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BACKGROUND: Approximately 1 in 6 cannabis users develop a cannabis use disorder (CUD) and the odds increase to 1 in 2 for daily users. OBJECTIVE: The Dual use of Cannabis and Tobacco Monitoreing through a Gamified Web app (DuCATA_GAM-CaT) project aims to identify cannabis-tobacco patterns of use and withdrawal symptoms among individuals with CUD who are attending substance abuse programs. METHODS: The project uses a mixed methods approach consisting of 3 studies. First, a participatory qualitative study involves focus groups comprising individuals with CUD, clinicians, project researchers, and an expert gamification company to co-design a gamified web app. Second, a longitudinal prospective study to follow up individuals over 6 weeks with CUD attending substance abuse programs . Participants report their cannabis-tobacco usage patterns, type and frequency of tobacco use, nicotine dependence, withdrawal symptoms, psychoemotional factors, and motivation to quit both substances. Predictive analysis techniques are used to analyze clinical, demographic, psychological, and environmental data to predict the probability of achieving abstinence. Third, homogeneous focus groups to explore participants' experiences during their CUD treatment. RESULTS: By June 2024, the project had completed the first study, defining eligible cannabis user profiles, developed the initial web app prototype, and initiated recruitment across 10 centers, with 74 participants enrolled, aiming to reach 150 participants in total. CONCLUSIONS: All participants are required to provide informed consent, and their information is kept confidential and anonymized following confidentiality rules. The research team is committed to disseminating the results obtained to professional and patient groups, as well as informing public health agents, to positively influence political and social decision makers and design programmers. Additionally, we aim to prioritize the publication of the results in high-impact journals specialized in drug abuse, public health, and health care services research. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05512091; https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05512091. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/58335.

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The 16th Network of Young Researchers in Andrology meeting, hosted at the Sleepwell Hostel in Brussels, Belgium, was the first Network of Young Researchers in Andrology meeting as the young arm of the European Academy of Andrology. Over three days, this vibrant event provided a valuable platform for early-career researchers in andrology to present and discuss their research. With 41 attendees from 12 different countries, the meeting featured a diverse scientific program including keynote lectures from six world-leading experts, covering a broad range of topics in andrology. The 16th Network of Young Researchers in Andrology meeting showcased advancements in fertility preservation, single-cell applications, in vitro testis modeling, and epigenetics. Networking opportunities were a key highlight, featuring a scientific speed-dating session and a networking dinner designed to foster meaningful connections and collaborations among participants. The meeting concluded with a workshop on the science of sleep, offering attendees practical strategies to enhance their rest and well-being. Overall, the 16th Network of Young Researchers in Andrology meeting significantly advanced the audience's knowledge, strengthened the network of young researchers, and underlined Network of Young Researchers in Andrology's commitment to supporting and collaborating with emerging scientists in the andrology community.

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Empirical evidence proves that agricultural research and development expenditure, and researchers attract high returns though the investments have long gestation periods. Nonetheless, Sub-Saharan Africa invests meagerly in agricultural research and development, and researchers. This study explores the impacts of agricultural research and development expenditures, and researchers on food security in the region and across the sub-regions. The study applies Bootstrapped linear squared dummy variable due to its capacity to handle heterogeneity and missing observations and two-step system generalized method of moments techniques to analyze the data on 24 sub-Saharan African countries over the period 2000-2016. Data on measures of food security, food production per capita, and food price index are obtained from Food and Agriculture Organization stat, data on population growth is sourced from World Development Indicators, and data on investments in agricultural innovations are extracted from International Food Policy Research Institute. Our findings show that investments in agricultural innovation substantially increase food security through food productivity growth. The full-time equivalent of agricultural researchers' hours is more impactful on food security than agricultural research and development spending. The findings also reveal that the investments are more effective in enhancing food security in Eastern, Southern, and Western African sub-regions while they instead exacerbate the problem of food insecurity in Central Africa. The policy implications are that adequate resources should be channeled into proper agricultural research and development to introduce new crop varieties or significantly improved crops, etc. Moreover, there should be coordination between large and small countries in investments in order for the countries to benefit from the economies of scale.

