4,743 results match your criteria: "University of Exeter medical School[Affiliation]"

Objectives: This study aimed to explore the perspectives of people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), their supporters and primary care professionals (PCPs), on the wider physical and mental health needs of people with ADHD and the support currently available.

Design: Qualitative semi-structured interviews, analysed using reflexive thematic analysis.

Setting: Five general practice surgeries across England.

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Understanding mechanisms of ageing remains a complex challenge for biogerontologists, but recent adaptations of evolutionary ageing theories offer a compelling lens in which to view both age-related molecular and physiological deterioration. Ageing is commonly associated with progressive declines in biochemical and molecular processes resulting from damage accumulation, yet the role of continued developmental gene activation is less appreciated. Natural selection pressures are at their highest in youthful periods to modify gene expression towards maximising reproductive capacity.

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Future populations of older adults in the UK, those aged 65+, will demonstrate increased diversity in terms of their ethnic identity resultant from the ageing of the post-war migrants from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and the Caribbean. As a consequence, there will be an increase in the numbers of older adults from these communities living with age-related chronic diseases such as dementia. In response to these demographic changes, we need to develop a research, policy and practice agenda that is inclusive and provides evidence for the development of culturally diverse and effective models of service delivery.

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Background: Prior exacerbation history is used to guide initial maintenance therapy in COPD; however, the recommendations were derived from patients already diagnosed and treated.

Methods: We assessed the rates of moderate ( treated with antibiotics and/or systemic corticosteroids) and severe ( hospitalised) exacerbations in the year following diagnosis in patients newly diagnosed with COPD according to their prior history of exacerbations, blood eosinophil count (BEC) and whether maintenance therapy was started. Data were extracted from the Optimum Patient Care Research Database.

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Background: Older people admitted to hospital in an emergency often have prolonged inpatient stays that worsen their outcomes, increase health-care costs, and reduce bed availability. Growing evidence suggests that the biopsychosocial complexity of their problems, which include cognitive impairment, depression, anxiety, multiple medical illnesses, and care needs resulting from functional dependency, prolongs hospital stays by making medical treatment less efficient and the planning of post-discharge care more difficult. We aimed to assess the effects of enhancing older inpatients' care with Proactive Integrated Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry (PICLP) in The HOME Study.

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Effect of chemotherapeutic agents on natural transformation frequency in Acinetobacter baylyi.

Access Microbiol

July 2024

Microbial Pharmacology and Population Biology Research Group, Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health Sciences, UiT, The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway.

Natural transformation is the ability of a bacterial cell to take up extracellular DNA which is subsequently available for recombination into the chromosome (or maintenance as an extrachromosomal element). Like other mechanisms of horizontal gene transfer, natural transformation is a significant driver for the dissemination of antimicrobial resistance. Recent studies have shown that many pharmaceutical compounds such as antidepressants and anti-inflammatory drugs can upregulate transformation frequency in the model species .

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People with transient epileptic amnesia (TEA) experience deficits in memory, however, little is known about their everyday experience of this, and no memory intervention studies have been conducted within this group. Using a two-part qualitative method, this study explored the lived experience of people with TEA and possible avenues for memory intervention. Fourteen people with TEA participated in either a focus group ( = 7) or an online survey ( = 7) to answer questions regarding their memory difficulties, impact on their lives, and strategies to mitigate these problems.

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BCG vaccination of healthcare workers for protection against COVID-19: 12-month outcomes from an international randomised controlled trial.

J Infect

October 2024

Infectious Diseases Group, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia; Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia; Infectious Diseases, Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia. Electronic address:

Objectives: Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine has immunomodulatory effects that may provide protection against unrelated infectious diseases. We aimed to determine whether BCG vaccination protects adults against COVID-19.

Design: Phase III double-blind randomised controlled trial.

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Background: Many studies highlight poor health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in children treated for brain tumours and their parents. However, little is known about the extent to which their informational, healthcare and communication needs regarding HRQoL are met during medical outpatient consultations.

Aim: To explore the experiences of families regarding communication with physicians about HRQoL issues during consultations after treatment for childhood brain tumours.

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Exploring the dipeptidyl peptidase-IV inhibitory potential of probiotic-fermented milk: An in vitro and in silico comprehensive investigation into peptides from milk of different farm animals.

J Dairy Sci

December 2024

Food Science Department, College of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, United Arab Emirates University, Al-Ain, 15551, United Arab Emirates; Zayed Centre of Health Science, United Arab Emirates University, Al-Ain 15551, United Arab Emirates. Electronic address:

Bioactive peptides produced via enzymatic hydrolysis have been widely investigated for their dipeptidyl peptidase-IV (DPP-IV) inhibitory properties. However, the deficit of studies on fermentation as a means to produce DPP-IV inhibitory peptides prompted us to draw a comparative study on DPP-IV inhibitory peptides generated from cow, camel, goat, and sheep milk using probiotic fermentation. Further, peptide identification, in silico molecular interactions with DPP-IV, and ensemble docking were performed.

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Article Synopsis
  • This study examines what factors contribute to people with dementia and their caregivers that could lead to a higher likelihood of moving into a care home.
  • Data from 1545 individuals with dementia and 1305 caregivers were analyzed over a 24-month period using modified Poisson regressions.
  • Key findings indicated that older age, specific types of dementia, lack of spousal support, and cognitive difficulties significantly increased the risk of transitioning to institutional care, suggesting that promoting daily functional skills could help delay this transition.*
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Neurovascular coupling (NVC) is the perturbation of cerebral blood flow (CBF) to meet varying metabolic demands induced by various levels of neural activity. NVC may be assessed by Transcranial Doppler ultrasonography (TCD), using task activation protocols, but with significant methodological heterogeneity between studies, hindering cross-study comparisons. Therefore, this review aimed to summarise and compare available methods for TCD-based healthy NVC assessments.

