Immune response induced by a Streptococcus suis multi-serotype autogenous vaccine used in sows to protect post-weaned piglets.

Streptococcus suis is a bacterial pathogen that causes important economic losses to the swine industry worldwide. Since there are no current commercial vaccines, the use of autogenous vaccines applied to gilts/sows to enhance transfer of passive immunity is an attractive alternative to protect weaned piglets. However, there is no universal standardization in the production of autogenous vaccines and the vaccine formulation may be highly different among licenced manufacturing laboratories. In the present study, an autogenous vaccine that included S. suis serotypes 2, 1/2, 5, 7 and 14 was prepared by a licensed laboratory and administrated to gilts using a three-dose program prior to farrowing. The antibody response in gilts as well as the passive transfer of antibodies to piglets was then evaluated. In divergence with previously published data with an autogenous vaccine produced by a different company, the increased response seen in gilts was sufficient to improve maternal antibody transfer to piglets up to 5 weeks of age. However, piglets would still remain susceptible to S. suis disease which often appears during the second part of the nursery period. Vaccination did not affect the shedding of S. suis (as well as that of the specific S. suis serotypes included in the vaccine) by either gilts or piglets. Although all antibiotic treatments were absent during the trial, the clinical protective effect of the vaccination program with the autogenous vaccine could not be evaluated, since limited S. suis cases were present during the trial, confirming the need for a complete evaluation of the clinical protection that must include laboratory confirmation of the aetiological agent involved in the presence of S. suis-associated clinical signs. Further studies to evaluate the usefulness of gilt/sow vaccination with autogenous vaccines to protect nursery piglets should be done.

The effectiveness of a primary care-based collaborative care model to improve quality of life in people with severe mental illness: PARTNERS2 cluster randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Individuals living with severe mental illness can have significant emotional, physical and social challenges. Collaborative care combines clinical and organisational components. AIMS: We tested whether a primary care-based collaborative care model (PARTNERS) would improve quality of life for people with diagnoses of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or other psychoses, compared with usual care. METHOD: We conducted a general practice-based, cluster randomised controlled superiority trial. Practices were recruited from four English regions and allocated (1:1) to intervention or control. Individuals receiving limited input in secondary care or who were under primary care only were eligible. The 12-month PARTNERS intervention incorporated person-centred coaching support and liaison work. The primary outcome was quality of life as measured by the Manchester Short Assessment of Quality of Life (MANSA). RESULTS: We allocated 39 general practices, with 198 participants, to the PARTNERS intervention (20 practices, 116 participants) or control (19 practices, 82 participants). Primary outcome data were available for 99 (85.3%) intervention and 71 (86.6%) control participants. Mean change in overall MANSA score did not differ between the groups (intervention: 0.25, s.d. 0.73; control: 0.21, s.d. 0.86; estimated fully adjusted between-group difference 0.03, 95% CI -0.25 to 0.31; P = 0.819). Acute mental health episodes (safety outcome) included three crises in the intervention group and four in the control group. CONCLUSIONS: There was no evidence of a difference in quality of life, as measured with the MANSA, between those receiving the PARTNERS intervention and usual care. Shifting care to primary care was not associated with increased adverse outcomes.

The Use of Tranexamic Acid to Reduce the Need for Nasal Packing in Epistaxis (NoPAC): Randomized Controlled Trial.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: Epistaxis is a common emergency department (ED) presentation and, if simple first aid measures fail, can lead to a need for anterior nasal packing. Tranexamic acid is an agent that contributes to blood clot stability. The aim of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of topical intranasal tranexamic acid in adult patients presenting to the ED with persistent epistaxis, and whether it reduces the need for anterior nasal packing. METHODS: From May 5, 2017, to March 31, 2019, a double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter, 1:1, randomized controlled trial was conducted across 26 EDs in the United Kingdom. Participants with spontaneous epistaxis, persisting after simple first aid and the application of a topical vasoconstrictor, were randomly allocated to receive topical tranexamic acid or placebo. The primary outcome was the need for anterior nasal packing of any kind during the index ED attendance. Secondary outcome measures included hospital admission, need for blood transfusion, recurrent epistaxis, and any thrombotic events requiring any hospital reattendance within 1 week. RESULTS: The study sample consisted of 496 participants with spontaneous epistaxis, persisting after simple first aid and application of a topical vasoconstrictor. In total, 211 participants (42.5%) received anterior nasal packing during the index ED attendance, including 111 of 254 (43.7%) in the tranexamic acid group versus 100 of 242 (41.3%) in the placebo group. The difference was not statistically significant (odds ratio 1.107; 95% confidence interval 0.769 to 1.594; P=.59). Furthermore, there were no statistically significant differences between tranexamic acid and placebo for any of the secondary outcome measures. CONCLUSION: In patients presenting to an ED with atraumatic epistaxis that is uncontrolled with simple first aid measures, topical tranexamic acid applied in the bleeding nostril on a cotton wool dental roll is no more effective than placebo at controlling bleeding and reducing the need for anterior nasal packing.

Insulin Resistance during normal child growth and development is associated with a distinct blood metabolic phenotype (Earlybird 72).

BACKGROUND: While insulin resistance (IR) is associated with specific metabolite signatures in adults, there have been few truly longitudinal studies in healthy children, either to confirm which abnormalities are present, or to determine whether they precede or result from IR. Therefore, we investigated the association of serum metabolites with IR in childhood in the Earlybird cohort. METHODS: The Earlybird cohort is a well-characterized cohort of healthy children with annual measurements from age 5 to 16 years. For the first time, longitudinal association analyses between individual serum metabolites and homeostatic model assessment (HOMA) of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) have been performed taking into account the effects of age, growth, puberty, adiposity, and physical activity. RESULTS: IR was higher in girls than in boys and was associated with increasing body mass index (BMI). In longitudinal analysis IR was associated with reduced concentrations of branched-chain amino acids (BCAA), 2-ketobutyrate, citrate and 3-hydroxybutyrate, and higher concentrations of lactate and alanine. These findings demonstrate the widespread biochemical consequences of IR for intermediary metabolism, ketogenesis, and pyruvate oxidation during normal child growth and development. CONCLUSIONS: Longitudinal analysis can differentiate metabolite signatures that precede or follow the development of greater levels of IR. In healthy normal weight children, higher levels of IR are associated with reduced levels of BCAA, ketogenesis, and fuel oxidation. In contrast, elevated lactate concentrations preceded the rise in IR. These changes reveal the metabolite signature of insulin action during normal growth, and they contrast with previous findings in obese children and adults that represent the consequences of IR and obesity.

Insulin resistance is higher in prepubertal girls but switches to become higher in boys at age 16: A Cohort Study (EarlyBird 57).

BACKGROUND: The risk of type 2 diabetes is increasing in teenage girls, and is associated with their greater insulin resistance (IR). HYPOTHESIS: We hypothesized that the adverse metabolic profile of girls (compared with boys) would persist from childhood through adolescence. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Community-based longitudinal cohort of 292 children (147 boys) studied annually from 9 to 16 years. MEASURES: IR (homeostasis-model-assessment-2), high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), triglycerides, % body-fat (dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry), pubertal stage (age at peak height velocity), physical activity (accelerometry). Multi-level modelling established the age-related trends in IR and lipids and the influence of covariates. RESULTS: Each year from 9 to 15 years, girls had 21% to 63% higher IR than boys (girls mean IR 0.73-1.33, boys 0.51-0.89, P < .005). At 16 years the gender difference was not significant (girls IR 0.60, boys 0.56, P = .45). Girls had lower HDL-C from 9 to 12 years, higher triglycerides from 9 to 14 years, greater adiposity throughout, and earlier puberty, but boys were more active than girls (all P < .05). After adjustment for %-fat, puberty and activity, the gender difference in IR between girls and boys aged 9 to 15 years became non-significant (IR girls 0.66-1.01, boys 0.65-1.04, P > .07). However, after adjustment at 16 years, girls' IR was 25% lower than boys' (girls 0.44, boys 0.63, P = .001), and they had 22% higher HDL-C (P < .001) and 20% lower triglycerides (P = .003). CONCLUSIONS: The higher IR of prepubertal and early pubertal girls diminishes during late puberty, and boys begin to exhibit greater metabolic risk. Despite being leaner and more active, boys at 16 years have higher IR than girls, suggesting future higher risk for diabetes, thus we reject our hypothesis.