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BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic sparked a surge of research publications spanning epidemiology, basic science, and clinical science. Thanks to the digital revolution, large data sets are now accessible, which also enables real-time epidemic tracking. However, despite this, academic faculty and their trainees have been struggling to access comprehensive clinical data. To tackle this issue, we have devised a clinical data repository that streamlines research processes and promotes interdisciplinary collaboration. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to present an easily accessible up-to-date database that promotes access to local COVID-19 clinical data, thereby increasing efficiency, streamlining, and democratizing the research enterprise. By providing a robust database, a broad range of researchers (faculty and trainees) and clinicians from different areas of medicine are encouraged to explore and collaborate on novel clinically relevant research questions. METHODS: A research platform, called the Yale Department of Medicine COVID-19 Explorer and Repository (DOM-CovX), was constructed to house cleaned, highly granular, deidentified, and continually updated data from over 18,000 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 from January 2020 to January 2023, across the Yale New Haven Health System. Data across several key domains were extracted including demographics, past medical history, laboratory values during hospitalization, vital signs, medications, imaging, procedures, and outcomes. Given the time-varying nature of several data domains, summary statistics were constructed to limit the computational size of the database and provide a reasonable data file that the broader research community could use for basic statistical analyses. The initiative also included a front-end user interface, the DOM-CovX Explorer, for simple data visualization of aggregate data. The detailed clinical data sets were made available for researchers after a review board process. RESULTS: As of January 2023, the DOM-CovX Explorer has received 38 requests from different groups of scientists at Yale and the repository has expanded research capability to a diverse group of stakeholders including clinical and research-based faculty and trainees within 15 different surgical and nonsurgical specialties. A dedicated DOM-CovX team guides access and use of the database, which has enhanced interdepartmental collaborations, resulting in the publication of 16 peer-reviewed papers, 2 projects available in preprint servers, and 8 presentations in scientific conferences. Currently, the DOM-CovX Explorer continues to expand and improve its interface. The repository includes up to 3997 variables across 7 different clinical domains, with continued growth in response to researchers' requests and data availability. CONCLUSIONS: The DOM-CovX Data Explorer and Repository is a user-friendly tool for analyzing data and accessing a consistently updated, standardized, and large-scale database. Its innovative approach fosters collaboration, diversity of scholarly pursuits, and expands medical education. In addition, it can be applied to other diseases beyond COVID-19.

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Three senior figures at the US National Institutes of Health explain why the agency remains committed to supporting basic science and research.

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Telehealth presents both the potential to improve access to care and to widen the digital divide contributing to health care disparities and obliging health care systems to standardize approaches to measure and display telehealth disparities. Based on a literature review and the operational experience of clinicians, informaticists, and researchers in the Supporting Pediatric Research on Outcomes and Utilization of Telehealth (SPROUT)-Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) Network, we outline a strategic framework for health systems to develop and optimally use a telehealth equity dashboard through a 3-phased approach of (1) defining data sources and key equity-related metrics of interest; (2) designing a dynamic and user-friendly dashboard; and (3) deploying the dashboard to maximize engagement among clinical staff, investigators, and administrators.

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Citizen science can be a powerful approach to foster the successful implementation of technological innovations in health, care or well-being. Involving experience experts as co-researchers or co-designers of technological innovations facilitates mutual learning, community building, and empowerment. By utilizing the expert knowledge of the intended users, innovations have a better chance to get adopted and solve complex health-related problems. As citizen science is still a relatively new practice for health and well-being, little is known about effective methods and guidelines for successful collaboration. This scoping review aims to provide insight in (1) the levels of citizen involvement in current research on technological innovations for health, care or well-being, (2) the used participatory methodologies, and (3) lesson's learned by the researchers.A scoping review was conducted and reported in accordance with the PRISMA-ScR guidelines. The search was performed in SCOPUS in January 2021 and included peer-reviewed journal and conference papers published between 2016 and 2020. The final selection (N = 83) was limited to empirical studies that had a clear focus on technological innovations for health, care or well-being and involved citizens at the level of collaboration or higher. Our results show a growing interest in citizens science as an inclusive research approach. Citizens are predominantly involved in the design phase of innovations and less in the preparation, data-analyses or reporting phase. Eight records had citizens in the lead in one of the research phases.Researcher use different terms to describe their methodological approach including participatory design, co-design, community based participatory research, co-creation, public and patient involvement, partcipatory action research, user-centred design and citizen science. Our selection of cases shows that succesful citizen science projects develop a structural and longitudinal partnership with their collaborators, use a situated and adaptive research approach, and have researchers that are willing to abandon traditional power dynamics and engage in a mutual learning experience.

