How does news coverage of suicide affect suicidal behaviour at a high-frequency location? A seven-year time-series analysis

Introduction News reporting of suicide can have a significant influence on suicidal behaviour in the general population, especially following the death of a well-known individual. By comparison, the impact of reporting on suicides at well-known, ‘high-frequency’ locations is less well understood. We investigated the relationship between news coverage of suicide and incidents at a high-frequency coastal location in the UK over a 7-year period. Methods We analysed bidirectional associations (with daily and weekly lags) and Granger causality between suicide-related news in the UK (n=38 595, of which 789 focused on cliff locations) and suspected suicides (n=278) and crisis interventions (n=3050) at the site between 1 January 2017 and 31 December 2023. Separate subanalyses explored associations with repeat coverage and with headlines featuring explicit location/method details. Results While coverage of incidents at the study site and other coastal locations represents a small and decreasing proportion of all UK news of suicide, 51% of all cliff-related news focused on the study site, often explicitly identified in the story’s headline (81%). There were significant but small (r<0.3) correlations between the volume of news coverage (particularly when method-specific and location-specific) and suicidal behaviour at the site, with fatalities increasing in the immediate aftermath of reporting. This effect was strongest in 2018–2019 (which had the greatest volume of reporting and repeat coverage) but failed to reach significance in 2020–2023, when there were fewer reports, less repeat coverage and no headlines referring to multiple deaths at the site. Conclusions Findings underscore the importance of continued efforts to monitor and improve the quality of news and other media portrayals of suicide. Follow-up studies, including qualitative research with people with lived/living experiences of suicide, could further explore how different types of news stories and wider narratives might contribute to increases—and potentially decreases—in suicides at high-frequency locations

The experiences of undergoing medico-legal assessments when seeking asylum in the UK: an interpretive phenomenological analysis

Asylum-seekers who have experienced ill-treatment often undergo a clinical assessment for the purposes of having a medico-legal report prepared for use as evidence in their claim for asylum. The literature suggests that while this assessment process may act as a stressor, it might also provide therapeutic benefits. The study employed interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) to explore the lived experience of asylum-seekers who had undergone assessment for the preparation of a medico-legal report. Three superordinate themes emerged from the data: (a) uncertainty – the tension between negative and positive expectation; (b) the pain of having to share and remember; (c) therapeutic impact. The assessment process was psychologically distressing. This distress was mitigated by particular components of the process that appeared to hold therapeutic benefits. These findings have important clinical implications for clinicians carrying out assessments with asylum-seekers and highlight the need for trauma-informed approaches to care within the UK asylum system

Biogas potential of oil palm empty fruit bunch and lignocellulosic insoluble fibre components via the syringe bioreactor method

Previous researchers have sought to understand the biochemical methane potential (BMP) of lignocellulosic materials such as oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) by studying the anaerobic digestion of its structural components cellulose (CE), hemicellulose and lignin (LI). This study was aimed at further exploring how the BMP of these lignocellulose biomass components is influenced by different inoculum to substrate ratios (ISR), the use of an adapted inoculum, inoculum supernatant, standard ISO medium only and ISO medium supplemented with NaHCO3 and vitamin B-complex as buffer and nutrient additive, respectively. Researchers have also relied on custom-made or commercially available BMP bioreactors which may not be standardized and cost-effective for most laboratories to investigate many variables in triplicate concurrently. The flexibility, quick setup and ease of use of the syringe-based bioreactor method was explored to overcome these limitations. This study examines the mesophilic BMP of OPEFB as well as xylan (XY), CE and LI. CE also served as a positive control. OPEFB, XY and CE exhibited BMPs of 258, 214 and 360 mLCH4 gVS−1 in original ISO medium. CE methane yield reached quasi-equilibrium between ISR 2 and 4. Plastic or glass-made syringe bioreactors did not affect BMP under the investigated conditions. Vitamine B-complex or NaHCO3 addition to the ISO medium reduced the lag phase by 13.5 % and 16.2 %, respectively. The use of inoculum supernatant as medium reduced the lag phase of CE digestion by 80 %. CE achieved the greatest degree of methanation when using inoculum supernatant (89.5 %) or NaHCO3 (90.2 %), followed by XY (56.7 %), OPEFB (48.3 %) and LI (0.4 %). Plastic syringe bioreactors with a modified ISO medium can be an attractive economic alternative to BMP tests using conventional bioreactors

The generational shift towards the reciprocal disclosure of intimacy in daughter–father relationships through physical activity in the UK

Within family sociology during the past 30 years, while a general consensus has developed that most parents and children in the Western world have come to share relationships characterised by a greater degree of intimate disclosure, the extent to which parent–child relationships have become ‘purer’ and more egalitarian remains a contested issue. Although there has been a developing interest in involved fathering through sport and physical activity over the past decade, research has yet to concentrate on the consequences of this transformation for daughters. This article applies Mannheim’s tenet of generation entelechy to life history interviews with 14 women born between 1950 and 1994 to argue that involved fathering through physical activity offers conditions for daughters to realise a long-held desire to establish more emotionally reciprocated intimate bonds with fathers. Daughters described a shift from viewing fathers as emotionally uninvolved workers to becoming interdependent intimates

Is assisted dying really a matter for medical regulation?

This paper considers whether assisted suicide and euthanasia (AS/E) is an area for medical regulation or whether there is a better alternative regulatory mechanism to govern it. Drawing from empirical evidence across a range of jurisdictions where it is legalized, the paper argues that there are at least four good reasons to consider demedicalizing AS/E: 1) pragmatic ethical issues of infrastructural weakness in AS/E service provision in already overstretched healthcare systems globally; 2) challenges of medicalization; 3) regulatory complexities concerning medical law (including pharmaceutical law) and criminal law; 4) the risk that AS/E becomes more easily susceptible to healthcare economics. The paper suggests several recommendations concerning a possible ‘demedicalized model.

