The Winchcombe meteorite, a unique and pristine witness from the outer solar system.

Direct links between carbonaceous chondrites and their parent bodies in the solar system are rare. The Winchcombe meteorite is the most accurately recorded carbonaceous chondrite fall. Its pre-atmospheric orbit and cosmic-ray exposure age confirm that it arrived on Earth shortly after ejection from a primitive asteroid. Recovered only hours after falling, the composition of the Winchcombe meteorite is largely unmodified by the terrestrial environment. It contains abundant hydrated silicates formed during fluid-rock reactions, and carbon- and nitrogen-bearing organic matter including soluble protein amino acids. The near-pristine hydrogen isotopic composition of the Winchcombe meteorite is comparable to the terrestrial hydrosphere, providing further evidence that volatile-rich carbonaceous asteroids played an important role in the origin of Earth's water.

COVID-19 infection causing residual gastrointestinal symptoms - a single UK centre case series.

Although COVID-19 was first recognised as an acute respiratory illness, extra-pulmonary manifestations are increasingly being recognised. Acute gastrointestinal side effects have been well reported with COVID-19 infection and are estimated to affect around 17% of patients. With COVID-19 still being a relatively new illness, the chronic gastrointestinal symptoms are less well characterised. Post-infectious irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) can occur following bacterial and viral infections, and with ACE-2 receptors being shown to be present in the gastrointestinal tract and SARS-Cov-2 RNA being present in stool, SARS-CoV-2 is now appreciated as an enteric pathogen. In our study, we survey acute and chronic gastrointestinal symptoms after COVID-19 infection. We have conducted one of the few UK studies on gastrointestinal symptoms, with the longest follow-up duration of 6 months. We have found that gastrointestinal symptoms are common at 6 months, affecting 43.8% of our patients. Further research is needed to explore whether this represents a new post-COVID-19 IBS, which has not previous been described in the literature, including its clinical course and response to any potential medical therapies.

Inspiring the next generation of Cardiothoracic Surgeons: an easily reproducible, sustainable event increases UK undergraduate interest in the specialty.

There is believed to be declining interest in cardiothoracic surgical careers among UK medical students. Relative lack of undergraduate exposure to the specialty compared with other surgical specialties may be partly responsible. Using pre- and postintervention analysis, we assessed the ability of a student-led extracurricular engagement event to increase undergraduate interest in the specialty. Fifty-four students attended and 50 (93%) participated in the study. Of the total, 32% of delegates had identified a cardiothoracic mentor, with only 8 and 4% exposed to cardiac and thoracic surgery, respectively, compared with 50% exposed to other surgical specialties. Self-reported understanding of cardiothoracic training increased from 20 to 80% (P < 0.001) after the 1-day event; 77% of delegates reported increased interest in the specialty. We demonstrate that it is possible to provide a free-to-user event that increases engagement using a student-led design. Similar events could increase interest in the specialty and may improve recruitment rates. Current levels of cardiothoracic exposure are very low among UK students.

Creating a positive experience of research for people with psychiatric disabilities by sharing feedback.

This paper describes a consumer evaluation that explored the reflections of persons with psychiatric disabilities on receiving individualized feedback following participation in a community research project. Findings indicate that feedback is an important element of research, offering a valued means to reciprocate participants' contributions. Feedback can facilitate mutual learning, fostering hope and empowerment, while participation in performance tests without feedback may reinforce negative self-evaluations. Feedback needs sensitive presentation and discussion, focused on strengths, to be experienced as worthwhile and respectful by people with psychiatric disabilities. This is particularly important as their self-identities may already be undermined by experiences of mental illness. Researchers need dedicated time, resources, and training to incorporate individual feedback in research.