A Whole-child, whole-family approach to health assessments for asylum-seeking children

In 2020, 21% of people who sought asylum in the UK were children. This population has complex interconnecting health and social needs. Assessment requires a holistic approach, with consideration of physical and mental health in addition to social and developmental well-being, within the whole family group. A trauma-informed life-cycle and intergenerational care approach is important. This article, aimed at all health professionals who may work with asylum-seeking families, outlines the best practice principles for undertaking health assessments in migrant children and young people

SSDSS IV MaNGA - Properties of AGN host galaxies

We present here the characterization of the main properties of a sample of 98 AGN host galaxies, both type-II and type-I, in comparison with those of about 2700 non-active galaxies observed by the MaNGA survey. We found that AGN hosts are morphologically early-type or early-spirals. For a given morphology AGN hosts are, in average, more massive, more compact, more central peaked and rather pressurethan rotational-supported systems. We confirm previous results indicating that AGN hosts are located in the intermediate/transition region between star-forming and non-star-forming galaxies (i.e., the so-called green valley), both in the ColorMagnitude and the star formation main sequence diagrams. Taking into account their relative distribution in terms of the stellar metallicity and oxygen gas abundance and a rough estimation of their molecular gas content, we consider that these galaxies are in the process of halting/quenching the star formation, in an actual transition between both groups. The analysis of the radial distributions of the starformation rate, specific star-formation rate, and molecular gas density shows that the quenching happens from inside-out involving both a decrease of the efficiency of the star formation and a deficit of molecular gas. All the intermediate data-products used to derive the results of our analysis are distributed in a database including the spatial distribution and average properties of the stellar populations and ionized gas, published as a Sloan Digital Sky Survey Value Added Catalog being part of the 14th Data Release: http://www.sdss.org/dr14/manga/manga-data/manga-pipe3d-value-added-catalog/Comment: 48 pages, 14 figures, in press in RMxA

Socioeconomic risk markers of arthropod-borne virus (arbovirus) infections: a systematic literature review and meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) are of notable public health importance worldwide, owing to their potential to cause explosive outbreaks and induce debilitating and potentially life-threatening disease manifestations. This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to assess the relationship between markers of socioeconomic position (SEP) and infection due to arboviruses with mosquito vectors. METHODS: We conducted a systematic search on PubMed, Embase, and LILACS databases to identify studies published between 1980 and 2020 that measured the association of SEP markers with arbovirus infection. We included observational studies without geographic location or age restrictions. We excluded studies from grey literature, reviews and ecological studies. Study findings were extracted and summarised, and pooled estimates were obtained using random-effects meta-analyses. RESULTS: We identified 36 observational studies using data pertaining to 106 524 study participants in 23 geographic locations that empirically examined the relationship between socioeconomic factors and infections caused by seven arboviruses (dengue, chikungunya, Japanese encephalitis, Rift Valley fever, Sindbis, West Nile and Zika viruses). While results were varied, descriptive synthesis pointed to a higher risk of arbovirus infection associated with markers of lower SEP, including lower education, income poverty, low healthcare coverage, poor housing materials, interrupted water supply, marital status (married, divorced or widowed), non-white ethnicities and migration status. Pooled crude estimates indicated an increased risk of arboviral infection associated with lower education (risk ratio, RR 1.5 95% CI 1.3 to 1.9); I2=83.1%), interruption of water supply (RR 1.2; 95% CI 1.1 to 1.3; I2=0.0%) and having been married (RR 1.5 95% CI 1.1 to 2.1; I2=85.2%). CONCLUSION: Evidence from this systematic review suggests that lower SEP increases the risk of acquiring arboviral infection; however, there was large heterogeneity across studies. Further studies are required to delineate the relationship between specific individual, household and community-level SEP indicators and arbovirus infection risks to help inform targeted public health interventions. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42019158572

Perinatal health outcomes of international migrant women in Brazil: A nationwide data linkage study of the CIDACS birth cohort (2011-2018).

BACKGROUND: We investigated perinatal outcomes among live births from international migrant and local-born mothers in a cohort of low-income individuals in Brazil. METHODS: We linked nationwide birth registries to mortality records and socioeconomic data from the CIDACS Birth Cohort and studied singleton live births of women aged 10-49 years from 1st January 2011 to 31st December 2018. We used logistic regressions to investigate differences in antenatal care, adverse pregnancy outcomes, and neonatal (i.e., ≤28 days) mortality among international migrants compared to non-migrants in Brazil; and explored the interaction between migration, race/ethnicity and living in international border municipalities. RESULTS: We studied 10,279,011 live births, of which 9469 (0.1 %) were born to international migrants. Migrant women were more likely than their Brazilian-born counterparts to have a previous foetal loss (ORadj: 1.16, 1.11-1.22), a delayed start of antenatal care (i.e., beyond 1st trimester) (1.22, 95%CI:1.16-1.28), a newborn who is large for gestational age (1.29, 1.22-1.36), or a newborn with congenital anomalies (1.37, 1.14-1.65). Conversely, migrant women were less likely to deliver prematurely (0.89, 0.82-0.95) or have a low birth weight infant (0.74, 0.68-0.81). There were no differences in neonatal mortality rates between migrants and non-migrants. Our analyses also showed that, when disparities in perinatal outcomes were present, disparities were mostly concentrated among indigenous mothers in international borders and among live births of Black mothers in non-borders. CONCLUSION: Although live births of international migrants generally have lower rates of adverse birth outcomes, our results suggest that indigenous and Black migrant mothers may face disproportionate barriers to accessing antenatal care

