University of Salford

About: University of Salford is a education organization based out in Salford, Manchester, United Kingdom. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Thin film. The organization has 13049 authors who have published 22957 publications receiving 537330 citations. The organization is also known as: University of Salford Manchester & The University of Salford Manchester.

Roughening and ripple instabilities on ion-bombarded Si.

Abstract: Experimental studies of 10-40-keV ${\mathrm{Xe}}^{+}$ ion bombardment of Si at polar incidence angles between 0\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} and 45\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} to the surface normal at temperatures between 100 and 300 K show little roughening for near normal incidence but ripple production for 45\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} incidence. It is shown that inclusion of the directed flux of atoms parallel to the surface and generated by ion bombardment in a stochastic differential equation description of the dynamics of surface evolution during sputtering erosion can induce smoothing for near-normal ion incidence. For oblique incidence, roughening and ripple production occurs with a late stage dynamics dictated by the competition between curvature-dependent sputtering processes and surface relaxation (which is also, probably, irradiation motivated), gradient-dependent sputtering, and other higher-order effects.

Ketogenic diet and other dietary treatments for epilepsy.

Abstract: Background The ketogenic diet (KD), being high in fat and low in carbohydrates, has been suggested to reduce seizure frequency. It is currently used mainly for children who continue to have seizures despite treatment with antiepileptic drugs. Recently, there has been interest in less restrictive KDs including the modified Atkins diet (MAD) and the use of these diets has extended into adult practice. Objectives To review the evidence for efficacy and tolerability from randomised controlled trials regarding the effects of KD and similar diets. Search methods We searched the Cochrane Epilepsy Group's Specialized Register (30 March 2015), the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) via the Cochrane Register of Studies Online (CRSO, 30 March 2015), MEDLINE (Ovid, 30 March 2015), ClinicalTrials.gov (30 March 2015) and the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP, 30 March 2015). We imposed no language restrictions. We checked the reference lists of retrieved studies for additional reports of relevant studies. Selection criteria Studies of KDs and similar diets for people with epilepsy. Data collection and analysis Two review authors independently applied pre-defined criteria to extract data and assessed study quality. Main results We identified seven randomised controlled trials that generated eight publications. All trials applied an intention-to-treat analysis with varied randomisation methods. The seven studies recruited 427 children and adolescents and no adults. We could not conduct a meta-analysis due to the heterogeneity of the studies. Reported rates of seizure freedom reached as high as 55% in a 4 : 1 KD group after three months and reported rates of seizure reduction reached as high as 85% in a 4 : 1 KD group after three months. One trial found no significant difference between the fasting-onset and gradual-onset KD for rates of seizure freedom and reported a greater rate of seizure reduction in the gradual-onset KD group. Studies assessing the efficacy of the MAD reported seizure freedom rates of up to 10% and seizure reduction rates of up to 60%. One study compared the MAD to a 4 : 1 KD, but did not report rates of seizure freedom or seizure reduction. Adverse effects were fairly consistent across different dietary interventions. The most commonly reported adverse effects were gastrointestinal syndromes. It was common that adverse effects were the reason for participants dropping out of trials. Other reasons for drop-out included lack of efficacy and non-acceptance of the diet. Although there was some evidence for greater antiepileptic efficacy for a 4 : 1 KD over lower ratios, the 4 : 1 KD was consistently associated with more adverse effects. No studies assessed the effect of dietary interventions on quality of life, or cognitive or behavioural functioning. Authors' conclusions The randomised controlled trials discussed in this review show promising results for the use of KDs in epilepsy. However, the limited number of studies, small sample sizes and a sole paediatric population resulted in a poor overall quality of evidence. There were adverse effects within all of the studies and for all KD variations, such as short-term gastrointestinal-related disturbances, to longer-term cardiovascular complications. Attrition rates remained a problem with all KDs and across all studies, reasons for this being lack of observed efficacy and dietary tolerance. There was a lack of evidence to support the clinical use of KD in adults with epilepsy, therefore, further research would be of benefit. Other more palatable but related diets, such as the MAD ketogenic diet, may have a similar effect on seizure control as classical KD but this assumption requires more investigation. For people who have medically intractable epilepsy or people who are not suitable for surgical intervention, a KD remains a valid option; however, further research is required.

Inappropriate Medication is a Major Cause of Adverse Drug Reactions in Elderly Patients

Abstract: To determine the extent to which adverse drug reactions (ADRs) in elderly patients admitted to hospital are due to inappropriate prescribing, we examined 416 successive admissions of elderly patients to a teaching hospital. Interacting drug combinations and drugs with relative contra-indications (CIs) were common, but not as important in producing ADRs as drugs with absolute CIs or unnecessary drugs. Forty-eight patients (11.5% of admissions) were taking a total of 51 drugs with absolute CIs (3.8% of prescriptions). One hundred and seventy-five drugs were discontinued on or shortly after admission in 113 (27%) patients because they were deemed to be unnecessary. One hundred and three patients (27.0% of those on medication) experienced 151 ADRs of which 75 (49.7%) were due to drugs with absolute CIs and/or that were unnecessary, a significantly higher rate of ADRs (p less than 0.001) than observed for all prescriptions. Of 26 (6.3%) admissions attributed to ADRs, 13 (50%) were due to inappropriate prescriptions. The admission rate per prescription was significantly higher (p less than 0.001) for inappropriate than for appropriate drugs. We conclude that much drug-related morbidity in the elderly population may be avoidable, as it is due to inappropriate prescribing.