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A review of deaths in prison custody across the UK (2017-2020). Lessons for the future for palliative and end of life care for people in prison?
No full textDeaths in prison custody are on the rise due to an increase in the number ofpeople aged 60 or over in prison, longer custodial sentences and older peoplebeing convicted following historical abuse inquiries (Her Majesty’s Inspectoratefor Prisons in Scotland, 2021; Armstrong et al, 2021; INQUEST, 2020).•Most deaths in prison are from natural causes (i.e. cancer, COPD, pneumonia,heart attack, frailty, dementia, Parkinson’s, stroke, sepsis, COVID-19, organfailure or clots). There is an rapidly increasing need for palliative and end of lifecare (PEOLC) in prison, but research evidence shows numerous challenges toproviding it (Turner et al, 2018, 2021; Schaefer et al, 2022; Gilbert et al, 2024).Following all natural cause/anticipated deaths in prison custody (2017-2020) inEngland, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland were reviewed. Data collected: Age, gender, cause and place of death, previous medical history,circumstances of death, reference to PEOLC provision, reference to earlyrelease on compassionate grounds, information on use of restraints, evidence offamily involvement or bereavement support and recommendations from theOmbudsman (clinical and non-clinical). Analysis: Descriptive statistics and cross tabulations in SPSS and thematic analysis of free text data
GI-NemaTracker - A farm system-level mathematical model to predict the consequences of gastrointestinal parasite control strategies in sheep
No full textGastro-intestinal nematode infections are considered one of the major endemic diseases of sheep on the grounds of animal health and economic burden, both in the British Isles and globally. Parasites are increasingly developing resistance to commonly used anthelmintic treatments meaning that alternative control strategies that reduce or replace the use of anthelmintics are required. We present GI-NemaTracker, a systems-level mathematical model of the full host-parasite-environment system governing gastro-intestinal nematode transmission on a sheep farm. The model is based on a series of time-varying delay-differential equations that explicitly capture environmentally-driven time delays in nematode development. By taking a farm systems-level approach we represent both in-host and environmentally-driven free-living parasite dynamics and their interaction with a population of individually modelled lambs with diverse trait parameters assigned at birth. Thus we capture seasonally varying rates of parasite transmission and consequently variable weight gain of individual lambs throughout the season. The model is parameterised for Teladorsagia circumcincta, although the framework described could be applied to a range of nematode parasite species. We validate the model against experimental and field data and apply it to study the efficacy of four different anthelmintic treatment regimes (neo-suppresive treatment, strategic prophylactic treatment, treatment based on faecal egg counts and a regime which leaves of the animals untreated) on lamb weight gain and pasture contamination. The model predicts that similar body weights at a flock level can be achieved while reducing the number of treatments administered, thus supporting a health plan that reduces anthelmintic treatments. As the model is capable of combining parasitic and free-living stages of the parasite with host performance, it is well suited to predict complex system responses under non-stationary conditions. The implications of the model and its potential as a tool in the development of sustainable control strategies in sheep are discussed
Microvascular aberrations found in human polycystic kidneys are an early feature in a Pkd1 mutant mouse model
No full textTherapies targeting blood vessels hold promise for autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD), the most common inherited disorder causing kidney failure. However, the onset and nature of kidney vascular abnormalities in ADPKD are poorly defined. Accordingly, we employed a combination of single-cell transcriptomics; three-dimensional imaging with geometric, topological and fractal analyses; and multimodal magnetic resonance imaging with arterial spin labelling to investigate aberrant microvasculature in ADPKD kidneys. Within human ADPKD kidneys with advanced cystic pathology and excretory failure, we identified a molecularly distinct blood microvascular subpopulation, characterised by impaired angiogenic signalling and metabolic dysfunction, differing from endothelial injury profiles observed in non-cystic human kidney diseases. Next, Pkd1 mutant mouse kidneys were examined postnatally, when cystic pathology is well established, but before excretory failure. An aberrant endothelial subpopulation was also detected, concurrent with reduced cortical blood perfusion. Disorganised kidney cortical microvasculature was also present in Pkd1 mutant mouse fetal kidneys when tubular dilation begins. Thus, aberrant features of cystic kidney vasculature are harmonised between human and mouse ADPKD, supporting early targeting of the vasculature as a strategy to ameliorate ADPKD progression.</p
Synthesis of an imprinted receptor targeted for sulfonated aromatic pollutants by a stoichiometric substructure imprinting approach
