ISTM

Dr Khaled Ismail qualified in 1990 with 1st class honours and after house jobs started his training in Obstetrics and Gynaecology. As a resident and later as a clinical tutor in Obstetrics and Gynaecology in Ain Shams University, he submitted and successfully defended his MSc and MD theses before joining Keele University in 2001 as a clinical lecturer where he completed a PhD degree.

He is currently a senior lecturer / consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist in Keele University and the University Hospital of North Staffordshire with research, undergraduate education and clinical responsibilities. The underlying theme of his research work is improving pregnancy related maternal and fetal outcomes both at the short and longer term. The main focus of his research programme falls into two broad categories:
(i) prediction, recognition and management of childbirth-related perineal trauma, and
(ii) effects of maternal nutrition and medications on the fetal epigenome and susceptibility to disease later on in life.
 He recently won the Stoke and North Staffordshire Citizens of the year Innovation in Medical Technology and Development award for the conception and development of a regulated obstetric forceps (The Safeceps™ ). This new instrument abolishes the subjectivity of the traditional obstetric forceps while preserving its functionality as an effective assisted delivery tool. The product (pictured right) has also recently won a British Design Innovation award and one of the prestigious International Forum awards.

Dr Ismail is the local lead for the Reproductive Health and Childbirth Clinical Specialty Group in the West Midlands (North) Comprehensive Local Research Network. Within this role, he set up a Childbirth And REproductive health group for CLRN West Midlands North (CARE for WMN network) to facilitate recruitment into portfolio studies within the West Midlands North area.

 ISTM Research theme: 1. Clinical & Diagnostic Science

THere are two main areas of Dr Ismail's research: 

(i) Perineal trauma programme:

In collaboration with Professor Christine Kettle, Dr Ismail has been involved in running hands on perineal repair workshops within the UK and internationally. In collaboration with Limbs & Things, they developed The Keele & Staffs Episiotomy Repair Trainer for practical training and skill assessment. He is the Principal Investigator for the Recognition and Expertise in Preventing Anal Incontinence following sphincter Rupture (REPAIR) study and a member and the lead obstetrician in the central project team for the Perineal Assessment and Repair Longitudinal Study (PEARLS). This is a multi-centre (NIHR portfolio) randomised cluster design study funded by The Health Foundation, Quality Improvement Initiative. As a follow-on from PEARLS, Dr Khaled Ismail and Professor Christine Kettle have recently won a prestigious SHINE award from The Health Foundation to lead a team to develop the PEARLS.net e-learning system. The main aim of this project is to develop and validate a multidisciplinary web-based e-learning package to enhance practitioners’ knowledge and skills in perineal assessment, repair and management in order to reduce associated morbidity and improve women’s experiences of maternity care.

(ii) Fetal epigenetics programme:

In association with a unique multidisciplinary team of researchers we have set up the Fetal Epigenomics Group (FEG). The group uses state-of-the-art analytical screening techniques to examine the effect of folic acid intake during pregnancy on the status of the fetal epigenome. To date, FEG received funding from the North Staffordshire Medical Institute and the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) to undertake the Effect of Folate on Fetal Cord blood Total Methylation (EFFECT-M) studies [NIHR portfolio study].

1.Magnay JL, El-Shourbagy M, Fryer AA, O’Brien PMS, Ismail KM. Analysis of the serotonin transporter promoter rs25531 polymorphism in premenstrual dysphoric disorder. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2010; in press.

2.Bick DE, Kettle C, Macdonald S, Thomas PW, Hills RK, Ismail KM. PErineal Assessment and Repair Longitudinal Study (PEARLS): protocol for a matched pair cluster trial. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2010 Feb 25;10(1):10. [Epub ahead of print]

3.Fryer A, Nafee T, Karpova E, Ismail KM, Carroll W, Emes RD, Farrell WE. LINE-1 DNA methylation is inversely correlated with cord plasma homocysteine in man: a preliminary study . Epigenetics. 2009 Aug;4(6):394-8.

4.Chandru S, Nafee T, Ismail KM, Kettle C. Evaluation of Modified Fenton procedure for persistent superficial dyspareunia following childbirth. Gynaecological surgery, 2009 DOI: 10.1007/s10397-009-0501-7

5. Tijani H, Menon V, Ismail KM. Ovarian hyperstimulation associated with spontaneous ectopic pregnancy. CJOG, 2009 29(5):446.

6. Thangaratinam S, Coomarasamy A, O'Mahony F, Sharp S, Zamora J, Khan KS, Ismail KM. Estimation of proteinuria as a predictor of complications of pre-eclampsia: a systematic review. BMC Med. 2009 Mar 24;7:10.

7. Jing Z, Yang X, Ismail KM, Chen X, Wu T. Chinese herbal medicine for premenstrual syndrome. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2009 Jan 21;(1):CD006414.

8. Shakila Thangaratinam , Arri Coomarasamy , Steve Sharp, Khaled MK Ismail, Khalid S Khan KS, Fidelma O’Mahoney. Tests for predicting complications of pre-eclampsia: A protocol for systematic reviews. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, Vol. 8 (11 August 2008), 38.

9. Barnes W, Ismail KMK, Crome IB. Review: Teenage pregnant substance misusers – A new phenomenon. Midlands Medicine 2008;25(3):113-118.

10.Selamat S, Ismail KMK, Obrien PMS. Premenstrual Syndrome. Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Reproductive Medicine. Obstetrics, Gynaecology &Reproductive Medicine Volume 18, Issue 2, February 2008, Pages 29-32 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ogrm.2007.11.006

11.Nafee T, Farrell, WE, Fryer A, Carroll W, Ismail KM. Epigenetic control of fetal gene expression. BJOG. 2008 Jan;115(2):158-68.

12.Dhingra V, Magnay JL, O'Brien PM, Chapman G, Fryer AA, Ismail KM. Serotonin receptor 1A C(-1019)G polymorphism associated with premenstrual dysphoric disorder. Obstet Gynecol. 2007 Oct;110(4):788-92.

13.Kettle C, Hills R, Ismail K. Continuous versus interrupted sutures for repair of episiotomy or second degree tears. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2007 Oct 17;(4):CD000947.

14.Carroll WD, Farrell W, Fryer A, Nafee T, Ismail KM. One man’s meat is another man’s poison. BMJ. 2007, electronic response to Wald and Oakley, BMJ 2007:334:1252.

15.Thangaratinam S, Ismail KMK, Coomarasamy A, O’Mahony F, Khan KS, O’Brien PMS. Prioritisation of Tests for the prediction of Pre-eclampsia Complications: A Delphi survey. Hypertens Pregnancy. 2007;26(1):131-8.

16.Stokes SH, McMaster P, Ismail KM. Acceptability of perinatal rapid point-of-care HIV testing in an area of low HIV prevalence in the UK. Arch Dis Child. 2007 Jun;92(6):505-8.

17.Smith D, Ismail KM, Diskin AM, Chapman G, Magnay JL, Spanel P, O'brien S. Increase of acetone emitted by urine in relation to ovulation. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand. 2006;85(8):1008-11.

18. Ismail KMK, O’Brien PMS. Premenstrual syndrome. Women’s Health Medicine 2006; 3(6): 272-275.

19. Magnay JL, Ismail KM, Chapman G, Cioni L, Jones P, O’Brien S Serotonin transporter, tryptophan hydroxylase and monoamine oxidase A gene polymorphisms in premenstrual dysphoric disorder. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2006;195(5):1254-9.

20.Thangaratinam S, Ismail K and O’Brien S. Evidence-based management of premenstrual syndrome. European Clinics in Obstetrics and Gynaecology 2006;2(2):65-71.

21.Hassan IM, Thangaratinam S, O’Mahony F, Ismail KMK. Inferior Vena Cava thrombosis and recurrent pancreatitis in pregnancy. J Obstet Gynaecol 2006;26:372-3.

22.Thangaratinam S, Ismail KMK, Sharp S, Coomarasamy A, Khan KS for TIPPS (Tests In Prediction of Pre-eclampsia’s Severity) review group. Accuracy of serum uric acid in predicting complications of pre- eclampsia: A systematic review. BJOG. 2006 113:369-78

23.Crome I, Ismail KMK, Ghetau E, McAuley R, Bloor R, Jones P, O'Brien PMS. Opiate misuse in pregnancy: Findings of a retrospective case note series. Drugs: Education, Prevention & Policy 2005;12:431-436

24. Kettle C, Ismail KMK, O’Mahony F. Dyspareunia following childbirth. The Obstetrician & Gynaecologist. 2005;7:245-249

25. Ismail KMK, O’Brien PMS. Premenstrual syndrome. Current Obstetrics & Gynaecology 2005; 15(1):25-30.

26. Warrilow G, Kirkham C, Ismail KMK, Dimmock P, Wyatt K, O’Brien PMS for the Menorrhagia Research Group. Quantification of menstrual blood loss. The Obstetrician and Gynaecologist 2004;6:88-92.

