Publications by authors named "Rankin S"

The demand for nondairy and plant-based products has increased, but there is still a need for more information about and improvement in these products, especially when it comes to frozen desserts. Similar to ice cream, which simultaneously is an emulsion, dispersion, and foam, nondairy frozen desserts also have a complex structure. As a starting point, 15 commercial nondairy frozen desserts, marketed as offering an ice cream-like experience, were purchased and evaluated for compositional, physical, structural, rheological, and meltdown properties.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

This study evaluated the outcome and recurrence rates after hydrodilatation (HD) in patients with frozen shoulder (FS), comparing the effects of injecting 25 mL or more of fluid versus lower volumes. A total of 132 shoulders (130 patients) were treated at a shoulder clinic between August 2019 and February 2023. HD was performed under ultrasound guidance, injecting a combination of 40 mg Triamcinolone, 10 mL of local anaesthetic, and saline to a total volume of 10 to 40 mL based on patient tolerance.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Anthracyclines, such as doxorubicin, are important anti-cancer therapies but are associated with arterial injury. Histopathological insights have been limited to small animal models, and the role of inflammation in the arterial toxic effects of anthracycline is unclear in humans. Our aims were (1) to evaluate aortic media fibrosis and injury in non-human primates treated with anthracyclines; (2) to assess the effect of anthracycline on aortic inflammation in patients treated for lymphoma.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Perturb-seq enabled the profiling of transcriptional effects of genetic perturbations in single cells but lacks the ability to examine the impact on tissue environments. We present Perturb-DBiT for simultaneous co-sequencing of spatial transcriptome and guide RNAs (gRNAs) on the same tissue section for in vivo CRISPR screen with genome-scale gRNA libraries, offering a comprehensive understanding of how genetic modifications affect cellular behavior and tissue architecture. This platform supports a variety of delivery vectors, gRNA library sizes, and tissue preparations, along with two distinct gRNA capture methods, making it adaptable to a wide range of experimental setups.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background And Aim: There are conflicting reports regarding the risk of metachronous colorectal cancer (CRC) subsequent to colonoscopy with polypectomy or biopsy performed concurrently with diagnostic biopsies for CRC. We aimed to establish the 5-year risk of CRC in patients who had synchronous polypectomy or biopsies during the colonoscopy at which CRC was diagnosed.

Methods: This is a single-centre retrospective case-control study of adults who underwent surgical resection for CRC over a 2-year period (January 2016 to December 2017).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

This study demonstrates that dissolution products of inorganic/organic SiO-CaO/PTHF/PCL-diCOOH hybrid (70S30C-CL) drive human bone marrow stromal cells (h-BMSCs) down an osteogenic pathway with the production of mineralised matrix. We investigated osteogenesis through combined analyses of mRNA dynamics for key markers and targeted staining of mineralised matrix. We demonstrate that h-BMSCs undergo accelerated differentiation in vitro in response to the 70S30C-CL ionic milieu, as compared to incubation with osteogenic media.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Anthracyclines, such as doxorubicin, are important anti-cancer therapies but are associated with arterial injury. Histopathological insights have been limited to small animal models and the role of inflammation in the arterial toxic effects of anthracycline is unclear in humans. Our aims were: 1) To evaluate aortic media fibrosis and injury in non-human primates treated with anthracyclines; 2) To assess the effect of anthracycline on aortic inflammation in patients treated for lymphoma.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Combination therapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) and vascular endothelial growth factor inhibitors (VEGFIs) has improved cancer outcomes and is increasingly used. These drug classes are associated with cardiovascular toxicities when used alone, but heterogeneity in trial design and reporting may limit knowledge of toxicities in patients receiving these in combination.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess consistency and clarity in definitions and reporting of cardiovascular eligibility criteria, baseline characteristics, and cardiovascular adverse events in ICI and VEGFI combination trials.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Given its presence in a wide spectrum of soils relevant to food process hygiene, the biological metabolite adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is used as a target for surface hygiene assessments in food processing facilities. Yet, ample evidence demonstrates that ATP is depleted into adenosine di- (ADP) and monophosphate (AMP) homologs resulting in a loss of sensitivity for ATP-based hygiene assays. Yet, there are few studies that denote the degree of these shifts under routine processing conditions such as those encountered during various meat processing steps that may likely alter redox potential and adenosine profiles (e.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The MCM2-7 complex is a hexameric protein complex that serves as a DNA helicase. It unwinds the DNA double helix during DNA replication, thereby providing the single-stranded replication template. In recent years, it has become clear that the MCM2-7 complex has additional functions that extend well beyond its role in DNA replication.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The number of individuals referred for coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) with preoperative atrial fibrillation (AF) is reported to be 8% to 20%. Atrial fibrillation is a known marker of high-risk patients as it was repeatedly found to negatively influence survival. Therefore, when performing surgical revascularization, consideration should be given to the concomitant treatment of the arrhythmia, the clinical consequences of the arrhythmia itself, and the selection of adequate surgical techniques.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: This systematic review aims to comprehensively summarise and present the available evidence for the treatment of primary acromioclavicular joint (ACJ) osteoarthritis (OA).

