Study Bugs do a poster presentation

The poster describes the concepts behind, and the development of, a series of short films which deliver study skills information to students using an informal, imaginative and slightly quirky style. The stars of the films are the study bugs, who have taken on a life of their own, presenting important information in their own inimitable style. The videos have been used in teaching sessions, at Derby and other universities, to reinforce taught content and engage students in discussion. The films are available online through YouTube and can be embedded into VLEs. They have had positive feedback from academics and students. The films are accessible to students from different academic and cultural backgrounds, highlighting core concepts in a straightforward manner

Clinical decision making in advanced practice

Introduction: The definition of advanced clinical practice explicitly includes complex decision-making, underpinned by master’s level education (HEE 2017). Decision making is a skill that combines clinical expertise, critical thinking, evidence-based knowledge, and ethical considerations to ensure high-quality, individualised, healthcare delivery. Aim: To ensure that decision making is guided by the best available evidence, advanced practitioners need to develop and refine their clinical judgment skills. A master’s level module was therefore specifically developed to equip trainee advanced practitioners with the knowledge, skills and confidence necessary to interrogate and understand the complex factors that underpin decision making in the context of health and social care. Details of the project: Although inherent in existing advanced practice modules, there was limited capacity to focus on empowered decision making in any depth. The ‘Advanced Clinical Decision Making’ module aims to incorporate critical thinking into trainee advanced practitioner’s clinical decision making processes while enhancing learning in existing modules. The module will provide students with the tools and frameworks to make informed and evidence-based decisions and support them to adopt a systematic and empowered approach to delivering patient care. Students study the following topic areas: The role of data and Information; Ethical, legal and professional accountability; A systematic approach to decision-making; Conceptual and theoretical frameworks; Decisions in action. Outcomes: The module assesses the student’s ability to interrogate a decision-making process and to develop their understanding of the decision, by considering how relevant concepts and theories have been applied. Impact: Effective decision making can positively impact clinical practice by enhancing patient safety, optimising resource utilisation, increasing patient and clinician satisfaction, and improving patient outcomes. It is a fundamental aspect of high-quality healthcare delivery and contributes to the overall efficacy of timely and holistic care

The ultimate test of self-discipline: lockdown and the NoFap community.

NoFap is a community of mostly heterosexual men abstaining from what they see as an addictive cycle of pornography, masturbation, and orgasm, induced by the exploitation of innate male urges by the pornography industry. In the general population, increased masturbation and consumption of pornography are associated with psychological factors including low affect, loneliness, and boredom, all of which may be exacerbated by the lockdown/social distancing measures adopted in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The present study explores how the NoFap community has responded to the pandemic through discourse analysis of an online message board. We identify four key themes: i) I let go in lockdown, ii) the opportunity of lockdown, iii) testing the parameters of NoFap, and iv) community cohesion. Each is defined and discussed. Combined they illustrate a digital community struggling to honor its meritocratic masculine ideals in the face of challenging circumstances

Ultrastructural analysis of prostate cancer tissue provides insights into androgen-dependent adaptations to membrane contact site establishment

Membrane trafficking and organelle contact sites are important for regulating cell metabolism and survival; processes often deregulated in cancer. Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related death in men in the developed world. While early-stage disease is curable by surgery or radiotherapy there is an unmet need to identify prognostic biomarkers, markers to treatment response and new therapeutic targets in intermediate-late stage disease. This study explored the morphology of organelles and membrane contact sites in tumor tissue from normal, low and intermediate histological grade groups. The morphology of organelles in secretory prostate epithelial cells; including Golgi apparatus, ER, lysosomes; was similar in prostate tissue samples across a range of Gleason scores. Mitochondrial morphology was not dramatically altered, but the number of membrane contacts with the ER notably increased with disease progression. A three-fold increase of tight mitochondria-ER membrane contact sites was observed in the intermediate Gleason score group compared to normal tissue. To investigate whether these changes were concurrent with an increased androgen signaling in the tissue, we investigated whether an anti-androgen used in the clinic to treat advanced prostate cancer (enzalutamide) could reverse the phenotype. Patient-derived explant tissues with an intermediate Gleason score were cultured ex vivo in the presence or absence of enzalutamide and the number of ER-mitochondria contacts were quantified for each matched pair of tissues. Enzalutamide treated tissue showed a significant reduction in the number and length of mitochondria-ER contact sites, suggesting a novel androgen-dependent regulation of these membrane contact sites. This study provides evidence for the first time that prostate epithelial cells undergo adaptations in membrane contact sites between mitochondria and the ER during prostate cancer progression. These adaptations are androgen-dependent and provide evidence for a novel hormone-regulated mechanism that support establishment and extension of MAMs. Future studies will determine whether these changes are required to maintain pro-proliferative signaling and metabolic changes that support prostate cancer cell viability