Academic achievement at ages 11 and 16 in children born with congenital anomalies in England: A multi-registry linked cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Children born with major congenital anomalies (CAs) have lower academic achievement compared with their peers, but the existing evidence is restricted to a number of specific CAs. OBJECTIVES: To investigate academic outcomes at ages 11 and 16 in children with major isolated structural CAs and children with Down or Turner syndromes. METHODS: This population-based cohort study linked data on approximately 11,000 school-aged children born with major CAs in 1994-2004 registered by four regional CA registries in England with education data from the National Pupil Database (NPD). The comparison group was a random sample of children without major CAs from the background population recorded in the NPD that were frequency matched (5:1) to children with CAs by birth year, sex and geographical area. RESULTS: Overall, 71.9%, 73.0% and 80.9% of children with isolated structural CAs achieved the expected attainment level at age 11 compared to 78.3%, 80.6% and 86.7% of the comparison group in English language, Mathematics and Science, respectively. Children with nervous system CAs as a whole had the lowest proportion who achieved the expected attainment at age 11. At age 16, 46.9% of children with CAs achieved the expected level compared to 52.5% of their peers. Major CAs were associated with being up to 9% (95% confidence interval [CI] 8%, 11%) and 12% (95% CI 9%, 14%) less likely to achieve expected levels at ages 11 and 16, respectively, after adjustment for socioeconomic deprivation. CONCLUSIONS: Although many children with isolated CAs achieved the expected academic level at ages 11 and 16, they were at higher risk of underachievement compared to their peers. These stark yet cautiously encouraging results are important for counselling parents of children with specific CAs and also highlight the possible need for special education support to reduce potential academic difficulties.

Femcel Discussions of Sex, Frustration, Power, and Revenge.

Although male incels have received a great deal of scholarly attention in recent years, there has been almost no research on femcels (involuntarily celibate women). After collecting data from more than 24,000 femcel posts, we drew from a recently developed sexual frustration theory and conducted qualitative analyses of approximately 1200. Overall, our findings suggest that (1) femcels struggled with multiple types of sexual frustration; (2) they frequently discussed the gender dynamics of both sex and power; (3) they were more interested in their own frustrations than men's frustrations; and (4) despite some notable exceptions, they exhibited less support for aggression, violence, and crime than what has been reported about male incels. Although some femcels referenced their anger, hatred, or desires for revenge, this antipathy may have been rooted in their concerns about how to find a suitable intimate partner while avoiding the threat women often face from violent men. Despite this challenge, most femcels who wanted to enhance their situation or increase their power sought to do so through legal means (e.g., self-improvement, group mobilization, or challenging the patriarchy) and did not express violent intent. Further research on femcels, and the evidence-based strategies that could help them, would be a significant contribution to society.

Quantifying the administration and monitoring time burden of several disease-modifying therapies for relapsing multiple sclerosis in the United Kingdom: A time and motion study.

BACKGROUND: The treatment landscape for relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) has changed dramatically in recent decades, including an increasing number of high-efficacy disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) with varied administration and monitoring requirements. Coupled with greater focus on earlier treatment, these factors have resulted in stretching of the capacity of MS specialist services and allied healthcare professionals (HCPs). To assist with the effective planning of MS services in the UK NHS, this study quantified the administration and monitoring time burden associated with high-efficacy DMTs (alemtuzumab, cladribine tablets, fingolimod, natalizumab, and ocrelizumab) for relapsing MS. METHODS: A Time and Motion (T&M) study was conducted across four MS centres in the UK, over 3-4 months per centre (Aug 2019-Feb 2021). Time dedicated by HCPs (including but not limited to neurologists, MS specialist nurses, infusion nurses, and healthcare assistants) to pre-specified drug administration and monitoring activities, elicited during pre-study interviews at each centre, was assessed for each of the selected DMTs. Administration activities included: installing peripheral access; pre-medication administration (if needed); preparing drug for infusion; infusion initiation, monitoring, and disconnection; and patient monitoring post-infusion. Monitoring activities included: booking appointments for blood draws; blood draw; retrieval and review of blood results; maintaining blood records and follow-up with the patient; checking availability of MRI results and follow-up with the patient; booking appointments for neurologist or nurse consultations; and checking patient files prior to clinic visits. A T&M model was built using observational T&M study results, data obtained through pre-study interviews, as well as stipulated monitoring intervals from relevant Summaries of Product Characteristics for the selected DMTs, to estimate active HCP time with each DMT, extrapolated over a period of 4 years per-patient. RESULTS: For oral DMTs, projected total active HCP time (monitoring only) per-patient over 4 years was 14.7 h for cladribine tablets and 19.2 h for fingolimod. For infused DMTs, total time (administration and monitoring) for alemtuzumab was 37.7 h (6.0 and 31.6 h, respectively), 48.1 h for natalizumab (17.4 and 30.8 h, respectively), and 23.5 h for ocrelizumab (6.1 and 17.4 h, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: While active HCP time varied across centres, infused DMTs were projected to require the greatest amount of HCP time associated with administration and monitoring over 4 years versus oral DMTs. These findings may assist MS-specific HCPs in planning and delivering the equitable provision of DMT services for patients with relapsing MS.

Targeting alternative splicing as a new cancer immunotherapy-phosphorylation of serine arginine-rich splicing factor (SRSF1) by SR protein kinase 1 (SRPK1) regulates alternative splicing of PD1 to generate a soluble antagonistic isoform that prevents T cell exhaustion.

BACKGROUND: Regulation of alternative splicing is a new therapeutic approach in cancer. The programmed cell death receptor 1 (PD-1) is an immunoinhibitory receptor expressed on immune cells that binds to its ligands, PD-L1 and PD-L2 expressed by cancer cells forming a dominant immune checkpoint pathway in the tumour microenvironment. Targeting this pathway using blocking antibodies (nivolumab and pembrolizumab) is the mainstay of anti-cancer immunotherapies, restoring the function of exhausted T cells. PD-1 is alternatively spliced to form isoforms that are either transmembrane signalling receptors (flPD1) that mediate T cell death by binding to the ligand, PD-L1 or an alternatively spliced, soluble, variant that lacks the transmembrane domain. METHODS: We used PCR and western blotting on primary peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and Jurkat T cells, IL-2 ELISA, flow cytometry, co-culture of melanoma and cholangiocarcinoma cells, and bioinformatics analysis and molecular cloning to examine the mechanism of splicing of PD1 and its consequence. RESULTS: The soluble form of PD-1, generated by skipping exon 3 (∆Ex3PD1), was endogenously expressed in PBMCs and T cells and prevents cancer cell-mediated T cell repression. Multiple binding sites of SRSF1 are adjacent to PD-1 exon 3 splicing sites. Overexpression of phosphomimic SRSF1 resulted in preferential expression of flPD1. Inhibition of SRSF1 phosphorylation both by SRPK1 shRNA knockdown and by a selective inhibitor, SPHINX31, resulted in a switch in splicing to ∆Ex3PD1. Cholangiocarcinoma cell-mediated repression of T cell IL-2 expression was reversed by SPHINX31 (equivalent to pembrolizumab). CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that switching of the splicing decision from flPD1 to ∆Ex3PD1 by targeting SRPK1 could represent a potential novel mechanism of immune checkpoint inhibition in cancer.

Diagnostic and cost-effectiveness of axial skeleton MRI in staging high-risk prostate cancer.

Introduction: Current literature suggests that axial skeleton magnetic resonance imaging (AS-MRI) is more sensitive than Tc 99m bone scintigraphy (BS) for detecting bone metastases (BM) in high-risk prostate cancer (PCa). However, BS is still widely performed. Its diagnostic accuracy has been studied; however, its feasibility and cost implications are yet to be examined. Methods: We reviewed all patients with high risk PCa undergoing AS-MRI over a 5-year period. AS-MRI was performed on patients with histologically confirmed PCa and either PSA > 20 ng/ml, Gleason ≥8, or TNM Stage ≥T3 or N1 disease. All AS-MRI studies were obtained using a 1.5-T AchievaPhilips™MRI scanner. We compared the AS-MRI positivity and equivocal rate with that of BS. Data were analysed according to Gleason score, T-stage and PSA. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to quantify the strength of association between positive scans and clinical variables. Feasibility and burden of expenditure was also evaluated. Results: Five hundred three patients with a median age of 72 and a mean PSA of 34.8 ng/ml were analysed. Eighty-eight patients (17.5%) were positive for BM on AS-MRI (mean PSA 99 [95% CI 69.1-129.9]). Comparatively 409 patients (81.3%) were negative for BM on AS-MRI (mean PSA 24.7 (95% CI [21.7-27.7]) (p = 0.007); 1.2% (n = 6) of patients had equivocal results (mean PSA 33.4 [95% CI 10.5-56.3]). There was no significant difference in age (p = 0.122) between this group and patients with a positive scan, but there was a significant difference in PSA (p = 0.028), T stage (p = 0.006) and Gleason score (p = 0.023). In comparison with BS, AS-MRI detection rate was equivalent or higher compared with the literature. Based on NHS tariff calculations, there would be a minimum cost saving of £8406.89. All patients underwent AS-MRI within 14 days. Conclusion: The use of AS-MRI to stage BM in high-risk PCa is both feasible and results in a reduced burden of expenditure.

Race, religious identities, and environmental activism.

We employ three national representative samples to examine the moderating effect race has on the relationship between religious identities and environmental identities and behaviors. By and large, religious identities are more consistently associated with the environmental considerations of Whites than it does for African Americans and Hispanics. Among Whites, religious liberals are more likely than their religiously conservative counterparts to; identify with the environmental movement, make environmentally conscious consumer choices, and be active in the environmental movement. Such is not the case, however, for African Americans and Hispanics: religion very rarely associates with their environmental identities and behaviors. In explaining our findings, we discuss the role that the disparate racial experiences of these groups may play in accounting for the differential role religion plays in their environmental identities and behaviors.

Neuroticism as a covariate of cognitive task performance in individuals with tinnitus.

Previous studies have shown cognitive task performance to be affected by tinnitus severity, but also that the literature is conflicted. This study sought to identify neuroticism as a possible confound, since severe tinnitus distress is associated with higher levels of neuroticism. A total of 78 participants (39 with and 39 without tinnitus) undertook two cognitive tasks. It was found that when undertaking a Stroop paradigm, controlling for neuroticism rendered previously significant results not significant. It was also found that neuroticism was not a significant covariate for a change blindness task. Gender, age, anxiety, and depression were all controlled for, and future implications for the literature discussed.

Hospital length of stay among children with and without congenital anomalies across 11 European regions-A population-based data linkage study.

BACKGROUND: Congenital anomalies are a leading cause of childhood morbidity, but little is known about the long-term outcomes. OBJECTIVE: To quantify the burden of disease in childhood for children with congenital anomalies by assessing the risk of hospitalisation, the number of days spent in hospital and proportion of children with extended stays (≥10 days). METHODS: European population-based record-linkage study in 11 regions in eight countries including children with congenital anomalies (EUROCAT children) and without congenital anomalies (reference children) living in the same regions. The children were born between 1995 and 2014 and were followed to their tenth birthday or 31/12/2015. European meta-analyses of the outcome measures were performed by two age groups, <1 year and 1-4 years. RESULTS: 99,416 EUROCAT children and 2,021,772 reference children were linked to hospital databases. Among EUROCAT children, 85% (95%-CI: 79-90%) were hospitalised in the first year and 56% (95%-CI: 51-61%) at ages 1-4 years, compared to 31% (95%-CI: 26-37%) and 25% (95%-CI: 19-31%) of the reference children. Median length of stay was 2-3 times longer for EUROCAT children in both age groups. The percentages of children with extended stays (≥10 days) in the first year were 24% (95%-CI: 20-29%) for EUROCAT children and 1% (95%-CI: 1-2%) for reference children. The median length of stay varied greatly between congenital anomaly subgroups, with children with gastrointestinal anomalies and congenital heart defects having the longest stays. CONCLUSIONS: Children with congenital anomalies were more frequently hospitalised and median length of stay was longer. The outlook improves after the first year. Parents of children with congenital anomalies should be informed about the increased hospitalisations required for their child's care and the impact on family life and siblings, and they should be adequately supported.

VirA+EmiC project: Evaluating real-world effectiveness and sustainability of integrated routine opportunistic hepatitis B and C testing in a large urban emergency department.

Innovative testing approaches and care pathways are required to meet global hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) elimination goals. Routine blood-borne virus (BBV) testing in emergency departments (EDs) in high-prevalence areas is suggested by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) but there is limited evidence for this. Universal HIV testing in our ED according to UK guidance has been operational since 2015. We conducted a real-world service evaluation of a modified electronic patient record (EPR) system to include opportunistic opt-out HBV/reflex-HCV tests for any routine blood test orders for ED attendees aged ≥16 years. Reactive laboratory results were communicated directly to specialist clinical teams. Our model for contacting patients requiring linkage to care (new diagnoses/known but disengaged) evolved from initially primarily hospital-led to collaborating with regional health and community service networks. Over 11 months, 81,088 patients attended the ED; 36,865 (45.5%) had a blood test. Overall uptake for both HBV and HCV testing was 75%. Seroprevalence was 0.9% for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and 0.9% for HCV antigen (HCV-Ag). 79% of 140 successfully contacted HBsAg+patients required linkage to care, of which 87% engaged. 76% of 130 contactable HCV-Ag+patients required linkage, 52% engaged. Our results demonstrate effectiveness and sustainability of universal ED EPR opt-out HBV/HCV testing combined with comprehensive linkage to care pathways, allowing care provision particularly for marginalized at-risk groups with limited healthcare access. The findings support the ECDC BBV testing guidance and may inform future UK hepatitis testing guidance.

Locked-in Guillain-Barré syndrome: 'my living nightmare'.

A 48-year-old man with severe Guillain-Barré syndrome suffered complete paralysis, and for 31 days could not communicate with the outside world, while remaining fully conscious. After recovery, he provided feedback on aspects of his care, such as mechanical ventilation, physical therapy, and communication. Conventional low tidal volume normocapnic ventilation induced ongoing and profound dyspnoea, occasionally relieved by modest increases in minute ventilation. Routine and apparently benign physical therapy was extremely painful, which was not reflected in heart rate or blood pressure changes. When he eventually re-established communication after many weeks, via slight eye movements, his first message was to express a particular distressing symptom. His case is a valuable reminder of the sometimes large gap between clinical measurements and assumptions and the subjective patient experience. We propose several approaches to address such issues in other paralysed but conscious patients.

Is Google Trends a useful tool for tracking mental and social distress during a public health emergency? A time-series analysis.

BACKGROUND: Google Trends data are increasingly used by researchers as an indicator of population mental health, but few studies have investigated the validity of this approach during a public health emergency. METHODS: Relative search volumes (RSV) for the topics depression, anxiety, self-harm, suicide, suicidal ideation, loneliness, and abuse were obtained from Google Trends. We used graphical and time-series approaches to compare daily trends in searches for these topics against population measures of these outcomes recorded using validated self-report scales (PHQ-9; GAD-7; UCLA-3) in a weekly survey (n = ~70,000) of the impact COVID-19 on psychological and social experiences in the UK population (21/03/2020 to 21/08/ 2020). RESULTS: Self-reported levels of depression, anxiety, self-harm/suicidal ideation, self-harm, loneliness and abuse decreased during the period studied. There was no evidence of an association between self-reported anxiety, self-harm, abuse and RSV on Google Trends. Trends in Google topic RSV for depression and suicidal ideation were inversely associated with self-reports of these outcomes (p = 0.03 and p = 0.04, respectively). However, there was statistical and graphical evidence that self-report and Google searches for loneliness (p < 0.001) tracked one another. LIMITATIONS: No age/sex breakdown of Google Trends data available. Survey respondents were not representative of the UK population and no pre-pandemic data were available. CONCLUSION: Google Trends data do not appear to be a useful indicator of changing levels of population mental health during a public health emergency, but may have some value as an indicator of loneliness.

Hospital readmission among people experiencing homelessness in England: a cohort study of 2772 matched homeless and housed inpatients.

BACKGROUND: Inpatients experiencing homelessness are often discharged to unstable accommodation or the street, which may increase the risk of readmission. METHODS: We conducted a cohort study of 2772 homeless patients discharged after an emergency admission at 78 hospitals across England between November 2013 and November 2016. For each individual, we selected a housed patient who lived in a socioeconomically deprived area, matched on age, sex, hospital, and year of discharge. Counts of emergency readmissions, planned readmissions, and Accident and Emergency (A&E) visits post-discharge were derived from national hospital databases, with a median of 2.8 years of follow-up. We estimated the cumulative incidence of readmission over 12 months, and used negative binomial regression to estimate rate ratios. RESULTS: After adjusting for health measured at the index admission, homeless patients had 2.49 (95% CI 2.29 to 2.70) times the rate of emergency readmission, 0.60 (95% CI 0.53 to 0.68) times the rate of planned readmission and 2.57 (95% CI 2.41 to 2.73) times the rate of A&E visits compared with housed patients. The 12-month risk of emergency readmission was higher for homeless patients (61%, 95% CI 59% to 64%) than housed patients (33%, 95% CI 30% to 36%); and the risk of planned readmission was lower for homeless patients (17%, 95% CI 14% to 19%) than for housed patients (30%, 95% CI 28% to 32%). While the risk of emergency readmission varied with the reason for admission for housed patients, for example being higher for admissions due to cancers than for those due to accidents, the risk was high across all causes for homeless patients. CONCLUSIONS: Hospital patients experiencing homelessness have high rates of emergency readmission that are not explained by health. This highlights the need for discharge arrangements that address their health, housing and social care needs.

Prevalence, incidence, and outcomes across cardiovascular diseases in homeless individuals using national linked electronic health records.

AIMS: The risk and burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD) are higher in homeless than in housed individuals but population-based analyses are lacking. The aim of this study was to investigate prevalence, incidence and outcomes across a range of specific CVDs among homeless individuals. METHODS AND RESULTS: Using linked UK primary care electronic health records (EHRs) and validated phenotypes, we identified homeless individuals aged ≥16 years between 1998 and 2019, and age- and sex-matched housed controls in a 1:5 ratio. For 12 CVDs (stable angina; unstable angina; myocardial infarction; sudden cardiac death or cardiac arrest; unheralded coronary death; heart failure; transient ischaemic attack; ischaemic stroke; subarachnoid haemorrhage; intracerebral haemorrhage; peripheral arterial disease; abdominal aortic aneurysm), we estimated prevalence, incidence, and 1-year mortality post-diagnosis, comparing homeless and housed groups. We identified 8492 homeless individuals (32 134 matched housed individuals). Comorbidities and risk factors were more prevalent in homeless people, e.g. smoking: 78.1% vs. 48.3% and atrial fibrillation: 9.9% vs. 8.6%, P < 0.001. CVD prevalence (11.6% vs. 6.5%), incidence (14.7 vs. 8.1 per 1000 person-years), and 1-year mortality risk [adjusted hazard ratio 1.64, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.29-2.08, P < 0.001] were higher, and onset was earlier (difference 4.6, 95% CI 2.8-6.3 years, P < 0.001), in homeless, compared with housed people. Homeless individuals had higher CVD incidence in all three arterial territories than housed people. CONCLUSION: CVD in homeless individuals has high prevalence, incidence, and 1-year mortality risk post-diagnosis with earlier onset, and high burden of risk factors. Inclusion health and social care strategies should reflect this high preventable and treatable burden, which is increasingly important in the current COVID-19 context.

