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Incidence and prevalence of hamstring injuries in field-based team sports: a systematic review and meta-analysis of 5952 injuries from over 7 million exposure hours
No full textThis study aimed to systematically review and meta-analyse the incidence and prevalence of hamstring injuries in field-based team sports. A secondary aim was to determine the impact of other potential effect moderators (match vs training; sport; playing surface; cohort age, mass and stature; and year when data was collected) on the incidence of hamstring injury in field-based team sports.
Design
Systematic review and meta-analysis.
Data sources
CINAHL, Cochrane Library, MEDLINE Complete (EBSCO), Embase, Web of Science and SPORTDiscus databases were searched from database inception to 5 August 2020.
Eligibility criteria
Prospective cohort studies that assessed the incidence of hamstring injuries in field-based team sports.
Method
Following database search, article retrieval and title and abstract screening, articles were assessed for eligibility against predefined criteria then assessed for methodological quality using the Critical Appraisal Tool for prevalence studies. Meta-analysis was used to pool data across studies, with meta-regression used where possible.
Results
Sixty-three articles were included in the meta-analysis, encompassing 5952 injuries and 7 262 168 hours of exposure across six field-based team sports (soccer, rugby union, field hockey, Gaelic football, hurling and Australian football). Hamstring injury incidence was 0.81 per 1000 hours, representing 10% of all injuries. Prevalence for a 9-month period was 13%, increasing 1.13-fold for every additional month of observation (p=0.004). Hamstring injury incidence increased 6.4% for every 1 year of increased average cohort age, was 9.4-fold higher in match compared with training scenarios (p=0.003) and was 1.5-fold higher on grass compared with artificial turf surfaces (p<0.001). Hamstring injury incidence was not significantly moderated by average cohort mass (p=0.542) or stature (p=0.593), was not significantly different between sports (p=0.150) and has not significantly changed over the last 30 years (p=0.269).
Conclusion
Hamstring injury represents 10% of all injuries in field-based team sports, with 13% of the athletes experiencing a hamstring injury over a 9-month period most commonly during matches. More work is needed to reduce the incidence of hamstring injury in field-based team sports.
PROSPERO registration number
CRD42020200022
Atd-īus dūib a n-aicned fīr – A poem about tears of repentance
No full textIn1910,Meyerpublished the copy of a short poem found in RIA MS 23 N 10(cat. no. 967). Another copy in British Library, MS Harley 5280, has not yet appeared in print. There is no translation of the poem, nor has it received any scholarly attention. The poem’s brevity may have led to it being overlooked by scholarship. This article seeks to fill this gap by providing an edition and translation of the poem, along with a discussion of the manuscript context, ascription, orthography, language and metrics. It also places the poem within its broader literary context by giving an overview of similarly themed poems, namely, those concerned with tears of repentance.² Such poems are valuable for their linguistic and lexical information and illustrate concepts of repentance in medieval Ireland
Access to personal protective equipment in healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom: results from a nationwide cohort study (UK-REACH)
No full textAbstract Background
Healthcare workers (HCWs) are at high risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Effective use of personal protective equipment (PPE) reduces this risk. We sought to determine the prevalence and predictors of self-reported access to appropriate PPE (aPPE) for HCWs in the UK during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods
We conducted cross sectional analyses using data from a nationwide questionnaire-based cohort study administered between December 2020-February 2021. The outcome was a binary measure of self-reported aPPE (access all of the time vs access most of the time or less frequently) at two timepoints: the first national lockdown in the UK in March 2020 (primary analysis) and at the time of questionnaire response (secondary analysis).
Results
Ten thousand five hundred eight HCWs were included in the primary analysis, and 12,252 in the secondary analysis. 35.2% of HCWs reported aPPE at all times in the primary analysis; 83.9% reported aPPE at all times in the secondary analysis. In the primary analysis, after adjustment (for age, sex, ethnicity, migration status, occupation, aerosol generating procedure exposure, work sector and region, working hours, night shift frequency and trust in employing organisation), older HCWs and those working in Intensive Care Units were more likely to report aPPE at all times. Asian HCWs (aOR:0.77, 95%CI 0.67–0.89 [vs White]), those in allied health professional and dental roles (vs those in medical roles), and those who saw a higher number of COVID-19 patients compared to those who saw none (≥ 21 patients/week 0.74, 0.61–0.90) were less likely to report aPPE at all times. Those who trusted their employing organisation to deal with concerns about unsafe clinical practice, compared to those who did not, were twice as likely to report aPPE at all times. Significant predictors were largely unchanged in the secondary analysis.
