Immunocytochemical Labelling of Haematological Samples Using Monoclonal Antibodies

I reflect on my experience working with David Y. Mason in the Leukaemia Research Laboratories in the Nuffield Department of Pathology at the University of Oxford in the early 1980s. This was soon after the first monoclonal antibodies had been produced, which led to an exciting and productive time in biological discovery and pathology diagnostics. A specific focus in the laboratory was the development of immunoenzymatic staining methods that would enable monoclonal antibodies to be applied in diagnostic practice. This paper describes the work that led to the performance of immuno-alkaline phosphatase staining on blood and bone marrow smears, the success of which changed leukaemia diagnosis.

Association of Increased Body Mass Index and Waist to Hip Ratio with Kidney Stone Disease: a prospective analysis of 493,410 UK Biobank participants

Catherine E Lovegrove1,2 – [email protected] Littlejohns3- [email protected] Allen3- [email protected] A Howles1,4- [email protected] W Turney 1,2- [email protected] 1 Department of Urology, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust, Oxford, Oxfordshire, UK2 University of Oxford Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences, Oxford, Oxfordshire, UK3 University of Oxford Nuffield Department of Public Health, Oxford, Oxfordshire, UK4 Academic Endocrine Unit, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK Objectives To investigate the relationship between measures of adiposity and risk of incident kidney stone disease. Patients and methods The UK Biobank is a prospective cohort study of ~500,000 participants whose height, weight, BMI, waist circumference, hip circumference, waist:hip ratio (WHR), total fat mass, fat-free mass, body-fat percentage and percentage truncal fat were measured at enrolment with linkage to medical records. ICD-10 and OPCS codes were used to identify individuals with a new diagnosis of nephrolithiasis from 2006-2010. Individuals with a history of kidney stones or incomplete data were excluded. Multivariate Cox-proportional hazard models were used to assess associations between anthropometric measures and incident kidney stones. Results From the UK Biobank, 493,410 individuals were identified for inclusion; 3,466 developed a kidney stone during the study period. Increasing weight, BMI, waist and hip circumferences, WHR, and body and truncal fat were associated with increased risk of incident kidney stone disease. However, after adjustment for BMI, only waist circumference and WHR remained significantly associated with risk of nephrolithiasis. In overweight patients, high (men 94-102cm, women 80-88cm) waist circumference or WHR (men >0.9, women >0.85) conferred >40% increased risk of stone formation. Conclusion This study indicates that android fat distribution is independently associated with increased risk of developing nephrolithiasis. Kidney stone disease is known to be associated with hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes, all of which are linked to android body shape. Our findings provide insight into anthropometric risk factors for stone disease, will facilitate identification of patients at greatest risk of stone recurrence, and will inform prevention strategies.

Introductory letter from the Editor-in-Chief

Welcome to Volume 1 Issue 3 of Journal of Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences!

Welcome Letter from the Editor-in-Chief

Welcome to the Inaugural Issue of Journal of Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences!

Dr Ian Hamilton McDonald, MBBS, DA, FANZCA: The evolution of paediatric anaesthesia and intensive care at the Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne

Dr Ian Hamilton McDonald (1923–2019) was a pioneer of paediatric anaesthesia and intensive care at the Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne. He first started working at the hospital in the 1940s, later doing further training from 1953–1955 at the Nuffield Department of Anaesthesia in Oxford under Sir Robert Macintosh. McDonald returned to Melbourne as assistant director supporting Dr Margaret (Gretta) McClelland as the director of anaesthesia, together pioneering the development of a major paediatric anaesthesia department. McDonald, along with Dr John Stocks (1930–1974), was intimately involved in pioneering prolonged nasotracheal intubation in children, following on from earlier work by Dr Bernard Brandstater (an Australian working in Beirut), and Drs Tom Allen and Ian Steven in Adelaide. Ian McDonald was an influential, highly respected and greatly loved paediatric anaesthetist who had a profound influence on the early days of paediatric anaesthesia in Australia.