Stewart Dickson

Peer Reviewe

The impact of foot problems on social participation in older people: protocol for a qualitative study

Poor foot health is common in older people and negatively impacts on functional ability and undertaking activities of daily living. Social participation is defined as a person’s involvement in activities that provide interaction with others in the community, and is a well-recognised modifiable determinant for successful ageing. Although foot problems are prevalent in older people and are known to negatively influence social participation, it is not known exactly how foot problems influence social participation. Foot health is a component of healthy ageing, and social participation is an important dimension of quality of life; thus, there is an imperative to explore barriers and facilitators to social participation in older adults living with foot problems. Therefore, the aim of this study is to explore perceptions and experiences of social participation among community-dwelling older adults living with poor foot health.The study will use qualitative methods via in-depth one-to-one interviews and focus groups from two data sources: older people with foot problems (in-depth interviews) and their significant others (focus groups). Participants will be recruited from podiatry clinics, GP practices, and community groups. A theoretical approach using the WHO International Classification of Functioning Disability and Health, and the common-sense model of illness representation will inform data collection and analysis. The framework approach will facilitate analysis.The results of this study will uncover foot-related barriers and facilitators for social participation and will explore how these barriers may be overcome. The results of this study will inform strategies for improving foot health and social participation by understanding the challenges related to poor foot health and participating in social activities.Previous work has shown that people living with foot problems related to connective tissue disorders and diabetes experience reduced social participation. However, these studies have not explored what the precise reasons for reduced social participation may be. This study will contribute important knowledge by exploring older peoples’ experiences of, and perceptions towards, foot problems and social participation. Such a process is critical in clarifying the problem so that effective interventions may be developed

The impact of foot problems on social participation in older people: protocol for a qualitative study

Poor foot health is common in older people and negatively impacts on functional ability and undertaking activities of daily living. Social participation is defined as a person’s involvement in activities that provide interaction with others in the community, and is a well-recognised modifiable determinant for successful ageing. Although foot problems are prevalent in older people and are known to negatively influence social participation, it is not known exactly how foot problems influence social participation. Foot health is a component of healthy ageing, and social participation is an important dimension of quality of life; thus, there is an imperative to explore barriers and facilitators to social participation in older adults living with foot problems. Therefore, the aim of this study is to explore perceptions and experiences of social participation among community-dwelling older adults living with poor foot health.The study will use qualitative methods via in-depth one-to-one interviews and focus groups from two data sources: older people with foot problems (in-depth interviews) and their significant others (focus groups). Participants will be recruited from podiatry clinics, GP practices, and community groups. A theoretical approach using the WHO International Classification of Functioning Disability and Health, and the common-sense model of illness representation will inform data collection and analysis. The framework approach will facilitate analysis.The results of this study will uncover foot-related barriers and facilitators for social participation and will explore how these barriers may be overcome. The results of this study will inform strategies for improving foot health and social participation by understanding the challenges related to poor foot health and participating in social activities.Previous work has shown that people living with foot problems related to connective tissue disorders and diabetes experience reduced social participation. However, these studies have not explored what the precise reasons for reduced social participation may be. This study will contribute important knowledge by exploring older peoples’ experiences of, and perceptions towards, foot problems and social participation. Such a process is critical in clarifying the problem so that effective interventions may be developed

Recent Decisions

Comments on recent decisions by Joseph N. Low, Robert A. Stewart, William M. Dickson, Edward G. Coleman, James F. O\u27Rieley, James J. Haranzo, Robert C. Enburg, E. Milton Farley III, Jerome A. Kolenda, Bernard James McGraw, Joseph C. Spalding, R. Emmett Fitzgerald, Joseph T. Helling, John F. Laughlin, Andrew V. Giorgi, and Jack Fena

Educational attainment trajectories among children and adolescents with depression, and the role of sociodemographic characteristics: longitudinal data-linkage study