Paediatric, maternal, and congenital mpox: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background Although mpox has been detected in paediatric populations in central and west Africa for decades, evidence synthesis on paediatric, maternal, and congenital mpox, and the use of vaccines and therapeutics in these groups, is lacking. A systematic review is therefore indicated to set the research agenda. Methods We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis, searching articles in Embase, Global Health, MEDLINE, CINAHL, Web of Science, Scopus, SciELO, and WHO databases from inception to April 17, 2023. We included studies reporting primary data on at least one case of confirmed, suspected, or probable paediatric, maternal, or congenital mpox in humans or the use of third-generation smallpox or mpox vaccines, targeted antivirals, or immune therapies in at least one case in our population of interest. We included clinical trials and observational studies in humans and excluded reviews, commentaries, and grey literature. A pooled estimate of the paediatric case fatality ratio was obtained using random-effects meta-analysis. This study is registered with PROSPERO (CRD420223336648). Findings Of the 61 studies, 53 reported paediatric outcomes (n=2123 cases), seven reported maternal or congenital outcomes (n=32 cases), two reported vaccine safety (n=28 recipients), and three reported transmission during breastfeeding (n=4 cases). While a subset of seven observational studies (21 children and 12 pregnant individuals) reported uneventful treatment with tecovirimat, there were no randomised trials reporting safety or efficacy for any therapeutic agent. Among children, the commonest clinical features included rash (86 [100%] of 86), fever (63 [73%] of 86), and lymphadenopathy (40 [47%] of 86). Among pregnant individuals, rash was reported in 23 (100%) of 23; fever and lymphadenopathy were less common (six [26%] and three [13%] of 23, respectively). Most paediatric complications (12 [60%] of 20) arose from secondary bacterial infections. The pooled paediatric case fatality ratio was 11% (95% CI 4–20), I2=75%. Data from 12 pregnancies showed half resulted in fetal death. Research on vaccine and immune globulin safety remains scarce for children and absent for pregnant individuals. Interpretation Our review highlights critical knowledge gaps in the epidemiology, prevention, and treatment of mpox in children and pregnant individuals, especially those residing in endemic countries. Increased funding, international collaboration, and equitable research is needed to inform mpox control strategies tailored for at-risk communities in endemic countries

Personalized at-home neurofeedback compared with long-acting methylphenidate in an european non-inferiority randomized trial in children with ADHD

Neurofeedback (NF) has gained increasing interest among non-pharmacological treatments for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). NF training aims to enhance self-regulation of brain activities. The goal of the NEWROFEED study is to assess the efficacy of a new personalized NF training device, using two different protocols according to each child's electroencephalographic pattern, and designed for use at home. This study is a non-inferiority trial comparing NF to methylphenidate. The study is a prospective, multicentre, randomized, reference drug-controlled trial. One hundred seventy-nine children with ADHD, aged 7 to 13 years will be recruited in 13 clinical centres from 5 European countries. Subjects will be randomized to two groups: NF group (Neurofeedback Training Group) and MPH group (Methylphenidate group). Outcome measures include clinicians, parents and teachers' assessments, attention measures and quantitative EEG (qEEG). Patients undergo eight visits over a three-month period: pre-inclusion visit, inclusion visit, 4 "discovery" (NF group) or titration visits (MPH group), an intermediate and a final visit. Patients will be randomized to either the MPH or NF group. Children in the NF group will undergo either an SMR or a Theta/Beta training protocol according to their baselineTheta/Beta Ratio obtained from the qEEG. This is the first non-inferiority study between a personalized NF device and pharmacological treatment. Innovative aspects of Mensia Koala™ include the personalization of the training protocol according to initial qEEG characteristics (SMR or Theta/Beta training protocols) and an improved accessibility of NF due to the opportunity to train at home with monitoring by the clinician through a dedicated web portal. NCT02778360 . Date registration (retrospectively registered): 5-12-2016. Registered May 19, 2016

Understanding the views of adult migrants around catch-up vaccination for missed routine immunisations to define strategies to improve coverage: A UK in-depth interview study.

