The COVID-19 pandemic's impact on UK social workers working with people with learning disabilities: A mixed methods study.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the health and wellbeing of social workers working with people with learning disabilities has not been fully explored. This paper reports findings from a large United Kingdom study that surveyed health and care workers in six phases of the pandemic and shortly thereafter (2020-23) relating to 310 social workers who worked with people with learning disabilities. Mann-Whitney U tests revealed that these social workers experienced a decline in wellbeing over the pandemic period, but this lessened as time passed.

Critical appraisal of methodological quality and completeness of reporting in Chinese social science systematic reviews with meta-analysis: A systematic review.

Background: A systematic review is a type of literature review that uses rigorous methods to synthesize evidence from multiple studies on a specific topic. It is widely used in academia, including medical and social science research. Social science is an academic discipline that focuses on human behaviour and society.

Long term health outcomes in people with diabetes 12 months after hospitalisation with COVID-19 in the UK: a prospective cohort study.

Background: People with diabetes are at increased risk of hospitalisation, morbidity, and mortality following SARS-CoV-2 infection. Long-term outcomes for people with diabetes previously hospitalised with COVID-19 are, however, unknown. This study aimed to determine the longer-term physical and mental health effects of COVID-19 in people with and without diabetes.

Improving diagnostics and surveillance of malaria among displaced people in Africa.

African communities that have been forced to leave their homes experience a considerably greater susceptibility to malaria as a result of densely populated living conditions, restricted availability of healthcare, and environmental influences. Internally displaced individuals frequently live in large settlements with restricted availability to drinking water, essential sanitation, and medical services, intensifying the spread of malaria. As a result, the occurrence of malaria is significantly more common among refugees and internally displaced individuals compared to those who are not displaced.

Decoding the chicken gastrointestinal microbiome.

Metataxonomic studies have underpinned a vast understanding of microbial communities residing within livestock gastrointestinal tracts, albeit studies have often not been combined to provide a global census. Consequently, in this study we characterised the overall and common 'core' chicken microbiota associated with the gastrointestinal tract (GIT), whilst assessing the effects of GIT site, bird breed, age and geographical location on the GIT resident microbes using metataxonomic data compiled from studies completed across the world. Specifically, bacterial 16S ribosomal DNA sequences from GIT samples associated with various breeds, differing in age, GIT sites (caecum, faeces, ileum and jejunum) and geographical location were obtained from the Sequence Read Archive and analysed using the MGnify pipeline.

Machine learning validation of the AVAS classification compared to ultrasound mapping in a multicentre study.

The Arteriovenous Access Stage (AVAS) classification simplifies information about suitability of vessels for vascular access (VA). It's been previously validated in a clinical study. Here, AVAS performance was tested against multiple ultrasound mapping measurements using machine learning.

A qualitative interview study of care home managers' experiences of medicines optimisation for residents with dementia during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objectives: To explore care home managers' views and experiences of optimising medicines use for residents with dementia during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Design, Setting And Participants: A descriptive exploratory qualitative study using semistructured interviews (conducted via telephone or online videoconferencing platform), with care home managers across Northern Ireland, purposively sampled from care homes that provided care for residents with dementia. Care home managers were asked to describe their experiences of accessing primary healthcare services (such as those provided by general practitioners and community pharmacists), how medicines use by residents with dementia was affected by the pandemic, and what they had learnt from their experiences.

Assessing ethics and law in medical schools: there is no single best answer.

Medical ethics and law (MEL) have a well-established place in medical curricula within the UK, but appropriately assessing MEL in a medical school context can be extremely challenging. The Institute of Medical Ethics convened a working group focused on assessment in 2021, and in this article, we present a summary of the work undertaken by this group. We start by explaining the challenges presented by the assessment of MEL, highlighting the potentially demanding requirements set out by the General Medical Council in the UK.

Secondary Coordination Effects of Adjacent Metal Center in Metal-Nitrogen-Carbon Improve Scaling Relation of Oxygen Electrocatalysis.

Heterogenous single-atom catalysts (SACs) are reminiscent of homogeneous catalysts because of the similarity of structural motif of active sites, showing the potential of using the advantage of homogeneous catalysts to tackle challenges in hetereogenous catalysis. In heterogeneous oxygen electrocatalysis, the homogeneity of adsorption patterns of reaction intermediates leads to scaling relationships that limit their activities. In contrast, homogeneous catalysts can circumvent such limits by selectively altering the adsorption of intermediates through secondary coordination effects (SCEs).

Diversity in Cardiovascular Care: Advancing Health Equity.

Health inequities exist in cardiovascular care and outcomes, especially among women, older people, individuals from racial and ethnic minorities, lower income and rural communities often those most vulnerable to adverse health outcomes. Such diverse groups form most of the patient population but they are rarely reflected in the composition of the cardiovascular care workforce. Yet a diverse cardiovascular health care workforce can enhance access to care, reduce health disparities and inequities, and improve quality of care and research for such underserved populations.

Detoxome Capacity of the Adult Rumen Fluke Extends into Its Secreted Extracellular Vesicles.

Helminth parasites have long adapted to survive hostile host environments and can likely adapt against the chemical anthelmintic challenge. One proposed adaptation route is via Phase I and II xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes (XMEs). For successful Helminth pharmacotherapy discovery programs, a working understanding of Helminth-derived chemical detoxification, the Helminth detoxome, is a must.

Swarm-initialized adaptive controller with beetle antenna searching of wearable lower limb exoskeleton for sit-to-stand and walking motions.