No full textCreating artificial receptors that can recognize sulfonated anions in water is a difficult task, and employing these receptors to extract sulfonated surfactants and pollutants from water is extremely challenging. We report the synthesis of molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) using a stoichiometric sub-structure imprinting approach. The binding pocket of the receptor was generated by the polymerization of a complex of phenylsulfonic acid (PSA) and tweezer-type functional monomers featuring parallel two imidazolium sites. The complexation and stoichiometry of the bisimidazolium monomer with PSA was evaluated by UV and 1H NMR titrations in the pre-polymerization solvents supported by modeling. Further, we studied the solubility and affinity of the imidazolium monomers with PSA easily tuned by counter anions. We report that the large number of co-monomers containing hydroxyl groups around the binding pocket improve the water compatibility and capacity of the imprinted receptors. Finally, we have demonstrated the potential applications of PSA imprinted material by rebinding larger molecules with PSA substructure such as benzyl orange, methyl orange, and linear alkylbenzene sulfonates (LAS). The PSA MIP showed binding capacity around 60 μmol g–1 and affinity with an imprinted factor of two in the solvents containing ≥ 50% water for benzyl orange dye. The developed MIP-based receptors bind sulfonated dyes within 10 min in aqueous environments. Further we demonstrated an MIP-based receptor able to capture LAS from commercial grade sodium dodecyl sulfate and confirmed this by MS measurements.<br/
A network analysis of alcohol-related harms: an exploratory study in United Kingdom adolescents
No full textBackgroundThis study applied a network analysis approach to the study of individual self-reported alcohol-related harms (ARHs) across four waves of data.MethodsData were from a large clustered randomised control trial (N = 12,738) involving 105 schools. Data were collected at 4 time points over 4 academic years (mean age 12.5 [Time 0], 13.5 [T1], 14.5 [T2], and 15.3 years [Time 3]). Data were gathered on the experience of 16 separate ARHs experienced during the previous six months, and these were dichotomised (yes/no). We estimated cross-lagged panel networks for the 16 ARHs, capturing both the auto-regressive relationships (a harm predicting itself at follow up) and the cross-lagged relationships (a harm predicting another harm at follow-up) across the study (T0 → T1; T1 → T2; T2 →T3).ResultsExposure to all ARHs increased with age. However, the most serious ARHs (e.g., getting in trouble with the police because of your drinking) remained relatively rare, even at age 15. Actively planning to get drunk, coupled with an inability to control levels of intoxication (drinking more than planned) appeared central to each network, facilitating the emergence of all other ARHs. While the prevalence of ARHs increased with age, network complexity declined, and networks becoming more stable.ConclusionsInterventions aimed at improving the capacity to self-regulate alcohol consumption, and actively challenging the planning of drunken episodes, may be pivotal in reducing the emergence of both acute and chronic ARHs in adolescence.<br/
Conspiracist knowledge geographies and the potentiality of an impossible political alliance
No full textThis paper interrogates the epistemic and spatial dimensions of conspiracy theories through the lens of knowledge geographies, foregrounding the socio-spatial infrastructures that condition the emergence, circulation, and legitimization of conspiracism. In response to Ridgway's provocation concerning geographers’ aversion to conspiracy discourses, I critique the normative deployment of ‘conspiracy theory’ as a pathologizing category that obscures the political and affective labour such narratives perform. The paper distinguishes conspiracist epistemologies from reflexive critique, while simultaneously acknowledging the complex affective investments that render conspiracy theories intelligible within marginalized or disenchanted communities. Further, it proposes the notion of an ‘impossible’ alliance, wherein leftist movements might strategically engage with conspiracist publics – not by validating epistemically closed worldviews, but by reorienting their latent anti-elite sentiments toward emancipatory political projects. By mapping the geographies of conspiracism and analysing the scalar, affective, and ideological registers through which these discourses operate, this paper articulates a call for geographers to reconceptualize conspiracism not as epistemic deviance, but as situated critique. In doing so, it opens space for a transgressive political imaginary that reclaims disaffection as a site of contestation and possibility.<br/
Who owns the past? Archaeological sites and the question of land ownership in Palestine
No full textThis study examines the complex tensions between land commodification and archaeological preservation in Palestine by analysing the Palestinian National Spatial Plan (PNSP). Using a mixed-methods approach combining GIS analysis, ethnographic interviews, and case study research of Tell at-Tall archaeological site in Deir Dibwan, I investigate how the Palestinian Authority (PA) navigates competing demands between protecting cultural heritage and accommodating development pressures within Areas A and B under the Oslo Accords. The research reveals significant implementation challenges due to limited territorial jurisdiction, rising land values creating development pressure, technical limitations of current spatial planning tools, and competing interests between state agencies and private landowners. Through a detailed examination of the Tell at-Tall archaeological park project, the article demonstrates how these tensions manifest in practice and identify key barriers to effective heritage protection, including fragmented governance between multiple agencies, inadequate mechanisms for compensating private landowners, and limitations of two-dimensional GIS mapping for complex archaeological sites. The findings highlight the need for improved coordination between planning authorities and more robust frameworks for balancing preservation with development rights in the context of restricted territorial control and increasing land commodification.<br/
