Publications by authors named "West E"

Background: Thoracoscopic repair of esophageal atresia with tracheoesophageal fistula (EA/TEF) has been reported to have superior outcomes to the open approach. We sought to evaluate adoption of thoracoscopic repair at US children's hospitals and compare outcomes to open repair.

Methods: The Pediatric Health Information System database was used to identify patients with EA/TEF who underwent repair between 2016 and 2023.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Effective treatment for patients with metastatic cancer is limited, particularly for colorectal cancer patients with metastatic liver lesions (mCRC), where accessibility to numerous tumours is essential for favourable clinical outcomes. Oncolytic viruses (OVs) selectively replicate in cancer cells; however, direct targeting of inaccessible lesions is limited when using conventional intravenous or intratumoural administration routes.

Methods: We conducted a multi-centre, dose-escalation, phase I study of vaccinia virus, TG6002, via intrahepatic artery (IHA) delivery in combination with the oral pro-drug 5-fluorocytosine to fifteen mCRC patients.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Machine Learning (ML) models have been used to predict common mental disorders (CMDs) and may provide insights into the key modifiable factors that can identify and predict CMD risk and be targeted through interventions. This systematic review aimed to synthesise evidence from ML studies predicting CMDs, evaluate their performance, and establish the potential benefit of incorporating lifestyle data in ML models alongside biological and/or demographic-environmental factors.

Methods: This systematic review adheres to the PRISMA statement (Prospero CRD42023401194).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) are important drug targets as they are key actors within cell signaling networks. However, the conformational plasticity of IDPs renders them challenging to characterize, which is a bottleneck in developing small molecule drugs that bind to IDPs and modulate their behavior. In relation to this, ion mobility mass spectrometry (IM-MS) is a useful tool to investigate IDPs, as it can reveal their conformational preferences.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Lysosomal dysfunction is causally linked to neurodegeneration in many lysosomal storage disorders (LSDs) and is associated with various age-related neurodegenerative diseases , but there is limited understanding of the mechanisms by which altered lysosomal function leads to changes in gene expression that drive pathogenic cellular phenotypes. To investigate this question, we performed systematic imaging, transcriptomic, and epigenetic studies of major brain cell types in null (KO) mice, a preclinical mouse model for Sanfilippo syndrome (Mucopolysaccharidosis Type IIIA, MPS-IIIA) . MPS-IIIA is a neurodegenerative LSD caused by homozygous loss-of-function (LoF) mutations in which results in severe early-onset developmental, behavioral, and neurocognitive impairment .

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Hymenoptera is an insect order that includes species like honeybees and wasps, and their venom can cause severe allergic reactions in dogs, similar to humans.
  • A study examined the medical histories of 178 dogs stung by these insects to understand risk factors for severe systemic reactions (SSRs), finding that younger dogs, smaller breeds, and those stung in sensitive areas faced higher risks.
  • The research highlighted that many dogs with SSRs experienced similar or worse symptoms upon subsequent stings, indicating a strong case for using venom immunotherapy (VIT) for affected dogs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Working memory refers to the temporary retention of a small amount of information used in the execution of a cognitive task. The prefrontal cortex and its connections with thalamic subregions are thought to mediate specific aspects of working memory, including engaging with the hippocampus to mediate memory retrieval. We used an operant delayed-non match to position task, which does not require the hippocampus, to determine roles of the rodent medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), the nucleus reuniens thalamic region (RE), and their connection.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: To describe a method of estimating the carbon emissions resulting from 10 clinical canine surgical procedures.

Study Design: Prospective observational cohort study.

Animals: A total of 10 adult client-owned dogs presenting to two private referral centres in the UK for tibial plateau levelling osteotomy (TPLO) using either isoflurane or sevoflurane for maintenance of anaesthesia.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Goal-directed and habitual-like behaviors are both necessary to efficiently and effectively navigate the environment. A dysregulation between these behaviors can lead to an overreliance on habitual-like behaviors and may contribute to symptoms experienced in some neuropsychiatric disorders such as substance use disorder. One behavioral task used to evaluate goal-directed and habitual-like behavior is an action-outcome task, contingency degradation, where an action (i.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Extrahepatic, cell-autonomous, and/or intracellularly active complement components are increasingly recognized as key orchestrators of cell physiological processes. A recent study by Scott-Hewitt et al. demonstrates that microglia-derived C1q unexpectedly associates with the ribosomes of neurons in the aging murine brain, where it impacts protein translation and impairs the extinction of conditioned fear responses.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Infants with esophageal atresia and tracheoesophageal fistula (EA/TEF) are at increased risk for respiratory compromise and gastric perforation until fistula ligation. We sought to describe current practice regarding the timing of EA/TEF repair and hypothesized that age at repair is a predictor of adverse outcomes.

