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Blessing or curse? A critical review of the paradoxical consequences of direct public funding for political parties
No full textDirect public funding (DPF) is a crucial resource for political parties in many of the world’s democracies. While research into the consequences of DPF has grown in prominence since the turn of the century, few efforts have been made to synthesize its findings. This article takes the first steps in doing so. Viewing DPF as an independent variable, we assess the impacts that party subsidization has on electoral competition, party organizations, party system development, and gender representation, before unpacking the intricacies of the DPF-corruption relationship. Given the inconclusive findings across these domains, the article discusses methodological challenges related to data availability and DPF operationalization, concluding with brief policy recommendations and several avenues for future research.</p
Global consensus on optimal exercise recommendations for enhancing healthy longevity in older adults (ICFSR)
Get PDFAging, a universal and inevitable process, is characterized by a progressive accumulation of physiological alterations and functional decline over time, leading to increased vulnerability to diseases and ultimately mortality as age advances. Lifestyle factors, notably physical activity (PA) and exercise, significantly modulate aging phenotypes. Physical activity and exercise can prevent or ameliorate lifestyle-related diseases, extend health span, enhance physical function, and reduce the burden of non-communicable chronic diseases including cardiometabolic disease, cancer, musculoskeletal and neurological conditions, and chronic respiratory diseases as well as premature mortality. Physical activity influences the cellular and molecular drivers of biological aging, slowing aging rates—a foundational aspect of geroscience. Thus, PA serves both as preventive medicine and therapeutic agent in pathological states. Sub-optimal PA levels correlate with increased disease prevalence in aging populations. Structured exercise prescriptions should therefore be customized and monitored like any other medical treatment, considering the dose-response relationships and specific adaptations necessary for intended outcomes. Current guidelines recommend a multifaceted exercise regimen that includes aerobic, resistance, balance, and flexibility training through structured and incidental (integrated lifestyle) activities. Tailored exercise programs have proven effective in helping older adults maintain their functional capacities, extending their health span, and enhancing their quality of life. Particularly important are anabolic exercises, such as Progressive resistance training (PRT), which are indispensable for maintaining or improving functional capacity in older adults, particularly those with frailty, sarcopenia or osteoporosis, or those hospitalized or in residential aged care. Multicomponent exercise interventions that include cognitive tasks significantly enhance the hallmarks of frailty (low body mass, strength, mobility, PA level, and energy) and cognitive function, thus preventing falls and optimizing functional capacity during aging. Importantly, PA/exercise displays dose-response characteristics and varies between individuals, necessitating personalized modalities tailored to specific medical conditions. Precision in exercise prescriptions remains a significant area of further research, given the global impact of aging and broad effects of PA. Economic analyses underscore the cost benefits of exercise programs, justifying broader integration into health care for older adults. However, despite these benefits, exercise is far from fully integrated into medical practice for older people. Many healthcare professionals, including geriatricians, need more training to incorporate exercise directly into patient care, whether in settings including hospitals, outpatient clinics, or residential care. Education about the use of exercise as isolated or adjunctive treatment for geriatric syndromes and chronic diseases would do much to ease the problems of polypharmacy and widespread prescription of potentially inappropriate medications. This intersection of prescriptive practices and PA/exercise offers a promising approach to enhance the well-being of older adults. An integrated strategy that combines exercise prescriptions with pharmacotherapy would optimize the vitality and functional independence of older people whilst minimizing adverse drug reactions. This consensus provides the rationale for the integration of PA into health promotion, disease prevention, and management strategies for older adults. Guidelines are included for specific modalities and dosages of exercise with proven efficacy in randomized controlled trials. Descriptions of the beneficial physiological changes, attenuation of aging phenotypes, and role of exercise in chronic disease and disability management in older adults are provided. The use of exercise in cardiometabolic disease, cancer, musculoskeletal conditions, frailty, sarcopenia, and neuropsychological health is emphasized. Recommendations to bridge existing knowledge and implementation gaps and fully integrate PA into the mainstream of geriatric care are provided. Particular attention is paid to the need for personalized medicine as it applies to exercise and geroscience, given the inter-individual variability in adaptation to exercise demonstrated in older adult cohorts. Overall, this consensus provides a foundation for applying and extending the current knowledge base of exercise as medicine for an aging population to optimize health span and quality of life.</p
