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What do \"microbes\" have to do with social equity? These microorganisms are integral to our health, that of our natural environment, and even the \"health\" of the environments we build. The loss, gain, and retention of microorganisms-their flow between humans and the environment-can greatly impact our health. It is well-known that inequalities in access to perinatal care, healthy foods, quality housing, and the natural environment can create and arise from social inequality. Here, we focus on the argument that access to beneficial microorganisms is a facet of public health, and health inequality may be compounded by inequitable microbial exposure.

Background Trials involving adults who lack capacity to consent can be challenging, partly due to the involvement of ‘proxy’ decision-makers. This is usually a family member, who advises the researchers about the person’s wishes. Families can find decision making difficult and some experience a decisional burden. Following the development of a decision aid for family members making trial participation decisions, we are conducting a mixed-methods randomised Study Within a Trial (SWAT) to evaluate its (cost-)effectiveness. This paper reports the feasibility stage conducted in one host study to inform delivery of the main SWAT. Methods Family members approached to act as a consultee for the host study were randomised 1:1 to receive the decision aid booklet alongside standard study information (intervention), or standard information plus a blank notebook (control), and asked to complete the CONCORD scale (Combined Scale for Proxy Informed Consent Decisions) questions about their experience and take part in a semi-structured interview. Acceptability of the SWAT was assessed through exploring recruitment rates and data completeness, and qualitatively through interviews with family members and research staff. Interviews were analysed using a rapid qualitative approach. Results In total, 92 family members were randomised to the SWAT and 16 completed the CONCORD questionnaire. Interviews were conducted with consultees ( n  = 4), and host study staff ( n  = 3) who also provided resource use data. Differences in time staff spent with consultees were small. Key themes included (1) setting up the SWAT and balancing priorities with the host study, (2) differences when recruiting consultees to a SWAT, (3) feasibility and acceptability of the SWAT, (4) challenges of measuring decision quality and (5) views and experiences of the decision support intervention. Conclusion The CONSULT SWAT is feasible, but changes to study processes are needed in advance of the main SWAT. The findings suggest that attempting to seamlessly integrate the SWAT into the host study may have inadvertently led to it becoming ‘invisible’ to consultees. The small number of trials involving participants lacking capacity limits opportunities for developing the evidence-base. Recruitment of host trials continues, with a focus on evaluating the intervention in a broad range of populations and settings. Trial registration The SWAT is registered as SWAT #159 with the Northern Ireland Hub for Trials Methodology Research SWAT repository (registered 09.08.2020).

The effect of a range of chemical disinfectants at different concentration and exposure times was investigated on five macroalgal species and the marine gastropod Littorina spp. Palmaria palmata , Osmundea pinnatifida and Ulva lactuca are commercially valuable and are often cultivated in tanks for food or feed. Ectocarpus siliculosus and Ulva intestinalis are common epiphytes of P. palmata and O. pinnatifida cultures, whilst Littorina spp. are common herbivorous epibionts within U. lactuca culture tanks. These contaminants reduce the productivity and quality of the culture as a food. Differential tolerance to the treatments was seen between the algal species using pulse-amplitude modulation (PAM) chlorophyll a fluorescence, a few hours and a week following treatment. We identified treatments that selectively damaged the epiphyte but not the basiphyte species. Ectocarpus siliculosus had a significantly lower tolerance to 1 % sodium hypochlorite than P. palmata , and to 25 % methanol than O. pinnatifida , with a 1–5 min exposure appearing most suitable. Ulva intestinalis had a significantly lower tolerance than P. palmata and O. pinnatifida to many disinfectants: 0.1–1 % sodium hypochlorite for 10 min, 0.5 % potassium iodide for up to 10 min, and 0.25 % Kick-start (a commercial aquaculture disinfectant solution) for 1–5 min. No treatment was able to kill the gastropod snails without also damaging U. lactuca , although agitation in freshwater for an hr may cause them to detach from the basiphyte, with little to no photophysiological impact seen to U. lactuca . This experiment forms the basis for more extended commercial trials.

Palmaria palmata ( P. palmata ), commonly known as Dulse, is a red seaweed with increasing relevance as a potential sustainable feed ingredient for monogastric animals. It provides balanced proteins, essential amino acids, minerals, and diverse bioactive compounds with potential antioxidant and immunomodulatory effects. Unlike conventional protein sources, it can be cultivated without competing for arable land or freshwater, aligning with the goals of a circular economy. However, challenges include compositional variability, seasonal and geographic influences, and risks of contaminants such as heavy metals, iodine, and microbial hazards. Feeding trials in non-ruminants demonstrate that inclusion is feasible without adverse effects and may improve gut health and product quality; however, the evidence remains limited in scope and duration. This review consolidates current knowledge on the nutritional composition, bioactive compounds, safety concerns, processing technologies, and feeding outcomes of P. palmata , highlighting evidence gaps for safe inclusion levels, optimised processing, hazard management, and sustainability evaluation.

Despite the domestic cat’s (Felis catus) close association with humans, the timing and circumstances of its domestication and subsequent introduction to Europe are unresolved. Domestication of its wild progenitor, the African wildcat (F. lybica), is widely attributed to the emergence of farming. Wildcats are said to have been attracted to settled communities by the rodent populations that were thriving within this new agricultural niche. Some claim the African wildcat even reached Europe during the Neolithic, though many credit the Romans with their dispersal. Through a program of zooarchaeological analysis, genetic identification and radiocarbon dating, we redefine the established chronology for the cat’s domestication and dispersal across Europe. We argue that early human-cat relationships were more complex than the commensal and mutualistic pathways that have been proposed, and that both the domestication and translocation of cats were linked to its association with deities. Our results suggest domestic cats first arrived in Europe prior to Roman expansion during the early first millennium BCE, and that successive populations of domestic cats with unique mitochondrial signatures were introduced during the Roman, Late Antique and Viking periods. Lastly, by characterising the spatiotemporal representation of both domestic cats and the native European wildcat (F. silvestris), we argue that the introduction of domestic cats precipitated a decline in native European wildcat populations.