Development of the face-to-face component and recruitment strategy of a primary care digital social intervention for patients with asthma: Qualitative focus groups and interviews with stakeholders.

Background: 5.4 million people in the UK have asthma, with one third experiencing suboptimal control, leading to co-morbidities and increased healthcare use. A quarter of people with long-term conditions informally access peer support through online health communities (OHCs).

Vitamin D for the management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Background: COPD is a common, preventable and treatable airway disease, and is currently the third leading cause of death worldwide. About one billion people worldwide are estimated to have vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency. Vitamin D deficiency is common among people with COPD, and has been reported to be associated with reduced lung function and increased risk of acute exacerbations of COPD.

Computationally-accelerated prediction of polyester-melamine coatings degradation to design sustainable organically-coated steels for outdoor applications.

This work implements computational chemistry as a screening tool to aid in the coating and resin formulation process. Conceptual Density Functional theory (DFT) reactivity descriptors like the global chemical hardness and the dual descriptor Fukui function identify the tendency of polyester-melamine coatings to undergo electrophilic and nucleophilic attack during weathering exposure. Coatings were subjected to natural and accelerated weathering tests, with periodic infrared spectroscopy, colour, and gloss measurements to assess for the degree of changes brought about through photodegradation.

Health and illness beliefs in adults with tuberculosis infection during the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK.

Background: COVID-19 disrupted the TB prevention programme in the UK, especially for TB infection (TBI) care. We explore whether experience of the COVID-19 pandemic impacted on patients' perceptions of TBI and its treatment.

Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted as part of the Research to Improve Detection and Treatment of TBI (RID-TB) programme, exploring perceptual and practical barriers to TBI treatment.

Perceptions surrounding the possible interaction between physical activity, pollution and asthma in children and adolescents with and without asthma.

A cornerstone of asthma management is maintaining physical activity (PA), but this may lead to increased exposure to, and deeper inhalation of, pollutants. Furthermore, children and adolescents may be more susceptible to the deleterious impacts of such exposures. Despite the recent air quality campaigns and media coverage surrounding the dangers of air pollution to respiratory health, few target children and their understanding of such issues.

Characterising sources of PM exposure for school children with asthma: a personal exposure study across six cities in sub-Saharan Africa.

Background: Air pollution is the second largest risk to health in Africa, and children with asthma are particularly susceptible to its effects. Yet, there is a scarcity of air pollution exposure data from cities in sub-Saharan Africa. We aimed to identify potential exposure reduction strategies for school children with asthma living in urban areas in sub-Saharan Africa.

Ethical and Information Governance Considerations for Promoting Digital Social Interventions in Primary Care.

Promoting online peer support beyond the informal sector to statutory health services requires ethical considerations and evidence-based knowledge about its impact on patients, health care professionals, and the wider health care system. Evidence on the effectiveness of digital interventions in primary care is sparse, and definitive guidance is lacking on the ethical concerns arising from the use of social media as a means for health-related interventions and research. Existing literature examining ethical issues with digital interventions in health care mainly focuses on apps, electronic health records, wearables, and telephone or video consultations, without necessarily covering digital social interventions, and does not always account for primary care settings specifically.

Understanding interventions delivered in the emergency department targeting improved asthma outcomes beyond the emergency department: an integrative review.

Objectives: The emergency department (ED) represents a place and moment of opportunity to provide interventions to improve long-term asthma outcomes, but feasibility, effectiveness and mechanisms of impact are poorly understood. We aimed to review the existing literature on interventions that are delivered in the ED for adults and adolescents, targeting asthma outcomes beyond the ED, and to code the interventions according to theory used, and to understand the barriers and facilitators to their implementation.

Methods: We systematically searched seven electronic databases and research registers, and manually searched reference lists of included studies and relevant reviews.

The impact of COVID-19 on acute psychiatric admissions for first and repeated episode psychosis.

Background: There is limited evidence of the longer-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on acute admissions for psychosis in the UK.

Aims: We examined the impact of COVID-19 on rates of admissions for first and repeated episode psychosis, and changes in patient profile and seasonal patterns, over a period of 12 months.

Method: We conducted a retrospective case note review of all patients admitted with a primary psychosis (F20-29 ICD 10 diagnosis) to an NHS psychiatric inpatient unit.

Patient financial incentives to improve asthma management: a systematic review.

Objectives: The objectives of this systematic review are to identify studies that assess the effectiveness of patient-directed financial incentive interventions to improve asthma management behaviours, determine overall effectiveness of financial incentives, identify design characteristics of effective interventions and assess the impact on longer-term outcomes in the context of asthma.

Design: Systematic review with narrative synthesis.

Data Sources: Electronic databases (MEDLINE, Embase, Global Health, PsycINFO, CINAHL, PubMed and Web of Science) and grey literature sources (NHS Digital, CORE, ProQuest, Clinical Trials Register and EU Clinical Trials Register) were searched in November 2021 and updated March 2023.

