Improving recruitment and retention of people with Parkinson\u27s disease to clinical studies: A scoping review

BackgroundTimely recruitment and effective retention of participants are challenging for clinical Parkinson\u27s disease (PD) research studies. Not achieving this can affect delivery costs and bias results.ObjectiveTo identify successful recruitment and retention methodologies for clinical research studies in PD.MethodsWe conducted a systematic scoping review using a Population, Intervention, Comparator, Outcome and Study design (PICOS) framework to search and screen literature within five databases for published quantitative and mixed methods studies evaluating recruitment and retention strategies of interventional and observational trials in PD.ResultsSearches identified 4608 records, of which six papers covering eight studies were included in the review following screening for eligibility. No papers on retention strategies were found that met eligibility criteria. Effective strategies for rapid recruitment included research registries and trial finders (n = 3), digital marketing campaigns (n = 3), site recruitment support (n = 1) and multiple referral sources (n = 1). Recruitment diversity was increased by online campaigns, mandatory 10% minority targets set by funders and supplemental site funding.ConclusionsThis scoping review has identified methods that can be used to increase the rate and diversity of recruitment to PD clinical studies. Retention methodologies are under-researched.Recruiting patients to clinical studies and ensuring participants complete them (known as “retention”) is challenging in Parkinson\u27s disease (PD). If studies take longer this increases costs, and if the right people do not take part in studies this can mean that results may not be representative of the PD community. Our objective is to find out what effective strategies there are to support recruitment and retention to clinical research studies in PD. We reviewed literature within five study databases. We used the population, intervention, comparator, outcome and studies (PICOS) framework to create a search strategy based on our research question, and inclusion criteria for study selection. Important criteria were: (1) studies had to test a recruitment or retention strategy in a PD clinical research study, (2) studies had to provide evidence on how well the strategy worked. We found 4608 unique research papers, six of which described and evaluated recruitment strategies. No papers on retention strategies were found that met eligibility criteria. Successful recruitment strategies included digital marketing (n = 3), research registries (n = 3), supporting study sites (n = 1) and multiple sources to refer people with Parkinson\u27s (PwP) to studies (n = 1). Recruitment of PwP from diverse backgrounds was enhanced by (1) online campaigns, (2) funders requesting that 10% of study participants come from diverse backgrounds 3) additional funding for research teams.This scoping review identified methods that can be used to increase the rate and diversity of recruitment to PD clinical studies. Retention methodologies are under-researched

Delivery of physiotherapy and occupational therapy standards of care for Duchenne muscular dystrophy: Key recommendations based on UK web-based survey

\ua9 2025Duchenne muscular dystrophy is a neuromuscular disorder which has benefited from the implementation of key management strategies embedded in International Standards of Care. This study was prompted by the need for more practical, implementable guidance for physiotherapists and occupational therapists than were presented in the international guidelines. Using two web-based surveys, we explored how therapy is currently being delivered in the UK at specialist neuromuscular clinics as well as in community settings, and how it could be improved. The surveys showed that a significant proportion of families report they are not accessing any physiotherapy in either neuromuscular centres (23 %) or in the community (33 %) and that occupational therapy was particularly limited in neuromuscular centres (lacking in 70 %) but also in the community (33 %). There was evidence that, although much is reported as positive about appointments, key gaps are evident. The feedback from families and therapists indicates that care could be better delivered by improving communication, alongside upskilling and education of therapists and families. It demonstrated the value of and real need for a guide for therapists for Duchenne muscular dystrophy as well as a simultaneous family guide to facilitate the improvements identified

Correction to: Structural variant calling and clinical interpretation in 6224 unsolved rare disease exomes (<em>European Journal of Human Genetics</em>, (2024), 32, 8, (998-1004), 10.1038/s41431-024-01637-4)

