On‐line student feedback: A pilot study

This paper reports on the outcomes of two experimental trials of the use of on‐line questionnaires to assess student satisfaction with courses at the London School of Economics and Political Science. In the first year, eighteen course modules were selected from three departments, surveying a total of 1,100 student places. Students on ten of the courses were invited to complete the ‘experimental’ on‐line survey and the remainder were invited to complete the paper‐based questionnaires which have been in use for several years. In the second year, the scale of the experiment was increased, to include forty‐six courses across seven departments. Response rates were compared and possible barriers to completion of the on‐line questionnaire were considered Whilst electronic monitoring indicated that 95 per cent (first trial) and 80 per cent (second trial) of those contacted for the on‐line survey opened the introductory email, only 23 per cent (first trial) and 27 per cent (second trial) completed the on‐line survey, compared with a 60 per cent response rate on the paper‐based survey. The on‐line response is also slightly lower than that achieved by postal surveys of LSE students (30–50 per cent response rates). Whilst some technical difficulties could have acted as a barrier, motivation appeared to be the main barrier. Initial results from the second trial, which included two reminder emails and some small incentives, show that it is possible to increase the response rate, but this may still be unacceptably low for staff whose promotion prospects may be affected by results. A third trial has been proposed, looking at ways in which the process as a whole could be amended, to overcome the problem of ‘survey fatigue’ that the current system faces

Oceanography of Cowichan Bay: A background view for early marine survival of Chinook and Coho salmon

Early Marine Survival (EMS) of Chinook and Coho salmon in the Salish Sea has plummeted over the past decades, and both bottom-up and top-down mechanisms for decline have been proposed. As a background for an ecosystem-based assessment of EMS, a pilot study on the basic oceanography of a small sub-component of the system was launched in spring and early summer, 2013. A repeat sampling grid covering Cowichan Bay and immediately connected waters was established, and then sampled on weekly intervals for temperature, salinity, chlorophyll fluorescence, nutrients and zooplankton. Oceanographic studies were carried out concurrently with fisheries assessments. A longer section was carried out at monthly intervals, with the purpose of connecting Cowichan Bay to the Strait of Georgia. This talk will present findings from this study, identify key shortcoming and suggest an approach to expand the pilot study to the scale of the Salish Sea

Blood-based microRNAs as biomarkers for the diagnosis of colorectal cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is common and associated with significant mortality. Current screening methods for CRC lack patient compliance. microRNAs (miRNAs), identified in body fluids, are negative regulators of gene expression and are dysregulated in many cancers, including CRC. This paper summarises studies identifying blood-based miRNAs dysregulated in CRC compared with healthy controls in an attempt to evaluate their use as a screening tool for the diagnosis of CRC. Methods: A search of electronic databases (PubMed and EMBASE) and grey literature was performed between January 2002 and April 2016. Studies reporting plasma or serum miRNAs in the diagnosis of CRC compared with healthy controls were selected. Patient demographics, type of patient sample (serum or plasma), method of miRNA detection, type of normalisation, and the number of significantly dysregulated miRNAs identified were recorded. Statistical evaluation of dysregulated miRNAs using sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve (AUC) was performed. Results: Thirty-four studies investigating plasma or serum miRNAs in the diagnosis of CRC were included. A total of 31 miRNAs were found to be either upregulated (n=17) or downregulated (n=14) in CRC cases as compared with controls. Fourteen studies identified panels of ⩾2 dysregulated miRNAs. The highest AUC, 0.943, was identified using a panel of 4 miRNAs with 83.3% sensitivity and 93.1% specificity. Meta-analysis of studies identifying a single dysregulated miRNA in CRC cases compared with controls was performed. Overall sensitivity and specificity of 28 individual miRNAs in the diagnosis of CRC were 76% (95% CI 72%–80%) and 76% (95% CI 72%–80%), respectively, indicating good discriminative ability of miRNAs as biomarkers for CRC. These data did not change with sensitivity analyses. Conclusions: Blood-based miRNAs distinguish patients with CRC from healthy controls with high sensitivity and specificity comparable to other common and invasive currently used screening methods for CRC. In future, miRNAs may be used as a relatively non-invasive blood-based marker for detection of CRC

The microRNA‑200 family acts as an oncogene in colorectal cancer by inhibiting the tumor suppressor RASSF2

This study aimed to determine whether manipulation of the microRNA‑200 (miR‑200) family could influence colon adenocarcinoma cell behavior. The miR‑200 family has a significant role in tumor suppression and functions as an oncogene. In vitro studies on gain and loss of function with small interfering RNA demonstrated that the miR‑200 family could regulate RASSF2 expression. Knockdown of the miR‑200 family in the HT‑29 colon cancer cell line increased KRAS expression but decreased signaling in the MAPK/ERK signaling pathway through reduced ERK phosphorylation. Increased expression of the miR‑200 family in the CCD‑841 colon epithelium cell line increased KRAS expression and led to increased signaling in the MAPK/ERK signaling pathway but increased ERK phosphorylation. Functionally, knockdown of the miR‑200 family led to decreased cell proliferation in the HT‑29 cells; therefore, increased miR‑200 family expression could increase cell proliferation in the CCD‑841 cell line. The present study included a large paired miR array dataset (n=632), in which the miR‑200 family was significantly found to be increased in colon cancer when compared with normal adjacent colon epithelium. In a miR‑seq dataset (n=199), the study found that miR‑200 family expression was increased in localized colon cancer compared with metastatic disease. Decreased expression was associated with poorer overall survival. The miR‑200 family directly targeted RASSF2 and was inversely correlated with RASSF2 expression (n=199, all P<0.001). Despite the well‑defined role of the miR‑200 family in tumor suppression, the present findings demonstrated a novel function of the miR‑200 family in tumor proliferation

