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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1991

A study of the relationship between the delivery to cord clamping interval and the time of cord separation. Oxford Midwives Research Group.

A randomised controlled trial of 554 women was carried out to compare the effects of late and early umbilical cord clamping on the time of cord separation. In addition data were collected on maternal and neonatal outcomes. There were no significant differences between the two groups in the duration of cord adherence and neonatal and maternal outcomes. There appeared to be a higher rate of jaundice in the late clamped group which did not reach statistical significance. There was an unexpectedly higher rate of breast feeding at home in the late clamped group which did reach statistical significance. Overall the trial provides no clear evidence for the benefit of early cord clamping (the current policy as part of the active management of the third stage in the UK) on the outcomes considered.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Histological and microbiological findings in non-infected and infected revision arthroplasty tissues. The OSIRIS Collaborative Study Group. Oxford Skeletal Infection Research and Intervention Service.

An assessment of clinical and laboratory findings is generally required to distinguish between septic and aseptic loosening of a hip implant. In order to evaluate the diagnostic utility of histological and microbiological investigative techniques to differentiate between these two conditions, we analysed their results in 617 patients with hip implant loosening. Histology and microbiology study confirmed the clinical diagnosis of septic loosening in approximately 98% and 89%. respectively. The clinical diagnosis of aseptic loosening was confirmed by histology in 99% of cases. In all but 2 of 81 cases of septic loosening, in which an organism was isolated on microbiological culture, the histological diagnosis of septic loosening was made on the basis of the degree of the acute inflammatory infiltrate (i.e. the presence of 1 or more neutrophil polymorphs per high power field (x 400) on average after examination of at least 10 high power fields) in periprosthetic tissues. In 10 patients for whom there was a strong clinical suspicion of septic loosening but no organisms were isolated on microbiological culture, the histological findings, using the above criteria, were in keeping with the clinical diagnosis of septic loosening. As almost 11% of cases of septic loosening would not have been diagnosed by microbiological investigation alone, our findings indicate that histological examination of periprosthetic tissues should form part of the investigative protocol to distinguish between aseptic and septic loosening.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Development of a real-time adaptive current tomograph.

Following the successful development of a multiple-drive electrical impedance tomography system OXPACT-II featuring a voltage-driven current method for in vitro studies, research work currently being undertaken at the EIT research group in Oxford is aimed at developing a real-time multiple-drive adaptive system, called the Oxford Brookes Adaptive Current Tomograph Mark-III (OXBACT-III) which will operate at several frequencies in between 10-160 kHz. The objective of this system development is to enable EIT clinical studies to be undertaken based on the adaptive current method. One of the most important issues addressed in the new system design is to achieve high data acquisition speed while maintaining sufficient system accuracy. This paper will describe the overall data acquisition system structure and relevant system performance specifications.

Data Display↗
PubMed2004

Policy analysis in an information-rich environment.

Population-based insurance systems using longitudinal administrative data and record linkage techniques have helped create "information-rich" environments in several sites around the world. The output of five research groups using administrative data (Oxford, Western Australia, and three Canadian centres: Manitoba, Ontario and British Columbia) was analysed from contacts with the research groups and through use of the National Library of Medicine's PubMed and Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) categories. MeSH words "utilization", "economics", "physicians", and "physician practice patterns" more frequently characterized the research by the three Canadian centres than that of the other sites. With core funding for deliverables negotiated with the provincial health ministries, Canadian researchers have been more likely to use linked databases for policy analyses. Manitoba examples highlight the capabilities associated with these information-rich environments. They include the ability to analyse interventions longitudinally; to compare regions, areas and hospitals in defined populations; to combine information on patients and physicians; to add up expenditures for different services within the Canadian health-care system; and to examine population health issues in areas such as education and family services. Well-organized data and the capability for rapid response have been critical for timely policy analysis in Manitoba. A number of successes are mentioned; less successful efforts to influence practice patterns and to modify the internal workings of hospitals are noted. Investments in filling gaps in data collection and in enriching existing data would facilitate additional research. Planning and managing health care for an entire population has benefited greatly from the development of an information-rich environment.

British Columbia↗
PubMed1983

Malignant ovarian tumours in childhood in Britain, 1962-78.

