11237 research outputs found
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Biostimulants in aesthetic medicine: a systematic review and meta-analysis of efficacy, safety, and patient satisfaction
No full textBiostimulants, including calcium hydroxyapatite (CaHA), poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA), and polycaprolactone (PCL), have become popular in aesthetic medicine as they lead to long-term tissue rejuvenation. However, their efficacy (e.g. dermal, volume, and anatomic outcomes), satisfaction and safety remain unclear. This systematic review and meta-analysis collates and appraises the available data on biostimulants, examining their efficacy, adverse events and patient satisfaction. A comprehensive search was conducted in PubMed/Medline (National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD), Scopus (Elsevier, Amsterdam, the Netherlands), Embase (Elsevier), and Web of Science (Clarivate, Philadelpha, PA, USA), up to January 14th, 2025. Studies were included that assessed the effects of biostimulants on efficacy, adverse events and patient satisfaction in observational studies. Meta-analyses using random-effects models were performed on individual proportions and applied to seven outcomes (satisfaction, bruising, ecchymosis, edema, erythema, nodules development, pain). A total of 197 articles were screened, and 25 studies were included in the systematic review. The results of meta-analyses indicate that the pooled satisfaction rate of biostimulants was estimated at 91% (95% CI: 67-98, I2= 87.3%); bruising 27% (95% CI: 12-50, I2= 96%), ecchymosis 22%; (95% CI: 11-40, I2= 95.5%), edema 5%; (95% CI: 1-18, I2= 93.6%), erythema 16% (95% CI: 4-47, I2= 94.3%), nodules development 5% (95% CI: 2-10, I2= 85.5%), pain 92% (95% CI: 63-99, I2= 87.7%,). Among studies not included in the meta-analysis all parameters studied showed significant improvements in terms of dermal, volume, anatomic and satisfaction outcomes. Biostimulants demonstrate clinical promise and a favourable tolerability profile in aesthetic medicine, despite the common occurrence of minor adverse events, most notably pain</p
"Everyone is allowed one sin in life": a qualitative study on the perceptions towards smoking and smoking cessation in university students
No full textIn the UK, cigarette use is most prevalent among individuals aged 18–34 years, and it is a time when young people, particularly university students move from smoking occasionally to smoking regularly. This study aimed to explore students’ perceptions of smoking and its cessation. This study employed a descriptive qualitative method that used in-depth interviews to collect data from study participants, and 20 students from Anglia Ruskin University were recruited using purposive sampling. Interviews were conducted with a semi-structured, open-ended questionnaire. Thematic analysis of data revealed four main themes, including: influences and triggers for initiating smoking behaviour, perceived benefits and justification for smoking, university intervention for smoking cessation support, and participants’ views on programs for quitting smoking. The result shows that family expectations, stress, social acceptability, and peer influence were the key triggers for initiating smoking behaviour among students. There were various myths held by smoking students to minimise the health risks of smoking, such as the belief that physical activity counters the harmful effects of smoking. In line with existing research on prevention and treatment initiatives for smoking among college students, participants supported the enforcement of smoking bans in school environment, provision of free or affordable replacement therapies and implementation of smoke-free educational campaigns. This study emphasizes the complexity of smoking behaviour and the need for comprehensive strategies to deal with the difficulties young adults face when starting, maintaining, and quitting smoking. Policymakers and health educators should develop targeted strategies to lower smoking rates and encourage healthier lifestyles among university students.</p
Artificial intelligence in personalized nutrition and food manufacturing: a comprehensive review of methods, applications, and future directions
No full textArtificial Intelligence (AI) is emerging as a key driver at the intersection of nutrition and food systems, offering scalable solutions for precision health, smart manufacturing, and sustainable development. This study aims to present a comprehensive review of AI-driven innovations that enable precision nutrition through real-time dietary recommendations, meal planning informed by individual biological markers (e.g., blood glucose or cholesterol levels), and adaptive feedback systems. It further examines the integration of AI technologies in food production, such as machine learning–based quality control, predictive maintenance, and waste minimization, to support circular economy goals and enhance food system resilience. Drawing on advances in deep learning, federated learning, and computer vision, the review outlines how AI transforms static, population-level dietary models into dynamic, data-informed frameworks tailored to individual needs. The paper also addresses critical challenges related to algorithmic transparency, data privacy, and equitable access, and proposes actionable pathways for ethical and scalable implementation. By bridging healthcare, nutrition, and industrial domains, this study offers a forward-looking roadmap for leveraging AI to build intelligent, inclusive, and sustainable food–health ecosystems.</p
Existing hospitals’ journey into a sustainable and climate-resilient future: barriers and opportunities for estates and facilities management
No full textPurpose: This research aims to assess the journey towards a sustainable and climate-resilient hospital estate to identify the barriers and the opportunities hospital Estates and Facility Management (EFM) professionals encounter when dealing with an existing hospital estate.Design/methodology/approach: This paper presents findings from two half-day workshops involving a multidisciplinary team of 14 participants, including members of the EFM team from a National Health Service (NHS) trust in Southeast England, their consultancy team and experts. The research is part of a broader project using participatory backcasting to envision a sustainable and climate-resilient future for an existing hospital estate.Findings: This paper identifies barriers and opportunities hospital EFM professionals encounter in the journey towards creating a future sustainable and climate-resilient hospital estate, organised into three main themes: estate management, financial aspects and organisational development. The barriers identified in this research may create biases that hinder the EFM’s ability to set long-term estate goals and anticipate the effects of change drivers like sustainability and climate resilience.Originality/value: Future-based approaches like backcasting allow EFM professionals to explore intervention pathways without these biases. However, issues like estate unsustainability, complexity and age impede progress. The NHS needs to transform its funding strategies to support long-term planning for decarbonisation and climate resilience, along with clear metrics for setting SMART targets and key performance indicators. At the trust level, tools for assessing the existing estate are necessary to inform effective upgrading strategies aimed at mitigation and adaptation. In addition, trust leadership should prioritise sustainability, whereas EFM professionals must adopt a holistic approach that integrates social, environmental and economic factors in collaboration with clinical teams.</p
‘A howl of despair’: the affective politics of Netflix’s Adolescence
No full textThis essay explores the strong affective appeal of Netflix’s Adolescence for its adult audiences. It investigates the emotional response to the series, arguing that it feeds into wider discontent over the risks of smartphone usage for young people. Examining the significance of universalised white boyhood in Adolescence, the essay interrogates the cultural stakes of the imagined scenario at its heart – of violent, disenfranchised white boys, incapacitated parents/teachers and silenced dead girls. It also explores the relevance of the character of Briony (Erin Doherty), the female psychologist, and how she is aligned with the figure of the dead girl, Katie (Emilia Holliday), in an act of substitution. Finally, the essay suggests that the attempt to explore the ties between misogyny, sexually abusive behaviour among boys, and physical violence gets somewhat lost amidst the paroxysm of paternal adult emotion that bookends the series.</p
Attitudes to possessions in emerging adults: predictors of hoarding behaviours and beliefs
No full textObjective: Although hoarding symptoms are chronic and the average onset is late adolescence, younger cohorts have received little attention in research. Given the insidious symptom trajectory of hoarding and the unsatisfactory treatment outcomes in clinical groups, comprehensive research focusing on younger participants may reveal insights and suggest early intervention opportunities.Design: Cross-sectional data were collected online from an emerging adult sample.Method: A total of 316 participants (aged 18–25) reported on hoarding symptoms, executive functioning, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms, autism traits, obsessive-compulsive disorder symptoms, social anxiety, psychological distress, emotion regulation, interpersonal attachment, and traumatic life events. Principal component analysis was used to cluster the data into underlying components.Results: Regression analysis showed that self-reported executive control problems and negative emotional response are the key predictors of hoarding behaviours, with compulsivity and decisional impulsivity also being significant contributors. Importantly, the interaction between the two key predictors was not significant (β = .05, p = .273), implying independent contributions. Additionally, compulsivity, executive control and traumatic life events contributed to hoarding-related beliefs.Conclusions: Difficulties in executive control, as noted in ADHD, would be an important target in the detection and intervention of hoarding symptoms among younger cohorts. Caution in the assessment of clutter in young people is needed as their control over common residential areas might be limited.</p
An Exploration of Inclusion Health Teaching in Undergraduate Medical Curricula Full Report
No full textIn this report, our team share the findings of two surveys – of UK medical schools on their approaches to teaching inclusion health in curricula, and of third sector organisations (predominantly people with lived experience of being a IH community member), in facilitating timely and effective care for their clients and patients. In both surveys, we see a confluence of messages – that patient from an inclusion health background struggle to access healthcare, and when they do, it is often ineffective. By contrast, medical schools report attempts to introduce inclusion health in curricula – these being limited by overcrowded (and difficult to shift) syllabi, driven by personal interests of individuals rather than a broader appreciation of the importance of access to and tailored delivery of healthcare
for marginalised groups, and using educational interventions that treat the complexity of healthcare delivery of these groups at a superficial level.</p
Impacts of conventional and alternative plastics on soil ecosystems