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BACKGROUND: The current literature inadequately addresses the extent to which remote monitoring should be integrated into care models for chronic respiratory diseases (CRDs). OBJECTIVE: This study examined a remote monitoring program (RMP) in cystic fibrosis (CF) by exploring experiences, future perspectives, and use behavior over 3 years, with the aim of developing future directions for remote monitoring in CRDs. METHODS: This was a mixed methods, multicenter, observational study in 5 Dutch CF centers following a sequential explanatory design. Self-designed questionnaires using the technology acceptance model were sent out to people with CF who had a minimum of 12 months of experience with the RMP and local health care professionals (HCPs). Questionnaire outcomes were used to inform semistructured interviews with HCPs and people with CF. Qualitative findings were reported following the COREQ (Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research) checklist. Anonymous data on use frequency of all people with CF were analyzed. RESULTS: Between the second quarter of 2020 and the end of 2022, a total of 608 people with CF were enrolled in the program, and a total of 9418 lung function tests and 2631 symptom surveys were conducted. In total, 65% (24/37) of HCPs and 89% (72/81) of people with CF responded to the questionnaire, and 7 HCPs and 12 people with CF participated in semistructured interviews. Both people with CF and HCPs were positive about remote monitoring in CF care and found the RMP a good addition to daily care (people with CF: 44/72, 61%; HCPs: 21/24, 88%). Benefits ranged from supporting individual patients to reducing health care consumption. The most valued monitoring tool was home spirometry by both people with CF (66/72, 92%) and HCPs (22/24, 92%). Downsides included the potential to lose sight of patients and negative psychosocial effects, as 17% (12/72) of people with CF experienced some form of stress due to the RMP. A large majority of people with CF (59/72, 82%) and HCPs (22/24, 92%) wanted to keep using the RMP in future, with 79% (19/24) of HCPs and 75% (54/72) of people with CF looking forward to more replacement of in-person care with digital care during periods of well-being. Future perspectives for the RMP were centered on creating hybrid care models, personalizing remote care, and balancing individual benefits with monitoring burden. CONCLUSIONS: Remote monitoring has considerable potential in supporting people with CF and HCPs within the CF care model. We identified 4 practice-based future directions for remote monitoring in CF and CRD care. The strategies, ranging from patient driven to prediction driven, can help clinicians, researchers, and policy makers navigate the rapidly changing digital health field, integrate remote monitoring into local care models, and align remote care with patient and clinician needs.

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Clinical studies are reviewed by clinical research ethics committees (CRECs) in order to ensure that they are conducted within the framework of good clinical practice and that the rights of volunteers are respected. Research type, department, status, scope, principal investigator's characteristics and CREC decisions were all evaluated. A total of 1044 research applications were found to have been submitted. In addition, 14.6% of the applications were clinical trials and 48.8% were retrospective studies. Of all the researchers, 50.4% of them were found to have indicated an incorrect type of research. The very low number of interventional clinical trials suggests that researchers tended to be hesitant about conducting such trials or did not have the means to do so. The fact that the applications were often submitted by indicating a wrong type of research method also signifies the investigators' lack of knowledge in this regard.