Improving aging-related frailty status among older adults:Results of a nutrition-focused program
Get PDFBackground: Healthcare professionals today aim to boost the years older people live in good health by reducing the impact of aging-related frailty. Toward healthier aging, our current analysis quantified frailty changes that occurred when poorly nourished, community-living, older adults received interventional nutrition care. Methods: We recruited outpatient study participants ≥ 60 years and malnourished or at-risk on screening (Mini Nutrition Assessment-Short Form, MNA-SF). For quasi-experimental analysis, we selected those who were prefrail or frail by Fried phenotype criteria (n=524). Each followed a comprehensive nutrition-focused Quality Improvement Program (QIP)—counseling on nutrition and physical activity, daily consumption of oral nutritional supplements for 60 days (Ensure with Hydroxymethylbutyrate® and Glucerna®, Abbott, USA), with follow-up through day 90. We quantified outcomes as changes from baseline to post-intervention for (i) overall frailty status (frail, prefrail, normal) or (ii) number of positive Fried frailty criteria of five (weight loss, exhaustion, low physical activity, slow gait speed, and muscular weakness) using change categories Worse, Same, or Better. We also measured baseline and post-intervention status of nutritional state (MNA-SF), mental state/cognitive status (Mini-Mental State Exam, MMSE), depression/psychological health (Geriatric Depression Scale, GDS), and disability (Barthel Index, BI). We applied logistic regression analyses to identify factors that predicted post-intervention improvement in frailty status. Results: At baseline, the mean age of participants was 74.2 (±8.7) years, 71% (n=372/524) of participants were prefrail, and 29% (n=152/524) were frail; 16.2% (n=85/524) were malnourished, and 83.8% (n=439/524) were at risk. By study day 90, 34.4% (180/524) of participants had a better frailty status, while 55% (n=288/524) met fewer frailty criteria. Better frailty status was also associated with significantly higher MNA-SF score (12.3 vs 9.1, P < 0.001), improved mental state/cognitive status as higher MMSE score (28.1 vs 27.7, P < 0.05), decreased depression/improved psychological health as lower GDS score (3.3 vs 4.5, P < 0.001), and greater independence as higher BI score (96.9 vs 96.1, P < 0.05). Logistic regression analyses showed that MNA-SF score improvement was predictive of frailty improvement in response to the nutrition-focused QIP intervention. Specifically, individuals who experienced improvement from prefrail or frail to normal were nearly 8-times more likely than others to have a parallel increase in MNA-SF score (Odds ratio of 7.83, 95% CI 4.3–15.2, P < 0.01). Conclusion: Healthy aging can be supported by addressing poor nutritional status, a frailty risk contributor. We found that community-living older adults achieved a better frailty status after following a nutrition-focused QIP. Notably, improved nutritional status predicted and paralleled improvement in frailty status. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04042987.</p
Relevance of STIM/Orai Calcium Entry System Hyperactivation in Human Prostate Contractility in Benign Prostate Hyperplasia
Get PDFBenign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) is characterized by prostate enlargement and dynamic alterations contributing to development of lower tract urinary symptoms (LUTS). Prostate hypercontractility has been proposed to contribute to BPH-related LUTS. The aim was to evaluate the effects of inhibiting stromal interaction molecule (STIM)/Orai calcium entry system on adrenergic and neurogenic contractions in prostate (HP) and bladder neck (HB) strips from BPH patients. Effects of STIM/Orai inhibition on adrenergic and neurogenic contractions of HP from organ donors (ODs) without BPH were also evaluated. HP and HB strips were obtained from 20 patients with BPH undergoing radical prostatectomy and from six OD at the time of organ collection for transplantation. Tissues were functionally evaluated for isometric tension recording. STIM-1, Orai1, and Orai3 protein expressions were determined in prostate tissues. STIM-1 was also localized by immunofluorescence in prostate sections. Norepinephrine-induced and neurogenic contractions were significantly reduced by STIM/Orai inhibition with YM-58483 (20 µM) in HP from BPH patients but not in tissues from ODs. STIM/Orai inhibition failed to significantly modify contraction of HB from BPH patients. Protein expression of STIM-1 was significantly elevated in HP from BPH patients. Functional contribution of STIM/Orai system to contractile tone is relevant in prostate when BPH is present, probably related to increased expression of STIM-1. Inhibition of STIM/Orai could have therapeutic implications for the management of BPH patients by alleviating prostatic hypercontraction.</p
