Advocacy for looked after children and children in need: achievements and challenges

This briefing paper offers a summary of the key findings of ‘Advocacy for looked after children and children in need: achievements and challenges’, the first national study of children’s advocacy in England. The study was prepared for the Department of Health and the DfES. The study was undertaken for a number of reasons: despite the relatively rapid increase in the number of advocacy services for children and young people over the last decade or so, relatively little is known about the extent to which advocacy makes a positive difference to the lives of individual children or to developments in children’s services more generally. Evidence also suggests that, in order to reduce the scope for conflict or confusion, there is a need to raise awareness about the principles and practices of advocacy among practitioners and policy makers working in the field of children’s health and social care. This study sought to address these gaps in knowledge and to create a platform for an evidence-based debate about the future of advocacy for children and young people

Development of Peptoid-Based Ligands for the Removal of Cadmium from Biological Media.

Cadmium poisoning poses a serious health concern due to cadmiums increasing industrial use, yet there is currently no recommended treatment. The selective coordination of cadmium in a biological environment-i.e. in the presence of serum ions, small molecules, and proteins-is a difficult task. To address this challenge, a combinatorial library of peptoid-based ligands has been evaluated to identify structures that selectively bind to cadmium in human serum with minimal chelation of essential metal ions. Eighteen unique ligands were identified in this screening procedure, and the binding affinity of each was measured using metal titrations monitored by UV-vis spectroscopy. To evaluate the significance of each chelating moiety, sequence rearrangements and substitutions were examined. Analysis of a metal-ligand complex by NMR spectroscopy highlighted the importance of particular residues. Depletion experiments were performed in serum mimetics and human serum with exogenously added cadmium. These depletion experiments were used to compare and demonstrate the ability of these peptoids to remove cadmium from blood-like mixtures. In one of these depletion experiments, the peptoid sequence was able to deplete the cadmium to a level comparable to the reported acute toxicity limit. Evaluation of the metal selectivity in buffered solution and in human serum was performed to verify minimal off-target binding. These studies highlight a screening platform for of the identification of metal-ligands that are capable of binding in a complex environment. They additionally demonstrate the potential utility of biologically-compatible ligands for the treatment of heavy metal poisoning

'Mingling together': promoting the social inclusion of disabled children and young people during the school holidays

The promotion of social inclusion of disabled children and their families is currently high on the UK political agenda. Research shows that disabled children and their families are highly disadvantaged, both economically and socially. This paper reports some of the findings of a qualitative study, entitled On Holiday!, which involved analysing the views of 297 people across six local authority research sites in England including 86 disabled children and young people. The study showed that many disabled children and their families experienced high levels of social isolation and exclusion during out-of-school periods and during the school holidays in particular. The paper recounts some of the experiences of disabled young people and their families and ways in which local authorities can promote their social inclusion. We argue that disabled young people and their families can only be truly socially included and empowered when all levels of the local authority (managers, officers and elected members) recognize the rights and entitlements of disabled children and have the political will and commitment to implement them. © 2009 Blackwell Publishing Ltd

The school lives of children and young people with a spinal cord injury

This research study was carried out by the Thomas Coram Research Unit, Institute of Education, University of London, between January and July 2008.The study was funded by The Back-Up Trust, an organisation working with spinally injured adults and children, as part of their Schools Project. The main purpose of the study was to explore the experiences of children and young people with a SCI in mainstream school. This was to inform The Back-Up Trust’s Schools Project, which has the aim of improving the quality of school provision for children with a spinal cord injury. The study asked young people, parents and carers about their positive and negative experiences. It also aimed to investigate schools’ experiences of working with young people with a SCI and the challenges and factors that help them work effectively with children with a SCI

An approach to assessing patient safety in hospitals in low-income countries.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to assess non-technical aspects of patient safety practices using non-participant observation in different clinical areas. DESIGN: Qualitative study using non-participant observation and thematic analysis. SETTING: Two eye care units in Uganda. PARTICIPANTS: Staff members in each hospital. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: A set of observations of patient safety practices by staff members in clinical areas that were then coded using thematic analysis. RESULTS: Twenty codes were developed that explained patient safety practices in the hospitals based on the observations. These were grouped into four themes: the team, the environment, patient-centred care and the process. The complexity of patient safety in each hospital was described using narrative reports to support the thematic analysis. Overall both hospitals demonstrated good patient safety practices however areas for improvement were staff-patient communication, the presence and use of protocols and a focus on consistent practice. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first holistic assessment of patient safety practices in a low-income setting. The methods allowed the complexity of patient safety to be understood and explained with areas of concern highlighted. The next step will be to develop a useful and easy to use tool to measure patient safety practices in low-income settings

Using CRISPR vectors to study the molecular function of a mutated Arabidopsis AS2 gene

The purpose of this study is to understand the molecular functioning of the Arabidopsis AS2 gene. In our experiments, we used CRISPR technology to create mutations in the AS2 gene. These mutations are predicted to change AS2 protein structure and function, which may result in a mutated leaf. Analyzing the effects of new mutations allows us to better understand protein function

A systematic literature review of the quality of evidence for injury and rehabilitation interventions in humanitarian crises.

INTRODUCTION: Humanitarian crises continue to pose a significant threat to health; the United Nations estimates that 144 million people are directly affected by conflict or environmental disasters. During most humanitarian crises, surgical and rehabilitative interventions remain a priority. OBJECTIVES: This review assessed the quality of evidence that informs injury and physical rehabilitation interventions in humanitarian crises. METHODS: Peer-reviewed and grey literature sources were assessed in a systematic manner. Selected papers were evaluated using quality criteria based on a modified version of the STROBE protocol. RESULTS: 46 papers met the inclusion criteria. 63 % of the papers referred to situations of armed conflict, of which the Yugoslav Wars were the most studied crisis context. 59 % of the studies were published since the year 2000. However, only two studies were considered of a high quality. CONCLUSIONS: While there is now a greater emphasis on research in this sector, the volume of evidence remains inadequate given the growing number of humanitarian programmes worldwide. Further research is needed to ensure a greater breadth and depth of understanding of the most appropriate interventions in different settings