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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.Item Electrification and specialist training associated with decreased neonatal mortality and increased admissions in Sierra Leone(John Wiley and Sons Inc., 2024-09-20) Conroy, Niall; Barr, David Adam; Nalley, Joy; Conteh, Juliana Emilia Mamie; Mitchell, Louise; Bury, Gerard; Irish Research eLibraryAim The aim of this study was to describe the evolution of a regional neonatal service in Sierra Leone and changes in mortality and service use as it transitioned from a non-specialist service to a dedicated special care baby unit (SCBU). Methods This was a retrospective observational study. Anonymised data were taken from the ward admissions books at Bo Government Hospital, and trends in admissions and mortality within the neonatal service were examined for each stage of the department's evolution. Results Four phases of the service's development were identified between November 2015 and October 2019. Records of 2377 admissions and 333 deaths were identified. The average number of admissions per month and deaths per month varied by service development phase. There was a trend towards reduced death rates and increased numbers of admissions as the unit evolved into a dedicated neonatal unit with a reliable electricity supply. Conclusions The development of an adequately sized SCBU with a reliable electricity supply and specially trained staff was associated with a reduction in the death rate and an increase in admissions.Item Indoor plants’ effect on occupants’ performance, perceived comfort, and affect in an open-plan space in composite climatic regions, India(Elsevier, 2025) Budaniya, Mukesh; Mishra, Asit Kumar; Rai, Aakash C.; Dasgupta, M. S.; Horizon 2020; Government of IndiaBiophilic designs with indoor plants are being increasingly recognized for their potential to enhance indoor environmental quality (IEQ) and occupant satisfaction. This can contribute to sustainable and green buildings. However, evidence on the specific benefits of indoor plants remains ambiguous. Particularly, for the buildings in India, there is dearth of evidence of the impact of plants on occupants. We conducted a between-subjects study, with (WP) and without plants (WoP), to investigate effect of indoor plants on Indian building occupants in the composite climatic region of India. Subjective questionnaires queried participants’ indoor climate perception, sick building syndrome (SBS) symptoms, emotional state, self-assessed performance, and overall satisfaction with the space. Participants undertook a cognitive task targeting working memory (Operations Span). Air quality perception, SBS symptoms, and subjectively and objectively assessed performance did not differ significantly between WP and WoP groups. The WP group perceived the space to be better decorated (|r|, effect size = 0.42, p <0.0001), cleaner (|r| = 0.16, p = 0.04), visually more comfortable (|r| = 0.22, p = 0.01), and cooler (r = 0.18, p =0.02). The WP group also had enhanced positive emotions (|r| = 0.21 to 0.45, p < 0.0001 to 0.02) and reduced negative emotions (r = 0.18, p = 0.02). Our findings indicated that potted plants improved occupant perception of indoor environment and can potentially lower cooling energy use by over 8 %.Item Psychological interventions for women with non-metastatic breast cancer(John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2023-01-11) Jassim, Ghufran A.; Doherty, Sally; Whitford, David L.; Khashan, Ali S.Background: Breast cancer is the most common cancer affecting women worldwide. It is a distressing diagnosis and, as a result, considerable research has examined the psychological sequelae of being diagnosed and treated for breast cancer. Breast cancer is associated with increased rates of depression and anxiety and reduced quality of life. As a consequence, multiple studies have explored the impact of psychological interventions on the psychological distress experienced after a diagnosis of breast cancer. This review is an update of a Cochrane Review first published in 2015. Objectives: To assess the effect of psychological interventions on psychological morbidities and quality of life among women with non‐metastatic breast cancer. Search methods: We searched the Cochrane Breast Cancer Group Specialised Register, CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO, the World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (WHO ICTRP) and ClinicalTrials.gov up to 16 March 2021. We also scanned the reference lists of relevant articles. Selection criteria: Randomised controlled trials that assessed the effectiveness of psychological interventions for women with non‐metastatic breast cancer. Data collection and analysis: Two review authors independently appraised, extracted data from eligible trials, and assessed risk of bias and certainty of the evidence using the GRADE approach. Any disagreement was resolved by discussion. Extracted data included information about participants, methods, the intervention and outcomes. Main results: We included 60 randomised controlled trials comprising 7998 participants. The most frequent reasons for exclusion were non‐randomised trials and the inclusion of women with metastatic disease. The updated review included 7998 randomised women; the original review included 3940 women. A wide range of interventions was evaluated. Most interventions were cognitive‐ or mindfulness‐based, supportive‐expressive, and educational. The interventions were mainly delivered face‐to‐face (56 studies) and in groups (50 studies) rather than individually (10 studies). Most intervention sessions were delivered on a weekly basis with an average duration of 14 hours. Follow‐up time ranged from two weeks to 24 months. Pooled standardised mean differences (SMD) from baseline indicated that the intervention may reduce depression (SMD ‐0.27, 95% confidence interval (CI) ‐0.52 to ‐0.02; P = 0.04; 27 studies, 3321 participants, I2 = 91%, low‐certainty evidence); anxiety (SMD ‐0.43, 95% CI ‐0.68 to ‐0.17; P = 0.0009; 22 studies, 2702 participants, I2 = 89%, low‐certainty evidence); mood disturbance in the intervention group (SMD ‐0.18, 95% CI ‐0.31 to ‐0.04; P = 0.009; 13 studies, 2276 participants, I2 = 56%, low‐certainty evidence); and stress (SMD ‐0.34, 95% (CI) ‐0.55 to ‐0.12; P = 0.002; 8 studies, 564 participants, I2 = 31%, low‐certainty evidence). The intervention is likely to improve quality of life in the intervention group (SMD 0.78, 95% (CI) 0.32 to 1.24; P = 0.0008; 20 studies, 1747 participants, I2 = 95%, low‐certainty evidence). Adverse events were not reported in any of the included studies. Authors' conclusions: Based on the available evidence, psychological intervention may have produced favourable effects on psychological outcomes, in particular depression, anxiety, mood disturbance and stress. There was also an improvement in quality of life in the psychological intervention group compared to control group. Overall, there was substantial variation across the studies in the range of psychological interventions used, control conditions, measures of the same outcome and timing of follow‐up.