The La-Related Proteins, a Family with Connections to Cancer

The evolutionarily-conserved La-related protein (LARP) family currently comprises Genuine La, LARP1, LARP1b, LARP4, LARP4b, LARP6 and LARP7. Emerging evidence suggests each LARP has a distinct role in transcription and/or mRNA translation that is attributable to subtle sequence variations within their La modules and specific C-terminal domains. As emerging research uncovers the function of each LARP, it is evident that La, LARP1, LARP6, LARP7 and possibly LARP4a and 4b are dysregulated in cancer. Of these, LARP1 is the first to be demonstrated to drive oncogenesis. Here, we review the role of each LARP and the evidence linking it to malignancy. We discuss a future strategy of targeting members of this protein family as cancer therapy

The next steps in improving the outcomes of advanced ovarian cancer

Worldwide ovarian cancer affects over 200,000 women per year. Overall survival rates are poor due to two predominate reasons. First, the majority of patients present with advanced disease creating significant difficulty with effecting disease eradication. Second, acquisition of chemotherapy resistance results in untreatable progressive disease. Advances in treatment of advanced ovarian cancer involve a spectrum of interventions including improvements in frontline debulking surgery and combination chemotherapy. Anti-angiogenic factors have been shown to have activity in frontline and recurrent disease while novel chemotherapeutic agents and targeted treatments are in development particularly for disease that is resistant to platinum-based chemotherapy. These developments aim to improve the progression-free and overall survival of women with advanced ovarian cancer

The impact of a brief structured intervention on young offenders masculine identity: a mixed methods study

Masculinity in young men can be considered a dynamic risk factor. There is a call for programs and initiatives that not only engage adolescent boys in masculinity issues but also promote positive constructs of masculinity. The ‘Man-up’ programme is designed to support men and young men to explore the ways in which the concept of masculinity contributes to shaping their individual identity. The aim of this research evaluation was to explore young offenders’ perceptions of the programme and whether the programme contributed to any personal change/development and what core learning they took from the course. The evaluation utilised a mixed-methods programme of research to address these aims. The quantitative results found that there was a pre/post course reduction in ‘toughness’ and increases in self-esteem and risk-taking perceptions. The qualitative results identified 4 superordinate themes ‘reconstruing masculine self’, ‘self-realisation, awareness and reflection’, ‘group dynamics and course relationships’ and ‘unintended consequences’. The course assisted participants in helping to reconstrue aspects of being a man, made them think about the future and allowed for participants to consider their possible and desired selves. However, for some participants, the course appeared to reinforce some traditional stereotypical beliefs. The implications for course and recommendations are unpacked in the report

A very British national security state: Formal and informal institutions in the design of UK security policy

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from SAGE Publications via the DOI in this record.What are the roles of government institutions in the design and implementation of effective national security policy? Using the case of post-2010 reform to Britain’s central government security policy machinery, we find that formal institutions can help the informal strategy-making institutions on their periphery to function better. Through interviews with 25 senior officials, we find that Britain’s National Security Council and quinquennial Strategic Defence and Security Reviews – both instituted in 2010 with the intention of improving UK security policymaking – remain limited as formal makers of national strategy. But the networks of individuals and ideas they support, by absolving some decision-makers of audience costs while immersing others in creative yet coherent strategy-development communities, have improved the overall quality of UK security policymaking compared to its pre-2010 condition. This finding also carries implications for other contexts and thus represents a promising avenue for future research

Early Use of the Buddhist Era in Burma

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Influence of Time Dependent Factors To The Phases and Poisson's Ratio of Cholesteryl Ester liquid crystals

Liquid crystal based biosensors detect physical restructuring of cells via changes in the birefringence property or orientation order of the liquid crystal molecules. The strain induced in the liquid crystal molecules is closely associated with the liquid crystalline phases and Poisson’s ratio of the liquid crystals. Cholesteryl ester liquid crystals (CELC) and CELC based lyotropic liquid crystals (LLC) that were regarded as viscoelastic materials are subjected to time-dependent factors (a fluidic environment, incubation time, and temperature). The effects of these factors, qualitatively and quantitatively, were investigated by using cross-polarising microscopy and a uniaxial micro-tensile technique. More lyotropic phases were observed in the liquid crystals as the incubation time in cell culture media was increased. Poisson’s ratio of approximately 0.58 and 0.6 were determined for CELC and LLC, respectively, at room (25 oC) and incubation (37 oC) temperatures over a period of 3 days

"A different world" exploring and understanding the climate of a recently re-rolled sexual offender prison

Understanding how sexual offenders experience prison and its environment is important because such experiences can impact on rehabilitation outcomes. The purpose of this research investigation was to explore the rehabilitative and therapeutic climate of a recently re-rolled sexual offender prison. The research took a mixed methods approach and consisted of quantitative and qualitative phases. There were differences between prisoners and staff on their perception of the prison climate and for prisoner and staff relationships. The qualitative results helped to explain the quantitative findings and added a more nuanced understanding of the experience of the prison, the nature of prisoner and staff relationships and the opportunities for personal growth within the prison. The study has important implications for prisons that co-locate sexual offenders and want to provide an environment conducive to rehabilitation

Phase II study to evaluate combining gemcitabine with flutamide in advanced pancreatic cancer patients

A phase II study was undertaken to determine the safety of combining flutamide with gemcitabine, with response rate being the primary end point. Twenty-seven patients with histologically proven, previously untreated, unresectable pancreatic adenocarcinoma received gemcitabine, 1 g m−2 intravenously on days 1, 8 and 15 of a 28 day cycle, and flutamide 250 mg given orally three times daily. Treatment was halted if there was unacceptable toxicity, or evidence of disease progression. Toxicity was documented every cycle. Tumour assessment was undertaken after cycles 2 and 4, and thereafter at least every additional four cycles. One hundred and seventeen cycles of treatment were administered, median four cycles per patient (range 1–18). Gemcitabine combined with flutamide was well tolerated, with most toxicities being recorded as grade 1 or 2 and only nine treatment cycles associated with grade 3 toxicity. The most frequent toxicity was myelosuppression. One case of transient jaundice was recorded. The commonest symptomatic toxicity was nausea and vomiting. The response rate was 15% (four partial responses), median survival 6 months and 22% of patients were alive at 1 year. These results suggest antitumour activity of the combination therapy to be equivalent to single agent gemcitabine

'I've got the energy to change, but I haven’t got the energy for this kinda therapy': a qualitative analysis of the motivations behind democratic therapeutic community drop-out for men with sexual convictions

Prison-based democratic therapeutic communities (TCs) provide an alternative to mainstream prison, where prisoners can work on psychological difficulties and address offending behaviour. Research demonstrates TCs are effective at reducing reoffending rates for residents who stay in therapy 18+ months, and those who drop out of TCs offend at a significantly higher rate than those who complete therapy. Thus, it is important to reduce attrition in TCs. No research has yet explored the explanations for TC drop out offered by those with sexual convictions. The present study uses Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis to qualitatively explore the accounts of men with sexual convictions (n=7) who dropped out of a TC in a UK prison. Results highlight that issues surrounding external responsivity, therapeutic relationships and treatment readiness were salient in the participants' accounts of drop out. This research has implications for TCs seeking to better understand and address attrition of people with sexual convictions