A randomised controlled trial of long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in the management of rotator cuff related shoulder pain

Study design Multicentre, double-blind, placebo-controlled randomised clinical trial. Objectives To compare the effectiveness of long chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) as part of the management for people diagnosed with rotator cuff related shoulder pain (RCRSP). Summary of background Although there is no robust evidence to support their use, omega-3 PUFAs have been recommended for those with tendinopathy due to their potential to moderate inflammation. Methods Participants with RCRSP (n=73) were randomised to take either nine MaxEPA capsules providing 1.53 g eicosapentaenoic acid, 1.04 g docosahexaenoic acid or nine matching placebo capsules containing oleic acid per day for 8 weeks. In addition, participants attended an exercise/education programme for 8 weeks. Participants were assessed at prerandomisation, 8 weeks (primary outcome point), 3 months, 6 months and 12 months (secondary outcome point). Primary outcome was the Oxford Shoulder Score (OSS). Secondary outcomes included the Shoulder Pain and Disability Index (SPADI), Patient Specific Functional Score, Euro Qol 5D-3L, Short Form 36, global rating of change and impairment measurements. Analysis was by intention to treat. Results Difference in the change in the OSS between the two groups at 2 months was –0.1 (95% CI −2.6 to 2.5, p=0.95). The change in SPADI scores was −8.3 (95% CI −15.6 to −0.94, p=0.03, analysed by analysis of covariance adjusted for baseline) at 3 months. Conclusion Omega-3 PUFA supplementation may have a modest effect on disability and pain outcomes in RCRSP.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio

The power of quiet: Re-making affective amateur and professional textiles agencies

This article is part of a special issue on textiles and intersecting identities. The article was developed from a paper given at the Association of Fashion & Textiles Courses (FTC) Conference, Futurescan 3: Intersecting Identities (Glasgow School of Art, November 2015.This article advocates an enlarged understanding of the benefits of manual creativity for critical thinking and affective making, which blurs the boundaries, or at least works in the spaces between or beyond amateur and professional craft practices and identities. It presents findings from the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) funded project: Co-Producing CARE: Community Asset-based Research & Enterprise (https://cocreatingcare.wordpress.com). CARE worked with community groups (composed of amateur and professional textile makers) in a variety of amateur contexts: the kitchen table, the community cafe, the library, for instance, to explore how critical creative making might serve as a means to co-produce community agency, assets and abilities. The research proposes that through ‘acts of small citizenship’ creative making can be powerfully, if quietly, activist (Orton Johnson 2014; Hackney 2013a). Unlike more familiar crafts activism, such ‘acts’ are not limited to overtly political and public manifestations of social action, but rather concern the micro-politics of the individual, the grass roots community and the social everyday. The culturally marginal, yet accessible nature of amateur crafts becomes a source of strength and potential as we explore its active, dissenting and paradoxically discontented aspects alongside more frequently articulated dimensions of acceptance, consensus and satisfaction. Informed by Richard Sennett’s (2012) work on cooperation, Matt Ratto and Megan Bolar (2014) on DIY citizenship and critical making, Ranciere’s (2004) theory of the ‘distribution of the sensible’, and theories of embodied and enacted knowledge, the authors interpret findings from selected CARE-related case studies to explicate various ways in which ‘making’ can make a difference by: providing a safe space for disagreement, reflection, resolution, collaboration, active listening, questioning and critical thinking, for instance, and offer quiet, tenacious and life-enhancing forms of resistance and revision to hegemonic versions of culture and subjectivity

Reading list (R)evolution – exploring the value of reading lists as a pedagogical tool to support students' development of information skills

