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Background: Cancer outcomes are poor in socioeconomically deprived communities, with low symptom awareness contributing to prolonged help-seeking and advanced disease. Targeted cancer awareness interventions require evaluation.\ud \ud \ud Methods: Randomised controlled trial involving adults aged 40+ recruited in community and healthcare settings in deprived areas of South Yorkshire and South-East Wales. Intervention: personalised behavioural advice facilitated by a trained lay advisor. Control: usual care. Follow-up at 2-weeks and 6-months post-randomisation. Primary outcome: total cancer symptom recognition score 2-weeks post-randomisation. \ud \ud \ud Results: 234 participants were randomised. The difference in total symptom recognition at 2-weeks [adjusted mean difference (AMD) 0.6, 95% CI:-0.03, 1.17, p=0.06] was not statistically significant. Intervention participants reported increased symptom recognition (AMD 0.8, 95% CI:0.18, 1.37, p=0.01) and earlier intended presentation (AMD -2.0, 95% CI:-3.02, -0.91, p

The newly identified Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), which causes severe respiratory disease, particularly in people with comorbidities, requires further investigation. Studies in Qatar and elsewhere have provided evidence that dromedary camels are a reservoir for the virus, but the exact modes of transmission of MERS-CoV to humans remain unclear. In February 2014, an assessment was made of the suitability and sensitivity of different types of sample for the detection of MERSCoV by real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for three gene targets: UpE (upstream of the E gene), the N (nucleocapsid) gene and open reading frame (ORF) 1a. Fifty-three animals presented for slaughter were sampled. A high percentage of the sampled camels (79% [95% confidence interval 66.9-91.5%, standard error 0.0625]; 42 out of 53) were shown to be shedding MERS-CoV at the time of slaughter, yet all the animals were apparently healthy. Among the virus-positive animals, nasal swabs were most often positive (97.6%). Oral swabs were the second most frequently positive (35.7%), followed by rectal swabs (28.5%). In addition, the highest viral load, expressed as a cycle threshold (Ct) value of 11.27, was obtained from a nasal swab. These findings lead to the conclusion that nasal swabs are the candidate sample of choice for detecting MERS-CoV using RT-PCR technology in apparently healthy camels.

Early diagnosis of colorectal cancer results in better patient outcomes. Reported barriers to screening amongst non-responders, delays in diagnostic pathways, and current constraints in colonoscopy capacity contribute to delays in diagnosis. We hypothesise that changing the diagnostic paradigm through primary care based semi-automated robotic colonoscopy may improve access and engagement. This project involved development of a training programme with a simulation training model to understand the specific training needs and methods of fulfilling these for the potential ultimate users of primary care based robotic colonoscopy.

Summary The 2013-2016 epidemic of Ebola virus disease in West Africa was of unprecedented magnitude, duration and impact. Extensive collaborative sequencing projects have produced a large collection of over 1600 Ebola virus genomes, representing over 5% of known cases, unmatched for any single human epidemic. In this comprehensive analysis of this entire dataset, we reconstruct in detail the history of migration, proliferation and decline of Ebola virus throughout the region. We test the association of geography, climate, administrative boundaries, demography and culture with viral movement among 56 administrative regions. Our results show that during the outbreak viral lineages moved according to a classic ‘gravity’ model, with more intense migration between larger and more proximate population centers. Notably, we find that despite a strong attenuation of international dispersal after border closures, localized cross-border transmission beforehand had already set the seeds for an international epidemic, rendering these measures relatively ineffective in curbing the epidemic. We use this empirical evidence to address why the epidemic did not spread into neighboring countries, showing that although these regions were susceptible to developing significant outbreaks, they were also at lower risk of viral introductions. Finally, viral genome sequence data uniquely reveals this large epidemic to be a heterogeneous and spatially dissociated collection of transmission clusters of varying size, duration and connectivity. These insights will help inform approaches to intervention in such epidemics in the future.

The Pseudomonas aeruginosa genome encodes a variety of different proteolytic enzymes several of which play an important role as virulence factors. Interestingly, only two of these proteases are predicted to belong to the subtilase family and we have recently studied the physiological role of the subtilase SprP. Here, we describe the functional overexpression of SprP in Escherichia coli using a novel expression and secretion system. We show that SprP is autocatalytically activated by proteolysis and exhibits optimal activity at 50°C in a pH range of 7–8. We also demonstrate a significant increase in sprP promoter activity upon growth of P. aeruginosa at 43°C indicating a role for SprP in heat shock response.

De land- en tuinbouw ontwikkelt zich in de richting van steeds intensievere en complexere bedrijfssystemen. Vanuit de sector groeit het besef dat de chemische benadering van ziekten en plagen haar grenzen begint te bereiken. Ook de consument verlangt van de producent dat de inzet van chemische middelen gereduceerd wordt en gezocht wordt naar andere, meer duurzame oplossingen. Een van de oplossingsrichtingen is het creëren van een gezonde, veerkrachtige en weerbare bodem. Op zulke bodems groeit een gezond gewas met een goede opbrengst die minder gevoelig is voor ziekten en plagen en efficiënter omgaat met nutriënten waardoor er minder verliezen optreden. Hierdoor hoeven telers minder gewasbeschermingsmiddelen en nutriënten te gebruiken en kunnen ze, met een beter inkomen, milieuvriendelijker telen. Aardbei is een voorbeeld van een zeer intensieve teelt, die erg gevoelig is voor ziekten en plagen. In de teelt worden relatief veel gewasbeschermingsmiddelen gebruikt, en er is een sterke behoefte aan kennis die de inzet van deze middelen kan beperken. Aardbei is ook een heel geschikt toetsgewas, omdat het sterk reageert op de bodemgezondheid van een perceel. Is deze goed dan ligt de aardbeienproductie veel hoger dan op percelen waarop de bodemgezondheid matig of slecht is. Opbrengstverschillen kunnen oplopen tot meer dan 50%. De verkregen resultaten bij aardbei kunnen ook vertaald worden naar andere vollegronds gewassen.