The files of the Childhood Cancer Research Group and of the Oxford Survey of Childhood Cancers were scrutinized for all the ovarian neoplasms registered in England, Scotland and Wales in children under age 15 years throughout the period 1962-78. Among 172 cases confirmed as malignant ovarian tumours, 145 (84%) were tumours of germ cell origin (54 dysgerminomas, 36 malignant teratomas, 26 endodermal sinus tumours, 4 embryonal carcinomas, 2 pure choriocarcinomas, 20 mixed germ cell neoplasms, 3 gonadoblastomas), 13 (8%) were epithelial carcinomas (3 serous or undifferentiated, 10 mucinous), 9 (5%) were sex-cord stromal tumours (3 granulosa cell, 3 Sertoli-Leydig, 3 unclassified) and 5 (3%) were other miscellaneous tumour types. Less than 10% of the neoplasms occurred at age less than 5 years, approximately 20% from 5-9, and greater than 70% from 10-14 years. Germ cell neoplasms of greater malignancy (immature teratomas, endodermal sinus tumours) occurred in a significantly higher proportion at younger age (less than 10 years) than dysgerminomas (P = 0.01). The overall incidence (approximately 1.7 cases per 10(6) per annum) did not show any noticeable trend over the 17-year period considered. The clustering of two confined cases and, possibly, a third case, of germ cell neoplasms in three generations of the same family pointed to a genetic component in the aetiology of some of these neoplasms. A large number of sex related and mental or neurological abnormalities was also reported in case children. The 10-year survival rates, determined by the life-table method were: epithelial carcinomas 73%, sex-cord stromal tumours 44%, dysgerminomas 73%, malignant teratomas 33%, endodermal sinus tumours 39%, embryonal carcinomas 25%, other germ cell neoplasms 30% and gonadoblastomas 100%. Apart from cell-type, factors associated with prognosis were clinical stage (in all types), size and degree of histological differentiation (in malignant teratomas, but only when stage was not allowed for). The adoption of efficacious polychemotherapy regimens completely changed the prognosis of germ cell tumours other than dysgerminomas (from 29% to greater than 85% disease-free survivors in the present series).

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Oxford House: deaf-affirmative support for substance abuse recovery.

Deaf individuals seeking substance abuse recovery are less likely to have access to treatment and aftercare services because of a lack of culturally and linguistically specific programs and insufficient information about existing services. Previous research indicates that Oxford House, a network of resident-run recovery homes, serves a diverse group of individuals in recovery. However, research has not addressed the experiences of Deaf Oxford House residents. The present study found no significant differences between Deaf and hearing men living in Oxford House in terms of sense of community and abstinence self-efficacy. However, while most of the hearing participants were employed, none of the Deaf Oxford House members were. The study's findings indicate that Oxford House may be a promising Deaf-affirmative alternative for individuals seeking recovery from substance abuse. However, since Oxford Houses are self-supporting, Oxford Houses designed for the Deaf community may face unique economic challenges.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

Light chain isotype-associated suppression of normal plasma cell numbers in patients with multiple myeloma: Medical Research Council's Working Party for Leukaemia in Adults and the Oxford Lymphoma Group.

The number of plasma cells in the lamina propria of the gut has been assessed in patients with multiple myeloma and other B-cell neoplasms. The total number of these plasma cells was reduced in most patients with myelomatosis and one-third of patients with lymphoplasmacytoid tumours. This reduction was not, however, seen in patients with other neoplasms of B-cell origin, although hypogammaglobulinaemia was common to all groups of patients. The depletion of gut plasma cell numbers was not uniform in myelomatosis patients. They showed selective loss of plasma cells with the same light chain isotype as that produced by the neoplastic clone.

Cell Count↗
PubMed2004

Advances in functional and structural MR image analysis and implementation as FSL.

The techniques available for the interrogation and analysis of neuroimaging data have a large influence in determining the flexibility, sensitivity, and scope of neuroimaging experiments. The development of such methodologies has allowed investigators to address scientific questions that could not previously be answered and, as such, has become an important research area in its own right. In this paper, we present a review of the research carried out by the Analysis Group at the Oxford Centre for Functional MRI of the Brain (FMRIB). This research has focussed on the development of new methodologies for the analysis of both structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging data. The majority of the research laid out in this paper has been implemented as freely available software tools within FMRIB's Software Library (FSL).

Bayes Theorem↗
PubMed1984

Childhood nonovarian female genital tract cancers in Britain, 1962-1978. Descriptive epidemiology and long-term survival.

