4,683 results match your criteria: "University of Exeter College of Medicine & Health[Affiliation]"

Methylomic signature of current cannabis use in two first-episode psychosis cohorts.

Mol Psychiatry

October 2024

Department of Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.

Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates how current cannabis use and high-potency cannabis affect DNA methylation patterns in individuals experiencing first-episode psychosis (FEP), comparing them to non-users.
  • Researchers analyzed blood samples from 682 participants, identifying a significant CpG site associated with cannabis use that could influence mental health through epigenetic changes.
  • Findings suggest cannabis use affects genes related to immune and mitochondrial functions, with implications for understanding how cannabis may impact mental health, especially in those with psychosis.
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  • AI has the potential to improve gastrointestinal endoscopy, but standardized methods are needed for its effective adoption in clinical practice.
  • The QUAIDE Explanation and Checklist was created by a panel of 32 experts to provide guidelines for designing and reporting AI studies in this field.
  • Consensus was achieved on 18 recommendations across key areas including data collection, outcome reporting, experimental setup, and result presentation, aiming to enhance research consistency and facilitate the use of AI in clinical settings.
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Atherosclerosis is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the Western countries. Mounting evidence points to the role of mitochondrial dysfunction in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Recently, it has been shown that mitochondrial hydrogen sulfide (HS) can complement the bioenergetic role of Krebs cycle leading to improved mitochondrial function.

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Biomarkers Suitable for Early Detection of Intrathoracic Cancers in Primary Care: A Systematic Review.

Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev

January 2025

Institute of Applied Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, United Kingdom.

Intrathoracic cancers, including lung cancer, mesothelioma, and thymoma, present diagnostic challenges in primary care. Biomarkers could resolve some challenges. We synthesized evidence on biomarker performance for intrathoracic cancer detection in low-prevalence settings.

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Synthetic glucocorticoids (GCs) are used to treat a wide range of human health conditions and as such are frequently detected in the aquatic environment. This, together with the highly conserved nature of the glucocorticoid system across vertebrates means that the potential for biological effects of GCs in fish is relatively high. Here, we found that exposure of zebrafish (Danio rerio) to environmentally relevant concentrations of 4 of the most widely used synthetic GCs (beclomethasone dipropionate, budesonide, fluticasone propionate, and prednisolone), from 0 to 4 days post fertilisation (dpf), resulted in no effects on embryo-larval development or bone and cartilage formation.

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  • The guidelines are created by the British Gynaecological Cancer Society and British Menopause Society to help healthcare professionals support women treated for gynaecological cancer, especially regarding menopausal symptoms that can affect life quality.* -
  • Cancer treatments like surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy can impact hormonal function, and the guidelines discuss the use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) based on cancer type and when it should start post-treatment.* -
  • The document also highlights the effectiveness and safety of vaginal estrogens for urogenital symptoms and reviews alternative treatments to HRT, including both medication and lifestyle approaches.*
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Aims: To explore the care experiences of informal carers of people with chronic conditions in hospitals and identify areas for improvement in the context of comprehensive care delivery.

Design: A explanatory sequential mixed-method study.

Methods: This study was conducted, involving a survey with 182 carers and interviews with 31 carers of individuals who attended an Australian hospital.

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  • Study focused on how long COVID symptoms fluctuate in response to various activities, measuring severity, timing, and recovery through Ecological Momentary Assessments.
  • 376 participants recorded data on 8 core symptoms and results showed increased symptom severity shortly after physical, social, and cognitive exertions, with notable rises in fatigue levels.
  • Findings suggest clear patterns of symptom variations can aid in self-management and highlight potential therapeutic targets for treatment.
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Purpose: Rare diseases pose significant challenges in diagnosis and treatment due to their low prevalence and heterogeneous clinical presentations. Unstructured clinical notes contain valuable information for identifying rare diseases, but manual curation is time-consuming and prone to subjectivity. This study aims to develop a hybrid approach combining dictionary-based natural language processing (NLP) tools with large language models (LLMs) to improve rare disease identification from unstructured clinical reports.

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  • Effective communication of blood test results is crucial for patient care and safety, but there is a need for safer and more efficient methods to relay this information in primary care.
  • A systematic review covering 71 studies showed that patients desire swift and comprehensive information about their test results, with electronic communication methods favored by some, but mixed opinions exist among clinicians regarding direct access to results.
  • The findings highlight the importance of understanding patient and clinician preferences, as well as the challenges, as the NHS moves towards more patient-centered online access for test results.
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  • Mental health issues among healthcare professionals in ICUs are serious, with burnout rates reaching up to 50%, and factors affecting burnout include communication and support systems.
  • The 'Hello Bundle' intervention was created to combat burnout by enhancing social interactions and team cohesion, using elements like posters, email reminders, and daily greetings.
  • A cluster randomized controlled trial will assess the effectiveness of the 'Hello Bundle', involving around 7,300 participants from various ICUs, comparing burnout levels before and after the intervention.
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  • Changes in the brain from Alzheimer's and other age-related diseases can cause problems with thinking and behavior, even before serious symptoms appear.
  • The study looked at how a person's cognitive reserve (a mix of education and experiences) relates to mild behavioral issues.
  • Results showed that people with a higher cognitive reserve had better brain test scores and fewer behavior problems, which suggests that keeping mentally active might help both thinking and behavior as we get older.
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  • * Recent efforts to stop smoking haven't been put into action yet, and it’s important to see what could happen if smoking rates stay the same or improve.
  • * Researchers used models to predict health outcomes by 2050 based on different scenarios of smoking rates, showing that cutting smoking could greatly improve health and life expectancy.
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Objective: Identification of prognostic biomarkers in pediatric diabetes is important for precision medicine. We assessed whether C-peptide and islet autoantibodies are useful to predict the natural history of children with new-onset diabetes.

