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Item The association between threatened miscarriage in early pregnancy and depression or anxiety in offspring in late adolescence(Elsevier B.V., 2025) Kidd, Ciara; O'Driscoll, David; O'Byrne, Laura J.; O'Keeffe, Gerard W.; Khashan, Ali S.; Maher, Gillian M.; INFANT Research Centre, University College CorkBackground: Adolescent mental health is a known determinant of health across the lifespan underscoring the importance of identifying determining factors. Threatened miscarriage is a common pregnancy complication, yet its influence on child mental health outcomes is unclear. Here we examined the association between pregnancies complicated by threatened miscarriage and the risk of offspring depression or anxiety in late adolescence using the representative longitudinal UK Millennium Cohort Study. Methods: Maternal reported data on threatened miscarriage and potential confounders were collected at 9-months postpartum. Data on depression and anxiety were collected as one variable when children were aged 17 years using self-reported doctor diagnosis. Multivariable logistic regression adjusted for several maternal and sociodemographic factors. We examined separate interaction effects for threatened miscarriage and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, small for gestational age (SGA) and preterm birth. Results: N = 9521 mother-child dyads were included in the analyses, with n = 574 (6 %) women experiencing a threatened miscarriage, and 978 (10.3 %) children reported depression or anxiety diagnosis. Adjusted results suggested that threatened miscarriage was associated with a 34 % increase in the odds of depression or anxiety (OR: 1.34, 95 % CI 1.03, 1.73). An interaction effect was observed for threatened miscarriage and SGA (OR: 2.09, 95 % CI: 1.01, 4.36) and threatened miscarriage and preterm birth (OR:2.23, 95 % CI: 1.26, 3.95). Conclusion: Threatened miscarriage was associated with an increased odds of depression or anxiety in offspring by age 17 years, albeit residual and unmeasured confounding cannot be ruled out. Future research should examine the potential biological mechanisms mediating this association. © 2025 The AuthorsItem Enhancing pragmatic competence in investigator-initiated clinical trials: structure and evaluation of the CONSCIOUS II training programme(BioMed Central Ltd, 2025) Rychlíčková, Jitka; Čechová, Zora; Nagy, Viktoria; Nebeská, Kateřina; Součková, Lenka; Mouly, Stéphane; Kovacs, Gabor Laszlo; Kubiak, Christine; Takács, Eva; Moreira de Oliveira, Tiago H.; Painho, Marco; Monteiro, Emília C.; Maia, Sara; Batuca, Joana; Shiely, Frances; ERASMUS+Introduction: Investigator-initiated trials (IITs) bridge the gap between applied clinical research and everyday clinical practice. However, they require the skilled multidisciplinary teams from different backgrounds but all with clinical trial training to ensure trials are designed, conducted and reported according to best practice and regulatory standards. The availability of trainings to fulfil these needs is limited. The CONSCIOUS II project facilitated to expand the supply of such programmes. The objective is to describe the curriculum designed for PhD students and early-career researchers, and evaluate participants’ perceptions and feedback after completion of the training. Methods: The curriculum was developed according to key principles that underpin building of competencies relevant to quality IITs and transdisciplinary skills. A multidisciplinary team created the curriculum, elaborated a comprehensive set of study materials, including the training platform. This team also conducted an international, collaborative pilot course. The effectiveness of the educational materials for the target audience was assessed through questionnaires administered after the pilot course. Additionally, all learning materials, including the video recordings of the pilot course, were externally evaluated. Results: A 12-chapter thoroughly revised curriculum was developed for asynchronous preparation and served as a pre-class reading for a 3-month pilot course. The chapters, along with supplementary materials, and recordings of the pilot course are freely accessible on the CONSCIOUS II training platform. This platform facilitates the dissemination and implementation in the existing curricula. The feedback from both the pilot course participants and the stakeholders was uniformly positive across all survey aspects. Conclusion: This remote programme which combines asynchronous and synchronous components with international and interprofessional collaboration effectively addresses the gap in developing core competencies for the 21st -century clinical researchers. The implementation of this curriculum has the potential to improve the quality of IITs.Item The long-term general practice healthcare of women with a history of gestational diabetes: A scoping review protocol [version 2; peer review: 2 approved](F1000 Research Ltd, 2025) O'Flynn, James; McMorrow, Rita; Foley, Tony; Forde, Rita; McHugh, Sheena; Newman, Christine; Jennings, Aisling A.; Irish College of General PractitionersIntroduction: Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) is a hyperglycaemic condition diagnosed during pregnancy. GDM is strongly associated with future development of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Lifestyle and pharmacological interventions can reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. General practice is the recommended setting for long-term follow-up of women with a history of GDM. However, rates of follow-up are suboptimal. The evidence around long-term general practice healthcare for women with a history of GDM has not previously been reviewed. Aims: The aim of this scoping review is to explore the current evidence base for the long-term care of women with a history of GDM in general practice. Study Design: The study described by this protocol is a scoping review. The study design was informed by Joanna Briggs Institute methodology. Methods: Empirical qualitative and quantitative research studies published since 2014 will be identified from a search of the following databases: MEDLINE (Ovid), EMBASE (Elsevier), CINAHL, PsycINFO, Academic Search Complete and SocIndex. The review will identify key characteristics of the literature. Framework analysis will be used to map the findings against the Chronic Care Model, a primary care-based framework that sets out the core components for optimal long-term healthcare. Results: A numerical descriptive summary (using frequencies) will describe the overall extent of literature, and the range and distribution of its component parts, including the geographical and economic settings, research methods, interventions, outcomes and findings. The qualitative analysis will map interventions and descriptions of care to components of the chronic care model. Research gaps will be reported, and research needs and priorities will be suggested. Conclusion: The findings of this scoping review will have the potential to inform future research efforts in the area. Registration: This protocol has been registered in Open Science Framework (https://osf.io/bz2vh).Item Early and risky adolescent alcohol use independently predict alcohol, tobacco, cannabis and other drug use in early adulthood in Ireland: a longitudinal analysis of a nationally representative cohort(BioMed Central Ltd, 2025) Brennan, Margaret M.; Mongan, Deirdre; Doyle, Anne; Millar, Seán R.; Cavallaro, Massimo; Zgaga, Lina; Smyth, Bobby P.; Nixon, Elizabeth; Ivers, Jo-Hanna; Galvin, Brian; Walsh, Cathal; McCrory, Cathal; McCarthy, Noel D.; Health Research BoardBackground: Early and risky adolescent alcohol use have each been associated with adult alcohol consumption. However, it remains unclear whether these behaviours independently predict later-life substance use when considered jointly, and research examining links with substances other than alcohol is limited. This study addresses these gaps by examining longitudinal associations between age at first alcohol and risky adolescent alcohol use, with alcohol, tobacco, cannabis and other drug use in early adulthood, and aims to identify critical periods for public health interventions. Methods: Growing Up in Ireland is a nationally representative cohort (recruited aged 9 [Wave 1], born 1997–1998). Survey-weighted logistic regression examined whether age at first alcoholic drink and risky alcohol use at age 17 (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test scores) independently predict high-risk alcohol (AUDIT > 15), tobacco, cannabis and other drug use at age 20. Models were adjusted for age, sex, academic ability, personality, psychological factors, socioeconomic status, familial, peer and neighbourhood substance use. Results: The study included 4554 participants (49.8% female). Early alcohol use was common, with 27% reporting use aged 14 or younger. By age 20, 14% reported high-risk alcohol, 38% tobacco, 24% cannabis and 28% other drug use. Older age at first alcohol was associated with dose-response reductions in the odds of high-risk alcohol, tobacco, cannabis and other drug use at age 20, relative to those initiating alcohol at 14 or younger. Adolescents with high-risk alcohol use had double the odds of tobacco (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 2.1, 95% confidence intervals (CI) 1.3–3.30) and other drug use (aOR 2.5, 95% CI 1.6–4.1) and an 11-fold increase in the odds of continued high-risk alcohol use (aOR 11.5, 95% CI 7.0–18.6) at age 20, relative to adolescents with low-risk alcohol use. Conclusions: Age at first alcohol and risky adolescent alcohol use independently predict substance use in early adulthood when considered jointly in extensively adjusted models. These findings highlight the continued urgent need for public health interventions that address factors associated with early alcohol use and support adolescents who use alcohol in a high-risk manner given their elevated risk of progression to more serious substance use as adults.Item Impact of outdoor air temperature during hostel-classroom commute on student’s classroom performance(Elsevier B.V., 2025-04-13) Das, Shashikant; Kumar Mishra, Asit; Subudhi, Sudhakar; Horizon 2020; Indian Institute of Technology RoorkeeThis study investigated the performance of students attending class, but before attending class, they were at different climatic and metabolic conditions. We investigated the physiological and cognitive impacts of the commute of the students to reach their first lecture of the day. The commute was simulated in one room of a climate chamber, using a bicycle ergometer, at three different temperatures: 30 °C, 35 °C, and 40 °C. Attending the lecture was simulated in a different room of the same climate chamber, at a constant temperature of 26 °C. The participant’s skin and tympanic temperatures, pulse, and blood pressure were recorded at pre-specified time points during the study. The participants performed cognitive tasks, targeting working memory, task switching, and inhibition. Subjective thermal sensation and thermal comfort votes were also collected. The different commute temperatures did not significantly impact task accuracy (p > 0.05). However, the reaction time in all three tests was found to significantly increase for higher commute temperatures (p < 0.05). It was found that Stage 1 (i.e., when about to start cycling) and Stage 3 (i.e., entry of classroom) had a significant difference in tympanic and skin temperature (p < 0.05) while Stage 5 (i.e., end of 1 h of class) showed no significant difference (p > 0.05). A similar outcome was seen for thermal sensation votes. Overall, the results point to the outdoor air temperature during summer commutes impacting performance, subjective thermal sensation, and objective physiological measures of thermal comfort during the class hour, immediately following the commute.