Protocol for a feasibility randomised controlled trial of the 'Outdoor' mobility intervention for older adults after hip fracture.

Background: A high proportion of patients do not regain outdoor mobility after hip fracture. Rehabilitation explicitly targeting outdoor mobility is needed to enable these older adults to recover activities which they value most. The overarching aim of this study is to determine the feasibility of a randomised controlled trial which aims to assess the clinical- and cost-effectiveness of an intervention designed to enable recovery of outdoor mobility among older adults after hip fracture (the OUTDOOR intervention).

Early versus delayed weight-bearing following operatively treated ankle fracture (WAX): a non-inferiority, multicentre, randomised controlled trial.

Background: After surgery for a broken ankle, patients are usually instructed to avoid walking for 6 weeks (delayed weight-bearing). Walking 2 weeks after surgery (early weight-bearing) might be a safe and preferable rehabilitation strategy. This study aimed to determine the clinical and cost effectiveness of an early weight-bearing strategy compared with a delayed weight-bearing strategy.

PEARLS - A multicentre phase II/III trial of extended field radiotherapy for androgen sensitive prostate cancer patients with PSMA-avid pelvic and/or para-aortic lymph nodes at presentation.

PEARLS is a multi-stage randomised controlled trial for prostate cancer patients with pelvic and/or para-aortic PSMA-avid lymph node disease at presentation. The aim of the trial is to determine whether extending the radiotherapy field to cover the para-aortic lymph nodes (up to L1/L2 vertebral interspace) can improve outcomes for this patient group.

An Electro-Microbial Process to Uncouple Food Production from Photosynthesis for Application in Space Exploration.

Here we propose the concept of an electro-microbial route to uncouple food production from photosynthesis, thereby enabling production of nutritious food in space without the need to grow plant-based crops. In the proposed process, carbon dioxide is fixed into ethanol using either chemical catalysis or microbial carbon fixation, and the ethanol created is used as a carbon source for yeast to synthesize food for human or animal consumption. The process depends upon technologies that can utilize electrical energy to fix carbon into ethanol and uses an optimized strain of the yeast to produce high-quality, food-grade, single-cell protein using ethanol as the sole carbon source in a minimal medium.

Eukaryogenesis: The Rise of an Emergent Superorganism.

Although it is widely taught that all modern life descended modification from a last universal common ancestor (LUCA), this dominant paradigm is yet to provide a generally accepted explanation for the chasm in design between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. Counter to this dominant paradigm, the viral eukaryogenesis (VE) hypothesis proposes that the eukaryotes originated as an emergent superorganism and thus did not evolve from LUCA descent with incremental modification. According to the VE hypothesis, the eukaryotic nucleus descends from a viral factory, the mitochondrion descends from an enslaved alpha-proteobacteria and the cytoplasm and plasma membrane descend from an archaeal host.

Formalising the induction of patient and public involvement contributors on trial oversight committees.

Background: Clinical Trials Units are encouraged to integrate Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) into all aspects of trial design, running and oversight. This research explored the induction and training of PPI Contributors joining trial oversight committees and was used to update the Medical Research Council Clinical Trials Unit at University College London's (MRC CTU at UCL) induction pack for new PPI Contributors.

Methods: Published and unpublished materials provided by other CTUs and research organisations on training for PPI Contributors on oversight committees were reviewed, with themes then triangulated to identify the most common topics covered in induction training.

Evidence supporting a viral origin of the eukaryotic nucleus.

The defining feature of the eukaryotic cell is the possession of a nucleus that uncouples transcription from translation. According to the updated Viral Eukaryogenesis (VE) hypothesis presented here, the eukaryotic nucleus descends from the viral factory of a DNA virus that infected the archaeal ancestor of the eukaryotes. The VE hypothesis implies that many unique features of the nucleus, including the mechanisms by which the eukaryotic nucleus uncouples transcription from translation, should be viral rather than cellular in origin.

Engineering Education as the Development of Critical Sociotechnical Literacy.

Recent policy documents position engineering as a way to broaden participation for students in STEM fields. However, a recent review of the literature on engineering education found that fewer than 1% of reviewed articles focused on issues of equity and broadening participation. For this reason, there are few frameworks to build on when designing for equitable engineering instruction in K-12 settings.

Research priorities for the management of broken bones of the upper limb in people over 50: a UK priority setting partnership with the James Lind Alliance.

Objective: To determine research priorities for the management of broken bones of the upper limb in people over 50, which represent the shared priorities of patients, their families, carers and healthcare professionals.

Design/setting: A national (UK) research priority setting partnership.

Participants: People aged 50 and over who have experienced a fracture of the upper limb, carers involved in their care, family and friends of patients, healthcare professionals involved in the treatment of these patients.

Research priorities in fragility fractures of the lower limb and pelvis: a UK priority setting partnership with the James Lind Alliance.

Objective: To determine research priorities in fragility fractures of the lower limb and pelvis which represent the shared priorities of patients, their friends and families, carers and healthcare professionals.

Design/setting: A national (UK) research priority setting partnership.

Participants: Patients over 60 years of age who have experienced a fragility fracture of the lower limb or pelvis; carers involved in their care (both in and out of hospital); family and friends of patients; healthcare professionals involved in the treatment of these patients including but not limited to surgeons, anaesthetists, paramedics, nurses, general practitioners, physicians, physiotherapists and occupational therapists.

Quantification of bowling workload and changes in cognitive function in elite fast bowlers in training compared with Twenty20 Cricket.

Background: Bowling overs are the primary recorded measure for workloads in cricket for youth through to professionals. However, the validity of this measure has never been tested. Additionally, despite the cognitive component of cricket being suggested to be very high, changes in psychomotor processing speed has again not been explored.

Rivaroxaban and retropharyngeal haemorrhage.

Haemorrhage is a well-known and accepted complication of anticoagulation. A retropharyngeal haemorrhage (RH) is a rare condition that without prompt recognition and management may result in fatal complications. We report a case of RH in a 67-year-old man anticoagulated with rivaroxaban for atrial fibrillation.

A little more conversation please? Qualitative study of researchers' and patients' interview accounts of training for patient and public involvement in clinical trials.

Background: Training in patient and public involvement (PPI) is recommended, yet little is known about what training is needed. We explored researchers' and PPI contributors' accounts of PPI activity and training to inform the design of PPI training for both parties.

Methods: We used semi-structured qualitative interviews with researchers (chief investigators and trial managers) and PPI contributors, accessed through a cohort of clinical trials, which had been funded between 2006 and 2010.

Traumatic rupture of sternocleidomastoid muscle following an epileptic seizure.

A 29-year-old man, a known epileptic, presented to an accident and emergency department following a tonic-clonic seizure, suffering a second seizure in the department. Subsequently, he reported neck pain, swelling and stiffness. An otorhinolaryngology neck examination revealed a tender left side with two palpable masses and a reduced range of movement.

Patient and public involvement in the early stages of clinical trial development: a systematic cohort investigation.

Background: Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) are considered particularly likely to benefit from patient and public involvement (PPI). Decisions made by professional researchers at the outset may go on to have a significant impact on the potential for PPI contributions.

Objective: To increase knowledge of PPI within the early development of RCTs by systematically describing the reported level, nature and acceptability of proposed PPI to the funders.

Involving service users in trials: developing a standard operating procedure.

Background: Many funding bodies require researchers to actively involve service users in research to improve relevance, accountability and quality. Current guidance to researchers mainly discusses general principles. Formal guidance about how to involve service users operationally in the conduct of trials is lacking.