Reading list (R)evolution – exploring the value of reading lists as a pedagogical tool to support students’ development of information skills. Reading lists are a ubiquitous part of U.K. Higher Education (H.E.); every course has one, tutors are required to provide them, students expect to have them. There are clear expectations that reading lists exist in H.E., but beyond that, it is not exactly clear what their value is and how are they really being used. Existing literature is primarily concerned with the content and structure of reading lists, rather than their role in supporting students’ learning (Thomson et al., 2003; Stokes and Martin, 2008). Some studies have highlighted the value of annotated reading lists for signposting students to different sources of information in terms of format, level and style of writing (Smith, 2008; Chelin et al., 2005; Maher and Mitchell, 2010). This can help to support or ‘scaffold’ students’ development of key information skills (Lumsden et al., 2010), notably the ability to access, retrieve and use information appropriately and effectively. The use of reading lists as a tool for supporting information skills development requires an active approach to the design and management of reading lists (Miller, 1999; Stokes and Martin, 2008). It is time to put reading lists under the spotlight (Martin and Stokes, 2006) and to recognise that reading lists are a core part of students’ learning experience. We need to explore how students use and view reading lists, and design them accordingly, so that we can create relevant and valuable reading lists. This seminar presents interim practitioner research designed to explore the potential of enhanced reading lists to support students’ information skills development. In summer 2011 the presenters were awarded the Library and Information Research Group (LIRG) Research Award to fund their action research into reading lists. The first stage of the project involved a reading list analysis, based on a checklist of criteria informed by key themes emerging from the literature. The themes were then used to plan semi-structured interviews with academic staff and focus groups with students to explore their expectations and experiences of reading lists. This research has been supported by the work of a university funded student research assistant, who gained research experience and a bursary. The student researcher added another perspective to the project and was involved in conducting the focus groups to encourage students to share openly amongst their peers. This research seminar will report our findings so far and consider the impact of reading lists on the student experience. The seminar will engage participants in discussions around the value and relevance of reading lists for supporting students’ learning and skills development, including views of the use and expectation of reading lists. Examples of reading lists will be used as discussion points and to encourage participants to reflect on the students’ experience of reading lists. The seminar will facilitate the sharing and generation of ideas on how we can promote more active engagement with reading lists by all stakeholders (academics, students, librarians). Our research is designed to encourage the (r)evolution of reading lists so that they are used as a valuable pedagogical tool to support students’ information skills development and enhance their learning at universit

Using narrative messages to improve parents' experience of learning that a child has overweight

BackgroundProviding feedback to parents that their child is overweight often elicits negative reactance. AimsTo investigate the acceptability and feasibility of providing theoretically-informed narrative messages to reduce negative reactance, alongside National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) feedback informing parents when their child is overweight. MethodsA mixed-methods design: interviews with parents of primary school-aged children explored responses to the narratives; a randomised trial examined the feasibility, acceptability and promise of enclosing narratives with NCMP feedback.FindingsInterview participants found the narratives acceptable and indicated they could help lessen negative reactance. Pilot study data suggested 65% of parents could identify with the characters, with evidence of elaboration (applying the story to one’s own situation) evident in 65% of those reading the accounts. ConclusionAlthough the findings are limited by the low response rates typical in this population, narrative messages were acceptable to parents, feasible to deliver and show promise. <br/

