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Conceptualising the experience of having TB: a global qualitative study.
Full text linkBackground: TB and aspects of its treatment are known to impair health-related quality of life, but data are lacking on how pulmonary TB is experienced from the standpoint of affected individuals.
Methods: We conducted a review of published literature and online content with the goal of conceptualising the personal experience of TB. Using social media sources drawn from the years 2020-2022, concepts from the literature review were updated with the perspectives of people with TB and caregivers from multiple countries across different World Bank income categories.
Results: The literature review identified 110 published articles and 91 stories of people with TB, enabling the generation of a conceptual model representing symptoms, disease impacts, and diagnostic and treatment challenges. Concepts of interest varied by country income level. The social media analysis captured 657 posts across 15 countries; the impacts described included physical (48%), emotional (28%), economic (18%), social (13%), caregiver (10%), and cultural (3%) impacts. Diagnosis was frequently associated with delays, access challenges, and confusion with COVID-19.
Conclusion: People affected by TB worldwide report impacts on multiple life dimensions, but the types of impact vary by geography, income, and culture. Additional research sensitive to local experience is needed
Machine-Learning-Assisted Buried-Window FET Sensors for High-Reliability and High-Sensitivity Applications
Full text linkThis paper presents a novel Double Buried-Window Junctionless Field-Effect Transistor (DBW-FET) designed for high-sensitivity, label-free biosensing applications. The proposed device integrates two buried windows, one N-type and one P-type, beneath the active channel within the buried oxide layer, along with two nanocavities serving as biomolecular recognition sites. The dual buried windows form two depletion regions that enhance electrostatic coupling, suppress short-channel effects, and improve biomolecular sensitivity. Numerical simulations using Silvaco TCAD Atlas were performed to investigate device performance under various biomolecular binding conditions. Results show that the DBW-FET exhibits higher drain current, lower subthreshold swing, and improved sensitivity compared with a conventional junctionless FET (C-FET). Furthermore, a machine-learning-assisted optimization framework employing Gaussian Process Regression (GPR) and Bayesian Optimization (BO) was implemented to identify optimal buried window parameters. The optimized design achieved a 20–25% improvement in current sensitivity while maintaining low leakage. These findings demonstrate that the proposed DBW-FET offers a promising and Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (CMOS)-compatible architecture for next-generation nanoscale biosensors
Advancing global dementia research through equity and inclusion
Full text linkDespite the global burden of dementia, research remains dominated by high‐income, Western populations, limiting the generalizability and equity of findings. In this Perspective, we highlight the importance of diversity and inclusion in dementia research, not only in study participants but also in the researchers, study design, and funding priorities. We describe how the lack of representation creates knowledge gaps and delays progress in prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. We also present examples of initiatives that are working to change this, including the Alzheimer's Disease Data Initiative and the William H. Gates Sr. Fellowship program, which supports open science, international collaboration, and early‐career researchers from underrepresented regions. These efforts demonstrate that diversity is not only an ethical goal, but a scientific need. More inclusive and global research could lead to discoveries that are more generalizable, more globally applicable, and better able to inform strategies to address dementia across all communities. Highlights: Prioritize representation in datasets across ethnicity, geography, sex/gender, and socio‐economic status. Support early‐career researchers from underrepresented regions with long‐term funding and mentorship. Standardize and adapt tools (cognitive, clinical, genomic) across cultural and linguistic contexts. Promote open science through equitable, federated data sharing platforms, and embed community engagement from research design to dissemination. Value diversity as a driver of discovery, not as a confounder
Determinants of Mobile Service Users' Repurchase Intentions in Africa: Understanding the Direct and Mediating Role of AI Marketing, Digital Interactions, Brand Experience and Preference
No full textThis study investigates the impact of artificial intelligence mobile service marketing (AI ME), digital marketing interactions (DMI), brand experience (BE) and brand preference (BP) on mobile service users' repurchase intentions (RPI) within the framework of SOR theory. The study also examines the mediating role of DMI, BE and BP between AI ME and RPI. Questionnaires collected from 204 respondents in Africa were analyzed using SmartPLS4 and SPSS-26 statistical software packages. The findings show that AIME, BP and DMI have significant effects on mobile service users' RPI. Furthermore, the study reveals that AIME influences mobile service customers' BE, BP and DMI. The study also reveals the mediating role of BP between AIME and RPI. These findings have important implications for mobile service providers and marketers to improve the effectiveness of customer-brand interactions and enhance customer satisfaction and repurchase intentions in the mobile service industry
Integrating Community-Based Digital Interventions in Public Health Nursing: Lessons from Reproductive Health Education
Full text linkCommunity-based public health nursing increasingly relies on innovative strategies to deliver accessible, patient-centred care, particularly in reproductive health. This article draws from the author’s multidisciplinary research, particularly recent digital health projects employing gamification and those addressing fertility support and maternal wellbeing. By applying principles of community assessment, health promotion, and culturally sensitive education, the article explores the implementation and outcomes of digital interventions, such as mobile health platforms and tele-support services, designed for adolescent girls and women in underserved populations. These tools, integrated into public health nursing practice, help bridge gaps in access to care, empower girls and women through health literacy, and enhance nurse-patient partnerships in both community and institutional settings. The article critically evaluates challenges and opportunities in using virtual approaches within public health frameworks and highlights the role of nurses in leading these innovations. Evidence suggests that such interventions improve engagement, reduce stigma, and foster sustainable behavioural change, aligning with the cornerstones of modern public health nursing. This work supports the integration of digital tools into population-based care models and advocates for scalable, nurse-led solutions that address health inequities and strengthen public health systems
