NIHRDataInsights/HRCSData huggingface dataset:
Title: SuperSpiderSilkScaffolds: Exemplification of chemically decorated spider silk in wound healing
Funder: Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council

Abstract: Spider silk is tougher than steel or Kevlar used in bulletproof vests on a weight per weight basis. It is a biocompatible material that does not cause excess inflammation or a significant immune response making it ideal for use in new wound dressings and scaffolds for tissue regeneration. These could both accelerate healing and potentially reduce permanent scarring. Spider silks are biodegradable and sustainable natural materials composed of a number of different proteins that self-assemble to form fibers and films. Unlike silkworms, spiders cannot be farmed as they are cannibalistic and only recently have reliable recombinant methods been developed. Building on these, we have developed a method of producing spider silk in bacteria which carry antibiotics for keeping wounds free of infection and/or ligands to promote tissue regeneration. We wish to optimize the production of these new silks to promote faster wound healing especially for chronic sores and pressure ulcers as in diabetes.


Research activity codes: 5.3 MEDICAL DEVICES
Health categories: INJURIES AND ACCIDENTS;SKIN
Title: Over three years to investigate preterm birth as a risk factor for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: a cognitive-neurophysiological sibling study
Funder: Action Medical Research

Abstract: Background Around 8 out of every 100 babies born in England and Wales are born prematurely. Preterm babies have a higher risk of developing attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in childhood and adolescence than babies born at full term. ADHD is diagnosed when a child (or adult) has severe concentration difficulties and is extremely restless and impulsive. Children with ADHD can have serious difficulties, for example, with schoolwork and relationships. Sometimes these problems persist into adult life. We do not yet understand why preterm birth can lead to ADHD. Children born prematurely may also have learning difficulties and have an increased risk of developing anxiety or social difficulties and autism. The research project The aim of the study is to identify specific brain impairments which can lead to ADHD and other problems in people born prematurely. The researchers will recruit and carefully assess 150 adolescents born prematurely and their siblings (born at full term). The participants will perform tasks including measuring attention and, understanding, learning and memory, whilst wearing a head cap with electrodes attached to measure brain activity by EEG. The results of these tests will then be compared with those from a previous study where identical assessments were made in adolescents diagnosed with ADHD and control sibling pairs. This will help determine if the brain impairments in adolescents born prematurely are the same as those seen in adolescents with ADHD. Comparing the EEG findings from the preterm and ADHD groups with those from their siblings will help to establish whether the impairments are caused by environmental or inherited (genetic) factors. The link between premature birth and other symptoms, such as anxiety, social difficulties and autism will also be further investigated. By determining the specific brain impairments that can lead to ADHD and other problems in people born prematurely, it should be possible to determine at an earlier stage who is at risk and develop better targeted treatments.


Research activity codes: 2.3 PSYCHOLOGICAL, SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC FACTORS;2.1 BIOLOGICAL AND ENDOGENOUS FACTORS
Health categories: MENTAL HEALTH
Title: Non-invasive Testing for Drugs in Fingerprints to Address an Unmet Need of Coroners
Funder: Innovate UK

Abstract: Each year over 120,000 bodies are released by UK Coroners without toxicology screening. This is due to the inability to take the invasive body fluid/tissue samples required without calling for a costly post-mortem. However, this means that many deaths that may have been caused by intentional or accidental misuse of drugs (such as opiates) go unreported. The applicants, employing technology created from research at the University of East Anglia, has developed a unique technology that allows identification of the recent drug use history from non-invasive fingerprint samples that can be carried out in as little as 10 minutes using a hand-held device. This project proposes to employ this technology to provide Coroners with a cost-effective screening tool for drugs of abuse . The technology also has significant potential for use in emergency medicine, offender management and drug rehabilitation treatment.


Research activity codes: 4.2 EVALUATION OF MARKERS AND TECHNOLOGIES
Health categories: MENTAL HEALTH
Title: Development of a Kv3 Positive Modulator for the treatment of Schizophrenia
Funder: Innovate UK

Abstract: The Autifony-Newcastle-Manchester consortium will develop a new treatment for schizophrenia that targets a novel brain potassium channel, Kv3, that is intimately linked to the emerging understanding of the pathology of the disorder. This first-in-class treatment has the potential to address significant unmet patient need for schizophrenia, a serious psychiatric illness that has seen diminishing investment in research in recent years, despite the huge social and economic burden that it imposes in the UK and across the world. Patients with schizophrenia have a poor quality of life and poor prognosis due to debilitating cognitive and negative symptoms that make work and relationships difficult to sustain. This new drug will treat these symptoms, providing significant improvement over existing medicines and with a lower burden of side effects. Autifony's drug development will be backed up by three leading UK academic groups in the field.


