Exploring the purpose and stages of patient and public involvement and engagement (PPIE) in audiology research: a case study approach.

Background: Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) has become an integral component of contemporary audiology research. It aims to capture diverse views and experiences, essential for evaluating the long-term impact of technological advancements and care models on individuals. Traditional inclusion methods, such as focus groups, may exclude individuals with additional needs or communication difficulties, necessitating the development of more inclusive approaches.

Understanding pectin cross-linking in plant cell walls.

Pectin is a major component of plant cells walls. The extent to which pectin chains crosslink with one another determines crucial properties including cell wall strength, porosity, and the ability of small, biologically significant molecules to access the cell. Despite its importance, significant gaps remain in our comprehension, at the molecular level, of how pectin cross-links influence the mechanical and physical properties of cell walls.

PLA2R autoantibodies, a multifaceted biomarker in nephrotic syndrome and membranous nephropathy.

Background And Hypothesis: The PLA2R antibody test is a valuable first-line diagnostic tool for primary membranous nephropathy (MN), helping to identify PLA2R-related MN and potentially eliminating the need for a kidney biopsy in some individuals. By reducing the reliance on biopsies, the test streamlines diagnosis and improves patient care. However, determining the optimal PLA2R measurement method and cut-off is critical to maximising the benefits of the test and minimising any harms.

The ECOLANG Multimodal Corpus of adult-child and adult-adult Language.

Communication comprises a wealth of multimodal signals (e.g., gestures, eye gaze, intonation) in addition to speech and there is a growing interest in the study of multimodal language by psychologists, linguists, neuroscientists and computer scientists.

Does candidate race influence simulated patient ratings in standardised assessments of clinical practice? A single-blinded randomised study in UK medical schools.

Objectives: Standardisation of medical examinations involves minimising assessor stereotyping and bias for a fair process. This study aimed to determine whether being a non-white candidate affected scoring by simulated patients, compared with a white candidate, at three different performance grades in the same history-taking station.

Design: Single-blinded, video-based, randomised study.

Effect of condensed heat acclimation on thermophysiological adaptations, hypoxic cross-tolerance, exercise performance and de-acclimation.

Short duration heat acclimation (HA) (≤5 daily heat exposures) elicits incomplete adaptation compared to longer interventions, possibly due to the lower accumulated thermal 'dose'. It is unknown if matching thermal 'dose' over a shorter timescale elicits comparable adaptation to a longer intervention. Using a parallel-groups design, we compared: i) 'condensed' HA (CHA; =17 males) consisting of 4×75 min∙day heat exposures (target rectal temperature ()=38.

Factors Associated With Cocaine Use at 17 and 20 Years Old: A Longitudinal Analysis of a Nationally Representative Cohort.

Purpose: Despite growing concerns about trends in cocaine use, there is a shortage of longitudinal research that prospectively examines risk and protective factors associated with cocaine initiation and use in general youth populations. This study addresses this gap.

Methods: Growing Up in Ireland is a nationally representative cohort.

Exploring the Interface Between Planetary Boundaries and Palaeoecology.

The concepts of planetary boundaries are influential in the sustainability literature and assist in delineating the 'safe operating spaces' beyond which critical Earth system processes could collapse. Moving away from our current trajectory towards 'hothouse Earth' will require knowledge of how Earth systems have varied throughout the Holocene, and whether and how far we have deviated from past ranges of variability. Such information can inform decisions about where change could be resisted, accepted or where adaptation is inevitable.

Efficacy and safety of daprodustat in patients on peritoneal dialysis in the ASCEND-D trial.

Background And Hypothesis: Daprodustat, an oral hypoxia-inducible factor prolyl hydroxylase inhibitor, is approved for treatment of anemia in dialysis patients with CKD in some parts of the world. This subgroup analysis examined the efficacy and safety of daprodustat versus darbepoetin alfa in patients with anemia of CKD undergoing peritoneal dialysis (PD).

Methods: ASCEND-D (NCT02879305) was an open-label, Phase 3 trial; patients with CKD were randomized to daprodustat daily and epoetin alfa (HD patients) or darbepoetin alfa (PD patients).

'It Feels Very Weird and Normal at the Same Time': Sibling Perceptions of Their Relationships With an Autistic Brother or Sister With Complex Care Needs.

Background: The impact of having a disabled brother or sister on siblings' psychological well-being and sibling relationships has been the subject of several research studies. However, research which focuses on the relationship between siblings and their autistic brother or sister with an intellectual disability and complex care needs is rare. We explored siblings' views and experiences of their sibling relationship with their autistic brother or sister with complex care needs.

Resilience in maternal, newborn, and child health in low- and middle-income countries: findings from a scoping review.

Objectives: The research objectives were to identify and synthesise prevailing definitions and indices of resilience in maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH) and propose a harmonised definition of resilience in MNCH research and health programmes in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

Design: Scoping review using Arksey and O'Malley's framework and a Delphi survey for consensus building.

Participants: Mothers, new-borns, and children living in low- and middle-income countries were selected as participants.

Rightward brain structural asymmetry in young children with autism.

