University College London

Virtual reality mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for reducing psychological distress in people with depression and/or anxiety symptoms: two uncontrolled feasibility studies

Abstract Background Group mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) is recommended for the treatment of subthreshold-to-mild depressive symptoms. Timely access to MBCT, however, is limited by accessibility issues. Self-help MBCT can overcome these issues, but is associated with...

Understanding possible differences between haemodialysis and haemodiafiltration which affect survival in end-stage kidney disease dialysis patients: the STITCHED study halted by the COVID-19 epidemic

<ns5:p>Background The mortality rate of kidney dialysis patients remains high, predominantly due to cardiovascular disease. The clearance of uraemic solutes with standard high-flux haemodialysis (HD) is mainly mediated by diffusion. More recently, haemodiafiltration (HDF), which...

Analysis of drug development risks for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease from a sustainable accounting perspective

Abstract Background Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is among the most common chronic liver diseases worldwide [1], and its targeted therapy and new drug development have drawn extensive global attention. Prior relevant studies mainly focus on the...

Outcomes of hospitalized children in rural Malawi: investigating the association between inpatient mortality and referral

<ns5:p>Background The under-five mortality rate counted 71 deaths per 1000 live births for children under five in Sub Saharan Africa in 2022, far above the SDG under five-mortality goal of 25 deaths per live 1000 birth. Referral issues are major challenges to child health and the...

MC-NODE: A Mechanism-Decomposed Neural Differential Model for PLGA Microsphere Drug Release Prediction and Attribution

Background/Objectives: Poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) microspheres support long-acting drug delivery, but their release profiles are difficult to predict because burst release, diffusion, polymer degradation, and formulation-dependent effects interact across multiple time scal...

Community engagement in epidemics – experiences from the SoNAR-Global COVID-19 vulnerability assessment

Since the largest outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease 2014–2016, the concept of community engagement (CE) gained popularity in global frameworks and strategies to tackle infectious disease. Recent studies suggest that CE might be a useful approach to understand and resolve vulnerabil...

Introduction to Trial‐Level Subgroup Analysis: A Tutorial

ABSTRACT This tutorial introduces the concept of trial‐level subgroup analysis in meta‐analysis. We describe the rationale for conducting subgroup analyses, distinguish trial‐level from participant‐level characteristics, outline how to properly interpret effects within subgroups,...

The dynamic and heterogeneous structure of the non-canonical inflammasome

Inflammasomes are high-molecular-weight complexes that play integral roles in the innate immune system, triggering an inflammatory cascade to protect against cellular stresses such as pathogenic bacteria. Both canonical and non-canonical inflammasomes have been described in the l...

Serum Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein Dynamics, Disease Progression, and Therapy Response in Multiple Sclerosis

Importance: Capturing individual multiple sclerosis (MS) progression is difficult; few studies have evaluated glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) in large longitudinal cohorts with independent validation. Objective: To investigate whether serum GFAP levels and treatment-relate...

Plain language summary of how acoramidis affects the total number of heart problems over time in people with ATTR-CM: findings from the ATTRibute-CM study

Plain Language SummaryWhat is this summary about?Transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM) happens when transthyretin (TTR) protein breaks apart, forming clumps that build up in the heart, making it harder to pump blood.People with ATTR-CM often go to the hospital multiple t...

Smart Urban Agriculture in Transition: A Systematic Review of ICT Integration, Applications, and Challenges

This paper systematically reviews the emerging field of smart urban agriculture, defined as the integration of information and communication technologies (ICTs) into food production practices within and around built-up urban areas. Although urban agriculture and digital agricultu...

Verify if you are human: what is the ‘human’ in ‘human migration’?

This special issue explores the instability of different migration categories from perspectives in the Global South. This contribution argues that ‘human’ is a category that hides in plain sight in Migration Studies and that it should be brought out of hiding. Sylvia Wynter’s wor...

Cold Atmospheric Plasma Disrupts Microbial Wound Bioburden: In Vitro, Porcine MRSA Biofilm, and Clinical Fluorescence Evidence from Bench to Bedside

Background: Biofilm-associated microbial burden is a major barrier to wound healing and is increasingly difficult to control in the era of antimicrobial resistance. This translational study evaluated the antimicrobial performance and tissue compatibility of a commercially availab...

Identification of a Duplication in the RP17 Locus in an Individual With Pathogenic CEP290 Variants: Implications for RP17 Variant Classification

Purpose: To assess the pathogenicity of a novel duplication in the RP17 locus identified in a cone dystrophy proband with biallelic CEP290 variants. Structural variants (SVs) in this locus have previously been associated with dominant retinitis pigmentosa. Methods: Inheritance of...

Exploring Heterogeneity in Meta‐Analysis Using Trial‐Level Characteristics: A Tutorial

ABSTRACT This tutorial describes how to explore across‐trial heterogeneity in meta‐analysis using trial‐level characteristics. It describes how to carry out a subgroup analysis for a trial‐level characteristic with more than two categories and provides approaches for analysing co...

An elementary form of agency at planetary-scale

Abstract The claim that climate homeorhesis—non-equilibrium steady-state dynamics that underlie Earth’s long-term habitability—depends on an integrated biosphere–climate system capable of acting on its own is central to debates surrounding the Gaia hypothesis. This paper presents...

eDAS: Extending Data Availability Sampling with Privacy and Compliance

A data availability sampling scheme (DAS) allows a network of verifiers to collectively ensure that an untrusted party is correctly storing and distributing some committed data. Importantly, the protocol should not require that the verifiers coordinate or store the full data indi...

Sex differences in murine bone matrix maturation modulate osteoblast-endothelial interactions

Abstract Background Bone formation during skeletal growth and repair is divergently modulated by osteoblast-derived vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which contributes to the sexual dimorphism of the bone vasculature. While the extracellular matrix (ECM) provides structu...

People experiencing homelessness and their experiences with substance use services for alcohol treatment in England: Journey mapping based on semi‐structured interviews

Abstract Background and aims Alcohol consumption at high levels is common among people experiencing homelessness and contributes to inequalities. In relative terms these individuals are underrepresented in substance use services. This study captured common trajectories and identi...

Distinct amino acid signatures and neutralization sensitivity of plasma- and CSF-derived HIV-1 subtype C clones

Abstract Background Broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs) offer a promising alternative for HIV prevention and treatment, with the potential to cross the blood–brain barrier. However, the extent to which viral genetic variation between the peripheral blood and central nervous s...