Research activity codes: 5.1 PHARMACEUTICALS
Health categories: MENTAL HEALTH
Title: Mental Health and Learning Disabilities: Heritage and Stigma
Funder: Arts and Humanities Research Council

Abstract: Mental Health and Learning Disabilities: Heritage and Stigma will bring together a number of projects on the history of mental health care. The University of Huddersfield will work with local charities (St Anne's and Mencap) and the South West Yorkshire Partnership, a regional NHS Foundation Trust, to actively engage a range of stakeholders in the development, delivery and dissemination of the project. At the centre of this project will be current service users who will contribute to both the design of individual projects and their successful delivery. The partners will work together so that they will ensure the long term legacy of their projects. This will include exhibitions in the short term but also the development and delivery of teaching and learning materials. Both will exploit resources held by the West Yorkshire Archive Service. These resources will be developed with a wide ranging audience in mind. They will be used, not only to understand the longer term story of mental health care but also address the stigma associated with mental ill health and learning disabilities in the past and in the present.


Research activity codes: 8.1 ORGANISATION AND DELIVERY OF SERVICES
Health categories: MENTAL HEALTH
Title: Cognitive decline during ageing: understanding the roles of developmental and adult stress.
Funder: Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council

Abstract: We intend to address two important questions relevant to a range of biomedical and behavioural disciplines: how do developmental and adult environments interact to impact on cognitive decline during ageing and what are the mechanisms that drive these age-related changes? We will gather longitudinal data on cognitive, physiology and neural responses of 128 Japanese quail that have experienced differential exposure to stress during pre- and post-natal development, using yolk injection of physiologically relevant doses of corticosterone and unpredictable food availability, respectively. We will create 4 distinct developmentally programmed phenotypes: pre-and post-natally stressed; post-natal stress only; pre-natal stress only and pre-and post-natal controls. Birds from each treatment will experience differential exposure to stress during adulthood to allow us to tease apart interactions both within and between life history stages on cognitive performance. We will quantify the physiological stress response (repeated sampling over 30 minutes of corticosterone release following an acute stressor) over the course of the individual's lifetime using validated radioimmunoassay techniques available in the principal applicant's laboratory in association with tests of cognitive performance and measures of HPA axis dysfunction (qPCR techniques analysing expression of GR and MR intracellular receptors in the hippocampus). We will also use fundamental measures of apoptosis in brain regions key for learning and memory (e.g. hippocampus), including quantification of Capsase-3, which initiates the process of DNA cleavage by proteolyzing endonucleases that facilitate neuronal cell death. Conversely, measurement of brain derived neurotrophic factor secretion (BDNF), a neurotrophin growth factor, using validated qPCR techniques, will allow us to determine levels of positive support for neuronal survival and cell growth as well as programmed cell death.


Research activity codes: 2.3 PSYCHOLOGICAL, SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC FACTORS;2.1 BIOLOGICAL AND ENDOGENOUS FACTORS
Health categories: MENTAL HEALTH
Title: Modelling of Intensive Group Music Therapy (IGMT) for actue adult psychiatric inpatients
Funder: Department of Health (England)

Abstract: Objectives: 1. Identify inpatient-specific approaches of music therapists and clinicians in the delivery of therapy groups. 2. Assess acceptability of intensive group music therapy. 3. Examine associations between component variation over time and outcomes. Design: Exploratory prospective study using quantitative and qualitative methods.Expected Outcomes: Research will provide evidence to develop constructs and concepts in music therapy for acute psychiatric inpatients.Benefits: The study would aid future clinical trial designs, develop more effective music therapy interventions for mental disorders and inform future NHS policy.


Research activity codes: 5.8 COMPLEMENTARY
Health categories: MENTAL HEALTH
Title: Investigating the feasibility of a developing intensive, transitional case management model for arrestees and remand prisoners
Funder: Department of Health (England)

Abstract: The recent Bradley Report (DoH, 2009) highlighted the need for improved partnerships between health and criminal justice agencies to indentify and reduce the inequalities that exist in offender health profiles and manage risk more effectively. It also highlighted the need to co-ordinate effective interventions and management in the community across agencies to prevent 'crisis' and/or associated re-offending. This intended research seeks to investigate the range of intensive case management models available and the most appropriate for individuals when applied at the entry points of the criminal justice system, i.e. arrest and remand. The fundamental principle of intensive case management is to provide support, assessment, treatment and life skills training with the aim of improving mental health and wellbeing.This study follows a successful, funded RCT conducted in 2007/8 examining an intensive, case management approach for prisoners with mental illness on release from custody.


Research activity codes: 7.1 INDIVIDUAL CARE NEEDS;8.1 ORGANISATION AND DELIVERY OF SERVICES
Health categories: MENTAL HEALTH
Title: The implementaion and evaluation of short term cognitive behavioural therapy focused family interventions with informal carers of service users who are admitted to Crisis Resolution Home Treatment teams as a result of an acute psychotic illness.
Funder: Department of Health (England)

Abstract: This project aims to develop an acceptable and feasible cognitive behavioural therapy intervention manual for carers of those referred Crisis Resolution Home Treatment (CRHT) teams following an acute psychotic episode.The manual will guide the delivery of family interventions by outlining the main components within a contextual timeframe and identifying the preferred method of delivery from the perspective of stakeholders.The manual will be based on a detailed literature review and a comprehensive enquiry of carers needs. Once developed CRHT clinicans will be trained in it’s use. Expected outcomes of this intervention are for service users to maintain their social and occupational functioning skills following the crisis period and to prevent an in-patient admission. This will be achieved offering cogntive based interventions to carers and families to enhance their understanding of mental health problems and facilitate their ability to use of problem – solving skills and coping strategies to manage the crisis.


Research activity codes: 7.1 INDIVIDUAL CARE NEEDS
Health categories: MENTAL HEALTH
Title: Transmission of anxiety from parent to child: strategies in prevention and early intervention
Funder: Department of Health (England)

Abstract: This research will cast some light on the reasons why so many children of anxious parents go on to develop anxiety disorders themselves, and will explore ways of preventing this. These children are up to seven times more likely to have an anxiety disorder than average children, and although genes play a part, we think that parents’ actions might also be very important. The research has three main parts: first, we will carry out a number of experiments to try to find out whether anxious parents do things that might make their children more anxious. Second, we will conduct some experiments to see if we can change some of these behaviours in parents or not. Finally, we will pull all of this knowledge together to produce a brief training package for anxious parents. We hope that this training will help parents to reduce the risk of transmitting their anxiety to their children. In order to test the package we will ask a number of anxious parents to try it out and give us feedback. This should allow us to decide whether it is worth carrying out a larger trial of the training package, and if so, will help us plan it effectively.


Research activity codes: 2.3 PSYCHOLOGICAL, SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC FACTORS;5.6 PSYCHOLOGICAL AND BEHAVIOURAL
Health categories: MENTAL HEALTH
Title: An investigation into the effectiveness of primary prevention of Speech and Language Difficulties through supporting the home environment.
Funder: Department of Health (England)

Abstract: Objectives: To examine the effects of a health promotion service for language development on parent’s talk to children, and children’s language development.Design: A randomised controlled trial to establish the effects of such a service, one month after the service, and at intervals until the child is 2 years.Expected outcomes: It is expected that parents who receive the service will increase their talk to children, their children will achieve and retain higher language levels than children who do not receive the service.Anticipated benefits: This service may prevent some forms of language delay and its negative effects on children.


Research activity codes: 3.1 PRIMARY PREVENTION INTERVENTIONS TO MODIFY BEHAVIOURS OR PROMOTE WELL-BEING
Health categories: MENTAL HEALTH
Title: Research into Dyadic Art Therapy for the Treatment of Attachment Disturbances in Children
Funder: Department of Health (England)

Abstract: First, I would examine current provision within Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services of Art Therapy involving the carer-child dyad for children with disturbed attachment.Second, I would establish commonalities between specialist attachment-based therapies and 'Dyadic Art Therapy'. I would seek to gain consensus on which elements of the attachment-based therapies could usefully be incorporated by Art Therapists. The final phase would involve preliminary testing of specific recommended procedural guidelines. This would constitute an initial step towards a more systematic treatment protocol for Dyadic Art Therapy, which would provide a basis for future treatment and evaluation.


Research activity codes: 6.8 COMPLEMENTARY
Health categories: MENTAL HEALTH
Title: Evaluating the acceptability, feasibility and potential effect size of a combined Group Problem Solving / Mentalisation Intervention for people with Personality Disorder traits in Primary Care Mental Health (IAPT) services; An Exploratory Randomised Controlled Trial.
Funder: Department of Health (England)

Abstract: Personality Disorder (PD) affects 13% of the general population. PD often goes unrecognised and undiagnosed particularly in people with mild-moderate difficulties. This research aims to address gaps in primary care service provision by developing and testing the feasibility / acceptability of a innovative combined group problem solving/ mentalisation intervention for people with PD traits who dont reach the level of complexity / high risk required to access the PD treatments provided in specialist mental health services. An exploratory randomised controlled trial will be carried out to determine the potential effect size and qualitative interviews will be conducted to establish acceptability.


Research activity codes: 6.6 PSYCHOLOGICAL AND BEHAVIOURAL;5.6 PSYCHOLOGICAL AND BEHAVIOURAL
Health categories: MENTAL HEALTH
Title: Understanding Suicide and help seeking in urban and rural areas (US)
Funder: Health and Social Care Research and Development Division (HSC R&D) of Public Health Agency, Northern Ireland

Abstract: Suicide rates in Northern Ireland have increased in recent years, particularly in rural areas. Importantly, there is some evidence that people who live in urban and rural areas have differential access to health and social care. Thus, people from rural areas may be less likely to contact primary care services than their urban counterparts. This may reflect differential help seeking beliefs and attitudes, support networks and coping mechanisms or, structural or service related determinants. The examination of such putative differences and their underlying causes will be a central aim of the proposed research. Additionally, family members bereaved by suicide have an elevated risk of depression and suicide. General Practitioners (GPs) and other health Prof.essionals require support and training to recognise risk and attend to the needs of the bereaved. However, we know very little about urban-rural differences in suicide-related help seeking in people bereaved through suicide. This study will address the gaps in our understanding of suicide and will provide useful information that will assist GPs and other services in recognising those at risk and supporting families. We intend to carry out a mixed methods study across urban and rural Nl, in order to: (1) examine help seeking pathways prior to suicide (2) explore GP recognition of suicidal people and responses to helpseeking (3) undertake a detailed investigation of bereavement after suicide to examine coping strategies, needs and use of support services. If our hypotheses are supported, it may be necessary to tailor primary and community services according to geographical setting


Research activity codes: 7.1 INDIVIDUAL CARE NEEDS;7.3 MANAGEMENT AND DECISION MAKING
Health categories: MENTAL HEALTH
Title: 2012 Bamford Call: Examining the differences in how residential facilities support people with intellectual disabilities with challenging behaviour and/or mental health problems
Funder: Health and Social Care Research and Development Division (HSC R&D) of Public Health Agency, Northern Ireland

Abstract: Around 2,000 people with intellectual disabilities (ID) live in various supported residential facilities in NI. Significant numbers (36%) display challenging behaviours/mental health problems (CBMH). Estimates from 3 hospitals suggest over a 24-month period 170 people are admitted or readmitted from residential settings because of CBMH. Some residential facilities can support people with CBMH but in other similar settings the placements of people with CBMH break down. The proposed research question is: “What are the key factors in residential facilities that prevent hospital admission for people with ID and CBMH, in comparison to similar facilities from which people are admitted to hospital? Past research suggests that staffing issues are a major influence. The proposed research has two stages. Stage one is a natural experiment that will compare residential staff for people admitted to hospital because of CBMH (control group; CG, n=340) with the intervention group (IG, n=340) being matched staff who support clients in their residences without the need for hospital admission. It is hypothesised that management/staff in IG facilities have: Greater knowledge on the causes of CBMH, More positive emotional reactions to CBMH, Higher confidence in dealing with CBMH, More effective resources, organisation, management and leadership support systemsStage two would involve qualitative Interviews with 40-45 clients, staff and family members from all HSC Trusts in NI along with 15 participants drawn from effective residential settings in Camden and Islington Foundation Trust, London. The aim is to gain deeper insights on what staff and service users experience as effective supports for people with CBMH and to check convergent validity with stage one results. Outcomes: The features of the most effective residential settings to support ID people with CBMH will be identified which will assist with service commissioning and reviews, and the training of support staff.


Research activity codes: 8.1 ORGANISATION AND DELIVERY OF SERVICES
Health categories: MENTAL HEALTH
Title: 2012 Bamford Call: Effective family support models during the transition of adults with intellectual disabilities (ID) into old age
Funder: Health and Social Care Research and Development Division (HSC R&D) of Public Health Agency, Northern Ireland

Abstract: Background: The majority of people with ID continue to live within their family home with their ageing mother/father or sibling and recent policy supports this. However, there has been little research and planning undertaken to examine the transition of older adults with ID into services more appropriate to their changing needs, and the supports these ageing family carergivers require. Aim: The aim of the study is to determine the most appropriate support services (notably day activity/leisure, respite, domiciliary care) for an older ID population, and their family carers, to facilitate the transition into old age. Indicative costs for these services will also be determined and bench-marked against current provision. Method:This is a four stage study. Stage 1 comprises a series of focus groups with older people with ID asking them how they would like to spend their day and leisure time. Similar groups will be conducted with family carers. Stage 2 involves a series of 1-1 structured interviews with care managers and social workers from both ID and older persons care programmes regarding current and future provision. Stage 3 involves gathering data on a quota sample of older people with ID and family carers as to their current service usage and likely future needs/preferences. This will be achieved mainly by having the key-worker (i.e. social worker, community ID nurse, day-care worker) of older people with ID completing a standard pro forma; preferably through consultation with family carers and/or person with ID. Stage 4 will use a consensus building process to bring together various stakeholders who had participated in the previous three stages of the project to develop service specifications designed to meet the identified needs of older persons with ID and their ageing family carers.


Research activity codes: 7.1 INDIVIDUAL CARE NEEDS;8.1 ORGANISATION AND DELIVERY OF SERVICES
Health categories: MENTAL HEALTH