In recent years, exoskeleton robots have attracted great interest from researchers in the area of robotics due to their ability to assist human functionality improvement. A wearable lower limb exoskeleton is aimed at supporting the limb functionality rehabilitation process and to assist physical therapists. Development of a stable and robust control system for multi-joint rehabilitation robots is a challenging task due to their non-linear dynamic systems.

The Psychosocial and Contextual Predictors of Revenge Desire and Attitudes in Crime Victims: A Scoping Review.

Criminal victimization is associated with an increased risk of violent offending, which can be motivated by revenge. Experiencing revenge desire could also be harmful for crime victims' mental health. To limit revenge's harmful effects, researchers have examined the predictors of revenge desire and attitudes.

Permeability Benchmarking: Guidelines for Comparing , , and Measurements.

Permeability is a measure of the degree to which cells can transport molecules across biological barriers. Units of permeability are distance per unit time (typically cm/s), where accurate measurements are needed to define drug delivery in homeostasis and to model dysfunction occurring during disease. This perspective offers a set of community-led guidelines to benchmark permeability data across multidisciplinary approaches and different biological contexts.

Reservoir-Type Subcutaneous Implantable Devices Containing Porous Rate Controlling Membranes for Sustained Delivery of Risperidone.

Implantable drug delivery systems are crucial for achieving sustained delivery of active compounds to specific sites or systemic circulation. In this study, a novel reservoir-type implant combining a biodegradable rate-controlling membrane with a drug-containing core prepared using direct compression techniques is developed. The membrane is composed of poly(caprolactone) (PCL), and risperidone (RIS) served as the model drug.

Classifications of haemodialysis vascular access stenosis: a scoping review.

Objectives: Vascular access (VA) stenoses play a significant role in the morbidity of the haemodialysed population. Classifications for diagnosis, assessment and proposal of treatment strategies can be useful clinical and methodological tools. This review aims to present a comprehensive summary and propose further methodological approaches.

Formulation and evaluation of PVA-based composite hydrogels: physicochemical, leachables, and immunogenicity studies.

This study explores the formulation and characterization of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)-based composite hydrogels synthesized through solid-state crosslinking. Comprehensive assessments were conducted on their physicochemical properties, leachables, and immunogenicity. Swelling experiments demonstrated that the incorporation of poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) enhanced water retention, while chitosan had a minimal effect on swelling behavior.

Effect of Plant Versus Animal Protein on Muscle Mass, Strength, Physical Performance, and Sarcopenia: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Context: Dietary protein is recommended for sarcopenia-a debilitating condition of age-related loss of muscle mass and strength that affects 27% of older adults. The effects of protein on muscle health may depend on protein quality.

Objective: The aim was to synthesize randomized controlled trial (RCT) data comparing plant with animal protein for muscle health.

Impact of Financial Toxicity on the Health-Related Quality of Life and Financial Well-Being of Cancer Patients and Survivors: A Comparative Study of the United Kingdom and United States.

Background: This study investigated and compared the impact of financial toxicity (FT) on the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and financial well-being of cancer patients and survivors in the United Kingdom (UK) and United States (US).

Methods: UK & US participants (n = 600) completed an online questionnaire that consisted of a validated FT instrument (COmprehensive Score for financial Toxicity-COST), a standardised HRQoL instrument (EQ-5D-5L) and questions related to their financial well-being. Tobit regression models and descriptive statistics plus χ tests were used to analyse the association between FT and (i) HRQoL whilst controlling for sociodemographic characteristics; and (ii) financial well-being.

Distinct Behavioral Profiles and Neuronal Correlates of Heroin Vulnerability Versus Resiliency in a Multi-Symptomatic Model of Heroin Use Disorder in Rats.

Objective: The behavioral and diagnostic heterogeneity within the opioid use disorder (OUD) diagnosis is not readily captured in current animal models, limiting the translational relevance of the mechanistic research that is conducted in experimental animals. The authors hypothesized that a nonlinear clustering of OUD-like behavioral traits would capture population heterogeneity and yield subpopulations of OUD vulnerable rats with distinct behavioral and neurocircuit profiles.

Methods: Over 900 male and female heterogeneous stock rats, a line capturing genetic and behavioral heterogeneity present in humans, were assessed for several measures of heroin use and rewarded and non-rewarded seeking behaviors.

Bioorthogonal Synthesis of Biomimetic Nanoparticles for Screening Chemical Hazards in Food Samples.

The ability to identify unknown risks is the key to improving the level of food safety. However, the conventional nontargeted screening methods for new contaminant identification and risk assessment remain difficult work. Herein, a toxic-oriented screening platform based on high-expression epidermal growth factor receptor HEK293 cell membrane-coated magnetic nanoparticles (EGFR/MNPs) was first used for the discovery of unknown contaminants from food samples.

Psychological detachment from work predicts mental wellbeing of working-age adults: Findings from the 'Wellbeing of the Workforce' (WoW) prospective longitudinal cohort study.

Background: There is an urgent need to better understand the factors that predict mental wellbeing in vocationally active adults during globally turbulent times.

Aim: To explore the relationship between psychological detachment from work (postulated as a key recovery activity from work) in the first national COVID-19 lockdown with health, wellbeing, and life satisfaction of working age-adults one year later, within the context of a global pandemic.

Methods: Wellbeing of the Workforce (WoW) was a prospective longitudinal cohort study, with two waves of data collection (Time 1, April-June 2020: T1 n = 337; Time 2, March-April 2021: T2 = 169) corresponding with the first and third national COVID-19 lockdowns in the UK.