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Item Open Access A 10-year history of perinatal care at the Brockington Mother and Baby Unit Stafford(Springer Nature, 2015-10-06) Green, Debra J; Hofberg, K.; Carr, C.; Fanneran, Tina; Sumathipala, A.Perinatal mother and baby units are an essential service for women suffering from perinatal mental illness by allowing the baby to stay with the mother whilst receiving inpatient mental health care. Such units enable the mother to develop a relationship with her baby in a safe and supportive environment whilst caring for her mental health needs and allow her to gain confidence in her role as a mother. This article presents the development of the Brockington Mother and Baby unit and its progressive advancement towards an exemplary service for women suffering from perinatal mental illness. The Brockington Mother and Baby unit (MBU) at South Staffordshire and Shropshire Healthcare Foundation Trust (SSSFT) is celebrating its 10th anniversary and is one of six MBUs accredited as excellent by the Royal College of Psychiatry (RCPsych). The unit is a member of the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ Quality Care Network and thereby adheres to their national standard of care. This article describes the journey from a single lone worker in perinatal mental health to an exemplary service caring for women with perinatal mental illness during the first 12 months following the birth of their child.Item Metadata only 15th European Conference on the Spectroscopy of Biological Molecules (ECSBM)–where spectroscopy and biology met(IOS Press, 2014) Parker, A.W.; Haris, P. I. (Parvez I.)Item Open Access A 16-year overview of vasectomy and vasectomy reversal in the United Kingdom(Elsevier, 2022-09-18) Wydera, Sandra; Wilson, Amanda D.BACKGROUND There is no current research to explain the trends in vasectomy and vasectomy reversals in the United Kingdom, leaving little understanding of the social phenomena involved. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to provide an overview of vasectomy as a main method (or primary method) of contraception and vasectomy reversals among men in the United Kingdom aged >16 years. STUDY DESIGN Descriptive statistics were generated from the National Health Service's publicly accessible datasets from 2004/2005 to 2019/2020, including data from 1,621,105 men. RESULTS Although men are increasing their use of contraceptive services, the number of men having vasectomies and vasectomy reversals has decreased significantly. CONCLUSION The researchers propose that more rigorous techniques for capturing data are required to understand vasectomy in the United Kingdom. There is also an urgent need for research on vasectomy in the United Kingdom and globally, not only to explain the behavioral trends found in this study, but also to explain the global trend.Item Metadata only 17-beta oestradiol attenuates nucleotide excision repair.(Wiley, 2003-01-10) Evans, M. D.; Butler, J.; Nicoll, K.; Cooke, M. S.; Lunec, J.Item Metadata only 1H NMR investigations of the molecular nature of cobalt (II) ions in human saliva(Elsevier, 2012) Chang, H.; Tomoda, S.; Silwood, C.; Lynch, E.; Grootveld, MartinHigh-resolution 1H NMR spectroscopy demonstrated that addition of Co(II) ions to isolated human salivary supernatants (HSSs) gave rise to its complexation by a variety of biomolecules. The relative efficacies of these complexants/chelators in this context were classifiable by the influence of added Co(II) on their line-widths and chemical shift values, and also the added Co(II) concentration-dependence of these spectral modifications. Those which were most affected by the addition of this metal ion were lactate > formate histidinate > succinate, this order reflecting the ability of these complexants to compete for the available Co(II) in terms of (1) thermodynamic equilibrium constants for the ormation of their complexes and (2) their HSS concentrations. Since many of these HSS Co(II) complexants (particularly lactate,formate and histidine) serve as powerful OH cavengers, the results acquired indicate that any of this radical generated from the Co(II) source in such complexes via pseudo-Fenton reactions may be ‘sitespecifically’ scavenged. The significance of these observations regarding the in vivo corrosion of cobaltcontaining metal alloy dental prostheses (e.g., Co–Cr alloys), the availability of trace levels of this metal ion in human saliva, and cobalt toxicity, is discussed.Item Open Access 1H NMR-based metabolomics reveals neurochemical alterations in the brain of adolescent rats following acute methylphenidate administration(Elsevier, 2017-03-06) Quansah, Emmanuel; Ruiz-Rodado, Victor; Grootveld, Martin; Probert, Fay; Zetterstrom, T. S. C.The psychostimulant methylphenidate (MPH) is increasingly used in the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). While there is little evidence for common brain pathology in ADHD, some studies suggest a right hemisphere dysfunction among people diagnosed with the condition. However, in spite of the high usage of MPH in children and adolescents, its mechanism of action is poorly understood. Given that MPH blocks the neuronal transporters for dopamine and noradrenaline, most research into the effects of MPH on the brain has largely focused on these two monoamine neurotransmitter systems. Interestingly, recent studies have demonstrated metabolic changes in the brain of ADHD patients, but the impact of MPH on endogenous brain metabolites remains unclear. In this study, a proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR)-based metabolomics approach was employed to investigate the effects of MPH on brain biomolecules. Adolescent male Sprague Dawley rats were injected intraperitoneally with MPH (5.0 mg/kg) or saline (1.0 ml/kg), and cerebral extracts from the left and right hemispheres were analysed. A total of 22 variables (representing 13 distinct metabolites) were significantly increased in the MPH-treated samples relative to the saline-treated controls. The upregulated metabolites included: amino acid neurotransmitters such as GABA, glutamate and aspartate; large neutral amino acids (LNAA), including the aromatic amino acids (AAA) tyrosine and phenylalanine, both of which are involved in the metabolism of dopamine and noradrenaline; and metabolites associated with energy and cell membrane dynamics, such as creatine and myo-inositol. No significant differences in metabolite concentrations were found between the left and right cerebral hemispheres. These findings provide new insights into the mechanisms of action of the anti-ADHD drug MPH.Item Open Access 1H NMR-Linked Metabolomics Analysis of Liver from a Mouse Model of NP-C1 Disease(AOCS, 2016-08-09) Ruiz-Rodado, Victor; Nicoli, Elena-Raluca; Probert, Fay; Smith, David A.; Morris, Lauren; Wassif, Christopher A.; Platt, Frances M.; Grootveld, MartinItem Metadata only 1H NMR-Linked Urinary Metabolic Profiling of Niemann-Pick Class C1 (NPC1) Disease: Identification of Potential New Biomarkers using Correlated Component Regression (CCR) and Genetic Algorithm (GA) Analysis Strategies(Bentham Science, 2014-11-14) Ruiz-Rodado, Victor; Luque-Baena, R. M.; te Vruchte, D. J.; Probert, Fay; Lachmann, R. H.; Hendriksz, Christian J.; Wraith, James E.; Imrie, Jackie; Elizondo, David; Sillence, Daniel J.; Clayton, P.; Platt, Frances M.; Grootveld, MartinNiemann-Pick Class 1 (NPC1) disease is a rare, debilitating neurodegenerative lysosomal storage disease; however, urinary biomarkers available for it and its prognosis are currently limited. In order to identify and establish such biomarkers, we employed high-resolution 1H NMR analysis coupled to a range of multivariate (MV) analysis approaches, i.e. PLS-DA, RFs and uniquely the cross-validated correlated component regression (CCR) strategy in order to discern differences between the urinary metabolic profiles of 13 untreated NPC1 disease and 47 heterozygous (parental) carrier control participants. Novel computational intelligence techniques (CITs) involving genetic algorithms (GAs) were also employed for this purposeItem Open Access 2,3-Diarylindoles as COX-2 Inhibitors: Exploring the Structure-activity Relationship through Molecular Docking Simulations(Bentham Science, 2023-02-07) Cuppoloni, Andrea; Silva, João Vitor; Lal, Samridhi; Giarolla, Jeanine; Snape, Timothy J.Background: Arylindole derivatives are promising scaffolds in the design of new drugs, including inhibition of COX-2, antitumor activity, receptor GABA agonism, and estrogenic receptor modulation. Objective: Taking this into account, this paper presents a study to better understand the inhibitory action of certain 2-arylindole derivatives, specifically a series of 2,3-diarylindoles with IC50 values from 0.006 nM to 100 nM on the COX-2 enzyme and supports its structural-activity