Independent chairs of Safeguarding Adults Boards:system leadership in practice
No full textThis chapter explores the role of the Independent Chair of Safeguarding Adults Boards (SABs), which were made statutory under the Care Act 2014 in England, as an example of cross-sector system leadership in adult social care. It reflects on the different styles of leadership most suitable for SAB Chairs to support effective partnership working and deliver the duties and responsibilities of SABs. The key components of effective SAB leadership are outlined and described as ‘literacies’ because they can be developed, learnt, and acquired continuously in the role.</p
Identifying typical academic language and learning development practitioner roles and specialisms: an international taxonomy
Get PDFAlthough the higher education ‘third space’ has become more widely recognised, there is still a prevailing lack of specificity in terms of many associated job roles. In contrast to librarians (CILIP, 2025), there is no formally recognised classification of types of Academic Language and/or Learning Development (ALLD) job roles. In practice, this means that ALLD practitioners with similar job titles often undertake different roles. In the absence of clearly defined job roles, the valuable contributions made by ALLD practitioners and the associated specialist skills and knowledge required are not always widely understood (Bickle, Johnson and White, 2024). This led Briggs (2025a) to propose the need to develop an ALLD role taxonomy. The current article reports results from an international study (primarily comprising of practitioners from UK, Canada, and New Zealand) that sought to establish the principal job responsibilities and specialisms synonymous with working in ALLD. Based on data from 92 respondents, it was possible to develop an ALLD practitioner taxonomy that details the most frequent area(s) of work and specialism(s) reported by ALLD practitioners. Implications for applying the taxonomy are considered from the perspectives of international and national associations, institutions, and individual practitioners
Psychology and virtual reality
No full textThis chapter examines the potential of Virtual Reality (VR) to transform psychological research, education, and therapeutic practices. VR enables psychologists to create immersive environments where users can experience and respond authentically, providing valuable data for theory testing, educational simulations, and therapeutic interventions. This immersion can yield real-world benefits by allowing users to process experiences as if they were real. While VR's future as a mainstream entertainment tool is uncertain, its applications across psychology continue to grow and evolve with technological advancements, presenting new opportunities for impactful psychological practice.</p
Socio-organisational challenges and impacts of IoT: a review in healthcare and banking
Get PDFThe Internet of Things (IoT) is transforming how organisations and individuals connect and interact with digital ecosystems, especially in sectors like healthcareand banking. While technological benefits have been widely discussed, the societal and organisational impacts of IoT adoption remain underexplored. This study aims to address this gap by conducting a systematic literature review (SLR) of 110 peer-reviewed publications from 2012 to 2024 across four major academic databases. The review identifies and categorises the key applications of IoT, its social and organisational drivers, and the challenges of its implementation within the healthcare and banking sectors. The analysis reveals that critical barriers to IoT adoption include security, privacy, interoperability, and legal compliance, alongside concerns around workforce displacement and trust. This study also introduces the 5Cs framework—connectivity, continuity, compliance, coexistence, and cybersecurity—as a practical lens for addressing these challenges. The findings highlight the need for responsible IoT integration that balances innovation with ethical, social, and organisational accountability. Implications of this research inform policymakers, practitioners, and researchers on how to design human-centric and socially sustainable IoT strategies in sensitive sectors.<br/
Disease burden attributable to intimate partner violence against females and sexual violence against children in 204 countries and territories, 1990-2023:a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2023