Studies on the nanophytoplankton of the Firth of Clyde

The significance of the nanophytoplankton in the Firth of Clyde was assessed during the period January 1976 to May 1978 by estimating its contribution to the total chlorophyll and productivity of the area. Its significance both temporally and spatially were investigated. The nanophytoplankton in the Firth of Clyde is made up predominantly of small flagellates of maximum cell dimension less than 10 mum, many being in the size range 2-5 mum. It includes organisms from most algal classes with the exception that the Diatomaceae is poorly represented. One to two cell chains of Skeletonema costatum are included in this group and also small single cells of a Chaetoceros spp, which were occasionally observed. Weekly (followed by fortnightly) samples were collected from a midchannel station in the Fairlie Channel to assess the seasonal significance of the nanophytoplankton. Nutrient analyses, particle size distributions and microscopic examination of the samples were carried out as well as chlorophyll and productivity determinations. To assess how representative the chosen sampling station was of the Fairlie Channel as a whole, several grid surveys were carried out in which the chlorophyll levels from 16 stations covering an area of 0.75 km2 were compared. Although on three out of six occasions significant differences were observed between stations, these being mainly found when inshore stations were compared with those in midchannel, the main sampling station did not differ significantly from the other stations, and the results from this station reflected the seasonal changes which occurred in the Channel. The seasonal patterns of the total phytoplankton and nutrients in the Pairlie Chsinnel were similar to those observed in the past. In terms of total chlorophyll a and productivity, higher levels were recorded in 1976 than in 1977. The total chlorophyll a in 1976 reached values of above 10 mg m-3 during the spring diatom increase in April and also in July when the maximum fixation rate of 66.6 mg carbon m-3 h-1 was recorded. In 1977 maximum values of chlorophyll (7.8 mg m-3) and fixation (55.7 mg C m-3h-1) were observed during an autumnal bloom in September. While the contribution of the netplankton (predominantly diatoms) was high during bloom conditions in spring and summer, over an annual. cycle the nanophytoplankton in the upper 10 metres of the water column contributed at least 50% the activity. During 1976 and 1977 the average % contribution of the nanophytoplankton to the productivity was 50% and its contribution to the chlorophyll was 60%. Figures of up to 100% contribution of the nanophytoplankton to the biomass and productivity have been recorded. The nanophytoplankton formed a more stable component of the phytoplankton fluctuating in terms of chlorophyll and productivity less dramatically over the year than the netplankton. The relative importance of the two fractions of the phytoplankton showed a marked seasonality. The nanophytoplankton was highly significant during late autumn, winter and early spring forming the major part of the biomass at these times. Following the spring diatom increase, the phytoplankton was made up almost exclusively of nanophytoplankton in 1976, while in 1977 it was of slightly less significance. During summer the contribution of the nanophytoplankton to the biomass and productivity was approximately equal to that of the netplankton. Sampling was extended to other areas of the Firth to assess the spatial distribution of the nanophytoplankton and its significance. In the Inner Firth Area, the observed contribution of the nanophytoplankton to the total chlorophyll ranged from 20-98%. Higher netplankton values at stations situated near the estuary in comparison with those found lower down in the Firth were the main cause of variations in the total chlorophyll over the area since the nanophytoplankton varied- less dramatically. In Loch Long and the Gareloch, the nanophytoplankton contributed 11-62% of the chlorophyll and 13-77% of the productivity during a period of investigation in August 1976. In a separate study of two rockpools on Great Cumbrae Island, it was found that the nanophytoplankton was very productive in this type of extreme environment, producing high levels of fixation (maximum recorded rate of 189 mg C m-3h-1) in the early months of 1976 when production in the sea was at a minimum. In these pools, the average contribution of the nanophytoplankton was 83% to the total chlorophyll and 86% to the productivity. The significance of the nanophytoplankton in relation to the rest of the ecosystem in the Firth of Clyde is discussed

Comparison of Raman and near-infrared chemical mapping for the analysis of pharmaceutical tablets

Raman and near-infrared (NIR) chemical mapping are widely used methods in the pharmaceutical industry to understand the distribution of components within a drug product. Recent advancements in instrumentation have enabled the rapid acquisition of high-resolution images. The comparison of these techniques for the analysis of pharmaceutical tablets has not recently been explored and thus the relative performance of each technique is not currently well defined. Here, the differences in the chemical images obtained by each method are assessed and compared with scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis (SEM-EDX), as an alternative surface imaging technique to understand the ability of each technique to acquire a chemical image representative of the sample surface. It was found that the Raman data showed the best agreement with the spatial distribution of components observed in the SEM-EDX images. Quantitative and qualitative comparison of the Raman and NIR images revealed a very different spatial distribution of components with regards to domain size and shape. The Raman image exhibited sharper and better discriminated domains of each component, whereas the NIR image was heavily dominated by large pixelated domains. This study demonstrated the superiority of using Raman chemical mapping compared with NIR chemical mapping to produce a chemical image representative of the sample surface using routinely available instrumentation to obtain a better approximation of domain size and shape. This is fundamental for understanding knowledge gaps in current manufacturing processes; particularly relating the relationship between components in the formulation, processing condition, and final characteristics. By providing a means to more accurately visualize the components within a tablet matrix, these areas can all be further understood

Expected values for gastrointestinal and pancreatic hormone concentrations in healthy volunteers in the fasting and postprandial state.

