Priorities for Research on Autism and Ageing: A Roundtable Discussion

Abstract The roundtable discussion brings together artistic activists and cultural managers, engaged in international advocacy for the Ukrainian cause, to discuss the most pressing issues and future perspectives. Operating in the narrow corridor of value-based actions and managerial efficiency, the participants consider the criteria and markers of efficiency of cultural diplomacy, their engagements with the state(s), and variegated reception of audiences in various EU member-states. They ponder the urgency and specificity of cultural production in the wake of the full-blown war, as well as uneasy relationships with other endangered communities within the ruthless economy of attention, and decreasing investments in the field of culture across Europe.

Cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic (CKM) syndrome defines a pathophysiological continuum driven by reciprocal dysfunction across the cardiovascular, renal and metabolic systems. Although sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) provide consistent, organ-protective benefits across this spectrum, clinical implementation remains suboptimal. This expert opinion, developed by a multidisciplinary Italian board, aims to translate current evidence and guideline recommendations into practical, integrated strategies for the early and effective implementation of SGLT2i in patients at risk of or affected by CKM syndrome. The panel reviewed the latest clinical trial data, international guidelines, and real-world evidence to identify implementation gaps and propose actionable solutions across diabetology, cardiology, and nephrology. Clinical recommendations were formulated via informal multidisciplinary roundtable discussions. Despite strong evidence and broad guideline endorsement, SGLT2i remain underutilized due to fragmented care, therapeutic inertia, and misconceptions regarding safety. To address these barriers, we advocate for early risk-based screening, simplified treatment algorithms, cross-specialty collaboration, and educational efforts to empower both clinicians and patients. Shifting from reactive to proactive CKM management requires an integrated care model aligning specialties around early, organ-protective interventions. SGLT2i should be recognized as foundational, disease-modifying therapy, supported by multidisciplinary coordination, clear clinical algorithms, and patient-centered communication.

ABSTRACT Internationally, and more recently in Australia, teacher workforce issues and a focus on Initial Teacher Education reform have seen a rapid expansion of alternative teacher preparation arrangements. These arrangements include the employment of preservice teachers as paid practising teachers while simultaneously completing their studies. In contexts such as Queensland, Australia, these emergent arrangements involve a complex system of stakeholders including schools, universities, employment sectors, and regulatory authorities. Despite the potential impact on practising preservice teachers’ experiences, this system of stakeholders remains largely under-conceptualised. Applying ecological and systems theory, we conceptualise the practising preservice teacher system. Drawing on activities and reflections collected from Queensland-based and national stakeholders during a ‘Roundtable discussion of preservice teachers teaching in Initial Teacher Education’, we illustrate opportunities and challenges for stakeholders that such an inherently complex system evokes. This study offers an internationally relevant and innovative systemic approach to understanding alternative teacher preparation arrangements.

ABSTRACTBackgroundComprehensive geriatric assessments (CGAs), with deprescribing as an integral component, improve outcomes for older adults in long‐term care facilities (LTCFs). However, they remain underutilised in Croatia, partly due to systemic and cultural barriers, including limited recognition of pharmacists' roles.ObjectiveTo tailor an existing deprescribing implementation strategy to support the introduction of deprescribing as part of a CGA (dCGA) in Croatian LTCFs, focusing on healthcare professional (HCP) behaviour change.MethodsA roundtable was held with Croatian HCPs—general practitioners, pharmacists and a nurse—experienced in LTCF care. Participants first ranked barriers and enablers to dCGA, then engaged in a structured discussion to explore tailored strategies.ResultsKey barriers included limited resources, fragmented data and restrictive policies. Enablers included multidisciplinary collaboration and education. A three‐phase strategy (pre‐, during, post‐MDT) was developed, assigning the head nurse as dCGA lead and positioning pharmacists as deprescribing experts and trainers. Proposed mechanisms targeted priority barriers using Behaviour Change Techniques such as restructuring the social environment, goal setting and feedback loops.ConclusionThis study co‐developed a feasible, context‐specific strategy to integrate deprescribing into CGA in Croatian LTCFs. Future steps include pilot testing and evaluation in diverse LTCF settings.