Bovine viral diarrhea virus compromises Neutrophil's functions in strain dependent manner.

Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) infection is a major problem that results in economically important diseases of the cattle industry worldwide. The two major consequences of this disease are persistent infection and immune dysfunction. A number of studies have been done to determine the underline mechanisms of BVDV-induced immune dysfunction, in particular targeting antigen-presenting cells, T- and B- cells and cytokine gene expression. However, little research has focused Eon the effect of BVDV on neutrophils. Neutrophils are one of the predominant leukocytes circulating in blood and are considered the first line of defense in the innate immune system along with macrophages. Neutrophils not only eliminate the invading bacteria but also activate innate as well as adaptive immune responses. Therefore, compromised neutrophil function would affect both arms of immune system and caused immune suppression. In the current study, we used virus strains from both BVDV-1 and BVDV-2 species. Including a highly virulent non-cytopathic type 2a BVDV (ncp BVDV2a-1373), moderately virulent non-cytopathic type 2a (ncp BVDV2a 28508-5), and a pair of non-cytopathic type 1b BVDV (ncp BVDV1b TGAN) and cytopathic type 1b BVDV (cp BVDV1b TGAC) strain isolated from a case of mucosal disease. The highly virulent ncp BVDV2a-1373 significantly increased neutrophil apoptosis. However, none of the other BVDV strains affected neutrophil viability. All BVDV strains used significantly reduced CD18 and L-selectin expression on neutrophils as well as their oxidative burst and neutrophil extracellular traps (NET) activity. Cp BVDV significantly reduced neutrophil's phagocytic activity but ncp BVDV did not have any effect on it. On the other hand, ncp BVDV significantly increased neutrophil's CD14 expression and chemotactic activity while cp BVDV did not show any effect either on neutrophil's CD14 expression or on chemotactic activity. In conclusion, BVDV affected neutrophils variability and functional activity in strain dependent manner. Results of the current study will further help in understanding the pathophysiology of different BVDV strains.

Cardiovascular disease in homeless versus housed individuals: a systematic review of observational and interventional studies.

OBJECTIVES: To identify: (i) risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in homeless versus housed individuals and (ii) interventions for CVD in homeless populations. METHODS: We conducted a systematic literature review in EMBASE until December 2018 using a search strategy for observational and interventional studies without restriction regarding languages or countries. Meta-analyses were conducted, where appropriate and possible. Outcome measures were all-cause and CVD mortality, and morbidity. RESULTS: Our search identified 17 articles (6 case-control, 11 cohort) concerning risk of CVD and none regarding specific interventions. Nine were included to perform a meta-analysis. The majority (13/17, 76.4%) were high quality and all were based in Europe or North America, including 765 459 individuals, of whom 32 721 were homeless. 12/17 studies were pre-2011. Homeless individuals were more likely to have CVD than non-homeless individuals (pooled OR 2.96; 95% CI 2.80 to 3.13; p<0.0001; heterogeneity p<0.0001; I2=99.1%) and had increased CVD mortality (age-standardised mortality ratio range: 2.6-6.4). Compared with non-homeless individuals, hypertension was more likely in homeless people (pooled OR 1.38-1.75, p=0.0070; heterogeneity p=0.935; I2=0.0%). CONCLUSIONS: Homeless people have an approximately three times greater risk of CVD and an increased CVD mortality. However, there are no studies of specific pathways/interventions for CVD in this population. Future research should consider design and evaluation of tailored interventions or integrating CVD into existing interventions.

Mapping population mental health concerns related to COVID-19 and the consequences of physical distancing: a Google trends analysis.

