Newport Historical Society

Background: Helicobacter pylori is a globally prevalent gastric pathogen implicated in chronic gastritis, peptic ulcer disease, and gastric malignancies. Rising resistance to commonly used antibiotics, particularly clarithromycin, has led to declining eradication success rates with conventional therapies. Levofloxacin, a fluoroquinolone antibiotic, has emerged as a potential alternative in triple therapy regimens. Evaluating the comparative effectiveness of these treatment options in different populations is essential to guide empirical clinical practice and adapt to regional antibiotic resistance patterns. Objective: To compare the success of levofloxacin-based versus clarithromycin-based triple regimen therapy in the eradication of Helicobacter pylori infection. Methods: This randomized controlled trial was conducted at the Department of Gastroenterology, Sheikh Zayed Medical Complex, Lahore, from April 2 to October 2, 2020. A total of 120 patients, aged 16 to 75 years and diagnosed with H. pylori via ^13C urea breath test, were enrolled and randomly allocated into two equal groups. Group A received omeprazole 40 mg, amoxicillin 1 g, and levofloxacin 250 mg twice daily for 14 days. Group B received omeprazole 40 mg, amoxicillin 1 g, and clarithromycin 500 mg twice daily for the same duration. After 28 days of treatment completion, H. pylori status was reassessed using the ^13C urea breath test. Eradication success was defined by a negative result. Results: The mean age of participants was 44.58 ± 15.16 years, with 88 patients (73.3%) being male. Successful eradication was achieved in 49 patients (81.7%) in the levofloxacin group compared to 39 patients (65.0%) in the clarithromycin group. The difference was statistically significant (p = 0.039). Conclusion: Levofloxacin-based triple therapy demonstrated significantly higher eradication rates than clarithromycin-based therapy, supporting its use as a more effective regimen for the treatment of Helicobacter pylori infection in adult populations.

Introduction: Whilst the vast majority of Organ Donors are adults there are several children & adolescents who become donors. We identified that whilst the process of facilitating an organ donor is the same, the environment presents several elements & nuances that have the potential to result in reduced confidence levels. Method: Our aim was to create a bespoke Paediatric & Neonatal training day for Speciailist Nurses Organ Donation (SNOD’s). To increase knowledge & build the confidence of SNODs when attending paediatric & neonatal referrals. To maximise every opportunity in accordance with the NHSBT Stratery, Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation to 2030: Meeting the Need. Results: Feedback revealed an increase in both knowledge & confidence for the complete process from referral to post donation care. This day has been facilitated for 3 consecutive trainee cohorts. In its infancy it was delivered to the London Region, then expanded to include the South East & Eastern Regions. As a result of the positive feedback & the success of the days this training resource is being shared nationally for all trainees & SNODS to access. Conclusion: This Package should be an extension to the current training package and delivered Nationally in smaller Regional Group settings.

Introduction : There is a lack of tools that can help us to support the implementation, scalability and transferability of integrated care solutions in Europe. The challenge remains how to best leverage the existing body of evidence and make it more readily accessible to potential adopters to enable faster adaptation and implementation of good practices in integrated care across Europe. Short description of practice change implemented : The SCIROCCO project aims to address this challenge by providing a validated and tested tool that facilitates successful scaling up and knowledge transfer in integrated care in Europe. Currently, over 20 regions in Europe are actively engaged in testing of the SCIROCCO tool. Targeted population and stakeholders : A wide spectrum of stakeholders is being targeted to use the SCIROCCO tool: national and regional decision-makers, service delivery organisations, healthcare professionals, industry and academia. Timeline : The SCIROCCO tool was derived from an observational study, based on interviews with 12 European regions over 18 months in 2014-2015. The outcomes of the study served as the baseline for the development of the conceptual Maturity Model (MM), including its dimensions, performance indicators and rating scale. SCIROCCO builds on these achievements and further tests the MM in the real-life settings over 2016-2018. Highlights : The SCIROCCO project provides a tool for European regions to assess their maturity in the provision of integrated care, including identification of strengths, gaps and areas for improvement. It is intended to stimulate discussion, to encourage regions to share their experience of the journey, and to reach out to other regions who may be able to accelerate their journey towards integrated care systems to meet future demands and expectations. Comments on sustainability and transferability : The current experience of regions and organisations involved in the testing of the SCIROCCO tool shows that the process and methodology for applying the tool in a self-assessment process is transferable across different healthcare settings and geographical scope. All stakeholders have open and free access to the tool thereby encouraging its use and outcomes. Feasibility of the tool is very much influenced by number of the users and application of the tool in practice. Conclusions : The SCIROCCO tool has proven to be a useful tool to facilitate the knowledge transfer and flow of right information from transferring to adopting regions and thus accelerating the process of scaling-up and transferability of integrated care solutions in Europe. Discussion : More tools are needed that can help us to understand how to move towards more sustainable health and care systems, and how to support implementation, scalability and transferability of integrated care solutions in Europe. The regions and organisations responsible for the delivery of integrated care lack clear guidance on how to implement integrated care solutions in Europe. Lessons learned : The experience of regions and organisations testing the SCIROCCO tool demonstrate the clear benefits and added value of the tool in guiding participating stakeholders towards the implementation of integrated care in Europe. As the tool serves as a self-assessment tool, the outcomes of the process are often influenced by the different backgrounds and expertise of the stakeholders. However, this feature has proven to be very useful in stimulating multi-stakeholder discussions on future directions in integrated care.

Open Access Journal of Gerontology & Geriatric Medicine is a specialty that focuses on health care of elderly people. It aims to promote health by preventing and treating diseases and disabilities in older adults and the disease related to studying physical

Open Access Journal of Gerontology & Geriatric Medicine is a specialty that focuses on health care of elderly people. It aims to promote health by preventing and treating diseases and disabilities in older adults and the disease related to studying physical

Could malaria become endemic in the UK? Steve Ainsworth puts this parasitic disease under the spotlight.