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Item Metadata only The lasting effects of childhood trauma on developing psychiatric symptoms: A population-based, large-scale comparison study(Cambridge University Press, 2024-10-24) Jin, Yu; Xu, Shicun; Shao, Zhixian; Luo, Xianyu; Wilson, Amanda; Li, Jiaqi; Wang, YuanyuanBackground Childhood trauma (CT) increases rates of psychiatric disorders and symptoms, however, the lasting effect of CT into adulthood has little exploration using large-scale samples. Objectives This study estimated the prevalence of CT in a large sample of Chinese young adults, examining the risk factors of current psychological symptoms among those with CT experiences. Methods 117,769 college students were divided into CT and non-CT groups. The propensity score matching method balanced the confounding sociodemographic factors between the two groups, compared to 16 self-reported psychiatric disorders (e.g., depression, anxiety, eating disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, autism, social anxiety disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder), and seven current psychiatric symptoms. Hierarchical regression employed the significant risk factors of the seven current psychiatric symptoms. Results The prevalence of CT among young adults was 28.76% (95% CI: 28.47–29.04%). Youths with CT experiences reported higher psychiatric disorder rates and current symptom scores (P < 0.001). Sociodemographic factors (females, family disharmony, low socioeconomic status, poor relationship with parents, lower father’s education level) and lifestyle factors (smoking status, alcohol consumption, lack of exercise) were significantly associated with current psychiatric symptoms. Results Public health departments and colleges should develop strategies to promote mental health among those who have experienced CT.Item Embargo Herbal appetite suppressants used to aid weight loss.(Springer, 2024-11-11) Malik, Sonia; Kuntawala, Dhivani H.; Neba Ambe, Gael Noel Neh; Jin, Yannan; Bhambra, Avninder Singh; Arroo, R. R. J.Overweight and obesity are global health challenges associated with an increased risk of life-threatening comorbidities. Whereas a healthy diet and a lifestyle with a sufficient amount of exercise is the first recommendation to avert complications arising from overweight, a variety of prescription medicines is recognised as potential aids in weight loss. However, concerns about adverse effects of many prescription weight-loss agents has made that may drugs are now prohibited in some countries, though not in all countries. This has given rise to a clandestine market which has made proper monitoring of safety of products on sale increasingly complex. In addition to pharmaceutical products, a wide range of food substitutes or food supplements that are marketed as aids in weight loss is available. Regulation of food ingredients is considerably less stringent than regulation for pharmaceutical products; whereas pharmaceutical companies need to provide evidence of safety and efficacy before they are allowed marketing of any products, manufacturers of herbal and dietary supplements are just expected to ensure safety of their products. A sustainable reduction in food intake can be a major challenge, and people on weight-loss programmes have to fight cravings and hunger pangs. Appetite suppression-based therapies are the novel and promising treatments to control obesity. Recently, the peptide Semaglutide (Wegovy®, Ozempic®) has emerged as a very popular appetite suppressing prescription drug, which is administered by injection, though oral formulations have been developed too. Appetite suppressing herbal supplements have often been used traditionally since ages and are therefore generally regarded as safe. The aim of present review is to reflect on the most popular herbal supplements that are currently marketed as appetite suppressants, and that are widely promoted as aids in weight loss exercises. Notably, members of the family Apocynaceae, e.g. Caralluma spp. and Hoodia spp. contain pregnane glycosides that have been shown to restore sensitivity to the appetite suppressant hormone leptin in obese mice. The anti-obesity effect of Garcinia spp. (Clusiaceae) has been attributed to the presence of hydroxycitric acid (HCA), which inhibits fatty acid and triglyceride biosynthesis. In addition, HCA administration has been shown to increase serotonin levels, which in turn results in reduced appetite. A similar mechanism of action is seen with extracts of Griffonia simplicifolia (Fabaceae) that are particularly rich in the serotonin precursor 5-hydroxytryptophan. A third mechanism of action is seen in Gymnema sylvestre (Apocynaceae) which contains gymnemic acids that selectively inhibit oral sweet taste sensation in humans, thus lessening the appeal of sweets and pastries.Item Metadata only P13-21 Toxicological assessment of porous silica nanoparticles: cytotoxicity, genotoxicity and immunogenicity(Elsevier, 2024) Patel, Trisha; Ahmad, Z.; Venkatraman Girija, U.; Sahota, T. S.; Singh, NeenuItem