Publications by authors named "Platt A"

Objective: The objective of this study was to compare a multiple pelvic screw fixation strategy (dual bilateral 4 pelvic screw fixation [4PvS]) with the use of single bilateral 2 pelvic screw fixation (2PvS), with the aim of addressing lumbosacral junction stability.

Methods: This analysis is a single-center, retrospective review of ASD patients treated between 2015 and 2021. All patients had a minimum 2-year follow-up and spinal fusion to the sacrum without sacroiliac fusion and met at least one radiographic and procedural criterion: pelvic incidence-lumbar lordosis ≥ 20°, T1 pelvic angle ≥ 20°, sagittal vertical axis ≥ 7.

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Interleukin (IL)-33 is released following tissue damage, causing airway inflammation and remodelling via reduced IL-33 (IL-33)/serum stimulation-2 (ST2) and oxidised IL-33 (IL-33)/receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE)/epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) pathways. This study aimed to identify associations of IL-33 with clinical outcomes and pathological mechanisms during viral lower respiratory tract disease (LRTD). Ultra-sensitive immunoassays were developed to measure IL-33, IL-33 and IL-33/sST2 complexes in samples from patients hospitalised with COVID-19.

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Background: An HIV-1 vaccine is long overdue. Although vaccine research focuses on the induction of broadly neutralising antibodies, challenging infections such as HIV-1 could require parallel induction of protective T cells. It is important to recognise that not all T cells contribute to protection equally.

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  • Researchers created a non-human primate model of septic shock to better study the disease and test new treatments under conditions similar to modern intensive care.
  • The study analyzed how different doses of a bacteria impacted the animals, noting significant effects on heart rate, blood pressure, and organ function.
  • The model showed key immunological and pathological responses similar to human sepsis, revealing potential for its use in understanding disease mechanisms and developing effective therapies.
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Field sterility and Wide Awake Local Anesthesia No Tourniquet (WALANT) technique is a commonly used operative technique for many hand and wrist pathologies. We present a case of a successful proximal row carpectomy using WALANT and field sterility in a minor surgery operating theatre setting. These techniques can be applied in appropriate patients to reduce the overall cost of surgery, anesthetic complications, and prolonged hospital stay.

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  • All-vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFBs) are being explored for their long-lasting energy storage potential but struggle with performance decline over time.
  • This study examines how higher upper voltage limits (1.6 V, 1.7 V, and 1.8 V) affect the performance and degradation of a VRFB cell during extended testing (500 cycles).
  • Results show that increased voltage leads to decreased capacity and efficiency, with significant degradation observed particularly at 1.8 V, emphasizing the need for optimized voltage limits to enhance VRFB longevity and inform future predictive models.
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  • The Measure Up 1, 2, and AD Up studies assessed the effectiveness and side effects of upadacitinib for treating atopic dermatitis in adolescents aged 12-17 over a period of 76 weeks, extending the research beyond the previously available 52-week data.
  • In a randomized clinical trial, participants received either upadacitinib (15 mg or 30 mg) or a placebo, with some receiving topical corticosteroids, allowing for varied analysis of its efficacy and safety.
  • Results showed that a significant percentage of adolescents achieved a major improvement in their condition, with 89.1%, 84.4%, and 87.8% meeting the criteria for reduction in severity, showcasing the medication
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Modern sequencing instruments bring unprecedented opportunity to study within-host viral evolution in conjunction with viral transmissions between hosts. However, no computational simulators are available to assist the characterization of within-host dynamics. This limits our ability to interpret epidemiological predictions incorporating within-host evolution and to validate computational inference tools.

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Health professional education stands to gain substantially from collective efforts toward building video databases of skill performances in both real and simulated settings. An accessible resource of videos that demonstrate an array of performances - both good and bad-provides an opportunity for interdisciplinary research collaborations that can advance our understanding of movement that reflects technical expertise, support educational tool development, and facilitate assessment practices. In this paper we raise important ethical and legal considerations when building and sharing health professions education data.

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  • Telomeres are protective caps on chromosomes, and their length is related to aging and diseases, prompting a study on telomere length in over 462,000 UK Biobank participants.
  • Researchers created a new metric for measuring telomere length that improved understanding of its genetic control and identified 64 genetic variants and 30 genes linked to telomere length.
  • Notably, many of these genes are involved in clonal hematopoiesis, which is linked to certain cancers, indicating a complex relationship between rare genetic variants and telomere length.
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  • Data-intensive research seeks to enhance healthcare delivery, decision-making, and patient outcomes, relying on quantitative scientists like biostatisticians and epidemiologists to transform data into actionable health knowledge.
  • Academic health centers have established centralized Quantitative Science Units focused on the professional growth of quantitative scientists and high-quality research output, but lack clear guidelines on team formation and management.
  • A working group of Quantitative Science Unit leaders from six institutions aims to share best practices and tools for developing, managing, and evaluating Quantitative Science Teams, thereby improving research collaboration and adapting to changing research demands.
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Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) constitutes a rare, potentially life-threatening hyperinflammatory immune dysregulation syndrome that can present with a variety of clinical signs and symptoms, including fever, hepatosplenomegaly, and abnormal laboratory and immunological findings such as cytopenias, hyperferritinemia, hypofibrinogenemia, hypertriglyceridemia, elevated blood levels of soluble CD25 (interleukin (IL)-2 receptor α-chain), or diminished natural killer (NK)-cell cytotoxicity (reviewed in detail in Chapter 11 of this book). While HLH can be triggered by an inciting event (e.g.

