Publications by authors named "Whyte M"

Background: Inhibitors of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS), such as ACE inhibitors (ACEi), angiotensin-II receptor blockers and mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists, reduce morbidity and mortality in hypertension, congestive heart failure and chronic kidney disease. However, their use can lead to hyperkalaemia. We examined the proportions of RAAS inhibitor (RAASi) reduction or withdrawal, across GFR strata, following hospitalisation and the effect on patient mortality.

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Adoptive T-cell immunotherapy holds great promise for the treatment of viral complications in immunocompromised patients resistant to standard anti-viral strategies. We present a retrospective analysis of 78 patients from 19 hospitals across Australia and New Zealand, treated over the last 15 years with "off-the-shelf" allogeneic T cells directed to a combination of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), cytomegalovirus (CMV), BK polyomavirus (BKV), John Cunningham virus (JCV) and/or adenovirus (AdV) under the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration's Special Access Scheme. Most patients had severe post-transplant viral complications, including drug-resistant end-organ CMV disease, BKV-associated haemorrhagic cystitis and EBV-driven post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder.

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  • Cystic fibrosis (CF) is characterized by heightened neutrophil presence in the airways and inefficient apoptosis, prompting the investigation of whether NETosis (a form of neutrophil clearance) plays a significant role in CF lung disease.
  • In a study involving 45 CF and 15 healthy participants, researchers found higher neutrophil counts and abnormal morphology in CF sputum, alongside elevated levels of inflammatory mediators and NETs, indicating a strong link between NETs and airway inflammation.
  • Treatment with DNase reduced sputum NET levels and mitigated the pro-inflammatory effects of NETs in co-culture experiments, highlighting its potential as an anti-inflammatory therapy in CF management.
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  • A study analyzed data from the 2015 Nigeria Malaria Indicator Survey to map malaria prevalence across Nigeria's senatorial districts, identifying key factors influencing higher rates of infection in children under five.
  • The highest malaria prevalence was found in Kebbi South district (70.6%), with significant associations linked to lower wealth, mothers’ secondary education, and lack of mosquito bed nets.
  • Findings emphasized the spatial clustering of malaria and the importance of targeted intervention strategies to effectively reduce transmission in high-prevalence areas.
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Introduction: Microvascular and macrovascular complications in type 1 diabetes (T1D) may be linked to endothelial stress due to glycaemic variability. Continuous glucose monitoring systems (CGMs) provide new opportunities to quantify this variability, utilising the amplitude of glucose change summated over time. The aim of this study was to examine whether this determination of glucose variability (GV) is associated with microvascular clinical sequelae.

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  • The study investigates the long-term complications associated with type 1 diabetes (T1D) and the effectiveness of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) in managing these issues.
  • Data from 89 T1D patients over 18 months was analyzed, including average glucose levels and fluctuations, as well as glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) results.
  • Findings revealed an average blood glucose level of 10.3 mmol/l and a strong correlation (r = 0.82) between the glucose management index (GMI) and HbA1c measurements, indicating a relationship between glucose control and diabetes complications.
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Background: Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, youth have experienced substantial stress due to abrupt changes in education, finances, and social life, compounding pre-existing stressors. With youth (ages 15-26) often at critical points in development, they are vulnerable to long-term mental health challenges brought on by pandemic trauma.

Methods: To identify youth experiences throughout the pandemic and examine changes over time, we conducted semi-structured interviews among n = 141 youth in two Canadian provinces (Ontario and British Columbia) and across the country of Ireland at three time points over the course of more than one year (August 2020-October 2021).

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Urine output is an important clinical measurement and oliguria may highlight the development of acute kidney injury (AKI) earlier than serum creatinine (sCr). Despite the importance of urine output monitoring, there are no definitive guidelines or recommendations for best practice. A survey was sent to healthcare professionals with a specialist interest in AKI to gather opinions of what constitutes a good standard of urine output monitoring and by corollary missed care, post- major surgery.

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Aim: Minimal evidence exists regarding faecal immunochemical tests (FITs) for colorectal cancer (CRC) site, stage and grade in symptomatic patients. The primary aim is to determine any association between faecal haemoglobin concentration (f-Hb) (analysed with OC-Sensor™ Pledia) and these prognostic factors. The secondary aim is to determine the association between f-Hb and anaemia, microcytosis and iron deficiency (Hb, mean corpuscular volume [MCV] and ferritin).

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Background: Timely and economic provision of revascularisation procedures is a major healthcare need. We aimed to examine the safety and efficacy of daycase-based lower extremity endovascular revascularisation procedures in patients with peripheral artery disease.