To understand the neural mechanism of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and developmental delay/intellectual disability (DD/ID) that can be associated with ASD, it is important to investigate individuals at an early stage with brain, behavioural and also genetic measures, but such research is still lacking. Here, using the cross-sectional sMRI data of 1030 children under 8 years old, we employed developmental normative models to investigate the atypical development of gray matter volume (GMV) asymmetry in individuals with ASD without DD/ID, ASD with DD/ID and individuals with only DD/ID, and their associations with behavioral and clinical measures and transcription profiles. By extracting the individual deviations of patients from the typical controls with normative models, we found a commonly abnormal pattern of GMV asymmetry across all ASD children: more rightward laterality in the inferior parietal lobe and precentral gyrus, and higher individual variability in the temporal pole.

Occurrence of emerging and persistent organic pollutants in the rivers Cam, Ouse and Thames, UK.

The widespread occurrence of new and emerging and persistent organic pollutants (NEPs and POPs) in surface water poses a risk to drinking water supply and consequently human health. The aim of this work was to investigate the occurrence and potential transport of 42 target NEPs and POPs (including per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), pharmaceuticals, pesticides and bisphenols) along the rural and urban environments of three rivers in England. The type and concentrations of pollutants varied between the sampling days and points.

Leadership and : doing good or doing well?

Modern management has much to learn from ancient wisdoms. Management structures based on corporate trends were transferred from business to services such as healthcare to promote cost-efficiency and productivity. In this article, I argue that the short-term approach of corporate leaders being brought into healthcare for 'transformation' has led to a trail of service dismemberment with no discernible clinical gain for those we seek to serve.

Specific Enrichment of Carrying Microorganisms with Nitrogen Fixation and Dissimilatory Nitrate Reduction Function Enhances Arsenic Methylation in Plant Rhizosphere Soil.

Plants can recruit microorganisms to enhance soil arsenic (As) removal and nitrogen (N) turnover, but how microbial As methylation in the rhizosphere is affected by N biotransformation is not well understood. Here, we used acetylene reduction assay, gene amplicon, and metagenome sequencing to evaluate the influence of N biotransformation on As methylation in the rhizosphere of , a potential As hyperaccumulator. was grown in mining soils (MS) and artificial As-contaminated soils (AS) over two generations in a controlled pot experiment.

Eating disorders in minority ethnic populations in Australia, Canada, Aotearoa New Zealand and the UK: a scoping review.

Background: Historically, eating disorder (ED) research has largely focused on White girls and women, with minority ethnic populations underrepresented. Most research exploring EDs in minority ethnic populations has been conducted in the United States (US). The aim of this scoping review, the first of its kind, was to systematically examine research on disordered eating and EDs among minority ethnic populations in Australia, Canada, Aotearoa New Zealand and the United Kingdom (UK), four countries with shared sociocultural and healthcare characteristics.

Don't assume, ask! A focus group study on end-of-life care planning with people with intellectual disabilities from minoritised ethnic groups.

Background: People with intellectual disabilities are less likely to have access to palliative care, and the evidence shows that their deaths are often unanticipated, unplanned for, and poorly managed. Within the general population, people from minoritised ethnic groups are under-represented within palliative care services. End-of-life care planning with people with intellectual disabilities from minoritised ethnic groups may be a way to address these issues.

'Obviously, because it's a tear it won't necessarily mend itself': a qualitative study of patient experiences and expectations of treatment for a meniscal tear.

Objectives: There is a paucity of qualitative research exploring the patient experience of living with a meniscal tear, vital to effective patient management. The aim of this study was to explore the experiences and expectations of treatment of patients aged 18-55 years with a meniscal tear of the knee.

Design: Qualitative study involving semistructured interviews.

Randomized Comparison of Magnetic Resonance Imaging Versus Transurethral Resection for Staging New Bladder Cancers: Results From the Prospective BladderPath Trial.

Purpose: Transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT) is the initial staging procedure for new bladder cancers (BCs). For muscle-invasive bladder cancers (MIBCs), TURBT may delay definitive treatment. We investigated whether definitive treatment can be expedited for MIBC using flexible cystoscopic biopsy and multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI) for initial staging.

Prehospital critical care beyond advanced life support for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: A systematic review.

Aim: To assess the clinical outcomes of patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest attended by prehospital critical care teams compared to non-critical care teams.

Methods: This review was prospectively registered with PROSPERO and the eligibility criteria followed a PICOST framework for ILCOR systematic reviews. Prehospital critical care was defined as any provider with enhanced clinical competencies beyond standard advanced life support algorithms and dedicated dispatch to critically ill patients.

Investigating Cell Wall Diffusion in Wood Modified with Phenol Urea Formaldehyde Resin in Different Length Scales.

Wood modification using low molecular weight thermosetting resins improves the biological durability and dimensional stability of wood while avoiding increasingly regulated biocides. During the modification process, resin monomers diffuse from the cell lumen to the cell wall, occupying micropore spaces before curing at 150 °C. This study investigated the mechanism of cell wall diffusion at multiple scales, comparing two test groups where diffusion was either facilitated or restricted.