2,020 results match your criteria: "Sandwell & West Birmingham Hospitals[Affiliation]"

Objectives: Primary mucinous ovarian carcinoma represents 3% of ovarian cancers and is typically diagnosed early, yielding favorable outcomes. This study aims to identify risk factors, focussing on the impact of age and ethnicity on survival from primary mucinous ovarian cancer.

Methods: A retrospective observational study of patients treated at Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust and University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire.

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How long does it take to read a mammogram? Investigating the reading time of digital breast tomosynthesis and digital mammography.

Eur J Radiol

August 2024

University of Nottingham, School of Medicine, Translational Medical Sciences, Clinical Sciences Building, City Hospital Campus, Hucknall Road, Nottingham, NG5 1PB, United Kingdom. Electronic address:

Purpose: To analyse digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) reading times in the screening setting, compared to 2D full-field digital mammography (FFDM), and investigate the impact of reader experience and professional group on interpretation times.

Method: Reading time data were recorded in the PROSPECTS Trial, a prospective randomised trial comparing DBT plus FFDM or synthetic 2D mammography (S2D) to FFDM alone, in the National Health Service (NHS) breast screening programme, from January 2019-February 2023. Time to read DBT+FFDM or DBT+S2D and FFDM alone was calculated per case and reading times were compared between modalities using dependent T-tests.

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Inflammation dynamically regulates steroid hormone metabolism and action within macrophages in rheumatoid arthritis.

J Autoimmun

July 2024

Institute of Inflammation and Ageing, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK; Institute of Metabolism and Systems Research, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK; School of Biomedical Sciences. Institute of Clinical Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK; MRC Arthritis Research UK Centre for Musculoskeletal Ageing Research, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK. Electronic address:

Rationale: In inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA), steroid metabolism is a central component mediating the actions of immuno-modulatory glucocorticoids and sex steroids. However, the regulation and function of cellular steroid metabolism within key leukocyte populations such as macrophages remain poorly defined. In this study, the inflammatory regulation of global steroid metabolism was assessed in RA macrophages.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates the relationship between left atrial strain reservoir (LAS) and the recurrence of atrial fibrillation (AF) after pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) in 132 patients.
  • Results show that lower LAS is significantly associated with a higher risk of AF recurrence, with a critical cut-off value identified at 31.4%.
  • The findings suggest that measuring LAS can help in assessing the risk of AF recurrence in patients undergoing PVI, enhancing patient management strategies.
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Article Synopsis
  • - The study examines the effectiveness of subtalar arthroereisis in treating stage 1 flexible progressive collapsing foot deformity (PCFD), focusing on clinical outcomes and the rate of implant removal.
  • - After evaluating 212 patients over an average of 2.5 years, significant improvements in pain and function were noted, with positive FAOS results across several categories, although a high implant removal rate of 48.1% due to persistent pain was also observed.
  • - The findings suggest that while subtalar arthroereisis can enhance patient outcomes, individuals should be informed about the possibility of needing further surgery to remove the implant.
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Clinical trial eligibility of a real-world connective tissue disease cohort: Results from the LEAP cohort.

Semin Arthritis Rheum

August 2024

The Kellgren Centre for Rheumatology, Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, UK; National Institute for Health Research Manchester Biomedical Research Centre, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.

Article Synopsis
  • The study reviews phase-III trials in connective tissue diseases (CTDs) to assess how well they represent real-world patients and their classification criteria.
  • Out of 42 identified trials, most required patients to strictly meet specific classification criteria, leading to many patients being excluded, especially those with mixed or undifferentiated CTDs.
  • The findings suggest that nearly half of a real-world CTD cohort is ineligible for clinical trials, highlighting a need for revised trial eligibility criteria to improve access to new treatments.
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Background: Recent evidence has identified great promise for the novel whole-body photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT) for individuals with fibromyalgia (FM). However, currently no evidence has documented the experiences of participants. The objective of this study was to qualitatively assess treatment experience and response in a group of participants with FM undergoing a course of whole-body PBMT.

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A woman in her 80s was admitted to the emergency department with an acute infective exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and type 2 respiratory failure, culminating in cardiac arrest for 2 min. She was successfully resuscitated, connected to a mechanical ventilator and subsequently transferred to the intensive care unit. Later in her hospital stay, the patient underwent a tracheostomy following prolonged intubation.

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Background: Placebo-controlled evidence from ORBITA-2 (Objective Randomised Blinded Investigation with Optimal Medical Therapy of Angioplasty in Stable Angina-2) found that percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in stable coronary artery disease with little or no antianginal medication relieved angina, but residual symptoms persisted in many patients. The reason for this was unclear.

Objectives: This ORBITA-2 secondary analysis investigates the relationship between presenting symptoms and disease severity (anatomic, noninvasive, and invasive ischemia) and the ability of symptoms to predict the placebo-controlled efficacy of PCI.