Metadata only Education England(Routledge, 2020-11-26) Younie, Sarah; Hudson, Brian; Leask, MarilynThe problem addressed in this chapter concerns the number of changes to the education system that have occurred, meaning that: Reforms to the English education system are unsustainable and have left it “unknowable” “unmanageable” and in its current form “unfixable”. . . These problems may be invisible to policy makers. (Whalley and Greenway, Chapter 5) British society is at a cross-roads. At the time of writing it is uncertain whether the ‘United Kingdom’ will survive because of the BREXIT divisions. Independence movements in Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland are growing. The ‘post-war’ cross-party consensus on how to run our parliamentary democracy and the shared vision of achieving a meritocratic society through free education to degree level, free healthcare at the time of need and high quality council housing for those on low incomes and legal aid to allow citizens redress through the courts, has been shattered. The heavily cross-referenced Wikipedia entry1 on the United Kingdom’s Austerity Programme starting in 2010 makes grim reading with references to over a quarter of a million early deaths2 and with financial cutbacks principally affecting the living standards of disabled people, children, women and particularly women of colour. This is mentioned here as many teachers work in the poorer communities which have felt the burden of cutbacks acutely. Class divisions and wealth Education England inequalities are sharp and a rising tide of discontent has been provoked through policies such as tuition fees, elitism entrenched through spurious league tables of schools and universities, privatisation of council housing and policies which have led to charitable food banks becoming widespread. There is widespread dissatisfaction with the provision of education, from 0–18 years, with concerns being expressed by all political and professional stakeholders apart from the government in office. In June 2019 the Public Accounts Committee identified the Department for Education as topping a list of “concern”. In her Annual Report to Parliament, Committee Chair, Meg Hillier MP, highlighted the “lack of grip” over the academies’ system, a lack of transparency and the DfE and Ofsted’s failure to “take up the baton” over funding squeezes. (Whalley and Greenway, Chapter 5). The Confederation of British Industries say the curriculum is too narrow (CBI, 2010a, 2010b, 2012), Teacher recruitment goals are not met by the DFE and retention is poor; their own research shows over 20% of new teachers leave the profession within the first two years of teaching, and 33% leave within their first five years (DFE, 2019). An education system that is described as “unknowable”, “unmanageable” and in its current form “unfixable” (Whalley and Greenway, Chapter 5) cannot be called a system. The chaos that has ensued from a plethora of radical reforms in England since 2010 has led to this book in which the intention is to support better policy making by making explicit the options that policy makers face and the potential positive and negative consequences of their choices (see Chapter 20). In this chapter we examine a way out of the chaos in the current English education system.Item Metadata only CPD, knowledge services and research(Routledge, 2020-11-26) Younie, Sarah; Leask, Marilyn; Audain, Jon; Preston, Christina; Procter, RichardTeachers CPD – an international problem The absence of a strong publicly stated knowledge base allows the misconception to continue that any smart person can teach. (Fullan, 1993 p. 111) There is the need to strengthen the connection between teachers’ practice and educational research, whereby the latter informs professional practice. This requires the development of a coherent strategy for teachers to engage with educational research, which can be achieved through teachers’ continuing professional development. This argument has been reinforced by recommendations in an OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) examination of educational R&D in England (OECD, 2002) and internationally (OECD, 2009). According to OECD TALIS research (2009), no country has a good solution for the provision of up-to-date continuing professional development (CPD) for teachers. For the purposes of this chapter we identify four main purposes of CPD: 1 CPD initiated by government for whole sector change 2 CPD provided by subject associations 3 CPD initiated by schools for within school change and 4 CPD self-directed: initiated by the individual teacher for personal professional development.Item Metadata only Policy options and consequences(Routledge, 2020-11-26) Younie, Sarah; Leask, Marilyn; Hudson, BrianEducation systems provide the foundations for the future wellbeing of every society. In addition, teaching is the one profession that makes all other professions possible. The rhetoric that there is a simple solution to ensuring a national education service and system that delivers