The role and function of IκKα/β in monocyte impairment

Following major trauma, sepsis or surgery, some patients exhibit an impaired monocyte inflammatory response that is characterized by a decreased response to a subsequent bacterial challenge. To investigate this poorly understood phenomenon, we adopted an in-vitro model of endotoxin tolerance utilising primary human CD14 + monocytes to focus on the effect of impairment on IκKα/β, a critical part of the NFκB pathway. Impaired monocytes had decreased IκKα mRNA and protein expression and decreased phosphorylation of the IκKα/β complex. The impaired monocyte secretome demonstrated a distinct cytokine/chemokine footprint from the naïve monocyte, and that TNF-α was the most sensitive cytokine or chemokine in this setting of impairment. Inhibition of IκKα/β with a novel selective inhibitor reproduced the impaired monocyte phenotype with decreased production of TNF-α, IL-6, IL-12p70, IL-10, GM-CSF, VEGF, MIP-1β, TNF-β, IFN-α2 and IL-7 in response to an LPS challenge. Surgical patients with infection also exhibited an impaired monocyte phenotype and had decreased SITPEC, TAK1 and MEKK gene expression, which are important for IκKα/β activation. Our results emphasize that impaired monocyte function is, at least in part, related to dysregulated IκKα/β activation, and that IκKα/β is likely involved in mounting a sufficient monocyte inflammatory response. Future studies may wish to focus on adjuvant therapies that augment IκKα/β function to restore monocyte function in this clinically important problem

Sustainable Impact by Design

2021 is the year of COP26, (the 26th Conference of the Parties who signed an agreement to work to prevent climate change back in 1994). To mark this, the University of Strathclyde offered funds to staff that would let them talk to people about their research and how it can limit climate change. The STEM Equals Summer Scheme won funding, and so ten Strathclyde staff members were able to work with diverse young people in Ayr and Girvan over five days of STEM1 activities. This book shows some of the activities we did together, and some of the learning about their planet and sustainability that went on. As you will see in its pages, everyone involved, staff and participants alike, had a lot of fun. We also found out many new things about ourselves, our colleagues, about STEM and about our environment

Genomic, Pathway Network, and Immunologic Features Distinguishing Squamous Carcinomas

This integrated, multiplatform PanCancer Atlas study co-mapped and identified distinguishing molecular features of squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) from five sites associated with smokin

Corporate sponsorship of physical activity promotion programmes: part of the solution or part of the problem?

Background Parklives is a programme intended to raise levels of physical activity across the UK, funded by Coca-Cola GB and delivered in association with Local Authorities and other organizations. Such public-private partnerships have been advocated by many however critics suggest that the conflict between stakeholder motives is too great. Methods This study conducted a content analysis of twitter content related to the ParkLives physical activity programme. Images and text were analysed from two separate weeks, one from the school vacation period and one during school term time. Results Three hundred and eighteen tweets were analysed. Content analysis revealed 79% of images contained children and 45% of these images contained prominent Coca-Cola branding, a level of exposure that suggests ParkLives simultaneously provides opportunities for children's physical activity and for targeted marketing. Content analysis also demonstrated that the programme allowed increased access to policy-makers. Conclusions The sponsorship of a physical activity promotion campaign can allow a corporation to target its marketing at children and gain access to health-related policy development networks. This study reinforces the need for independent evaluation of all potential impacts of such a partnership and calls on those responsible for community health to fully consider the ethical implications of such relationships

Comorbidity, age, race and stage at diagnosis in colorectal cancer: a retrospective, parallel analysis of two health systems

© 2008 Zafar et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.Background : Stage at diagnosis plays a significant role in colorectal cancer (CRC) survival. Understanding which factors contribute to a more advanced stage at diagnosis is vital to improving overall survival. Comorbidity, race, and age are known to impact receipt of cancer therapy and survival, but the relationship of these factors to stage at diagnosis of CRC is less clear. The objective of this study is to investigate how comorbidity, race and age influence stage of CRC diagnosis. Methods : Two distinct healthcare populations in the United States (US) were retrospectively studied. Using the Cancer Care Outcomes Research and Surveillance Consortium database, we identified CRC patients treated at 15 Veterans Administration (VA) hospitals from 2003–2007. We assessed metastatic CRC patients treated from 2003–2006 at 10 non-VA, fee-for-service (FFS) practices. Stage at diagnosis was dichotomized (non-metastatic, metastatic). Race was dichotomized (white, non-white). Charlson comorbidity index and age at diagnosis were calculated. Associations between stage, comorbidity, race, and age were determined by logistic regression. Results : 342 VA and 340 FFS patients were included. Populations differed by the proportion of patients with metastatic CRC at diagnosis (VA 27% and FFS 77%) reflecting differences in eligibility criteria for inclusion. VA patients were mean (standard deviation; SD) age 67 (11), Charlson index 2.0 (1.0), and were 63% white. FFS patients were mean age 61 (13), Charlson index 1.6 (1.0), and were 73% white. In the VA cohort, higher comorbidity was associated with earlier stage at diagnosis after adjusting for age and race (odds ratio (OR) 0.76, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.58–1.00; p = 0.045); no such significant relationship was identified in the FFS cohort (OR 1.09, 95% CI 0.82–1.44; p = 0.57). In both cohorts, no association was found between stage at diagnosis and either age or race. Conclusion : Higher comorbidity may lead to earlier stage of CRC diagnosis. Multiple factors, perhaps including increased interactions with the healthcare system due to comorbidity, might contribute to this finding. Such increased interactions are seen among patients within a healthcare system like the VA system in the US versus sporadic interactions which may be seen with FFS healthcare