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Aortic stenosis (AS) is one of the most common valvular pathologies. Severe coronary artery disease (CAD) often coexists with AS. Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) have been established as alternatives to open surgical interventions.

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Background: Digital papillary adenocarcinoma (DPA), formerly known as aggressive DPA, is a rare adnexal cancer of sweat gland differentiation with metastatic potential. DPA epidemiology and patient outcome data are prerequisites for developing diagnostic and therapeutic guidance, which are lacking for this rare cancer.

Objectives: To report the incidence, patient demographics and treatment of patients with DPA in England from 1 January 2013 to 31 December 2020 using national cancer registry data.

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Off-grid photovoltaic systems have been proposed as a panacea for economies with poor electricity access, offering a lower-cost "leapfrog" over grid infrastructure used in higher-income economies. Previous research examining pathways to electricity access may understate the role of off-grid photovoltaics as it has not considered reliability and carbon pricing impacts. We perform high-resolution geospatial analysis on universal household electricity access in Sub-Saharan Africa that includes these aspects via least-cost pathways at different electricity demand levels.

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Age-related changes in reticulospinal contributions to anticipatory postural adjustments between back extensors and abdominal muscles.

Exp Physiol

July 2024

School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.

Anticipatory postural adjustments (APAs) give feedforward postural control of the trunk, but they are delayed with ageing, affecting balance and mobility in older individuals. The reticulospinal tract contributes to postural control of the trunk; however, the extent to which age-related changes affect the reticulospinal contributions to APAs of the trunk remains unknown in humans. Here, we tested the hypothesis that a startling acoustic sound, which activates the reticulospinal tract, improves delayed APAs in older individuals.

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This comprehensive guideline, developed by a representative group of UK-based medical experts specialising in haemoglobinopathies, addresses the management of conception and pregnancy in patients with thalassaemia. A systematic search of PubMed and EMBASE using specific keywords, formed the basis of the literature review. Key terms included "thalassaemia," "pregnancy," "Cooley's anaemia," "Mediterranean anaemia," and others, covering aspects such as fertility, iron burden and ultrasonography.

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Objective: This national analysis aimed to calculate the diagnostic yield from gastroscopy for common symptoms, guiding improved resource utilisation.

Design: A cross-sectional study was conducted of diagnostic gastroscopies between 1 March 2019 and 29 February 2020 using the UK National Endoscopy Database. Mixed-effect logistic regression models were used, incorporating random (endoscopist) and fixed (symptoms, age and sex) effects on two dependent variables (endoscopic cancer; Barrett's oesophagus (BO) diagnosis).

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Introduction: At Sandwell General Hospital, there was no risk stratification tool or pathway for head injury (HI) patients presenting to the emergency department (ED). This resulted in significant delays in the assessment of HI patients, compromising patient safety and quality of care.

Aims: To employ quality improvement methodology to design an effective adult HI pathway that: ensured >90% of high-risk HI patients being assessed by ED clinicians within 15 min of arrival, reduce CT turnaround times, and aiming to keep the final decision making <4 hours.

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Article Synopsis
  • T cells undergo metabolic changes upon activation to support their growth and function, particularly in chronic inflammatory diseases like rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
  • Research shows that tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) released from naïve CD4 T cells triggers metabolic alterations, enhancing processes like glycolysis and amino acid uptake through specific signaling pathways.
  • Increased TNF-α production and metabolic reprogramming, driven by ITK and Akt-mTOR signaling, lead to a rise in proinflammatory T cell differentiation in RA patients, indicating a link between inflammatory cytokines and dysregulated metabolism in immune responses.
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A reciprocal t(3;8) BCL6::MYC fusion is common in large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL) with MYC and BCL6 disruption. These pseudo-double-hit cases are not adverse, whereas t(3;8)-MYC/BCL6 lymphoma has an inferior prognosis relative to other MYC-rearranged LBCL.

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Cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) is a rare cause of strokes and is most common in younger patients particularly those less than 50 years of age. It is more common in females than in males and is known to be associated with pregnancy, puerperium, oral contraception, congenital and acquired thrombophilia, and malignancy. Less commonly, it has been shown to be associated with infections and more recently has been found to be associated with COVID-19 infection with thrombocytopenia and the COVID-19 vaccine AstraZeneca.

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Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is often preceded by symptomatic phases during which classification criteria are not fulfilled. The health burden of these "at-risk" stages is not well described. This study assessed health-related quality of life (HRQoL), function, fatigue and depression in newly presenting patients with clinically suspect arthralgia (CSA), unclassified arthritis (UA) or RA.

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Background: The value of lower gastrointestinal endoscopy (LGIE; colonoscopy or sigmoidoscopy) relates to its ability to detect clinically relevant findings, predominantly cancers, preneoplastic polyps or inflammatory bowel disease. There are concerns that many LGIEs are performed on low-risk patients with limited benefit.

Aims: To determine the diagnostic outcomes of LGIE for common symptoms.

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