American Gastroenterological Association-North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition Pediatric Functional Constipation Clinical Care Pathway.

Compared to schizophrenia in adults, Early Onset Schizophrenia (EOS) features diagnostic, clinical, and therapeutic peculiarities that are the subject of ongoing discussion among psychiatrists and neuropsychiatrists. This article presents the outcomes of a meeting and a series of virtual roundtable discussions among specialists who validated practical recommendations for the diagnosis and management of EOS in light of recent literature. The identification of risk factors and prodromal symptoms, as well as the differentiation of EOS from other psychiatric conditions, is crucial for early detection. Timely identification enables the implementation of appropriate psycho-behavioural and pharmacological interventions and supports close monitoring of the developmental trajectories associated with EOS. The collaboration between the different professionals who deal with EOS patients and a therapeutic approach that allows a normal cognitive, sexual, and psychophysical development makes it possible to ensure the therapeutic alliance necessary for the optimal management of the disease over time. In a scenario that is complicated by negative prognostic factors, such as the late recognition of the disease, comorbid and latent psychiatric conditions, the increasingly widespread use of substances among adolescents, and a poor therapeutic adherence often due to antipsychotics side effects, a growing body of literature emphasizes the advantages of lurasidone in the treatment of EOS. Compared to other pharmacological agents commonly used in schizophrenia, lurasidone has been shown to intervene comprehensively and effectively against the positive and negative symptoms of EOS, with manageable side effects and the preservation of a good QoL.

ABSTRACT This text presents the transcription of the debate on asynchronicity held on 24 September 2025 during the first edition of the Asynchronous Histories Summer School, hosted by the University of Warsaw. The invited panelists, representing diverse research subfields, examined various conceptualizations of asynchronicity and explored its potential as an analytical tool for investigating moments and contexts in which the absence of a synchronising force becomes apparent. They also offered empirical examples demonstrating different applications of this overarching concept. The transcription is preceded by an introduction that outlines selected theoretical approaches designed to broaden and deepen the understanding of asynchronicity.

This article analyzes the (auto)biographical narratives of teachers from the Joaquim Antônio Albano State School of Professional Education, located in Fortaleza (CE), seeking to understand how personal trajectories, formative experiences, and pedagogical practices are articulated in the construction of teacher identity in the context of professional education. The research is based on the perspective of life narratives and memory as a methodological and analytical resource, engaging with authors such as Josso, Pineau, Nora, and Nóvoa. The study also considers the historical and political context of the implementation of State Schools of Professional Education (EEEPs) in Ceará, marked by processes of productive restructuring and the influence of educational policies guided by neoliberal logics. Methodologically, the investigation was based on a round table discussion with teachers from the institution, whose statements were analyzed in light of critical educational frameworks, such as those of Freire, Frigotto, and Ramos. The results show that teaching in vocational schools is marked by tensions between training geared towards employability and the pursuit of a comprehensive and emancipatory education. At the same time, they reveal that teachers, through their experiences and pedagogical practices, construct strategies for re-signifying educational policy, reaffirming the school as a space for reflection, resistance, and human development. It is concluded that teacher narratives constitute an important instrument for understanding the contradictions of contemporary vocational education and for highlighting the role of educators in constructing meaning for pedagogical work.

A roundtable discussion on the unmet needs in atopic dermatitis.