Methods: The Pediatric Health Information System (PHIS) database was used to identify patients with EA/TEF who underwent fistula ligation and esophago-esophagostomy at US children's hospitals from July 2016-June 2021.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Globally, there has not been a standardised approach to ensure that the growing number of people who are not licensed clinicians but are delivering psychological interventions and mental health services have the competencies to deliver those interventions and services safely. Therefore, WHO and UNICEF developed Ensuring Quality in Psychosocial and Mental Health Care (EQUIP). EQUIP is a free resource with a digital platform that can be used to guide competency assessment.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives: Reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (rTSA) has shown success in the treatment of end-stage glenohumeral pathology. However, one major shortcoming has been the lack of internal rotation (IR), which can have significant functional consequences. Much research has been conducted to maximize IR after rTSA, but the literature is unclear which measurement of IR represents the "gold standard" between vertebral level and goniometer-based measurements.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Neonatal hypothermia is a common and preventable cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality. Although hypothermia prevention has been extensively studied in infants <32 weeks' gestation, the authors of few studies have targeted moderate- and late-preterm infants (MLPIs) in the delivery room.

Methods: This quality improvement initiative was conducted from June 2019 to June 2023 at the Massachusetts General Hospital NICU and Labor and Delivery Unit.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a heterogeneous mental health disorder that occurs following traumatic experience. Understanding its neurobiological basis is crucial to advance early diagnosis and treatment. Electroencephalography (EEG) can be used to explore the neurobiological basis of PTSD.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The declining operative volume at Military Treatment Facilities (MTFs) has resulted in Program Directors finding alternate civilian sites for resident rotations. The continued shift away from MTFs for surgical training is likely to have unintended negative consequences.

Methods: An anonymous survey was generated and sent to the program directors of military general surgery training programs for distribution to their residents.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study examines the processes regulating mRNA in cells by tracking its movement through different compartments using a technique called subcellular TimeLapse-seq.
  • The findings reveal that transcripts from functionally similar genes exhibit comparable movement rates, and a relationship between the DDX3X protein and nuclear export of RNA is established.
  • The research also shows that mRNA with longer chromatin residency tends to have longer poly(A) tails, while machine learning techniques were used to predict the various lifecycles of these mRNAs based on their molecular characteristics.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

For patients with heart failure, self-care is crucial, but recommendations for self-care are often not adhered to. Digital health interventions have the potential to help patients improve their self-care and, ultimately, their health outcomes, but without careful examination, digital interventions may generate further inequality. In this study, we use a digital health equity framework to examine challenges and opportunities related to digital health interventions across many domains of influence that may affect health equity.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Previous studies have demonstrated the safety and cost-effectiveness of outpatient total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA), with the majority of studies focusing on 90-day outcomes and complications. Patient selection algorithms have helped appropriately choose patients for an outpatient TSA setting. This study aimed to determine the outcomes of TSA between outpatient and inpatient cohorts with at least a 2-year follow-up.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives: To explore the experiences, acceptability and utility of a decision aid for family carers of people with dementia towards the end of life.

Methods: We conducted semi-structured interviews with a sample of family carers enroled into a 6-month feasibility study in England, sampling to gain a range of experiences and views, based on relationship to person they cared for (e.g.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: There are well-established guidelines for the recording, transcription, and analysis of spontaneous oral language samples by researchers, educators, and speech pathologists. In contrast, there is presently no consensus regarding methods for the written documentation of sign language samples. The Handshape Analysis Recording Tool (HART) is an innovative method for documenting and analyzing word level samples of signed languages in real time.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Measuring antimicrobial use is a core component of antimicrobial stewardship. Purchasing data may be easier to obtain than prescription data in some situations, but differences in clinic size, caseload and collection timeframes must be considered.

Objective: Our objective was to evaluate purchases of systemic antibacterial agents by small animal veterinary facilities in 5 networks across 3 countries, using a mg/veterinarian full time equivalent (FTE)/week as the metric.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: Delirium and pain are common in older adults admitted to hospital. The relationship between these is unclear, but clinically important. We aimed to systematically review the association between pain (at rest, movement, pain severity) and delirium in this population.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF