Publications by authors named "S Whittaker"

Vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT) is a rare but serious prothrombotic adverse event following vaccination with adenovector-based COVID-19 vaccines. Laboratory findings indicate that anti-platelet factor 4 (PF4) immunoglobulin G antibodies are the causing factor for the onset of thromboembolic events in VITT. However, molecular mechanisms of cellular interactions, signaling pathways and involvement of different cell types in VITT antibody-mediated thrombosis are not fully understood.

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Immunotherapies, including checkpoint inhibitor antibodies, have precipitated significant improvements in clinical outcomes for melanoma. However, approximately half of patients do not benefit from approved treatments. Additionally, apart from Tebentafusp, which is approved for the treatment of uveal melanoma, there is a lack of immunotherapies directly focused on melanoma cells.

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variants have been identified in familial melanoma (FM) as well as a number of other germline and somatic malignancies. The functional validation of variants identified from the screening of patients with melanoma gene susceptibility panels is key to understanding the clinical significance of identified variants. Here we report a novel, likely pathogenic missense variant (p.

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Despite the early promise of centering structural racism in explanatory models of firearm violence, there are noticeable gaps in what's been produced thus far; in particular, a deeper and more serious engagement with long-standing theories of racism is needed to further enrich our understanding of how structural inequalities produce unequal burdens of firearm-related harms. Thus, building on theories and concepts from a range of academic fields and Black philosophical perspectives, we developed a theoretical framework to help explain the role of place-based structural racism on firearm violence disparities. A central component of our framework is the concept racial capitalism, which contends that racial exploitation and the accumulation of assets depend on and reinforce one another.

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Background: Self-management programs can increase the time spent on prescribed therapeutic exercises and activities in rehabilitation inpatients, which has been associated with better functional outcomes and shorter hospital stays.

Objectives: To determine whether implementation of a self-management program ('My Therapy') improves functional independence relative to routine care in people admitted for physical rehabilitation.

Methods: This stepped wedge, cluster randomized trial was conducted over 54 weeks (9 periods of 6-week duration, April 2021 - April 2022) across 9 clusters (general rehabilitation wards) within 4 hospitals (Victoria, Australia).

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