United Kingdom: Environmental design education in a changing world

First paragraph: We argue that developments in other spheres of life have left environmental design less than fully fit for purpose. Dementia is a global issue. Evidence-based environmental design should be part of the solution in every country and in all cultures. However, research evidence reflects and reproduces the contexts in which it was created, and environmental design education has too frequently been insufficiently critical of both the quality of the evidence base and its generalisability to other contexts. We provide examples drawn from our experience of the challenges to its delivery in different parts of the world before calling for a new, more nuanced approach to environmental design education which we call ‘Designing for context’

Matrix-dependent size modifications of iron oxide nanoparticles (Ferumoxytol) spiked into rat blood cells and plasma : Characterisation with TEM, AF4-UV-MALS-ICP-MS/MS and spICP-MS

KN gratefully acknowledges the University of Aberdeen for an Elphinstone Ph.D. studentship and the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) for a research grant (RG-13451-10). The authors also gratefully acknowledge Postnova Analytics UK especially Dr. Bassem Sabagh for the loan of the AF4 system together with training, support, and advice on the technique. Microscopy was performed at the Microscopy and Histology Core facility, University of Aberdeen.Peer reviewedPostprin

The social, health and economic impact of COVID-19 – Healthy Ageing In Scotland (HAGIS):a protocol for a mixed-methods study

Introduction Public health responses to the COVID-19 pandemic have reaped adverse physical, psychological, social and economic effects, with older adults disproportionally affected. Psychological consequences of the pandemic include fear, worry and anxiety. COVID-19 fear may impact individuals’ mitigation behaviours, influencing their willingness to (re)engage in health, social and economic behaviours. This study seeks (1) to develop a robust and evidence-based questionnaire to measure the prevalence of COVID-19 fear among older adults (aged ≥50) in Scotland and (2) to examine the impact of COVID-19 fear on the willingness of older adults to (re)engage across health, social and economic domains as society adjusts to the ‘new normal’ and inform policy and practice. Methods and analysis This mixed-method study includes a large-scale multimodal survey, focus groups and interviews with older adults (aged ≥50) living in Scotland, and an email-based ‘e-Delphi’ consultation with professionals working with older adults. The COVID-19 fear scale was developed and validated using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Survey data will be analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Thematic analysis will be used to analyse qualitative data. Survey and qualitative findings will be triangulated and used as the starting point for an ‘e-Delphi’ consensus consultation with expert stakeholders. Ethics and dissemination Ethical approval has been obtained from the University of Stirling for multimodal survey development, fieldwork methodology and data management. Anonymised survey data will be deposited with the UK Data Service, with a link provided via the Gateway to Global Ageing. Qualitative data will be deposited with the University of Stirling online digital repository—DataSTORRE. A dedicated work package will oversee dissemination via a coproduced project website, conference presentations, rapid reports and national and international peer-reviewed journal articles. There is planned engagement with Scottish and UK policy makers to contribute to the UK government’s COVID-19 recovery strategy

Characterization of the Myocardial Inflammatory Response in Acute Stress-Induced (Takotsubo) Cardiomyopathy

This work was supported by grants from NHS Grampian Endowments and British Heart Foundation Project Grant no. PG/15/108/31928 The authors have reported that they have no relationships relevant to the contents of this paper to disclose.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Long term care and the coronavirus pandemic: a new role for environmental design in a changing context

First paragraph: It took more than three decades of championing the principles of environmental design for dementia and developing the research evidence base on how the physical environment can support the independence and wellbeing of people with dementia to reach a point where cognitively supportive design should be the default requirement for new and existing long term residential care facilities. It has taken a fraction of that time for an emerging coronavirus to displace concern with residents’ lived experience in favour of strict transmission and infection control measures, forcing a return to more institutionalised and medicalised environments and care practices

Fast field-cycling magnetic resonance detection of intracellular ultra-small iron oxide particles in vitro : Proof-of-concept

DKD would like to declare funding from British Heart Foundation Project Grant PG/15/108/31928 with no financial conflict of interest. DJL would like to declare funding from the European Commission – ‘Improving Diagnosis by Fast Field-Cycling MRI’ grant number 668119 with no financial conflict of interest, and GE Healthcare in the form of funding for PhD studentship in radiofrequency coils for FFC-MRI, with potential financial conflict of interest. The authors have no additional financial interests.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Is the abundance of Faecalibacterium prausnitzii relevant to Crohn's disease?

Reports that bacteria within the Firmicutes phylum, especially the species Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, are less abundant in Crohn’s disease (CD) patients and supernatants from cultures of this bacterium are anti-inflammatory prompted the investigation of the possible correlations between the abundance of F.prausnitzii and the response to treatment in patients with gut diseases and healthy controls. In a randomized, double-blind trial, faeces were collected from healthy volunteers, and from patients with active CD, ulcerative colitis (UC) and irritable bowel syndrome before and after treatment. The levels of F. prausnitzii DNA in faecal suspensions were determined by PCR. Treatment by an elemental diet was effective, resulting in decreases in both the Harvey and Bradshaw index (P<0.001) and the concentrations of serum C-reactive protein (P<0.05). The total levels of F. prausnitzii in faecal samples from CD patients at presentation were lower than those in the other groups both before and after the treatment. There was no correlation between F. prausnitzii abundance and the severity of CD before treatment. Clinical improvement unexpectedly correlated with a significant decrease in the abundance of F. prausnitzii, especially the A2-165 subgroup (P<0.05). Our data suggest that a paucity of F. prausnitzii in the gastrointestinal microbial communities is likely to be a minor aetiological factor in CD: recovery following elemental diet is attributed to lower levels of gut flora

Residents transitioning between hospital and care homes: protocol for codesigning a systems-level response to safety issues (SafeST study)

Introduction: The aim of this study is to develop a better understanding of incident reporting in relation to transitions in care between hospital and care home, and to codesign a systems- level response to safety issues for patients transitioning between hospital and care home. Methods and analysis: Two workstreams (W) will run in parallel. W1 will aim to develop a taxonomy of incident reporting in care homes, underpinned by structured interviews (N=150) with care home representatives, scoping review of care home incident reporting systems, and a review of incident reporting policy related to care homes. The taxonomy will be developed using a standardised approach to taxonomy development. W2 will be structured in three phases (P). P1a will consist of ≤40 interviews with care home staff to develop a better understanding of their specific internal systems for reporting incidents, and P1b will include ≤30 interviews with others involved in transitions between hospital and care home. P1a and P1b will also examine the impact of the SARS- CoV- 2 pandemic on safe transitions. P2 will consist of a retrospective documentary analysis of care home data relating to resident transitions, with data size and sampling determined based on data sources identified in P1a. A validated data extraction form will be adapted before use. P3 will consist of four validation and codesign workshops to develop a service specification using National Health Service Improvement’s service specification framework, which will then be mapped against existing systems and recommendations produced. Framework analysis informed by the heuristic of systemic risk factors will be the primary mode of analysis, with content analysis used for analysing incident reports. Ethics and dissemination: The study has received university ethical approval and Health Research Authority approval. Findings will be disseminated to commissioners, providers and regulators who will be able to use the codesigned service specification to improve integrated care