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Sacrificial dilemmas such as the trolley problem play an important role in experimental philosophy (x-phi). But it is increasingly argued that, since we are not likely to encounter runaway trolleys in our daily life, the usefulness of such thought experiments for understanding moral judgments in more ecologically valid contexts may be limited. However, similar sacrificial dilemmas are experienced in real life by animal research decision makers. As part of their job, they must make decisions about the suffering, and often the death, of many non-human animals. For this reason, a context-specific investigation of so-called "3R dilemmas" (i.e., dilemmas where there is a conflict between the principles of replacement, reduction, and refinement of the use of animals in research) is essential to improve the situation of both non-human animals and human stakeholders. An approach well suited for such investigation is experimental philosophical bioethics ("bioxphi"), which draws on methods similar to x-phi to probe more realistic, practical scenarios with an eye to informing normative debates and ethical policy. In this article, we argue for a need to investigate 3R dilemmas among professional decision-makers using the tools of bioxphi. In a first step, we define 3R dilemmas and discuss previous investigations of professionals' attitudes in such cases. In a second step, we show how bioxphi is a promising method to investigate the whys and hows of professional decision-making in 3R dilemmas. In a last step, we provide a bioxphi template for 3R dilemmas, give recommendations on its use, explore the normative relevance of data collected by such means, and discuss important limitations.

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Background: Some research has already reported the diagnostic value of artificial intelligence (AI) in different endoscopy outcomes. However, the evidence is confusing and of varying quality. Objective: This review aimed to comprehensively evaluate the credibility of the evidence of AI's diagnostic accuracy in endoscopy. Methods: Before the study began, the protocol was registered on PROSPERO (CRD42023483073). First, 2 researchers searched PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Cochrane Library using comprehensive search terms. Then, researchers screened the articles and extracted information. We used A Measurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews 2 (AMSTAR2) to evaluate the quality of the articles. When there were multiple studies aiming at the same result, we chose the study with higher-quality evaluations for further analysis. To ensure the reliability of the conclusions, we recalculated each outcome. Finally, the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) was used to evaluate the credibility of the outcomes. Results: A total of 21 studies were included for analysis. Through AMSTAR2, it was found that 8 research methodologies were of moderate quality, while other studies were regarded as having low or critically low quality. The sensitivity and specificity of 17 different outcomes were analyzed. There were 4 studies on esophagus, 4 studies on stomach, and 4 studies on colorectal regions. Two studies were associated with capsule endoscopy, two were related to laryngoscopy, and one was related to ultrasonic endoscopy. In terms of sensitivity, gastroesophageal reflux disease had the highest accuracy rate, reaching 97%, while the invasion depth of colon neoplasia, with 71%, had the lowest accuracy rate. On the other hand, the specificity of colorectal cancer was the highest, reaching 98%, while the gastrointestinal stromal tumor, with only 80%, had the lowest specificity. The GRADE evaluation suggested that the reliability of most outcomes was low or very low. Conclusions: AI proved valuabe in endoscopic diagnoses, especially in esophageal and colorectal diseases. These findings provide a theoretical basis for developing and evaluating AI-assisted systems, which are aimed at assisting endoscopists in carrying out examinations, leading to improved patient health outcomes. However, further high-quality research is needed in the future to fully validate AI's effectiveness.

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Background: Existing literature overlooks the role of gender and race on research productivity, particularly in the context of primary care research. This study examines how gender and race influence the research productivity of primary care researchers in Canada, addressing a gap in existing literature. Methods: Qualitative, descriptive methods were used, involving 60-min interviews with 23 Canadian primary care researchers. 13 participants were female (57%) and 10 participants (43%) were male. Fourteen participants were White (non-racialized; 61%), 8 were racialized (35%) and 1 did not comment on race (4%). Reflexive thematic analysis captured participant perceptions of factors influencing research productivity, including individual, professional, institutional, and systemic aspects. Findings: Systemic bias and institutional culture, including racism, sexism, and unconscious biases against racialized women, emerge as key barriers to research productivity. The parenting life stage further compounds these biases. Barriers include lack of representation in faculty roles, toxic work environments, research productivity metrics, and exclusion by colleagues. Participants indicated that institutional reforms and systemic interventions are needed to foster a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment. Strategies include recruiting equity-focused leaders, increasing representation of racialized female faculty, diversity training, mentorship programs, providing meaningful support, flexible work arrangements, and protected research time. Sponsors can offer more targeted grants for female and racialized researchers. Adjusting metrics for gender, race, parenthood, and collaborative metrics is proposed to enhance diversity and inclusion among researchers. Interpretation: This study underscores the importance of addressing systemic bias at institutional and systemic levels to create a fair and supportive environment for primary care researchers. A multitude of strategies are needed including increasing representation of racialized female faculty, creating supportive and psychologically safe work environments, and public reporting of data on faculty composition for accreditation and funding decisions. Together, these strategies can alleviate the triple whammy and free these researchers from the Sisyphus Punishment - the absurdity of being asked to climb a hill while pushing a boulder with no hope of reaching the top. Funding: College of Family Physicians of Canada.

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Peer group mentoring facilitated by senior faculty represents an effective approach. However, for underrepresented biomedical researchers, access to senior faculty from underrepresented racial/ethnic groups is limited. We explored motivations, benefits, and challenges for facilitators enrolled to deploy an intervention in the context of a randomized controlled trial that tested two peer group mentoring strategies for underrepresented early career researchers. Peer group sessions were co-facilitated by two senior underrepresented faculty. Thirty-six faculty were recruited as facilitators over four years. The facilitators' primary motivation was advancing the diversity of the workforce, the primary benefit was satisfaction from helping underrepresented researchers, and the primary challenge was time. Understanding motivations, benefits, and challenges of facilitators informs efforts in recruiting and retaining facilitators and disseminating this curriculum and others like it, to the broader community.

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OBJECTIVES: Postdoctoral researchers in Chinese universities commonly face a high risk of mental health issues, such as depression, yet the underlying causes and mechanisms remain unclear. This study aims to explore the influence of childhood socioeconomic status (SES) on depression among postdoctoral researchers and the mediating roles of current subjective SES and perceived stress in this process. METHODS: An online survey was conducted among postdoctoral researchers at a university. The survey included a general information questionnaire, the Childhood Socioeconomic Status Scale, the Subjective Socioeconomic Status Scale, the Perceived Stress Scale, and the Patient Health Questionnaire. A total of 505 valid responses were collected. Pearson correlation analysis was used to analyze the data, and the PROCESS macro was employed for chain mediation analysis. RESULTS: Childhood SES was significantly positively correlated with current subjective SES (P<0.05) and significantly negatively correlated with postdoctoral tenure, perceived stress, and depression (all P<0.05). Current subjective SES was significantly negatively correlated with perceived stress and depression (both P<0.05), while perceived stress was significantly positively correlated with depression (P<0.05). The chain mediation effect of childhood SES → current subjective SES → perceived stress → depression was significant (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Childhood socioeconomic status can influence depression among postdoctoral researchers through the mediating roles of current subjective socioeconomic status and perceived stress. These findings provide a target for the prevention and intervention of depression in postdoctoral populations and offer a reference for the development of mental health promotion strategies for young university faculty.

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Background: Psychiatry is a branch of medicine that focuses on mental, behavioral and emotional well-being. Complementary, alternative, and integrative medicine has been an increasingly popular choice for patients with psychiatric disorders, therefore our study aimed to explore the perceptions of psychiatry researchers and clinicians on the use of CAIM. Methods: We conducted an online, anonymous, cross-sectional survey for researchers and clinicians who have published their work in psychiatry medical journals that are indexed in MEDLINE. 42,667 researchers and clinicians were sent the link to the survey after extraction of their email addresses from their respective publications. Respondents were asked numerous multiple-choice questions regarding their perceptions on various CAIM therapies, followed by an open-ended question where they could include any additional thoughts. Results: The survey was completed by 987 respondents, with a majority identifying as a researcher (n=447, 46.51%), or as both a researcher and a clinician (n=368, 38.29%) within the field of psychiatry. Most respondents (n=629, 78.04%) perceived mind-body therapies such as meditation, biofeedback, hypnosis, and yoga to be the most promising CAIM therapy for the prevention, treatment, and management of psychiatric diseases. Many participants said that they agree (n=285, 38.14%) that most CAIM therapies in general are safe, however, many disagree that CAIM therapies are effective (n=245, 32.93%). Respondents indicated that there is value to conducting research on CAIM therapies (n=356, 47.91%), and that there should be more funding allocated to researching these therapies (n=265, 35.71%). Respondents were also in agreement that clinicians should receive training on CAIM therapies through formal education (n=295, 39.76%) or supplementary education (n=380, 51.28%). Conclusion: The findings from this study showed that there is great interest and potential in researching CAIM within the field of psychiatry. This information can be used as a basis for further research and to develop tailored educational resources for researchers and clinicians in psychiatry.

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BACKGROUND: Engaging researchers as research subjects is key to informing the development of effective and relevant research practices. It is important to understand how best to engage researchers as research subjects. METHODS: A 24 factorial experiment, as part of a Multiphase Optimization Strategy, was performed to evaluate effects of four recruitment strategy components on participant opening of an emailed survey link and survey completion. Participants were members of three US-based national health research consortia. A stratified simple random sample was used to assign potential survey participants to one of 16 recruitment scenarios. Recruitment strategy components were intended to address both intrinsic and extrinsic sources of motivation, including: $50 gift, $1,000 raffle, altruistic messaging, and egoistic messaging. Multivariable generalized linear regression analyses adjusting for consortium estimated component effects on outcomes. Potential interactions among components were tested. Results are reported as adjusted odds ratios (aOR) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). RESULTS: Surveys were collected from June to December 2023. A total of 418 participants were included from the consortia, with final analytical sample of 400 eligible participants. Out of the final sample, 82% (341) opened the survey link and 35% (147) completed the survey. Altruistic messaging increased the odds of opening the survey (aOR 2.02, 95% CI: 1.35-2.69, p = 0.033), while egoistic messaging significantly reduced the odds of opening the survey (aOR 0.56, 95%CI 0.38-0.75, p = 0.08). The receipt of egoistic messaging increased the odds of completing the survey once opened (aOR 1.81, 95%CI: 1.39-2.23, p < 0.05). There was a significant negative interaction effect between the altruistic appeal and egoistic messaging strategies for survey completion outcome. Monetary incentives did not a have a significant impact on survey completion. CONCLUSION: Intrinsic motivation is likely to be a greater driver of health researcher participation in survey research than extrinsic motivation. Altruistic and egoistic messaging may differentially impact initial interest and survey completion and when combined may lead to improved rates of recruitment, but not survey completion. Further research is needed to determine how to best optimize message content and whether the effects observed are modified by survey burden.

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Introduction: Integrating genetic data into conservation management decisions is a challenging task that requires strong partnerships between researchers and managers. Conservation in Latin America is of crucial relevance worldwide given the high biodiversity levels and the presence of hotspots in this region. Methods: We conducted a survey across Latin America to identify gaps and opportunities between genetic researchers and conservation managers. We aimed to better understand conservation managers' points of view and how genetic research could help conservation practitioners to achieve their goals, by implementing genetic assessments that could effectively inform conservation practices. We distributed an online survey via four regional collaborating organizations and 32 focal points based in 20 Latin American countries. The target respondents were conservation managers of species or areas in Latin America. Results: We collected a total of 468 answered questionnaires from 21 Latin American countries. Most respondents (44%) were from an academic or research institution while non-academics were mainly from non-governmental institutions (30%) and government agencies (25%). Most respondents (65%) have performed or used genetic assessments in their managed area or species, either alone, in partnership, contracting someone else or using published results. For the majority of this group, the genetic results were relevant to their conservation management goals, helping to inform management decisions. Respondents that had not performed genetic assessments (35%) were mainly from the non-academic group, and their main barriers were limited access to funds, genetic lab facilities, and trained personnel to design studies and conduct lab work. Discussion: From the findings, we describe the current situation and provide a general diagnosis of the conservation-genetics gap in Latin America. We describe the gender gap, academic-practitioner co-development of conservation questions and projects, and the nationality and residency of Latin American conservation managers in relation to the countries where they work. We discuss opportunities to co-create research questions and co-develop studies based on conservation practitioners' needs. We offer recommendations for overcoming barriers to integrate genetic information into conservation actions, and advance agendas that fit the needs and realities of the highly heterogeneous, biodiverse and challenging Latin American region.

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Background: The crisis in research culture is well documented, covering issues such as a tendency for quantity over quality, unhealthy competitive environments, and assessment based on publications, journal prestige and funding. In response, research institutions need to assess their own practices to promote and advocate for change in the current research ecosystem. The purpose of the scoping review was to explore ' What does the evidence say about the 'problem' with 'poor' research culture, what are the benefits of 'good' research culture, and what does 'good' look like?' Aims: To examine the peer-reviewed and grey literature to explore the interplay between research culture, open research, career paths, recognition and rewards, and equality, diversity, and inclusion, as part of a larger programme of activity for a research institution. Methods: A scoping review was undertaken. Six databases were searched along with grey literature. Eligible literature had relevance to academic research institutions, addressed research culture, and were published between January 2017 to May 2022. Evidence was mapped and themed to specific categories. The search strategy, screening and analysis took place between April-May 2022. Results: 1666 titles and abstracts, and 924 full text articles were assessed for eligibility. Of these, 253 articles met the eligibility criteria for inclusion. A purposive sampling of relevant websites was drawn from to complement the review, resulting in 102 records included in the review. Key areas for consideration were identified across the four themes of job security, wellbeing and equality of opportunity, teamwork and interdisciplinary, and research quality and accountability. Conclusions: There are opportunities for research institutions to improve their own practice, however institutional solutions cannot act in isolation. Research institutions and research funders need to work together to build a more sustainable and inclusive research culture that is diverse in nature and supports individuals' well-being, career progression and performance.

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The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has negatively affected research activities across various fields. This study aimed to determine nursing researchers' concerns about research activities during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan and subsequent changes brought on by it. For this study, we conducted descriptive statistics and text mining analyses using data from two surveys conducted by the Japan Academy of Nursing Science (JANS) in the early days of the pandemic (first survey: mid-2020) and after 2 years (second survey: early 2022). Concerns about research activities were observed in 89% and 80% of the nursing researchers in the first and second surveys, respectively. Furthermore, concerns about "Difficulty in collecting research data" and "Content and quality of your research" were stronger in the second survey. Text mining analyses revealed that in the first survey, they were concerned about environmental changes and restrictions when proceeding with research during the COVID-19 pandemic, which was unfamiliar at the time. In the second survey, after overcoming environmental changes in the early stages of the pandemic, nursing researchers' concerns shifted to anxiety about the future, such as concerns about degree acquisition, employment and career advancement, and research results. The current study highlights various concerns among nursing researchers regarding research activities that have evolved over time during the pandemic. Academic societies must flexibly construct support measures for nursing researchers when a new infectious disease occurs. Such measures should be sensitive to the prevailing social circumstances and the evolving needs of researchers.

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BACKGROUND: Patient and public involvement (PPI) has become an essential part of health research. There is a need for genuine involvement in order to ensure that research is relevant to patients. This can then improve the quality, relevance, and impact of health research, while at the same time reducing wasted research and in doing so bringing science and society closer together. Despite the increasing attention for this involvement, it is not yet common practice to report on proposed activities. An article reporting planned PPI could provide guidance and inspiration for the wider academic community in future activities. Therefore, this current article aims to describe the way in which PPI principles are incorporated in the research project called "Quality of Life in Oncology: measuring what matters for cancer patients and survivors in Europe (EUonQoL)." This project aims to develop a new set of questionnaires to enable cancer patients to assess their quality of life, entitled the EUonQoL-Kit. METHODS: The first step is to recruit cancer patients and their informal caregivers as co-researchers in order to train them to collaborate with the researchers. Based on their skills and preferences, they are then assigned to several of the project's work packages. Their individual roles, tasks, and responsibilities regarding the work packages, to which they have been assigned, are evaluated and adapted when necessary. The impact of their involvement is evaluated by both the researchers and co-researchers. DISCUSSION: PPI is a complex and dynamic process. As such, the overall structure of the research may be defined while at the same time leaving room for certain aspects to be filled in later. Our research is, we believe, relevant as co-researcher involvement in such a large European project as EUonQoL is a new development.