a world-class education for all is entrancing. Younie and Leask (2019a) The international context for this book is the ongoing preoccupation of governments to improve their education systems and the lack of publications on education system design, as mentioned in the preface. Internationally, UNESCO’s new Sustainable Development Goals challenge developed and developing countries to provide high-quality education for all children by 2030. Additionally, international measurements of the effectiveness of school education systems such as the OECD, PISA and TIMSS benchmarks have created a highly competitive environment between the countries involved. There is a danger that such measures, which are naturally limited in scope, lead to unintended consequences as politicians opt to adopt quick fixes so that they are seen by the electorate to be improving the country’s place in the international league tables. It is important to guard against this. This book suggests an education system be viewed as an ecosystem with interdependencies between many different components needing to be considered when change is contemplated. This will lead to a more in-depth and nuanced understanding of the complexity when developing education policy. England, a cautionary tale: England is used as a case study in a number of chapters as it presents a system which has become an extreme outlier among developed nations. The context for England is that many of the initiatives and changes introduced by the current government are considered not to be working by Parliament’s own regulatory bodies. In England, the education system was opened up to a free market early in the 21st century, and chaos of provision has ensued together with a crisis of teacher recruitment and retention (DfE, 2019b). This has led to a parental and political backlash and the main opposition party, the Labour Party, promoting the concept of a National Education Service as the model for the system of the future. This is an extreme example of a society going around in circles. In 1833, the MP for Wigan brought the first documented proposals before Parliament to establish a National Education Service. Many subsequent Education Acts made significant changes to the service only to have the changes swept away by the next government (see Chapter 5). This adversarial approach has wasted resources and challenges the notion of a democracy being a system where Parliament and Government work for all the people.Item Metadata only Education in emergencies(Routledge, 2020-11-26) Younie, Sarah; Leask, Marilyn; Hall, StephenClosing of schools had different consequences for different stakeholders – parents, teachers, pupils – and brought into sharp relief inequalities in societies: children who had personal internet connected devices were able to continue their education at home where their teachers moved swiftly to teaching online. Other children from poorer families or with special needs simply missed out (UNESCO 2020), or were disadvantaged through inequalities in provision. This chapter provides an analysis of early lessons emerging from this situation of a global pandemic – the most significant of which was, how well prepared was the schooling system for times of crisis and managing continuity of learning when school closures, the need for which was anticipated in national and international pandemic planning (WHO 2005), were called for? We argue that such planning is an essential prerequisite for robust education system design particularly, given that virologists predict that epidemics and pandemics will continue to occur periodically as new viruses emerge: recent examples being Ebola, SARS, MERS, Swine Flu, measles and HIV. Pandemic planning is one of the responsibilities of governments, and guidance from WHO (2005) and the European Commission (ECDC 2006; EC 2009a, 2009b; NZ 2011, 2020), referenced in what follows, outlines good practice. Planning for the continuance of education is recommended as one element of national plans with consideration of interdependencies between sectors being essential in pandemic planning. As an example of a failure to plan for a pandemic appropriately, in England, education pandemic plans had not been updated for over a decade (DES 2006; DCSF 2008). The outdated plans were not fit for new structures in the education sector, following a change of government in 2010, which led to the diminishing of local education authorities. In addition, in 2010 all the government funded (for England) online educational resources – lesson plans, resources and teaching advice – had been mothballed by the incoming government (Blamires 2015; Younie and Leask 2019).Item Metadata only Developing your vision(Routledge, 2020-11-26) Hudson, Brian; Leask, Marilyn; Younie, SarahChapter 3 has been designed to help you to clarify the principles which follow from your values. Through this chapter we explore choices and potential consequences of your choices. The intention of these chapters is to challenge you to be explicit about the values and priorities which underpin your