Implementing a General Practice-Based Link Worker Intervention for People with Multimorbidity During the Covid-19 Pandemic- a Mixed Methods Process Evaluation of the LinkMM RCT.

Background: Social prescribing link workers support patients to connect with community resources to improve their health and well-being. These roles are prominent in policy, but there is limited evidence on what support is provided by link workers and what factors influence implementation of link worker interventions.

Methods: A convergent, mixed methods process evaluation of an exploratory randomised trial of a one-month general practice-based link worker intervention targeting adults with multimorbidity in deprived areas.

Probing the oral-brain connection: oral microbiome patterns in a large community cohort with anxiety, depression, and trauma symptoms, and periodontal outcomes.

The role of the oral microbiome in mental health has recently been appreciated within the proposed oral-brain axis. This study examined the structure and composition of the salivary microbiome in a large-scale population-based cohort of individuals reporting mental health symptoms (n = 306) compared to mentally healthy controls (n = 164) using 16S rRNA sequencing. Mental health symptoms were evaluated using validated questionnaires and included depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), with accompanying periodontal outcomes.

Countering social exclusion through inclusive homecare provision: Utilising a participatory life-course approach to influence policy.

Homecare models can be effective mechanisms in securing wellbeing and ageing-in-place goals prevalent in health policy agendas. However, the relevance and utility of these models for those living in socially and environmentally insecure conditions has rarely been considered. This is marked by an assumption of in-situ care delivery in private dwellings, and the absence of such groups from homecare development processes.

The association of comorbid dementia with length of stay, cost and mortality among older adults in US acute hospitals: An observational study.

Background: Although overall health and social care expenditures among persons with dementia are larger than for other diseases, the resource and cost implications of a comorbid diagnosis of dementia in acute hospitals in the U.S. are largely unknown.

First Accuracy and User-Experience Evaluation of New Continuous Glucose Monitoring System for Hypoglycemia Due to Hyperinsulinism.

Introduction: Patients with congenital hyperinsulinism (HI) require constant glucose monitoring to detect and treat recurrent and severe hypoglycemia. Historically, this has been achieved with intermittent self-monitoring blood glucose (SMBG), but patients are increasingly using continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). Given the rapidity of CGM device development, and increasing calls for CGM use from HI families, it is vital that new devices are evaluated early.

Experiences of People Living with Parkinson's Disease in Care Homes: A Qualitative Systematic Review.

Background: Incidence of disability secondary to Parkinson's disease is increasing faster globally than any other neurological condition. The diverse appearance of symptomatology associated with Parkinson's, and the degenerative nature and subsequent functional decline, often increase dependence on caregivers for assistance with daily living, most commonly within a care home setting. Yet, primary literature and evidence synthesis surrounding these unique and complex care needs, challenges and the lived experiences of this population living in long-term nursing or residential facilities remains sparce.

Standardised practices in the networked management of congenital hyperinsulinism: a UK national collaborative consensus.

Congenital hyperinsulinism (CHI) is a condition characterised by severe and recurrent hypoglycaemia in infants and young children caused by inappropriate insulin over-secretion. CHI is of heterogeneous aetiology with a significant genetic component and is often unresponsive to standard medical therapy options. The treatment of CHI can be multifaceted and complex, requiring multidisciplinary input.

Experiences of health service access: A qualitative interview study of people living with Parkinson's disease in Ireland.

Background: People with Parkinson's disease (PD) do not always access specialist outpatient services in a timely manner in Ireland. The perspectives of people living with PD, relating to service access, are largely absent in the existing literature.

Aim: To explore experiences of PD service access for people living with PD, using a qualitative approach.

Exploring public perceptions and awareness of Parkinson's disease: A scoping review.

Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common neurological disease affecting around 1% of people above sixty years old. It is characterised by both motor and non-motor symptoms including tremor, slow movement, unsteady gait, constipation and urinary incontinence. As the disease progresses, individuals living with the disease are likely to lose their independence and autonomy, subsequently affecting their quality of life.

Targeting activins and inhibins to treat reproductive disorders and cancer cachexia.

