A service mapping exercise of four health and social care staff mental health and wellbeing services, Resilience Hubs, to describe health service provision and interventions.

BACKGROUND: NHS England funded 40 Mental Health and Wellbeing Hubs to support health and social care staff affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. We aimed to document variations in how national guidance was adapted to the local contexts of four Hubs in the North of England. METHODS: We used a modified version of Price's (2019) service mapping methodology. Service level data were used to inform the analysis. A mapping template was adapted from a range of tools, including the European Service Mapping Schedule, and reviewed by Hub leads. Key data included service model; staffing; and interventions. Data were collected between March 2021 - March 2022 by site research assistants. Findings were accuracy-checked by Hub leads, and a logic model developed to theorise how the Hubs may effect change. RESULTS: Hub goals and service models closely reflected guidance; offering: proactive outreach; team-based support; clinical assessment; onward referral, and rapid access to mental health support (in-house and external). Implementation reflected a service context of a client group with high mental health need, and high waiting times at external mental health services. Hubs were predominantly staffed by experienced clinicians, to manage these mental health presentations and organisational working. Formulation-based psychological assessment and the provision of direct therapy were not core functions of the NHS England model, however all Hubs incorporated these adaptations into their service models in response to local contexts, such as extensive waiting lists within external services, and/or client presentations falling between gaps in existing service provision. Finally, a standalone clinical records system was seen as important to reassure Hub users of confidentiality. Other more nuanced variation depended on localised contexts. CONCLUSION: This study provides a map for setting up services, emphasising early understandings of how new services will integrate within existing systems. Local and regional contexts led to variation in service configuration. Whilst additional Hub functions are supported by available literature, further research is needed to determine whether these functions should comprise essential components of staff wellbeing services moving forward. Future research should also determine the comparative effectiveness of service components, and the limits of permissible variation. STUDY REGISTRATION: researchregistry6303.

Genetic and biased agonist-mediated reductions in ß-arrestin recruitment prolong cAMP signaling at glucagon family receptors.

Receptors for the peptide hormones glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1R), glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIPR), and glucagon (GCGR) are important regulators of insulin secretion and energy metabolism. GLP-1R agonists have been successfully deployed for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, but it has been suggested that their efficacy is limited by target receptor desensitization and downregulation due to recruitment of ß-arrestins. Indeed, recently described GLP-1R agonists with reduced ß-arrestin-2 recruitment have delivered promising results in preclinical and clinical studies. We therefore aimed to determine if the same phenomenon could apply to the closely related GIPR and GCGR. In HEK293 cells depleted of both ß-arrestin isoforms the duration of G protein-dependent cAMP/PKA signaling was increased in response to the endogenous ligand for each receptor. Moreover, in wildtype cells, "biased" GLP-1, GCG, and GIP analogs with selective reductions in ß-arrestin-2 recruitment led to reduced receptor endocytosis and increased insulin secretion over a prolonged stimulation period, although the latter effect was only seen at high agonist concentrations. Biased GCG analogs increased the duration of cAMP signaling, but this did not lead to increased glucose output from hepatocytes. Our study provides a rationale for the development of GLP-1R, GIPR, and GCGR agonists with reduced ß-arrestin recruitment, but further work is needed to maximally exploit this strategy for therapeutic purposes.

