Microplastic analysis in soils: A comparative assessment.

Microplastic (MiP) contamination poses environmental risks, but harmonizing data from different quantification methods and sample matrices remains challenging. We compared analytical protocols for MiP quantification in soil, consisting of Digital, Fluorescence, Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR), and Raman Microscopy as well as quantitative Pyrolysis-Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectroscopy (Py-GC-MS) and 1-proton nuclear magnetic resonance (H NMR) spectroscopy as detection techniques. Each technique was coupled with a specific extraction procedure and evaluated for three soils with different textures and organic carbon contents, amended with eight types of large MiPs (0.

Early mental health intervention and supported self-care for LGBTQ+ young people in the UK: a mixed-methods study.

Background: Lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer/questioning, plus young people have a higher risk of poor mental health in comparison to cisgendered heterosexual young people, and they underutilise mental health services and support. In addition, there is a paucity of research conducted in United Kingdom examining mental health early intervention provision for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer/questioning, plus young people.

Objectives: To produce a model of what works for early intervention mental health support for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer/questioning, plus young people and increase understanding of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer/questioning, plus young people's access to, navigation of, and engagement with mental health support.

Managing medical knowledge flow: Physicians' social media actualisation practices.

Physicians have extensive clinical knowledge and are thus uniquely positioned to offer public health education through social media (SM) platforms. However, it may be challenging for them to effectively communicate complex medical information to lay people with varying levels of related knowledge. There is limited research on how physicians navigate these challenges.

Larval source management in Ethiopia: modelling to assess its effectiveness in curbing malaria surge in dire Dawa and Batu Towns.

Background: Ethiopia faces several severe challenges in terms of malaria elimination, including drug resistance and diagnostic evasion in the Plasmodium falciparum parasite, insecticide resistance in the primary Anopheles malaria vector, and, most recently, the invasion of the Asian malaria vector Anopheles stephensi. Novel malaria control methods are therefore needed, and in this paper, we describe the evaluation of a larval source management (LSM) strategy implemented in response to An. stephensi.

A systematic review of using population-level human mobility data to understand SARS-CoV-2 transmission.

The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 into a highly susceptible global population was primarily driven by human mobility-induced introduction events. Especially in the early stages, understanding mobility was vital to mitigating the pandemic prior to widespread vaccine availability. We conducted a systematic review of studies published from January 1, 2020, to May 9, 2021, that used population-level human mobility data to understand SARS-CoV-2 transmission.

Cost-effectiveness of comparative survey designs for helminth control programs: Post-hoc cost analysis and modelling of the Kenyan national school-based deworming program.

Background: Soil-transmitted helminths (STH) and schistosomiasis comprise the most wide-spread NTDs globally. Preventative chemotherapy is a cost-effective approach to controlling morbidity of both diseases, but relies on large scale surveys to determine and revise treatment frequency. Availability of detailed information on survey costs is limited despite recent methodological surveying innovations.

Reassessing the Benefits of Audiovisual Integration to Speech Perception and Intelligibility.

Purpose: In difficult listening conditions, the visual system assists with speech perception through lipreading. Stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA) is used to investigate the interaction between the two modalities in speech perception. Previous estimates of audiovisual benefit and SOA integration period differ widely.

The Forced-To-Penetrate Myth Acceptance Scale (FTP-MAS): A New Attitudinal Tool for Assessing Myths That Surround Female Perpetrated Sexual Violence Against Men.

The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a new measurement tool designed to capture endorsement of myths surrounding female perpetrated sexual violence against men, specifically in 'forced-to-penetrate' cases. Data were collected among a sample of 4152 UK adults aged 18-55+ (52% female). Dimensionality and construct validity of the Forced-to-Penetrate Myth Acceptance Scale (FTP-MAS) was investigated using traditional Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) techniques separately for the complete sample, males only, and females only.

Are trauma and orthopaedic consultant posts decreasing in frequency and increasing in subspecialisation?

Background: The needs of the population and changes to the configuration of the NHS affect the role of the Trauma & Orthopaedic (T&O) surgeon. This impacts training and the number of consultant posts available at Certificate of Completion of Training. Aim of this study was to review advertised T&O Consultant posts and determine the trends in frequency and sub-specialisation requirements between 2011 and 2020 to assess the perceived reduction in advertised posts and increasing subspecialisation, also looking at the impact to the NHS.

