Publications by authors named "Storey N"

Background: Multi-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (GNB) survive in hospital drains in traps that contain water and may ascend into the sink because of splashes, or biofilm growth.

Aim: To investigate whether the 'Tuba Drain' (TD) a long, bent, continually descending copper tube between the sink outlet and the trap prevents the ascent of bacteria.

Methods: After initial laboratory tests confirmed that the TD prevented bacteria in the U-bend from splashing upwards into the sink outlet, TDs were assessed in a randomized, blinded trial in a hospital outpatient department built in 2019.

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  • * The study compared two sequencing approaches: untargeted metagenomics using Illumina and Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT), and a targeted panel approach with Twist Bioscience's Comprehensive Viral Research Panel (CVRP).
  • * Results showed that the CVRP significantly improved detection sensitivity for low viral loads, while ONT performed well at high viral loads but required longer runs at lower viral loads; ONT also had better specificity compared to Illumina.
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  • Metagenomics helps diagnose infections, but there hasn't been much comparison of methods for finding viruses across different labs.
  • A study was done by the European Society for Clinical Virology to test twelve different lab methods using a special reference panel that simulates low amounts of viruses.
  • The results showed that most methods could find common viruses, but some struggled with very low amounts, suggesting labs need to follow the same standards for better results.
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Introduction: Neuropathic pain (NP) conditions involve lesions to the somatosensory nervous system leading to chronic and debilitating pain. Many patients suffering from NP utilize pharmacological treatments with various drugs that seek to reduce pathologic neuronal states. However, many of these drugs show poor efficacy as well as cause significant adverse effects.

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Background: This analysis is the first systematic review and meta-analysis assessing occurrences of ICD in PD patients treated with oral DAs: ropinirole (ROP) and pramipexole (PRX). This study compares the two oral DAs to a transdermal patch, rotigotine (RTG).

Methods: We performed an extensive systematic search for eligible studies from PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar.

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Metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) is an untargeted technique capable of detecting all microbial nucleic acid within a sample. This protocol outlines our wet laboratory method for mNGS of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) specimens and tissues from sterile sites. We use this method routinely in our clinical service, processing 178 specimens over the past 2.

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Article Synopsis
  • Accurate determination of infection transmission routes is vital for effective disease control and prevention in outbreaks.
  • Whole-genome sequencing has enhanced our ability to trace these transmission events, but many cases still face challenges due to minimal genetic variation between infected patients and their sources.
  • By incorporating within-sample genetic diversity into phylogenetic models, researchers can better identify transmission patterns in cases where previous methods fell short, as demonstrated using data from SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks.
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Objectives: Mycobacterium abscessus complex is responsible for 2.6-13.0% of all non-tuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary infections and these are notoriously difficult to treat due to the complex regimens required, drug resistance and adverse effects.

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Background: WGS has significant potential to help tackle the major public health problem of TB. The Republic of Korea has the third highest rates of TB of all Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development countries but there has been very limited use of WGS in TB to date.

Objectives: A retrospective comparison of (MTB) clinical isolates from 2015 to 2017 from two centres in the Republic of Korea using WGS to compare phenotypic drug susceptibility testing (pDST) and WGS drug susceptibility predictions (WGS-DSP).

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Prior knowledge of possible variations in human anatomy is essential for basic medical and clinical training. Many surgeons can avoid uncharacteristic situations by having sources and availability of resources that document potential irregularities in human anatomy. In this case, a human cadaver is identified as having an altered origin of the posterior circumflex humeral artery (PCHA).

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  • Over 1,000 unexplained pediatric hepatitis cases have been identified globally, with a study focusing on 38 cases and various control groups to understand potential viral causes.
  • High levels of adeno-associated virus 2 (AAV2) DNA were found in most cases, while low levels of adenovirus and human herpesvirus 6B were also detected; however, AAV2 appeared infrequently in healthy controls even when they were immunocompromised.
  • The study suggests that abnormal replication of AAV2, potentially influenced by other viruses like HAdV and HHV-6B, may be responsible for immune-related liver disease in susceptible children.
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Molluscum contagiosum causes umbilicated periocular lesions, which commonly affect children. Topical clear nail polish for treatment of molluscum has been reported anecdotally, but there are few reports in the medical literature. We report the case of an eyelid molluscum lesion in an 8-year-old girl that resolved with 4 topical applications of nail polish over 6 weeks.