Clinical and cost-effectiveness of social recovery therapy for the prevention and treatment of long-term social disability among young people with emerging severe mental illness (PRODIGY): randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Young people with social disability and severe and complex mental health problems have poor outcomes, frequently struggling with treatment access and engagement. Outcomes may be improved by enhancing care and providing targeted psychological or psychosocial intervention. AIMS: We aimed to test the hypothesis that adding social recovery therapy (SRT) to enhanced standard care (ESC) would improve social recovery compared with ESC alone. METHOD: A pragmatic, assessor-masked, randomised controlled trial (PRODIGY: ISRCTN47998710) was conducted in three UK centres. Participants (n = 270) were aged 16-25 years, with persistent social disability, defined as under 30 hours of structured activity per week, social impairment for at least 6 months and severe and complex mental health problems. Participants were randomised to ESC alone or SRT plus ESC. SRT was an individual psychosocial therapy delivered over 9 months. The primary outcome was time spent in structured activity 15 months post-randomisation. RESULTS: We randomised 132 participants to SRT plus ESC and 138 to ESC alone. Mean weekly hours in structured activity at 15 months increased by 11.1 h for SRT plus ESC (mean 22.4, s.d. = 21.4) and 16.6 h for ESC alone (mean 27.7, s.d. = 26.5). There was no significant difference between arms; treatment effect was -4.44 (95% CI -10.19 to 1.31, P = 0.13). Missingness was consistently greater in the ESC alone arm. CONCLUSIONS: We found no evidence for the superiority of SRT as an adjunct to ESC. Participants in both arms made large, clinically significant improvements on all outcomes. When providing comprehensive evidence-based standard care, there are no additional gains by providing specialised SRT. Optimising standard care to ensure targeted delivery of existing interventions may further improve outcomes.

Robust deep learning optical autofocus system applied to automated multiwell plate single molecule localization microscopy.

We presenta robust, long-range optical autofocus system for microscopy utilizing machine learning. This can be useful for experiments with long image data acquisition times that may be impacted by defocusing resulting from drift of components, for example due to changes in temperature or mechanical drift. It is also useful for automated slide scanning or multiwell plate imaging where the sample(s) to be imaged may not be in the same horizontal plane throughout the image data acquisition. To address the impact of (thermal or mechanical) fluctuations over time in the optical autofocus system itself, we utilize a convolutional neural network (CNN) that is trained over multiple days to account for such fluctuations. To address the trade-off between axial precision and range of the autofocus, we implement orthogonal optical readouts with separate CNN training data, thereby achieving an accuracy well within the 600 nm depth of field of our 1.3 numerical aperture objective lens over a defocus range of up to approximately +/-100 µm. We characterize the performance of this autofocus system and demonstrate its application to automated multiwell plate single molecule localization microscopy.

Many microscopy experiments involve extended imaging of samples over timescales from minutes to days, during which the microscope can 'drift' out of focus. When imaging at high magnification, the depth of field is of the order of one micron and so the imaging system should keep the sample in the focal plane of the microscope objective lens to this precision. Unfortunately, temperature changes in the laboratory can cause thermal expansion of microscope components that can move the focal plane by more than a micron and such changes can occur on a timescale of minutes. This is a particular issue for super-resolved microscopy experiments using single molecule localization microscopy (SMLM) techniques, for which 1000s of images are acquired, and for automated imaging of multiple samples in multiwell plates. It is possible to maintain the sample in the focal plane focus position by either automatically moving the sample or adjusting the imaging system, for example by moving the objective lens. This is called 'autofocus' and is frequently achieved by reflecting a light beam from the microscope coverslip and measuring its position of beam profile as a function of defocus of the microscope. The correcting adjustment is then usually calculated analytically but there is recent interest in using machine learning techniques to determine the required focussing adjustment. Here, we present a system that uses a neural network to determine the required defocus correcting adjustment from camera images of a laser beam that is reflected from the coverslip. Unfortunately, this approach will only work when the microscope is in the same condition as it was when the neural network was trained - and this can be compromised by the same drift of the optical system that causes the defocus needing to be corrected. We show, however, that by training a neural network over an extended period, for example 10 days, this approach can 'learn' about the optical system drifts and provide the required autofocus function. We also show that an optical system utilizing a rectangular slit can make two measurements of the defocus simultaneously, with one measurement being optimized for high accuracy over a limited range (±10 µm) near focus and the other providing lower accuracy but over a much longer range (±100 µm). This robust autofocus system is suitable for automated super-resolved microscopy of arrays of samples in a multiwell plate using SMLM, for which an experiment routinely lasts more than 5 h.

PPA2-associated sudden cardiac death: extending the clinical and allelic spectrum in 20 new families.

PURPOSE: Biallelic hypomorphic variants in PPA2, encoding the mitochondrial inorganic pyrophosphatase 2 protein, have been recently identified in individuals presenting with sudden cardiac death, occasionally triggered by alcohol intake or a viral infection. Here we report 20 new families harboring PPA2 variants. METHODS: Synthesis of clinical and molecular data concerning 34 individuals harboring five previously reported PPA2 variants and 12 novel variants, 11 of which were functionally characterized. RESULTS: Among the 34 individuals, only 6 remain alive. Twenty-three died before the age of 2 years while five died between 14 and 16 years. Within these 28 cases, 15 died of sudden cardiac arrest and 13 of acute heart failure. One case was diagnosed prenatally with cardiomyopathy. Four teenagers drank alcohol before sudden cardiac arrest. Progressive neurological signs were observed in 2/6 surviving individuals. For 11 variants, recombinant PPA2 enzyme activities were significantly decreased and sensitive to temperature, compared to wild-type PPA2 enzyme activity. CONCLUSION: We expand the clinical and mutational spectrum associated with PPA2 dysfunction. Heart failure and sudden cardiac arrest occur at various ages with inter- and intrafamilial phenotypic variability, and presentation can include progressive neurological disease. Alcohol intake can trigger cardiac arrest and should be strictly avoided.

Using epidemiological evidence to forecast population need for early treatment programmes in mental health: a generalisable Bayesian prediction methodology applied to and validated for first-episode psychosis in England.

Background: Mental health policy makers require evidence-based information to optimise effective care provision based on local need, but tools are unavailable. Aims: To develop and validate a population-level prediction model for need for early intervention in psychosis (EIP) care for first-episode psychosis (FEP) in England up to 2025, based on epidemiological evidence and demographic projections. Method: We used Bayesian Poisson regression to model small-area-level variation in FEP incidence for people aged 16-64 years. We compared six candidate models, validated against observed National Health Service FEP data in 2017. Our best-fitting model predicted annual incidence case-loads for EIP services in England up to 2025, for probable FEP, treatment in EIP services, initial assessment by EIP services and referral to EIP services for 'suspected psychosis'. Forecasts were stratified by gender, age and ethnicity, at national and Clinical Commissioning Group levels. Results: A model with age, gender, ethnicity, small-area-level deprivation, social fragmentation and regional cannabis use provided best fit to observed new FEP cases at national and Clinical Commissioning Group levels in 2017 (predicted 8112, 95% CI 7623-8597; observed 8038, difference of 74 [0.92%]). By 2025, the model forecasted 11 067 new treated cases per annum (95% CI 10383-11740). For every 10 new treated cases, 21 and 23 people would be assessed by and referred to EIP services for suspected psychosis, respectively. Conclusions: Our evidence-based methodology provides an accurate, validated tool to inform clinical provision of EIP services about future population need for care, based on local variation of major social determinants of psychosis.

Investigating expressed emotion in individuals at-risk of developing psychosis and their families over 12 months.

High levels of expressed emotion (EE) are present in families of individuals with an at-risk mental state (ARMS) of psychosis and can negatively impact on service users' functioning and symptoms, as well as relatives' psychological wellbeing. OBJECTIVES: This is the first longitudinal study to assess EE from the family/carers' perspective, as well as the service users' perceptions of the family/carers' EE. We explored the effects of EE on transition risk and outcomes of depression, worry, and anxiety. METHODS: Questionnaires were completed by 70 ARMS individuals and 70 family/carers at three time points: baseline, 6 and 12 months. All participants completed measures of anxiety, depression, and worry, plus a version of the Family Questionnaire to assess EE. RESULTS: EE scores reduced over time for both service users and family/carers. High EE perceived by service users at 6 months was associated with higher transition to psychosis at 12 months. High-EE levels at baseline were associated with higher levels of service user depression and family/carer anxiety at 12 months. Higher family/carer total EE scores were associated with less contact with the service user and higher levels of worry. CONCLUSIONS: Novel implications suggest that interventions to reduce high EE in families of people with ARMS would benefit service users by protecting them from higher levels of depression and transition to psychosis. Reducing high-EE attitudes would also benefit the family/carers by reducing levels of anxiety and worry. Family interventions focussing on multiple perceptions of the home environment could help to direct services and prevent negative psychological outcomes for all family members.

