Studies have shown an association between workplace safety climate scores and patient outcomes. This study aimed to investigate (1) performance of the hospital safety climate scale that was adapted to assess acute respiratory illness safety climate, (2) factors associated with safety climate scores, and (3) whether the safety scores were associated with following recommended droplet and contact precautions.

A survey of Canadian healthcare personnel participating in a cohort study of influenza during the 2010/2011–2013/2014 winter seasons. Factor analysis and structural equation modeling were used for analyses.

Of the 1359 participants eligible for inclusion, 88% were female and 52% were nurses. The adapted items loaded to the same factors as the original scale. Personnel working on higher risk wards, nurses, and younger staff rated their hospital’s safety climate lower than other staff. Following guidelines for droplet and contact precautions was positively associated with ratings of management support and absence of job hindrances.

The adapted tool can be used to assess hospital safety climates regarding respiratory pathogens. Management support and the absence of job hindrances are associated with hospital staff’s propensity and ability to follow precautions against the transmission of respiratory illnesses.

Diagnostic criteria for major depressive disorder allow for heterogeneous symptom profiles but genetic analysis of major depressive symptoms has the potential to identify clinical and etiological subtypes. There are several challenges to integrating symptom data from genetically informative cohorts, such as sample size differences between clinical and community cohorts and various patterns of missing data.

We conducted genome-wide association studies of major depressive symptoms in three cohorts that were enriched for participants with a diagnosis of depression (Psychiatric Genomics Consortium, Australian Genetics of Depression Study, Generation Scotland) and three community cohorts who were not recruited on the basis of diagnosis (Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, Estonian Biobank, and UK Biobank). We fit a series of confirmatory factor models with factors that accounted for how symptom data was sampled and then compared alternative models with different symptom factors.

The best fitting model had a distinct factor for Appetite/Weight symptoms and an additional measurement factor that accounted for the skip-structure in community cohorts (use of Depression and Anhedonia as gating symptoms).

The results show the importance of assessing the directionality of symptoms (such as hypersomnia versus insomnia) and of accounting for study and measurement design when meta-analyzing genetic association data.

Chemsex occurs primarily among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM), and there is evidence of a subgroup of users who carry out chemsex-related criminal offences and experience harm. Challenges with chemsex can present to various settings; there are concerns that harm is increasing, including at interfaces between health, social care and criminal justice systems. The UK response to date has lacked a coordinated approach. An expert reference group was convened to share chemsex knowledge, articulate priorities for research and pathway development, and foster collaborative working between agencies. It made three key recommendations: develop and increase training and awareness across all services; implement a coordinated research programme with the development of a common data-set and assessment tool to fully characterise population-level needs; develop a professional network to share information, provide professional support and act as a knowledge hub. There was support for a unified multi-agency strategy incorporating the priorities identified as overarching principles.

The brain can be represented as a network, with nodes as brain regions and edges as region-to-region connections. Nodes with the most connections (hubs) are central to efficient brain function. Current findings on structural differences in Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) identified using network approaches remain inconsistent, potentially due to small sample sizes. It is still uncertain at what level of the connectome hierarchy differences may exist, and whether they are concentrated in hubs, disrupting fundamental brain connectivity.

We utilized two large cohorts, UK Biobank (UKB, N = 5104) and Generation Scotland (GS, N = 725), to investigate MDD case–control differences in brain network properties. Network analysis was done across four hierarchical levels: (1) global, (2) tier (nodes grouped into four tiers based on degree) and rich club (between-hub connections), (3) nodal, and (4) connection.

In UKB, reductions in network efficiency were observed in MDD cases globally (d = −0.076, pFDR = 0.033), across all tiers (d = −0.069 to −0.079, pFDR = 0.020), and in hubs (d = −0.080 to −0.113, pFDR = 0.013–0.035). No differences in rich club organization and region-to-region connections were identified. The effect sizes and direction for these associations were generally consistent in GS, albeit not significant in our lower-N replication sample.

Our results suggest that the brain's fundamental rich club structure is similar in MDD cases and controls, but subtle topological differences exist across the brain. Consistent with recent large-scale neuroimaging findings, our findings offer a connectomic perspective on a similar scale and support the idea that minimal differences exist between MDD cases and controls.

We reviewed outcomes in all 36 consecutive children <5 kg supported with the Berlin Heart pulsatile ventricular assist device at the University of Florida, comparing those with acquired heart disease (n = 8) to those with congenital heart disease (CHD) (n = 28).

The primary outcome was mortality. The Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank tests were used to assess group differences in long-term survival after ventricular assist device insertion. T-tests using estimated survival proportions were used to compare groups at specific time points.

Of 82 patients supported with the Berlin Heart at our institution, 49 (49/82 = 59.76%) weighed <10 kg and 36 (36/82 = 43.90%) weighed <5 kg. Of 36 patients <5 kg, 26 (26/36 = 72.22%) were successfully bridged to transplantation. (The duration of support with ventricular assist device for these 36 patients <5 kg was [days]: median = 109, range = 4–305.) Eight out of 36 patients <5 kg had acquired heart disease, and all eight [8/8 = 100%] were successfully bridged to transplantation. (The duration of support with ventricular assist device for these 8 patients <5 kg with acquired heart disease was [days]: median = 50, range = 9–130.) Twenty-eight of 36 patients <5 kg had congenital heart disease. Eighteen of these 28 [64.3%] were successfully bridged to transplantation. (The duration of support with ventricular assist device for these 28 patients <5 kg with congenital heart disease was [days]: median = 136, range = 4–305.) For all 36 patients who weighed <5 kg: 1-year survival estimate after ventricular assist device insertion = 62.7% (95% confidence interval = 48.5–81.2%) and 5-year survival estimate after ventricular assist device insertion = 58.5% (95% confidence interval = 43.8–78.3%). One-year survival after ventricular assist device insertion = 87.5% (95% confidence interval = 67.3–99.9%) in acquired heart disease and 55.6% (95% confidence interval = 39.5–78.2%) in CHD, P = 0.036. Five-year survival after ventricular assist device insertion = 87.5% (95% confidence interval = 67.3–99.9%) in acquired heart disease and 48.6% (95% confidence interval = 31.6–74.8%) in CHD, P = 0.014.

Pulsatile ventricular assist device facilitates bridge to transplantation in neonates and infants weighing <5 kg; however, survival after ventricular assist device insertion in these small patients is less in those with CHD in comparison to those with acquired heart disease.

This study aimed to analyse the influence of improved antenatal detection on the course, contemporary outcomes, and mortality risk factors of the complete atrioventricular block during fetal-neonatal and childhood periods in South Wales.

The clinical characteristics and outcomes of complete atrioventricular block in patients without structural heart disease at the University Hospital of Wales from January 1966 to April 2021 were studied. Patients were divided into two groups according to their age at diagnosis: I-fetal-neonatal and II-childhood. Contemporary outcomes during the post-2001 era were compared with historical data preceding fetal service development and hence earlier detection.

There were 64 patients: 26 were identified in the fetal-neonatal period and the remaining 38 in the childhood period. Maternal antibodies/systemic lupus erythematosus disease (anti-Ro/Sjögren’s-syndrome-related Antigen A and/or anti-La/Sjögren’s-syndrome-related Antigen B) were present in 15 (57.7%) of the fetal-neonatal. Fetal/neonatal and early diagnosis increased after 2001 with an incidence of 1:25000 pregnancies. Pacemaker implantation was required in 34 patients, of whom 13 were diagnosed in the fetal-neonatal group. Survival rates in cases identified before 2001 were at 96.3% (26/27), whereas it was 83.8% (31/37) in patients diagnosed after 2001 (P > 0.05). Other mortality risk factors comprised a lower gestational week at birth, maternal antibodies, and an average ventricular heart rate of < 55 bpm.

Fetal diagnosis of complete atrioventricular block is still portends high fetal and neonatal mortality and morbidity despite significantly improved antenatal detection after 2001. Pacemaker intervention is needed earlier in the fetal-neonatal group. Whether routine antenatal medical treatment might alter this outcome calls for further prospective multicentre studies.

Adult vaccination with 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine is currently recommended in the UK only for very high-risk individuals, with 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPV23) being recommended to all adults 65 years or older and those 18 years or older with specified risk conditions. A 20-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV20) has recently become available for use in adults with potential to address a substantial proportion of the current adult pneumococcal disease burden in the UK. We evaluated the cost-effectiveness of PCV20 vaccination compared with PPV23 in adults in England currently eligible for pneumococcal vaccination.

A probabilistic model with a Markov-type process was used to depict lifetime risks and costs of pneumococcal disease among a cohort of English adults. Epidemiologic parameters, serotype coverage, costs, vaccine effectiveness and coverage were based on published literature or publicly available data. The National Health Service perspective was adopted, health effects were expressed in quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), and future costs and QALYs were discounted at 3.5 percent.

Results suggest that under reasonable assumptions concerning disease burden, vaccine, effectiveness, and vaccine cost, PCV20 implementation of an age-and risk-based strategy targeting all adults aged 65 years or older and younger risk group adults aged 18 to 64 years would reduce a large number of pneumococcal disease hospitalizations and pneumococcal-related deaths compared to currently recommended PPV23.

The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was well below the current willingness-to-pay range of GBP20,000-GBP30,000 per QALY gained, with PCV20 being cost saving compared with PPV23 in base case and most sensitivity analyses. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis suggests high certainty in recommending PCV20 for vaccination of adults aged 18 to 64 years in risk groups and all aged 65 years or older instead of PPV23.

