Background:Internationally, hospital-based short-stay crisis units have been introduced to provide a safe space for stabilisation and further assessment for those in psychiatric crisis. The units typically aim to reduce inpatient admissions and psychiatric presentations to emergency departments.Aims:To assess changes to service use following a service user’s first visit to a unit, characterise the population accessing these units and examine equality of access to the units.Methods:A prospective cohort study design (ISCTRN registered; 53431343) compared service use...

New edaravone derivatives containing a benzylpiperazine moiety are designed and synthesized. The structures are characterized by 1H NMR, 13C NMR, and high-resolution mass spectrometry. The potential neuroprotective activities of the target compounds are evaluated in differentiated rat pheochromocytoma cells (PC12 cells) and in mice subjected to acute cerebral ischemia. Most of the target compounds showed neuroprotective activities both in vivo and in vitro, especially 1-(4-(4-fluorobenzyl) piperazin-1-yl)-2-(4-(5-hydroxy-3-methyl-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)phenoxy)ethanone and 1-(4-(4-nitrobenzyl)piperazin-1-yl)-2-(4-(5-hydroxy-3-methyl-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)phenoxy)ethanone, which displayed significant protective effects on cell...

Abstract Background Mountains of the world host a significant portion of all terrestrial biodiversity, and the region of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) stands as one of the most remarkable mountain regions on Earth. Because many explosive radiations occurred there, the QTP is a natural laboratory which is ideal to investigate patterns and processes linked to speciation and diversification. Indeed, understanding how closely related and sympatric species diverged is vital to explore drivers fostering speciation, a...

Abstract Conspiracy theories can have particularly harmful effects by negatively shaping health-related behaviours. A significant number of COVID-19 specific conspiracy theories emerged in the immediate aftermath of the pandemic outbreak. The aim of this study was to systematically review the literature on conspiracy theories related to COVID-19 during the first year of the pandemic (2020), to identify their prevalence, their determinants and their public health consequences. A comprehensive literature search was carried out in PubMed...

Abstract Background Older adults living with frailty who require treatment in hospitals are increasingly seen in the Emergency Departments (EDs). One quick and simple frailty assessment tool—the Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS)—has been embedded in many EDs in the United Kingdom (UK). However, it carries time/training and cost burden and has significant missing data. The Hospital Frailty Risk Score (HFRS) can be automated and has the potential to reduce costs and increase data availability, but has...

Abstract Background The identification of differentially expressed tumor-associated proteins and genomic alterations driving neoplasia is critical in the development of clinical assays to detect cancers and forms the foundation for understanding cancer biology. One of the challenges in the analysis of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is the low neoplastic cellularity and heterogeneous composition of bulk tumors. To enrich neoplastic cells from bulk tumor tissue, coring, and laser microdissection (LMD) sampling techniques have been employed. In...

Abstract Background Cervical screening is transitioning from primary cytology to primary human papillomavirus (HPV) testing. HPV testing is highly sensitive but there is currently no high-specificity triage method for colposcopy referral to detect cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 3 or above (CIN3+) in women positive for high-risk (hr) HPV subtypes. An objective, automatable test that could accurately perform triage, independently of sample heterogeneity and age, is urgently required. Methods We analyzed DNA methylation at ~850,000 CpG...

Abstract Background Several countries across Europe are engaging in burden of disease (BoD) studies. This article aims to understand the experiences of eight small European states in relation to their research opportunities and challenges in conducting national BoD studies and in knowledge translation of research outputs to policy-making. Methods Countries participating in the study were those outlined by the WHO/Europe Small Countries Initiative and members of the Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) Action CA18218...

Abstract Background Papua New Guinea (PNG) has one of the highest burdens of HIV and syphilis in pregnancy in the Asia-Pacific region. Timely and effective diagnosis can alleviate the burden of HIV and syphilis and improve maternal and newborn health. Supply-side factors related to implementation and scale up remain problematic, yet few studies have considered their impact on antenatal testing and treatment for HIV and syphilis. This study explores health service availability and readiness for...

Abstract Objective To describe the long-term outcomes of mitral valve repair (MVr) versus mitral valve replacement (MVR) in patients with native valve infective endocarditis (IE) at a centre with high-repair rates. Methods We conducted a retrospective single-centre cohort study. From 2005 to 2021, 183 patients with active or healed native valve IE were included. The primary outcome was long-term mortality. Patient status was last confirmed 31 March 2021. Secondary outcomes were post-operative MR, MV reoperation,...

Abstract Background Eating disorders are among the most serious mental health problems affecting children and young people and without appropriate treatment often have a protracted course with high levels of morbidity and mortality. While considerable progress has been made in recent years in developing effective evidence-based outpatient treatments, these are not always readily available. In England, until recently, the usual care pathway for young people with an eating disorder was referral from primary care to...

Objectives:Turner syndrome (TS) is a rare sex chromosome aneuploidy, with an incidence of four in 10,000 new-born girls. TS is often associated with impaired social communication skills, but the extent to which these are attributable to Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) is uncertain. We made standardized assessments of the mental health and associated neurodevelopmental disorders in children and adolescents with TS and report on the prevalence of concurrent conditions.Methods:Our sample comprised 127 girls with TS, 5–19...

We investigate the collective motion of self-propelled agents in an environment filled with obstacles that are tethered to fixed positions via springs. The active particles are able to modify the environment by moving the obstacles through repulsion forces. This creates feedback interactions between the particles and the obstacles from which a breadth of patterns emerges (trails, band, clusters, honey-comb structures etc.). We will focus on a discrete model first introduced in Aceves-Sanchez P et al....

