A cross-sectional study examining the nature and extent of interprofessional education in schools of pharmacy in the United Kingdom.

Interprofessional education can prepare the workforce for collaborative practice in complex health and social care systems. The aim of this study was to examine the nature and extent of interprofessional education in schools of pharmacy in the United Kingdom. An online questionnaire was developed using systems theory, published literature and input from an interprofessional expert panel. It included closed and open-ended questions and a demographic section. Following piloting, it was distributed to 31 schools of pharmacy. Descriptive statistics were used for quantitative data, a content analysis approach for qualitative data. Ten schools of pharmacy responded. All reported delivering compulsory interprofessional education. Most (80%) reported an interprofessional steering group overseeing development. Formative and/or summative assessment varied depending on year of study. Mechanism and purpose of evaluation varied, with respondents reporting Kirkpatrick Evaluation Model Levels 1-3 (100%;80%;70%). Two themes were identified: "Variation in Interprofessional Education Approaches and Opportunities" and "Factors Influencing Development and Implementation of Interprofessional Education". Formal teaching was mainly integrated into other modules; various pedagogic approaches and topics were used for campus-based activities. Respondents referred to planned interprofessional education during practice-based placements; some still at pilot stage. Overall, respondents agreed that practice-based placements offered opportunistic interprofessional education, but a more focused approach is needed to maximise student pharmacists' learning potential. Most interprofessional education offered in undergraduate pharmacy curricula in the United Kingdom is campus-based, the nature and extent of which varies between programmes. Very few examples of practice-based activities were reported. Results may inform future interprofessional education curricular developmen

Who are our Education Studies (Primary) concurrent students?

This project sets out to respond to a significant increase in the numbers of concurrent students in the Education Studies (Primary) Q94 pathway and the growing anecdotal evidence about the nature and motivations of these students. It aims to explore the impact on students of studying at full-time equivalent intensity (studying two 60-credit modules concurrently), building on previous university-wide studies but with greater focus on the person behind the student. By focusing on the core modules in Q94 (E103, E209, E309), the project team were able access a large cohort of students, and tutors, across levels. A mixed methods and reflexive approach has been adopted, analysing quantitative and qualitative data. The analysis was then screened through various theoretical perspectives that will help achieve a richer understanding of the data and the corresponding student narratives. To ensure a fully rounded analysis the project team has been drawn from a diverse range of staff who support students, and the students themselves. The result is a multi-layered and multi-vocal analysis that can inform how we understand students and their motivations, while also challenging preconceptions that act as barriers to a more nuanced appreciation of the student experience. The project will be used to provide guidance for qualification and module teams, tutors and student support staff to support concurrent students, as well as generate tips for students embarking on concurrent study or studying two modules concurrently. At a more fundamental level, the ‘shifting stories’ of our concurrent students have the potential to challenge institutional narratives about concurrent study and the existing frameworks of support. The project team will seek opportunities to engage in presentations and workshops to share the emerging picture of our concurrent students who are demanding to be seen as “normal” full-time HE students, with the flexibility of structures, processes and interrelationships of their ‘red-brick’ counterparts

The death domain kinase RIP1 links the immunoregulatory CD40 receptor to apoptotic signaling in carcinomas

RIP1 is a component of a TRAF2 complex, required for caspase-8 activation and tumor cell killing in response to ligand binding of CD40

IFITM3 restricts the morbidity and mortality associated with influenza

The 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic showed the speed with which a novel respiratory virus can spread and the ability of a generally mild infection to induce severe morbidity and mortality in a subset of the population. Recent in vitro studies show that the interferon-inducible transmembrane (IFITM) protein family members potently restrict the replication of multiple pathogenic viruses1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. Both the magnitude and breadth of the IFITM proteins’ in vitro effects suggest that they are critical for intrinsic resistance to such viruses, including influenza viruses. Using a knockout mouse model8, we now test this hypothesis directly and find that IFITM3 is essential for defending the host against influenza A virus in vivo. Mice lacking Ifitm3 display fulminant viral pneumonia when challenged with a normally low-pathogenicity influenza virus, mirroring the destruction inflicted by the highly pathogenic 1918 ‘Spanish’ influenza9, 10. Similar increased viral replication is seen in vitro, with protection rescued by the re-introduction of Ifitm3. To test the role of IFITM3 in human influenza virus infection, we assessed the IFITM3 alleles of individuals hospitalized with seasonal or pandemic influenza H1N1/09 viruses. We find that a statistically significant number of hospitalized subjects show enrichment for a minor IFITM3 allele (SNP rs12252-C) that alters a splice acceptor site, and functional assays show the minor CC genotype IFITM3 has reduced influenza virus restriction in vitro. Together these data reveal that the action of a single intrinsic immune effector, IFITM3, profoundly alters the course of influenza virus infection in mouse and human