Physical activity attenuates the mid-adolescent peak in insulin resistance but by late adolescence the effect is lost: a longitudinal study with annual measures from 9-16 years (EarlyBird 66).

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: The aim of this work was to test whether the mid-adolescent peak in insulin resistance (IR) and trends in other metabolic markers are influenced by long-term exposure to physical activity. METHODS: Physical activity (7 day ActiGraph accelerometry), HOMA-IR and other metabolic markers (glucose, fasting insulin, HbA1c, lipids and BP) were measured annually from age 9 years to 16 years in 300 children (151 boys) from the EarlyBird study in Plymouth, UK. The activity level of each child was characterised, with 95% reliability, by averaging their eight annual physical activity measures. Age-related trends in IR and metabolic health were analysed by multi-level modelling, with physical activity as the exposure measure (categorical and continuous) and body fat percentage (assessed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry) and pubertal status (according to age at peak height velocity and Tanner stage) as covariates. RESULTS: The peak in IR at age 12-13 years was 17% lower (p < 0.001) in the more active adolescents independently of body fat percentage and pubertal status. However, this difference diminished progressively over the next 3 years and had disappeared completely by the age of 16 years (e.g. difference was -14% at 14 years, -8% at 15 years and +1% at 16 years; 'physical activity × age(2), interaction, p < 0.01). Triacylglycerol levels in girls (-9.7%, p = 0.05) and diastolic blood pressure in boys (-1.20 mmHg, p = 0.03) tended to be lower throughout adolescence in the more active group. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: Our finding that physical activity attenuates IR during mid-adolescence may be clinically important. It remains to be established whether the temporary attenuation in IR during this period has implications for the development of diabetes in adolescence and for future metabolic health generally.

A biological, latent variable model of health (EarlyBird 68).

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether factor analysis of a set of health-related biomarkers provides evidence of an underlying common dimension of variation, and to explore the relationship between this dimension of variation with positive and negative affect. METHOD: Twelve health-related metabolic, immune and body-composition biomarkers at ages 5, 7, 9, 11, 14 and 16years were obtained from the EarlyBird longitudinal cohort of 347 children and supplemented by positive affect (PA) and negative affect (NA) measured at age 16years. RESULTS: At each age, principal factor analysis revealed that nine of the 12 biomarkers consistently loaded on the first extracted factor, accounting for 25% of the variance at age 5, and 37-44% of the variance at 7-16years. High loading biomarkers included physical indicators of adiposity, insulin resistance, C-reactive protein, triglycerides, and cholesterol. Factor scores at different ages correlated between .48 and .85. Correlations between the first factor scores and mood measured at age 16 were r=-.17 (p=.02) for PA and r=.13 (p=.07) for NA. CONCLUSIONS: There is a latent variable, h, that accounts for about a third of the variance of a set of health related physical and biochemical biomarkers. h is comparatively stable during childhood and is a weak predictor of mood. These data provide a rationale for aggregating biomarkers in psychoneuroimmunological research. The concept of h provides a possible biological rationale for the role of common factors in disease onset and progression, mental illness, and functional disorders.

Mood and its association with metabolic health in adolescents: a longitudinal study, EarlyBird 65.