The pore-forming subunit MCU of the mitochondrial Ca2+ uniporter is required for normal glucose-stimulated insulin secretion in vitro and in vivo in mice.

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: Mitochondrial oxidative metabolism is central to glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS). Whether Ca2+ uptake into pancreatic beta cell mitochondria potentiates or antagonises this process is still a matter of debate. Although the mitochondrial Ca2+ importer (MCU) complex is thought to represent the main route for Ca2+ transport across the inner mitochondrial membrane, its role in beta cells has not previously been examined in vivo. METHODS: Here, we inactivated the pore-forming subunit of the MCU, encoded by Mcu, selectively in mouse beta cells using Ins1Cre-mediated recombination. Whole or dissociated pancreatic islets were isolated and used for live beta cell fluorescence imaging of cytosolic or mitochondrial Ca2+ concentration and ATP production in response to increasing glucose concentrations. Electrophysiological recordings were also performed on whole islets. Serum and blood samples were collected to examine oral and i.p. glucose tolerance. RESULTS: Glucose-stimulated mitochondrial Ca2+ accumulation (p< 0.05), ATP production (p< 0.05) and insulin secretion (p< 0.01) were strongly inhibited in beta cell-specific Mcu-null (ßMcu-KO) animals, in vitro, as compared with wild-type (WT) mice. Interestingly, cytosolic Ca2+ concentrations increased (p< 0.001), whereas mitochondrial membrane depolarisation improved in ßMcu-KO animals. ßMcu-KO mice displayed impaired in vivo insulin secretion at 5 min (p< 0.001) but not 15 min post-i.p. injection of glucose, whilst the opposite phenomenon was observed following an oral gavage at 5 min. Unexpectedly, glucose tolerance was improved (p< 0.05) in young ßMcu-KO (<12 weeks), but not in older animals vs WT mice. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: MCU is crucial for mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake in pancreatic beta cells and is required for normal GSIS. The apparent compensatory mechanisms that maintain glucose tolerance in ßMcu-KO mice remain to be established.

Psychological interventions for people with psychotic experiences: A systematic review and meta-analysis of controlled and uncontrolled effectiveness and economic studies.

OBJECTIVE: Many people with psychotic experiences do not develop psychotic disorders, yet those who seek help demonstrate high clinical complexity and poor outcomes. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we evaluated the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of psychological interventions for people with psychotic experiences. METHOD: We searched 13 databases for studies of psychological interventions for adults with psychotic experiences, but not psychotic disorders. Our outcomes were the proportion of participants remitting from psychotic experiences (primary); changes in positive and negative psychotic symptoms, depression, anxiety, functioning, distress, and quality of life; and economic outcomes (secondary). We analysed results using multilevel random-effects meta-analysis and narrative synthesis. RESULTS: A total of 27 reports met inclusion criteria. In general, there was no strong evidence for the superiority of any one intervention. Five studies reported on our primary outcome, though only two reports provided randomised controlled trial evidence that psychological intervention (specifically, cognitive behavioural therapy) promoted remission from psychotic experiences. For secondary outcomes, we could only meta-analyse trials of cognitive behavioural therapy. We found that cognitive behavioural therapy was more effective than treatment as usual for reducing distress (pooled standardised mean difference: -0.24; 95% confidence interval = [-0.37, -0.10]), but no more effective than the control treatment for improving any other outcome. Individual reports indicated that cognitive behavioural therapy, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, sleep cognitive behavioural therapy, systemic therapy, cognitive remediation therapy, and supportive treatments improved at least one clinical or functional outcome. Four reports included economic evaluations, which suggested cognitive behavioural therapy may be cost-effective compared with treatment as usual. CONCLUSION: Our meta-analytic findings were primarily null, with the exception that cognitive behavioural therapy may reduce the distress associated with psychotic experiences. Our analyses were limited by scarcity of studies, small samples and variable study quality. Several intervention frameworks showed preliminary evidence of positive outcomes; however, the paucity of consistent evidence for clinical and functional improvement highlights a need for further research into psychological treatments for psychotic experiences. PROSPERO PROTOCOL REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42016033869.

