David Taylor-Robinson: Medical Microbiologist and Research Pioneer of Sexually Transmitted Infections.

David Taylor-Robinson has been an inspiration to many investigators in the field of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) as, arguably, the father of modern mycoplasmology. Born in 1931, his career as a physician-scientist was initially in virology, researching chickenpox and the common cold, for both of which he made key discoveries at a time when little was known about these conditions. Soon, however, David's attention turned to bacteriology, developing a passionate interest in mycoplasmas and chlamydia.

Intraductal magnetic resonance imaging of cholangiocarcinoma - a practical possibility.

Intraductal T2 mapping based on a catheter receiver is proposed as a method of visualizing the extent of intraductal and periductal cholangiocarcinoma (CCA). Compared to external receivers, internal receivers provide locally enhanced signal-to-noise ratios by virtue of their lower field-of-view for body noise, allowing smaller voxels and higher resolution. However, inherent radial sensitivity variation and segmentation for patient safety both distort image brightness.

Four Years Since COVID-19 Day Zero: A Time to Evaluate Past and Future Pandemic Control Policies and Practices in Sub-Saharan Africa?

Four years after the first case of COVID-19, the world is still determining how best to prevent and control the long-term effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) were employed at the start of the pandemic as the only available options, prior to effective vaccines and antiviral agents. The World Health Organization recommended dual vaccination for 70% worldwide as the threshold for a return to "normal" community life.

Accuracy of a new rapid diagnostic test for urinary antigen detection and assessment of drug treatment in opisthorchiasis.

Background: Screening for opisthorchiasis, a parasitic worm infection affecting many millions of people in Southeast Asia, has traditionally relied on faecal egg examination such as the formalin-ethyl acetate concentration technique (FECT) and Kato-Katz method. Although the urinary enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) has been used more recently, we developed a urinary antigen-based rapid diagnostic test (RDT) to simplify diagnosis and as a point-of-care testing (POCT) and field applications for surveillance and control of opisthorchiasis.

Methods: A urinary Opisthorchis viverrini (OV)-RDT was developed using immunochromatographic methodology with a specific monoclonal antibody against OV.

COVID-19 and the Liver: A Complex and Evolving Picture.

Although the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) primarily attacks the respiratory system, other organs, such as the liver, are also affected. In this overview, the effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection on the liver in both healthy people and in those with pre-existing liver disease are documented; the relationship between coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) vaccination and liver injury is examined; the mechanism of SARS-CoV-2-associated liver injury is explored; and the long-term consequences of COVID-19 are delineated, both in people with and without pre-existing liver disease.

The Role of Mass Spectrometry in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Biomarker Discovery.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the main liver malignancy and has a high mortality rate. The discovery of novel biomarkers for early diagnosis, prognosis, and stratification purposes has the potential to alleviate its disease burden. Mass spectrometry (MS) is one of the principal technologies used in metabolomics, with different experimental methods and machine types for different phases of the biomarker discovery process.

Contemporary Anti-Retroviral Drugs (ARVDs) Disrupt Follicular Development in Female Wistar Rats.

Introduction: There are genuine concerns that long-term use of anti-retroviral drugs may be associated with reproductive complications in females. This study aimed to ascertain the effect of highly active anti-retroviral drugs on the ovarian reserve and reproductive potential of female Wistar rats and by extension to HIV-positive human females.

Methods: A total of 25 female Wistar rats, weighing between 140g and 162g, were randomly allotted into non-intervention and intervention groups, receiving the anti-retroviral drugs, Efavirenz (EFV), Tenofovir Disoproxil Fumarate (TDF), Lamivudine (3TC), and a fixed-dose combination (FDC).

The Accuracy of Ultrasound Controlled Attenuation Parameter in Diagnosing Hepatic Fat Content.

Purpose: The Controlled Attenuation Parameter (CAP score) is based on ultrasonic properties of retropropagated radiofrequency signals acquired by Fibroscan (Echosens, Paris, France). Since ultrasound propagation is influenced by the presence of fat, CAP score was developed to quantify steatosis. The aim of this study was to delineate the accuracy of CAP in diagnosing hepatic steatosis, compared to the gold standard of liver biopsy.

Bacterial and metabolic phenotypes associated with inadequate response to ursodeoxycholic acid treatment in primary biliary cholangitis.

Primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) is a chronic cholestatic liver disease with ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) as first-line treatment. Poor response to UDCA is associated with a higher risk of progressing to cirrhosis, but the underlying mechanisms are unclear. UDCA modulates the composition of primary and bacterial-derived bile acids (BAs).

Regulation of immune responses in primary biliary cholangitis: a transcriptomic analysis of peripheral immune cells.

Background Aims: In patients with primary biliary cholangitis (PBC), the serum liver biochemistry measured during treatment with ursodeoxycholic acid-the UDCA response-accurately predicts long-term outcome. Molecular characterization of patients stratified by UDCA response can improve biological understanding of the high-risk disease, thereby helping to identify alternative approaches to disease-modifying therapy. In this study, we sought to characterize the immunobiology of the UDCA response using transcriptional profiling of peripheral blood mononuclear cell subsets.