The files of the Childhood Cancer Research Group ( CCRG ) and of the Oxford Survey of Childhood Cancers ( OSCC ) were scrutinized for all malignant genital neoplasms other than ovarian tumor registered in England, Scotland, and Wales in the period 1962 to 1978. After a review of the records and of the available pathologic reports, a total of 55 cases were confirmed, indicating an average incidence of about 0.5 cases per million female children per year, with no obvious trend over the study period. These included 9 (16.4%) cases originating from the vulva, 28 (50.9%) from the vagina, 3 (5.5%) from the cervix, 12 (21.8%) from the corpus uteri, and also 3 (5.5%) cancers of unspecified pelvic sites. A total of 45 (81.8%) cases were sarcomas, most frequently of the botryoid type, 7 (11.7%) were carcinomas, and 3 (5.5%) were germ cell neoplasms. Fifteen cases (27.3%) occurred in children younger than 1 year of age, and incidence showed a declining trend over age. Long-term survival was more common in tumors of the external genitalia, vagina, or cervix, and significantly better in carcinomas (100%) than in germ cell neoplasms (67%), or sarcomas (34%). A significant improvement in survival was noted over the period of time considered (5-year survival rates were 23% in the cases diagnosed in the 1960s, but 52% for those diagnosed in the 1970s), suggesting that a more rational integrated therapeutic approach may appreciably improve the prognosis of these rare neoplasms.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

An assessment of data quality in the Vermont-Oxford Trials Network database.

The Vermont-Oxford Trials Network is a voluntary collaborative research group of neonatologists that maintains a database for very low birthweight infants (501-1500 g). The database (1) provides core data for randomized trials, (2) serves as a resource for outcomes research in neonatology, and (3) generates quality management reports for participating sites. To assess the reliability of this database and to determine the sources of error, we reviewed 635 medical records chosen at random from among the 4341 eligible infants born at 40 participating data generating sites during an 18-month period beginning January 1, 1990. The estimated frequencies of disagreement between the medical record and database for each of the 10 data items studied and the standard errors of the estimates (in parentheses) were: date of birth 1.3% (0.4), date of admission 2.5% (0.6), date of discharge 8.8% (1.0), birthweight (difference > 50 g) 2.9% (0.6), location of birth (inborn or outborn) 2.1% (0.5), multiple birth 2.2% (0.5), cesarean section 2.5% (0.6), gender 2.1% (0.5), status 28 days after birth 3.4% (0.6), final status 2.9% (0.6). The overall proportions and mean values for items in the database were close to the estimated values based on the random sample of records. There were a total of 247 disagreements between the database and the medical records in the sample. Twenty-three were due to data keying errors. Two hundred twenty-four were due to errors in transcription or interpretation. The rate of data keying errors decreased from over 50 errors per 10,000 fields to less than 15 errors per 10,000 fields when specific quality control procedures, including visual inspection, were instituted. Data keying errors accounted for 13.7% of all disagreements between the database and medical record before improved data entry methods were introduced, and only 3.7% of all errors after they were introduced. We concluded that the Vermont-Oxford Trials Network Database is reliable. Data keying errors have been reduced by the introduction of additional quality control measures. Further reductions in database errors will require measures aimed at minimizing transcription or interpretation errors by individuals completing the data forms.

Computer Communication Networks↗
PubMed2006

Smooth muscle research: from Edith Bülbring onwards.

The properties of smooth muscle are currently being studied extensively. Indeed, the small size of myocytes and the huge range of behaviours they exhibit make them an attractive focus for current research. However, this was not always the case. These properties initially made smooth muscles more difficult to study than the larger specialized striated muscles that were the focus of attention of leading researchers. In the UK, research into the physiology of smooth muscles began in the Pharmacology Department at Oxford, led by Edith Bülbring; her early results attracted much attention and resulted in the formation of an active international smooth muscle research group. Although several areas of current interest in the field of smooth muscle were not tackled by the Oxford group, progression of much of the field has clear links to Bülbring and her group.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

The Vermont-Oxford Trials Network: very low birth weight outcomes for 1990. Investigators of the Vermont-Oxford Trials Network Database Project.

This report describes the Vermont-Oxford Trials Network, a voluntary collaborative research network, and summarizes the outcomes and medical interventions for very low birth weight infants at participating centers in 1990. The Vermont-Oxford Trials Network included 36 centers in 1990 (11% university hospitals, 44% university affiliates, 44% nonaffiliated) with a total of 2961 infants weighing 501 to 1500 g (median 73 infants, range 5 to 172). Eighty percent of the infants were inborn and 65% were white. The overall network frequencies for selected interventions and outcomes were as follows: prenatal care, 90%; a complete course of antenatal corticosteroids, 12%; cesarean section, 56%; surfactant therapy, 49%; postnatal steroids for chronic lung disease, 16%; high-frequency ventilation, 4%; patent ductus arteriosus, 31%; necrotizing enterocolitis, 6%; bacterial sepsis, 16%; and intraventricular hemorrhage, 26%. By 28 days, 15% of the infants had died and 8% had been transferred, whereas by discharge 18% had died and 18% had been transferred. There were marked variations among the centers in the frequencies of different medical interventions and in the frequencies of various clinical outcomes. The Vermont-Oxford Trials Network is a unique collaborative research group composed of a broad range of neonatal intensive care units. During 1990 there were considerable differences among the centers in the interventions used and patient outcomes observed. The investigators plan to devote the resources of the Network to a research program of randomized trials and outcome studies so that effective interventions can be identified and the quality of neonatal intensive care can be continuously improved.

