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Provision of knee bracing for knee osteoarthritis (PROP OA): multicentre, parallel group, superiority, statistician blinded, randomised controlled trial
Full text linkObjective: To determine whether adding compartment specific knee bracing with an adherence intervention to advice, written information, and exercise instruction (AIE+B) is superior to advice, written information, and exercise instruction (AIE) only in improving patient reported outcomes in people with knee osteoarthritis. Design: Multicentre, parallel group, superiority, statistician blinded, randomised (1:1; block; stratified; centralised web based) controlled trial. Setting: Recruitment through general practices and the community in Cheshire, Manchester, North Tyneside, and Staffordshire, England; enrolment 25 November 2019 to 16 September 2022. Participants: 466 adults aged ≥45 years with symptoms of knee osteoarthritis. Interventions: AIE was delivered in one in-person consultation by a trained physiotherapist. Individuals randomised to the AIE+B group were also fitted with a patellofemoral, tibiofemoral unloading, or neutral stabilising knee brace, according to their predominant compartmental distribution of knee osteoarthritis, and were offered a two week follow-up consultation. Brief motivational interviewing with targeted text reminders supported brace adherence. Main outcome measures: The primary outcome was a composite patient reported Knee Osteoarthritis Outcomes Score (KOOS)-5 (0-100) at six months after randomisation. Key secondary outcomes were KOOS-5 at three and 12 months, KOOS-5 subscale scores, and pain on weight bearing activity at three, six, and 12 months. Results: 466 participants (mean age 64 (standard deviation 9) years; 46% female participants) were randomised, with 401 (86%), 394 (85%), and 370 (79%) participants followed up with analysable data at three, six, and 12 months, respectively. At six months, greater improvement in KOOS-5 was seen in the AIE+B group than in the AIE group (adjusted mean difference 3.39, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.96 to 5.82; effect size 0.24). Secondary outcomes showed the benefits of AIE+B over AIE that diminished over time. The largest effects observed were for pain reduction (KOOS pain (0-100) adjusted mean difference at six months 6.13, 95% CI 3.36 to 8.91; effect size 0.39). Adverse events were minor and expected. Conclusions: Adding compartment specific knee bracing and an adherence intervention to advice, written information, and exercise instruction resulted in small improvements in patient reported outcomes among individuals with knee osteoarthritis. This safe intervention offers a potential treatment option for this common condition. Trial registration: ISRCTN28555470
Translanguaging in activity: towards a dialectical conception of the semiotic repertoire
Full text linkThis theoretical article articulates the multiple yet disjointed conceptualisation of the ‘semiotic repertoire’ in translanguaging, which amounts to communicative practices in which meaning making draws from multiple resources not necessarily bounded by named languages. It is proposed that the notion of mediation from sociocultural and activity theories (e.g. Engeström [1987]. Learning by Expanding: An Activity Theoretical Approach to Developmental Research. Orienta-Konsultit) offers the key to proposing a dialectical model in which individual, interactional, and social aspects of the semiotic repertoire transform into one another throughout human development. A data fragment from an ethnographic study depicting the communication between a deaf British Sign Language signing college student and his communication support worker is analysed to illustrate how this framework can be mobilised to make sense of multilingual, multimodal communication in a teaching-learning activity. The analysis situates these local translanguaging in greater frameworks of activity to understand how semiotic repertoires are shaped by wider social influences, and to what extent individuals benefit from this or not. Finally, the consequences of this proposal for research and pedagogies are explored. It is argued that interactional, situated semiotic repertoires are the juncture at which individuals find communally available semiotic resources and internalise/externalise their individual semiotic repertoires if the conditions for intersubjective attunement are met
Profiles of parent–teacher discrepancy on autistic children’s adaptive functioning
Full text linkClinical guidelines recommend collecting reports from multiple informants when identifying and diagnosing challenges in children. The current study examined parent–teacher discrepancies in rating of autistic children’s adaptive functioning and how these related to children’s executive functions. Participants (n = 194) were a subsample of autistic children (mean age = 9.2 years; 86% male) from the Pathways in ASD cohort. We used latent profile analysis to characterise profiles based on both parent and teacher reports of adaptive functioning levels. We tested links between these profiles and indices of children’s executive function and other clinical correlates. Four profiles were characterised: a lower adaptive functioning-parent higher profile, in which parents reported relatively higher scores than teachers (n = 45), an intermediate adaptive functioning profile (n = 70) and a higher adaptive functioning profile (n = 39; both characterised by similar ratings between informants) and finally, a higher adaptive functioning-teacher higher profile, in which teachers reported relatively higher scores than parents (n = 40). The higher adaptive functioning-teacher higher profile showed fewer teacher-rated executive function challenges and higher IQ compared to the other profiles. Characterising profiles facilitates interpretation of informant discrepancies and identification of clinical correlates to inform clinical decision-making. Lay abstract: Clinicians are advised to collect reports from multiple informants (e.g., parents and teachers), when making assessments about the wellbeing of autistic children. Parents and teachers observe children in different environments (home vs. school); therefore, collecting both reports can give a fuller account of a child’s strengths and challenges. In this investigation, we looked at parent and teacher reports of autistic children’s adaptive functioning, an important body of skills necessary for children to navigate daily life including practical, communication and conceptual skills. Currently, we know little about child characteristics associated with informant discrepancies, which means that it is a challenge to identify which children are most likely to display behaviour differently across contexts. We grouped n = 194 children based on the level of adaptive functioning reported by both their parent and teachers, and we compared the groups on key characteristics. We identified four groups: a lower adaptive functioning group with higher parent scores (n = 45), an intermediate group with similar scores from both informants (n = 70), a higher adaptive functioning group with similar scores from both informants (n = 39) and a higher adaptive functioning group with higher teacher scores (n = 40). Our findings indicate that many children display adaptive functioning skills differently across contexts, across levels of adaptive functioning skills. We found that children across groups differed on IQ, autistic traits and teacher-rated executive functioning. These findings can help clinicians identify and evaluate autistic children that might be likely to demonstrate different adaptive functioning skills in different environments, which could help with assessment and treatment planning
The Community-led Programme: An Outcomes Assessment of Mentoring Interventions
Full text linkThis report presents an outcomes assessment of mentoring interventions delivered through the Greater Manchester Violence Reduction Unit’s Community-led Programme. The programme aims to prevent youth violence by supporting locally designed interventions that strengthen protective factors for young people at risk of involvement in violence. Mentoring has been the most widely implemented intervention across programme areas, focusing on building emotional resilience, promoting pro-social behaviour and supporting positive relationships and aspirations.
