Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is a technique used to treat early cancer within the gastrointestinal tract. This technique was first developed in Japan though is now being practised in the West. An endoscopic knife is used to gently peel away the cancer in its entirety. This has led to excellent outcomes. Since the growth is removed in one piece there is a higher chance of achieving a complete cure and preventing recurrence. A difficulty, however, with the technique is the ...

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Genetic conditions sometimes appear “out of the blue” in the child of a healthy couple. Genetic testing shows an alteration in the child’s DNA, which is not - on routine investigation - present in the samples (usually blood) taken from either parent. This situation, in which a misprint has arisen at some stage during the copying of the DNA, is termed a “de novo mutation” (DNM). Although the DNM may appear to be a one-off occurrence, we know that the same ...

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Mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer that affects the outside lining of the lung (the pleura). It is caused by previous asbestos exposure, often more than 40 years previously. Mesothelioma diagnoses have increased steadily over the past decade, in the UK and worldwide, and are predicted to continue rising over the next decade. The average life-expectancy of a person diagnosed with mesothelioma is less than a year. This is because it is very difficult to treat, with only ...

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Working with the NIHR Bioresource, we are proposing to develop a centralised national recallable bioresource of 55,000 patients with Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis (collectively inflammatory bowel disease / IBD) to support scientific and clinical IBD research. Key features of IBD Bioresource:1. DNA and serum + clinical and genetic data from 55,000 IBD patients recruited UKwide stored in a central biorepository funded by NIHR Bioresource 2. 1000 newly diagnosed IBD patients. Detailed samples unconfounded by treatment or surgery, plus followup ...

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Colorectal cancer (CRC) remains an important cause of morbidity and mortality. Identifying those at higher risk is important in targeting preventive measures, such as screening colonoscopy, to those most likely to benefit. Much of the risk of CRC and its precursor lesions (mostly polyps) is genetic, but a great deal of the heritability of CRC remains unexplained. Some of the remaining genetic risk probably results from rare genes with large effects, some from uncommon genetic variants with moderate effects and ...

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Changes in the brain may precede symptoms of Alzheimer’s dementia by many years if not decades. Such changes indicate that a very early Alzheimer’s disease process has started well before people start developing the typical symptoms of dementia such as memory loss – this is known as pre-clinical Alzheimer’s disease. Individuals who are beginning to experience impaired memory as a consequence of this disease process, yet are functionally independent and not showing signs of dementia, are in a prodromal Alzheimer’s ...

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This application is to gather and analyse patient data using the PQIP Database. PQIP will measure complications after major planned surgery and seek to improve these outcomes through feedback of data to clinicians. A REC/CAG application for the PQIP Database has already received a favourable opinion. This analysis will answer important research questions about variation in quality of care in major surgery. We expect that this substantial collaborative work will lead to valuable insights regarding the ways in which hospitals use ...

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The aim of the study is to evaluate the accuracy of blood glucose monitoring systems using capillary or venous blood samples from patients with diabetes and comparing the results to glucose readings obtained from the Yellow Springs Instrument (YSI) analyser. It is an ongoing study which is divided into separate 'study events' which are conducted on an ongoing basis. Participation for the patient will consist of one visit to the study site. The duration of the visit is expected to ...

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This is a feasibility study of the use of a novel technique called ‘InspiWave’ (Inspired Sinewave Technique) to measure heart and lung function in adult patients in critical care. The preliminary work was funded by the EPSRC for early engineering development and the NIHR for clinical translation. The Farmery Group has been developing this technology and has undertaken successful tests in animal models and in well participants. The ultimate aim of the wider project is to develop ...

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Adipose (fat) tissue is now considered to be a key player in the regulation of cardiovascular health. Increased fat accumulation, genetic variability in the expression of signalling molecules in fat as well as changes in the nature of the fat tissue all contribute to an individual’s cardiovascular risk. This is a prospective cohort study involving patients presenting with either a heart attack of recent onset (< 24 hours) or stable coronary artery disease, who are scheduled for intervention (elective percutaneous ...

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