Enhancing the role of pharmacists may help reduce medication errors in nursing homes (NHs). To launch the embedding of onsite pharmacists in Flemish NHs, KU Leuven developed a postgraduate course. This pilot study aimed to (1) evaluate the course and (2) to explore pharmacists' tasks and activities in NHs. The course consisted of three main components: (1) an e-learning, (2) a NH internship, and (3) round table discussions with fellow pharmacists completing the course. Pharmacists also maintained a portfolio, documenting their tasks and activities. Data were collected during two consecutive course cycles, i.e. in 2022 and 2023. Round table discussions were considered as focus groups and included in the evaluation, as were pharmacists' portfolios. Additionally, focus groups were held with NH staff. All round table discussions and focus groups were audio-taped and transcribed verbatim. All data were analysed using an inductive thematic framework. Nineteen pharmacists and 36 NH staff members participated. Six themes emerged: (1) a promising e-learning with opportunities for improvement, (2) the crucial but challenging NH internship, (3) a variety of tasks performed by onsite pharmacists, 4) round table discussions as sources of inspiration and reassurance, (5) call for structural embedding of pharmacists in NHs, (6) consensus on the need for onsite pharmaceutical expertise. The pilot study highlighted the potential role of onsite pharmacists in NHs, emphasizing resident-level and system-level contributions. It also identified opportunities to optimize the postgraduate course and calls for the structural embedding of pharmacists in NH practice.

Healthcare and academic institutions face growing challenges in strategic planning due to rapid advances in medicine and technology, alongside fiscal and workforce constraints that limit traditional consultation. Participatory approaches offer a way to integrate diverse stakeholder perspectives under these constraints, generating contextually relevant strategies that can indicate whether current directions are appropriate or whether priorities have been overlooked. A structured, time-limited participatory workshop was conducted at the 10th Grampian Research Conference (June 2025), that brought together National Health Service (NHS) staff, academia, industry and patients and public communities. Participants engaged in 14 parallel roundtable discussions, with contributions captured on posters and Post-it notes, collecting 148 written annotations. Data were analysed using rapid thematic and content analysis, supplemented by strategic frameworks including Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT/TOWS), and Easy Wins, to identify and prioritise actionable strategies. Five core themes emerged: (1) access to healthcare and services, (2) patient-centred care and partnership, (3) digital health and service delivery innovation, (4) data access, integration, and governance, and (5) workforce development and culture. SWOT analysis identified strengths in telemedicine, interdisciplinary student training, and patient and public involvement, alongside weaknesses in fragmented data, referral tracking, and workforce pressures. TOWS matrix produced strategy-oriented recommendations such as AI-enabled scheduling, remote monitoring, and transparent referral systems. Easy Wins framework assessment highlighted immediate, low-cost improvements including identifiable NHS caller identification, automated text message reminders, updated informational videos and multilingual materials. By combining participatory outputs with structured strategy tools, this action-oriented approach demonstrated a resource-efficient model for adaptive planning. The findings align with and extend current national health policy frameworks, offering a replicable approach for institutions aiming to obtain meaningful stakeholder engagement despite fiscal and temporal constraints. Moreover, it provides a blueprint for health systems worldwide to accelerate transformation and deliver patient-centred care in an era of unprecedented change. Not applicable.

In recent years there have been exciting developments in the diagnosis and treatment of mild cognitive impairment and dementia due to Alzheimer's disease. Robust biomarkers and potentially disease modifying therapies are now available, with multiple other agents in clinical trials alongside on-going validation studies of blood-based biomarkers. Recent and probable future developments in the diagnosis and care of people with Alzheimer's disease pathology warrants serious re-evaluation of the structure and function of cognitive clinical services. Here we report recommendations from the November 2024 Brain Health Scotland roundtable discussion of opportunities and challenges for modern memory services.

Background: Even as co-designed projects and citizen science are on the rise, there is still very little inclusion of people with lived experience in the scientific development, implementation and writing process. This workshop creates a safe space and an opportunity for researchers to learn from people with lived experience why, when and how to use their skills, and what support is needed, as well as for researchers to define what they need to learn in order to co-produce research going forward. Audience: Everyone who is interested in integrated care research, no prior knowledge necessary Approach: Including people with lived experience in research can lead to better research quality and focus the research on questions that are more relevant to people. This in turn can reduce research waste, increase impact and ensure that the needs of all stakeholders are met. Integrated care research should include people with lived experience in all roles (researcher, author, reviewer, editor), but often there is a lack of confidence and knowledge about how to ensure meaningful participation, and regular updates and feedback on the impact this participation had. This workshop will bring together people with lived experience and researchers with and without experience in co-design and co-production to openly discuss fears and concerns, what approaches exist and what support is needed for people with lived experience and researchers alike to increase the active involvement of people with lived experience in research design, implementation and the scientific publication process. When entering the room, people will be asked to mark their experience with research on a flipchart and in what role they have been involved so far, if at all. 10’ Introduction to workshop and reflection on experience in the room 15’ Round table discussion: based on 4 - 6 real life case examples from different settings and including different lived experiences, people will discuss good examples, barriers, necessary competencies and potential for improvements. 15’ Presentation of outcomes in plenary and summary according to the following topics: -Barriers for people with lived experience / researchers -Necessary competences / education and training needs -Examples (good or bad), lessons learned 10’ Plenary discussion on priorities and next steps, including what can IFIC and IJIC do 5’ Summary and commitment (every participant will be asked to write down one action they will take forward on Monday) Outcomes: Creating a space to meet and openly discuss challenges is in itself a positive outcome to ensure meaningful inclusion of people with lived experience in the future. More specifically, the outcomes will be used to develop educational materials and training sessions for (IJIC) authors, IJIC lived experience reviewers, IJIC editorial board members, and integrated care researchers. The workshop will also inform further actions needed to strengthen the competences of people with lived experience and researchers to co-produce research.

Purpose This paper aims to explore the design, development and implementation of business cases in Dutch Corporate Real Estate (CRE) practice, and how this relates to literature insights and directions for future research. Design/methodology/approach The study is based on a literature review, a 1.5-hour roundtable discussion with six experienced CRE-practitioners, and in-depth interviews with 12 other experienced CRE-practitioners, each lasting 60–75 min. Findings Contemporary CRE business cases extend beyond financial considerations and increasingly incorporate less tangible forms of value, such as employee satisfaction, health and well-being, flexibility, and sustainability. In the context of CRE management, business case development is closely intertwined with stakeholder management and decision-making processes. These complexities confront CRE practitioners with distinct challenges that are insufficiently addressed in the current literature. Research limitations/implications The sample consists of 18 experienced Dutch CRE-practioners. As such, the findings are not fully generasible. Fot this reason a repeat study is recommended with a larger sample, also including CRE-practioners from other countries. Other research methods such as Delphi or a survey would be interesting as well. Practical implications The findings offer practical guidance for developing more integrated, value-based business cases, and highlight areas where further actions from practitioners and researchers are needed. Originality/value Integrated, value-based business cases for CRE interventions are under-researched. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is among the first to examine how Dutch CRE managers and consultants conduct and implement business cases.

BackgroundDespite being one of the most common chronic pain conditions, painful temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) are still not included in the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) measures of health loss. A key obstacle is the absence of a lay description that can be used to derive a disability weight reflecting the severity relative to all other diseases’ consequences measured in GBD. This study aims to propose lay descriptions of painful TMDs suitable for use within the GBD framework.MethodsThe process was guided by experts from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), USA. A structured consensus process was conducted among international experts, clinicians, and patient representatives in three steps: terminology alignment, roundtable discussions during a workshop, and outcome synthesis. After aligning terminology through introductory lectures, five groups of 8–12 participants reviewed existing lay descriptions for other pain-related disorders. In addition, they discussed lay descriptions and severity states.ResultsNo existing descriptions adequately captured the characteristics of painful TMDs. After consensus discussions, the proposed lay description was “Pain in the jaw, face, cheeks, or around the ears, sometimes radiating to the temples or behind the eyes. The pain may be felt as dull, sharp, tense, or stiff, making chewing, talking, or opening the mouth difficult.” Duration, intensity, and frequency were identified as important dimensions linked to severity.ConclusionsThe lay description provides direction on how painful TMDs can be quantified in GBD estimates. Future studies, including those that incorporate patients’ perspectives, are essential to ensure alignment with lived experiences.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12916-026-04790-3.

Members of the Feminary Collective—Eleanor Holland (b. 1948), Helen Langa (b. 1945), Mab Segrest (b. 1949), and Cris South (b. 1950)—convened for a roundtable on July 10, 2024, to discuss the legacy of Minnie Bruce Pratt (1946-2023) and her work with the Durham, North Carolina, collective. First published as the Research Triangle Women’s Liberation Newsletter in 1969, Feminary was rebranded first as Feminary Newsletter, then as a journal—Feminary: A Feminist Journal for the South Emphasizing the Lesbian Vision—in 1978. Holland, Langa, Pratt, Segrest, and South participated in the publication of Feminary from the mid-seventies until the collective’s end in 1982. This roundtable discussion covers the social, political, historical, and personal contexts in which Feminary developed. Participants detail the emotional, intellectual, and physical labor involved in journal production, alongside the collective’s political goals and common themes in various journal issues. Reflecting on their lives after Feminary, participants comment on the journal’s lasting impact on them individually, as well as its cultural interventions. Peppered throughout the conversation are anecdotes and meditations on Pratt’s poetry and her influence on roundtable participants, Feminary, and 20th and 21st-century U.S. social justice struggles.

The University of Cincinnati (UC) began cooperative education in 1906, integrating experience with academics. UC’s College of Engineering & Applied Science (CEAS) sustains this practice, requiring students to alternate academic semesters with full-time co-op positions. While co-op is a key factor in students’ decision to attend UC, the job search process for a first co-op experience can be a significant source of stress for students. Many students, particularly those with lower grade point averages (GPAs), worry about their competitiveness in the job market. This case study explores the impact of GPA on securing a first co-op position and identifies actionable strategies to support students in their job search. Utilizing institutional data, employer surveys, and roundtable discussions with electrical and chemical engineering employer partners, we found that while GPA plays a role, employers also prioritize personal qualities, extracurricular involvement, and professional communication skills. Employers emphasized the importance of human connection in hiring decisions. These insights offer valuable guidance for co-op faculty for advising and instruction. By leveraging both quantitative and qualitative data, career education practitioners can better prepare students—especially those with lower GPAs—for a successful job search. Future research should expand this study to other engineering disciplines and industries.

Contains fulltext : 330146.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Open Access)

African economies are susceptible to global food market shocks and price volatility. Incorporating circular and regenerative strategies into domestic agricultural production and export markets has been identified as a possible solution to improve resilience and market competitiveness. However, lessons from circular innovations are limited to examples from advanced economies, focusing mainly on industrial value chains. In particular, circularity in agribusinesses remains an underexplored topic in emerging and developing economies. This research addresses this gap by assessing various circular business model innovations observed in agribusinesses in Rwanda. The study employed a two-phase mixed-methods design. In the first phase, semi-structured interviews were conducted with agribusiness firms and a business association to examine their knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding circular business models. In the second phase, a roundtable discussion involving a broader set of agri-food sector stakeholders was convened to validate and further contextualize the findings. Key findings indicated that current circular practices are predominantly centered on reusing, repairing, and repurposing materials, and regenerating soil fertility. Key challenges include low consumer awareness and limited demand for circular products and services, stringent export requirements for packaging materials, and the lack of coordinated policies to support integrated circular initiatives. More concerted industry coordination, leveraging the existing business hubs and incubator networks, and collaboration with universities could help build beyond the international consortium efforts in funding circular economy research and innovation.