BACKGROUND: Mood comprises two main traits - positive and negative affect, both associated with depression and anxiety. Studies in children have linked depression with obesity, but the association with metabolic health is unclear. OBJECTIVE: To explore the relationship between mood and metabolic health in adolescents. METHODS: We studied 208 healthy children (115 boys) enrolled in the longitudinal EarlyBird Diabetes Study, and reviewed at 7 and 16 yr. Participants completed the Positive Affect and Negative Affect Schedule - Child Form (PANAS-C) at 16yr to assess positive and negative affect, together representing mood. Measures at 7 and 16 yr: body mass index (BMI), fat (%; dual energy X-ray absorptiometry), physical activity (accelerometer), metabolic risk z-score comprising homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), triglycerides, total cholesterol/high density lipoprotein (HDL) ratio and blood pressure. Pubertal development was determined by age at peak height velocity. RESULTS: Positive affect was higher in boys than girls, (50 vs. 46, p = 0.001), negative affect higher in girls than boys (26 vs. 22, p < 0.001). Those with lower mood were fatter (r = -0.24, p < 0.001), had higher HOMA-IR (r = -0.12, p = 0.05), higher cholesterol:HDL ratio (r = -0.14, p = 0.02), were less active (r = 0.20, p = 0.003) and had earlier pubertal development (r = 0.19, p = 0.004). Inverse associations between mood and metabolic risk z-score and change in metabolic risk z-score 7-16yr (ß = -0.26, p = 0.006, and -0.40, p = 0.004, respectively) were independent of adiposity, physical activity and puberty and sex. CONCLUSIONS: Low mood in healthy children is associated with poorer metabolic health independently of adiposity. These findings may have implications for the physical and mental health of contemporary youngsters, given their increasing obesity and cardiometabolic risk.

Divergence between HbA1c and fasting glucose through childhood: implications for diagnosis of impaired fasting glucose (Early Bird 52).

OBJECTIVE: An HbA1c threshold of ≥ 6.5% has recently been adopted for the diagnosis of diabetes in adults, and of ≥ 5.7% to identify adults at risk. Little,however, is known of HbA1c's behaviour or diagnostic value in youth. Our aim was to describe the course of HbA1c during childhood, and its association with fasting glucose. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: HbA1c and glucose were measured every year in a cohort of 326 healthy children (162 boys) from 5 to 15 years. Mixed effects modelling was used to establish the determinants of HbA1c and its development over time. ROC analysis was used to determine the diagnostic value of HbA1c in the 55 individuals who showed impaired fasting glucose(IFG ­ glucose ≥ 5.6 mmol/L). RESULTS: Glucose rose progressively from 4.3 mmol/L at 5 years to 5.1 mmol/Lat 15 years, and although there were positive associations between HbA1c and glucose, from 10 to 13 years, HbA1c fell while glucose continued to rise. IFG developed in 55 children, but HbA1c exceeded 5.7% in only 16 of them. The maximum area under the ROC curve was 0.71 at the age of 14 (p<0.001), and the sensitivity and specificity were optimal at 50 and 80% respectively,corresponding to HbA1c of 5.4%. CONCLUSIONS: Although HbA1c retains a positive association with glucose throughout childhood, it is weak, and their trends diverge from 10 years,suggesting that factors other than glycaemia systematically influence the variance of HbA1c in youth. These findings therefore limit the interpretation of HbA1c for the diagnosis of IFG during childhood.

Metabolic risk in contemporary children is unrelated to socio-economic status: longitudinal study of a UK urban population (EarlyBird 42).

Lifestyle interventions to improve health in young children tend to target areas of relative deprivation, but the evidence for so doing is largely historical. Accordingly, we have re-examined the link between deprivation, obesity and metabolic risk in contemporary UK children. Using a postcode-based index of multiple deprivation (IMD), we assessed 269 children from the community-based EarlyBird Study, attending 53 schools representing a wide socio-economic range. Annual measures of fatness from 5 to 8 yr included body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and sum of five skinfolds (SSF). A metabolic risk score, based on blood pressure, lipids and insulin resistance, was derived from annual fasting blood samples. There were no significant associations between deprivation and any measure of adiposity in girls (all p > 0.37). In boys, there was a weak but consistently inverse relationship between deprivation and WC (r = -0.19, p = 0.03) and BMI (r = -0.14, p = 0.09) at 8 yr. Changes in adiposity over 3 yr were unrelated to deprivation in boys. In girls there was a slight but significant increase in SSF only (1 mm/yr per 20 IMD units, p = 0.001). Importantly, in both genders, metabolic risk score was unrelated to deprivation throughout (r values -0.05 to -0.13, all p > 0.12), as was change in metabolic risk (all p > 0.30). Our data do not support the assumption that obesity, metabolic disturbance and thus risk of type 2 diabetes are more prevalent among poorer children. In today's increasingly obesogenic environment, youngsters from all backgrounds appear to be vulnerable, with population-wide implications for public health spending, and the prevention of diabetes in contemporary youth.