Measuring adherence in social recovery therapy with people with first episode psychosis.

BACKGROUND: The SUPEREDEN3 study, a phase II randomized controlled trial, suggests that social recovery therapy (SRT) is useful in improving functional outcomes in people with first episode psychosis. SRT incorporates cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) techniques with case management and employment support, and therefore has a different emphasis to traditional CBT for psychosis, requiring a new adherence tool. AIMS: This paper describes the SRT adherence checklist and content of the therapy delivered in the SUPEREDEN3 trial, outlining the frequency of SRT techniques and proportion of participants who received a full therapy dose. It was hypothesized that behavioural techniques would be used frequently, consistent with the behavioural emphasis of SRT. METHOD: Research therapists completed an adherence checklist after each therapy session, endorsing elements of SRT present. Data from 1236 therapy sessions were reviewed to determine whether participants received full, partial or no therapy dose. RESULTS: Of the 75 participants randomized to receive SRT, 57.3% received a full dose, 24% a partial dose, and 18.7% received no dose. Behavioural techniques were endorsed in 50.5% of sessions, with cognitive techniques endorsed in 34.9% of sessions. CONCLUSIONS: This report describes an adherence checklist which should be used when delivering SRT in both research and clinical practice. As hypothesized, behavioural techniques were a prominent feature of the SRT delivered in SUPEREDEN3, consistent with the behavioural emphasis of the approach. The use of this adherence tool would be considered essential for anyone delivering SRT looking to ensure adherence to the model.

"I don't think I took her fears seriously": Exploring the experiences of family members of individuals at-risk of developing psychosis over 12 months.

Individuals with an at-risk mental state (ARMS) of psychosis experience high levels of distress, anxiety, low mood, and suicidal ideation. Families of ARMS individuals provide significant support but are often neglected by services. This study is the first of its kind to use a novel longitudinal qualitative methodology to directly compare family/carers' earlier experiences supporting ARMS individuals to 12 months later. This provides a more ecologically valid insight into how perceptions change over time and how family/carers adapt. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 10 family/carers at two points within a 12-month period. This study was embedded within a randomized control trial, the Individual and Family Cognitive Behavioural Therapy trial. Interview transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis, with a focus on how experiences and reactions for family/carers changed over time. Over 12 months, four factors were important for family/carers to facilitate their caring role. These were summarized in the thematic map (LACE model): Looking after your own well-being; Accessing additional support from family intervention; Communicating openly with the individual; and Engaging with services for the individual. All four aspects of the model were important in improving family communication, meeting family/carers' unmet needs, and helping them to feel more confident and less isolated in their carer role. Novel implications suggest that when feasible, services should involve family/carers of ARMS individuals in sessions and explore family/carer support strategies in managing their own distress. The most significant insight was the need to develop family/carer resources to educate, normalize, and validate their own experiences.

