This paper commences with affirmation of the importance of research critique within academic programmes of study, and the context of this skill within the nursing profession. Judie (student) shares an experience from a Professional... more
This paper commences with affirmation of the importance of research critique within academic programmes of study, and the context of this skill within the nursing profession. Judie (student) shares an experience from a Professional Doctorate in Education (EdD) assignment that involved selecting and critiquing a piece of published research. "The qualities of an effective mentor" (Gray and Smith, 2000) was critiqued using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP, 2006) framework. Morag was the researcher and co-author (Gray and Smith, 2000) and was subsequently contacted by Judie for the purposes of validating her critique assignment. On the tenth anniversary since publication of her PhD research findings Morag reflects on the original article in the light of Judie's critique and shares evaluative comments. Some of the assignment critique is validated by Morag, whilst some of the evaluation demonstrates unreliability of critique shown by Judie. Discussion surroundin...
Steady progress has been made in the field of ab initio protein folding. A variety of methods now allow the prediction of low-resolution structures of small proteins or protein fragments up to approximately 100 amino acid residues in... more
Steady progress has been made in the field of ab initio protein folding. A variety of methods now allow the prediction of low-resolution structures of small proteins or protein fragments up to approximately 100 amino acid residues in length. Such low-resolution structures may be sufficient for the functional annotation of protein sequences on a genome-wide scale. Although no consistently reliable
Recent candidate gene and genome wide association studies have revealed novel loci associated with an increased risk of breast cancer. We evaluated the effect of these breast cancer associated variants on ovarian cancer risk in... more
Recent candidate gene and genome wide association studies have revealed novel loci associated with an increased risk of breast cancer. We evaluated the effect of these breast cancer associated variants on ovarian cancer risk in individuals with familial ovarian cancer both with and without BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations. A total of 158 unrelated white British women (54 BRCA1/2 mutation positive
Background: despite an increasing proportion of older people working beyond State Pension Age (SPA), little is known about neither the motivations for this decision nor whether, and to what extent, working beyond SPA affects quality of... more
Background: despite an increasing proportion of older people working beyond State Pension Age (SPA), little is known about neither the motivations for this decision nor whether, and to what extent, working beyond SPA affects quality of life (QoL). Methods: QoL was measured using the CASP-19 scale. Respondents in paid work beyond SPA were distinguished based on whether they reported financial constraints as the main reason for continuing in work. Linear regression models were used to assess the associations between paid work beyond SPA and CASP-19 scores among men aged 65–74 and women aged 60–69 (n = 2,502) cross-sectionally and over time using Wave 4 and Wave 7 of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. Results: approximately, one in five respondents were in paid work beyond SPA, one-third of whom reported financial issues as the main reason. These individuals reported significantly lower CASP-19 scores (β = −1.21) compared with those who retired at the expected/usual age. Respondents who declared being in paid work beyond SPA because they enjoyed their work or wanted to remain active, reported significantly higher QoL (β = 1.62). Longitudinal analyses suggest that those who were working post-SPA by choice, but who had stopped working at follow-up, also reported marginally (P < 0.10) higher CASP-19 scores. Conclusions: potential QoL benefits of working beyond SPA need to be considered in light of individual motivations for extending working life. Given the trend towards working longer and the abolishment of mandatory retirement ages, it is important that older people maintain control over their decision to work in later life.
We analysed the loss of heterozygosity (LOH) of long arm of chromosome 2 by using 16 polymorphic microsatellite markers in 39 matched oral normal and cancer tissues, and defined the deletional mapping of the region with putative tumor... more
We analysed the loss of heterozygosity (LOH) of long arm of chromosome 2 by using 16 polymorphic microsatellite markers in 39 matched oral normal and cancer tissues, and defined the deletional mapping of the region with putative tumor suppressor genes. LOH was detected at least ...
To present an evidence-based overview of the effectiveness of medical rehabilitation intervention in natural disaster survivors and outcomes that are affected. A literature search was conducted using medical and health science electronic... more
To present an evidence-based overview of the effectiveness of medical rehabilitation intervention in natural disaster survivors and outcomes that are affected. A literature search was conducted using medical and health science electronic databases (PubMed, Medline, EMBASE, CINAHL, Cochrane Library) up to September 2014. Two independent reviewers selected studies reporting outcomes for natural disaster survivors following medical rehabilitation that addressed functional restoration and participation. Two reviewers independently extracted data and assessed the methodological quality of the studies using Critical Appraisal Skills Program's (CASP) appraisal tools. A meta-analysis was not possible due to heterogeneity amongst included trials, therefore a narrative analysis was performed for best evidence synthesis. Ten studies (2 randomised controlled trials, 8 observational studies) investigated a variety of medical rehabilitation interventions for natural disaster survivors to eval...