Mental Imagery to Reduce Alcohol-related harm in patients with alcohol use disorder and alcohol-related liver damaGE: the MIRAGE randomised pilot trial results.

OBJECTIVE: The healthcare burden of alcohol-related liver disease (ARLD) is increasing. ARLD and alcohol use disorder (AUD) is best managed by reduction or cessation of alcohol use, but effective treatments are lacking. We tested whether people with ARLD and AUD admitted to hospital could be recruited to and retained in a trial of Functional Imagery Training (FIT), a psychological therapy that uses mental imagery to reduce alcohol craving. We conducted a multicentre randomised pilot trial of treatment as usual (TAU) versus FIT+TAU in people admitted to hospital with ARLD and AUD. DESIGN: Participants were randomised to TAU (a single session of brief intervention) or FIT+TAU (TAU with one hospital-based FIT session then eight telephone sessions over 6 months). Pilot outcomes included recruitment rate and retention at day 180. Secondary outcomes included fidelity of FIT delivery, alcohol use, and severity of alcohol dependence. RESULTS: Fifty-four participants (mean age 49; 63% male) were recruited and randomised, 28 to TAU and 26 to FIT+TAU. The retention rate at day 180 was 43%. FIT was delivered adequately by most alcohol nurses. 50% of intervention participants completed FIT sessions 1 and 2. There were no differences in alcohol use or severity of alcohol dependence between treatment groups at day 180. CONCLUSION: Participants with ARLD and AUD could be recruited to a trial of FIT versus FIT+TAU. However, retention at day 180 was suboptimal. Before conducting a definitive trial of FIT in this patient group, modifications in the intervention and recruitment/retention strategy must be tested. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ISRCTN41353774.

Evidence of early beta-cell deficiency among children who show impaired fasting glucose: 10-yr cohort study (EarlyBird 56).

OBJECTIVE: Impaired fasting glucose (IFG) is a predictor of future diabetes and is increasingly common in children, but the extent to which it results from excess insulin demand or failure of supply is unclear. Our aim was to compare the behaviour of insulin sensitivity and beta-cell function in children who developed IFG with those whose glucose levels remained within the normal range. METHODS: We examined trends in fasting glucose, insulin sensitivity (HOMA-S) and beta-cell function (HOMA-B) in 327 healthy children annually from 5 to 15 yr, and the parents at baseline. RESULTS: Fifty-five children showed IFG, mostly after age 11 yr. Fasting glucose rose progressively and was higher throughout in those who developed IFG compared with those who did not (p < 0.001). Beta-cell function was lower from the age of 5 yr in those who developed IFG (p = 0.006), but there was no difference in BMI (p = 0.71). A difference in insulin sensitivity was revealed on adjustment for covariates (p = 0.03). Glucose was higher (p < 0.001), beta-cell function lower (p = 0.01), and insulin sensitivity the same (p = 0.86) in the mothers of children who showed IFG, compared with those who did not. CONCLUSIONS: IFG is common in contemporary children, and appears to be related to a defect in beta-cell function already present at 5 yr. Similar findings in the mothers of IFG children suggest that the beta-cell defect may be transmissible.

Challenges of Incorporating Digital Health Technology Outcomes in a Clinical Trial: Experiences from PD STAT.

Digital health technologies (DHTs) have great potential for use as clinical trial outcomes; however, practical issues need to be addressed in order to maximise their benefit. We describe our experience of incorporating two DHTs as secondary/exploratory outcome measures in PD STAT, a randomised clinical trial of simvastatin in people with Parkinson's disease. We found much higher rates of missing data in the DHTs than the traditional outcome measures, in particular due to technical and software difficulties. We discuss methods to address these obstacles in terms of protocol design, workforce training and data management.

Enhancing Trial Delivery in Parkinson's Disease: Qualitative Insights from PD STAT.