Structured lifestyle education for people with schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder and first-episode psychosis (STEPWISE): randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Obesity is a major challenge for people with schizophrenia.AimsWe assessed whether STEPWISE, a theory-based, group structured lifestyle education programme could support weight reduction in people with schizophrenia. METHOD: In this randomised controlled trial (study registration: ISRCTN19447796), we recruited adults with schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder or first-episode psychosis from ten mental health organisations in England. Participants were randomly allocated to the STEPWISE intervention or treatment as usual. The 12-month intervention comprised four 2.5 h weekly group sessions, followed by 2-weekly maintenance contact and group sessions at 4, 7 and 10 months. The primary outcome was weight change after 12 months. Key secondary outcomes included diet, physical activity, biomedical measures and patient-related outcome measures. Cost-effectiveness was assessed and a mixed-methods process evaluation was included. RESULTS: Between 10 March 2015 and 31 March 2016, we recruited 414 people (intervention 208, usual care 206) with 341 (84.4%) participants completing the trial. At 12 months, weight reduction did not differ between groups (mean difference 0.0 kg, 95% CI -1.6 to 1.7, P = 0.963); physical activity, dietary intake and biochemical measures were unchanged. STEPWISE was well-received by participants and facilitators. The healthcare perspective incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was £246 921 per quality-adjusted life-year gained. CONCLUSIONS: Participants were successfully recruited and retained, indicating a strong interest in weight interventions; however, the STEPWISE intervention was neither clinically nor cost-effective. Further research is needed to determine how to manage overweight and obesity in people with schizophrenia.Declaration of interestR.I.G.H. received fees for lecturing, consultancy work and attendance at conferences from the following: Boehringer Ingelheim, Eli Lilly, Janssen, Lundbeck, Novo Nordisk, Novartis, Otsuka, Sanofi, Sunovion, Takeda, MSD. M.J.D. reports personal fees from Novo Nordisk, Sanofi-Aventis, Lilly, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Boehringer Ingelheim, AstraZeneca, Janssen, Servier, Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation, Takeda Pharmaceuticals International Inc.; and, grants from Novo Nordisk, Sanofi-Aventis, Lilly, Boehringer Ingelheim, Janssen. K.K. has received fees for consultancy and speaker for Novartis, Novo Nordisk, Sanofi-Aventis, Lilly, Servier and Merck Sharp & Dohme. He has received grants in support of investigator and investigator-initiated trials from Novartis, Novo Nordisk, Sanofi-Aventis, Lilly, Pfizer, Boehringer Ingelheim and Merck Sharp & Dohme. K.K. has received funds for research, honoraria for speaking at meetings and has served on advisory boards for Lilly, Sanofi-Aventis, Merck Sharp & Dohme and Novo Nordisk. D.Sh. is expert advisor to the NICE Centre for guidelines; board member of the National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health (NCCMH); clinical advisor (paid consultancy basis) to National Clinical Audit of Psychosis (NCAP); views are personal and not those of NICE, NCCMH or NCAP. J.P. received personal fees for involvement in the study from a National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) grant. M.E.C. and Y.D. report grants from NIHR Health Technology Assessment, during the conduct of the study; and The Leicester Diabetes Centre, an organisation (employer) jointly hosted by an NHS Hospital Trust and the University of Leicester and who is holder (through the University of Leicester) of the copyright of the STEPWISE programme and of the DESMOND suite of programmes, training and intervention fidelity framework that were used in this study. S.R. has received honorarium from Lundbeck for lecturing. F.G. reports personal fees from Otsuka and Lundbeck, personal fees and non-financial support from Sunovion, outside the submitted work; and has a family member with professional links to Lilly and GSK, including shares. F.G. is in part funded by the National Institute for Health Research Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research & Care Funding scheme, by the Maudsley Charity and by the Stanley Medical Research Institute and is supported by the by the Biomedical Research Centre at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and King's College London.

Semi-random multicore fibre design for adaptive multiphoton endoscopy.

This paper reports the development, modelling and application of a semi-random multicore fibre (MCF) design for adaptive multiphoton endoscopy. The MCF was constructed from 55 sub-units, each comprising 7 single mode cores, in a hexagonally close-packed lattice where each sub-unit had a random angular orientation. The resulting fibre had 385 single mode cores and was double-clad for proximal detection of multiphoton excited fluorescence. The random orientation of each sub-unit in the fibre reduces the symmetry of the positions of the cores in the MCF, reducing the intensity of higher diffracted orders away from the central focal spot formed at the distal tip of the fibre and increasing the maximum size of object that can be imaged. The performance of the MCF was demonstrated by imaging fluorescently labelled beads with both distal and proximal fluorescence detection and pollen grains with distal fluorescence detection. We estimate that the number of independent resolution elements in the final image - measured as the half-maximum area of the two-photon point spread function divided by the area imaged - to be ~3200.