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Background: Health service policy in many jurisdictions is driving greater investment into digital primary care services. While some patients and practices may benefit, there are concerns that not all are able or wish to access primary care services online. "Digital facilitation" is the "range of processes, procedures, and personnel seeking to support patients in their uptake and use of online services" and may address such concerns.

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Using Organoids to Model Sex Differences in the Human Brain.

Biol Psychiatry Glob Open Sci

September 2024

Autism Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.

Sex differences are widespread during neurodevelopment and play a role in neuropsychiatric conditions such as autism, which is more prevalent in males than females. In humans, males have been shown to have larger brain volumes than females with development of the hippocampus and amygdala showing prominent sex differences. Mechanistically, sex steroids and sex chromosomes drive these differences in brain development, which seem to peak during prenatal and pubertal stages.

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Background: Exposure to air pollution has been associated with increased risks of cardiopulmonary diseases, cancer, and mortality, whereas residing near green spaces may reduce the risks. However, limited research explores their combined effect on oxidative stress.

Methods: A total of 251 participants with multi-time measurements were included in the longitudinal-designed study.

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Population bursts in a modular neural network as a mechanism for synchronized activity in KNDy neurons.

PLoS Comput Biol

July 2024

Department of Mathematics and Programs in Molecular Biophysics and Neuroscience, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, United States of America.

The pulsatile activity of gonadotropin-releasing hormone neurons (GnRH neurons) is a key factor in the regulation of reproductive hormones. This pulsatility is orchestrated by a network of neurons that release the neurotransmitters kisspeptin, neurokinin B, and dynorphin (KNDy neurons), and produce episodic bursts of activity driving the GnRH neurons. We show in this computational study that the features of coordinated KNDy neuron activity can be explained by a neural network in which connectivity among neurons is modular.

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The role of lipoprotein (a) [Lp(a)] in cerebrovascular disease is a topic of importance. In this narrative review, pertinent studies have been leveraged to comprehensively examine this relationship from diverse perspectives.Lp(a) shares structural traits with low-density lipoprotein cholesterol.

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Limited evidence of a shared genetic relationship between C-reactive protein levels and cognitive function in older UK adults of European ancestry.

Front Dement

August 2023

Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom.

Introduction: Previous studies have shown associations between cognitive function and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels in older adults. Few studies have considered the extent to which a genetic predisposition for higher CRP levels contributes to this association.

Methods: Data was analyzed from 7,817 UK participants aged >50 years as part of the PROTECT study, within which adults without dementia completed a comprehensive neuropsychological battery.

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Context: Hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia (HI) can be the presenting feature of Kabuki syndrome (KS), which is caused by loss-of-function variants in KMT2D or KDM6A. As these genes play a critical role in maintaining methylation status in chromatin, individuals with pathogenic variants have a disease-specific epigenomic profile -an episignature.

Objective: We evaluated the pathogenicity of three novel partial KDM6A duplications identified in three individuals presenting with neonatal-onset HI without typical features of KS at the time of genetic testing.

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Mortality of patients with COPD.

Expert Rev Respir Med

June 2024

College of Medicine and Health, University of Exeter Medical School, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK.

Introduction: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the third most common cause of death worldwide and 24% of the patients die within 5 years of diagnosis.

Areas Covered: The epidemiology of mortality and the interventions that reduce it are reviewed. The increasing global deaths reflect increases in population sizes, increasing life expectancy and reductions in other causes of death.

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Objective: Absence rates remain high in UK schools, with negative implications for attainment, life chances and inequality. Reasons for non-attendance are complex but include psychosocial factors. Few UK-based studies have evaluated psychosocial interventions for school attendance outcomes or its moderators.

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Impedance threshold device as a countermeasure for spaceflight associated neuro-ocular syndrome (SANS): Mitigating mechanisms in proposed pathophysiology.

Life Sci Space Res (Amst)

August 2024

Center for Space Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States; Department of Ophthalmology, Blanton Eye Institute, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas, United States; The Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas, United States; Departments of Ophthalmology, Neurology, and Neurosurgery, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York, United States; Department of Ophthalmology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, United States; University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, United States; Texas A&M College of Medicine, Bryan, Texas, United States; Department of Ophthalmology, The University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Electronic address:

Article Synopsis
  • - Long-duration spaceflight (LDSF) poses specific health risks, notably Spaceflight Associated Neuro-ocular Syndrome (SANS), linked to changes in fluid dynamics and increased pressure in the brain due to microgravity.
  • - SANS is unique to space environments, as there is no equivalent condition on Earth, although some studies attempt to simulate space conditions through bed rest and head-down tilting.
  • - Proposed solutions to combat SANS include using thigh cuffs for blood flow regulation and devices like the impedance threshold device (ITD) to help reduce intracranial pressure.
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Background: Errors associated with failures in filing, actioning and communicating blood test results can lead to delayed and missed diagnoses and patient harm. This study aimed to audit how blood tests in primary care are filed, actioned and communicated in primary care, to identify areas for patient safety improvements.

Methods: UK primary care clinicians were recruited through the Primary Care Academic CollaboraTive (PACT).

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