Multivariate analysis of Raman spectra for discriminating human collagens: In vitro identification of extracellular matrix collagens produced by an osteosarcoma cell line.

Background: The NHS spends £4.3 billion annually to address musculoskeletal conditions, encompassing age-related bone disorders like osteoarthritis and osteoporosis. Traditional X-ray diagnostic methods are commonly employed for bone disorder diagnosis, primarily assessing gross anatomical bone structure changes.

Some improvements but a long way to go: a national survey of local authorities on the provision of social care for people released from prison.

The provision of social care for people in prison in England has historically been lacking. Seeking to address this, the 2014 Care Act clarified that local authorities are responsible for identifying, assessing and meeting prisoners' social care needs. Against this background, in 2020 we undertook a survey to explore the emerging services for this group.

Growing practices and the use of potentially harmful chemical additives from a web survey of mainly small-scale cannabis growers in 18 countries.

Background: There is emerging recognition of the risks of harmful chemical pesticides, fertilizers and 'nutrients' by cannabis growers. One group of chemicals, Plant Growth Regulators (PGRs), many of which have been banned from food crops for decades, have been found unlisted in a number of fertilizers and supplements marketed at cannabis growers.

Methods: This paper predominately uses data from a 2020-21 convenience web survey of mainly small-scale, recent (last 5yrs) cannabis growers from 18 countries (n = 11,479).

Post-operative periprosthetic femoral fractures in England: Patient profiles and short-term outcomes.

Background And Objective: Post-operative periprosthetic femoral fractures (POPFF) present a growing challenge for healthcare services, but there are limited national data on patient profiles, short-term outcomes, and post-discharge follow-up. We aimed to fill these gaps.

Methods: Using Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), we identified POPFF discharges from hospitals in England for patients aged 18 and above between April 2016 and December 2022.

TIMESS a power analysis tool to estimate the number of locations and repeated measurements for seasonally and clustered mosquito surveys.

Every day, hundreds of mosquito surveys are carried out around the world to inform policy and management decisions on how best to reduce or prevent the burden of mosquito-borne disease or mosquito nuisance. These surveys are usually time consuming and expensive. Mosquito surveillance is the essential component of vector management and control.

School-based indicated prevention interventions for anxiety in children and adolescents: A commentary on a systematic review.

Mental health problems such as anxiety are on the increase in children and adolescents. However, rising demand and cuts to mental health services make it difficult for young people to access the support they need. School-based interventions aimed at preventing or reducing anxiety have the potential to provide help to large numbers of children and adolescents.

Soil microbiomes show consistent and predictable responses to extreme events.

Increasing extreme climatic events threaten the functioning of terrestrial ecosystems. Because soil microbes govern key biogeochemical processes, understanding their response to climate extremes is crucial in predicting the consequences for ecosystem functioning. Here we subjected soils from 30 grasslands across Europe to four contrasting extreme climatic events under common controlled conditions (drought, flood, freezing and heat), and compared the response of soil microbial communities and their functioning with those of undisturbed soils.

Infants' Social Evaluation of Helpers and Hinderers: A Large-Scale, Multi-Lab, Coordinated Replication Study.

Evaluating whether someone's behavior is praiseworthy or blameworthy is a fundamental human trait. A seminal study by Hamlin and colleagues in 2007 suggested that the ability to form social evaluations based on third-party interactions emerges within the first year of life: infants preferred a character who helped, over hindered, another who tried but failed to climb a hill. This sparked a new line of inquiry into the origins of social evaluations; however, replication attempts have yielded mixed results.

Structural Analysis of Virus Regulatory N6-Methyladenosine (m6A) Machinery of the Black Flying Fox () and the Egyptian Fruit Bat () Shows Evolutionary Conservation Amongst Mammals.

Background: N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is an abundant RNA epitranscriptomic modification in eukaryotes. The m6A machinery includes cellular writer, eraser and reader proteins that regulate m6A. () (the Australian black flying fox) and () (the Egyptian fruit bat) are bats associated with several viral zoonoses yet neglected in the field of m6A epigenetics studies.