choices. National leadership is a challenging task – there are competing priorities, diverse viewpoints to be reconciled, resource allocation decisions to be made. It can be easy within the day-to-day pressures of the political environment to lose sight of the fact that decisions taken at the national leadership level embody the values that will educate the citizens responsible for the society of tomorrow. Consider Kerslake’s analysis here: In his introduction to the UK2070 Commission Report (2019), Lord Kerslake asserts that deep-rooted regional inequalities across the UK demand “long term thinking and a special economic plan to tackle them”. The report concludes that inequalities are exacerbated by “underpowered ‘pea-shooter’ and ‘sticking-plaster’ policies”. A case is made for future policy to be “structural, generational, interlocking and at scale”. Within advanced economies poverty and inequality have emerged as political flash points (G-7 summit, Biarritz, 2019). We start this chapter with three premises with which may or may not fit with your values: • that a nation’s education service provides the foundation for development of a society: that a government creates, shapes or denies, opportunities for society’s development, economic prosperity and citizens’ wellbeing through its leader ship of the national education service • that civil unrest is a threat to democracies as governments rule by popular mandate and that the chance of civil unrest can be minimised through an education service overtly supporting values of community and social cohesion, tolerance of difference and advancement on merit • that high quality motivated teachers are the single most important factor in improving educational outcomes and that system stability with managed change, innovative CPD using 21st century technologies together with stake holder consensus is most likely to achieve this. For the UK, the BREXIT issues divided society. A new focus on education, based on explicit shared values focused on shaping the society of tomorrow, may bring the opportunity to energise communities and bring them together. Other fractured societies may consider how consultation on the values and principles for a national education system and service could help overcome similar challenges.Item Metadata only A Critical Review of Emerging Pedagogical Perspectives on Mobile Learning(Springer, 2021-05-30) Longman, David; Younie, SarahIn recent years, a significant level of interest has developed in the potential of mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones for learning. Mobile learning is an approach that aims to exploit the particular features and characteristics of portable, personal computational devices for pedagogical purposes. This chapter outlines a critique of some current thinking about mobile learning as a contribution to an “appropriate theory of education for the mobile age”: “We are in an age of personal and technical mobility, where mobile devices, … are carried everywhere. We have the opportunity to design learning differently: linking people in real and virtual worlds, creating learning communities between people on the move, providing expertise on demand, and supporting a lifetime of learning. In order to understand how people learn through a mobile, pervasive and lifelong interaction with technology, we need to understand the implications of learning with mobile technology and build an appropriate theory of education for the mobile age.” (Sharples. et al 2009) This critical review of the literature analyses some of the pedagogical claims underlying mobile learning and argues that expectations are not based on robust foundations of theory or experiment. Mobile educational technology and associated mobile learning practices are a dynamic domain of constant change, enlivened by developments of new devices, services and software and, alongside possible benefits, streams of significant social and educational dilemmas. This is the challenge for mobile learning and the aim to describe and develop sustainable, well-integrated pedagogical practices and theoretical foundations that exploit the potential of mobile technology for educational goals. The peer-reviewed literature included in this chapter covers the period up to 2017 and is rich with ‘proof-of-concept’ educational activities that demonstrate aspects of practical viability but do not yet provide a foundation on which to build a systemic pedagogy because there is little evidence of systematic benefits or repeatable outcomes, either positive or negative, for the educational role of mobile educational technology. For this chapter peer-reviewed articles were selectively retrieved using broad keywords: ‘mobile learning’; ‘m-learning’; ‘education’; and ‘pedagogy’. Keywords: mobile learning; research review; pedagogy; educational technology.Item Metadata only Learning Alone or Learning Together? How Can Teachers Use Online Technologies to Innovate Pedagogy?(Springer International Publishing, 2021) Preston, Christina; Younie, Sarah; Hramiak, AlisonMuch discussion of online learning, or e–learning, has been pre– occupied with the practice of teaching online and the debate about whether being online is ‘as good as’ direct face-to-face teaching. The authors contributing to this paper, members of the MirandaNet Fellowship professional community of practice, describe an incubation period since 1992 through which they trace the emergence of new teaching and learning theories and practices based on their varied elearning projects. We outline the development of theory and practice that and under five headings: technologies for knowledge sharing; pedagogical theories underpinning collaborative online learning; roles for communities of practice (CoP) members in online debates; the impact of MOOCs on elearning; and, the role of MOOCs in schools. A key conclusion looking across all the findings is that professional collaboration and knowledge sharing is powerfully supported when the teachers, as learners, belong to a community of practice. Keywords: MOOCs, COOCs, SPOCs, professional development, elearning,virtual learning platforms, learning theory, pedagogyItem Metadata only Using digital technologies to support continuing professional development(Routledge, 2024-03-20) Preston, Christina; Younie, SarahThis chapter outlines different forms of teacher Continuing Professional Development (CPD) that you may have access to and introduces ways that digital technologies can be used to support you to develop your professional knowledge. We consider a range of strategies for supporting your learning as it is your responsibility, as a teacher, to keep your professional knowledge and practice up to date. While digital technologies can be used to support teachers’ continuing professional development (CPD), teachers also need CPD in how to use and appropriate digital technologies for their own pedagogic practice. The previous chapters in this book focus on your pedagogic practice. In this chapter we focus on the use of digital technologies to support your CPD. Objectives At the end of this chapter you should be able to • understand what CPD opportunities are available to you now and be motivated to join relevant professional organisations; • engage in the forms of continuing teacher education outlined in this chapter if you are not already using them; • set up your own regional, local or school based organisations where you can share your experience and knowledge with a view to growing collaborative professional development; • develop an understanding about the opportunities to access research through quick and easily available routes; • understand how to deploy relevant digital technologies to improve your own professional practice.Item Metadata only Teaching and Learning with Technologies in the Primary School(Routledge, 2024-03-20) Leask, Marilyn; Younie, SarahThis fully updated third edition of Teaching and Learning with Technologies in the Primary School introduces practising and student teachers to the range of ways in which technology can be used to support and extend teaching and learning opportunities in their classrooms. Newly expanded to include 50% brand new chapters reflecting the abundant changes in the field since the last edition was published, it offers practical guidance underpinned by the latest research and teaching in the field. The authors draw on the extensive experience of educators in Australia, England, Ireland, Scotland, South Africa, the U.S.A. and Wales to provide local, national and international examples of the application of digital technologies to teaching and learning across the primary curriculum. Illustrated throughout with case studies and examples together with a glossary explaining key terms, chapters focus on how technology based practices can support the teaching of individual subjects, as well as a range of teaching and learning styles. Key and new topics covered include: – Supporting reading and writing with technology – Technology in the early years– Developing e skills of parents – Use of Virtual Reality in learning – PedTech – Resilience in the digital world Written for all training primary teachers, as well as more experienced teachers and technology co-ordinators looking for guidance on the latest innovative practice, Teaching and Learning with Technologies in the Primary School, 3rd edition, offers advice and ideas for creative, engaging and successful teaching and learning.Item Metadata only Writing academic articles for publication and developing your academic profile(Routledge, 2023-05-09) Younie, SarahThis chapter addresses the writing of academic journal papers for publication, as developing a profile through a body of written work is part of developing a career pathway to professorship. Part of building your profile involves writing different types of publications, from practitioner informed articles through to double-blind peer reviewed academic journal papers. The latter maintains the highest academic prestige due to the quality assurance process of having a minimum of two reviewer's assess the quality of the paper. The review is