Conclusions
Only a third of HCWs in the UK reported aPPE at all times during the first lockdown and that aPPE had improved later in the pandemic. We also identified key determinants of aPPE during the first UK lockdown, which have mostly persisted since lockdown was eased. These findings have important implications for the safe delivery of healthcare during the pandemic
Suicide rates amongst individuals from ethnic minority backgrounds: A systematic review and meta-analysis
No full textBackground
Existing evidence suggests that some individuals from ethnic minority backgrounds are at increased risk of suicide compared to their majority ethnic counterparts, whereas others are at decreased risk. We aimed to estimate the absolute and relative risk of suicide in individuals from ethnic minority backgrounds globally.
Methods
Databases (Medline, Embase, and PsycInfo) were searched for epidemiological studies between 01/01/2000 and 3/07/2020, which provided data on absolute and relative rates of suicide amongst ethnic minority groups. Studies reporting on clinical or specific populations were excluded. Pairs of reviewers independently screened titles, abstracts, and full texts. We used random effects meta-analysis to estimate overall, sex, location, migrant status, and ancestral origin, stratified pooled estimates for absolute and rate ratios. PROSPERO registration: CRD42020197940.
Findings
A total of 128 studies were included with 6,026,103 suicide deaths in individuals from an ethnic minority background across 31 countries. Using data from 42 moderate-high quality studies, we estimated a pooled suicide rate of 12·1 per 100,000 (95% CIs 8·4–17·6) in people from ethnic minority backgrounds with a broad range of estimates (1·2–139·7 per 100,000). There was weak statistical evidence from 51 moderate-high quality studies that individuals from ethnic minority groups were more likely to die by suicide (RR 1·3 95% CIs 0·9–1·7) with again a broad range amongst studies (RR 0·2–18·5). In our sub-group analysis we only found evidence of elevated risk for indigenous populations (RR: 2·8 95% CIs 1·9–4·0; pooled rate: 23·2 per 100,000 95% CIs 14·7–36·6). There was very substantial heterogeneity (I2 > 98%) between studies for all pooled estimates.
Interpretation
The homogeneous grouping of individuals from ethnic minority backgrounds is inappropriate. To support suicide prevention in marginalised groups, further exploration of important contextual differences in risk is required. It is possible that some ethnic minority groups (for example those from indigenous backgrounds) have higher rates of suicide than majority populations.
Funding
No specific funding was provided to conduct this research. DK is funded by Wellcome Trust and Elizabeth Blackwell Institute Bristol. Matthew Spittal is a recipient of an Australian Research Council Future Fellowship (project number FT180100075) funded by the Australian Government. Rebecca Musgrove is funded by the NIHR Greater Manchester Patient Safety Translational Research Centre (PSTRC-2016-003)
Carnival Clown, Royal Rejuvenator, and Cosmic Terror: The Characterisation of Saul, David, and God through the Bakhtinian Lens of the Carnival in Select Chapters of 1 and 2 Samuel.
No full textThis study investigates the characterisation of Saul, David, and God within certain passages
of 1 and 2 Samuel (1 Sam 9:1-10:16; 10:17-27; 11:1-15; 19:18-24; 24:1-8; 2 Sam 6). While
this topic is not new, the Bakhtinian approach will provide a new angle to interpret the
material. The premise of this dissertation will be the application of Mikhail Bakhtin’s
notion of carnival to these passages from the Books of Samuel. This notion of carnival has
had limited discussion in relation to the Books of Samuel. Mikhail Bakhtin will therefore
form the foundation of the methodology being used – employing especially the text which
that outlines this carnivalesque approach, Rabelais and His World. The overall
methodological background of this thesis will be a narrative critical one, with a specific
emphasis on the carnival as a theme or perspective through which the text will be analysed.