Background: The 2020 Coronavirus pandemic is a major international public health challenge.  Governments have taken public health protection measures to reduce the spread of the virus through non-pharmalogical measures. The impact of the pandemic and the public health response on individual and population mental health is unknown.  Methods: We used Google Trends data (1 Jan 2020 - 1 Apr 2020) to investigate the impact of the pandemic and government measures to curb it on people's concerns, as indexed by changes in search frequency for topics indicating mental distress, social and economic stressors and mental health treatment-seeking. We explored the changes of key topics in Google trends in Italy, Spain, USA, UK, and Worldwide in relation to sentinel events during the pandemic. Results: Globally there appears to be significant concerns over the financial and work-related consequences of the pandemic, with some evidence that levels of fear are rising. Conversely searching for topics related to depression and suicide fell after the pandemic was announced, with some evidence that searches for the latter have risen recently. Concerns over education and access to medication appear to be particular social stressors. Whilst searches for face-to-face treatments have declined, those for self-care have risen. Conclusions: Monitoring Google trends shows promise as a means of tracking changing public concerns. In weeks to come it may enable policy makers to assess the impact of their interventions including those aiming to limit negative consequences, such as government funded financial safety nets.

A randomized controlled trial of a Group psychological intervention to increase locus of control for alcohol consumption among Alcohol-Misusing Short-term (male) Prisoners (GASP).

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Reducing alcohol misuse by male prisoners is an important global issue. Control of drinking behaviour could be a useful target for intervention in this population, and locus of control could be a causal factor in this. We aimed to assess the effect of a clinical psychologist-facilitated group intervention on male prisoners' locus of control of drinking behaviour. DESIGN: A two-arm, single-site, open, randomized controlled trial. SETTING: A category B local training prison in South Wales, housing about 770 mainly sentenced men. PARTICIPANTS: Prisoners serving less than 2 years who met inclusion criteria for pre-imprisonment alcohol misuse, alone or with drug misuse. A total of 119 were allocated to the intervention arm and 119 to the control arm; 104 and 87, respectively, completed the post-randomization baseline interview and 68 and 60 completed a second interview approximately 4 weeks later, respectively, after intervention or treatment as usual (TAU) alone. INTERVENTION: Nine clinical psychologist-facilitated groups in the prison over 3 weeks. Range of participants per session was one to seven, with three to five most usual. MEASURES: The primary outcome was locus of control of behaviour (LCB); secondary outcomes included mental state generally (comprehensive psychiatric rating scale/CPRS) and specifically (Beck Depression Inventory/BDI). An integral process evaluation was conducted. FINDINGS: LCB scores decreased during the study, but without significant intervention effect [-1.7, 95% confidence interval (CI) = -5.1 to 1.6, P = 0.329]. Change among completers in the control group was from a mean score of 37.4 [standard deviation (SD) = 10.0] to 33.7[SD = 11.7] and in the intervention group from 37.4 (SD = 11.6) to 31.9 (SD = 11.8). Secondary outcomes, including change in mental state, did not differ between arms, but 686 (64%) sessions were lost, most because of 'prison issues'. CONCLUSIONS: A clinical psychologist-facilitated group intervention did not have a statistically significant effect on sense of control of drinking behaviour among men with pre-imprisonment alcohol misuse serving less than 2 years in a South Wales prison. The study proved coterminous, however, with 40% prison staff cuts which seem likely to have contributed to the high loss of group sessions and possibly overwhelmed any treatment effect. Intervention completion failures, previously cited as harmful, had no effect here, so the trial should be repeated when the prison climate improves.

UK Postal Delivery Workers' Occupational Sun Safety: Using Behavior Change Theories to Identify Intervention Pathways.