Methods: We prospectively studied 72 children with new-onset diabetes (median follow-up: 8 months) by applying the Aβ classification system ("A+": islet autoantibody positive, "β+": random serum C-peptide ≥1.

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The G haplotype is a group of co-inherited single nucleotide variants in the F5 gene that reduce venous thromboembolism (VTE) risk. Although 7% of the population is homozygous for the G haplotype (F5-G/G), the underlying mechanism of VTE protection is poorly understood. Using RNA sequencing data from 4651 blood donors in the INTERVAL study, we detected a rare excision event at the factor V (FV)-short splice sites in 5% of F5-G/Gs carriers as compared with 2.

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The dataset presents a 43 year-long reanalysis of pollen seasons for three major allergenic genera of trees in Europe: alder (Alnus), birch (Betula), and olive (Olea). Driven by the meteorological reanalysis ERA5, the atmospheric composition model SILAM predicted the flowering period and calculated the Europe-wide dispersion pattern of pollen for the years 1980-2022. The model applied an extended 4-dimensional variational data assimilation of in-situ observations of aerobiological networks in 34 European countries to reproduce the inter-annual variability and trends of pollen production and distribution.

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  • The study investigates how rare non-coding genetic variations affect complex traits, specifically focusing on human height by analyzing data from over 333,100 individuals across three large datasets.
  • Researchers found 29 significant rare variants linked to height, with impacts ranging from a decrease of 7 cm to an increase of 4.7 cm, after considering previously known variants.
  • The team also identified specific non-coding variants near key genes associated with height, demonstrating a new method for understanding the effects of rare variants in regulatory regions using whole-genome sequencing.
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Risk-prediction models in postmenopausal patients with symptoms of suspected ovarian cancer in the UK (ROCkeTS): a multicentre, prospective diagnostic accuracy study.

Lancet Oncol

October 2024

Institute of Applied Health Research, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK; NIHR Birmingham Biomedical Research Centre, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.

Article Synopsis
  • - The ROCkeTS study aimed to find the best diagnostic test for ovarian cancer in symptomatic postmenopausal women by comparing multiple risk-prediction models in a real-world setting.
  • - Researchers recruited women aged 16-90 with non-specific symptoms and abnormal test results from 23 UK hospitals, excluding those with certain conditions like normal CA125 levels or other cancers.
  • - The study involved various diagnostic models and tests, including CA125 levels and ultrasound assessments, to evaluate their effectiveness in predicting ovarian cancer risk among the participants.
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  • The study aimed to improve global surveillance of child and adolescent movement behaviors (like physical activity and screen time) by gathering expert opinions through a Delphi method involving 62 participants.
  • Experts ranked important items in categories like funding, capacity building, and methods, with a consensus on key priorities such as increased public funding and standard protocols for measures.
  • The findings highlighted common priorities across different income countries and initiatives, but there was no agreement on the use of private funding for surveillance.
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The European Society of Intensive Care Medicine (ESICM) has developed evidence-based recommendations and expert opinions about end-of-life (EoL) and palliative care for critically ill adults to optimize patient-centered care, improving outcomes of relatives, and supporting intensive care unit (ICU) staff in delivering compassionate and effective EoL and palliative care. An international multi-disciplinary panel of clinical experts, a methodologist, and representatives of patients and families examined key domains, including variability across countries, decision-making, palliative-care integration, communication, family-centered care, and conflict management. Eight evidence-based recommendations (6 of low level of evidence and 2 of high level of evidence) and 19 expert opinions were presented.

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Background: Children with reduced motor competence (MC) have reported differences in their walking performance when compared to their typically developed peers, albeit, with inconsistent results.

Research Questions: What is the effect of reduced balance on walking performance in adolescent boys and girls under cognitive-motor interference conditions?

Methods: This cross-sectional study assessed motor competence, in adolescents aged 13-14 years, using the Movement Assessment Battery for Children 2nd edition and walking performance from gait parameters derived from an inertial measurement unit placed over the estimated centre of mass. Each participant performed two 10 m straight-line walks at their self-selected speed.

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  • ARID1A and ARID1B duplications are linked to Coffin-Siris syndrome, but ARID1B duplications have not been previously associated with a specific clinical phenotype until now.
  • A study analyzed 16 cases of ARID1A and 13 cases of ARID1B duplications, revealing that ARID1A duplications resulted in more severe symptoms, including intellectual disabilities and growth delays, while both groups displayed similar features.
  • The research identified unique DNA methylation patterns in ARID1A duplication patients, which differ from those with loss-of-function variants, suggesting the presence of a distinct clinical phenotype for both ARID1A and ARID1B duplications, indicating a new type of
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