BACKGROUND: Gastrointestinal hormones regulate intestinal transit, control digestion, influence appetite and promote satiety. Altered production or action of gut hormones, including glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) and peptide YY (PYY), may contribute to the biological basis of obesity and altered glucose homeostasis. However, challenges in analytical methodology and lack of clarity on expected values for healthy individuals have limited progress in this field. The aim of this study was to describe expected concentrations of gastrointestinal and pancreatic hormones in healthy volunteers following a standardized meal test (SMT) or 75 g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). METHODS: A total of 28 healthy volunteers (12 men, 16 women; mean age 31.3 years; mean body mass index 24.9 kg/m2) were recruited to attend a hospital clinic on two occasions. Volunteers had blood sampling in the fasting state and were given, in randomized order, an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and standardized mixed liquid meal test with venepuncture at timed intervals for 4 h after ingestion. Analytical methods for gut and pancreatic hormones were assessed and optimized. Concentrations of gut and pancreatic hormones were measured and used to compile ranges of expected values. RESULTS: Ranges of expected values were created for glucose, insulin, glucagon, GLP-1, GIP, PYY and free fatty acids in response to a standardized mixed liquid meal or OGTT. Intact proinsulin and C-peptide levels were also measured following the OGTT. CONCLUSIONS: These ranges of expected values can now be used to compare gut hormone concentrations between healthy individuals and patient groups

A usability and feasibility study of a computerized version of the Bath Adolescent Pain Questionnaire: the BAPQ-C.

Background Pain is a common experience in adolescence, with up to 44% of adolescents reporting chronic pain. For a significant minority, severe pain becomes an ongoing disabling problem. Treatment of adolescent chronic pain aims to reduce the impact of pain on adolescents’ lives. Efficient, accurate assessment of the impact of pain is essential to treatment. The ‘Bath Adolescent Pain Questionnaire’ (BAPQ) is a psychometrically robust multidimensional self-report measure of adolescent functioning. Whilst widely used, the paper-based format of the BAPQ can present completion difficulties for adolescents experiencing chronic pain. To increase the accessibility and clinical utility of the BAPQ, an electronic version of the measure is needed. This study assesses the usability and feasibility of a computerized version of this measure (BAPQ-C) in an adolescent chronic pain population. Methods Fourteen adolescents (13 females; 13–16 years) were recruited from a hospital-based residential pain management programme. Participants completed a qualitative ‘thinking aloud task’ whilst completing the BAPQ-C. and, an acceptability questionnaire regarding the BAPQ-C. Data were analysed using thematic analysis, a widely used qualitative method of data analysis. ResultsTwo themes labelled ‘engagement and technological appeal’ and ‘accessibility and independence’ were generated. Themes revealed numerous factors contributing to participants’ preference for the BAPQ-C compared with the paper version of the BAPQ. Participants reported that the BAPQ-C was ‘quicker’ and ‘easier’ to complete than the BAPQ. Functional aspects of the BAPQ-C which included use of a touch screen rather than a pen and paper, font colours/styles, the zoom function and the spellchecker, provided participants with improved access. This subsequently increased participants’ independence and confidence when completing the measure. ConclusionThe BAPQ-C is a feasible multidimensional tool for the assessment of functioning in adolescents who experience chronic pain. It was well-received by participants who were able to complete the measure more quickly, independently and confidently than the paper-based BAPQ. Increased speed, ease and accuracy of completion make the BAPQ-C an ideal tool for use in busy clinical and research settings. Findings highlight the potential benefits of adopting the BAPQ-C when assessing the impact of chronic pain on adolescents in clinic and home-based settings