Slice-illuminated optical projection tomography.

To improve the imaging performance of optical projection tomography (OPT) in live samples, we have explored a parallelized implementation of semi-confocal line illumination and detection to discriminate against scattered photons. Slice-illuminated OPT (sl-OPT) improves reconstruction quality in scattering samples by reducing interpixel crosstalk at the cost of increased acquisition time. For in vivo imaging, this can be ameliorated through the use of compressed sensing on angularly undersampled OPT data sets. Here, we demonstrate sl-OPT applied to 3D imaging of bead phantoms and live adult zebrafish.

Bird-community responses to habitat creation in a long-term, large-scale natural experiment.

Ecosystem function and resilience are compromised when habitats become fragmented due to land-use change. This has led to national and international conservation strategies aimed at restoring habitat extent and improving functional connectivity (i.e., maintaining dispersal processes). However, biodiversity responses to landscape-scale habitat creation and the relative importance of spatial and temporal scales are poorly understood, and there is disagreement over which conservation strategies should be prioritized. We used 160 years of historic post-agricultural woodland creation as a natural experiment to evaluate biodiversity responses to habitat creation in a landscape context. Birds were surveyed in 101 secondary, broadleaf woodlands aged 10-160 years with ≥80% canopy cover and in landscapes with 0-17% broadleaf woodland cover within 3000 m. We used piecewise structural equation modeling to examine the direct and indirect relationships between bird abundance and diversity, ecological continuity, patch characteristics, and landscape structure and quantified the relative conservation value of local and landscape scales for bird communities. Ecological continuity indirectly affected overall bird abundance and species richness through its effects on stand structure, but had a weaker influence (effect size near 0) on the abundance and diversity of species most closely associated with woodland habitats. This was probably because woodlands were rapidly colonized by woodland generalists in ≤10 years (minimum patch age) but were on average too young (median 50 years) to be colonized by woodland specialists. Local patch characteristics were relatively more important than landscape characteristics for bird communities. Based on our results, biodiversity responses to habitat creation depended on local- and landscape-scale factors that interacted across time and space. We suggest that there is a need for further studies that focus on habitat creation in a landscape context and that knowledge gained from studies of habitat fragmentation and loss should be used to inform habitat creation with caution because the outcomes are not necessarily reciprocal.

Clinical spectrum and features of activated phosphoinositide 3-kinase δ syndrome: A large patient cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Activated phosphoinositide 3-kinase δ syndrome (APDS) is a recently described combined immunodeficiency resulting from gain-of-function mutations in PIK3CD, the gene encoding the catalytic subunit of phosphoinositide 3-kinase δ (PI3Kδ). OBJECTIVE: We sought to review the clinical, immunologic, histopathologic, and radiologic features of APDS in a large genetically defined international cohort. METHODS: We applied a clinical questionnaire and performed review of medical notes, radiology, histopathology, and laboratory investigations of 53 patients with APDS. RESULTS: Recurrent sinopulmonary infections (98%) and nonneoplastic lymphoproliferation (75%) were common, often from childhood. Other significant complications included herpesvirus infections (49%), autoinflammatory disease (34%), and lymphoma (13%). Unexpectedly, neurodevelopmental delay occurred in 19% of the cohort, suggesting a role for PI3Kδ in the central nervous system; consistent with this, PI3Kδ is broadly expressed in the developing murine central nervous system. Thoracic imaging revealed high rates of mosaic attenuation (90%) and bronchiectasis (60%). Increased IgM levels (78%), IgG deficiency (43%), and CD4 lymphopenia (84%) were significant immunologic features. No immunologic marker reliably predicted clinical severity, which ranged from asymptomatic to death in early childhood. The majority of patients received immunoglobulin replacement and antibiotic prophylaxis, and 5 patients underwent hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Five patients died from complications of APDS. CONCLUSION: APDS is a combined immunodeficiency with multiple clinical manifestations, many with incomplete penetrance and others with variable expressivity. The severity of complications in some patients supports consideration of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for severe childhood disease. Clinical trials of selective PI3Kδ inhibitors offer new prospects for APDS treatment.