Postal delivery workers have substantial sun exposure. In the United Kingdom (UK) a high proportion of workers possesses a sun sensitive skin type. This population is at elevated risk for skin cancer, yet uptake of sun safety practices is low. Studies are needed to identify the underlying factors that contribute to the uptake of occupational sun safety practices that may be targeted during behavior change interventions. This study integrated the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and the Transtheoretical Model's stages of change (SoC) as guiding frameworks to identify underlying beliefs that influence UK postal delivery workers' uptake of occupational sun safety practices. Thirty-four workers participated in semi-structured interviews that used the SoC to establish current receptiveness to and adoption of two sun safety practices (using sunscreen of at least sun protection factor (SPF) 30 on exposed skin and wearing a wide-brimmed hat when working outdoors in the summer). Beliefs underlying current practices were elicited in accordance with the TPB and stratified by the SoC. For sunscreen use and wearing a wide-brimmed hat, 64% and 3% of participants were in the action or maintenance SoC, respectively. Behavioral and control beliefs differed by SoC, with those in the earlier stages more likely than those in the latter stages to report negative attitudes to, and difficulty enacting, sun safety practices. Normative beliefs concerning the views of colleagues and employers towards sunscreen were relatively consistent across the SoC. This study highlights the need for tailored and targeted behavior change interventions. The SoC-stratified accounts of the influence of TPB components on behavior provide a basis for bespoke interventions that reflect inter-individual and inter-practice differences in their working mechanisms.

Causes of death among homeless people: a population-based cross-sectional study of linked hospitalisation and mortality data in England.

Background: Homelessness has increased by 165% since 2010 in England, with evidence from many settings that those affected experience high levels of mortality. In this paper we examine the contribution of different causes of death to overall mortality in homeless people recently admitted to hospitals in England with specialist integrated homeless health and care (SIHHC) schemes.  Methods: We undertook an analysis of linked hospital admission records and mortality data for people attending any one of 17 SIHHC schemes between 1st November 2013 and 30th November 2016. Our primary outcome was death, which we analysed in subgroups of 10th version international classification of disease (ICD-10) specific deaths; and deaths from amenable causes. We compared our results to a sample of people living in areas of high social deprivation (IMD5 group). Results: We collected data on 3,882 individual homeless hospital admissions that were linked to 600 deaths. The median age of death was 51.6 years (interquartile range 42.7-60.2) for SIHHC and 71.5 for the IMD5 (60.67-79.0).  The top three underlying causes of death by ICD-10 chapter in the SIHHC group were external causes of death (21.7%; 130/600), cancer (19.0%; 114/600) and digestive disease (19.0%; 114/600).  The percentage of deaths due to an amenable cause after age and sex weighting was 30.2% in the homeless SIHHC group (181/600) compared to 23.0% in the IMD5 group (578/2,512). Conclusion: Nearly one in three homeless deaths were due to causes amenable to timely and effective health care. The high burden of amenable deaths highlights the extreme health harms of homelessness and the need for greater emphasis on prevention of homelessness and early healthcare interventions.

National outbreak of Pseudomonas aeruginosa associated with an aftercare solution following piercings, July to September 2016, England.

We report a national Pseudomonas aeruginosa outbreak from a common source following piercings between July and September 2016 in England. The multi-agency outbreak investigation included active case finding, microbiological testing of environmental samples and case specimens including Variable Number Tandem Repeat (VNTR) typing and a retrospective cohort study. Overall, 162 outbreak cases (29 confirmed, 14 probable and 119 possible) and 14 non-outbreak cases were identified; all confirmed cases had ear piercings (93% cartilage). Outbreak cases were predominantly female (95%) and had a median age of 18 years (interquartile range: 13-56 years). Nineteen outbreak cases required surgery under general anaesthetic The same outbreak VNTR type (11,3,5,3,3,3,6,4,7) was isolated from bottles of an aftercare solution from a single manufacturer and in specimens from confirmed cases who attended eight different piercing studios supplied with this product. In the cohort study, use of aftercare solution was associated with becoming a case (aOR: 4.60, 95% confidence interval: 1.65-12.90). Environmental, microbiological and epidemiological investigations confirmed that contamination during production of aftercare solution was the source of this national outbreak; highlighting challenges in the regulation of a cosmetic products used in the piercing industry and that guidance on piercing aftercare may need to be reviewed.