Myocardial Fibroblast Activation After Acute Myocardial Infarction: A Positron Emission Tomography and Magnetic Resonance Study.

Background: Myocardial fibrosis is a key healing response after myocardial infarction driven by activated fibroblasts. Gallium-68-labeled fibroblast activation protein inhibitor ([Ga]-FAPI) is a novel positron-emitting radiotracer that binds activated fibroblasts.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the intensity, distribution, and time-course of fibroblast activation after acute myocardial infarction.

Higher Aircraft Noise Exposure Is Linked to Worse Heart Structure and Function by Cardiovascular MRI.

Background: Aircraft noise is a growing concern for communities living near airports.

Objectives: This study aimed to explore the impact of aircraft noise on heart structure and function.

Methods: Nighttime aircraft noise levels (L) and weighted 24-hour day-evening-night aircraft noise levels (L) were provided by the UK Civil Aviation Authority for 2011.

Demographic-Based Personalized Left Ventricular Hypertrophy Thresholds for Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Diagnosis.

Background: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a leading cause of sudden cardiac death. Current diagnosis emphasizes the detection of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) using a fixed threshold of ≥15-mm maximum wall thickness (MWT). This study proposes a method that considers individual demographics to adjust LVH thresholds as an alternative to a 1-size-fits-all approach.

A Perspective on the MARS2 Trial.

Introduction: The phase 3 randomized controlled trial of extended pleurectomy decortication and chemotherapy versus chemotherapy alone for pleural mesothelioma (PM) (MARS2) reported "extended pleurectomy decortication was associated with worse survival to 2 years, and more serious adverse events for individuals with resectable PM, compared with chemotherapy alone." These results have led to considerable discourse regarding the future role of surgery for PM, and there has not been unanimity in the mesothelioma surgical community regarding the trial interpretation. This "perspective" evaluates MARS2 using internationally renowned PM experts who either agreed with the trial interpretation or who found issues with its conduct which may have influenced the results.

Phlorotannin-Rich Seaweed Extract Inhibits Influenza Infection.

Seaweed-derived compounds are a renewable resource utilised in the manufacturing and food industry. This study focuses on an enriched seaweed extract (ESE) isolated from The ESE was screened for antiviral activity by plaque reduction assays against influenza A/Puerto Rico/8/1934 H1N1 (PR8), A/X-31 H3N2 (X31) and A/England/195/2009 H1N1 (Eng195), resulting in the complete inhibition of infection. Time of addition assays and FACS analysis were used to help determine the modes of action.

Approaches to Enhance the Potency of Vaccines in Chickens.

Outbreaks of avian pathogens such as Newcastle disease virus, avian influenza virus, and salmonella have a major impact on economies and food security worldwide. Some pathogens also pose a significant zoonotic potential, especially avian influenza viruses. Vaccination plays a key role in controlling many poultry diseases, and there are many vaccines licenced in the United Kingdom for diseases of poultry caused by viruses, bacteria, and parasites.

Monitoring the Risk of Type-2 Circulating Vaccine-Derived Poliovirus Emergence During Roll-Out of Type-2 Novel Oral Polio Vaccine.

Although wild poliovirus type 2 has been eradicated, the prolonged transmission of the live- attenuated virus contained in the type-2 oral polio vaccine (OPV2) in under-immunized populations has led to the emergence of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2). The novel OPV2 (nOPV2) was designed to be more genetically stable and reduce the chance of cVDPV2 emergence while retaining comparable immunogenicity to the Sabin monovalent OPV2 (mOPV2). This study aimed to estimate the relative reduction in the emergence risk due to the use of nOPV2 instead of mOPV2.

The Association of Dietary Polyamines with Mortality and the Risk of Cardiovascular Disease: A Prospective Study in UK Biobank.

Background: Polyamines, including spermidine (SPD), spermine (SPM) and putrescine (PUT), are essential for cellular physiology and various cellular processes. This study aimed to examine the associations of dietary polyamines intake and all-cause mortality and incident cardiovascular disease (CVD).

Methods: This prospective cohort study included 184,732 participants without CVD at baseline from the UK Biobank who had completed at least one dietary questionnaire.

