Acceptability and optimisation of resources to support antidepressant cessation: a qualitative think-aloud study with patients in Australian primary care.

Background: Stopping long-term (>12 months) antidepressant use can be difficult due to unpleasant withdrawal symptoms. Many people do not recognise withdrawal symptoms or understand how to minimise them while safely discontinuing antidepressants. To address the gaps, the authors developed the 'Redressing long-term antidepressant use' (RELEASE) resources, comprising a medicines information brochure, a decision aid, and drug- specific hyperbolic tapering protocols.

Statistical methodologies for evaluation of the rate of persistence of Ebola virus in semen of male survivors in Sierra Leone.

The 2013-2016 Ebola virus (EBOV) outbreak in West Africa was the largest and most complex outbreak ever, with a total number of cases and deaths higher than in all previous EBOV outbreaks combined. The outbreak was characterized by rapid spread of the infection in nations that were weakly prepared to handle it. EBOV ribonucleic acid (RNA) is known to persist in body fluids following disease recovery, and studying this persistence is crucial for controlling such epidemics.

A protocol for longitudinal monitoring of individual building occupants and their environments.

Buildings account for approximately 40% of the energy consumption across the European Union, so there is a requirement to strive for better energy performance to reduce the global impact of urbanised societies. However, energy performant buildings can negatively impact building occupants (e.g.

Establishment of an International Collaborative Network for N-of-1 Trials and Single-Case Designs.

In this article we briefly examine the unique features of Single-Case Designs (SCDs) (studies in a single participant), their history and current trends, and real-world clinical applications. The International Collaborative Network for N-of-1 Trials and Single-Case Designs (ICN) is a formal collaborative network for individuals with an interest in SCDs. The ICN was established in 2017 to support the SCD scientific community and provide opportunities for collaboration, a global communication channel, resource sharing and knowledge exchange.

Exploring Symptom Fluctuations and Triggers in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Using Novel Patient-Centred N-of-1 Observational Designs: A Protocol for a Feasibility and Acceptability Study.

Background: Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is a chronic condition of unknown aetiology associated with a range of disabling symptoms, including post-exertional malaise, chronic fatigue, musculoskeletal pain, orthostatic intolerance, unrefreshing sleep, and cognitive dysfunction. ME/CFS is a heterogeneous disorder, with significant variation in symptom type and severity between individuals, as well as within individuals over time. The diversity of ME/CFS symptom presentation makes management challenging; treatments supported by data from randomised controlled trials may not work for all individuals due to the variability in experienced symptoms.

Implementing a weight-specific quality-of-life tool for young people in primary health care: a qualitative study.

Background: Obesity is thought to be one of the most serious global public health challenges of the 21st century. The primary care setting is important in terms of the diagnosis, education, and management of obesity in children and young people. This study explored the views of primary care clinicians on the implementation of a quality-of-life (QoL) tool to help young people and their families identify the impact of weight on QoL.

N-of-1 Trials in Healthcare.

Interest in N-of-1 trials and single-case designs is increasing worldwide, particularly due to the movement towards personalised medicine and patient-centred healthcare [...

Perceived influences on smoking behaviour and perceptions of dentist-delivered smoking cessation advice: A qualitative interview study.

Objectives: Many factors lead to the commencement and maintenance of smoking, and better understanding of these is relevant in the management of oral health, particularly as smoking cessation advice (SCA) from the dental team is a key component of patient care. Whereas most previous research has focused on dental professionals' perceptions of providing SCA, and identified facilitators and barriers to its provision, there has been more limited research focusing on patients' perceptions of receiving SCA in the dental context. Accordingly, this study aimed to explore the views of smokers with periodontitis receiving dentist-delivered SCA.

Breast cancer nursing interventions and clinical effectiveness: a systematic review.

Objectives: To examine the effects of nurse-led interventions on the health-related quality of life, symptom burden and self-management/behavioural outcomes in women with breast cancer.

Methods: Cochrane Controlled Register of Trials (CENTRAL), Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Medline and Embase databases were searched (January 1999 to May 2019) to identify randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and controlled before-and-after studies of interventions delivered by nurses with oncology experience for women with breast cancer. Risk of bias was evaluated using the .

Analysing N-of-1 observational data in health psychology and behavioural medicine: a 10-step SPSS tutorial for beginners.

: N-of-1 observational studies can be used to describe natural intra-individual changes in health-related behaviours or symptoms over time, to test behavioural theories and to develop highly personalised health interventions. To date, N-of-1 observational methods have been under-used in health psychology and behavioural medicine. One reason for this may be the perceived complexity of statistical analysis of N-of-1 data.

Prostate cancer survivorship priorities for men and their partners: Delphi consensus from a nurse specialist cohort.

Aims & Objectives: To describe the prostate cancer survivorship experience and priorities from the perspective of prostate cancer specialist nurses.

Background: Specialist nurses are providing long-term survivorship care to men and their partners however, few prostate cancer survivorship interventions are effective and priorities for nurse-led survivorship care are poorly understood.

Design: A three-round modified Delphi approach.

Comparison of Aggregated N-of-1 Trials with Parallel and Crossover Randomized Controlled Trials Using Simulation Studies.