Urinary Metabolic Profiling of Liver Fluke-Induced Cholangiocarcinoma-A Follow-Up Study.

Background/aims: Global liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS) profiling in a Thai population has previously identified a urinary metabolic signature in -induced cholangiocarcinoma (CCA), primarily characterised by disturbance in acylcarnitine, bile acid, steroid, and purine metabolism. However, the detection of thousands of analytes by LC-MS in a biological sample in a single experiment potentially introduces false discovery errors. To verify these observed metabolic perturbations, a second validation dataset from the same population was profiled in a similar fashion.

Alterations in circulating lipidomic profile in patients with type 2 diabetes with or without non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) often coexist and drive detrimental effects in a synergistic manner. This study was designed to understand the changes in circulating lipid and lipoprotein metabolism in patients with T2DM with or without NAFLD. Four hundred thirty-four T2DM patients aged 18-60 years were included in this study.

Circular Medicine - Being Mindful of Resources and Waste Recycling in Healthcare Systems.

In the light of the COP27 Climate Change Conference, the concept of the circular economy has come to the fore with promotion of reuse and recycling of appliances and materials from electronics to clothes. This concept has not been widely taken up by healthcare systems. In this perspective article, we discuss the idea of the circular economy and how, by extension, the concept of "circular medicine" with optimised hospital and medical clinic waste recycling might be promoted in the context of better stewardship of resources in healthcare management.

Framework to assess the quality of mHealth apps: a mixed-method international case study protocol.

Introduction: Healthcare professionals (HCPs) often recommend their patients to use a specific mHealth app as part of health promotion, disease prevention and patient self-management. There has been a significant growth in the number of HCPs downloading and using mobile health (mHealth) apps. Most mHealth apps that are available in app stores employ a 'star rating' system.

Cytokine changes in cerebrospinal fluid following vascular surgery on the thoracic aorta.

There is growing evidence that surgery can drive an inflammatory response in the brain. However, the mechanisms behind this response are incompletely understood. Here, we investigate the hypotheses that 1.

Hepatic encephalopathy.

Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a prognostically relevant neuropsychiatric syndrome that occurs in the course of acute or chronic liver disease. Besides ascites and variceal bleeding, it is the most serious complication of decompensated liver cirrhosis. Ammonia and inflammation are major triggers for the appearance of HE, which in patients with liver cirrhosis involves pathophysiologically low-grade cerebral oedema with oxidative/nitrosative stress, inflammation and disturbances of oscillatory networks in the brain.

Putative Involvement of Cytokine Modulation in the Development of Perioperative Neurocognitive Disorders.

Following surgery, local cytokine-driven inflammation occurs, as part of the normal healing process. Cytokines in the central nervous system such as IL-6 and IL-8 may also be elevated. These cytokine changes likely contribute to neuroinflammation, but the complex mechanisms through which this occurs are incompletely understood.

Transient elastography for the prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in patients with type 2 diabetes: Evidence from the CORDIAL cohort study.

Background: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is highly prevalent in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of NAFLD among Saudi patients with T2DM using transient elastography.

Methods: A total of 490 patients with T2DM who attended diabetes and primary care clinics were recruited.

Optimized Systematic Review Tool: Application to Candidate Biomarkers for the Diagnosis of Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

This review aims to develop an appropriate review tool for systematically collating metabolites that are dysregulated in disease and applies the method to identify novel diagnostic biomarkers for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Studies that analyzed metabolites in blood or urine samples where HCC was compared with comparison groups (healthy, precirrhotic liver disease, cirrhosis) were eligible. Tumor tissue was included to help differentiate primary and secondary biomarkers.

Infection with the hepatitis C virus causes viral genotype-specific differences in cholesterol metabolism and hepatic steatosis.

Lipids play essential roles in the hepatitis C virus (HCV) life cycle and patients with chronic HCV infection display disordered lipid metabolism which resolves following successful anti-viral therapy. It has been proposed that HCV genotype 3 (HCV-G3) infection is an independent risk factor for hepatocellular carcinoma and evidence suggests lipogenic proteins are involved in hepatocarcinogenesis. We aimed to characterise variation in host lipid metabolism between participants chronically infected with HCV genotype 1 (HCV-G1) and HCV-G3 to identify likely genotype-specific differences in lipid metabolism.

Maintaining Resilience in Today's Medical Environment: Personal Perspectives on Self-Care.

Background: The practice of medicine is becoming increasingly more stressful, owing to technological development, increased expectations, infrastructure deficiencies, lack of resources and healthcare systems that are struggling to cope in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic around the world.

Objective: In this article, we explore ways to reduce stress and improve resilience in the work place in order to enhance wellbeing in the medical profession, but also ultimately to protect patient safety.

Synopsis: We discuss attention to regular mealtimes, protected sleep and daily exercise, together with consideration of mindfulness, gratefulness, self-compassion, self-care and being part of supportive networks as ways to reduce stress.

Describing the Epidemiology of COVID-19 in Nigeria: An Analysis of the First Year of the Pandemic.

We report the COVID-19 experience across Nigeria from March 2020 to March 2021. Demographics were obtained from Nigerian Centre for Disease Control. By 21 March 2021, 161,737 people were confirmed positive for SARS-COV-2.