relationship (SAR) through molecular docking simulations. Methods: Briefly, the ligands’ three-dimensional models were drawn, and the conformational analysis was accessed in the Chem3D 19.1 program (PerkinElmer). After different steps of parametrizations, the lowest energy conformations were selected for the molecular docking simulation, which used the crystal structure of human COX-2 in complex with meclofenamic acid to 2.4 Å resolution (PDB code 5IKQ) as molecular target. Results: The results indicated that Gly 526 and Phe 381 residues are relevant for the improvement of inhibitory activity on para-substituted 3-phenyl- compounds. Arg 120 was also demonstrated to be an important residue for COX-2 inhibition, since it is involved in enabling a π-cation interaction with the best compound in series A5 (experimental IC50 = 0.006 nM determined in advance). Furthermore, COX-2 presents flexibility in some regions of the active site to adequately accommodate 5-substituted compounds containing an indole ring. Conclusion: Such structural features can be used as support for further Structural-Based Drug Design (SBDD) and/or Ligand-Based Drug Design (LBDD) studies of new selective COX-2 inhibitors.Item Open Access 2-furyl(phenyl)methanol isolated from Atractilis gummifera rhizome exhibits anti-leishmanial activity(Elsevier, 2019-11-14) Deiva, Solene; Ferguson, Lindsay; Rateb, Mostafa; Williams, Roderick; Brucoli, FedericoWe report for the first time the isolation of 2-furyl(phenyl)methanol (5) from the chloroform extracts of the Atractylis gummifera roots. A. gummifera is a thistle belonging to the Asteraceae family that produces the ent-kaurane diterpenoid glycoside atractyloside (ATR). ATR (1) was isolated and chemically modified to obtain its aglycone atractyligenin (2) and the methylated derivatives ATR-OMe (3) and genine-OMe (4). The compounds 1-5 were structurally characterised and evaluated against the intracellular amastigote, cultured within macrophages, and the extracellular promastigote of Leishmania donovani, the protozoan parasite responsible for the highly infective disease visceral leishmaniasis, which is fatal if untreated. The 2-furyl(phenyl)methanol 5 exhibited notable activity against the promastigote.Item Open Access 2-Oxothiazolidine-4-carboxylic acid inhibits vascular calcification via induction of glutathione synthesis(Wiley, 2020-09-12) Baydoun, Anwar; Patel, J.J.; Bourne, L.E.; Thakur, S.; Farrington, K.; Gorog, D.A.; Orriss, I.R.Arterial medial calcification (AMC), the deposition of hydroxyapatite in the medial layer of the arteries, is a known risk factor for cardiovascular events. Oxidative stress is a known inducer of AMC and endogenous antioxidants, such as glutathione (GSH), may prevent calcification. GSH synthesis, however, can be limited by cysteine levels. Therefore, we assessed the effects of the cysteine prodrug 2-oxothiazolidine-4-carboxylic acid (OTC), on vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) calcification to ascertain its therapeutic potential. Human aortic VSMCs were cultured in basal or mineralising medium (1 mM calcium chloride/sodium phosphate) and treated with OTC (1-5 mM) for 7 days. Cell-based assays and western blot analysis were performed to assess cell differentiation and function. OTC inhibited calcification ≤90%, which was associated with increased ectonucleotide pyrophosphatase/phosphodiesterase activity, and reduced apoptosis. In calcifying cells, OTC downregulated protein expression of osteoblast markers (Runt-related transcription factor 2 and osteopontin), while maintaining expression of VSMC markers (smooth muscle protein 22α and α-smooth muscle actin). GSH levels were significantly reduced by 90% in VSMCs cultured in calcifying conditions, which was associated with declines in expression of gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase and GSH synthetase. Treatment of calcifying cells with OTC blocked the reduction in expression of both enzymes and prevented the decline in GSH. This study shows OTC to be a potent and effective inhibitor of in vitro VSMC calcification. It appears to maintain GSH synthesis which may, in turn, prevent apoptosis and VSMCs gaining osteoblast-like characteristics. These findings may be of clinical relevance and raise the possibility that treatment with OTC could benefit patients susceptible to AMC.Item Open Access 2021 Report of the Evaluation of the Work.Live.Leicestershire Programme(De Montfort University, 2021-01-31) Blair, Krista; McGill, George; Gkiontsi, Dimitra; de Vries, Kay; Brown, Jayne; Clayton, David; Coleby, Dawn; Dunn, Andrew; Oviasu, Osaretin; Padley, WendyThe Work.Live.Leicestershire (WiLL) programme provided help to economically inactive or unemployed people in Leicestershire to move into job search, training, or employment. The programme aimed to help people into work or learning by improving their health and wellbeing, social engagement, and skills and work experience, and by supporting people as they volunteered, job searched or started a business. The programme was open to residents of rural Leicestershire who were economically inactive or unemployed, and targeted the areas of Hinckley and Bosworth, North West Leicestershire, Melton, and Harborough. As of November 2020, the programme had registered details of 535 participants1 (263 men and 266 women) across all age groups. 152 participants were 24 or under, and 158 participants were 51 or over. Of the participants registered, some will have just joined the programme, some will be part way through the programme, and some will have left the programme at various points after their initial engagement with WiLL. This report discusses findings from the second year of De Montfort University’s evaluation, focussing on programme results and how the programme supported people to address barriers to moving into work or learning. The programme is ongoing, and this report draws on data from both participants who had left the programme and those whose support was in progress.Item Open Access 3D Electrohydrodynamic Printing of Highly Aligned Dual-Core Graphene Composite Matrices(Elsevier, 2019-07-09) Ahmad, Z.; Wang, Baolin; Chen, Xing; Huang, Jie; Chang, Ming-WeiThe aim of this study was to develop an EHD printing method to fabricate graphene-loaded polycaprolactone (PCL)/polyethylene oxide (PEO) dual-core matrices. Graphene was incorporated in shell PCL components, while gelatin and dopamine hydrochloride (DAH) were encapsulated in two PEO cores to enhance biocompatibility of graphene-loaded matrices. Furthermore, the effect of PEO concentration on dual-core fiber formation was evaluated. The influence of process parameters (applied voltage, inner flow rate, outer flow rate and X-Y-Z collector stage speed) on dual-core fiber morphology was evaluated. Our findings show graphene-loaded structures to possess two inner cores and increasing graphene content yields matrices with smoother surfaces, causing a slight reduction in their contact angle behavior. Furthermore, the addition of graphene to matrices results in reduced elasticity. DAH release from matrices comprising various graphene concentrations showed no significant difference and drug release mechanism was diffusion based. In vitro biological tests indicate resulting graphene-loaded dual-core matrices exhibit good biocompatibility and also improve PC12 cell migration. The findings suggest matrices to have potential applications in nerve restoration and regeneration.Item Metadata only A 50 year retrospective study of height, weight and body mass index at the time of death in those aged 16-103.(2000-01) Woodward, Helen; Rutty, Jane; Rutty, GuyItem Metadata only A 50 year retrospective study of height, weight and body mass index at the time of death in those aged 16-103.(2000-04) Rutty, Jane; Woodward, Helen; Rutty, GuyItem Metadata only A 51 year retrospective study of the trends of height, weight and body mass index at the time of death in those aged 16-103.(Elsevier, 2001-06) Woodward, Helen; Rutty, Jane; Rutty, GuyItem Metadata only 8-oxo-2'-deoxyguanosine: Redox regulation of repair in vivo.(2002-10-01) Lunec, J.; Holloway, K. A.; Cooke, M. S.; Faux, S.; Griffiths, H. R.; Evans, M. D.Item Metadata only 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2’deoxyguanosine: re-use, reduce, recycle.(2007-08-16) Cooke, M. S.; Evans, M. D.Item Metadata only A bibliometric review of positive psychology and well-being research in Africa(Frontiers, 2024-06-21) Wilson Fadiji, Angelina; Khumalo, Itumeleng P.; Wissing, Marié Philipina; Appiah, RichardPositive Psychology rapidly developed into an influential field of study and intervention, initially situated in Psychology, and later becoming multidisciplinary. Research interest in the study of (psychological) well-being has gained global popularity, with increasing salience in Africa. Although the global trends of these developments are relatively well-known, a bibliometric analysis of positive psychology research in Africa was necessary to shed light on the present hotspots and trends and future trajectories in this region of the world. The data source of the present bibliometric analysis study was Scopus, from which Positive Psychology and well-being research literature from Africa between 1983 and 2023 were searched. Using biblioshiny and VOSviewer, the 622 extracted articles were analysed, from which findings about the current condition, research hotspots, and thematic developmental patterns could be made. Africa experienced an initial slow growth period from 1983 until 2005, after which a rapid growth in research productivity, relevance and impact was experienced. In this regard, the results show that the focal point of scientific productivity is South Africa, with the dominance of South African institutions, particularly the North-West University, from where most positive psychology research is produced and cited. Even with potential access to international journal, African researchers seem to prefer to place their publications in the regional journals such as Journal of Psychology in Africa and South African Journal of Psychology. The research reviewed tends to be characterised by more dominant thematic clusters of positive psychology, psychological well-being, and subjective well-being, with a focus on human individuals. An increasing concern for contextual factors and potential antecedents and dynamics of well-being is also observed. The findings provide a good map from which identification of future research priorities can be deduced. As such, we speculate that future positive psychology research in Africa ought to be concerned with the following: greater distribution and intercountry collaborations across the continent, questions of conceptual clarity of terms, better understanding of contextual factors which influence well-being, and well-being research embracing the complexity of bio-psycho-social-ecological well-being, and science concerned with health-promotion interventions.Item Metadata only A CBT-based training module for UK health visitors who support parents with excessively crying babies: development and initial evaluation(Cambridge University Press, 2024-04-19) St James-Roberts, Ian; Griffiths, Sarah; Watson, Maggie; White, Charlotte; Brown, JayneBackground: Parents report that around 20% of infants cry a lot without apparent reason during the first four postnatal months. This crying can trigger parental depression, breastfeeding cessation, overfeeding, impaired parent–child relationships and child development, and infant abuse. The Surviving Crying (SC) cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT)-based materials were developed in earlier research to improve the coping, wellbeing and mental health of parents who judge their infant to be crying excessively. Aim: This study set out to: develop a health visitor (HV) training module based on the SC materials, tailored to fit health visiting; assess whether HVs could deliver a SC-based service successfully; confirm whether parents gained similar benefits to those in the earlier study; prepare for a controlled trial of the SC-based service. Methods: A training module was developed to enable HVs to deliver the SC materials, much of it provided online. Ten HVs took the training module (‘SC HVs’). They and the Institute of Health Visiting provided feedback to refine it. SC HV delivery of the CBT sessions to parents with excessively crying babies was assessed using a standardised test. Parental wellbeing was measured using validated questionnaires. Parents and SC HVs evaluated the effectiveness of the SC service using questionnaires or interviews. Findings: The study produced the intended training module. Most SC HVs completed the training, and 50% delivered the SC-based service successfully. Both training and delivery were disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic, illness and work pressures. Replicating earlier findings: most parents’ anxiety and depression scores declined substantially after receiving the SC service; improvements in parents’ confidence, frustration and sleep were found; and all parents and the SC HVs interviewed found the SC service useful and agreed it should be included in the National Health Service. A controlled trial of the resulting SC service is underway.