Publications by authors named "Walters C"

Objective: We aim to evaluate the quality of patient-reported outcomes included in randomized control trials for the treatment of congestive heart failure using the International Society for Quality of Life Research (ISOQOL) checklist, a validated tool for critically appraising the quality of patient-reported outcomes.

Design: We performed a cross-sectional analysis of 65 randomized control trials with patient-reported outcomes for drug intervention trials for treating congestive heart failure.

Setting: N/A.

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  • A study in Australia explored the experiences of family carers supporting individuals with mental health issues during the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting increased anxiety and distress due to service disruptions.
  • Researchers used a 71-question online survey to gather data on family carers' experiences, revealing that they often supported multiple people, resulting in increased caregiving hours and complex challenges.
  • The findings suggest that government policies during the pandemic did not adequately address the financial, practical, or emotional needs of family carers, potentially leading to negative mental health outcomes for them.
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Memory formation is contingent on molecular and structural changes in neurons in response to learning stimuli-a process known as neuronal plasticity. The initiation step of mRNA translation is a gatekeeper of long-term memory by controlling the production of plasticity-related proteins in the brain. The mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) controls mRNA translation, mainly through phosphorylation of the eukaryotic initiation factor 4E (eIF4E)-binding proteins (4E-BPs) and ribosomal protein S6 kinases (S6Ks).

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Introduction: In the United States, maternal mortality is high and patterned by race and socioeconomic status (SES). Patient-provider relationships and societal discrimination have been separately associated with poor maternal outcomes, but it is not clear how such mechanisms may be interrelated. Thus, the present study investigates how societal experiences of discrimination are associated with and manifest in patient-provider relationship quality among perinatal women.

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  • The study investigates the effectiveness and costs of two types of external fixator clamps—standard and multipin—used for treating high-energy tibia fractures while minimizing complications.
  • A review of 100 patients treated from 2014 to 2023 showed no significant differences in clinical outcomes or radiographic alignment between the two types of external fixators, despite the multipin clamps being more expensive.
  • The findings suggest that the choice of clamp may not impact treatment results, leading to considerations for cost-effectiveness in clinical practice.
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The global growth of an aging population is expected to coincide with an increase in aging-related pathologies, including those related to brain health. Thus, the potential for accelerated cognitive health declines due to adverse aging is expected to have profound social and economic implications. However, the progression to pathological conditions is not an inevitable part of aging.

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Background: The National Health Service (NHS) Long Term Plan, published in 2019, committed to ensuring that every patient in England has the right to digital-first primary care by 2023-2024. The COVID-19 pandemic and infection prevention and control measures accelerated work by the NHS to enable and stimulate the use of online consultation (OC) systems across all practices for improved access to primary care.

Objective: We aimed to explore general practice coding activity associated with the use of OC systems in terms of trends, COVID-19 effect, variation, and quality.

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  • The COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted cardiovascular disease management in England, particularly affecting blood pressure screening and hypertension management.
  • A study analyzed data from 25.2 million NHS patients, showing a decline in blood pressure screening from 90% in March 2019 to 85% in March 2023, while hypertension prevalence remained stable at about 15%.
  • Treatment percentages for hypertension also dropped significantly during the pandemic, with patients aged ≤79 years treated to target falling from 71% to 47% and those aged ≥80 years from 85% to 58% before showing signs of recovery.
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Integrated care systems join up health and care services, so that people have the support they need, in the right place, at the right time. The aims include improving outcomes in healthcare, tackling inequalities in access and enhancing productivity and value for money. This is needed for neuroscience care as the traditional delivery of neuroscience care is inefficient, outdated and expensive, and can involve complex referral pathways and long waiting times.

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Objective: We assessed the real-world performance of stool-based tests (SBTs) for colorectal cancer screening.

Materials And Methods: Retrospective review of average-risk individuals with positive SBT for advanced neoplasia (adenocarcinoma, advanced adenoma, and/or advanced serrated lesions) detection at follow-up colonoscopy.

Results: There was no statistical difference in the detection of advanced neoplasia (P= 0.

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Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is the most common genetic cause of autism spectrum disorder engendered by transcriptional silencing of the fragile X messenger ribonucleoprotein 1 () gene. Given the early onset of behavioral and molecular changes, it is imperative to know the optimal timing for therapeutic intervention. Case reports documented benefits of metformin treatment in FXS children between 2 and 14 y old.

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  • - A pilot clinical trial was conducted to examine the effects of a CBD cream on chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) in patients, following anecdotal reports of its potential benefits.
  • - Forty patients with established CIPN were randomly assigned to receive either the CBD cream or a placebo for two weeks, followed by a crossover period, with various assessment tools used to evaluate neuropathy and side effects.
  • - The results indicated no significant difference in neuropathy relief or side effects between the CBD and placebo groups, suggesting that the CBD cream did not improve painful CIPN but was generally well tolerated.
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Background: Provisional stabilization of high-energy tibia fractures using temporary plate fixation (TPF) or external fixation (ex-fix) prior to definitive medullary nailing (MN) is a strategy common in damage control orthopaedics. There is a lack of comprehensive data evaluating outcomes between these methods. This study compares outcomes of patients stabilized with either TPF or ex-fix, and with early definitive MN only, assessing complications including nonunion and deep infection.

