Publications by authors named "Michelle McCarthy"

Background: Rett syndrome is a rare neurodevelopmental disorder caused primarily by pathogenic variants in the gene, leading to lifelong cognitive impairments. To understand the broad neural disruptions in Rett syndrome, it is essential to examine large-scale brain dynamics at the level of neural oscillations. Phase-amplitude coupling-a form of cross-frequency interaction that supports information integration across temporal and spatial scales-is a promising candidate measure for capturing such widespread neural dysfunction.

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Background And Aims: The internet and social media are increasingly accessible to people with intellectual disabilities, offering significant benefits but also posing unique challenges and risks. This study aimed to explore the online experiences of adults with intellectual disabilities in England.

Methods: An accessible survey was conducted from July 2021 to July 2022 collecting data on online risks, perceived benefits and barriers to internet use.

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The field of reconstructive surgery faces significant challenges in addressing limb loss and disfigurement, with current organ preservation methods limited by short storage times. Decellularization offers a promising solution for generating engineered alternatives for reconstructive surgery by removing cellular material while preserving the extracellular matrix (ECM) and providing scaffolds for tissue regeneration. In this study, we developed a robust protocol for decellularizing whole digits from long-term freezer storage, achieving the successful removal of cellular material with intact ECM.

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Background: Since the introduction of austerity measures in 2008, funding for care, welfare, services and support systems in the United Kingdom has been reduced. There is little research that explores the experiences of parents of adults with intellectual disabilities and service providers regarding care, relationships and social networks in times of austerity.

Method: Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with 10 parents of adults with intellectual disabilities and nine managers and leaders of relevant services.

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The basolateral amygdala (BLA) is a key site where fear learning takes place through synaptic plasticity. Rodent research shows prominent low theta (~3-6 Hz), high theta (~6-12 Hz), and gamma (>30 Hz) rhythms in the BLA local field potential recordings. However, it is not understood what role these rhythms play in supporting the plasticity.

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Article Synopsis
  • * This study introduces a novel technique called subzero nonfreezing (SZNF), where rat hindlimbs are stored at -4°C for 48 hours before transplantation.
  • * Results showed that limbs preserved using SZNF survived significantly longer (28 days) compared to those stored using traditional static cold storage (SCS), which failed to survive beyond 4 days, indicating potential for improved VCA preservation methods.
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Objective: Intranasal (IN) fentanyl and nitrous oxide (NO) can be combined to provide procedural sedation and analgesia to children. This combination is advantageous because of rapid onset of action and non-parenteral administration, but is associated with increased vomiting. We sought to describe the associations of demographic and procedural factors with early vomiting when using this combination in children.

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Ketamine is an N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-receptor antagonist that produces sedation, analgesia, and dissociation at low doses and profound unconsciousness with antinociception at high doses. At high and low doses, ketamine can generate gamma oscillations (>25 Hz) in the electroencephalogram (EEG). The gamma oscillations are interrupted by slow-delta oscillations (0.

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Article Synopsis
  • * It produces gamma oscillations in the brain's electrical activity (EEG), which can be disrupted by slow-delta oscillations at high doses; however, the link between subcellular actions and these network-level oscillations is still unclear.
  • * By developing a biophysical model, researchers have demonstrated how ketamine's impact on NMDA receptors can influence brain oscillations, revealing new mechanisms for its anesthetic effects and potential use in treating depression.
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Burn wound healing is a complex and long process. Despite extensive experience, plastic surgeons and specialized teams in burn centers still face significant challenges. Among these challenges, the extent of the burned soft tissue can evolve in the early phase, creating a delicate balance between conservative treatments and necrosing tissue removal.

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The glymphatic movement of fluid through the brain removes metabolic waste. Noninvasive 40 Hz stimulation promotes 40 Hz neural activity in multiple brain regions and attenuates pathology in mouse models of Alzheimer's disease. Here we show that multisensory gamma stimulation promotes the influx of cerebrospinal fluid and the efflux of interstitial fluid in the cortex of the 5XFAD mouse model of Alzheimer's disease.

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Background And Objective: Mastectomy is a primary treatment for breast cancer patients, and both autologous and implant-based reconstructive techniques have shown excellent results. In recent years, advancements in bioengineering have led to a proliferation of innovative approaches to breast reconstruction. This article comprehensively explores the promising perspectives offered by bioengineering and tissue engineering in the field of breast reconstruction.

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Propofol-mediated unconsciousness elicits strong alpha/low-beta and slow oscillations in the electroencephalogram (EEG) of patients. As anesthetic dose increases, the EEG signal changes in ways that give clues to the level of unconsciousness; the network mechanisms of these changes are only partially understood. Here, we construct a biophysical thalamocortical network involving brain stem influences that reproduces transitions in dynamics seen in the EEG involving the evolution of the power and frequency of alpha/low-beta and slow rhythm, as well as their interactions.

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The basolateral amygdala (BLA) is a key site where fear learning takes place through synaptic plasticity. Rodent research shows prominent low theta (~3-6 Hz), high theta (~6-12 Hz), and gamma (>30 Hz) rhythms in the BLA local field potential recordings. However, it is not understood what role these rhythms play in supporting the plasticity.

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Background: Inflicted burns on children are a particularly difficult medical and psychosocial issue. Pediatric nonaccidental burns (PNABs) are unfortunately relatively common. In our study, we aim to present the key findings on PNABs with the intention of raising awareness, improving early, and recognizing accurately by identifying red flags, developing triage tools, and establishing prevention strategies for this sensitive issue.

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Early-life experience enduringly sculpts thalamocortical (TC) axons and sensory processing. Here, we identify the very first synaptic targets that initiate critical period plasticity, heralded by altered cortical oscillations. Monocular deprivation (MD) acutely induced a transient (<3 h) peak in EEG γ-power (~40 Hz) specifically within the visual cortex, but only when the critical period was open (juvenile mice or adults after dark-rearing, -deletion, or diazepam-rescued GAD65-deficiency).

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Background: Women undergoing induction of labor should be empowered with accurate information.

Objective: This study aimed to examine the characteristics of and indications for induction of labor and delivery outcomes to help inform practice and counseling.

Study Design: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of all singleton pregnancies undergoing induction of labor over a 3-month period in a tertiary-level hospital in the Republic of Ireland.

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Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) is highly effective in alleviating movement disability in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD). However, its therapeutic mechanism of action is unknown. The healthy striatum exhibits rich dynamics resulting from an interaction of beta, gamma, and theta oscillations.

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The studyMcCarthy M, Bates C, Elson N, Hunt S, Milne-Skillman, Forrester-Jones R. 'Love makes me feel good inside and my heart is fixed': What adults with intellectual disabilities have to say about love and relationships. 2021;00:1-11.

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Background: Adults with intellectual disabilities have historically been hindered, rather than supported, in their desire to form loving relationships. This paper sought to explore with them what kinds of support they wanted in the 21st Century.

Method: Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 40 adults with intellectual disabilities in the United Kingdom.

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Background: Opioids are a mainstay of pain management. To limit the use of opioids, enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocols implement multimodal approaches to treat postoperative pain.

Objectives: The aim of this paper was to be the first to assess the efficacy of an ERAS protocol for plastic surgery outpatients that includes ultrasound-guided, surgeon-led regional blocks.

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Background: Despite the importance of social networks for health and well-being, relatively little is known about the ways in which adults with intellectual disabilities in the U.K. experience their social networks.

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