Living in a transient riverine environment: Environmental stressors and opportunities in the braid bars of Brahmaputra River
No full text Braided bars of large rivers represent a unique transient riverine environment where river dynamics interface the anthropogenic activities. The braided bars of tropical South-east Asia are colonising ground for local settlers and migrants. The Brahmaputra River (BR) alone supports ~2.5 million people in its braided bars (locally known as char-chaporis), within India. These bars are susceptible to the repercussions of climate change due to the precipitation-fluvial coupling. Therefore, an in-depth perusal of livelihood, stressors and agronomic practices in bar areas is crucial and time relevant as the world is focusing on adaptability and sustainability. However, there is a dearth of balanced peer-reviewed work focusing on livelihood, stressors and agronomic practices in the char-chaporis of BR. To fill the extant gap and provide a cardinal knowledge base for a transient riverine environment, this work delves into the livelihood possibilities, stressors and agronomic practices in char-chaporis of BR, adhering to an ethnographic investigation. The findings elucidate how the populous has adjusted to their timing and the riverine process, adopting agronomic and socio-cultural practices in concordance with the physical environment. The dwellers deemed the transitory largesse as vital resources for cultivation, grazing, and settlement. Inherent uncertainties, risks and opportunities foster livelihood and multiple livelihood strategies. The adjustments in livelihood and agronomic practices attuned to their physical riverine environment underscore living and adapting to a transient environment through knowledge and practices vetted over generations. Any perturbations due to climate change may potentially cause an imbalance in adaptation, therefore calls for attention.<br/
Laser wavelength selection in Raman spectroscopy
No full textResearch in Raman spectroscopy continues to abound in a diverse range of application spaces and concurrently, components of Raman systems have become increasingly sophisticated. Laser wavelength choice is a key question in any Raman spectroscopy experiment, and the wavelength required, or indeed wavelengths, depends on a number of factors. For instance, are trace compounds being interrogated and thus plasmonic enhancement required? Or, are the experiments targeted at a specific molecule, or class of analytes, which are resonant at a specific wavelength range? Safety, resolution, and ease of post-processing spectra, can also be crucial in the decision process. While laser vendors commonly offer guidance in terms of what to consider when picking lasers for Raman studies, advice tends to be succinct. In this article, we discuss these variables more comprehensively, alongside the needs within certain kinds of experiments, to assist the Raman spectroscopist in their laser choice.<br/
Monitoring antimicrobial resistance in care homes through wastewater surveillance: a scoping review
No full textAntimicrobial resistance poses a growing threat, especially in care homes where older residents are particularly vulnerable due to frequent antibiotic use and comorbidities. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a growing focus on wastewater surveillance for detecting and monitoring pathogens in healthcare settings. This study followed the Joanna Briggs Institute scoping review framework to map the extent of available literature on wastewater-based epidemiological studies addressing antimicrobial resistance in care homes for older adults. Six electronic databases (Medline, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, ProQuest, and Google Scholar) were searched from date of inception until August 26th, 2024. The search strategy employed variations of the keywords: ‘antimicrobial resistance’, ‘wastewater-based epidemiology’, and ‘care homes for older adults’. Studies were screened based on eligibility criteria, with data extracted by one researcher. Another researcher reviewed the charted data and resolved any queries. The search identified 83 studies, from which 11 studies, conducted between 2015 and 2024, were included. The studies used grab or composite sampling, combined with culture-based methods for bacterial identification, antimicrobial susceptibility testing, and molecular techniques such as polymerase chain reaction and whole-genome sequencing. Enterobacterales, including Escherichia coli and Klebsiella spp., were the most frequently detected, with high resistance rates, especially to some penicillins and cephalosporins. Despite the small sample sizes reported in this review, wastewater-based epidemiology shows promise in monitoring antibiotic-resistant bacteria in care home wastewaters, offering insights into trends and genetic diversity, with the potential to inform public health strategies and antibiotic stewardship programmes.<br/