Our findings support replacing PPV23 with PCV20 to directly protect adults against pneumococcal disease, reducing hospitalizations and saving lives in the UK.

The cost effectiveness of treating Bell’s palsy with prednisolone in children is unknown. This study aimed to assess the cost effectiveness of prednisolone, compared with placebo, in treating Bell’s Palsy in children from a healthcare sector perspective.

This economic evaluation was a prospectively planned secondary analysis of a triple-blind randomized superiority trial conducted from 2015 to 2020 that compared prednisolone with placebo. The time horizon was six months after randomization. The 180 participants were aged from six months to 17 years and presented within 72 hours of onset of clinician diagnosed Bell’s palsy. Interventions were oral prednisolone (1 mg per kg daily) or taste-matched placebo administered for ten days. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios comparing prednisolone with placebo were estimated. Costs included medication costs, doctor visits, and medical tests over the six-month study period. Effectiveness was measured using quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) derived from the Child Health Utility 9D instrument. Nonparametric bootstrapping was performed to capture uncertainties. Prespecified subgroup analyses by age (12 to 17 years versus <12 years) were performed.

The mean cost per patient was USD188 in the prednisolone group and USD121 in the placebo group over the six-month period (difference USD66, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 47, 179). The mean QALYs gained over six months were 0.45 in the prednisolone group and 0.44 in the placebo group (difference 0.01, 95%CI: -0.01, 0.03). Prednisolone was very likely cost effective given a conventional willingness-to-pay threshold of USD 50,000 per QALY gained (the cost per additional QALY gained was USD6,625 using prednisolone compared with placebo). Subgroup analysis suggested that this was primarily driven by the high probability of prednisolone being cost effective in children aged 12 to 17 years (98%), compared with those younger than 12 years (51%).

This study provides new evidence to stakeholders and policy makers who are considering whether to make prednisolone available for treating Bell’s palsy in children aged 12 to 17 years.

Stress and depression have a reciprocal relationship, but the neural underpinnings of this reciprocity are unclear. We investigated neuroimaging phenotypes that facilitate the reciprocity between stress and depressive symptoms.

In total, 22 195 participants (52.0% females) from the population-based UK Biobank study completed two visits (initial visit: 2006–2010, age = 55.0 ± 7.5 [40–70] years; second visit: 2014–2019; age = 62.7 ± 7.5 [44–80] years). Structural equation modeling was used to examine the longitudinal relationship between self-report stressful life events (SLEs) and depressive symptoms. Cross-sectional data were used to examine the overlap between neuroimaging correlates of SLEs and depressive symptoms on the second visit among 138 multimodal imaging phenotypes.

Longitudinal data were consistent with significant bidirectional causal relationship between SLEs and depressive symptoms. In cross-sectional analyses, SLEs were significantly associated with lower bilateral nucleus accumbal volume and lower fractional anisotropy of the forceps major. Depressive symptoms were significantly associated with extensive white matter hyperintensities, thinner cortex, lower subcortical volume, and white matter microstructural deficits, mainly in corticostriatal-limbic structures. Lower bilateral nucleus accumbal volume were the only imaging phenotypes with overlapping effects of depressive symptoms and SLEs (B = −0.032 to −0.023, p = 0.006–0.034). Depressive symptoms and SLEs significantly partially mediated the effects of each other on left and right nucleus accumbens volume (proportion of effects mediated = 12.7–14.3%, p < 0.001−p = 0.008). For the left nucleus accumbens, post-hoc seed-based analysis showed lower resting-state functional connectivity with the left orbitofrontal cortex (cluster size = 83 voxels, p = 5.4 × 10−5) in participants with high v. no SLEs.

The nucleus accumbens may play a key role in the reciprocity between stress and depressive symptoms.

The aim of this study was to identify and prioritize strategies for strengthening public health system resilience for pandemics, disasters, and other emergencies using a scorecard approach.

The United Nations Public Health System Resilience Scorecard (Scorecard) was applied across 5 workshops in Slovenia, Turkey, and the United States of America. The workshops focused on participants reviewing and discussing 23 questions/indicators. A Likert type scale was used for scoring with zero being the lowest and 5 the highest. The workshop scores were analyzed and discussed by participants to prioritize areas of need and develop resilience strategies. Data from all workshops were aggregated, analyzed, and interpreted to develop priorities representative of participating locations.

Eight themes emerged representing the need for better integration of public health and disaster management systems. These include: assessing community disease burden; embedding long-term recovery groups in emergency systems; exploring mental health care needs; examining ecosystem risks; evaluating reserve funds; identifying what crisis communication strategies worked well; providing non-medical services; and reviewing resilience of existing facilities, alternate care sites, and institutions.

The Scorecard is an effective tool for establishing baseline resilience and prioritizing actions. The strategies identified reflect areas in most need for investment to improve public health system resilience.