Clinical Medicine↗
PubMed2003

Q & A. Philip Ingham.

Philip Ingham grew up in Liverpool and graduated from Cambridge University in 1977. He did his D. Phil in Developmental Genetics at Sussex University and postdoctoral work in Strasbourg, France before joining the laboratory of David Ish-Horowicz at the ICRF Mill Hill Laboratories. Here he applied the emerging technique of tissue in situ hybridisation to the analysis of the Drosophila segmentation genes. After a short spell at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, he rejoined the ICRF as a Research Scientist at the Developmental Biology Unit in Oxford. His group pioneered the analysis of the Hedgehog signalling pathway in Drosophila and in collaboration with the labs of Andy McMahon and Cliff Tabin at Harvard University, discovered the Hedgehog gene family in vertebrates. In 1996 he was appointed Professor of Developmental Genetics at the University of Sheffield where he has established the Centre for Developmental Genetics.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

The correlates of research success.

A survey was carried out of the undergraduate backgrounds and research achievements of 885 (94.1%) of all 940 medically qualified professors and readers in medical faculties in the United Kingdom. A total of 217 (24.5%) of the graduates in these senior academic positions had graduated from Oxford or Cambridge and 137 (15.5%) had an intercalated BSc. The corresponding figures for a control group matched for sex and date of graduation were 118 (13.3%) for Oxford and Cambridge (academic to control odds ratio 2.11:1) and 34 (3.8%) for the BSc (odds ratio 4.58:1). Those with an intercalated BSc in the clinical specialties raised substantially more research grants from the Medical Research Council than their peers from Oxford and Cambridge or those without a BSc. The Oxford and Cambridge group raised more grants in the non-clinical specialties. Bibliometric analysis was carried out on the United Kingdom graduates within the broad specialty of medicine (n = 218) matched for date of graduation. Academics with a BSc had a better publication record over 10 years (median number of original publications 72) than the Oxford and Cambridge group (median 59) and a substantially better record than those from other schools without a BSc (median 46). Citation analysis was carried out on subsets of the above sample matched for date of graduation and frequency of publication. Those with an intercalated BSc were cited more often (8.04 citations/paper) than the Oxford and Cambridge graduates (7.63) and substantially more than their peers without a BSc (4.16). These data show very clearly that research training or experience, or both, as an undergraduate has a substantial influence on career development and correlates positively with subsequent research performance many years later.

Achievement↗
PubMed2005

Nonconvulsive status epilepticus: Epilepsy Research Foundation workshop reports.

In April 2004, a group of physicians with an interest in nonconvulsive status epilepticus representing a spectrum of opinion met in Oxford, sponsored by the Epilepsy Research Foundation (a charitable organization), to discuss and debate the definition, diagnosis and treatment of nonconvulsive status epilepticus. We felt that such a meeting would be useful, as nonconvulsive status epilepticus is a subject that provokes strong reactions, perhaps largely due to the relative lack of evidence and the surfeit of opinion. The meeting was arranged such that there were formal talks followed by a discussion led by one of the attendees. We present here the extended abstracts of the main talks with the points raised by the discussants. Despite disagreements on certain issues there was much in the way of consensus. First, it was agreed that nonconvulsive status epilepticus is a term that covers a range of disparate conditions with varying prognoses and treatments. The agreed definition was thus suitably vague, A< >. Secondly, it was agreed that even within a specific condition (e.g. complex partial status epilepticus), the prognosis and treatment depends upon the context in which the condition occurs (e.g. in the critically ill, in coma, in the A< > and in people with prior epilepsy). Perhaps, most importantly it was agreed that we lacked good clinical data, and the challenge was to design good studies for a condition that is underrecognised and often difficult to diagnose.

Brain Damage, Chronic↗
PubMed2006

The subiculum comes of age.

The subiculum has long been considered as a simple bidirectional relay region interposed between the hippocampus and the temporal cortex. Recent evidence, however, suggests that this region has specific roles in the cognitive functions and pathological deficits of the hippocampal formation. A group of 20 researchers participated in an ESF-sponsored meeting in Oxford in September, 2005 focusing on the neurobiology of the subiculum. Each brought a distinct expertise and approach to the anatomy, physiology, psychology, and pathologies of the subiculum. Here, we review the recent findings that were presented at the meeting.

Aging↗