Providing an e-cigarette starter kit for smoking cessation and reduction as adjunct to usual care to smokers with a mental health condition: findings from the ESCAPE feasibility study.

Background: Smoking rates in the UK have declined steadily over the past decades, masking considerable inequalities, as little change has been observed among people with a mental health condition. This trial sought to assess the feasibility and acceptability of supplying an electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) starter kit for smoking cessation as an adjunct to usual care for smoking cessation, to smokers with a mental health condition treated in the community, to inform a future effectiveness trial.

Methods: This randomised controlled feasibility trial, conducted March-December 2022, compared the intervention (e-cigarette starter kit with a corresponding information leaflet and demonstration with Very Brief Advice) with a 'usual care' control at 1-month follow-up.

Transcriptome and DNA methylation profiling during the NSN to SN transition in mouse oocytes.

Background: During the latter stages of their development, mammalian oocytes under dramatic chromatin reconfiguration, transitioning from a non-surrounded nucleolus (NSN) to a surrounded nucleolus (SN) stage, and concomitant transcriptional silencing. Although the NSN-SN transition is known to be essential for developmental competence of the oocyte, less is known about the accompanying molecular changes. Here we examine the changes in the transcriptome and DNA methylation during the NSN to SN transition in mouse oocytes.

Home Urine Dipstick Screening for Bladder and Kidney Cancer in High-Risk Populations in England: A Microsimulation Study of Long-Term Impact and Cost-Effectiveness.

Background: Testing high-risk populations for non-visible haematuria may enable earlier detection of bladder cancer, potentially decreasing mortality. This research aimed to assess the cost-effectiveness of urine dipstick screening for bladder cancer in high-risk populations in England.

Methods:  A microsimulation model developed in R software was calibrated to national incidence data by age, sex and stage, and validated against mortality data.

The online version of an evidence-based hand exercise programme for people with rheumatoid arthritis: An effectiveness-implementation study.

Background: The Strengthening and Stretching for Rheumatoid Arthritis of the Hand (SARAH) program is an evidence-based exercise program for adults with hand function difficulties due to rheumatoid arthritis. A self-guided online version of the program has been developed for direct access by patients.

Purpose: To evaluate the delivery of the online program in routine therapy care and its impact on clinical outcomes, before making it widely available.

Nuclear Cardiology Surrogate Biomarkers in Clinical Trials.

Nuclear cardiology offers a diverse range of imaging tools that provide valuable insights into myocardial perfusion, inflammation, metabolism, neuroregulation, thrombosis, and microcalcification. These techniques are crucial not only for diagnosing and managing cardiovascular conditions but also for gaining pathophysiologic insights. Surrogate biomarkers in nuclear cardiology, represented by detectable imaging changes, correlate with disease processes or therapeutic responses and can serve as endpoints in clinical trials when they demonstrate a clear link with these processes.

Personalised care planning for older people with frailty: a review of factors influencing implementation.

Background: Frailty increases vulnerability to major health changes because of seemingly small health problems. It affects around 10% of people aged over 65.Older adults with frailty frequently have multiple long-term conditions, personal challenges, and social problems.

The Effectiveness of Video Animations as a Tool to Improve Health Information Recall for Patients: Systematic Review.

Background: Access to clear and comprehensible health information is crucial for patient empowerment, leading to improved self-care, adherence to treatment plans, and overall health outcomes. Traditional methods of information delivery, such as written documents and oral communication, often result in poor memorization and comprehension. Recent innovations, such as animation videos, have shown promise in enhancing patient understanding, but comprehensive investigations into their effectiveness across various health care settings are lacking.

A Faster Walking Speed Is Important for Improving Biomechanical Function and Walking Performance.

This study compares joint kinematics and kinetics of young stroke survivors who walk <0.79 m/s (slow) or >0.80 m/s (fast) with reference to a healthy able-bodied group and provides clinical recommendations for guiding the gait rehabilitation of stroke survivors.

Identifying subgroups of individuals based on their epistemic stance, attachment dimensions and childhood trauma: A latent profile analysis.

Background: The present study examines the interplay between epistemic stance, attachment dimensions, and childhood trauma in relation to specific demographic factors and mental health outcomes. This study aims to understand how these factors form distinct profiles among individuals, to identify those at risk of mental health concerns.

Method: Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) was employed on a dataset from the general population (n = 500) to identify subgroups of individuals based on their epistemic stance (mistrust and credulity), attachment dimensions, and childhood trauma.

Verticality perception in patients with active multiple sclerosis: The applicability of subjective visual vertical test and its modifications.

Background: Dizziness and balance disturbances are common in patients with MS. Subjective visual vertical (SVV) is a test of vestibular perception that allows clinicians to evaluate the integration of multiple sensory inputs for spatial orientation in the CNS. We hypothesize that central vestibular impairment caused by active MS lesions may be reflected in the modified SVV testing.

Effectiveness of interventions for psychological distress following traumatic injury: A systematic review.

Background: Traumatic injury poses significant physical and psychological challenges, often resulting in psychological distress, encompassing symptoms of anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress. Despite the recognised need for psychological care in trauma rehabilitation, there is limited empirical evidence of effective interventions tailored specifically for individuals with traumatic injuries, leading to a practice-evidence gap.

Objectives: This review aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of psychological and behavioural interventions for reducing psychological distress in adults following traumatic injury.