The analysis draws on survey data collected from programme participants at entry and exit from mentoring interventions. The updated dataset includes matched responses for 77 participants, combining the original cohort (n = 45) with an additional 32 participants from subsequent programme delivery. Outcomes are measured using the Student Resilience Survey, which assesses multiple domains of socio-emotional development, including relationships, empathy, self-esteem, problem solving and future orientation.
Across all assessment domains, exit scores exceed entry scores, with statistically significant improvements observed throughout. The strongest gains are evident in problem solving, empathy, friendship, self-esteem and goals, indicating meaningful improvements in resilience and decision-making capacities. Qualitative evidence from participants, teachers and delivery organisations reinforces these findings, highlighting improvements in emotional regulation, behaviour and school engagement.
Taken together, the evidence suggests that mentoring represents a promising component of the Community-led Programme, contributing to positive developmental outcomes among participating young people
Book review: Faith in war. Religion and the military in Germany, 1500–1650
No full textA book review of "Faith in war. Religion and the military in Germany, 1500–1650". The book was written by Nikolas M. Funke.
Review products:
Faith in war. Religion and the military in Germany, 1500–1650. Nikolas M. Funke. (Spektrum: Publications of the German Studies Association, 31.) Pp. viii + 238. New York–Oxford: Berghahn, 2024. £99. 978 1 80539 617
Citizen Manchester
Full text linkArtists Dan Dubowitz and Alan Ward have created Citizen Manchester, a new artwork comprising a book, plus an exhibition of 40 large-scale interventions to be hosted at the Central Library and the nearby Manchester Art Gallery.
Through photographs, recording tales and research into the city’s archives, Dubowitz and Ward captured the moment when the public had been locked out of Central Library and the Town Hall Extension, with the spaces stripped back in preparation for their refurbishment
The role of the Capstone project in undergraduate study in the development of key transferable skills
Full text linkWithin Physiology and other Biosciences, the Capstone project is described as the pinnacle of the student experience at university, allowing the mastery of acquired skills to be showcased. It is the traditional school of thought that the capstone showcases academic and scientific skills, but it also develops professional, digital and social skills. In recent years, graduate work destinations have become significantly more diverse, a factor that has contributed to competition for vacancies. Despite substantial efforts by academic teams to produce talented, well-rounded graduates, employers highlight that many are not ‘work ready’, lacking key ‘soft’ skills, with graduates finding it a significant challenge to convey their skills to employers. We examine the multi-faceted role of the Capstone project in Physiology and Bioscience education, highlighting potential future opportunities in providing students with an extensive portfolio of skills and experiences to take into their future careers
Sustainability Practices by the Banking Sector to Support Small Organizations Toward SDG 9
Full text linkThe banking sector plays a critical role in fostering sustainability by directing capital toward environmentally and socially responsible projects. Yet, there is a perceived need for studies that shed some light on their activities in this field. This Communication sheds some light on the contribution of the banking sector to support the development of small organizations toward SDG 9
False categorical memories: effects of list composition, divided attention & pre-retrieval warnings
Full text linkEncoding lists of categorised words produces robust false memory for non-presented exemplars but few false memories for category labels. The present research examined the conditions under which categorical false memories can be elicited by variations in list composition in which a subset of category labels was presented for half of the lists. In Experiment 1, participants encoded lists of exemplars with or without the presence of category labels under full or divided attention conditions. Presentation of a subset of category labels produced false memories for non-presented labels and dividing attention reduced this effect. In Experiment 2, participants encoded lists as in Experiment 1 and prior to retrieval, were (or were not), given warnings about the nature of false memory effects and to avoid false memory errors. Categorical false memories arose when a subset of labels was encoded and warnings did not significantly reduce their magnitude, testifying to the robustness of this effect. Explanations are considered from the perspective of activation monitoring, fuzzy trace theory and how encoding and subsequent monitoring intera
Fostering Sustainable Communities in Fallowfield: A Collective Inquiry. Full Report
Full text linkOur Collective Inquiry on Sustainable Communities is a co-created project which brought together a team of long-term residents and community activists, university staff and students from MMU and UoM, alongside public sector and other organisational representatives. Focusing on the area known historically as ‘Fallowfield Village’, the team explored the challenges of fostering and maintaining sustainable communities in this university neighbourhood. Through four co-created sessions running between January and April 2025, the team explored the issues facing the area from different perspectives