Tackling TB:How can researchers and cultural institutions benefit each other?

Verdant Works is Dundee's industrial heritage museum, set in a former jute mill near the University of Dundee. Why would they be interested in a biology exhibition? This poster offers a practical, ABCDEF guide to how to plan engagement for mutual benefit

The Craft Hub Journey:Project Catalogue

Introducing the Craft Hub project and the International Exhibition ‘Investigating Craft Practices across Europe’, including its journey across Europe, the artistic curation and set-up methodology for a replicable, accessible and sustainable design, adapting to seven unique exhibition spaces and content. The recurring themes, Heritage, Sustainability, Experimentation, Technological Innovation, Empowerment and Social Inclusion create common threads running through the activities and research carried out by each Craft Hub partner

Viral hepatitis testing and treatment in community pharmacies:a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: The World Health Organization seeks to eliminate viral hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030. This review and meta-analysis aims to evaluate the effectiveness of programs for hepatitis B and C testing and treatment in community pharmacies.Methods: Medline, Embase, Cochrane CENTRAL, and Global Health were searched from database inception until 12 November 2023. Comparative and single arm intervention studies were eligible for inclusion if they assessed delivery of any of the following interventions for hepatitis B or C in pharmacies: (1) pre-testing risk assessment, (2) testing, (3) pre-treatment assessment or (4) treatment. Primary outcomes were proportions testing positive and reaching each stage in the cascade. Random effects meta-analysis was used to estimate pooled proportions stratified by recruitment strategy and setting where possible; other results were synthesised narratively. This study was pre-registered (PROSPERO: CRD42022324218).Findings: Twenty-seven studies (4 comparative, 23 single arm) were included, of which 26 reported hepatitis C outcomes and four reported hepatitis B outcomes. History of injecting drug use was the most identified risk factor from pre-testing risk assessments. The pooled proportion hepatitis C antibody positive from of 19 studies testing 5096 participants was 16.6% (95% CI 11.0%–23.0%; heterogeneity I 2 = 96.6%). The pooled proportion antibody positive was significantly higher when testing targeted people with specified risk factors (32.5%, 95% CI 24.8%–40.6%; heterogeneity I 2 = 82.4%) compared with non-targeted or other recruitment methods 4.0% (95% CI 2.1%–6.5%; heterogeneity I 2 = 83.5%). Meta-analysis of 14 studies with 813 participants eligible for pre-treatment assessment showed pooled attendance rates were significantly higher in pharmacies (92.7%, 95% CI 79.1%–99.9%; heterogeneity I 2 = 72.4%) compared with referral to non-pharmacy settings (53.5%, 95% CI 36.5%–70.1%; heterogeneity I 2 = 92.3%). The pooled proportion initiating treatment was 85.6% (95% CI 74.8%–94.3%; heterogeneity I 2 = 75.1%). This did not differ significantly between pharmacy and non-pharmacy settings.Interpretation: These findings add pharmacies to the growing evidence supporting community-based testing and treatment for hepatitis C. Few comparative studies and high degrees of statistical heterogeneity were important limitations. Hepatitis B care in pharmacies presents an opportunity for future research.</p

Genetic drivers of heterogeneity in type 2 diabetes pathophysiology

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a heterogeneous disease that develops through diverse pathophysiological processes1,2 and molecular mechanisms that are often specific to cell type3,4. Here, to characterize the genetic contribution to these processes across ancestry groups, we aggregate genome-wide association study data from 2,535,601 individuals (39.7% not of European ancestry), including 428,452 cases of T2D. We identify 1,289 independent association signals at genome-wide significance (P &lt; 5 × 10-8) that map to 611 loci, of which 145 loci are, to our knowledge, previously unreported. We define eight non-overlapping clusters of T2D signals that are characterized by distinct profiles of cardiometabolic trait associations. These clusters are differentially enriched for cell-type-specific regions of open chromatin, including pancreatic islets, adipocytes, endothelial cells and enteroendocrine cells. We build cluster-specific partitioned polygenic scores5 in a further 279,552 individuals of diverse ancestry, including 30,288 cases of T2D, and test their association with T2D-related vascular outcomes. Cluster-specific partitioned polygenic scores are associated with coronary artery disease, peripheral artery disease and end-stage diabetic nephropathy across ancestry groups, highlighting the importance of obesity-related processes in the development of vascular outcomes. Our findings show the value of integrating multi-ancestry genome-wide association study data with single-cell epigenomics to disentangle the aetiological heterogeneity that drives the development and progression of T2D. This might offer a route to optimize global access to genetically informed diabetes care.</p

Ontological (In)security in Early Career Social Work during COVID-19:Experiences in Scotland

The impact of COVID-19 on the working lives of professionals has been of much interest. Within social work, the pandemic increased workload demands, whilst the way in which work was done shifted significantly. This article uses data gathered from newly qualified social workers (NQSWs) who began their working lives during the pandemic. These first years in practice are viewed as an extension to social workers' formal education and as a vital stage in their professional development. Survey (n = 124) and interview (n = 12) data were gathered from NQSWs across Scotland. Findings were considered through Giddens' lens of ontological security, to explore NQSW transitions during a context of pandemic disruption and its impacts on NQSWs' confidence and competence, as well as their sense of self and identity. Consistent with other studies, respondents were most impacted by home working and the associated isolation and separation from colleagues, particularly when engaged in emotionally charged work. Findings uncovered a trichotomy of experience, with variation in the quality and availability of some formal supports - induction, training and learning and development - and informal support. Implications for practice include a need to focus on how we support and nurture NQSWs at such a critical stage in their professional socialisation.</p

A Systematic Review of Research on Staff Training as an Intervention to Develop Communication in Children and Adults with Profound Intellectual and Multiple Disabilities

Introduction: This paper aims to identify to what extent staff training interventions are successful in enhancing the development of communication skills in people with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities. Methods: A systematic review was undertaken, conforming to PRISMA guidelines. English language, peer reviewed, empirical studies of staff training interventions to enhance the communication of people with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities were included. Databases Scopus, Web of Science, Proquest, Linguistics and Language Behaviour Abstracts (LLBA) and Medline were searched in July 2015 and updated in December 2022. Quality appraisal was conducted on 13 studies using Crowe's Critical Appraisal Tool (CCAT). Results: Few good quality evaluations of interventions were found. Challenges to research rigour included the diversity of people with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities, small sample sizes, intervention intensity and the management of fidelity. Conclusions: Manualised and bespoke interventions showed promise in improving staff communication and responsiveness.</p

Predictive accuracy of boosted regression model in estimating risk of venous thromboembolism following minimally invasive radical surgery in pharmacological prophylaxis-naïve men with prostate cancer

Background: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a potentially life-threatening but preventable complication after urological surgery. Physicians are faced with the challenges of weighing the risks and benefits of thromboprophylaxis given scanty evidence for or against and practice variation worldwide.Objective: The primary objective of the study was to explore the possibility of a risk-stratified approach for thromboembolism prophylaxis following radical prostatectomy.Design, setting, and participants: A prospective database was accessed to cross-link venous thromboembolism events in 522 men who underwent minimally invasive prostatectomy between February 2010 and October 2021. A deterministic data linkage method was used to record events through electronic systems. Community Health Index (CHI) numbers were used to identify patients via electronic health records. Patient demographics and clinical characteristics such as age, comorbidities, Gleason staging, and readmission details accrued.Outcomes: VTE within 90 days and development of a risk-stratified scoring system. All statistical analysis was performed using R-Statistical Software and the risk of VTE within 90 days of surgery was estimated via gradient-boosting decision trees (BRT) model.Results and limitations: 1.1% (6/522) of patients developed deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism within 3 months post-minimally invasive prostatectomy. Statistical analysis demonstrated a significant difference in the body mass index (p = 0.016), duration of hospital stay (p &lt; 0.001), and number of readmissions (p = 0.036) between patients who developed VTE versus patients who did not develop VTE. BRT analysis found 8 variables that demonstrated relative importance in predicting VTE. The receiver operating curves (ROC) were constructed to assess the discrimination power of a new model. The model showed an AUC of 0.97 (95% confidence intervals [CI]: 0.945,0.999). For predicting VTE, a single-center study is a limitation.Conclusions: The incidence of VTE post-minimally invasive prostatectomy in men who did not receive prophylaxis with low molecular weight heparin is low (1.1%). The proposed risk-scoring system may aid in the identification of higher-risk patients for thromboprophylaxis. Patient summary: In this report, we looked at the outcomes of venous thromboembolism following minimally invasive radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer in consecutive men. We developed a new scoring system using advanced statistical analysis. We conclude that the VTE risk is very low and our model, if applied, can risk stratify men for the development of VTE following radical surgery for prostate cancer.</p

Scleral sutured aniridia intraocular lens (Morcher®):indications and long-term outcomes

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the outcomes of trans-scleral sutured posterior chamber black diaphragm intraocular lens (BDIOL) (Morcher®) implantations over 11 years.SUBJECTS/METHODS: Retrospective case-series of patients, who underwent BDIOL implantation, identified from electronic patient records system from 2006 to 2016, Moorfields Eye Hospital. Demographics, pre/post-operative, final best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), diagnosis, symptomatic improvement, intraoperative and postoperative complications immediate or late were collected and analysed to relate outcomes to surgical indication.RESULTS: Forty eyes of 38 patients (F:M 1:2.8) underwent BDIOL implantation with a mean surgical age of 46.6 years and follow-up of 44.5 months (range of 8-132 months). Indications included 23(57%) ocular trauma, 7(17%) congenital aniridia, 7(17%) iatrogenic lens and/or iris loss, and 3(7%) infectious keratitis. Mean preoperative BCVA was 1.64 logMAR and mean final postoperative BCVA was 0.94 logMAR with an average improvement in BCVA of 0.23 logMAR, equivalent to 1.5 lines of Snellen visual acuity. Visual results varied according to indications. Infectious cause patients had the greatest vision improvement (-0.7 logMAR), followed by trauma (-0.3 logMAR), and 25% of these achieved vision of 0.3 logMAR (6/12 in Snellen acuity) or better. Conversely, the aniridia group had the least improvement (worsened vision of 0.01 logMAR), 17 patients (42%) reported subjective improvement.CONCLUSION: BDIOLs achieve reasonably good visual outcomes in eyes with complex vision threatening pathology. No significant intra-operative complications are documented and most post-operative complications are related to the pre-existing pathology. Post - trauma and iatrogenic aniridia have better outcomes compared to congenital aniridia.</p