Publications by authors named "T Giles"

Article Synopsis
  • A 35-year-old male presented with back pain and masses on his arms, having a previous sacral lesion suspected to be a fungal infection that was never fully investigated.
  • CT and MRI showed destructive bone lesions indicating a possible disseminated infection, and biopsies confirmed the presence of Blastomyces dermatitidis.
  • Despite initial concerns about his condition, the patient had no neurological deficits and showed improvement with medical treatment, highlighting the importance of clinical evaluation in making surgical decisions for spinal fungal infections.
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Background: Low-velocity penetrating brain injury (PBI) is an uncommon variant of traumatic brain injury (TBI). Patients affected by PBI can present with highly variable injury patterns, which, along with guideline-directed TBI care, may require the employment of unique operative management strategies. There are no strict guidelines for the management of low-velocity penetrating injuries.

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This narrative review examines the role of the Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine in global tuberculosis (TB) control efforts, with particular emphasis on the differences in vaccination policies between countries, such as the US, where routine BCG administration is not practiced. A significant complication of the BCG vaccine is false positive results in the tuberculin skin test (TST), often leading to misdiagnoses and unnecessary treatments. To address these issues, interferon-gamma release assays (IGRAs) have emerged as a more specific diagnostic tool that reduces false positives associated with prior BCG vaccination.

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The COVID-19-Curated and Open Analysis and Research Platform (CO-CONNECT) project worked with 22 organizations across the United Kingdom to build a federated platform, enabling researchers to instantaneously and dynamically query federated datasets to find relevant data for their study. Finding relevant data takes time and effort, reducing the efficiency of research. Although data controllers could understand the value of such a system, there were significant challenges and delays in setting up the platform in response to COVID-19.

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Oak gall wasps have evolved strategies to manipulate the developmental pathways of their host to induce gall formation. This provides shelter and nutrients for the developing larva. Galls are entirely host tissue; however, the initiation, development, and physical appearance are controlled by the inducer.

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