BACKGROUND: Recruitment and retention of participants in clinical trials for Parkinson's disease (PD) is challenging. A qualitative study embedded in the PD STAT multi-centre randomised controlled trial of simvastatin for neuroprotection in PD explored the motivators, barriers and challenges of participants, care partners and research staff. OBJECTIVE: To outline a set of considerations informing a patient-centred approach to trial recruitment, retention, and delivery. METHOD: We performed semi-structured interviews and focus groups with a subset of trial participants and their care partners. Quantitative and qualitative data were obtained through surveys circulated among the 235 participants across 23 UK sites at the beginning, middle and end of the 2-year trial. We also interviewed and surveyed research staff at trial closure. RESULTS: Twenty-seven people with PD, 6 care partners and 9 researchers participated in interviews and focus groups. A total of 463 trial participant survey datasets were obtained across three timepoints, and 53 staff survey datasets at trial closure. Trial participants discussed the physical and psychological challenges they faced, especially in the context of OFF state assessments, relationships, and communication with research staff. Care partners shared their insights into OFF state challenges, and the value of being heard by research teams. Research staff echoed many concerns with suggestions on flexible, person-centred approaches to maximising convenience, comfort, and privacy. CONCLUSION: These considerations, in favour of person-centred research protocols informed by the variable needs of participants, care partners and staff, could be developed into a set of recommendations for future trials.

Evaluation of Simvastatin as a Disease-Modifying Treatment for Patients With Parkinson Disease: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Current treatments manage symptoms of Parkinson disease (PD), but no known treatment slows disease progression. Preclinical and epidemiological studies support the potential use of statins as disease-modifying therapy. Objective: To determine whether simvastatin has potential as a disease-modifying treatment for patients with moderate PD. Design, Setting, and Participants: This randomized clinical trial, a double-blind, parallel-group, placebo-controlled futility trial, was conducted between March 2016 and May 2020 within 23 National Health Service Trusts in England. Participants aged 40 to 90 years with a diagnosis of idiopathic PD, with a modified Hoehn and Yahr stage of 3.0 or less while taking medication, and taking dopaminergic medication with wearing-off phenomenon were included. Data were analyzed from May 2020 to September 2020, with additional analysis in February 2021. Interventions: Participants were allocated 1:1 to simvastatin or matched placebo via a computer-generated random sequence, stratified by site and Hoehn and Yahr stage. In the simvastatin arm, participants entered a 1-month phase of simvastatin, 40 mg daily, followed by 23 months of simvastatin, 80 mg daily, before a 2-month washout period. Main Outcomes and Measures: The prespecified primary outcome was 24-month change in Movement Disorder Society Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS) part III score measured while not taking medication (high scores indicate worse outcome). The primary futility analysis included participants who commenced the 80-mg phase and had valid primary outcome data. The safety analysis included all participants who commenced trial treatment and is reported by dose at time of event. Results: Of 332 patients assessed for eligibility, 32 declined and 65 were ineligible. Of 235 recruited participants, 97 (41%) were female, 233 (99%) were White, and the mean (SD) age was 65.4 (9.4) years. A total of 216 patients progressed to the 80-mg dose. Primary outcome analysis (n = 178) indicated the simvastatin group had an additional deterioration in MDS-UPDRS III score while not taking medication at 24 months compared with the placebo group (1.52 points; 2-sided 80% CI, -0.77 to 3.80; 1-sided futility test P = .006). A total of 37 serious adverse events (AEs), including 3 deaths, and 171 AEs were reported for participants receiving 0-mg simvastatin; 37 serious AEs and 150 AEs were reported for participants taking 40 mg or 80 mg of simvastatin. Four participants withdrew from the trial because of an AE. Conclusions and Relevance: In this randomized clinical trial, simvastatin was futile as a disease-modifying therapy in patients with PD of moderate severity, providing no evidence to support proceeding to a phase 3 trial. Trial Registration: ISRCTN Identifier: 16108482.

Mental Imagery to Reduce Alcohol-related harm in patients with alcohol dependence and alcohol-related liver damaGE: the MIRAGE pilot trial protocol.