Associations of Coffee and Tea Consumption on Neural Network Connectivity: Unveiling the Role of Genetic Factors in Alzheimer's Disease Risk.

Background: Coffee and tea are widely consumed beverages, but their long-term effects on cognitive function and aging remain largely unexplored. Lifestyle interventions, particularly dietary habits, offer promising strategies for enhancing cognitive performance and preventing cognitive decline.

Methods: This study utilized data from the UK Biobank cohort ( = 12,025) to examine the associations between filtered coffee, green tea, and standard tea consumption and neural network functional connectivity across seven resting-state networks.

Dietary N-6 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Intake and Brain Health in Middle-Aged and Elderly Adults.

Background: Dietary intake of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) plays a significant role in the onset and progression of neurodegenerative diseases. Since the neuroprotective effects of n-3 PUFA have been widely validated, the role of n-6 PUFA remains debated, with their underlying mechanisms still not fully understood.

Methods: In this study, 169,295 participants from the UK Biobank were included to analyze the associations between dietary n-6 PUFA intake and neurodegenerative diseases using Cox regression models with full adjustments for potential confounders.

Impact of the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic on the Epidemiology of : A Five-Year Retrospective Study.

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic significantly affected the epidemiology of , a pathogen associated with various clinical presentations such as pharyngitis, scarlet fever, and invasive diseases. This study analyzed the incidence and characteristics of infections between 2018 and 2023, examining 915 cases categorized as either respiratory or non-respiratory. Respiratory infections predominantly affected children, accounting for 76% of cases, with a median age of 5 [3, 8] years, while non-respiratory infections were more common in adults, with a median age of 46.

Mechanistic Insights into the Adenosine A1 Receptor's Positive Allosteric Modulation for Non-Opioid Analgesics.

The adenosine A1 receptor (AR) is a promising target for pain treatment. However, the development of therapeutic agonists is hampered by adverse effects, mainly including sedation, bradycardia, hypotension, or respiratory depression. Recently discovered molecules able to overcome this impediment are the positive allosteric modulator MIPS521 and the A1R-selective agonist BnOCPA, which are both potent and powerful analgesics with fewer side effects.

α-Synuclein Deletion Impairs Platelet Function: A Role for SNARE Complex Assembly.

Granule secretion is an essential platelet function that contributes not only to haemostasis but also to wound healing, inflammation, and atherosclerosis. Granule secretion from platelets is facilitated, at least in part, by Soluble N-ethylmaleimide-Sensitive Factor (NSF) Attachment Protein Receptor (SNARE) complex-mediated granule fusion. Although α-synuclein is a protein known to modulate the assembly of the SNARE complex in other cells, its role in platelet function remains poorly understood.

Clean Self-Supervised MRI Reconstruction from Noisy, Sub-Sampled Training Data with Robust SSDU.

Most existing methods for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) reconstruction with deep learning use fully supervised training, which assumes that a fully sampled dataset with a high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is available for training. In many circumstances, however, such a dataset is highly impractical or even technically infeasible to acquire. Recently, a number of self-supervised methods for MRI reconstruction have been proposed, which use sub-sampled data only.

Making a Difference from Day One: The Urgent Need for Universal Neonatal Hearing Screening.

Neonatal hearing screening (NHS) is a critical public health measure for early identification of hearing loss, ensuring timely access to interventions that can dramatically improve a child's language development, cognitive abilities, and social inclusion. Beyond clinical benefits, NHS provides long-term advantages in education and quality of life. Given that congenital hearing loss affects approximately 1-2 in every 1000 newborns worldwide, the case for universal screening is clear.

The Impact of COVID-19 on People with a Visual Impairment in Northern Ireland: A Sensory Support View.

The COVID-19 pandemic brought many challenges for all and especially for people with a visual impairment. As a result, many healthcare services had to close or be reduced, and new rules and regulations were implemented. These rules, regulations and testing procedures were challenging for many people with a visual impairment.

Domestic Use of E-Cargo Bikes and Other E-Micromobility: Protocol for a Multi-Centre, Mixed Methods Study.

Physical inactivity is a leading risk factor for non-communicable diseases. Climate change is now regarded as the biggest threat to global public health. Electric micromobility (e-micromobility, including e-bikes, e-cargo bikes, and e-scooters) has the potential to simultaneously increase people's overall physical activity while decreasing greenhouse gas emissions where it substitutes for motorised transport.

Adopting a Holistic Approach to Alcohol Brief Interventions for Women in a Prison Setting in the UK: A Qualitative Exploration.

Currently, women make up only 5% of the prison population, with 3604 women in prison in the UK compared to 74,981 men. Risky drinking is highly prevalent in both the male and female prison population, however, significantly more females drink in a risky way prior to prison (24% compared to 18% of men). In addition to risky drinking, those entering the criminal justice system (CJS), particularly women, are more likely to suffer from inequalities in society.

Assessing the Polarising Impacts of Low-Traffic Neighbourhoods: A Community Perspective from Birmingham, UK.

Globally, the transport sector is a major contributor to air pollution. Currently, in the UK, vehicle emissions contribute significant amounts of nitrogen oxide (NOx) and particulate matter (PM) pollution in urban areas. Low-emission-zone policies have been used as an intervention to tackle air pollution, and in this context, the UK launched the Low-Traffic Neighbourhood scheme.

Giving Up the Guidelines: A Qualitative Evaluation of Disrupted Prescribing of Opioid Substitution Therapy in a Rural UK County During and Following the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic had wide impacts and repercussions for the NHS in the UK beyond the acute medical sector. This qualitative study evaluates the experience of medical (4) and non-medical prescribers (7) plus other staff (2 recovery workers; 2 community pharmacists) involved in opioid substitution therapy (OST) in a southern English county during and following the COVID-19 pandemic. Remote contact and a shift to predominantly weekly OST pick-up were anxiety-producing for clinicians, especially during the first lockdown.

Improving Child and Adolescent Mental Health: A Bibliometric Analysis of Related Intervention Studies.

In response to the increase in adolescent mental health problems, related intervention research has flourished. This study examined 2258 mental health intervention studies captured by the Web of Science, focusing on their distribution, interdisciplinary collaboration, and emerging trends, using bibliometric analysis. Our findings revealed a rise in studies and enhanced collaboration across disciplines, with studies from the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom showing high academic output, intellectual impact, and strong scientific partnerships.

Housing Environmental Enrichment, Lifestyles, and Public Health Indicators of Neurogenesis in Humans: A Pilot Study.

Background: In response to the rising mental health concerns and cognitive decline associated with the human brain's neurogenesis, which continues until the tenth decade of life but declines with age and is suppressed by poor environments, this pilot study investigates how physical environments may influence public health proxy measures of neurogenesis in humans. This pilot study focuses on the residential environment where people spend most of their time and age in place, exploring the dependency of depression, anxiety, and cognitive impairment variations on spatial and lifestyle variables.

Methods: A total of 142 healthy adults in England completed a survey consisting of PHQ-8, GAD-7, and CFI questionnaires and other questions developed to capture the variance in spatial and lifestyle factors such as time spent at home, house type layout complexity, spaciousness, physical activity, routine and spatial novelty, and perceived loneliness.

Validation of the Neuroception of Psychological Safety Scale (NPSS) Among Health and Social Care Workers in the UK.

Psychological safety is essential for rest, recovery, and fostering social connections, particularly for health and social care workers (HSCWs) who frequently operate in high-pressure environments. These workers are prone to traumatic stress, which can elevate their sense of threat and undermine their psychological safety. This study aimed to validate the Neuroception of Psychological Safety Scale (NPSS) among HSCWs in the UK ( = 443).

Consequences of the Pandemic on Mental Health of Healthcare Workers in the NHS.

In recent years, the public health system of the United Kingdom, the National Healthcare System (NHS), has encountered difficulties that have been acknowledged in research studies and public policy discussions, such as resignations and staff shortages. During the COVID-19 pandemic, NHS healthcare workers were confronted with demanding circumstances, exacerbating the constraints of an already struggling system. With this, the authors of this paper aim to better understand the relationships between frustration at work, fear of infection, working hours, and the turnover intention of healthcare workers during the pandemic.