Adapting domestic abuse training to remote delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative study of views from general practice and support services.

Background: Identifying and responding to patients affected by domestic violence and abuse (DVA) is vital in primary care. There may have been a rise in the reporting of DVA cases during the COVID-19 pandemic and associated lockdown measures. Concurrently general practice adopted remote working that extended to training and education.

Care for older forensic mental health patients: A consensus guidance document.

Background: It is important to investigate the needs, experiences, and outcomes of older forensic mental health inpatients. In this consensus document, we offer practitioners working with older forensic inpatients recommendations to meet the unique older-age-related needs of this group.

Method: We report on the findings of a scoping review of service provision and age-responsive interventions for this population.

Quality of life, wellbeing, recovery, and progress for older forensic mental health patients: a qualitative investigation based on the perspectives of patients and staff.

Purpose: There is a lack of research informing service requirements for older (aged≥55 years) forensic mental health patients. The aim of this research was to increase knowledge about older forensic mental health patients' quality of life, wellbeing, recovery, and progress, in order to make recommendations of how to facilitate and enhance these factors.

Methods: In-depth interviews with patients ( = 37) and staff ( = 48) were undertaken; data were analysed using thematic analysis.

Endoscopic Balloon Dilatation in Pediatric Crohn Disease: An IBD Porto Group Study.

Objective/background: Endoscopic balloon dilatation (EBD) has been shown to be effective and safe in adults with stricturing Crohn disease (CD) yet pediatric data is sparse. We aimed to assess efficacy and safety of EBD in stricturing pediatric CD.

Methods: International collaboration included 11 centers from Europe, Canada, and Israel.

General practice wide adaptations to support patients affected by DVA during the COVID-19 pandemic: a rapid qualitative study.

Background: Reporting of domestic violence and abuse (DVA) increased globally during the pandemic. General Practice has a central role in identifying and supporting those affected by DVA. Pandemic associated changes in UK primary care included remote initial contacts with primary care and predominantly remote consulting.

Characteristics of patients with asthma overprescribed short-acting beta-agonist (SABA) reliever inhalers stratified by blood eosinophil count in North East London: a cross-sectional observational study.

Background: Overprescription of short-acting beta-agonist (SABA) inhalers and blood eosinophil count have strong associations with exacerbation risk in asthma. However, in the authors' recent publication only a minority of patients overprescribed SABA (≥6 inhalers in 12 months) were eosinophilic (≥0.3 x 10 cells/l).

Vitamin D for the management of asthma.

Background: Since the previous Cochrane Review on this topic in 2016, debate has continued surrounding a potential role for vitamin D in reducing risk of asthma exacerbation and improving asthma control. We therefore conducted an updated meta-analysis to include data from new trials completed since this date.

Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of administration of vitamin D or its hydroxylated metabolites in reducing the risk of severe asthma exacerbations (defined as those requiring treatment with systemic corticosteroids) and improving asthma symptom control.

Evaluating the effect of short-course rifapentine-based regimens with or without enhanced behaviour-targeted treatment support on adherence and completion of treatment for latent tuberculosis infection among adults in the UK (RID-TB: Treat): protocol for an open-label, multicentre, randomised controlled trial.

Introduction: The successful scale-up of a latent tuberculosis (TB) infection testing and treatment programme is essential to achieve TB elimination. However, poor adherence compromises its therapeutic effectiveness. Novel rifapentine-based regimens and treatment support based on behavioural science theory may improve treatment adherence and completion.

Older forensic mental healthcare patients in England: demographics, physical health, mental wellbeing, cognitive ability and quality of life.

Background: Older individuals (e.g., 55 years and over) constitute a growing proportion of the forensic mental health patient population.

Prevention and treatment of infectious diseases in migrants in Europe in the era of universal health coverage.

Some subpopulations of migrants to Europe are generally healthier than the population of the country of settlement, but are at increased risk of key infectious diseases, including tuberculosis, HIV, and viral hepatitis, as well as under- immunisation. Infection screening programmes across Europe work in disease silos with a focus on individual diseases at the time of arrival. We argue that European health-care practitioners and policy makers would benefit from developing a framework of universal health care for migrants, which proactively offers early testing and vaccinations by delivering multi-disease testing and catch-up vaccination programmes integrated within existing health systems.

Reducing short-acting beta-agonist overprescribing in asthma: lessons from a quality-improvement prescribing project in East London.

Background: Excess prescription and use of short-acting beta-agonist (SABA) inhalers is associated with poor asthma control and increased risk of hospital admission.

Aim: To quantify the prevalence and identify the predictors of SABA overprescribing.

Design And Setting: A cross-sectional study using anonymised clinical and prescribing data from the primary care records in three contiguous East London boroughs.