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The article discusses the revised guidelines of Great Britain's Food Standards Agency (FSA) on the consumption of caffeine by pregnant women. It mentions studies that show increased risks of lower birth weight of infants on crossing daily intake of caffeine above 200 mg. It reports the biological impact of caffeine on an unborn child and mentions the limitations of studies in determining reproductive effects of caffeine. Also discussed are the implications of new FSA guidelines on public health.

ProSafeBeef is a 5-year integrated project funded by the European Commission under the Sixth Framework Programme. Its overall aim is to ensure that the European beef chain thrives, by conducting research in a number of areas including food safety, nutrition, consumer research and innovations in processing. This article discusses the importance of beef in the diet as a whole. Beef contains protein of high biological value and provides an important range of micronutrients, most notably B vitamins, vitamin D, zinc and iron. It is hoped that ProSafeBeef will have a significant impact on the beef industry by successfully transferring appropriate knowledge direct to the end user via its work on technology transfer, training and dissemination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary 1 Introduction 2 Definition and measurement of physical activity 2.1 Definition and classification of physical activity 2.2 Measuring physical activity Key points 3 Physical activity levels in the UK 3.1 Physical activity levels in UK adults 3.2 Physical activity levels in UK children and adolescents Key points 4 Physiological effects of physical activity 4.1 Energy balance 4.2 Body composition 4.3 Interaction with food intake 4.4 Cardiovascular effects 4.5 Lipid profile and cholesterol 4.6 Insulin sensitivity 4.7 Immune response 4.8 Neurological and psychological effects Key points 5 Physical activity in health and disease 5.1 Physical activity, weight gain and obesity 5.2 Physical activity and type 2 diabetes risk 5.3 Physical activity and cardiovascular disease risk 5.4 Physical activity and cancer risk 5.5 Physical activity, bone health and osteoporosis risk 5.6 Physical activity, psychological wellbeing and mental health Key points 6 Physical activity and public health 6.1 Physical activity across the life course 6.2 Current recommendations on physical activity 6.3 Psychological barriers to physical activity 6.4 Environmental determinants of physical activity 6.5 Effectiveness of interventions to promote physical activity 6.6 Risks associated with physical activity Key points 7 Conclusions Physical activity levels in the UK are low. Only 35% of men and 24% of women reach the recommended 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity at least five times a week. Men tend to be more active than women at all ages, and there is a marked decline in physical activity with age in both sexes... [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article cites a study which seeks to investigate the nutritional benefits of fish oils in Great Britain. The study aimed at reviewing the risks and health benefits of fatty acids present in fish oils which are currently questioned. The result of the Nurses' Health Study and Physician's Health Study revealed that, fish oils have lower risk for coronary heart disease.

The article discusses the issues concerning the alcohol consumption of pregnant women. It is said that the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) issued its revised guidance on alcohol consumption in pregnancy, as part of its clinical guideline on antenatal care. It is cited that excessive intakes of alcohol in pregnancy can be damaging to the child.

To date, most efforts to decolonise curricula have focussed on the arts and humanities, with many believing that science subjects are objective, unbiased, and unaffected by colonial legacies. However, science is shaped by both contemporary and historical culture. Science has been used to support imperialism, to extract and exploit knowledge and natural resources, and to justify racist and ableist ideologies. Colonial legacies continue to affect scientific knowledge generation and shape contemporary research priorities. In the biomedical sciences, research biases can feed into wider health inequalities. Reflection of these biases in our taught curricula risks perpetuating long-standing inequities to future generations of scientists. We examined attitudes and understanding towards decolonising and diversifying the curriculum among students and teaching staff in the biomedical sciences at the University of Bristol, UK, to discover whether our current teaching practice is perceived as inclusive. We used a mixed methods study including surveys of staff (N = 71) and students (N = 121) and focus groups. Quantitative data showed that staff and students think decolonising the curriculum is important, but this is more important to female respondents (P < 0.001). Students are less aware than staff of current efforts to decolonise the curriculum, while students from minority ethnic groups feel less represented by the curriculum than white students. Thematic analysis of qualitative data revealed three themes that are important for a decolonised curriculum in our context: rediscovery, representation and readiness. We propose that this '3Rs framework' could guide future efforts to decolonise and diversify the curriculum in the biomedical sciences and beyond., (© 2024 The Author(s). FEBS Open Bio published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Federation of European Biochemical Societies.)

Background: StandingTall uses eHealth to deliver evidence-based balance and functional strength exercises. Clinical trials have demonstrated improved balance, reduced falls and fall-related injuries and high adherence. This study aimed to evaluate the implementation of StandingTall into health services in Australia and the UK., Methods: Two hundred and forty-six participants (Australia, n = 184; UK, n = 62) were recruited and encouraged to use StandingTall for 2 h/week for 6-months. A mixed-methods process evaluation assessed uptake and acceptability of StandingTall. Adherence, measured as % of prescribed dose completed, was the primary outcome., Results: The study, conducted October 2019 to September 2021 in Australia and November 2020 to April 2022 in the UK, was affected by COVID-19. Participants' mean age was 73 ± 7 years, and 196 (81%) were female. Of 129 implementation partners (e.g. private practice clinicians, community exercise providers, community service agencies) approached, 34% (n = 44) agreed to be implementation partners. Of 41 implementation partners who referred participants, 15 (37%) referred ≥5. Participant uptake was 42% (198/469) with mean adherence over 6 months being 41 ± 39% of the prescribed dose (i.e. 39 ± 41 min/week) of exercise. At 6 months, 120 (76%) participants indicated they liked using StandingTall, 89 (56%) reported their balance improved (moderately to a great deal better) and 125 (80%) rated StandingTall as good to excellent. For ongoing sustainability, health service managers highlighted the need for additional resources., Conclusions: StandingTall faced challenges in uptake, adoption and sustainability due to COVID-19 and a lack of ongoing funding. Adherence levels were lower than the effectiveness trial, but were higher than other exercise studies. Acceptance was high, indicating promise for future implementation, provided sufficient resources and support are made available., Trial Registration: Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12619001329156., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Geriatrics Society.)

Background: Psoriasis causes work productivity impairment that increases with disease severity. Whether differential treatment efficacy translates into differential indirect cost savings is unknown., Objective: To assess work hours lost and indirect costs associated with secukinumab versus ustekinumab and etanercept in the United Kingdom (UK)., Methods: This was a post hoc analysis of work impairment data collected in the CLEAR study (secukinumab vs. ustekinumab) and applied to the FIXTURE study (secukinumab vs. etanercept). Weighted weekly and annual average indirect costs per patient per treatment were calculated from (i) overall work impairment derived from Work Productivity and Activity Impairment data collected in CLEAR at 16 and 52 weeks by Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) response level; (ii) weekly/annual work productivity loss by PASI response level; (iii) weekly and annual indirect costs by PASI response level, based on hours of work productivity loss; and (iv) weighted average indirect costs for each treatment. In the primary analysis, work impairment data for employed patients in CLEAR at Week 16 were used to compare secukinumab and ustekinumab. Secondary analyses were conducted at different time points and with patient cohorts, including FIXTURE., Results: In CLEAR, 452 patients (67%) were employed at baseline. At Week 16, percentages of weekly work impairment/mean hours lost decreased with higher PASI: PASI < 50: 22.8%/7.60 h; PASI 50-74: 13.3%/4.45 h; PASI 75-89: 6.4%/2.14 h; PASI ≥ 90: 4.9%/1.65 h. Weighted mean weekly/annual work hours lost were significantly lower for secukinumab than ustekinumab (1.96/102.51 vs. 2.40/125.12; P = 0.0006). Results were consistent for secukinumab versus etanercept (2.29/119.67 vs. 3.59/187.17; Ρ<0.0001). Average annual indirect cost savings with secukinumab were £355 vs. ustekinumab and £1061 versus etanercept. Results at 52 weeks were similar., Conclusions: Secukinumab significantly reduced work impairment and associated indirect costs of psoriasis compared with ustekinumab and etanercept at Week 16 through 52 in the United Kingdom., (© 2018 The Authors. Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology.)

Objective: To determine the cost effectiveness of secukinumab, a fully human interleukin-17A inhibitor, for adults in the UK with active ankylosing spondylitis (AS) who have not responded adequately to previous treatment with conventional care (CC; biologic-naïve population) or previous biologic therapy (biologic-experienced population)., Perspective and Setting: UK National Health Service (NHS)., Methods: The model was structured as a 3-month decision tree leading into a Markov model. Comparators were licensed tumour necrosis factor inhibitors (including available biosimilars) and CC in the biologic-naïve and biologic-experienced populations, respectively. Clinical parameters captured treatment response, short-term disease activity and patient functioning, as well as long-term structural disease progression. Utilities were derived from secukinumab trial data. List prices were used for all drugs. The cost year was 2017 and costs and outcomes were discounted at 3.5%., Results: In the biologic-naïve population, secukinumab dominated adalimumab and certolizumab pegol. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) versus other comparators were either below £10,000 per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) gained or south-west ICERs that implied cost effectiveness of secukinumab. In biologic-experienced patients, the ICER for secukinumab versus CC was £4927 per QALY gained. Treatment response rates, short-term treatment effects, long-term radiographic progression and biologic acquisition costs were key model drivers. Scenario analysis found results to be robust to changes in model structural assumptions. Probabilistic analysis identified greater uncertainty in results in the biologic-naïve population., Conclusions: Even at list price, secukinumab appears to represent a cost-effective use of NHS resources for biologic-naïve and biologic-experienced patients with active AS. Further research on long-term radiographic progression outcomes would be valuable for future cost-effectiveness analyses in AS.

Objective: The aim was to determine the cost effectiveness of secukinumab, a fully human interleukin-17A inhibitor, for adults in the UK with active psoriatic arthritis (PsA) who are tumour necrosis factor inhibitor (TNFi) naïve and without concomitant moderate-to-severe psoriasis, and who have responded inadequately to conventional systemic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (csDMARDs)., Perspective and Setting: The study took the perspective and setting of the UK National Health Service (NHS)., Methods: The model structure was a 3-month decision tree leading into a Markov model. Separate analyses based on the number of prior csDMARDs (one and  two or more) were conducted, with secukinumab 150 mg compared to standard of care (SoC) and TNFis, respectively, for each subpopulation. Clinical parameters, including response at 3 months, were from the FUTURE 2 trial and a network meta-analysis. Outcomes included total costs and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) over the 40-year time horizon (3.5% annual discount for both outcomes; cost year 2017), and incremental cost effectiveness ratios (ICERs)., Results: The ICER for secukinumab 150 mg versus SoC was £28,748 per QALY gained (one prior csDMARD). Secukinumab 150 mg dominated golimumab, certolizumab pegol and etanercept, and had an ICER of £5680 per QALY gained versus adalimumab and > £1 million saved per QALY foregone versus infliximab (two or more prior csDMARDs). Valuing one QALY at between £20,000 and £30,000, the probability of secukinumab having the highest net monetary benefit was 48.9% (one prior csDMARD) and 88.9% (two or more prior csDMARDs). Parameters related to Health Assessment Questionnaire scores were most influential., Conclusions: Secukinumab 150 mg at list price appears to represent a cost-effective use of NHS resources for adults with PsA who have responded inadequately to one or two or more prior csDMARDs.