolescence to incident PCOS is unclear, as is the influence of childhood overweight/obesity.

The value of administering intravenous antibiotics during haemodialysis in the treatment of diabetic foot infections.

Objective: People with diabetes who are on haemodialysis (HD) are at a high risk of diabetic foot infections (DFI) and related complications. We explored the value of treating DFI with intravenous (IV) antibiotics during HD.

Method: This was an observational study of consecutively treated patients with DFIs with IV antibiotics during HD.

Proton beam radiotherapy for choroidal and ciliary body melanoma in the UK-national audit of referral patterns of 1084 cases.

Introduction: Proton beam therapy has been utilised for the treatment of uveal melanoma in the UK for over 30 years, undertaken under a single centre. In the UK, all ocular tumours are treated at one of four centres. We aimed to understand the variation in referral patterns to the UK proton service, capturing all uveal melanoma patients treated with this modality.

Driving and glaucoma in the UK: a national survey of clinicians' advice and guidance to patients.

Introduction: Driving standards policy is set by the Department for Transport and executed by the Driving and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA). Professional bodies recognise the challenges that clinicians face when advising patients with glaucoma about driving. This study explored clinicians' knowledge and confidence around driving standards and their approach to advising and guiding patients.

Telemedicine in Arab Countries: Innovation, Research Trends, and Way Forward.

The progress and innovation in telemedicine within the Middle Eastern countries have not been heavily monitored. Therefore, the present study aims to analyze the scholarly work conducted in the Arab world, using reproducible statistical and scientometric techniques. An electronic search of Web of Science (core database) had been conducted through use of an extensive search strategy comprising of keywords specific to the Arab region, EMRO countries, telehealth, medical conditions, and disorders.

Diagnostic delay in axial spondyloarthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Delay to diagnosis in axial SpA (axSpA) is longer than in many other rheumatic diseases. Prolonged delay is associate with poorer outcomes, including functional impairment and quality of life. Our aims were to describe global variation in delay to diagnosis, factors associated with delay, and delay compared with PsA.

The prevalence and impact of depression in primary systemic vasculitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: To describe the prevalence of depression among patients with primary systemic vasculitides (PSV); compare prevalence according to vasculitis type and against controls; and examine the impact of depression on PSV outcomes.

Methods: We searched Medline, PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science using a predefined protocol in accordance with PRISMA guidelines. We included all studies that reported the prevalence or impact of depression in PSV.

Quality assurance for clinical research: challenges in implementing research governance in UK hospitals.

The oversight of clinical research in the UK is currently in a state of flux. Discusses the quality assurance problems that have arisen in the management of research and the protection of the rights of human participants. Contrasts clinical governance and regulatory approaches to research quality assurance and performs a critical analysis of the Department of Health (England) Research Governance Framework (RGF) to see where it falls within the continuum.

The use of cell and tissue culture techniques in the study of regulatory peptides.

Cell and tissue culture preparations have a number of general advantages for the study of biological processes: cells are more accessible for study, diffusion delays and barriers to applied substances are minimised, the humoral and cellular components of the culture environment can be controlled and progressive changes in intracellular and intercellular events can be directly monitored. These significant advantages mean that culture preparations can provide unique opportunities for investigation of the properties and functions of regulatory peptides. Culture preparations also have disadvantages and not all cultures are suitable for use in all types of experiments; therefore, the choice of preparation must be made accordingly.

Physiological enteric stimulation elicits cardiovascular reflexes in the rat.

By use of anesthetized rats, parameters for the activation of cardiovascular reflexes by stimulation of gastric or hepatic receptors have been established. For reflex activation, the mean minimum intragastric volume was 4 ml, and the mean minimum rate of hepatic portal vein infusion was 0.3 ml/min.

Urinary bladder intramural neurones: an electrophysiological study utilizing a tissue culture preparation.

An enzymic dispersion technique was used to free the intramural ganglia from their usual close association with the other components of the urinary bladder wall. The isolated ganglia obtained were viable and could be kept in culture for several weeks. The development of the cultures was monitored by phase-contrast microscopy and their electrophysiological properties were investigated using intracellular recording techniques.

Convergence of sensory information from abdominal viscera in the rat brain stem.

This study was carried out to establish whether there was convergence of sensory information in the rat brain stem stimulated by physiological activation of gastric mechanoreceptors and hepatic glucoreceptors. Extracellular recordings were made from single neurons in the region of the dorsal vagal nucleus and nucleus of the solitary tract in the medulla. The responses of these neurons to gastric distension, hepatic portal vein perfusion of isotonic D-glucose, and hepatic portal vein infusion of isotonic saline were studied.