\ua9 The Author(s) 2025.Correction to: European Journal of Human Genetics (2024) 32:998–1004 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41431-024-01637-4, published online 31 May 2024 In the original article, Tables 1 and 2 were swapped during initial production. The incorrectly assigned table order can be seen below: The total number of structural variant calls, the number of evaluated calls, and the diagnostic value increase per ERN. Total number of affected individuals denotes all the affected family members including index cases. Variants detected via paired-end or soft-clipped signal based SV analysis (Manta) in exomes, considered to be causative for the corresponding rare diseases. ERN RND ERN ITHACA ERN NMD ERN GENTURIS Number of affected individuals 2.343 1.892 1.632 357 Number of index patients 2.2 1.821 1.499 340 Known disease genes in gene list 1.82 3.081 611 230 Number of candidate variants, after filtering 798 1.404 1.519 15 Number of samples with SVs, after filtering 487 868 606 15 Number of solved index patients/all affected patients 7 (0.32%)/11 9 (0.49%)/9 6 (0.4%)/9 1 (0.29%)/3 Percentage of causal SVs among investigated SVs 1.37% 0.64% 0.59% 20% The correct table order should have been: Table 1. The total number of structural variant calls, the number of evaluated calls, and the diagnostic value increase per ERN. Total number of affected individuals denotes all the affected family members including index cases. ERN RND ERN ITHACA ERN NMD ERN GENTURIS Number of affected individuals 2.343 1.892 1.632 357 Number of index patients 2.2 1.821 1.499 340 Known disease genes in gene list 1.82 3.081 611 230 Number of candidate variants, after filtering 798 1.404 1.519 15 Number of samples with SVs, after filtering 487 868 606 15 Number of solved index patients/all affected patients 7 (0.32%)/11 9 (0.49%)/9 6 (0.4%)/9 1 (0.29%)/3 Percentage of causal SVs among investigated SVs 1.37% 0.64% 0.59% 20% Variants detected via paired-end or soft-clipped signal based SV analysis (Manta) in exomes, considered to be causative for the corresponding rare diseases. The original article has now been corrected

Development of a bespoke finite element wear algorithm to investigate the effect of femoral centre of rotation on the wear evolution in total knee replacements

\ua9 2024 Elsevier LtdTotal Knee Replacements (TKRs) are a commonly used treatment to help patients suffering from severely damaged knee joints, which is normally brought on by osteoarthritis. The aim of the surgery is to reduce pain and regain function of the joint, however, some of these implants fail prematurely with implant wear being one of the main factors of failure. Computational analysis is an efficient tool that can provide an in-depth insight on the evolution of wear, before utilising experimental techniques which are time-consuming and costly. In this study, a bespoke finite element (FE) based wear algorithm has been further developed for TKRs and was used to investigate how location of femoral centre of rotation (CoR) affects the evolution of wear at the bearing surfaces. Three locations of femoral CoR have been investigated: international standards (ISO) CoR, being the location defined in ISO 14243-3, distal CoR being the centre of the femoral component\u27s distal radius, and reference CoR being the middle ground between the two. All investigations were setup in accordance with ISO 14243-3 for displacement-controlled wear testing conditions for knee simulators. The wear algorithm extracts contact pressure and sliding distance from the FE analysis to determine wear depth, wear pattern, volumetric wear, and wear rates on the polymeric insert and femoral component\u27s bearing surfaces using Archard\u27s wear law. The polymeric insert volumetric wear rate after 5 million cycles (Mc) for ISO, reference, and distal CoR are 4.37mm3/Mc, 5.40mm3/Mc, and 6.83mm3/Mc respectively. Furthermore, the wear pattern\u27s location on the bearing surfaces is dependent on the femoral CoR, with ISO CoR wear pattern being positioned more posteriorly, distal CoR being more anteriorly, and reference CoR in between ISO and distal. The ISO CoR investigation showed a region of minimal wear between two wear regions at the middle of the femoral component\u27s wear pattern, on both medial and lateral condyles. This region of minimal wear reduces for the reference CoR and further reduces for the distal CoR. After 5 Mc, the average polymeric insert-femoral component contact area changes with femoral CoR, with the average contact area being 66.53mm2, 68.35mm2, and 71.21mm2 for ISO, reference, and distal CoRs respectively, with distal having around 7% more contact area than ISO. The results from this study show that there is a wide range of wear values for different locations of femoral CoR. As such the choice of femoral CoR should be carefully considered when performing any wear investigation to ensure that the CoR location is consistent for all studies being compared