We investigate the collective motion of self-propelled agents in an environment filled with obstacles that are tethered to fixed positions via springs. The active particles are able to modify the environment by moving the obstacles through repulsion forces. This creates feedback interactions between the particles and the obstacles from which a breadth of patterns emerges (trails, band, clusters, honey-comb structures etc.). We will focus on a discrete model first introduced in Aceves-Sanchez P et al....

Cities are home to a vast array of amenities, from local barbers to science museums and shopping malls. But these are unequally distributed across urban space. Using Google Places data combined with trip-based mobility data for Bogotá, Colombia, we shed light on the impact of neighbourhood amenities on urban mobility patterns. By deriving a new accessibility metric that explicitly takes into account spatial range, we find that a higher density of local amenities is associated...

Background:Current evidence suggests that autistic individuals are at high risk for becoming and remaining in a cycle of homelessness. Key risk factors for homelessness disproportionately affect autistic people; however, we have limited understanding of how to best support autistic individuals accessing services. This gap in the evidence base is particularly acute for autistic women.Objective:As a first step to address this gap, we aimed to (1) map gaps in knowledge and practice; (2) identify priority areas...

ObjectivesSelf-compassion is the ability to be kind to oneself in adversity. This multidimensional construct is typically assessed by the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS). In Chinese samples, there have been inconsistent psychometric findings that impede cross-cultural research. This study aimed to explore the factor structure of the Chinese version (SCS-C).MethodsTwo samples of young Chinese adults were recruited (Sample 1, N = 465, 141 men, Mean age [Mage] = 20.26; Sample 2, N = 392, 71 men; Mage...

Background:Dyslipidaemia is an important cardiovascular risk factor for people with severe mental illness, contributing to premature mortality. The link between antipsychotics and dyslipidaemia is well established, while evidence on antidepressants is mixed.Aims:To investigate if antidepressant/antipsychotic use was associated with lipid parameters in UK Biobank participants and if CYP2C19 and CYP2D6 genetic variation plays a role.Methods:Review of self-reported prescription medications identified participants taking antidepressants/antipsychotics. Total, low-, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (L/HDL-C) and triglycerides derived from blood...

ObjectivesTo determine the prevalence of organ impairment in long COVID patients at 6 and 12 months after initial symptoms and to explore links to clinical presentation.DesignProspective cohort study.ParticipantsIndividuals.MethodsIn individuals recovered from acute COVID-19, we assessed symptoms, health status, and multi-organ tissue characterisation and function.SettingTwo non-acute healthcare settings (Oxford and London). Physiological and biochemical investigations were performed at baseline on all individuals, and those with organ impairment were reassessed.Main outcome measuresPrimary outcome was prevalence of single-...

This is a collection containing resources generated through the 'Infecting Minds' project.
This project brings together teams in the UK and South Africa to study vaccine hesitancy, between 2022-2023. We are interested in understanding barriers to vaccination, and learning how beliefs and behaviours around vaccines develop, persist and spread in different settings.
Our team is a diverse group of professionals including historians, theologians, social scientists, science communicators, teachers, laboratory scientists and clinical doctors....

Objective:To examine whether putatively atypical neuronal activity during internal attention in ADHD yields insights into processes underlying emotion dysregulation.Methods:We used a word processing paradigm to assess neural activations in adults with ADHD (N = 46) compared to controls (N = 43). We measured effects of valence, applied partial-least squares correlation analysis to assess multivariate brainbehavior relationships and ran subgroup analyses to isolate results driven by pure ADHD (N = 18).Results:During internal attention, ADHD, compared to...

Staff in the National Health Service (NHS) are under considerable strain, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic; whilst NHS Trusts provide a variety of health and wellbeing support services, there has been little research investigating staff perceptions of these services. We interviewed 48 healthcare workers from 18 NHS Trusts in England about their experiences of workplace health and wellbeing support during the pandemic. Reflexive thematic analysis identified that perceived stigma around help-seeking, and staffing shortages due...

BackgroundAnti-human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-antibody production represents a major barrier to heart transplantation, limiting recipient compatibility with potential donors and increasing the risk of complications with poor waiting-list outcomes. Currently there is no consensus to when desensitization should take place, and through what mechanism, meaning that sensitized patients must wait for a compatible donor for many months, if not years. We aimed to determine if intraoperative immunoadsorption could provide a potential desensitization methodology.MethodsAnti-HLA antibody-containing whole blood...

Background:Shared decision making (SDM) is a health communication model promoting patient-centered care that has not been routinely utilized in mental health. Inconsistent definitions, models, measurement tools, and lack of sufficient evidence for the effectiveness of SDM interventions are potential contributors to the limited use of SDM in mental health.Aims:(1) Provide the first systematic analysis of global development trends and challenges of SDM research; (2) clarify the meaning, role, and measurement of SDM in mental health;...

Background:Shared decision making (SDM) is a health communication model promoting patient-centered care that has not been routinely utilized in mental health. Inconsistent definitions, models, measurement tools, and lack of sufficient evidence for the effectiveness of SDM interventions are potential contributors to the limited use of SDM in mental health.Aims:(1) Provide the first systematic analysis of global development trends and challenges of SDM research; (2) clarify the meaning, role, and measurement of SDM in mental health;...