BACKGROUND: The World Health Organization's (WHO) Immunization Agenda 2030 emphasises ensuring equitable access to vaccination across the life course. This includes placing an emphasis on migrant populations who may have missed key childhood vaccines, doses, and boosters due to disrupted healthcare systems and the migration process, or differing vaccination schedules in home countries. Guidelines exist in the UK for offering catch-up vaccinations to adolscent and adult migrants with incomplete or uncertain vaccination status (including MMR, Td-IPV, MenACWY, HPV), but emerging evidence suggests awareness and implementation in primary care is poor. It is unclear whether patient-level barriers to uptake of catch-up vaccinations also exist. We explored experiences and views around catch-up vaccination among adult migrants from a range of backgrounds, to define strategies for improving catch-up vaccination policy and practice. METHODS: In-depth semi-structured interviews were carried out in two phases with adult migrant populations (refugees, asylum seekers, undocumented migrants, those with no recourse to public funds) on views and experiences around vaccination, involving a team of peer researchers from specific migrant communities trained through the study. In Phase 1, we conducted remote interviews with migrants resident in the UK for < 10 years, from diverse backgrounds. In Phase 2, we engaged specifically Congolese and Angolan migrants as part of a community-based participatory study. Topic guides were developed iteratively and piloted. Participants were recruited using purposive, opportunistic and snowball sampling methods. Interviews were conducted in English (interpreters offered), Lingala or French and were audio-recorded, transcribed and analysed using a thematic framework approach in NVivo 12. RESULTS: 71 participants (39 in Phase 1, 32 in Phase 2) were interviewed (Mean age 43.6 [SD:12.4] years, 69% female, mean 9.5 [SD:7] years in the UK). Aside from COVID-19 vaccines, most participants reported never having been offered vaccinations or asked about their vaccination history since arriving in the UK as adults. Few participants mentioned being offered specific catch-up vaccines (e.g. MMR/Td-IPV) when attending a healthcare facility on arrival in the UK. Vaccines such as flu vaccines, pregnancy-related or pre-travel vaccination were more commonly mentioned. In general, participants were not aware of adult catch-up vaccination but regarded it positively when it was explained. A few participants expressed concerns about side-effects, risks/inconveniences associated with access (e.g. links to immigration authorities, travel costs), preference for natural remedies, and hesitancy to engage in further vaccination campaigns due to the intensity of COVID-19 vaccination campaigns. Trust was a major factor in vaccination decisions, with distinctions noted within and between groups; some held a healthcare professional's recommendation in high regard, while others were less trusting towards the healthcare system because of negative experiences of the NHS and past experiences of discrimination, injustice and marginalisation by wider authorities. CONCLUSIONS: The major barrier to adult catch-up vaccination for missed routine immunisations and doses in migrant communities in the UK is the limited opportunities, recommendations or tailored vaccination information presented to migrants by health services. This could be improved with financial incentives for provision of catch-up vaccination in UK primary care, alongside training of healthcare professionals to support catch-up immunisation and raise awareness of existing guidelines. It will also be essential to address root causes of mistrust around vaccination, where it exists among migrants, by working closely with communities to understand their needs and meaningfully involving migrant populations in co-producing tailored information campaigns and culturally relevant interventions to improve coverage

Measurement of the cross-section and charge asymmetry of WW bosons produced in proton-proton collisions at s=8\sqrt{s}=8 TeV with the ATLAS detector

This paper presents measurements of the $W^+ \rightarrow \mu^+\nu$ and $W^- \rightarrow \mu^-\nu$ cross-sections and the associated charge asymmetry as a function of the absolute pseudorapidity of the decay muon. The data were collected in proton--proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV with the ATLAS experiment at the LHC and correspond to a total integrated luminosity of 20.2~\mbox{fb^{-1}}. The precision of the cross-section measurements varies between 0.8% to 1.5% as a function of the pseudorapidity, excluding the 1.9% uncertainty on the integrated luminosity. The charge asymmetry is measured with an uncertainty between 0.002 and 0.003. The results are compared with predictions based on next-to-next-to-leading-order calculations with various parton distribution functions and have the sensitivity to discriminate between them.Comment: 38 pages in total, author list starting page 22, 5 figures, 4 tables, submitted to EPJC. All figures including auxiliary figures are available at https://atlas.web.cern.ch/Atlas/GROUPS/PHYSICS/PAPERS/STDM-2017-13

Performance of the CMS Cathode Strip Chambers with Cosmic Rays

The Cathode Strip Chambers (CSCs) constitute the primary muon tracking device in the CMS endcaps. Their performance has been evaluated using data taken during a cosmic ray run in fall 2008. Measured noise levels are low, with the number of noisy channels well below 1%. Coordinate resolution was measured for all types of chambers, and fall in the range 47 microns to 243 microns. The efficiencies for local charged track triggers, for hit and for segments reconstruction were measured, and are above 99%. The timing resolution per layer is approximately 5 ns

Search for chargino-neutralino production with mass splittings near the electroweak scale in three-lepton final states in √s=13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search for supersymmetry through the pair production of electroweakinos with mass splittings near the electroweak scale and decaying via on-shell W and Z bosons is presented for a three-lepton final state. The analyzed proton-proton collision data taken at a center-of-mass energy of √s=13  TeV were collected between 2015 and 2018 by the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 139  fb−1. A search, emulating the recursive jigsaw reconstruction technique with easily reproducible laboratory-frame variables, is performed. The two excesses observed in the 2015–2016 data recursive jigsaw analysis in the low-mass three-lepton phase space are reproduced. Results with the full data set are in agreement with the Standard Model expectations. They are interpreted to set exclusion limits at the 95% confidence level on simplified models of chargino-neutralino pair production for masses up to 345 GeV