Understanding the substrate recognition and catalytic mechanism of 2-O-methyl fucosidases from glycoside hydrolase family 139

\ua9 2025 The AuthorsRhamnogalacturonan II is one of the most complex plant cell wall carbohydrates and is composed of 13 different sugars and 21 different glycosidic linkages. It is abundant in fruit and indulgence foods, such as chocolate and wine, making it common in the human diet. The human colonic commensal Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron expresses a consortium of 22 enzymes to metabolize rhamnogalacturonan II, some of which exclusively target sugars unique to rhamnogalacturonan II. Several of these enzyme families remain poorly described, and, consequently, our knowledge of rhamnogalacturonan II metabolism is limited. Chief among the poorly understood activities is glycoside hydrolase (GH) family 139, which targets α1,2-2O-methyl L-fucoside linkages, a sugar residue not found in any other plant cell wall complex glycans. Although the founding enzyme BT0984 was placed in the RG-II degradative pathway, no GH139 structure or catalytic blueprint had been available. We report the crystal structures of BT0984 and a second homolog revealing that the family operates with inverting stereochemistry. Using these data, we undertook a mutagenic strategy, backed by molecular dynamics, to identify the important substrate binding and catalytic residues, mapping these residues throughout the GH139 family revealing the importance of the O2 methyl interaction of the substrate. We propose a catalytic mechanism that uses a non-canonical Asn as a catalytic base and shares similarity with L-fucosidases/L-galactosidases of family GH95

A mathematical and numerical model for variable cross-section hull girder with time-varying mass systems applied in marine vessels

\ua9 2024 Elsevier LtdFor some types of special-purpose marine vessels, such as dredgers, the variation of mass onboard derived from their working conditions may induce unforeseen loads within a short time, which will lead to unexpected structural responses and fatigue damage. For dredgers, additional loads induced by the mass-variation in their specific working conditions are of significant concern and have not been effectively considered during the design stage. This paper proposes a mathematical and numerical model for structural dynamic analysis of variable cross-section hull girder with time-varying mass characteristics. It leverages the modified Euler-Bernoulli beam theory to accommodate variable mass functions and employs a semi-analytical approach for the analysis of vibration characteristics in the variable cross-section beam. The excitation loads acting on the hull girder are composed of engine loads, propeller loads, and hydrodynamic loads respectively defined in the dynamic model. Furthermore, an improved Kane\u27s dynamic equation is integrated into the mathematical and numerical model, tailored for time-varying mass systems, serving as the primary dynamic solver module. A customized program, written in FORTRAN language, is developed based on the proposed model. In addition, a user-defined case study is given in this paper. The varying wet surface and trim characteristics of the ship hull within a short period are also taken into consideration via dividing wet surface into ten shifting waterlines and loading conditions in variable mass properties. Hydrodynamic analysis results pre-calculated by SESAM are transferred into the program. Finally, dynamic response results including displacement and angular responses of each pre-defined rigid cross-section in the hull girder are generated by the self-developed program, which can be used for further FEA analysis to achieve detailed stress and deformation results. The proposed mathematical and numerical model can be used in the design stage for ships and offshore vessels that have time-varying mass features to evaluate their special structural responses during variable mass operations

The Use of the Paulhus Deception Scales with Forensic Populations: A Psychometric Critique

\ua9 2025 The Author(s). Published with license by Taylor &amp; Francis Group, LLC.The Paulhus Deception Scale (PDS) is a self-report tool which assesses two types of deception: self-deceptive enhancement (SDE) and impression management (IM). Whilst extensively used in research and practice, no psychometric critique assesses its suitability with forensic populations. Accurate deception measurement is crucial for clinicians and forensic psychologists involved in assessment and treatment. This review finds some support for the PDS\u27s applicability, but highlights significant gaps when compared to its predecessor, the Balanced Inventory of Desirable Responding (BIDR). Practical implications and future research are also discussed