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Several treatments and preventive measures for SARS-CoV-2 were studied during the pandemic, but few focused on the neonatal gut microbiome and its role in the setting of COVID-19. This case report is unique because it describes the gut microbiomes of a mother and her newborn, who both contracted COVID-19 shortly after the baby's birth. In this prospective study, on day 11 postpartum, both the newborn and mother (38 years old), of white race/ethnicity, were exposed to a COVID-19-positive person.

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We present the case of a 42-year-old female with a history of human epidermal growth factor 2 (HER2) receptor-positive breast cancer status post bilateral mastectomy with metastasis to the spine and to the brain, who underwent transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) after outpatient transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) was suggestive of right atrial thrombus in transit. TEE revealed an atrial mass with a pedunculated stalk attached to the inferior right atrium near the inferior vena cava with a necrotic center. These findings were suggestive of an endocardial metastatic mass secondary to her primary breast cancer.

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Background: As an established treatment for major depressive disorder (MDD), cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is now implemented and assessed in internet-based formats that, when combined with smartphone apps, enable secure text messaging. As an adjunct to such internet-based CBT (ICBT) approaches, text messaging has been associated with increased adherence and therapeutic alliance.

Objective: This study analyzed data from the intervention arm of a randomized control trial evaluating 24-week ICBT for MDD (intervention arm) against standard-care psychiatry (waitlist control).

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  • Electronic health records (EHRs) are essential for researching medical products and informing public health, but reproducibility in EHR research is a significant challenge.
  • OpenSAFELY is an open-source software platform created during the COVID-19 pandemic to improve the reproducibility of research using EHRs by standardizing workflows and ensuring consistent computational environments.
  • The platform promotes transparency by enforcing code-sharing, providing an audit trail for data usage, and integrating tools that support reproducible research practices.
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Worldwide, oak species are threatened with extinction due to habitat loss, pathogens, and changing fire regimes. Ex situ conservation through tissue culture may protect the remaining genetic diversity of , or the coastal sage scrub oak, from further loss. We designed three basal salt formulations based on the mineral composition of shoot tips and first leaves from mature and explored carbohydrate source, stress-mitigating compounds, and plant growth regulator concentrations to develop a method of cultivating many culture lines in vitro.

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Worrying about perceived threats is a hallmark of multiple psychological disorders including anxiety. This concern about future events is particularly important when an individual is faced with an approach-avoidance conflict. Potential goals to approach are known to be represented in the dorsal hippocampus during theta sweeps.

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  • This study assessed the impact of a peer-led nutrition education program with maternal social support on infant growth among South Sudanese refugees in Uganda.
  • The trial involved 390 pregnant women split into three groups: Mothers-only, Parents-combined, and a Control group, with various measures used to evaluate infant growth and social support.
  • Results showed that the intervention significantly reduced rates of stunting and underweight in infants compared to the Control group, indicating the effectiveness of combined nutrition education and social support.
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Along the northeast Pacific coast, the salmon-eating southern resident killer whale population (SRKW, Orcinus orca) have been at very low levels since the 1970s. Previous research have suggested that reduction in food availability, especially of Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), could be the main limiting factor for the SRKW population. Using the ecosystem modelling platform Ecopath with Ecosim (EwE), this study evaluated if the decline of the Pacific salmon populations between 1979 and 2020 may have been impacted by a combination of factors, including marine mammal predation, fishing activities, and climatic patterns.

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  • * This experiment produced 2.05 MJ of laser energy, resulting in 3.1 MJ of total fusion yield, which exceeds the Lawson criterion for ignition, demonstrating a key milestone in fusion research.
  • * The report details the advancements in target design, laser technology, and experimental methods that contributed to this historic achievement, validating over five decades of research in laboratory fusion.
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Purpose: Improving care transitions for patients with cancer discharged from the hospital is considered an important component of quality care. Digital monitoring has the potential to better the delivery of transitional care through improved patient-provider communication and enhanced symptom management. However, remote patient monitoring (RPM) interventions have not been widely implemented for oncology patients after discharge, an innovative setting in which to apply this technology.

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Background: Definitive surgical care is often delayed in hypertrophic pyloric stenosis (HPS). Our aim is to evaluate the effect modifiable factors in preoperative HPS management have on efficiency of care.

Methods: A retrospective review of all patients undergoing pyloromyotomy for HPS at two US children's hospitals between 2008 and 2018 was performed.

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