In terms of particular characters in the Books of Samuel that will be discussed, Saul will
form the nucleus of interest alongside the characters of God and David, who will be
discussed in light of this carnival method. In a Bakhtinian reading, Saul can be viewed as
the clown, God as the cosmic terror and David as the fulfilment of the carnival parade
Random generation of realistic spatial data for use in classroom assessments
No full textWe describe the design, development, implementation and usage of a software-based tool called RADIAN (RAnDom spatIal dAta geNerator) to generate realistic spatial datasets for use within teaching and learning environments who require spatial datasets. RADIAN provides configurable functionality for users to generate spatial datasets containing geometric points with associated parameters/attributes which can then be easily imported into a PostgreSQL PostGIS database or visualised using a GIS or equivalent software. Much work has been carried out in areas such as statistics, machine learning and software testing on how to generate realistic datasets for testing hypotheses, machine learning model training and validation, algorithmic analysis, and rigorous software testing on real-world data. However, less work has been published on the generation of realistic spatial data. This thesis contributes to this body of work. We outline the theoretical approach we have used in RADIAN to generate random geometric points within a given spatial extent (polygon). We demonstrate the effectiveness of RADIAN with a suite of example scenarios of the spatial data generated. We believe RADIAN will be very useful to both teachers and spatial analysts requiring realistic randomly generated for spatial analysis purposes. The software code is available as open-source software via GitHub. The thesis concludes with some suggestions for further research and development work which are possible from the research and development of RADIAN
Design, Synthesis and Mechanistic Studies of Novel Isatin-Pyrazole Hydrazone Conjugates as Selective and Potent Bacterial MetAP Inhibitors
No full textMethionine aminopeptidases (MetAPs) are attractive drug targets due to their essential
role in eukaryotes as well as prokaryotic cells. In this study, biochemical assays were performed on
newly synthesized Isatin-pyrazole hydrazones (PS1–14) to identify potent and selective bacterial
MetAPs inhibitors. Compound PS9 inhibited prokaryotic MetAPs, i.e., MtMetAP1c, EfMetAP1a and
SpMetAP1a with Ki values of 0.31, 6.93 and 0.37 µM, respectively. Interestingly, PS9 inhibited the
human analogue HsMetAP1b with Ki (631.7 µM) about ten thousand-fold higher than the bacterial
MetAPs. The in vitro screening against Gram-positive (Enterococcus faecalis, Bacillus subtilis and
Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram-negative (Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumonia and Escherichia
coli) bacterial strains also exhibited their antibacterial potential supported by minimum bactericidal
concentration (MBC), disk diffusion assay, growth curve and time-kill curve experiments. Additionally, PS6 and PS9 had synergistic effects when combined with ampicillin (AMP) and ciprofloxacin
(CIP) against selective bacterial strains. PS9 showed no significant cytotoxic effect on human RBCs,
HEK293 cells and Galleria mellonella larvae in vivo. PS9 inhibited the growth of multidrug-resistant
environmental isolates as it showed the MIC lower than the standard drugs used against selective
bacterial strains. Overall, the study suggested PS9 could be a useful candidate for the development
of antibacterial alternatives
Application and Evaluation of a Simple Crop Modelling Framework: A Case Study for Spring Barley, Winter Wheat and Winter Oilseed Rape over Ireland
No full textGlobally, croplands represent a significant contributor to climate change, through both greenhouse gas emissions and land use changes associated with cropland expansion. They also represent locations with significant potential to contribute to mitigating climate change through alternative land use management practices that lead to increased soil carbon sequestration. In spite of their global importance, there is a relative paucity of tools available to support field- or farm-level crop land decision making that could inform more effective climate mitigation practices. In recognition of this shortcoming, the Simple Algorithm for Yield Estimate (SAFY) model was developed to estimate crop growth, biomass, and yield at a range of scales from field to region. While the original SAFY model was developed and evaluated for winter wheat in Morocco, a key advantage to utilizing SAFY is that it presents a modular architecture which can be readily adapted. This has led to numerous modifications and alterations of specific modules which enable the model to be refined