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Shaping Future Medicinal Chemists: Perspectives from European Schools of Pharmacy within the GP2A Network
No full textLessons from COVID-19: a qualitative study on the vaccination decision-making and experiences of black pregnant and postpartum women in the US
Get PDFThis study investigated the lessons learned from COVID-19 and the vaccination decision-making processes and experiences of Black pregnant and postpartum women in Greater Philadelphia. We interviewed 22 Black pregnant/postpartum women from November 2022 to May 2023, guided by the Public Health Critical Race Praxis. Inductive thematic analysis identified four key themes: the vaccination decision-making process, vaccination experiences, comparisons with other maternal vaccinations, and recommendations for protecting Black pregnant and postpartum individuals from COVID-19. The results highlight the complexity of vaccination decision making during the pandemic, revealing unequal access to information, education and prevention resources, which fueled existing mistrust in the health system among Black communities. However, we also identified opportunities to improve preventative and vaccination messaging through trusted community sources and the application of anti-racist frameworks in the organization and delivery of health services for Black women. These findings underscore the need to address structural barriers to equitable COVID-19 information and vaccine access, to increase vaccine acceptance and promote other maternal vaccinations. As COVID-19 is now managed as an endemic disease, the public health system must adapt approaches to routine vaccination and adopt policies, requiring intentional efforts to ensure equitable access to information and vaccines in Black communities
A miR-activated hydrogel for the delivery of a pro-chondrogenic microRNA-221 inhibitor as a minimally invasive therapeutic approach for articular cartilage repair
Get PDFArticular cartilage has limited capacity for repair (or for regeneration) under pathological conditions, given its non-vascularized connective tissue structure and low cellular density. Our group has successfully developed an injectable hydrogel for cartilage repair, composed of collagen type I (Col I), collagen type II (Col II), and methacrylated-hyaluronic acid (MeHA), capable of supporting chondrogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) towards articular cartilage-like phenotypes. Recent studies have demonstrated that silencing miR-221 may be an effective approach in promoting improved MSC chondrogenesis. Thus, this study aimed to develop a miR-activated hydrogel capable of offering a more effective and less invasive therapeutic approach to articular cartilage repair by delivering a pro-chondrogenic miR-221 inhibitor to MSCs using our MeHA-Col I/Col II hydrogel. The MeHA-Col I/Col II hydrogel was cast as previously shown and incorporated with cells transfected with miR-221 inhibitor (using a non-viral peptide delivery vector) to produce the miR-activated hydrogel. Down-regulation of miR-221 did not affect cell viability and enhanced MSCs-mediated chondrogenesis, as evidenced by significantly upregulated expression of key pro-chondrogenic articular cartilage genes (COL2A1 and ACAN) without promoting hypertrophic events (RUNX2 and COL10A1). Furthermore, miR-221 down-regulation improved cartilage-like matrix formation in the MeHA-Col I/Col II hydrogel, with significantly higher levels of sulfated glycosaminoglycans (sGAG) and Col II produced by MSCs in the hydrogel. These results provide evidence of the potential of the miR-activated hydrogel as a minimally invasive therapeutic strategy for articular cartilage repair
The Establishment of a Registry of Respiratory Patients Attending Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: A Feasibility Study
Get PDFBACKGROUND: Respiratory diseases cause substantial morbidity and mortality in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Registries in high-income countries have significantly advanced the understanding of lung diseases. This feasibility study aimed to establish a registry of patients with suspected respiratory disease at a major teaching hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.Methods: A prospective hospital-based registry was established at Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital (TASH) for patients aged ≥18 years with respiratory disease. The registry collected demographic, clinical, and spirometric data.RESULTS: The registry captured data from 285 participants. Of these, 132 (46%) were diagnosed with asthma and 41 (14%) with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Among patients with asthma, the median pre-bronchodilator forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV₁) was 0.94 L, with a percent predicted of 39% (IQR: 29–55). Post-bronchodilator FEV₁ increased to a median of 1.20 L, percent predicted 54% (IQR: 38–70), with a median percentage change in FEV₁ of 27%. Asthma prevented 54 participants (41%) from performing basic life activities. According to the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) symptom assessment tool, only 6 patients (4%) had controlled asthma.Among patients with COPD, the median pre-bronchodilator FEV₁ was 0.97 L, percent predicted 43% (IQR: 34–61). Post-bronchodilator FEV₁ was 1.02 L, percent predicted 46% (IQR: 37–64), with a median percentage change in FEV₁ of 6% (IQR: 2–8).CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that establishing a respiratory patient registry in Ethiopia is feasible. Such registries represent an important first step toward defining disease burden, identifying risk factors, improving treatment, and ultimately enabling tailored clinical trials to advance respiratory care in the country