A New Hybrid Framework for the MPPT of Solar PV Systems Under Partial Shaded Scenarios

\ua9 2025 by the authors.Nonlinear characteristics of solar photovoltaic (PV) and nonuniform surrounding conditions, including partial shading conditions (PSCs), are the major factors responsible for lower conversion efficiency in solar panels. One major condition is the cause of the multiple peaks and oscillation around the peak point leading to power losses. Therefore, this study proposes a novel hybrid framework based on an artificial neural network (ANN) and fractional order PID (FOPID) controller, where new algorithms are employed to train the ANN model and to tune the FOPID controller. The primary aim is to maintain the computed power close to its true peak power while mitigating persistent oscillations in the face of continuously varying surrounding conditions. Firstly, a modified shuffled frog leap algorithm (MSFLA) was employed to train the feed-forward ANN model using real-world solar PV data with the aim of generating a reference solar PV peak voltage. Subsequently, the parameters of the FOPID controller were tuned through the application of the Sanitized Teacher–Learning-Based Optimization (s-TLBO) algorithm, with a specific focus on achieving maximum power point tracking (MPPT). The robustness of the proposed hybrid framework was assessed using two different types (monocrystalline and polycrystalline) of solar panels exposed to varying levels of irradiance. Additionally, the framework’s performance was rigorously tested under cloudy conditions and in the presence of various partial shading scenarios. Furthermore, the adaptability of the proposed framework to different solar panel array configurations was evaluated. This work’s findings reveal that the proposed hybrid framework consistently achieves maximum power point with minimal oscillation, surpassing the performance of recently published works across various critical performance metrics, including the (Formula presented.), relative error (RE), mean squared error (MSE), and tracking speed

Integrated histopathology, spatial and single cell transcriptomics resolve cellular drivers of early and late alveolar damage in COVID-19

\ua9 The Author(s) 2025. The most common cause of death due to COVID-19 remains respiratory failure. Yet, our understanding of the precise cellular and molecular changes underlying lung alveolar damage is limited. Here, we integrate single cell transcriptomic data of COVID-19 and donor lung tissue with spatial transcriptomic data stratifying histopathological stages of diffuse alveolar damage. We identify changes in cellular composition across progressive damage, including waves of molecularly distinct macrophages and depletion of epithelial and endothelial populations. Predicted markers of pathological states identify immunoregulatory signatures, including IFN-alpha and metallothionein signatures in early damage, and fibrosis-related collagens in late damage. Furthermore, we predict a fibrinolytic shutdown via endothelial upregulation of SERPINE1/PAI-1. Cell-cell interaction analysis revealed macrophage-derived SPP1/osteopontin signalling as a key regulator during early steps of alveolar damage. These results provide a comprehensive, spatially resolved atlas of alveolar damage progression in COVID-19, highlighting the cellular mechanisms underlying pro-inflammatory and pro-fibrotic pathways in severe disease

Reply to "comment on "diamond (111) surface reconstruction and epitaxial graphene interface"

\ua9 2025 authors. Published by the American Physical Society. Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article\u27s title, journal citation, and DOI.In the Comment by Goletti et al. [Phys. Rev. B 111, 117301 (2025)10.1103/PhysRevB.111.117301], concerns are raised regarding the interpretation of our experimental findings, as well as the application of basic ground-state density functional theory (DFT) models pertaining to the C(111)-(2 71) surface presented in our earlier publication [Reed et al., Phys. Rev. B 105, 205304 (2022)2469-995010.1103/PhysRevB.105.205304]. These concerns are addressed and our interpretation of the results is ultimately reconfirmed. We present further analysis of the original data and introduce new measurements on previously unreported regions of the surface reconstructed (2 71) Brillouin zone, aiding in the evaluation of the dispersion relation at other high-symmetry points. We gain insights relating to the current use of DFT calculations that include many-body theories when relating to the occupied electronic structure of this surface as measured by angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy