Publications by authors named "Emma Pritchard"
Objectives: Escherichia coli bacteraemias have been under mandatory surveillance in the UK for fifteen years, but cases continue to rise. Systematic searches of all features present within electronic healthcare records (EHRs), described here as an EHR-wide association study (EHR-WAS), could potentially identify under-appreciated factors that could be targeted to reduce infections.
Methods: We used data from Oxfordshire, UK, and an EHR-WAS method developed for use with large-scale COVID-19 data to estimate associations between E.
Advancing β-adrenoreceptor agonism for recovery after volumetric muscle loss through regenerative rehabilitation and biomaterial delivery approaches.
Jennifer McFaline-Figueroa
,
Christiana J Raymond-Pope
,
Joseph J Pearson
,
Albino G Schifino
,
Junwon Heo
,
Emma E Pritchard
Regen Biomater
March 2025
Volumetric muscle loss (VML) injury results in the unrecoverable loss of muscle mass and contractility. Oral delivery of formoterol, a β-adrenergic receptor agonist, produces a modest recovery of muscle mass and contractility in VML-injured mice. The objective of this study was to determine if a regenerative rehabilitation paradigm or a regenerative medicine paradigm could enhance the recovery of VML-injured muscle.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- Peripheral nerve-crush injury promotes neuromuscular junction (NMJ) recovery, showing improved muscle function as nerve re-innervates, while volumetric muscle loss (VML) leads to permanent muscle function loss and chronic NMJ impairments.
- In a study with adult mice, researchers compared the effects of nerve-crush versus VML on NMJ remodeling, monitoring recovery over time post-injury.
- Results indicated that while nerve-crush injury allowed for complete recovery of muscle strength, VML resulted in persistent deficits, along with abnormal signaling and structural changes at the NMJ, with some noted sex differences in recovery rates.
Predicting future hospital antimicrobial resistance prevalence using machine learning.
Commun Med (Lond)
October 2024
Article Synopsis
- The study aims to predict antimicrobial resistance (AMR) at the hospital level in England using machine learning techniques, specifically focusing on historical data of AMR and antimicrobial usage over multiple years.
- The research employs an Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) model and compares its predictive capability against other methods, finding XGBoost to offer the best performance, particularly in hospitals experiencing significant changes in AMR prevalence.
- The results highlight that year-to-year AMR variability is generally low, but specific hospital groups with larger fluctuations can benefit from advanced predictive modeling, aiding in targeted interventions for AMR management.
Detecting and quantifying changes in the growth rates of infectious diseases is vital to informing public health strategy and can inform policymakers' rationale for implementing or continuing interventions aimed at reducing their impact. Substantial changes in SARS-CoV-2 prevalence with the emergence of variants have provided an opportunity to investigate different methods for doing this. We collected polymerase chain reaction (PCR) results from all participants in the United Kingdom's COVID-19 Infection Survey between August 1, 2020, and June 30, 2022.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- Syndromic surveillance traditionally depends on healthcare-seeking patients, but this study suggests that involving community cohorts can yield valuable insights, especially given the presence of multiple respiratory viruses during the 2022/23 winter season in the UK.
- The research analyzed data from nearly 33,000 tests, revealing SARS-CoV-2, RSV, and influenza A/B positivity rates, with peaks of these viruses occurring at different times and varying by age group, highlighting that younger individuals were most affected by RSV and older individuals by SARS-CoV-2.
- Findings indicated that many individuals who tested positive reported few symptoms, complicating the ability to distinguish between the viruses solely based on symptoms, and
Omicron-associated changes in SARS-CoV-2 symptoms in the United Kingdom.
Clin Infect Dis
August 2022
Article Synopsis
- The study analyzed how changing COVID-19 variants, specifically from Delta to Omicron BA.1 and BA.2, influenced reported symptoms among infected individuals in the UK.
- Results showed that while the incidence of classic symptoms like loss of taste and smell significantly decreased with the onset of Omicron, sore throat symptoms increased, complicating symptom-based detection of the virus.
- The findings suggest that symptom patterns vary across age groups, with adults aged 18-65 experiencing more symptoms than children or older adults, highlighting the need for adjustments in testing strategies.
Article Synopsis
- The study analyzes data from the UK's national COVID-19 Infection Survey to identify which demographic and behavioral factors correlate with higher rates of SARS-CoV-2 positivity between July 2020 and July 2021.
- Results showed that younger individuals, those living in Northern England or urban areas, and unvaccinated people were more likely to test positive, particularly during specific waves of the pandemic (e.g., Alpha and Delta variants).
- The findings suggest that real-time surveillance of these factors is crucial for effective public health strategies and monitoring the spread of COVID-19.
Article Synopsis
- The study analyzed the effectiveness of various symptoms for detecting COVID-19 infections (SARS-CoV-2) in the UK, comparing symptomatic responses among PCR-positive and negative individuals from April 2020 to August 2021.
- It found that 48% of those infected reported symptoms, which varied by factors like age and vaccination status, with notable changes over time and the emergence of new variants, especially the Delta variant.
- The research indicated that including more symptoms improved detection sensitivity of COVID-19 but also increased the number of symptoms reported per case significantly from 4.6 to 8.7.
Article Synopsis
- The study assessed the effectiveness of the BNT162b2 and ChAdOx1 vaccines against the Delta variant (B.1.617.2) of SARS-CoV-2 in randomly selected households in the UK.