The Queered Equilibrium: Reframing Leadership and Power for Early-Career Academics
No full textLeadership in higher education (HE) is routinely framed within traditional paradigms of authority, experience and institutional allegiance. Yet, for queer academics, leadership does not necessarily arrive through formal promotion or official recognition. Instead, it often emerges though moments of advocacy, resistance and the everyday negotiations of power and identity within academic spaces. While early-career leadership can be a privilege – offering a platform for influence, visibility and professional growth – it can also expose individuals to heightened scrutiny, emotional labour and institutional resistance to those who challenge the status quo (Davies & Neustifter, 2023). Leadership in HE is rarely about stepping confidently into a role designed for you. More often, it is about navigating structures not built with you in mind and carving out legitimacy in spaces that still privilege cis-heteronormative ideas of leadership
Assessing the Cardiovascular Effects of Levothyroxine Use in an Ageing United Kingdom Population with Subclinical Hypothyroidism: Emulated Target Trial (ACEL-UK-ETT)
Full text linkBackground: Thyrotropin levels increase with age, but standard reference intervals do not account for this, potentially leading to overdiagnosis of subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) and overuse of levothyroxine in older adults.
Methods: Using data from The Health Improvement Network, this observational emulated target trial study assessed 10-year outcomes in adults over 50 years with SCH (thyrotropin 4·1-10·0mU/L, free thyroxine 10·0–24·0 pmol/L) who were prescribed levothyroxine versus those who were not. Subgroup analyses were limited to patients with age-specific thyrotropin levels. The primary outcome was cardiovascular events (angina, myocardial infarction, peripheral vascular disease, stent procedures, or stroke). Secondary outcomes included bone events (fragility fractures or osteoporosis) and all-cause mortality. Hazard ratios, adjusted through inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) for age, sex assigned at birth, body mass index, Charlson comorbidity index, total cholesterol, hypertension, thyrotropin, hormonal medications, and smoking, were estimated.
Findings: Between January 1, 2006, and January 1, 2022, 22,621 patients (median age [IQR] 66 [59-75] years, 76·7% female) were identified; 62% received levothyroxine and 38% did not. Levothyroxine was associated with reduced cardiovascular (IPTW-adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) 0·82; 95% CI: 0·74-0·91; p<0·0001) and all-cause mortality (aHR: 0·71; CI: 0·67-0·75; p<0·0001), with no adverse effects on bone (aHR: 1·04; CI: 0·93-1·17; p=0·45). Cardiovascular benefits were limited to patients with thyrotropin levels above the age-specific range and after at least five years of treatment.
Interpretation: Long-term levothyroxine use in older adults with SCH was associated with lower long-term cardiovascular and all-cause mortality risks, with no significant harm to bone health. Age-specific thyrotropin levels should guide treatment decisions
How to Grow and Sustain Food Safety Cultural Compliance
No full textThere are a staggering 600 million cases of food poisoning each year which result year on year in approximately 450 thousand deaths. Food safety systems are critical in winning the war against foodborne contamination. The presentation discusses the primary causes, namely human factors and provides two tested models namely the Food Safety Cultural Compliance Enlighten and the 5 Step Process Improvement Model which can mitigate against poor safety cultures and play a vital part in the fight against food contamination
Managing long-term conditions in older people: the carer role
No full textLife expectancy in the UK continues to rise, with the over-65 age group projected to grow significantly over the next decade. As people live longer, many experience multiple long-term conditions and increasing frailty, often leading to high levels of disability and a need for care and support. While the NHS provides formal care, the majority of day-to-day support is delivered by unpaid carers, such as family members, partners, and friends, who account for around four-fifths of all care provision. These carers frequently balance their responsibilities with employment and personal health challenges, placing them at increased risk of physical and mental health problems. This article will discuss the implications of an ageing society for care provision in the UK, examining how unpaid carers have become the backbone of support for older and vulnerable people. It will consider the pressures they face and the ways in which health professionals can help sustain both carers and those they care for
Challenges and Opportunities in Additive Manufacturing in Defence Applications
No full textIn recent years, Additive Manufacturing (AM) has gained significant attention due to its versatility and low-waste production cycle. Additive manufacturing fabricates complex, intricated structures and miniaturized shapes with high dimensional accuracy, tailored properties, multiple materials in a single part, and colour aesthetics. many solid-state and liquid-state AM techniques are available to achieve specific mechanical properties while simultaneously providing thermal and structural stability. Powder bed fusion (PBF) and direct energy deposition (DED) have the potential to make components for the defence and industrial sectors. The part production speed with AM techniques limits the application in mass production. The process involved in this technique is limited to polymers and non-metals for processing, and defects due to the liquid-solid interface need a lot of research to be done. The proposed chapter describes the role of AM in the defence sector and the challenges involved