Barriers and enablers to recruiting participants within paediatric perioperative and anaesthetic settings: lessons learned from a trial of melatonin versus midazolam in the premedication of anxious children (the MAGIC trial).

Background: Poor recruitment is one key reason for premature closure of randomised controlled trials. The Melatonin for Anxiety prior to General Anaesthesia In Children (MAGIC) trial was a multicentre randomised controlled trial of melatonin midazolam in the premedication of anxious children, before surgery. The trial ran between 2019 and 2022, closing early because of recruitment futility.

Acceptability of midazolam and melatonin as premedications for anxious children undergoing general anaesthesia: a qualitative interview study with children, caregivers and health professionals participating in the MAGIC trial.

Background: The acceptability of a children's premedication, prior to general anaesthesia (GA), is fundamental to ensuring positive clinical- and patient-reported outcomes. Midazolam, the current standard premedication, is known to have an unfavourable side-effects profile and presents a degree of risk which is accepted due to a need for compliance. Melatonin is a functionally diverse hormone with anxiolytic properties that offer potential benefits over midazolam.

Controlled dual drug release from adhesive electrospun patches for prevention and treatment of alveolar osteitis.

Approximately one in five individuals experience alveolar osteitis (AO) following wisdom tooth extraction. AO is characterised by loss of the blood clot from the tooth extraction socket leading to infection and pain, resulting in repeated hospital visits that impose a substantial burden on healthcare systems. Current treatments are sub-optimal; to address this we developed a novel drug-loaded mucoadhesive patch composed of dual electrospun polyvinyl pyrrolidone/Eudragit RS100 (PVP/RS100) and poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) fibres protected by a poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) backing layer.

Solvent Minimized Synthesis of Amides by Reactive Extrusion.

Herein, we report on the translation of a small scale ball-milled amidation protocol into a large scale continuous reactive extrusion process. Critical components to the successful translation were: a) understanding how the different operating parameters of a twin-screw extruder should be harnessed to control prolonged continuous operation, and b) consideration of the physical form of the input materials. The amidation reaction is applied to 36 amides spanning a variety of physical form combinations (liquid-liquid, solid-liquid and solid-solid).

On the Valorisation of Chitin-Derived Furans by Milling.

Chitin-derived furans offer a sustainable alternative feedstock for nitrogen appended aromatic compounds. Herein, we address the challenge of using chitin-derived furans, 3-acetamido-5-acetylfuran (3A5AF) and 3-acetamido-5-furfural aldehyde (3A5F), to favour the formation of exo Diels-Alder adducts and 4-acetylaminophthalimides respectively, using a mechanochemical ball-milling technique. Mechanochemical activation is explored through the synthesis of 7-oxa-norbornene backbones with novel substitution pattern from 3A5AF in yields up to 77 % and improved exo:endo selectivity compared to solution-phase reactions.