Blood pressure cutoffs at 11-13 weeks of gestation and risk of preeclampsia

Background A parallel has been drawn between first-trimester placental vascular maturation and maternal cardiovascular adaptations, including blood pressure. Although 140/90 mm Hg is well-accepted as the threshold for chronic hypertension in the general obstetric population in early pregnancy, a different threshold could apply to stratify the risk of adverse outcomes, such as preeclampsia. This could have implications for interventions, such as the threshold for initiation of antihypertensive therapy and the target blood pressure level. Objective We evaluated the relationship between various blood pressure cutoffs at 11–13 weeks of gestation and the development of preeclampsia, overall and according to key maternal characteristics. Study Design This secondary analysis was of data from a prospective nonintervention cohort study of singleton pregnancies delivering at ≥24 weeks, without major anomalies, at 2 United Kingdom maternity hospitals, 2006–2020. Blood pressure at 11–13 weeks of gestation was classified according to American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association categories (mm Hg) as (1) normal blood pressure (systolic <120 and diastolic <80), (2) elevated blood pressure (systolic ≥120 and diastolic <80), stage 1 hypertension (systolic ≥130 or diastolic 80–89), and stage 2 hypertension (systolic ≥140 or diastolic ≥90). For blood pressure category thresholds and the outcome of preeclampsia, the following were calculated overall and across maternal age, body mass index, ethnicity, method of conception, and previous pregnancy history: detection rate, screen-positive rate, and positive and negative likelihood ratios, with 95% confidence intervals. A P value of <.05 was considered significant. Results There were 137,458 pregnancies screened at 11–13 weeks of gestation. The population was ethnically diverse, with 15.9% of Black ethnicity, 6.7% of South or East Asian ethnicity, and 2.7% of mixed ethnicity, with the remainder of White ethnicity. Compared with normal blood pressure, stage 2 hypertension was associated with both preterm preeclampsia (0.3% to 4.9%) and term preeclampsia (1.0% to 8.3%). A blood pressure threshold of 140/90 mm Hg was good at identifying women at increased risk of preeclampsia overall (positive likelihood ratio, 5.61 [95% confidence interval, 5.14–6.11]) and across maternal characteristics, compared with elevated blood pressure (positive likelihood ratio, 1.70 [95% confidence interval, 1.63–1.77]) and stage 1 hypertension (positive likelihood ratio, 2.68 [95% confidence interval, 2.58–2.77]). There were 2 exceptions: a blood pressure threshold of 130/80 mm Hg was better for the 2.1% of women with body mass index <18.5 kg/m2 (positive likelihood ratio, 5.13 [95% confidence interval, 3.22–8.16]), and a threshold of 135/85 mm Hg better for the 50.4% of parous women without a history of preeclampsia (positive likelihood ratio, 5.24, [95% confidence interval, 4.77–5.77]). There was no blood pressure threshold below which reassurance could be provided against the development of preeclampsia (all-negative likelihood ratios ≥0.20). Conclusion The traditional blood pressure threshold of 140/90 mm Hg performs well to identify women at increased risk of preeclampsia. Women who are underweight or parous with no prior history of preeclampsia may be better identified by lower thresholds; however, a randomized trial would be necessary to determine any benefits of such an approach if antihypertensive therapy were also administered at this threshold. No blood pressure threshold is reassured against the development of preeclampsia, regardless of maternal characteristics

Precision oncology through next generation sequencing in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a primary liver cancer that originates from underlying inflammation, often associated with Hepatitis B virus (HBV) or Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections. Despite the availability of treatments, there are high rates of tumour relapse due to the development of drug resistance in infected cells. Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) plays a crucial role in overcoming this issue by sequencing both viral and host genomes to identify mutations and genetic heterogeneity. The knowledge gained from sequencing is then utilised to develop countermeasures against these mutants through different combination therapies. Advances in NGS have led to sequencing with higher accuracy and throughput, thereby enabling personalized and effective treatments. The purpose of this article is to highlight how NGS has contributed to precision medicine in HCC and the possible integration of artificial intelligence (AI) to bolster the advancement. [Abstract copyright: Crown Copyright © 2025 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

National guidelines on AI governance and ethics

On September 20, 2024, Malaysia's Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation (MOSTI) released the National Artificial Intelligence Governance and Ethics Guidelines (AIGE) to ensure responsible AI use. The guidelines target end users, policymakers, and AI sector players, emphasizing rights, consumer protection, and best practices for AI adoption. Policymakers are advised to create a human-centric AI governance framework, while developers should uphold ethical standards, ensure fairness, and share data. The guidelines aim to balance innovation with accountability and minimize AI risks

Strategic agility in the B2B sharing economy ecosystem of emerging economies: Empirical insights from the Middle East

Strategic agility plays a critical role in enhancing business competitiveness. However, research on how business-to-business (B2B) organizations develop and implement strategic agility within the sharing economy ecosystem remains limited. This study, based on semi-structured interviews with 27 business owners and service/product providers from Egypt who engage in B2B interactions on sharing platforms, identifies two key dimensions of agility that strengthen brand identity and image in emerging markets: (1) the establishment and stabilization of payment frameworks between platforms and providers, and (2) the reinforcement of regulatory measures to ensure a stable working environment. Additionally, the paper examines business activities that facilitate rapid adaptation to external changes, enabling swift responses in B2B exchanges of goods, services, or resources. These findings enhance our understanding of the impact of strategic agility on B2B firms in the sharing economy of emerging markets and offer valuable implications for both research and practice