Get PDFBACKGROUND: Violence against women and against children are human rights violations with lasting harms to survivors and societies at large. Intimate partner violence (IPV) and sexual violence against children (SVAC) are two major forms of such abuse. Despite their wide-reaching effects on individual and community health, these risk factors have not been adequately prioritised as key drivers of global health burden. Comprehensive x§and reliable estimates of the comparative health burden of IPV and SVAC are urgently needed to inform investments in prevention and support for survivors at both national and global levels.METHODS: We estimated the prevalence and attributable burden of IPV among females and SVAC among males and females for 204 countries and territories, by age and sex, from 1990 to 2023, as part of the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2023. We searched several global databases for data on self-reported exposure to IPV and SVAC and undertook a systematic review to identify the health outcomes associated with each of these risk factors. We modelled IPV and SVAC prevalence using spatiotemporal Gaussian process regression, applying data adjustments to account for measurement heterogeneity. We employed burden-of-proof methodology to estimate relative risks for outcomes associated with IPV and SVAC. These estimates informed the calculation of population attributable fractions, which were then used to quantify disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) attributable to each risk factor.FINDINGS: Globally, in 2023, we estimated that 608 million (95% uncertainty interval 518-724) females aged 15 years and older had ever been exposed to IPV, and 1·01 billion (0·764-1·48) individuals aged 15 years and older had experienced sexual violence during childhood. 18·5 million (8·74-30·0) DALYs were attributed to IPV among females and 32·2 million (16·4-52·5) DALYs were attributed to SVAC among males and females in 2023. IPV and SVAC were among the top contributors to the global disease burden in 2023, particularly among females aged 15-49 years, ranking as the fourth and fifth leading risk factors, respectively, for DALYs in this group. Among the eight health outcomes found to be associated with IPV, anxiety disorders and major depressive disorder were the leading causes of IPV-attributed DALYs, accounting for 5·43 million (-1·25 to 14·6) and 3·96 million (1·71 to 6·92) DALYs in 2023, respectively. SVAC was associated with 14 health outcomes, including mental health disorder, substance use disorder, and chronic and infectious disease outcomes. Self-harm and schizophrenia were the leading causes of SVAC-attributed burden, with SVAC accounting for 6·71 million (2·00 to 12·7) DALYs due to self-harm and 4·15 million (-1·92 to 13·1) DALYs due to schizophrenia in 2023.INTERPRETATION: IPV and SVAC are substantial contributors to global health burden, and their health consequences span a variety of individual health outcomes. Importantly, mental health disorders account for the greatest share of disease burden among survivors. Investing in prevention of these avoidable risk factors has the potential to avert millions of DALYs and considerable premature mortality each year. Our findings represent strong evidence for global and national leaders to elevate IPV and SVAC among public health priorities. Sustained investments are needed to prevent IPV and SVAC and to implement interventions focused on supporting the complex social and health needs of survivors.FUNDING: Gates Foundation.</p
Design and delivery of a holistic three-day post-COVID-19 psychological intervention for care staff in the UK as part of stage 2 health psychology training
Get PDFAs part of achieving Chartered status in Health Psychology in the UK one has to create an online intervention. This study showcases such an intervention to support care workers by addressing stress management, mindfulness, resilience, and sleep hygiene. The delivery of the intervention was via Microsoft Teams and it focused on a) psychoeducation, b) mindfulness, c) resilience-building, d) and peer support. The intervention assessments included the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Quality of life scale (EQ-5D), and the Visual Analog Mood Scale (VAS). The results demonstrated a reduction in stress and an improvement in sleep quality and mood; however no statistical significance in quality of life was observed. Qualitative feedback highlighted the benefits of psychoeducation, mindfulness training, and the buddy system. Staff reported a greater awareness over their stress, improved sleep hygiene and a sense of connection with colleagues. Despite the short duration the intervention was positively received, suggesting that structured targeted interventions can be beneficial for front-line care workers and can be created by small organisations. Future research should explore extending the intervention’s duration and incorporating follow-up support to enhance long-term effectiveness as well as training guidance for in-house teams.<br/
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