Methods: Five databases were searched for studies investigating the management of ACJ OA. Included were studies with participants with clinical/radiological signs of primary ACJ OA, an intervention and included a functional outcome measure.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The gastrointestinal (GI) tract is complex and consists of multiple organs with unique functions. Rare gene variants can cause congenital malformations of the human GI tract, although the molecular basis of these has been poorly studied. We identified a patient with compound-heterozygous variants in RFX6 presenting with duodenal malrotation and atresia, implicating RFX6 in development of the proximal intestine.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The transport properties of the ionic liquid (IL) 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate ([BMIM][PF]) confined within silica microparticles with well-ordered, accessible mesopores (5.4 or 9 nm diameter) were investigated. [BMIM][PF] confinement was confirmed by using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Biomaterials that can improve the healing of articular cartilage lesions are needed. To address this unmet need, we developed novel 3D printed silica/poly(tetrahydrofuran)/poly(ε-caprolactone) (SiO/PTHF/PCL-diCOOH) hybrid scaffolds. Our aim was to carry out essential studies to advance this medical device towards functional validation in pre-clinical trials.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Surgical ablation for atrial fibrillation at the time of isolated coronary artery bypass grafting is reluctantly attempted. Meanwhile, complete revascularization is not always possible in these patients. We attempted to counterbalance the long-term benefits of surgical ablation against the risks of incomplete revascularization.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

ESCO1 is an acetyltransferase enzyme that regulates chromosome organization and gene expression. It does this by modifying the Smc3 subunit of the Cohesin complex. Although ESCO1 is enriched at the base of chromatin loops in a Cohesin-dependent manner, precisely how it interacts with chromatin is unknown.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Communication in the sciences is often based on text, which places researchers with dyslexia at a disadvantage. However, this means that science is missing out on the original insights and specific strengths in exploration that dyslexic researchers bring to their disciplines. Here we discuss how the scientific community can address the challenges that dyslexic researchers face, and how science stands to benefit as a result.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Nonsurgical rehabilitation of unilateral peripheral facial palsy (FP) varies globally with controversy regarding best practice. To develop facial therapist consensus regarding what should be included or excluded in rehabilitation of adults with FP of any etiology. Three clinical presentations: flaccid, paretic and synkinetic, were separately considered.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Carbapenemase-producing (CPE) are one of the most urgent threats to human healthcare globally. Descriptions of CPE outbreaks in veterinary hospitals suggest the need for screening strategies for CPE from companion animals. Our aim was to optimize a chromogenic agar method with and without selective enrichment to isolate CPE from companion animal feces in an ongoing outbreak of New Delhi metallo-β-lactamse-5 .

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Disruptions in foregut morphogenesis can result in life-threatening conditions where the trachea and esophagus fail to separate properly, such as esophageal atresia (EA) and tracheoesophageal fistulas (TEF). The developmental basis of these congenital anomalies is poorly understood, but recent genome sequencing reveals that variants in intracellular trafficking genes are enriched in EA/TEF patients. Here, we confirm that mutation of orthologous genes in disrupts trachea-esophageal separation similar to EA/TEF patients.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease (AD), are characterized by innate immune-mediated inflammation, but functional and mechanistic effects of the adaptive immune system remain unclear. Here we identify brain-resident CD8 T cells that coexpress CXCR6 and PD-1 and are in proximity to plaque-associated microglia in human and mouse AD brains. We also establish that CD8 T cells restrict AD pathologies, including β-amyloid deposition and cognitive decline.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Hybrids consist of inorganic and organic co-networks that are indistinguishable above the nanoscale, which can lead to unprecedented combinations of properties, such as high toughness and controlled degradation. We present 3D printed bioactive hybrid scaffolds for bone regeneration, produced by incorporating calcium into our "Bouncy Bioglass", using calcium methoxyethoxide (CME) as the calcium precursor. SiO-CaO/PTHF/PCL-diCOOH hybrid "inks" for additive manufacturing (Direct Ink Writing) were optimised for synergy of mechanical properties and open interconnected pore channels.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Cornelia de Lange Syndrome (CdLS) is a developmental disorder characterized by limb truncations, craniofacial abnormalities, and cognitive delays. CdLS is caused mainly by mutations in genes encoding subunits or regulators of the cohesin complex. Cohesin plays 2 distinct roles in chromosome dynamics as follows: it promotes looping, organization, and compaction of individual chromosomes, and it holds newly replicated sister chromatids together until cell division.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF