Molecular phylogenetic analyses reveal multiple long-distance dispersal events and extensive cryptic speciation in (Orchidaceae), an isolated basal Epidendroid genus.

Introduction: The terrestrial orchid genus is diagnosed by its hysteranthous pattern of emergence but is nested among leafless myco-heterotrophic lineages in the lower Epidendroideae. Comprising ca. 80 species distributed across Africa, Asia and Oceania, the genus remains poorly known and plagued by vague and overlapping species circumscriptions, especially within each of a series of taxonomically intractable species complexes.

Investigating causal effects of income on health using two-sample Mendelian randomisation.

Background: Income is associated with many health outcomes, but it is unclear how far this reflects a causal relationship. Mendelian randomisation (MR) uses genetic variation between individuals to investigate causal effects and may overcome some of the confounding issues inherent in many observational study designs.

Methods: We used two-sample MR using data from unrelated individuals to estimate the effect of log occupational income on indicators of mental health, physical health, and health-related behaviours.

A test of the Grant-Stebbins pollinator-shift model of floral evolution.

Pollinators are thought to play a key role in driving incipient speciation within the angiosperms. However, the mechanisms underlying floral divergence in plants with generalist pollination systems, remains understudied. Brunsvigia gregaria displays significant geographical variation in floral traits and are visited by diverse pollinator communities.

Retrospective cumulative dietary risk assessment of craniofacial alterations by residues of pesticides.

In 2022, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) conducted a dietary cumulative risk assessment for active substances of plant protection products on two types of craniofacial alterations: 1) craniofacial alterations due to abnormal skeletal development and 2) head soft tissue alterations and brain neural tube defects. These effects were selected based on developmental biology knowledge and a hypothetical teratogenic process. Cumulative risk assessment was conducted for 14 European populations of women in childbearing age.

Cutaneous leishmaniasis in British troops following jungle training in Belize: Cumulative incidence and potential risk practices.

Background: British soldiers undergoing jungle training in Belize typically experience a relatively low risk of developing cutaneous leishmaniasis. However, an uncharacteristically large outbreak of cutaneous leishmaniasis occurred in 2022. This study aimed to determine the cumulative incidence of the disease and highlight potential shortcomings in personal protective measures to mitigate exposure to sand fly vector bites.

Estimating the causal effects of income on health: how researchers' definitions of "income" matter.

Background: There is a well-established cross-sectional association between income and health, but estimates of the causal effects of income vary substantially. Different definitions of income may lead to substantially different empirical results, yet research is often framed as investigating "the effect of income" as if it were a single, easily definable construct.

Methods/results: The aim of this paper is to introduce a taxonomy for definitional and conceptual issues in studying individual- or household-level income for health research.

Evaluating the influence of taxation and social security policies on psychological distress: A microsimulation study of the UK during the COVID-19 economic crisis.

Economic determinants are important for population health, but actionable evidence of how policies can utilise these pathways remains scarce. This study employs a microsimulation framework to evaluate the effects of taxation and social security policies on population mental health. The UK economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic provides an informative context involving an economic shock accompanied by one of the strongest discretionary fiscal responses amongst OECD countries.

A new framework for developing and evaluating complex interventions: update of Medical Research Council guidance.

The UK Medical Research Council's widely used guidance for developing and evaluating complex interventions has been replaced by a new framework, commissioned jointly by the Medical Research Council and the National Institute for Health Research, which takes account of recent developments in theory and methods and the need to maximise the efficiency, use, and impact of research.

Climate warming shifts riverine macroinvertebrate communities to be more sensitive to chemical pollutants.

Freshwaters are highly threatened ecosystems that are vulnerable to chemical pollution and climate change. Freshwater taxa vary in their sensitivity to chemicals and changes in species composition can potentially affect the sensitivity of assemblages to chemical exposure. Here we explore the potential consequences of future climate change on the composition and sensitivity of freshwater macroinvertebrate assemblages to chemical stressors using the UK as a case study.

A preoperative package of care for osteoarthritis, consisting of weight loss, orthotics, rehabilitation, and topical and oral analgesia (OPPORTUNITY): a two-centre, open-label, randomised controlled feasibility trial.

Background: Osteoarthritis of the knee is a major cause of disability worldwide. Non-operative treatments can reduce the morbidity but adherence is poor. We hypothesised that adherence could be optimised if behavioural change was established in the preoperative period.

Spatial variation in the sensitivity of freshwater macroinvertebrate assemblages to chemical stressors.

Assessing spatial variation in the chemical sensitivity of natural assemblages will enhance ecological relevance and reduce uncertainty in ecological risk assessments and the derivation of environmental quality standards (EQSs). However, the majority of species in natural communities have not undergone toxicity testing for any chemical, which poses a major challenge when assessing their sensitivity. We investigated spatial variation and patterns in the sensitivity of 4084 freshwater macroinvertebrate assemblages across England to 5 general-acting chemicals (heavy metals) and 13 specifically acting chemicals (insecticides) using a novel hierarchical species sensitivity distribution method based on taxonomic relatedness.

Evaluation of the Healthy Start voucher scheme on maternal vitamin use and child breastfeeding: a natural experiment using data linkage.

Background: Having a good start in life during pregnancy and infancy has been shown to be important for living both a healthy life and a longer life. Despite the introduction of many policies for the early-years age group, including voucher schemes, with the aim of improving nutrition, there is limited evidence of their impact on health.

Objectives: To assess the effectiveness of the Healthy Start voucher scheme on infant, child and maternal outcomes, and to capture the lived experiences of the Healthy Start voucher scheme for low-income women.

Natural experiments for the evaluation of place-based public health interventions: a methodology scoping review.

Introduction: Place-based public health evaluations are increasingly making use of natural experiments. This scoping review aimed to provide an overview of the design and use of natural experiment evaluations (NEEs), and an assessment of the plausibility of the randomization assumption.

Methods: A systematic search of three bibliographic databases (Pubmed, Web of Science and Ovid-Medline) was conducted in January 2020 to capture publications that reported a natural experiment of a place-based public health intervention or outcome.

The health impact of Scotland's Baby Box Scheme: a natural experiment evaluation using national linked health data.

Background: Scotland's Baby Box Scheme (SBBS) is a national programme offering a box of essential items to all pregnant women in Scotland intended to improve infant and maternal health. We aimed to evaluate the effect of SBBS on selected infant and maternal health outcomes at population and subgroup levels (maternal age and area deprivation).

Methods: Our complete-case, intention-to-treat evaluation used national health data (from the Scottish Morbidity Record [SMR] 01, SMR02, and the Child Health Surveillance Programme-Pre School), linking birth records to postnatal hospitalisation and universal health visitor records in Scotland.

Subsidised housing and diabetes mortality: a retrospective cohort study of 10 million low-income adults in Brazil.

Introduction: Housing-related factors can be predictors of health, including of diabetes outcomes. We analysed the association between subsidised housing residency and diabetes mortality among a large cohort of low-income adults in Brazil.

Research Design And Methods: A cohort of 9 961 271 low-income adults, observed from January 2010 to December 2015, was created from Brazilian administrative records of social programmes and death certificates.

A scoping review establishes need for consensus guidance on reporting health equity in observational studies.

Objectives: To evaluate the support from the available guidance on reporting of health equity in research for our candidate items and to identify additional items for the Strengthening Reporting of Observational studies in Epidemiology-Equity extension.

Study Design And Setting: We conducted a scoping review by searching Embase, MEDLINE, CINAHL, Cochrane Methodology Register, LILACS, and Caribbean Center on Health Sciences Information up to January 2022. We also searched reference lists and gray literature for additional resources.

Understanding inequalities in mental health by family structure during COVID-19 lockdowns: evidence from the UK Household Longitudinal Study.

Purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic increased psychiatric distress and impacts differed by family structure. We aimed to identify mechanisms contributing to these inequalities.

Methods: Survey data were from the UK Household Longitudinal Study.

Exploring the health and sociodemographic characteristics of people seeking advice with claiming universal credit: a cross-sectional analysis of UK citizens advice data, 2017-2021.

Background: The UK Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) administers Universal Credit (UC) - the main UK benefit for people in- and out-of-work. UC is being rolled out nationally from 2013 to 2024. Citizens Advice (CA) is an independent charity that provides advice and support to people making a claim for UC.

Improving social justice in observational studies: protocol for the development of a global and Indigenous STROBE-equity reporting guideline.

Background: Addressing persistent and pervasive health inequities is a global moral imperative, which has been highlighted and magnified by the societal and health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Observational studies can aid our understanding of the impact of health and structural oppression based on the intersection of gender, race, ethnicity, age and other factors, as they frequently collect this data. However, the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) guideline, does not provide guidance related to reporting of health equity.

Co-Benefits of Largescale Organic farming On huMan health (BLOOM): Protocol for a cluster-randomised controlled evaluation of the Andhra Pradesh Community-managed Natural Farming programme in India.

The BLOOM study (co-Benefits of Largescale Organic farming On huMan health) aims to determine if a government-implemented agroecology programme reduces pesticide exposure and improves dietary diversity in agricultural households. To achieve this aim, a community-based, cluster-randomised controlled evaluation of the Andhra Pradesh Community-managed Natural Farming (APCNF) programme will be conducted in 80 clusters (40 intervention and 40 control) across four districts of Andhra Pradesh state in south India. Approximately 34 households per cluster will be randomly selected for screening and enrolment into the evaluation at baseline.

Impact of the Finnish Maternity Grant on infant mortality rates in the 20th century: a natural experimental study.

Background: Baby boxes provide goods to new parents and a space for infant sleeping. They were first introduced in Finland, and it has been argued that the policy helped reduce infant mortality. We evaluated the impact of the Finnish Maternity Grant (which includes the Finnish Baby Box) on infant mortality rates (IMRs) at the points of introduction (disadvantaged mothers only) in 1938 and universalisation in 1949.