Genetic factors shaping the plasma lipidome and the relations to cardiometabolic risk in children and adolescents.

Background: Lipid species are emerging as biomarkers for cardiometabolic risk in both adults and children. The genetic regulation of lipid species and their impact on cardiometabolic risk during early life remain unexplored.

Methods: Using mass spectrometry-based lipidomics, we measured 227 plasma lipid species in 1149 children and adolescents (44.

Midwives' experience of managing emergencies during labour and birth in a community setting: a mixed-methods systematic review.

Background: For women at low risk of complications during labour and birth, in the United Kingdom, planned birth in a 'community' setting (at home or a freestanding midwifery unit) is generally safe, and intrapartum emergencies are uncommon. Limited exposure may affect midwives' experience of managing an emergency.

Aim: Identify and synthesise available evidence about midwives' experiences of managing intrapartum emergencies during labour in a community setting.

Place-based household vouchers for locally supplied fruit and vegetables: the Fresh Street pilot cluster randomised controlled trial.

Background: Households in areas of socio-economic deprivation are more likely to consume diets low in fruit and vegetables. Fresh Street is a place-based fruit and vegetable voucher scheme with vouchers redeemable with local independent (non-supermarket) vendors. Paper vouchers are offered to all households in a geographical area regardless of household type, size, or income with no requirement to demonstrate need.

ARSACS: Clinical Features, Pathophysiology and iPS-Derived Models.

Autosomal-recessive spastic ataxia of Charlevoix-Saguenay (ARSACS) is an early-onset neurodegenerative disease caused by mutations in the SACS gene. The first two mutations were identified in French Canadian populations 20 years ago. The disease is now known as one of the most frequent recessive ataxias worldwide.

Mercury sequestration in alkaline salt low-level radioactive waste.

Liquid low-level radioactive waste at the Savannah River Site contains several species of mercury, including inorganic, elemental, and methylmercury. This waste is solidified and stabilized in a cementitious waste form referred to as saltstone. Soluble mercury is stabilized as β-cinnabar, HgS as the result of reaction between the mercury and sulfur present in blast furnace slag, one of the cementitious reagents.

Context-dependent effects of CDKN2A and other 9p21 gene losses during the evolution of esophageal cancer.

CDKN2A is a tumor suppressor located in chromosome 9p21 and frequently lost in Barrett's esophagus (BE) and esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC). How CDKN2A and other 9p21 gene co-deletions affect EAC evolution remains understudied. We explored the effects of 9p21 loss in EACs and cancer progressor and non-progressor BEs with matched genomic, transcriptomic and clinical data.

Multiplication rate variation of malaria parasites from hospital cases and community infections.

The significance of multiplication rate variation in malaria parasites needs to be determined, particularly for Plasmodium falciparum, the species that causes most virulent infections. To investigate this, parasites from cases presenting to hospital in The Gambia and from local community infections were culture-established and then tested under exponential growth conditions in a standardised six-day multiplication rate assay. The multiplication rate distribution was lower than seen previously in clinical isolates from another area in West Africa where infection is more highly endemic.

Heterodyne analysis of high-order partial waves in attosecond photoionization of helium.

Partial wave analysis is key to interpretation of the photoionization of atoms and molecules on the attosecond timescale. Here we propose a heterodyne analysis approach, based on the delay-resolved anisotropy parameters to reveal the role played by high-order partial waves during photoionization. This extends the Reconstruction of Attosecond Beating By Interference of Two-photon Transitions technique into the few-photon regime.

HLA-E: Immune Receptor Functional Mechanisms Revealed by Structural Studies.

HLA-E is a nonclassical, nonpolymorphic, class Ib HLA molecule. Its primary function is to present a conserved nonamer peptide, termed VL9, derived from the signal sequence of classical MHC molecules to the NKG2x-CD94 receptors on NK cells and a subset of T lymphocytes. These receptors regulate the function of NK cells, and the importance of this role, which is conserved across mammalian species, probably accounts for the lack of genetic polymorphism.

Molecular Imaging of Cancer Stem Cells and Their Role in Therapy Resistance.

Despite recent therapeutic breakthroughs, cancer patients continue to face high recurrence and mortality rates due to treatment resistance. Cancer stem cells (CSCs), a subpopulation with self-renewal capabilities, are key drivers of refractive disease. This review explores the application of molecular imaging techniques, such as PET and SPECT, for the noninvasive detection of CSCs.

Disruption of extracellular matrix and perineuronal nets modulates extracellular space volume and geometry.

Extracellular matrix (ECM) is a network of macromolecules which has two forms - perineuronal nets (PNNs) and a diffuse ECM (dECM) - both influence brain development, synapse formation, neuroplasticity, CNS injury and progression of neurodegenerative diseases. ECM remodeling can influence extrasynaptic transmission, mediated by diffusion of neuroactive substances in the extracellular space (ECS). In this study we analyzed how disrupted PNNs and dECM influence brain diffusibility.

A Digital Parenting Intervention With Intimate Partner Violence Prevention Content: Quantitative Pre-Post Pilot Study.

Background: Intimate partner violence (IPV) and violence against children are global issues with severe consequences. Intersections shared by the 2 forms of violence have led to calls for joint programming efforts to prevent both IPV and violence against children. Parenting programs have been identified as a key entry point for addressing multiple forms of family violence.