N-of-1 trials offer an innovative approach to delivering personalized clinical care together with population-level research. While increasingly used, these methods have raised some statistical concerns in the healthcare community. We discuss concerns of selection bias, carryover effects from treatment, and trial data analysis conceptually, then rigorously evaluate concerns of effect sizes, power, and sample size through simulation study.

A feasibility study with embedded pilot randomised controlled trial and process evaluation of electronic cigarettes for smoking cessation in patients with periodontitis.

Background: Tobacco smoking is a major risk factor for several oral diseases, including periodontitis, and electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are increasingly being used for smoking cessation. This study aimed to assess the viability of delivering and evaluating an e-cigarette intervention for smoking cessation within the dental setting, prior to a definitive study.

Methods: A feasibility study, comprising a pilot randomised controlled trial and qualitative process evaluation, was conducted over 22 months in the Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Dental Clinical Research Facility, UK.

Changes in physical activity during the retirement transition: a series of novel n-of-1 natural experiments.

Background: Existing evidence about the impact of retirement on physical activity (PA) has primarily focused on the average change in PA level after retirement in group-based studies. It is unclear whether findings regarding the direction of PA change after retirement from group-based studies apply to individuals. This study aimed to explore changes in PA, PA determinants and their inter-relationships during the retirement transition at the individual level.

Dynamic modelling of n-of-1 data: powerful and flexible data analytics applied to individualised studies.

N-of-1 studies are based on repeated observations within an individual or unit over time and are acknowledged as an important research method for generating scientific evidence about the health or behaviour of an individual. Statistical analyses of n-of-1 data require accurate modelling of the outcome while accounting for its distribution, time-related trend and error structures (e.g.

The state of the art and future opportunities for using longitudinal n-of-1 methods in health behaviour research: a systematic literature overview.

n-of-1 studies test hypotheses within individuals based on repeated measurement of variables within the individual over time. Intra-individual effects may differ from those found in between-participant studies. Using examples from a systematic review of n-of-1 studies in health behaviour research, this article provides a state of the art overview of the use of n-of-1 methods, organised according to key methodological considerations related to n-of-1 design and analysis, and describes future challenges and opportunities.

Changes in physical activity during the retirement transition: a theory-based, qualitative interview study.

Background: There are considerable inter-individual differences in the direction and degree of change in physical activity (PA) levels during the retirement transition. There is currently a limited theoretical understanding of how these differences can be explained. This study aimed to explore and compare perceptions about how theory-based factors influence PA change during the transition from employment to retirement among individuals approaching retirement and recently retired.

Analysis of halogen-specific TOX revisited: Method improvement and application.

A method was optimised and evaluated for the analysis of total organic halogen (TOX) in drinking water samples. It involved adsorption of organic halogen onto activated carbon, followed by combustion of the activated carbon and adsorbed material, absorption of the resulting hydrogen halide gases in an absorbing solution, and analysis of halide ions in the solution using an on-line ion chromatograph. Careful optimisation and validation of the method resulted in significant improvements compared to previously reported methods.

The features of interventions associated with long-term effectiveness of physical activity interventions in adults aged 55-70 years: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Content, delivery and effects of physical activity (PA) interventions are heterogeneous. There is a need to identify intervention features (content and delivery) related to long-term effectiveness. Behaviour change techniques (BCTs) and modes of intervention delivery were coded in 19 randomised controlled trials included in a systematic review of PA interventions for adults aged 55-70 years, published between 2000 and 2010, with PA outcomes ≥ 12 months after randomisation; protocol registration: PROSPERO CRD42011001459.

Salford alcohol assertive outreach team: a new model for reducing alcohol-related admissions.

Objective: Alcohol-related admissions are increasing. A significant number of these admissions are attributable to a small number of complex patients with other comorbidities who do not engage well with mainstream services. Assertive outreach teams have been used in the field of psychiatry to engage patients who are poorly compliant.

Randomised controlled feasibility trial of an evidence-informed behavioural intervention for obese adults with additional risk factors.

Background: Interventions for dietary and physical activity changes in obese adults may be less effective for participants with additional obesity-related risk factors and co-morbidities than for otherwise healthy individuals. This study aimed to test the feasibility and acceptability of the recruitment, allocation, measurement, retention and intervention procedures of a randomised controlled trial of an intervention to improve physical activity and dietary practices amongst obese adults with additional obesity related risk factors.

Method: Pilot single centre open-labelled outcome assessor-blinded randomised controlled trial of obese (Body Mass Index (BMI)≥30 kg/m2) adults (age≥18 y) with obesity related co-morbidities such as type 2 diabetes, impaired glucose tolerance or hypertension.

Dissolved organic carbon reduces uranium bioavailability and toxicity. 1. Characterization of an aquatic fulvic acid and its complexation with uranium[VI].

Fulvic acid (FA) from a tropical Australian billabong (lagoon) was isolated with XAD-8 resin and characterized using size exclusion chromatography, solid state cross-polarization magic angle spinning, 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, elemental analysis, and potentiometric acid-base titration. Physicochemical characteristics of the billabong FA were comparable with those of the Suwannee River Fulvic Acid (SRFA) standard. The greater negative charge density of the billabong FA suggested it contained protons that were more weakly bound than those of SRFA, with the potential for billabong water to complex less metal contaminants, such as uranium (U).