Observations are informatively censored when there is dependence between the time to the event of interest and time to censoring. When considering the time to death of patients on the waiting list for a transplant, particularly a liver transplant, patients that are removed for t…
Total disc arthroplasty (TDA) can be used to replace a degenerated intervertebral disc in the spine. There are different designs of TDAs, but one of the most common is a ball-and-socket combination. Contact between the bearing surfaces of such designs can result in high friction…
Total hip replacement is one of the most common surgical procedures performed both in the UK and worldwide, with aseptic loosening cited as the primary reason for revision. Aseptic loosening is attributed to the wear debris generated by wear of the components. Recently, as great…
Silicon doped hydroxyapatite (SiHA) could be used as a thin film coating on load bearing bone implants to provide a bioactive layer enabling bone to form a direct bond with the implant/bone interface thus increasing implant lifetime by lowering the chances of aseptic loosening. …
Silicones are used to manufacture finger and wrist joints. However these joints have fractured prematurely in vivo. There is a lack of literature on the mechanical properties of silicones. The aim of this thesis was to investigate the viscoelastic and related properties of elast…
This thesis reports a series of laboratory and clinical studies designed to investigate the acute effect of surgical palliation on ventricular function in children with functionally single ventricle anatomy. Ventricular volume and pressure were measured using a combined pressure…
The metacarpophalangeal joint is vital for hand function. It is frequently affected by rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis and in some cases the diseased joint is replaced with an implant. The past and current metacarpophalangeal joint replacements can be divided into three m…
Breast cancer remains the most common malignancy in women and a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the western World, despite the advances in diagnosis and treatment. The main challenge remains to identify new, and improve existing treatment modalities. Understanding the …
The relationship between antiretroviral treatment of HIV infection, body fat distribution, insulin resistance (HOMA), adipocytokine and apolipoprotein-B (apoB) kinetics was investigated in 12 HIV negative controls and 55 HIV-infected patients including antiretroviral treatment-n…
Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSC’s) have shown promise as a cell-based therapy for myocardial repair. However, MSC’s have a finite replicative lifespan and lose proliferative and differentiation capacity during expansion in vitro. Therefore, understanding the molecular mechanisms tha…
Bone screws are used to fix various implants to the human spine. Screw fixation can be difficult in osteoporotic bone because of its reduced strength. This research aimed to investigate screw fixation techniques in the spine. A questionnaire study, representing British and Irish…
This thesis reports a clinical study designed to assess myocardial, renal and lung outcomes following cardiac surgery. In a single centre, prospective randomized, placebo intervention-controlled trial the effects of intermittent upper limb ischaemia (remote ischaemic preconditio…
The ability to quantify kinematic parameters of the knee is crucial in understanding normal biomechanics, recognising the presence of pathology and its severity, planning treatment and evaluation of outcomes. Current methods of quantifying lower limb kinematics remain limited in…
Prostatic diseases are common; benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) is almost ubiquitous in elderly men and 899,000 men were diagnosed with prostate cancer worldwide in 2008. The incidence of both is increasing and expected to continue to rise. Therefore, prostatic diseases represe…
Aim: To evaluate the role and utility of acute kidney injury biomarkers in renal transplantation. Method: Analysis of levels of a panel of biomarkers in deceased organ donors correlated to renal graft outcome; ABO incompatible renal transplant recipients correlated to rejection …
Myocardial protective strategies during cardiac surgery continue to improve yet they remain imperfect. Patients with left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) are considered to be at greater risk of myocardial injury post cardiac surgery. Perhexiline is an anti-anginal agent known to m…
Liver transplantation is a vital medical procedure as it helps to prolong the lives and improve the quality of life for a number of people suffering from end stage liver diseases. Unfortunately though, there is a limit to the number of people that may benefit from the operation …
The role of serum autoantibodies, soluble adhesion molecules, plasma and mucosal cytokines were studied following surgery for ulcerative colitis (UC). A high prevalence of ANCA was found in UC but not in Crohn’s disease. ANCA positive UC sera were found to recognise a variety of…