Assessment of metacognitive beliefs in an at risk mental state for psychosis: A validation study of the Metacognitions Questionnaire-30.

AIM: The Metacognitions Questionnaire-30 (MCQ-30) has been used to assess metacognitive beliefs in a range of mental health problems. The aim of this study is to assess the validity of the MCQ-30 in people at risk for psychosis. METHODS: One hundred eighty-five participants meeting criteria for an at risk mental state completed the MCQ-30 as part of their involvement in a randomized controlled trial. Confirmatory and exploratory factor analyses were conducted to assess factor structure and construct validity. RESULTS: Confirmatory factor analyses confirmed the original five-factor structure of the MCQ-30. Examination of principal component analysis and parallel analysis outputs also suggested a five-factor structure. Correlation analyses including measures of depression, social anxiety, and beliefs about paranoia showed evidence of convergent validity. Discriminant validity was supported using the normalizing subscale of the beliefs about paranoia tool. CONCLUSIONS: The MCQ-30 demonstrated good fit using the original five-factor model, acceptable to very good internal consistency of items was evident and clinical usefulness in those at risk for psychosis was demonstrated.

Selective disruption of Tcf7l2 in the pancreatic ß cell impairs secretory function and lowers ß cell mass.

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is characterized by ß cell dysfunction and loss. Single nucleotide polymorphisms in the T-cell factor 7-like 2 (TCF7L2) gene, associated with T2D by genome-wide association studies, lead to impaired ß cell function. While deletion of the homologous murine Tcf7l2 gene throughout the developing pancreas leads to impaired glucose tolerance, deletion in the ß cell in adult mice reportedly has more modest effects. To inactivate Tcf7l2 highly selectively in ß cells from the earliest expression of the Ins1 gene (∼E11.5) we have therefore used a Cre recombinase introduced at the Ins1 locus. Tcfl2(fl/fl)::Ins1Cre mice display impaired oral and intraperitoneal glucose tolerance by 8 and 16 weeks, respectively, and defective responses to the GLP-1 analogue liraglutide at 8 weeks. Tcfl2(fl/fl)::Ins1Cre islets displayed defective glucose- and GLP-1-stimulated insulin secretion and the expression of both the Ins2 (∼20%) and Glp1r (∼40%) genes were significantly reduced. Glucose- and GLP-1-induced intracellular free Ca(2+) increases, and connectivity between individual ß cells, were both lowered by Tcf7l2 deletion in islets from mice maintained on a high (60%) fat diet. Finally, analysis by optical projection tomography revealed ∼30% decrease in ß cell mass in pancreata from Tcfl2(fl/fl)::Ins1Cre mice. These data demonstrate that Tcf7l2 plays a cell autonomous role in the control of ß cell function and mass, serving as an important regulator of gene expression and islet cell coordination. The possible relevance of these findings for the action of TCF7L2 polymorphisms associated with Type 2 diabetes in man is discussed.

Development of Low-Cost Instrumentation for Single Point Autofluorescence Lifetime Measurements.

Autofluorescence lifetime measurements, which can provide label-free readouts in biological tissues, contrasting e.g. different types and states of tissue matrix components and different cellular metabolites, may have significant clinical potential for diagnosis and to provide surgical guidance. However, the cost of the instrumentation typically used currently presents a barrier to wider implementation. We describe a low-cost single point time-resolved autofluorescence instrument, exploiting modulated laser diodes for excitation and FPGA-based circuitry for detection, together with a custom constant fraction discriminator. Its temporal accuracy is compared against a "gold-standard" instrument incorporating commercial TCSPC circuitry by resolving the fluorescence decays of reference fluorophores presenting single and double exponential decay profiles. To illustrate the potential to read out intrinsic contrast in tissue, we present preliminary measurements of autofluorescence lifetime measurements of biological tissues ex vivo. We believe that the lower cost of this instrument could enhance the potential of autofluorescence lifetime metrology for clinical deployment and commercial development.