PGCE Practice Tutors – preconceptions, perceptions and actuality

This study explores how those who have taken on the role of a practice tutor within the PGCE in Wales see and action their role. Five practice tutors are interviewed and the characteristics and experiences that they bring to the role are outlined. It is clear that these professionals understand the complex role of a mentor and bring their understanding, experience and enthusiasm to the role. They increase our understanding of what it means to take on a role that bridges a potential divide between school practice and university knowledge and how to support professionals taking on that role

A cross-sectional study examining the nature and extent of interprofessional education in schools of pharmacy in the United Kingdom

Background: Interprofessional education can prepare the workforce for collaborative practice in complex health and social care systems. Aim: To examine the nature and extent of interprofessional education in schools of pharmacy in the United Kingdom. Method: An online questionnaire was developed using systems theory, published literature and input from an interprofessional expert panel; it included closed and open-ended questions and a demographic section. Following piloting, it was distributed to 31 schools of pharmacy. Descriptive statistics were used for quantitative data, a content analysis approach for qualitative data. Results: Ten schools of pharmacy responded. All reported delivering compulsory interprofessional education. Most (80%) reported an interprofessional steering group overseeing development. Formative and/or summative assessment varied depending on year of study. Mechanism and purpose of evaluation varied with respondents reporting Kirkpatrick Evaluation Model Levels 1-3 (100%;80%;70%). Two themes were identified: “Variation in Interprofessional Education Approaches and Opportunities” and “Factors Influencing Development and Implementation of Interprofessional Education”. Formal teaching was mainly integrated into other modules; various pedagogic approaches and topics were used for campus-based activities. Respondents referred to planned interprofessional education during practice-based placements; some still at pilot stage. Overall, respondents agreed that practice-based placements offered opportunistic interprofessional education, but a more focused approach is needed to maximise student pharmacists’ learning potential. Conclusion: Most interprofessional education offered in undergraduate pharmacy curricula in the United Kingdom is campus-based; the nature and extent of which varies between programmes. Very few examples of practice-based activities were reported. Results may inform future interprofessional education curricular development

Homology between the human cytomegalovirus RL11 gene family and human adenovirus E3 genes

A significant proportion of the human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) genome comprises 12 multigene families that probably arose by gene duplication. One, the RL11 family, contains 12 members, most of which are predicted to encode membrane glycoproteins. Comparisons of sequences near the left end of the genome in several HCMV strains revealed two adjacent open reading frames that potentially encode related proteins: RL6, which is hypervariable, and RL5A, which has not been recognized previously. These genes potentially encode a domain that is the hallmark of proteins encoded by the RL11 family, and thus constitute two new members. A homologous domain is also present in a subset of human adenovirus E3 membrane glycoproteins. Evolution of genes specifying the shared domain in cytomegaloviruses and adenoviruses is characterized by extensive divergence, gene duplication and selective sequence loss. These features prompt speculation about the roles of these genes in the two virus families

The genome of Epstein–Barr virus type 2 strain AG876

Two Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) types are known, EBV1 and EBV2, which possess substantially diverged alleles for latency genes EBNA-2, EBNA-3A, EBNA-3B and EBNA-3C but are thought to be otherwise similar. We report the first complete EBV2 genome sequence, for strain AG876, as 172,764 bp. The sequence was interpreted as containing at least 80 protein coding genes. Comparison with the published EBV1 sequence demonstrated that the two sequences are collinear and, outside the known diverged alleles, generally very close. The EBNA-1 gene was identified as another diverged locus, although its variation is believed not to correlate with EBV type. Patterns of substitution between the two genomes presented a wide spectrum of classes of change. No evidence was seen for involvement of B-cell-specific hypermutation systems in generation of the diverged alleles. Overall, genomic comparisons indicated that the two EBV types should be regarded as belonging to the same virus species