Publications by authors named "Tom Andrew"

Accurate prognostication guides optimal clinical management in skin cancer. Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is the most aggressive form of skin cancer that often presents in advanced stages and is associated with poor survival rates. There are no personalized prognostic tools in use in MCC.

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Background: Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a highly aggressive cutaneous malignancy for which accurate prognostication is necessary to support clinical management.

Objective: (1) To determine which survival endpoint-disease-specific death (DSD) or overall survival (OS)-was better stratified by MCC American Joint Cancer Committee eighth edition staging. (2) To develop a multivariable model for enhanced MCC survival predictions.

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Background: Combined expression of the autophagy-regulatory protein AMBRA1 (activating molecule in Beclin1-regulated autophagy) and the terminal differentiation marker loricrin in the peritumoral epidermis of stage I melanomas can identify tumour subsets at low risk of -metastasis.

Objectives: To validate the combined expression of peritumoral AMBRA1 and loricrin (AMBLor) as a prognostic biomarker able to identify both stage I and II melanomas at low risk of tumour recurrence.

Methods: Automated immunohistochemistry was used to analyse peritumoral AMBRA1 and loricrin expression in geographically distinct discovery (n = 540) and validation (n = 300) cohorts of nonulcerated American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) stage I and II melanomas.

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Failure to properly form bone or integrate surgical implants can lead to morbidity and additional surgical interventions in a significant proportion of orthopedic surgeries. While the role of skeletal stem cells (SSCs) in bone formation and repair is well-established, very little is known about the factors that regulate the downstream Bone, Cartilage, Stromal, Progenitors (BCSPs). BCSPs, as transit amplifying progenitor cells, undergo multiple mitotic divisions to expand the pool of lineage committed progenitors allowing stem cells to preserve their self-renewal and stemness.

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Melanoma is among the most devastating human malignancies. Accurate diagnosis and prognosis are essential to offer optimal treatment. Histopathology is the gold standard for establishing melanoma diagnosis and prognostic features.

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Sexually dimorphic tissues are formed by cells that are regulated by sex hormones. While a number of systemic hormones and transcription factors are known to regulate proliferation and differentiation of osteoblasts and osteoclasts, the mechanisms that determine sexually dimorphic differences in bone regeneration are unclear. To explore how sex hormones regulate bone regeneration, we compared bone fracture repair between adult male and female mice.

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Background: Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common human cancer. Facial BCCs most commonly occur on the nose and the management of these lesions is particularly complex, given the functional and complex implications of treatment. Multidisciplinary team (MDT) meetings are routinely held to integrate expertise from dermatologists, surgeons, oncologists, radiologists, pathologists and allied health professionals.

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Understanding case identification practices, protocols, and training needs of medical examiners and coroners (MEC) may inform efforts to improve cause-of-death certification. We surveyed a U.S.

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Penile wounds after traumatic and surgical amputation require reconstruction in the form of autologous tissue transfers. However, currently used techniques are associated with high infection rates, implant erosion and donor site morbidity. The use of tissue-engineered neocorpora provides an alternative treatment option.

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Pediatric facial fracture management is often complex and demanding. The structure and topography of the pediatric craniofacial skeleton are profoundly different from the mature skull. Consequently, the pediatric facial skeleton responds differently to traumatic force.

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Background: Cranial vault reconstruction is a complex procedure due to the need for precise 3-dimensional outcomes. Traditionally, the process involves manual bending of calvarial bone and plates. With the advent of virtual surgical planning (VSP), this procedure can be streamlined.

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Background: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are gold standard assessments for healthcare interventions. The Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) statement was published to maximize RCT reporting transparency. The authors conducted a systematic review to assess current compliance of RCTs published within craniofacial surgery with the CONSORT statement.

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Multiple lines of evidence point to glutamatergic signaling in the postsynaptic density (PSD) as a pathophysiologic mechanism in schizophrenia. Integral to PSD glutamatergic signaling is reciprocal interplay between GluN and mGluR5 signaling. We examined agonist-induced mGluR5 signaling in the postmortem dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) derived from 17 patients and age-matched and sex-matched controls.

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Introduction: To extend the knowledge base about possible prevalence declines of specific orofacial cleft phenotypes, here we examine prevalence in a population base from California over a two-decade period among numerous race/ethnic groups.

Methods: This population-based study used vital statistics and birth defects registry data. Its population involved all births (~1.

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Objectives: To quantify and describe variation in cause-of-death certification of sudden unexpected infant deaths (SUIDs) among US medical examiners and coroners.

Methods: From January to November 2014, we conducted a nationally representative survey of US medical examiners and coroners who certify infant deaths. Two-stage unequal probability sampling with replacement was used.

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Targeting the IgE pathway is a clinically validated strategy for treating IgE-mediated diseases. Omalizumab, an anti-IgE antibody, which binds to free IgE and prevents the binding of IgE to FcεRI on mast cells and basophils has been approved for severe persistent allergic asthma and chronic spontaneous (idiopathic) urticaria. The therapeutic efficacy of anti-IgE has also been reported in allergic rhinitis, allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis, latex allergy, atopic dermatitis, allergic urticaria, anaphylaxis, and others.

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Background: Orbital dysmorphology and midface retrusion are the hallmarks of Crouzon and Apert syndromes. The precise nature of this deficiency is not known.

Methods: Untreated Crouzon and Apert syndrome patients and age- and sex-matched controls were included.

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Background: Patients often seek help to redress aging that affects various regions of the face (subunits). The purpose of this study was to determine how aging of different facial subunits impacts perception of age, attractiveness, and tiredness.

Method: Frontal and lateral view facial photographs of a middle-aged woman were modified using imaging software to independently age different facial features.

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Purpose: Adverse effects of anti epileptic drugs (AEDs) can significantly affect the life of people with epilepsy. We used a register to determine if polytherapy with AED has more adverse effects than monotherapy.

Methods: We established a register for people with epilepsy (www.

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