undertaken anonymously in order to minimise any bias with respect to reviewers knowing the author. Professors usually are on editorial boards of journals and have experience reviewing papers for publication. The chapter outlines the different stages of this process and systematically covers; designing research for publication, planning the paper, constructing the paper, checking and submitting the paper and revising the paper; each of which forms a separate phase. Each stage requires you to dedicate time to undertake the work, and that can be challenging with respect to your academic workload. Writing will be on top of an academic’s day job with respect to planning and delivering teaching, conducting research and completing administration associated with each of these roles. Given that peer reviewed journal articles are considered to be the gold standard in academia, this chapter focuses on how to write papers for journal publication and the guidance outlined in this chapter assumes that your writing is for a journal paper based on research, development or evaluation that you are involved in. Whilst material based on undertaking literature reviews or purely theoretical developments does get published in refereed journals, those types of papers are not reporting on original empirical research. That said, it's worth pointing out that such papers, like systematic reviews, can be undertaken without funding and can draw on previous work undertaken for one’s doctoral thesis in particular drawing on the literature review chapter. OBJECTIVES This chapter introduces you to: · Designing research for publication · Planning a paper · Which Journal? Choosing where to submit your paper · Author guidelines · Constructing a paper · Checking and submitting a paper · The editorial peer reviewing process · Revising the paper · Reviewing journal articles and joining an editorial board · Starting a new journalItem Metadata only Teacher Experiences and Practices in the Time of COVID-19(BRILL, 2022-11-17) Gentles, Carol Hordatt; Younie, Sarah; Leask, Marilyn; Caldwell, HelenThe concept of quality in teaching and how to accomplish it is a contested notion. This is because it is stakeholder, time, and context relative (OECD,2005). Despite growing recognition of the value of including teachers’ voices in dialogue about quality teaching (EI, 2019), research suggests that in many jurisdictions, teachers’ ideas are still marginalized and excluded from the process. The experiences and practices of teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic have changed how we think about the work of teachers and the quality of what they are able to offer. This strengthens the view that teachers are capable and competent to lead in determining what quality in teaching is. This chapter considers this proposition by highlighting research (ICET/ MESH, 2020) that documented the experiences of 400 teachers in 40 countries during the pandemic. The project sought to open spaces for understanding what happened when schools closed, leaving 63 million secondary and primary level teachers in 165 countries (UNESCO, 2020) to participate in mitigating loss of learning for 1.5 billion students worldwide. Using group interviews, 20 researchers from across the globe facilitated opportunities for teachers to share their experiences, emerging pedagogies, and challenges due to COVID-19. They also shared their recommendations for the roles of teachers and education in the future. The report suggests that in transitioning to online delivery and other creative ways of reaching students, teachers demonstrated their capacity to be innovative and to take ownership of accelerating changes in how they think and work. It also showed their willingness to change their mindsets – when they deemed necessary- about developing skills, knowledge, and competences for ways of teaching previously considered too difficult or problematic to implement. The chapter argues that examining how and why teachers rose to this challenge has implications for new ways of thinking about what quality in teaching means. This is a development that should not be ignored.Item Open Access Domestic Laundering of Healthcare Textiles: a potential source of antibiotic resistance?(Microbiology Society 2024, 2024-04-08) Dunlop, Jake; Cayrou, Caroline; Owen, Lucy; Laird, KatieMicroorganisms can survive domestic laundering on textiles, having the potential to cross-contaminate healthcare and home environments. The effect of repeated exposure to domestic detergents is not well understood. Sub-lethal exposure to antimicrobials can drive antibiotic cross-resistance. Aim: To determine the development of bacterial resistance to domestic non-biological laundry detergents and subsequent effects on antibiotic susceptibility. Methods: Stepwise training in broth was used to develop detergent resistance/tolerance in Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa by exposing them to sub-lethal concentrations of non-biological domestic detergents (powder and liquid). The mutants created were assessed for cross-resistance to clinically relevant antibiotics using a disc diffusion method. Whole genome sequencing of mutants demonstrating antibiotic resistance (EUCAST clinical breakpoints) was then conducted to identify any resistance-inducing genes. Results: Repeated exposure to laundry detergents increased resistance in the bacteria, from 180µg/ml to 270µg/ml (powder) and 0.000675µl/ml to 0.60µl/ml (liquid) in S. aureus, 0.00675µl/ml to 2.05µl/ml (liquid) and 18µg/ml to 27µg/ml (powder) in P. aeruginosa, and 0.000675µl/ml to 10.36µl/ml (liquid) in K. pneumoniae. In parallel, increased resistance to antibiotics was observed in S. aureus to Moxifloxacin 5μg, Fusidic Acid 10μg, Penicillin G 1 unit, Tetracycline 30μg, Rifampicin 5μg, and Oxacillin 5µg. Conclusion: Sub-lethal concentrations of detergent can induce resistance to domestic laundry detergents and cross-resistance to antibiotics, particularly in S. aureus. This is of particular concern in the domestic environment where washing detergent concentrations are not regulated/maintained or monitored and is reliant on accurate individual user dispensing. This could have implications for the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.Item Metadata only Development of a vitamin B12 deficiency Patient-reported Outcome measure for clinical practice and research(Sage, 2024-07-10) Suijker, K.; Plattel, C.; Seage, C. H.; Ward, Nicola; James, D.; Vis, J.Background: It is difficult to recognize vitamin B12 deficiency and to evaluate the effect of B12 treatment due to a broad range of variable clinical symptoms overlapping with other diseases and diagnostic biomarkers that quickly normalize during treatment. This poses a risk of delay in diagnosis and a challenge to uniformly monitor the effect of B12 treatment. There is a need for a new clinical outcome measure suitable for clinical practice and clinical evaluation studies. Objective: To develop a Patient-Reported Outcome Measure (PROM) which measures the severity of vitamin B12 deficiency symptoms. Methods: The B12 PROM was developed by (1) gathering input from experts and literature review to define a construct and develop a conceptual model, (2) processing input from health care providers, scientists, and patients to develop items and response options, and (3) improving items based on the feedback from laypersons, test interviews, semi-structured cognitive interviews with patients, and forward and backward translation (ENG-NL). Results: The B12 PROM includes 62 items grouped into 8 categories of symptoms related to vitamin B12 deficiency (General, Senses, Thinking, In limbs and/or face, Movement, Emotions, Mouth & Abdomen, Urinary tract & Reproductive organs). Cognitive interviews demonstrated good comprehensibility and comprehensiveness. Conclusions: This study is the first step in the development of a disease-specific PROM for vitamin B12 deficiency to measure the burden of symptoms. Further validation and reliability testing are necessary before the PROM can be applied in clinical practice and research.Item Open Access Design and synthesis of pyridyl and 2-hydroxyphenyl chalcones with antitubercular activity(MDPI, 2024-09-24) Brucoli, Federico; Aziafor, K.; Ruparelia, K. C.; Moulds, B.; Zloh, M.; Parish, T.A focussed library of pyridyl and 2-hydroxyphenyl chalcones were synthesized and tested for growth inhibitory activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv, and normal and cancer breast cell lines. Pyridyl chalcones bearing lipophilic A-ring, e.g., dichloro-phenyl-(14), pyrene-1-yl (20)- and biphenyl-4-yl (21) moieties were found to be the most potent of the series inhibiting the growth of M. tuberculosis H37Rv with IC90 values ranging from 8.9–28 µM. Aryl chalcones containing a 3-methoxyphenyl A-ring and either p-Br-phenyl (25) or p-Cl-phenyl (26) B-rings showed an IC90 value of 28 µM. Aryl-chalcones were generally less toxic to HepG2 cells compared to pyridyl-chalcones. Dose-dependent antiproliferative activity against MDA468 cells was observed for trimethoxy-phenyl (16) and anthracene-9-yl (19) pyridyl-chalcones with IC50 values of 0.7 and 0.3 µM, respectively. Docking studies revealed that chalone 20 was predicted to bind to the M. tuberculosis protein tyrosine phosphatases B (PtpB) with higher affinity compared to a previously reported PtpB inhibitor.Item Open Access Development of standardised microbiological testing methods to monitor bacterial and spore disinfection efficacy of the laundry and finishing processes(Infection Prevention Society 2024, 2024-09-23) Dunlop, Jake; Cayrou, Caroline; Owen, Lucy; Laird, KatieNumerous methodologies have been used within the industrial laundry sector to monitor the disinfection efficacy of healthcare laundry processes. Recently, a standardised methodology has been developed for the healthcare laundry industry and will be utilised in the UK and USA. This standardised methodology is based on usage of bioindicators, with Enterococcus faecium (high temperature and disinfectant tolerance) enclosed in a membrane. During the development of the