- Results showed a decrease in vaccine effectiveness against symptomatic infections and high viral loads, with reductions of 10-13% for BNT162b2 and 16% for ChAdOx1 compared to the Alpha variant (B.1.1.7).
- Despite the reduced effectiveness, vaccination still provides better protection than prior natural infection, with dynamics of immunity differing between the two vaccines, particularly in how quickly protection declines after the second dose.
Article Synopsis
- The study analyzed SARS-CoV-2 data from 3.3 million nose and throat swabs collected in the UK from April 2020 to March 2021, focusing on cycle threshold (Ct) values as an indicator of viral load.
- Out of the positive samples, a wide range of Ct values was found; lower Ct values (indicating higher viral loads) were associated with symptoms and detecting more viral genes, while factors like sex and age had minimal impact.
- The findings suggest that fluctuations in community-level Ct values could serve as an early-warning sign for potential increases in SARS-CoV-2 cases.
Article Synopsis
- * Data was collected from nearly 1.9 million PCR tests and showed that both vaccines significantly reduced infections starting from 21 days after the first dose, with even greater reductions after a second dose.
- * The vaccines were particularly effective against symptomatic infections and those with higher viral loads, with no significant differences in effectiveness between the two vaccine types.
Background And Aims: Play is used by practitioners from across disciplinary backgrounds as a natural and enjoyable context for providing intervention and support in early childhood. In the case of autism interventions, many therapies are based on the association between social play and the development of social skills, language development, and communication skills, as these are often particular areas of challenge for autistic children. However, play is a wide-ranging concept and the extant literature on play-based interventions is large and heterogeneous.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- Decisions on controlling the spread of SARS-CoV-2 depend on accurate data about infection rates and risk factors, but current surveillance systems are often inconsistent and not representative of the entire population.
- The study involved repeated household surveys in England, where participants provided self-swabs and completed questionnaires to measure the percentage of positive SARS-CoV-2 tests over time, using advanced statistical methods.
- Findings revealed significant fluctuations in positivity rates from April to November 2020, with a notable decline and subsequent rise in cases, while risk factors for testing positive varied between the first and second waves of the pandemic.
Article Synopsis
- The study aimed to assess how including a 1-year lookback period for secondary diagnosis codes affects the accuracy of the Charlson and Elixhauser comorbidity scores in predicting 30-day mortality.
- It analyzed inpatient data from Oxfordshire, UK, between 2007 and 2018, and found that incorporating the lookback period improved model fit compared to using diagnosis-dominant methods.
- The best predictive accuracy was achieved by using both scores together, considering nonlinearity and their interaction, which offered the most effective adjustment for comorbidities.
Managing chronic oedema and venous disease with made-to-order garments.
Br J Community Nurs
April 2016
Article Synopsis
- Selecting the right compression garments is crucial for managing venous disease and chronic oedema, with improved styles and options now available on the UK Drug Tariff.
- Practitioners can choose from various fabrics, colors, compression classes, and styles, allowing them to meet both clinical and aesthetic needs, which helps enhance patient compliance.
- The article also emphasizes the features of different compression garments, reasons for their prescription, and showcases Haddenham's Veni made-to-order garments through three case studies demonstrating their effectiveness.
Article Synopsis
- - Nurses must connect theory to practice, continually assess, and encourage reflective practice, but many mentors feel unprepared and lack confidence in supporting students (Duffy, 2004).
- - One of the main challenges for mentors is understanding and addressing the unique needs of each student while also developing effective support strategies.
- - Both mentors and students often struggle with the cognitive demands of their roles, but by recognizing students' individual needs, mentors can create action plans to address concerns (Moseley and Davies, 2008).
Article Synopsis
- Despite similar influenza vaccination rates to New Zealand Europeans, Pacific peoples face much higher influenza infection, hospitalization, and ICU admission rates, likely due to underlying health conditions.
- Promoting vaccination within the Pacific community is crucial for their health and well-being.
- The article explores existing research on vaccination practices among ethnic minorities to identify effective strategies for increasing vaccination among Pacific peoples in New Zealand.
Article Synopsis
- - The study focuses on identifying the factors that contribute to the quality of breast prostheses and understanding what influences satisfaction among users.
- - Out of 102 participants, a strong majority rated the information provided about prostheses as "very good" or "excellent," with satisfaction linked to fit, comfort, and appearance.
- - Key quality indicators for the prostheses included fit, natural feel, weight, and appearance, with the findings aimed at improving access to better-quality prosthetics for women.
Article Synopsis
- Many women who undergo a mastectomy rely on external breast prostheses as an alternative to reconstruction, which can be costly and requires regular replacement.
- Australian governments offer subsidies to help cover the costs of breast prostheses, but access to these funds is inconsistent and can be challenging for women.
- This research aims to assess the satisfaction of Victorian women using government funding for breast prostheses, compare their experiences with those of service providers, and explore ways to enhance the service delivery.
Article Synopsis
- - Practice development in older people's healthcare is essential but complex, focusing on supporting practitioners in their everyday work environment.
- - It involves finding creative solutions to the challenges and difficulties faced in daily practice.
- - This process is ongoing, emphasizing continuous improvement and the need for adaptation as new insights and challenges arise.
Nursing older people is a complex and skilled area of healthcare practice that demands high levels of expertise and commitment. As healthcare practitioners we work in a shifting and uncertain practice world, sometimes with limited support and few resources. Nonetheless, the older people and their supporters with whom we work deserve the best that is possible.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF