To develop predictive models for early and overall tuberculosis (TB) deaths for prospective use at TB diagnosis in resource-constrained TB programme settings.

Statewide cohort study using routinely captured secondary data.

With the majority of TB deaths being early (within 2 months), India’s TB programme’s information management system (Ni-kshay)-dependent death prediction models (using age, gender, TB site, previous treatment, microbiological confirmation, HIV, diabetes and bank account availability) are not feasible for prospective use, as few variables are captured at diagnosis. Utilising routinely captured triage variables for severe illness at diagnosis (body mass index, pedal oedema, respiratory rate, oxygen saturation and ability to stand without support) from an ongoing statewide and state-specific differentiated TB care initiative to reduce TB deaths in Tamil Nadu state (southern India, 80 million population with 0.1 million annual notifications), robust models for prospective use were developed.

Adults (aged ≥15 years) with TB (not known to be drug-resistant at diagnosis) that were notified from public facilities of Tamil Nadu from July 2022 to June 2023.

Early and overall (within 12 months of notification) TB deaths. Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was used to assess accuracy of models built using modified Poisson regression.

Among 55 971 adults, the overall death rate was 7.4%, and 67.9% of the deaths were early. In predicting overall deaths, accuracy of the model using all Ni-kshay variables (AUC 0.716 (95% CI 0.707 to 0.725)) was as good as the model using triage variables for severe illness only (AUC 0.701 (95% CI 0.691 to 0.711)). To the latter, adding potentially capturable Ni-kshay variables at diagnosis (age, gender, TB site, previous treatment and microbiological confirmation) significantly improved model accuracy (AUC 0.754 (95% CI 0.745 to 0.763)). Further addition of remaining Ni-kshay variables did not improve accuracy significantly. Death prediction equations were generated for these models.

Simple and easily measurable triage variables for severe illness should be routinely captured at TB diagnosis. A death prediction calculator (http://44.208.93.99/) based on these variables (specifically triage variables for severe illness combined with age, gender, TB site, previous treatment and microbiological confirmation) may be used by Indian states and high TB burden countries seeking scalable, data-driven interventions to reduce TB deaths.

Some cancers are diagnosed late, making them harder to treat. People with an undiagnosed cancer may use over-the-counter medications to manage non-specific cancer-related symptoms that often mimic other more common, easily treatable conditions. Results from the original Cancer Loyalty Card Study (CLOCS) suggest there may be an increase in purchases of pain and indigestion medication 8–9 months before an ovarian cancer diagnosis. We aim to validate the CLOCS findings by exploring whether a significant change in medication purchases could be an indication for early signs of the following cancer types: oesophageal, stomach (gastric), colorectal (bowel), pancreatic, liver, bladder, endometrial, uterine sarcoma, ovarian and vulval, using data collected through store loyalty cards.

Using a retrospective case-control design, we aim to recruit 1450 participants with one of the cancers of interest (cases) and 1450 participants without cancer (controls) in the UK who (or whose household members) hold a loyalty card with at least one participating high street retailer. We will use pre-existing loyalty card data to compare past purchase patterns of cases with those of controls. To assess cancer risk in participants and their purchasing patterns, we will collect information on demographic characteristics, health risk factors, lifestyle habits and behaviours, family history of cancer and any symptoms experienced prior to diagnosis (cases) and in the last year prior to study recruitment (controls). In addition, cases will be asked about their cancer diagnosis.

CLOCS-2 was reviewed and approved by the East Midlands-Leicester South Research Ethics Committee (23/EM/0224). Study outcomes will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications, conferences, presentations to the research communities as well as patients and the public, the study website and other social media outlets.

NCT06447064, CPMS58679; pre-results.

Patients and families from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds face distinct challenges during end-of-life care (EOLC) in intensive care unit (ICU) settings, where communication, cultural expectations and decision-making may conflict with clinical norms. These complexities have important implications for intensive and palliative care teams.

To map literature on clinician, patient and family perspectives on end-of-life communication with CALD populations in ICUs, and identify barriers and facilitators to culturally responsive care.

This scoping review followed Joanna Briggs Institute methodology and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews checklist. The protocol was registered with the Open Science Framework and published in BMJ Open. Screening, review and data extraction were conducted by multiple reviewers using Covidence and the Joanna Briggs Institute tool, with findings synthesised through inductive thematic analysis.

The primary outcome was to identify barriers and facilitators to communication between clinicians, patients and families from CALD backgrounds during EOLC. Secondary outcomes were to map the scope of evidence, describe study characteristics and participant demographics, and summarise themes on cultural sensitivity, clinician awareness, family involvement, decision-making and integration of support services.

Thirty of 766 screened studies were included. Three themes emerged: communication challenges; cultural sensitivity and humility and decision-making and support. Barriers included limited access to palliative care, language discordance, underuse of interpreters, clinician discomfort and conflicting care expectations. Facilitators included structured meetings, inclusive practices and interdisciplinary collaboration.

Structural, communicative and cultural barriers undermine equitable EOLC for CALD patients. Embedding palliative care principles, cultural responsiveness and shared decision-making into ICU practice requires coordinated input from a multidisciplinary team involving physicians, nurses, social workers, spiritual care, psychologists and interpreters. System-level reforms in training, service delivery and research are needed to ensure person-centred care.

Registered with BMJ Open DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2024-090168

Dietary modification, particularly low-carbohydrate diet, and diabetes self-management education (DSME) have shown promise in improving glycaemic control among persons with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). However, real-world evidence from India is limited. This protocol describes the methods of a cluster randomised trial to determine the effectiveness and feasibility of adopting a low-carbohydrate diet among persons with T2DM.

Our cluster-randomised trial with a mixed-method process evaluation will use computer-generated block randomisation sequence to randomise Urban Primary Health Centres (UPHCs) (n=16) to either continue delivering the usual guideline-based care under the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases (NPNCD) or our study intervention. The study intervention will comprise a personalised nutrition counselling focusing on (i) low-carbohydrate diet (

We will include persons with T2DM, over the age of 30 years and above, irrespective of comorbidities, registered in the selected UPHC under care for diabetes for at least a month and with an glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) level ≥6.5% during the screening test. We will collect data electronically using semistructured questionnaires and measure HbA1c, blood pressure, lipid profile, serum creatinine and body weight at baseline, 3, 6, 9 and 12 months after enrolment. We will use a difference in difference analysis, adjusted for clustering, to compare the change in HbA1c at the follow-up visits compared with baseline across the two study arms. We will conduct both intention-to-treat and per-protocol analysis, exploring reasons for differences in effect size.

The study protocol was reviewed and approved by the Scientific Advisory Committee/Institutional Human Ethics Committee of the research institution (NIE/IHEC/202302-03). The findings of this study will be disseminated through publication in peer-reviewed journals.

Clinical Trials Registry-India (CTRI/2024/02/062202).