method, commercially available bioindicators were only permeable to disinfectant/detergent at ≥60 °C. PES membrane bioindicators were then developed for use during low-temperature laundering. Similar methodologies are currently in development to monitor the spore disinfection efficacy of the laundry processes, in addition to monitoring the disinfection efficacy of laundry finishing processes. Once developed, these methodologies will be added to the healthcare laundry sector toolbox to monitor laundry disinfection. The development of standardised microbiological testing across the laundry industry is essential to improve infection control in the future.Item Open Access Guidance for the Safe Management of Linen in Residential, Nursing or Other Social Healthcare Environments(Skills for Care, 2024-10) Laird, Katie; McMahon, Janet; Hook, Jackie; Allen, JoyRationale Research was conducted by Professor Katie Laird at De Montfort University on current infection prevention and control policies and practices utilised by care/nursing homes in the laundering of resident associated textiles, barriers to implementing such policies and attitudes towards laundering. Over 1000 care home mangers and healthcare workers took part in the research, which showed that under half of healthcare workers believe that bed linen, personal clothing and staff uniforms is always processed well in their onpremises laundry sites. Only half of care home managers stated that their staff receive formal laundry training; with 87% of healthcare workers stating they would like to receive further training. Healthcare workers (86%) and managers (91%) stated that they would like more support with running on-premises laundries in their settings. Key findings from the focus group included the need for better training and resources with regards to implementing infection prevention and control policies around laundering. This research led to the formation of a laundry management group with the Infection Prevention Society Care Home Special Interest Group in order to create easily accessible and usable guidance for the Safe Management of Linen in Residential, Nursing or other Social Healthcare Environments, here on in referred to as care homes. There is a lack of evidence to support practical interpretation of current laundry polices e.g. HTM01-04 Decontamination of Linen for Health and Social Care: Management and Provision by care homes. Polices in place in care homes are often vague and have a limited scientific/infection control knowledge base. This guidance has been compiled to clarify existing healthcare laundering procedures and is based on scientific knowledge of infectious disease transmission, textiles as fomites, disinfection and infection prevention and control processes including personal protective equipment (PPE) and current laundry practices and policies. This guidance complements the requirements from the Care Quality Commission and HTM01-04 decontamination of linen guidance. Scope The purpose of this guidance is to facilitate education and knowledge exchange of safe laundering practices. With training and education being placed at the beginning of the document to emphasise how important education is for successful implementation and continuation of effective and efficient best laundering practice to reduce transmission of infection. This guidance covers the safe handling and storage of clean linen; safe handling, segregation and transportation of used and infectious linen to the laundry; provision, operation and maintenance of the laundry environment and equipment; risks associated with laundering chemicals/products/environment; wash programmes and ironing. If laundry services are outsourced, the laundry provider should adhere to HTM1-04 guidelines and where appropriate BS EN 14065:2016 Textiles - Laundry processed textiles - Biocontamination control system accredited.Item Open Access Germ’s Journey: A Fight Against Resistance, 2nd edn(Medina Publishing, 2023-05) Glover, Joseph; Laird, Katie; Younie, Sarah; Crosby, SapphireThe team behind Bye-Bye Germs! and A Germ’s Journey presents this brilliant new graphic novel. A Germ’s Journey - A Fight Against Resistance offers the chance to be part of the Anti-Bio Squad, a team combatting antibiotic resistance. When a boy comes down with some mysterious symptoms, it's up to you to find the clues, catch the right criminal, fend off the bacteria, and prevent them from becoming resistant to all of your weapons (antibiotics). Along the way you will be helped by friends: Agent Max, his dynamic dog, team-mate Georgie, and The Doc However, it's you who decides what path this investigation follows. Do you have what it takes to succeed in the Fight Against Resistance and become a member of the Anti-Bio Squad? Dive into the microscopic world of germs and join Max and Georgie in the Anti-Bio Squad to help them take down the evil bacteria making people sick. In this pathfinder graphic novel, you control the story, you choose how to solve the case, and you help the team fight off the germs and save the day!