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Background: The Royal London Hospital, East London, receives a case of nitrous oxide (N 2 O) myeloneuropathy roughly every 9 days. No formal education programme is widely available to warn young people of the risks of recreational N 2 O use. Our aim was to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of workshops focusing on the neurological risks of N 2 O, with the primary outcome to increase awareness of these risks among young people., Methods: For this cross-sectional study, the workshop content was piloted with over 200 people at a community event, received input from a person with lived experience, and then piloted with a youth group, all in east London, UK. Between Oct 10, 2022, and April 11, 2023, 32 workshops were delivered to 984 young people in schools and youth groups in east London. The workshop included three interactive activities exploring how and why N 2 O causes neurological damage. An online anonymous questionnaire including free text and 5-point Likert scale answers was provided after each workshop. The HRA ethical toolkit and NIHR INVOLVE guidance were consulted, and NHS ethics approval was not required., Findings: 396 (40%) of 984 workshop participants completed the questionnaire. The median age bracket of attendees was 13-15 years. 38 (10%) of 396 respondents reported past use of N 2 O, while 24 (6%) did not divulge use or non-use. Self-perceived likelihood of use was reduced after the workshop, with 261 (66%) very unlikely to use N 2 O before the session compared with 290 (73%) after the session. 238 (60%) respondents reported an increase in self-perceived knowledge of the risks after the session. When asked about their understanding of the risks of N 2 O, 206 (52%) relayed something related to N 2 O causing neurological damage. 327 (83%) respondents found the workshop useful., Interpretation: This work highlights the feasibility of raising awareness among young people of N 2 O-myeloneuropathy in this workshop format. Limitations included difficulties involving many participants with lived experience in design, an absence of pre-existing interventions to compare against these workshops, and that data collection from young people required pragmatic, short questions. Overall, this work supports larger-scale preventive approaches to N 2 O-myeloneuropathy, such as a national education programme., Funding: Queen Mary Centre for Public Engagement Small Grant Fund., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Sixty-two recent non-firearm homicides dealt with by an inner London public mortuary were studied. The majority of homicides involved stabbing--usually multiple wounds to the trunk. These were followed by blunt instrument homicides--nearly all involved multiple blows to the head, and asphyxiation--usually consisting of strangulation with a ligature being employed in the majority of cases. Homicides tended to occur during the evening and night in spring and early summer. Most victims were found to be in the 20-39 age group, with male victims outnumbering females in a 2:1 ratio. A marked difference in homicide pattern existed between the male and female victims. Males tended to fall victim to strangers encountered while socialising in and around bars and clubs. Females were most often killed by close acquaintances in domestic disputes at home.