for new crops and locations. Here, we adapted the SAFY model for use with spring barley, winter wheat and winter oilseed rape at selected sites in Ireland. These crops were chosen as they represent the dominant crop types grown in Ireland. We modified the soil–water balance and carbon modules in SAFY to simulate components of water and carbon budgets in addition to crop growth and production. Results from the modified model were evaluated against available in situ data collected from previous studies. Spring barley biomass was estimated with high accuracy (R2 = 0.97, RMSE = 95.8 g·m−2, RRMSE = 11.7%) in comparison to GAI (R2 = 0.73, RMSE = 0.44 m2·m−2, RRMSE = 10.6%), across the three years for which the in situ data was available (2011–2013). The winter wheat module was evaluated against measured biomass and yield data obtained for the period 2013–2015 and from three sites located across Ireland. While the model was found to be capable of simulating winter wheat biomass (R2 = 0.71, RMSE = 1.81 t·ha−1, RRMSE = 8.0%), the model was found to be less capable of reproducing the associated yields (R2 = 0.09, RMSE = 2.3 t·ha−1, RRMSE = 18.6%). In spite of the low R2 obtained for yield, the simulated crop growth stage 61 (GS61) closely matched those observed in field data. Finally, winter oilseed rape (WOSR) was evaluated against a single growing season for which in situ data was available. WOSR biomass was also simulated with high accuracy (R2 = 0.99 and RMSE = 0.52 t·ha−1) in comparison to GAI (R2 = 0.3 and RMSE = 0.98 m2·m−2). In terms of the carbon fluxes, the model was found to be capable of estimating heterotrophic respiration (R2 = 0.52 and RMSE = 0.28 g·C·m−2·day−1), but less so the ecosystem respiration (R2 = 0.18 and RMSE = 1.01 g·C·m−2·day−1). Overall, the results indicate that the modified model can simulate GAI and biomass, for the chosen crops for which data were available, and yield, for winter wheat. However, the simulations of the carbon budgets and water budgets need to be further evaluated—a key limitation here was the lack of available in situ data. Another challenge is how to address the issue of parameter specification; in spite of the fact that the model has only six variable crop-related parameters, these need to be calibrated prior to application (e.g., date of emergence, effective light use efficiency etc.). While existing published values can be readily employed in the model, the availability of regionally derived values would likely lead to model improvements. This limitation could be overcome through the integration of available remote sensing data using a data assimilation procedure within the model to update the initial parameter values and adjust model estimates during the simulation
Irish healthcare workers experiences of anti-abortion protesters and the case for safe access zones.
No full textThe abstract is included in the text
Global protein responses of multidrug resistance plasmid-containing Escherichia coli to ampicillin, cefotaxime, imipenem and ciprofloxacin
No full textObjectives: This study compared the proteomics of Escherichia coli containing the multidrug resistance
plasmid pEK499 under antimicrobial stress and with no antimicrobial.
Methods: We utilised mass spectrometry-based proteomics to compare the proteomes of the bacteria and
plasmid under antimicrobial stress and no antimicrobial.
Results: Our analysis identified statistically significant differentially abundant (SSDA) proteins common
to groups exposed to the β-lactam antimicrobials but not ciprofloxacin, indicating a β-lactam stress response to exposure from this class of drugs, irrespective of β-lactam resistance or susceptibility. Data
arising from comparisons of the proteomes of ciprofloxacin-treated E. coli and controls detected an increase in the relative abundance of proteins associated with ribosomes, translation, the TCA cycle and
several proteins associated with detoxification, and a decrease in the relative abundance of proteins associated with the stress response, including oxidative stress. We identified changes in proteins associated
with persister formation in the presence of ciprofloxacin but not the β-lactams. The plasmid proteome
differed across each treatment and did not follow the pattern of antimicrobial–antimicrobial resistance
(AMR) protein associations: a relative increase was observed in the amount of CTX-M-15 in the presence
of cefotaxime and ciprofloxacin, but not the other β-lactams, suggesting regulation of CTX-M-15 protein
production.
Conclusion: The proteomic data from this study provided novel insights into the proteins produced from
the chromosome and plasmid under different antimicrobial stresses. These data also identified novel proteins not previously associated with AMR or antimicrobial responses in pathogens, which may well represent potential targets of AMR inhibition