From microstructure to memory: Basset-type fractional transport models in porous media
Get PDFFractional time-derivative operators have been increasingly used to model anomalous advection-diffusion-reaction phenomena in porous media, where classical models fail to capture non-locality and persistent memory effects observed in experimental data. Most existing fractional models are postulated phenomenologically, without direct links to microstructural dynamics. We derive a fractional transport model from first principles from a micro-macroscale framework for transport in a heterogeneous porous medium (i.e. a medium with microscale inclusions). The resulting equation is of the Basset type, with fractional order 1/3<α<1, and α=1/2 in the case of semi-infinite inclusions. We perform a qualitative analysis of the model, focusing on the early- and late-time asymptotic behaviour for a general fractional exponent 0<α<1. Our results highlight the loss of regularity in the solution, a characteristic phenomenon of fractional-order models and a source of significant numerical challenges. To address these challenges, we design a first-order product-integration scheme coupled with finite-difference spatial discretization and reformulate the problem into a vectorial Basset equation to handle boundary effects. Numerical simulations confirm the analytical predictions, showing early-time memory effects and late-time convergence to a self-similar profile governed by the principal eigenfunction of the transport operator. The work provides a rigorous, physically grounded framework for modelling anomalous transport in porous materials, bridging fractional calculus, asymptotic analysis and computational methods
Mixed-methods non-randomised single-arm feasibility study assessing delivery of a remote vocational rehabilitation intervention for patients with serious injury: the ROWTATE study
Get PDFObjectives This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of delivering a vocational rehabilitation intervention (Return to Work After Trauma—ROWTATE), remotely to individuals recovering from traumatic injuries. The primary objectives were to assess therapists’ training and competence, adapt the intervention and training for remote delivery and assess the feasibility and fidelity of remote delivery to inform a definitive randomised controlled trial.Design A mixed-methods feasibility study incorporating (1) telerehabilitation qualitative literature review, (2) qualitative interviews preintervention and postintervention with therapists and patients, (3) a team objective structured clinical examination to assess competency, (4) usefulness of training, attitudes towards (15-item Evidence-Based Practice Attitude Scale) and confidence in (4-item Evidence Based Practice Confidence Scale) evidence-based practice, intervention delivery confidence (8-bespoke questions) and intervention behaviour determinants (51-items Theoretical Domains Framework) and (5) single-arm intervention delivery feasibility study.Setting The study was conducted in two UK Major Trauma Centres. The intervention and training were adapted for remote delivery due to the COVID-19 pandemic.Participants Therapists: Seven occupational therapists (OTs) and clinical psychologists (CPs) were trained, and six participated in competency assessment. Seven OTs and CPs participated in preintervention interviews and surveys; six completed post-intervention interviews and four completed post-training surveys. Patients: 10 patients were enrolled in the single-arm feasibility study and 4 of these participated in postintervention qualitative interviews. Inclusion criteria included therapists involved in vocational rehabilitation delivery and patients admitted to major trauma centres. Exclusion criteria included participation in other vocational rehabilitation trials or those who had returned to work or education for at least 80% of preinjury hours. Intervention: The ROWTATE vocational rehabilitation intervention was delivered remotely by trained OTs and CPs. Training included competency assessments, mentoring and adaptation for telerehabilitation. The intervention was delivered over multiple sessions, with content tailored to individual patient needs.Results Therapists found the training useful, reported positive attitudes (Evidence-Based Practice Attitude Scale mean=2.9 (SD 0.9)) and high levels of confidence in delivering evidence-based practice (range 75%–100%) and the ROWTATE intervention (range 80%–100%). Intervention barriers identified pretraining became facilitators post-training. Half the therapists needed additional support post-training through mentoring or additional training. The intervention and training were successfully adapted for remote delivery. High levels of fidelity (intervention components delivered: OTs=84.5%, CPs=92.9%) and session attendance rates were found (median: OT=97%, CP=100%). Virtually all sessions were delivered remotely (OT=98%, CP=100%). The intervention was acceptable to patients and therapists; both considered face-to-face delivery where necessary was important.Conclusions The ROWTATE intervention was delivered remotely with high fidelity and attendance and was acceptable to patients and therapists. Definitive trial key changes include modifying therapist training, competency assessment, face-to-face intervention delivery where necessary and addressing lower fidelity intervention components
Correction: Wet spinning of sodium carboxymethyl cellulose–sodium caseinate hydrogel fibres: relationship between rheology and spinnability
Get PDFCorrection for 'Wet spinning of sodium carboxymethyl cellulose-sodium caseinate hydrogel fibres: relationship between rheology and spinnability' by Lathika Vaniyan et al., Soft Matter, 2025, https://doi.org/10.1039/d4sm00705k
4D printed polymethacrylate lattices capable of dimensional switching and payload release via photoresponsive actuation of azobenzene units
Get PDFIn this report, we demonstrate the synthesis of photoresponsive polymeric hydrogel lattices using stereolithographic 3D printing to afford objects that can change shape when irradiated with UV-vis light. Methacrylate-based monomers featuring azobenzene units were used as the photo-actuator components. Co-polymerisation of these monomers with 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate produced well-defined hydrogel lattices. Photo-actuation of the hydrogels led to contraction of the 3D printed lattices up to 23% by volume. The ability of such photoresponsive hydrogel lattices to exhibit payload release has been studied using methylene blue as a drug mimic. Upon irradiation, the hydrogel lattice was squeezed like a sponge through photo-induced actuation in pulses, resulting in the controlled release of the pro-drug over 24 hours
D2T2 Analysis of a Loss of Main Feed Water Accident
Get PDFThe availability of accurate models capturing the realistic behaviour of complex systems is critical for the safe operation and optimal management of nuclear installations. However, the dynamic nature of such systems and the resulting dense network of interdependencies existing among their parts are no match for current risk modelling techniques, which rely on oversimplifying premises. Dependencies are often simplified or ignored, with conservative assumptions introduced to compensate, leading to results of uncertain realism. Alternative methods address these limitations but often remain difficult to scale, interpret, or integrate into established Probabilistic Safety Assessment practice. The Dynamic and Dependent Tree Theory (22) offers a bridging framework that preserves the familiar FT/ET structure while enabling dependencies to be represented directly at the basic-event, intermediate, or subsystem level through compact submodels. This paper applies 22 to a loss of main feed water accident in a boiling water reactor, capturing dependencies from maintenance strategies to subsystem interactions. Results show that 22 improves reliability predictions compared with conventional FT/ET, aligns closely with dynamic benchmarks, and remains computationally tractable. Beyond accuracy, the approach makes modelling assumptions explicit and transparent, promoting deeper system understanding while lowering barriers to adoption in safety-critical applications
Acute kidney injury, acute kidney disease and chronic kidney disease: challenges and research perspectives
No full textAcute kidney injury (AKI) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) are interconnected, with AKI often leading to CKD and vice versa. Despite research advances, their causal relationship in clinical settings remains unclear. Inflammation, oxidative stress and maladaptive repair are key factors in AKI's progression to CKD. AKI episodes may hasten CKD progression, influenced by demographics, comorbidities and treatment factors like blood pressure control. This underscores the need for careful management to prevent long-term damage. Prospective cohort studies addressing confounding factors are essential to understanding AKI's impact on CKD. These studies should use precise definitions and measurements to clarify causal pathways and risk factors. Investigating asymptomatic AKI in the general population and CKD patients could offer insights into progression mechanisms and prevention strategies. Understanding the interplay of AKI and CKD is crucial for developing interventions and improving outcomes, making it a scientific and public health priority
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