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  • - The study focused on atopic dermatitis (AD) and evaluated how much time patients spent with clear skin and minimal itch while being treated with upadacitinib compared to a placebo and dupilumab.
  • - Researchers analyzed data from three phase 3 studies involving nearly 2,400 patients, with treatments lasting from 16 to 24 weeks and assessed using established skin severity and itch scales.
  • - Results showed that patients on upadacitinib experienced significantly more days with better skin conditions and reduced itching compared to those on placebo or dupilumab.
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Gene misexpression is the aberrant transcription of a gene in a context where it is usually inactive. Despite its known pathological consequences in specific rare diseases, we have a limited understanding of its wider prevalence and mechanisms in humans. To address this, we analyzed gene misexpression in 4,568 whole-blood bulk RNA sequencing samples from INTERVAL study blood donors.

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Coordination complexes of lanthanide metals with tris-1-naphthylphosphine oxide (NapPO, L) have not been previously reported in the literature. We describe here the formation of lanthanide(III) nitrate complexes Ln(NO)L (Ln = Eu to Lu) and the structures of [Ln(NO)L]·2L (Ln = Eu, Dy, Ho, Er) and L. The core structure of the complexes is an eight-coordinate [Ln(NO)L] with the third and fourth ligands H-bonded via their oxygen atoms to one of the naphthyl rings.

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Hospital length of stay (LOS) in the USA has been increasing since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, with numerous negative outcomes, including decreased quality of care, worsened patient satisfaction and negative financial impacts on hospitals. While many proposed factors contributing to prolonged LOS are challenging to modify, poor coordination of care and communication among clinical teams can be improved.Geographical cohorting of provider teams, patients and other clinical staff is proposed as a solution to prolonged LOS and readmissions.

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Chronic stress undermines psychological and physiological health. We tested three remotely delivered stress management interventions among clergy, accounting for intervention preferences. United Methodist clergy in North Carolina enrolled in a partially randomized, preference-based waitlist control trial.

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  • Atopic dermatitis (AD) significantly impacts quality of life due to intense itching and other symptoms; this study investigates the effects of the oral medication upadacitinib on patients with moderate-to-severe AD over 16 weeks.
  • The analysis included data from 1,683 patients in clinical trials, showing that those taking upadacitinib experienced notable improvements in itching and other quality of life indicators compared to those on a placebo, starting as early as one week and continuing through the study period.
  • Results indicated that patients on upadacitinib reported better outcomes in areas like skin pain, sleep, daily activities, emotional well-being, and overall treatment satisfaction, suggesting this medication could be an effective option for managing AD
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Purpose: To evaluate radiographic and clinical outcomes following revision surgery after HRC fusions.

Methods: Single-institution, retrospective study of patients revised following HRC with minimum 2-year follow-up post-revision. Demographics, perioperative information, radiographic parameters, complications, and Oswestry disability index (ODI) scores were collected.

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Introduction: Anifrolumab is a type I interferon (IFN) receptor 1 (IFNAR1) blocking antibody approved for treating patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Here, we investigated the immunomodulatory mechanisms of anifrolumab using longitudinal transcriptomic and proteomic analyses of the 52-week, randomised, phase 3 TULIP-1 and TULIP-2 trials.

Methods: Patients with moderate to severe SLE were enrolled in TULIP-1 and TULIP-2 and received intravenous anifrolumab or placebo alongside standard therapy.

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  • Atopic dermatitis is a long-lasting skin condition that causes significant itchiness, pain, and sleep issues, affecting patients' quality of life, and upadacitinib is an FDA-approved oral medication for its treatment.
  • This study evaluated the effectiveness of upadacitinib on various patient-reported outcomes over 52 weeks in adults and adolescents suffering from moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis, using data from two phase III clinical trials.
  • Results showed that patients taking upadacitinib experienced significant and rapid improvements in itch and other related symptoms, with benefits lasting through the study duration, while the placebo group did not show the same level of improvement.
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Despite evidence demonstrating a prognostic role for computed tomography (CT) scans in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), image-based biomarkers are not routinely used in clinical practice or trials. To develop automated imaging biomarkers using deep learning-based segmentation of CT scans. We developed segmentation processes for four anatomical biomarkers, which were applied to a unique cohort of treatment-naive patients with IPF enrolled in the PROFILE (Prospective Observation of Fibrosis in the Lung Clinical Endpoints) study and tested against a further United Kingdom cohort.

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Purpose: To determine whether maintaining good sagittal balance with significant knee flexion (KF) constitutes a suboptimal outcome after adult spinal deformity (ASD) correction.

Methods: This single-center, single-surgeon retrospective study, assessed ASD patients who underwent posterior spinal fusion between 2014 and 2020. Inclusion criteria included meeting at least one of the following: PI-LL ≥ 25°, T1PA ≥ 20°, or CrSVA-H ≥ 2 cm.

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Linkage disequilibrium (LD) is a fundamental concept in genetics; critical for studying genetic associations and molecular evolution. However, LD measurements are only reliable for common genetic variants, leaving low-frequency variants unanalyzed. In this work, we introduce cumulative LD (cLD), a stable statistic that captures the rare-variant LD between genetic regions, which reflects more biological interactions between variants, in addition to lack of recombination.

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In patients with moderate-to-severe atopic Dermatitis® (AD), greater skin clearance and itch reduction are associated with more pronounced improvements in quality of life (QoL). To characterize the aggregate response benefit with upadacitinib versus dupilumab or placebo in patients with moderate-to-severe AD. Degree of skin clearance and itch response in 3 phase 3 studies (Heads Up [NCT03738397] and Measure Up 1/2 [integrated; NCT03569293/NCT03607422]) were assessed by the Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI) and Worst Pruritus Numerical Rating Scale (WP-NRS), respectively, using mutually exclusive categories.

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