No full textPlastic is an essential component of agriculture globally, but its widespread use has resulted in significant environmental pollution. As biodegradable and bio-based alternatives gain attention as replacements for fossil-based, non-degradable plastics, the ecological impacts of these alternatives remain poorly understood, particularly as they degrade and release leachates.This research aimed to address critical questions: How do conventional and alternative plastics and their leachates affect soil health, plant performance, and soil organisms? Do biodegradable and bio-based plastics offer ecological benefits over conventional plastics? What mechanisms potentially drive these impacts in soil-plant systems? To answer these questions, the research hypothesised that both conventional and alternative plastics and their associated leachates negatively impact soil and plant systems by disrupting soil processes, altering planting stress responses, and shifting soil fauna behaviours, with biodegradable plastics causing similar disruptions to conventional plastics. These hypotheses were tested through a combination of laboratory and field experiments.The findings demonstrate that both conventional and alternative plastics, whether as microplastics or mesoplastics, and whether in pristine or aged from, or as leachates, adversely affect soil and plant systems. Exposure to plastics consistently reduced plant biomass and altered chlorophyll content, while increasing oxidative stress in two agronomically important plant species, Lolium perenne and Hordeum vulgare. In soils, exposure to plastics altered water content, organic matter, and pH, while increasing CO2 respiration rates. These changes indicate disrupted soil processes, including water flow and carbon cycling, which are critical for ecosystem health.Biodegradable plastics, including bio-based polymers (e.g., polylactic acid and polyhydroxybutyrate) and fossil-based alternatives (e.g., oxo-biodegradable polyethylene), caused effects broadly similar to those of conventional plastics (polyethylene and polypropylene), challenging the assumption that these materials are inherently safer for the environment. Notably, leachates from biodegradable fossil-based polymers induced significant stress in plants and altered soil properties, raising concerns about their long-term ecological viability. Field experiments further showed reduced plant yields and declines in the diversity and abundance of soil faunal groups such as Collembola, with potential implications for soil ecosystem functioning.The research also explored the underlying mechanisms of these impacts. Soil fauna exhibited behavioural responses, such as avoidance or attraction to soil contaminated with mesoplastics and their leachates, indicating possible disruptions in soil ecosystem processes. Physical analyses demonstrated that mesoplastics impaired soil hydrological properties, decreasing water flow and increasing soil bulk density, with potential consequences for plant growth and water distribution.This comprehensive investigation highlights the ecological risks of both conventional and alternative plastics in agricultural systems. The findings call for a rigorous evaluation of alternative plastics, stricter regulatory frameworks, and the development of truly sustainable agricultural practices to mitigate the environmental impacts of plastic use.</p
Impact of the soft power of the UAE on the growth of the tourism sector
No full textThis research examines soft power’s role in UAE’s cultural tourism growth, emphasising how inclusive and tolerant policies can lead nations into development. To build an image of progressiveness and inclusiveness, the UAE has incorporated national branding, cultural diplomacy, and political stability into its soft power strategy. The study employs a purposive sample of 15 tourism professionals and related government officials from the UAE to acquire insightful data related to the influence of soft power on the development and growth of the country’s tourism sector. The author analysed data derived from respondents' perceptions and corresponding thematic findings. These perceptions provide insights into how the country employs its cultural assets and diplomatic relationships to attract international tourists, which results in enhancing its global position in terms of tourism. The research points out that there are diversity commitments made by the United Arab Emirates which include sizeable amounts spent on preserving heritage; promoting religious tolerance among different faiths; and making it easier for people from outside to come visit the country through simplified visa procedures. Some of the key challenges facing this region include coherence in governance systems, maintaining a fine balance between modernization and cultural authenticity, as well as working between public and private sectors. However, strategic investments, digital advertising, and dealing with mega-events have emerged as great possibilities that have increased the UAE's global culture magnetism. The research supports the efficacy of merging soft power projects with tourism regulations to increase the rate of cultural tourism expansion. Effective utilisation of soft power through destination branding, cultural tolerance, and the integration of economic policy can enhance the outcomes of cultural tourism. Coherence between the public and private sectors, coordination of stakeholders, and strategic planning are crucial to addressing challenges faced in soft power enhancement. As far as these revelations are concerned, it can be noticed that the UAE must integrate economic policies with cultural tourism strategies to maintain its global importance and promote long-term growth within international tourism industry competition.</p
A Conceptual Framework for Multi-Way Integration (MUWI) With a Focus on Residents’ Multiple Identities and Intersectionalities
No full textConceptual frameworks on integration have moved from one to two-way integration, focusing on all residents in integration processes. This paper advocates a conceptual framework for “multi-way integration” (MUWI), which focuses explicitly on residents’ multiple identities and intersectionality to enhance connectivity and mutual understanding between all residents. The discussion also addresses factors impacting this connectivity, including social structures, social mechanisms, artifacts, and environments. The above dimensions and interconnections are not only relevant for researching integration processes but also for developing effective integration strategies.</p
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