dFatp regulates nutrient distribution and long‐term physiology in Drosophila

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/94477/1/acel864.pd

A qualitative exploration of the barriers and facilitators of community pharmacy PrEP delivery for pharmacists and community members

BACKGROUNDOral Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) is only available free of charge in the United Kingdom from sexual health clinics. Expanding PrEP delivery to community pharmacies could be an effective way of improving access to PrEP and aligns well with the UK government goals for England to eliminate new cases of HIV by 2030. Using the Capability, Opportunity, Motivation, Behaviour (COM-B) Model, the aim of this research was to explore the barriers and facilitators of community pharmacy PrEP delivery, perceived by pharmacists and community members underserved through current delivery models.METHODCommunity members at risk of acquiring HIV but not currently accessing PrEP and community pharmacists were recruited to participate in semi-structured open-ended interviews. Interviews were online, via phone or in person, were audio recorded, fully transcribed, and analysed using thematic analysis, informed by COM-B. RESULTSA total of 17 interviews with pharmacists (pharmacy owners n=7; employed pharmacists n=6; locums n=4) and 24 with community members (Black African women n=6; other women n=2; young adults aged 18- 25-years n=6; trans people n=6; street sex workers n=4) were conducted. Thematic analysis showed barriers include sub-optimal awareness and knowledge of PrEP, perceptions of pharmacist roles in delivering public health services (capability), lack of staff capacity, pharmacy facilities and privacy (opportunity), concern about being seen accessing PrEP from a pharmacy, a preference to access PrEP from a General Practitioner (GP) and a belief that pharmacy PrEP delivery could increase STIs (motivation). Facilitators included improving PrEP education and awareness (capability), the accessibility of pharmacies, being able to deliver PrEP via a patient group directive (PGD) (opportunity), a general preference for pharmacy PrEP and a belief that this model of delivery would be discrete, help decrease stigma and improve access to PrEP, particularly for those who felt uncomfortable accessing PrEP from sexual health clinics (motivation). CONCLUSIONPharmacy PrEP delivery is acceptable to pharmacists and community members but for it to be feasible, results point to the need for a behaviour change intervention incorporating education, training and awareness raising, for both pharmacists and community members to improve access, stimulate patient activation and de-stigmatise HIV and PrEP. <br/

Superconductivity in AuNiGe Ohmic contacts to a GaAs-based high mobility two-dimensional electron gas

To cool a high mobility two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) at a GaAs-AlGaAs heterojunction to milliKelvin temperatures, we have fabricated low resistance Ohmic contacts based on alloys of Au, Ni, and Ge. The Ohmic contacts have a typical contact resistance of R C ≈ 0.8 ω at 4.2 K, which drops to 0.2 ω below 0.9 K. Scanning electron microscope images establish that the contacts have the same inhomogeneous microstructure that has been observed in previous studies. Measurements of the contact resistance R C, the four-terminal resistance along the top of a single contact, and the vertical resistance RV all show that there is a superconductor in the Ohmic contact, which can be turned completely normal with a magnetic field of 0.15 T. We briefly discuss how this superconductivity may be affecting the electrical transport measurements of 2DEGs, especially how it may hinder the cooling of electrons in a 2DEG below 0.1 K

How different data sources and definitions of neighbourhood influence the association between food outlet availability and body mass index: a cross-sectional study.

Inconsistencies in methodologies continue to inhibit understanding of the impact of the environment on body mass index (BMI). To estimate the effect of these differences, we assessed the impact of using different definitions of neighbourhood and data sets on associations between food outlet availability within the environment and BMI. Previous research has not extended this to show any differences in the strength of associations between food outlet availability and BMI across both different definitions of neighbourhood and data sets. Descriptive statistics showed differences in the number of food outlets, particularly other food retail outlets between different data sets and definitions of neighbourhood. Despite these differences, our key finding was that across both different definitions of neighbourhood and data sets, there was very little difference in size of associations between food outlets and BMI. Researchers should consider and transparently report the impact of methodological choices such as the definition of neighbourhood and acknowledge any differences in associations between the food environment and BMI

A qualitative study of primary care clinicians' views of treating childhood obesity

Background: The prevalence of childhood obesity is rising and the UK Government have stated a commitment to addressing obesity in general. One method has been to include indicators relating to obesity within the GP pay-for-performance Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) contract. This study aimed to explore general practitioners' and practice nurses' views in relation to their role in treating childhood obesity. Methods: We interviewed eighteen practitioners (twelve GPs and six nurses) who worked in general practices contracting with Rotherham Primary Care Trust. Interviews were face to face and semi structured. The transcribed data were analysed using framework analysis. Results: GPs and practice nurses felt that their role was to raise the issue of a child's weight, but that ultimately obesity was a social and family problem. Time constraint, lack of training and lack of resources were identified as important barriers to addressing childhood obesity. There was concern that the clinician-patient relationship could be adversely affected by discussing what was often seen as a sensitive topic. GPs and practice nurses felt ill-equipped to tackle childhood obesity given the lack of evidence for effective interventions, and were sceptical that providing diet and exercise advice would have any impact upon a child's weight. Conclusion: GPs and practice nurses felt that their role in obesity management was centred upon raising the issue of a child's weight, and providing basic diet and exercise advice. Clinicians may find it difficult to make a significant impact on childhood obesity while the evidence base for effective management remains poor. Until the lack of effective interventions is addressed, implementing additional targets (for example through the QOF) may not be effective