INTRODUCTION: In the UK, alcohol use is the main driver of chronic liver disease and each year results in over 1 million unplanned hospital admissions and over 25 000 deaths from alcohol-related liver disease (ArLD). The only effective treatment to prevent progression of liver damage is reducing or ceasing alcohol consumption. Psychological and pharmacological therapies for alcohol misuse are ineffective in patients with ArLD. Functional imagery training (FIT) is a novel psychological therapy that builds on motivational interviewing techniques with multisensory imagery. This pilot trial aims to test the feasibility of training alcohol liaison nurses to deliver FIT therapy and of recruiting and retaining patients with ArLD and alcohol dependence to a randomised trial of FIT and treatment as usual (TAU) versus TAU alone. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This is a randomised pilot trial of FIT and TAU versus TAU alone in 90 patients with ArLD and alcohol dependence admitted to one of four UK centres. The primary objectives are to estimate rates of screening, recruitment, randomisation, retention, adherence to FIT/TAU and a preliminary assessment of the FIT intervention in the ArLD population. Data from the pilot study will be used to finalise the design of a definitive randomised controlled trial to assess the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of FIT. The proposed primary outcome measure for the definitive trial is self-reported alcohol use assessed using timeline follow-back. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Research ethics approval was given by the Yorkshire and Humber-Bradford Leeds Research Ethics Committee (reference: 21/YH/0044). Eligible patients will be approached and written informed consent obtained prior to participation. Results will be disseminated through peer-reviewed open access journals, international conferences and a lay summary published on the Trials Unit website and made available to patient groups. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ISRCTN41353774.

Consistency of children's dietary choices: annual repeat measures from 5 to 13 years (EarlyBird 49).

The objective of the present study was to explore the consistency of dietary choices made by children as they grow up. The dietary habits of 342 healthy children were reported annually from 5 to 13 years on a forty-five-item FFQ and analysed by factor analysis. The same two principal dietary patterns--'Healthy' and 'Unhealthy'--emerged each year, and their consistency was assessed using Tucker's congruence coefficient (φ). Individual dietary z-scores for both of these patterns were then calculated every year for each child, and their consistency was measured by Pearson's correlation coefficient (r). Linear mixed-effects modelling was used to investigate individual trends and to quantify reliability of the individual dietary z-scores. Dietary patterns were moderately consistent and systematic over time (0·65 ≤ φHealthy ≤ 0·76; 0·62 ≤ φUnhealthy ≤ 0·78). Individual choices were also consistent year-on-year (0·64 ≤ rHealthy ≤ 0·71; 0·57 ≤ rUnhealthy ≤ 0·68). Reliability rose from 70 % with a single measure to over 90 % with four consecutive measures. The quality of diet diminished over time in 29 % of the children and improved in only 14 %. Dietary habits appear to be set early and seldom improve spontaneously.

Contrasting impact of androgens on male and female adiposity, fat distribution and insulin resistance in childhood and adolescence (EarlyBird 75).

OBJECTIVES: To investigate associations between androgens (testosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate [DHEAS] and androstenedione), adiposity, fat distribution and insulin resistance (IR) during childhood and adolescence. METHODS: Three hundred and seven children (170 [55.4%] boys; 137 [44.6%] girls) recruited at age 5 and studied annually until age 16: androgens (liquid chromatography tandem-mass spectrometry), anthropometry, body composition (dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry) and IR (homeostasis model assessment). RESULTS: Early adiposity was associated with earlier detection of androstenedione in both sexes, and DHEAS in boys. At puberty, higher androgen levels were associated with favourable metabolic changes in boys, but adverse metabolic effects in girls. In boys, higher free testosterone (FT) was associated with lower body fat and android/gynoid fat ratio (AGR) (both P < .001), but in girls higher total testosterone was associated with higher AGR. In girls only, higher androstenedione (P = .02) and FT (P = .01) was associated with higher IR during puberty. CONCLUSIONS: In pre-pubertal children, adiposity is associated with higher secretion of androgen precursors. After pubertal onset, higher testosterone is associated with lower adiposity and AGR in boys, but higher AGR and IR in girls. Therefore, androgens have modest sex-specific associations with children's total body fat, fat distribution and IR.