Although originally characterised as proteins involved in the control of reproductive function, activins, and to a lesser degree inhibins, are also important regulators of homeostasis in extragonadal tissues. Accordingly, disrupted inhibin/activin expression can have detrimental effects not only on fertility and fecundity but also on the regulation of muscle, fat and bone mass. Indeed, only recently, two complementary mouse models of inhibin designed to lack bioactivity/responsiveness revealed that inhibin A/B deficiency during pregnancy restricts embryo and fetal survival.

Oxidized soluble guanylyl cyclase causes erectile dysfunction in alcoholic mice.

Background And Purpose: Alcohol abuse has been associated with erectile dysfunction (ED), but the implicated molecular mechanisms are unresolved. This study analyses the role of alterations in soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC) in ED.

Experimental Approach: ED was analysed in adult male C57BL/6J mice subjected to the Chronic Intermittent Ethanol (CIE) paradigm.

Psychotropic Medication Prescribing to Patients with Dementia Admitted to Acute Hospitals in Ireland.

Background: Psychotropic medications are commonly prescribed to people with dementia (PwD) for non-cognitive symptoms of dementia (NCSD), but have significant risks. A national audit was performed in acute hospitals in the Republic of Ireland (ROI) to establish baseline practice prior to the launch and implementation of a National Clinical Guideline on the appropriate prescribing of psychotropic medications for NCSD. The objective of this study was to analyse psychotropic prescribing patterns and compare these with international data and with existing (limited) data from a previous audit round.

Older adults and healthcare professionals have limited awareness of the link between the Mediterranean diet and the gut microbiome for healthy aging.

Objectives: Strategies to improve the gut microbiome through consuming an improved diet, including adopting the Mediterranean Diet (MD), may promote healthy aging. We explored older adults' and healthcare professionals' (HCPs) perspectives of the MD, gut health, and microbiome for their role in healthy aging.

Design: Phenomenological qualitative.

Effect of social prescribing link workers on health outcomes and costs for adults in primary care and community settings: a systematic review.

Objectives: To establish the evidence base for the effects on health outcomes and costs of social prescribing link workers (non-health or social care professionals who connect people to community resources) for people in community settings focusing on people experiencing multimorbidity and social deprivation.

Design: Systematic review and narrative synthesis using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach.

Data Sources: Cochrane Database, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, ClinicalTrials.

Impact of an Evidence-Based Pediatric Palliative Care Program on Nurses' Self-Efficacy.

Background The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of a 1-day evidence-based pediatric palliative care continuing professional development program on nurses' and advanced practice registered nurses' perceived self-efficacy regarding palliative care. Method The revised Pediatric Palliative Care Questionnaire was administered to participants before and after a 7½-hour program. A multimodal approach was used to teach topics specific to pediatric palliative care.

Extended length of stay and related costs associated with dementia in acute care hospitals in Ireland.

Objective: To estimate the additional impact of dementia on in-patient length of stay (LOS) and related costs in Irish acute hospitals. Both principal and secondary diagnosis effects are estimated and valued.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional study based on administrative data collected on all public hospital in-patient discharges in Ireland for people aged 65 years and older in 2019.

Exploratory pilot study on resource allocation along the dementia continuum under constrained and unconstrained budget scenarios.

Background: People with dementia and their carers have a wide range of health and social care needs which vary along the dementia continuum. The government response to events and transitions at various stages of the continuum can have a substantial impact on the lived experience of dementia and to resource allocation decision-making. Hearing what practitioners have to say about need at various points of transition along the dementia continuum is very important, especially for the resource allocation process.

Abnormal glucose tolerance in women with prior gestational diabetes mellitus: a 4-year follow-up study.

Background: Adoption of the International Association of Diabetes and Pregnancy Study Group (IADPSG) criteria for diagnosis of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) varies worldwide. Early detection of women at increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) following GDM enables initiation of measures to delay disease onset.

Objectives: To determine the 4-year cumulative incidence and risk factors for developing abnormal glucose tolerance (AGT) among women with previous GDM using modified IADPSG criteria.

Influx of kynurenine into the brain is involved in the reduction of ethanol consumption induced by Ro 61-8048 after chronic intermittent ethanol in mice.

Background And Purpose: The kynurenine pathway has been proposed as a target for modulating drug abuse. We previously demonstrated that inhibition of kynurenine 3-monooxygenase (KMO), using Ro 61-8048, reduces ethanol consumption in a binge drinking model. Here, we investigate the effect of the kynurenine pathway modulation in ethanol-dependent mice.