Background Depression is associated with lower educational attainment, but there has been little investigation of long-term educational trajectories in large cohorts with diagnosed depression. Aims: To describe the educational attainment trajectories of children with a depression diagnosis in secondary care, and to investigate whether these trajectories vary by sociodemographic characteristics. / Method: We identified new referrals to South London and Maudsley's NHS Foundation Trust between 2007 and 2013 who received a depression diagnosis at under 18 years old. Linking their health records to the National Pupil Database, we standardised their performance on three assessments (typically undertaken at ages 6–7 years (school Year 2), 10–11 (Year 6) and 15–16 (Year 11)) relative to the local reference population in each academic year. We used mixed models for repeated measures to estimate attainment trajectories. / Results: In our sample of 1492 children, the median age at depression diagnosis was 15 years (interquartile range = 14–16). Their attainment showed a decline between school Years 6 and 11. Attainment was consistently lower among males and those eligible for free school meals. Black ethnic groups also showed lower attainment than White ethnic groups between Years 2 and 6, but showed a less pronounced drop in attainment at Year 11. / Conclusions: Those who receive a depression diagnosis during their school career show a drop in attainment in Year 11. Although this pattern was seen among multiple sociodemographic groups, gender, ethnicity and socioeconomic status predict more vulnerable subgroups within this clinical population who might benefit from additional educational support or more intensive treatment

Influence of electrode processing and electrolyte composition on multiwall carbon nanotube negative electrodes for sodium ion batteries

Dr. A. Fuente Cuesta would like to thank Agency for Green Technology (AGT), Dr. S. A. M. Dickson would like to thank the Faraday Institution NEXGENNA project (FIRG018), and C. Lonsdale would like to thank the Faraday Institution FUSE Internship Programme for funding. The authors also acknowledge the EPSRC (grant codes EP/L017008/1, EP/T019298/1, and EP/R023751/1).Nanostructured one-dimensional multiwall-carbon nanotubes have a variety of advantageous properties including good electrical conductivity and mechanical strength, and thus have been widely investigated for use in lithium-ion battery electrodes as conductive and microstructural additives, though also possess some electrochemical activity. Their application to sodium-ion batteries has been less extensively researched, and therefore a greater understanding of the electrochemical reaction with sodium, and effects of slurry composition and electrolyte formulation is warranted. Here, we report the fabrication of aqueous and organic multi-wall carbon nanotube negative electrodes processed by ball milling. The binder of choice is noted to greatly affect the electrochemical performance, both in terms of capacity retention and rate capability over a range of current densities from 25 to 500 mA g-1. Switching from a carbonate- to diglyme-based electrolyte considerably improves initial coulombic efficiencies (~10 to 60%), attributed to less extensive formation of solid electrolyte interphase, and enables a reversible mechanism with capacities up to 150 mAh g-1 over 100 cycles depending upon the binder used.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

The first NINDS/NIBIB consensus meeting to define neuropathological criteria for the diagnosis of chronic traumatic encephalopathy.

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a neurodegeneration characterized by the abnormal accumulation of hyperphosphorylated tau protein within the brain. Like many other neurodegenerative conditions, at present, CTE can only be definitively diagnosed by post-mortem examination of brain tissue. As the first part of a series of consensus panels funded by the NINDS/NIBIB to define the neuropathological criteria for CTE, preliminary neuropathological criteria were used by 7 neuropathologists to blindly evaluate 25 cases of various tauopathies, including CTE, Alzheimer's disease, progressive supranuclear palsy, argyrophilic grain disease, corticobasal degeneration, primary age-related tauopathy, and parkinsonism dementia complex of Guam. The results demonstrated that there was good agreement among the neuropathologists who reviewed the cases (Cohen's kappa, 0.67) and even better agreement between reviewers and the diagnosis of CTE (Cohen's kappa, 0.78). Based on these results, the panel defined the pathognomonic lesion of CTE as an accumulation of abnormal hyperphosphorylated tau (p-tau) in neurons and astroglia distributed around small blood vessels at the depths of cortical sulci and in an irregular pattern. The group also defined supportive but non-specific p-tau-immunoreactive features of CTE as: pretangles and NFTs affecting superficial layers (layers II-III) of cerebral cortex; pretangles, NFTs or extracellular tangles in CA2 and pretangles and proximal dendritic swellings in CA4 of the hippocampus; neuronal and astrocytic aggregates in subcortical nuclei; thorn-shaped astrocytes at the glial limitans of the subpial and periventricular regions; and large grain-like and dot-like structures. Supportive non-p-tau pathologies include TDP-43 immunoreactive neuronal cytoplasmic inclusions and dot-like structures in the hippocampus, anteromedial temporal cortex and amygdala. The panel also recommended a minimum blocking and staining scheme for pathological evaluation and made recommendations for future study. This study provides the first step towards the development of validated neuropathological criteria for CTE and will pave the way towards future clinical and mechanistic studies