27. Wyatt KM, Dimmock PW, Ismail KM, Jones PW, O’Brien PMS. The effectiveness of GnRHa with and without ‘add-back’ therapy in treating premenstrual syndrome: a meta analysis. BJOG. 2004;111:585-593.

28. O’Brien PMS, Ismail KMK. Premenstrual Syndrome. Strat-OG (Distant Learning Package). RCOG 2004. ISBN 1-900364-61-1

29. Hassan I, Ismail KM, O’Brien S. PMS in the perimenopause. The Journal of the British Menopause Society. 2004;10(4):151-156.

30. Ismail KMK, Kilby MD. Human Parvovirus B19 infection and pregnancy. The Obstetrician and Gynaecologist 2003; 5(1):4-9.

31.Ismail KM, Ashworth JR, Chapman S, McHugo J, Whittle MJ, Martin WL, Kilby MD. Fetal Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Prenatal Diagnosis of Central Nervous System Abnormalities. Journal of Matern Fetal Neonatal Med. 2002;12:185-90

32.Ismail KMK, Kilby MD. Perinatal implications of Cytomegalovirus. Perinatology 2002; 4:1-6

33.Ismail KMK, Johanson RB. Peritoneal closure (Green-top guideline). RCOG Press; 2002

34.O’Brien PMS, Ismail KMK. Evidence-based management of Premenstrual Syndrome. Pulse 2001; 61(15): 60

35.Ismail KMK, O’Brien PMS. Premenstrual Syndrome. Current Obstetrics and Gynaecology 2001;11(4): 251-255

36.Ismail KMK, Martin W, Ghosh S, Whittle M, Kilby MD. Etiology and Oucome of hydrops fetalis. Journal of Materno Fetal Medicine 2001;10:175-181.

37.Martin WL, Ismail KMK, Brace V, Chapman C, Kilby MD. Prenatal diagnosis of Klippel Trenaunay Weber syndrome. Prenatal Diagnosis 2001; 21:311-313

38.Ismail KMK, Wilson M, Kilby MD. Fetal pain and analgesia. Current Obstetrics and Gynaecology 2000; 10: 214-217

39.Brackley KJ, Ismail KMK, Wright J, Kilby MD. The resolution of fetal hydrops using combined maternal digoxin and dexamethasone therapy in a case of isolated complete heart block at 30 weeks gestation. Fetal Diagnosis and Therapy 2000;15:355-358

40.Ismail KMK, Ghosh S, Kilby M, Whittle M. Unexpected rapid rise of maternal serum Anti-D levels during pregnancy. Journal Obstet Gynaecol 2000;20(4):378-9

41. Ismail KMK, Shervington J. Hemoperitoneum secondary to pelvic endometriosis in pregnancy. Int J Gynaecol Obstet. 1999;67(2):107-8

42.Ismail KMK. Multi-use Knot Pusher. G.B. Patent Office on the 18th of November, 1998, Reference of publication is: GB 2 325 165 A

43.Ismail KMK, Khatter EM, Abdel-Hafez S, Lamie K. Evaluation of laparoscopic colposuspension for the treatment of genuine stress urinary incontinence. Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. MD Thesis. Ain Shams University, Cairo, 1998.

44.Ismail KMK, Lamie K. The value of leukocyte esterase in the prediction of amniotic fluid culture results in preterm premature rupture of the membranes. M.SC. Thesis. Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. MSc. Thesis. Ain Shams University, Cairo, 1994.

Research grants:

• The Health Foundation (Joint lead applicant), PEARLS, £476,000

• University Hospital of North Staffordshire R&D grant for Tests in Prediction of Pre-eclampsia Project (TIPPS), £ 34,000

• North Staffordshire Medical institute pump-priming grant for the REPAIR study £18,500

• North Staffordshire Medical Institute grant for Variation of acetone and ammonia in urine headspace throughout the

menstrual cycle using selected ion flow tube mass spectrometry. £9,955 (PI)

• North Staffordshire Medical Institute, Effect of maternal folate on fetal gene methylation. £3,200.

• North Staffordshire Medical Institute pump-priming grant for the Genetics of PMS study (£10,000). (co-applicant)

Awards for R&D: