West Midlands Evidence Repository

The West Midlands Evidence Repository is moving.

We are currently preparing to move WMER to a new merged repository with our East Midlands colleagues. The new repository will be the Midlands Evidence Repository or MIDER for short.

In the meantime, you can continue to use WMER as usual.

From Monday 23 March you will be directed to the new MIDER website.

If you have cited resources held within WMER using a ‘Handle’ link (e.g. hdl.handle.net/12345), these links will remain permanent. Once the move is complete, these addresses will automatically redirect you to the new MIDER site.

Please note that no new records will be added to the current WMER collections during this transition period.

If you have this site saved to your favourites in your web browser, please add https://mider.openrepository.com This new address will become available from Monday 23 March.

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WMER is an online repository that is managed by a consortium of West Midlands NHS Library and Knowledge Services. Our aim is to collate, store and make available research and other non-traditional publications by our NHS organisations.

Please see below for the full list of WMER organisations. If you wish to engage with us as we develop the repository, please contact us via email: wmnhskr@gmail.com

Please note deposit of items within WMER does not mean endorsement of the research or any opinions expressed within it by the consortium organisations.

Communities in WMER

Select a community to browse its collections.

Recent Submissions

  • PublicationMetadata only
    Establishing global standards on wearable technology for measuring mobility in ageing populations: an international consensus exercise.
    (Oxford University Press, 2026-01-03) Beauchamp, Marla K; D'Amore, Cassandra; Raina, Parminder; McIlroy, William; Adesina, Nurudeen; Ahmadi, Matthew; Alcock, Lisa; Becker, Clemens; Doherty, Aiden; Donnelly, Alan; Esliger, Dale W; Fenton, Sally A M; Fuller, Daniel; Garcia-Aymerich, Judith; Hausdorff, Jeffery M; Hesketh, Katie; Hillsdon, Melvyn; Prince, Stephanie A; Richardson, Julie; Schrack, Jennifer A; Stamatakis, Emmanuel; Van Ooteghem, Karen; Wainwright, Thomas W; Wanigatunga, Amal A; Western, Max James; Stathi, Afroditi
    BACKGROUND: Mobility, defined as movement in all its forms, is a hallmark of healthy ageing. As wearable technologies become increasingly integrated into population health surveillance and ageing research, the absence of standardised terminology, measurement protocols and reporting practices presents a major barrier to progress. This consensus exercise aimed to establish minimum standards for measuring mobility with wearable technology in ageing populations and set priorities for future research in the field. METHODS: A two-day, in-person consensus meeting was convened with 24 international experts in ageing, mobility and digital health. Using a modified nominal group technique facilitated by a trained moderator, participants engaged in structured small-group brainstorming, followed by iterative large-group discussions. Consensus was achieved through anonymised digital voting on proposed measures, principles and priorities. FINDINGS: Consensus (≥80% agreement) was reached on 20 core device-derived mobility measures and 30 guiding principles for the optimal use of wearable technology in older populations. Experts also identified and ranked 16 priority areas for future research, with the top five including: (i) longitudinal studies and data collection, (ii) digital biomarkers and health outcomes, (iii) contextual data capture, (iv) algorithm development and validation and (v) integration with healthcare systems. INTERPRETATIONS: These consensus-based standards provide a foundational framework for the consistent and transparent use of wearable devices in ageing research and practice. They can inform the development of regulations and guidelines, support harmonisation across studies and chart a path for future research to enhance the utility and impact of wearable technologies in ageing populations.
  • PublicationMetadata only
    Muscle recovery and myofibrillar protein synthesis after damaging exercise with recombinant bovine β-lactoglobulin, dairy-derived whey or carbohydrate supplementation in young healthy adults.
    (Elsevier, 2026-01-05) Rogers, Lucy M; Korzepa, Marie; Belfield, Archie E; Quinlan, Jonathan I; Wallis, Gareth A; Breen, Leigh
    BACKGROUND: Supplementation with recombinant bovine β-lactoglobulin (rBLG), a precision-engineered mimetic of dairy-derived whey, supports similar resistance exercise (RE) training-induced muscle remodeling to whey protein (WHEY). However, the influence of rBLG on recovery indices and muscle protein synthesis rates after damaging exercise is unknown. OBJECTIVES: To determine the influence of rBLG supplementation on indices of muscle recovery and integrated myofibrillar protein synthesis (iMyoPS) over 72 h following damaging RE, compared with WHEY and a carbohydrate placebo. METHODS: In a randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group design, 27 healthy adults consuming a controlled diet (∼0.9 g/kg body mass/d of protein) were supplemented thrice daily with 0.3 g/kg body mass of rBLG, WHEY, or isocaloric carbohydrate placebo for 3 d following an acute bout of damaging lower-body RE (8 × 10 maximal, unilateral, eccentric knee extensions). Consumption of deuterated water combined with serial vastus lateralis muscle biopsies permitted the measurement of iMyoPS 72 h before (habitual) and after RE. Knee extensor maximum voluntary contraction (MVC), muscle soreness, and plasma concentrations of creatine kinase and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) were also assessed post-RE to characterize muscle recovery. RESULTS: iMyoPS fractional synthetic rate (%/d) increased following damaging RE (P < 0.001), with no significant differences between groups. Knee extensor MVC decreased, and subjective muscle soreness and plasma LDH concentrations increased following strenuous exercise (P < 0.05 for all) with no significant differences between groups. CONCLUSIONS: At habitual dietary protein intakes ∼0.9 g/kg body mass/d, further rBLG or WHEY supplementation did not influence muscle recovery or iMyoPS rates, suggesting that protein supplementation, at the intakes studied, may have limited efficacy as a tool to enhance muscle recovery and remodeling from damaging exercise.
  • PublicationMetadata only
    Unusually aggressive malignant glomus tumour of cutaneous origin.
    (BMJ Pub. Group, 2026-01-06) Moe, Gabrielle; Sherriff, Jenny; Taniere, Phillipe; University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust; Histopathology; Oncology; Medical and Dental; Sherriff, Jenny; Taniere, Phillipe
    Glomus tumours are uncommon, typically benign neoplasms of specialised dermal thermoregulatory structures known as glomus bodies. Wide local excision is the gold standard management for such tumours with good recurrence-free outcomes. Rarely, they may exhibit malignant and metastatic behaviour. The efficacy of systemic treatments to manage widespread or metastatic disease has been trialled with varying degrees of success but remains poorly understood.This case report describes a cutaneous glomus tumour in a female patient. Despite prompt wide local excision of the primary lesion and subsequent nodal recurrence, the patient developed metastatic disease that failed to respond to taxane chemotherapy but was stabilised for several months with selective internal radiation therapy and doxorubicin. She passed away shortly after developing widespread abdominal and bony metastases.This case highlights the potentially aggressive recurrence of glomus tumours, the importance of close follow-up and the challenges of treating lesser understood cancers.
  • PublicationMetadata only
    Respiratory failure after tracheal extubation secondary to phrenic nerve blockade and acute right hemidiaphragmatic paresis following supraclavicular brachial plexus anaesthesia.
    (BMJ Pub. Group, 2026-01-07) Ali, Muzzammil; Islam, Fahima; Ahmed, Jubeyr; Critical Care; Medical and Dental; Ali, Muzzammil; Islam, Fahima; Ahmed, Jubeyr
    A man in his 70s with Parkinson's disease underwent urgent below-elbow amputation for gangrenous sepsis. A right supraclavicular brachial plexus catheter was placed for postoperative analgesia. Shortly after tracheal extubation, he developed acute hypercapnic respiratory failure due to ipsilateral hemidiaphragmatic paresis, requiring urgent tracheal re-intubation and a brief period of mechanical ventilation. Following cessation of the local anaesthetic infusion, diaphragmatic function returned and he was successfully re-extubated. A reduced-dose supraclavicular infusion was later reintroduced after multidisciplinary review, without recurrence. This case highlights an infrequent but clinically significant complication of supraclavicular block and emphasises diagnostic evaluation, risk stratification and safe reintroduction of regional analgesia.
  • PublicationMetadata only
    Supportive cancer care and patient satisfaction: international prospective longitudinal study - secondary data analysis.
    (BMJ Publishing Group, 2026-01-07) Brédart, Anne; Kop, Jean-Luc; Shamieh, Omar; Fox, Louis; Alrjoub, Waleed; Conroy, Thierry; Turhal, Nazim Serdar; Arraras, J I; Bultijnck, Renée; Harle, Amélie; Van Hemelrijck, Mieke; Pinto, Eleonora; Roth, Eric; Ioannidis, Georgios; Costantini, Anna; Chalk, Tara; Young, Teresa; Rohde, Gudrun; Ishiki, Hiroto; Kikawa, Yuichiro; Schmidt, Heike; Vassiliou, Vassilios; Shayler, Stephanie; Marchal, Frédéric; Lehmann, Jens; Birmingham St Mary's Hospice; Medical and Dental; Shayler, Stephanie
    No abstract available.
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