Methods: In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched MEDLINE and Embase for studies from Jan 01, 2000 through Apr 01, 2024 reporting complications of lower limb endovascular revascularisation procedures with same-day discharge.

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Background: Neutrophils are essential in the early innate immune response to pathogens. Harnessing their antimicrobial powers, without driving excessive and damaging inflammatory responses, represents an attractive therapeutic possibility. The neutrophil population is increasingly recognised to be more diverse and malleable than was previously appreciated.

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  • The study investigates the repair of unicondylar humeral fractures (UHF) in dogs using cannulated transcondylar screws, focusing on fracture reduction, healing, and complication rates post-surgery.
  • A total of 49 dogs were analyzed, and the results showed a 26% complication rate, with 90% of owners reporting no lameness after at least four months post-op.
  • The findings suggest that the surgical approach does not significantly impact healing outcomes, indicating that various methods can effectively repair UHFs with similar success rates.
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Hyperkalaemia is associated with prolonged hospital admission and worse mortality. Hyperkalaemia may also necessitate clinical consults, therapies for hyperkalaemia and high-dependency bed utilisation. We evaluated the 'hidden' human and organisational resource utilisation for hyperkalaemia in hospitalised patients.

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Aim: Faecal immunochemical tests (FIT) are highly sensitive for colorectal cancer (CRC) detection. Little evidence exists regarding repeat FIT. The repeat FIT (RFIT) study aimed to determine whether second and third FIT provide reassurance and improve CRC or significant bowel disease (SBD) identification.

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Introduction: Obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2DM) are growing global health concerns. A disproportionate number of Indigenous Peoples live with obesity and its complications. Bariatric surgery offers superior weight loss and comorbidity resolution when compared to medical management.

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Craniotubular dysplasia, Ikegawa type (OMIM #619727) denotes the autosomal recessive skeletal disease identified in 2021 featuring blindness acquired in childhood. Five young members of four Indian families harbored a homozygous indel within TMEM53 (OMIM *619722), the gene that encodes transmembrane protein 53 (TMEM53). When intact, TMEM53 spans the nuclear envelope of osteoprogenitor cells, dampens BMP-SMAD signaling, and thereby slows bone formation.

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Black African-Caribbean (BAC) populations are at greater risk of cardiometabolic disease than White Europeans (WE), despite exhibiting lower fasting triacylglycerol (TAG) concentrations. However, limited data exist regarding postprandial fatty acid metabolism in BAC populations. This study determined the ethnic differences in postprandial fatty acid metabolism between overweight and obese WE and BAC men.

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  • Hypophosphatasia (HPP) is a genetic disorder that affects bones and teeth because a specific gene called ALPL doesn’t work right.
  • When ALPL is mutated, it leads to a buildup of substances that can weaken bones and teeth, causing issues like weak muscles.
  • Diagnosing HPP can be tricky because it has different forms and symptoms, but testing the ALPL gene and using special treatments can help manage it better.
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  • Skeletal fluorosis (SF) arises from long-term fluoride exposure, leading to brittle bones and fractures, with no established treatment except for avoiding fluoride sources.
  • A case study of a 50-year-old woman showed she suffered from frequent fractures and elevated fluoride levels due to huffing a keyboard cleaner containing fluoride.
  • After stopping fluoride exposure, the patient was treated with abaloparatide, a hormone to enhance bone remodeling, which resulted in decreased fluoride levels and some reduction in bone density, indicating potential benefits in managing SF.
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Introduction: The prevalence of sacroiliac joint (SIJ) pathology generating lower back pain is increasing, often requiring SI joint fusion in refractory cases. Similarly, total hip arthroplasty (THA) is an increasing procedure in the older growing population. Prior SIJ fusion in patients undergoing THA has increased hip dislocation.

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In a randomized, open-label phase 3 study of 61 children aged 1-12 years old with X-linked hypophosphatemia (XLH) previously treated with conventional therapy, changing to burosumab every 2 weeks (Q2W) for 64 weeks improved the phosphate metabolism, radiographic rickets, and growth compared with conventional therapy. In this open-label extension period (weeks 64-88), 21 children continued burosumab Q2W at the previous dose or crossed over from conventional therapy to burosumab starting at 0.8 mg/kg Q2W with continued clinical radiographic assessments through week 88.

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Background: Malaria is still a disease of global public health importance and children under-five years of age are the most vulnerable to the disease. Nigeria adopted the "test and treat" strategy in the national malaria guidelines as one of the ways to control malaria transmission. The level of adherence to the guidelines is an important indicator for the success or failure of the country's roadmap to malaria elimination by 2030.

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