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Background: In 2012, Chicago Public Schools and the Chicago Department of Public Health partnered together to create the Chicago School-Based Vision Program (CSBVP). This ongoing, city-wide program provides school-based vision services (eye examinations, eyeglasses provision, and eye care referrals) to students with limited access.

Methods: Descriptive analysis of the program operations from 2012 to 2020, including number of students served and exam findings during 2017-2020, as well as lessons learned and recommendations for reproducing the successes of the CSBVP in other contexts.

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Improvements in cost and speed of next generation sequencing (NGS) have provided a new pathway for delivering disease diagnosis, molecular typing, and detection of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Numerous published methods and protocols exist, but a lack of harmonisation has hampered meaningful comparisons between results produced by different methods/protocols vital for global genomic diagnostics and surveillance. As an exemplar, this study evaluated the sensitivity and specificity of five well-established in-silico AMR detection software where the genotype results produced from running a panel of 436 Escherichia coli were compared to their AMR phenotypes, with the latter used as gold-standard.

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Accurate inference of who infected whom in an infectious disease outbreak is critical for the delivery of effective infection prevention and control. The increased resolution of pathogen whole-genome sequencing has significantly improved our ability to infer transmission events. Despite this, transmission inference often remains limited by the lack of genomic variation between the source case and infected contacts.

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The emergence of new severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants is of public health concern in case of vaccine escape. Described are 3 patients with advanced human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 and chronic SARS-CoV-2 infection in whom there is evidence of selection and persistence of novel mutations that are associated with increased transmissibility and immune escape.

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Food animals may be reservoirs of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) passing through the food chain, but little is known about AMR prevalence in bacteria when selective pressure from antimicrobials is low or absent. We monitored antimicrobial-resistant over 1 year in a UK outdoor pig farm with low antimicrobial usage (AMU) compared to conventional pig farms in the United Kingdom. Short and selected long-read whole-genome sequencing (WGS) was performed to identify AMR genes, phylogeny and mobile elements in 385 isolates purified mainly from pig and some seagull faeces.

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Reverse transcriptase quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) is the main diagnostic assay used to detect SARS-CoV-2 RNA in respiratory samples. RT-qPCR is performed by specifically targeting the viral genome using complementary oligonucleotides called primers and probes. This approach relies on prior knowledge of the genetic sequence of the target.

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Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) RNA quantities, measured by reverse transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR), have been proposed to stratify clinical risk or determine analytical performance targets. We investigated reproducibility and how setting diagnostic cutoffs altered the clinical sensitivity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) testing.

Methods: Quantitative SARS-CoV-2 RNA distributions [quantification cycle (Cq) and copies/mL] from more than 6000 patients from 3 clinical laboratories in United Kingdom, Belgium, and the Republic of Korea were analyzed.

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Bacterial diseases of the edible white button mushroom caused by species cause a reduction in crop yield, resulting in considerable economic loss. We examined bacterial pathogens of mushrooms and bacteriophages that target them to understand the disease and opportunities for control. The genome encoded a single type III protein secretion system (T3SS), but contained the largest number of non-ribosomal peptide synthase (NRPS) genes, multimodular enzymes that can play a role in pathogenicity, including a putative tolaasin-producing gene cluster, a toxin causing blotch disease symptom.

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The EAG () family of voltage-gated K channels are important regulators of neuronal and cardiac action potential firing (excitability) and have major roles in human diseases such as epilepsy, schizophrenia, cancer, and sudden cardiac death. A defining feature of EAG (Kv10-12) channels is a highly conserved domain on the N terminus, known as the eag domain, consisting of a Per-ARNT-Sim (PAS) domain capped by a short sequence containing an amphipathic helix (Cap domain). The PAS and Cap domains are both vital for the normal function of EAG channels.

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