University of Northampton Research Explorer
Not a member yet
20168 research outputs found
Sort by
Synovial Sarcoma: The Influence of Clinicopathological Variables on Overall Survival in a UK Population
Full text linkIntroduction Synovial sarcoma accounts for 5%-10% of malignant soft-tissue tumours. Curative treatment includes surgery, with radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy. With no specific treatment regimen for synovial sarcoma, the primary aim of this research was to describe the characteristics of a regional synovial sarcoma population in the UK, and to investigate clinicopathological variables associated with overall survival. MethodsNinety-four patients with synovial sarcoma from the East Midlands Sarcoma Service database were pseudo anonymised and clinicopathological variables extracted. Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression statistical analyses were used to identify variables affecting overall survival. Results Mean age at diagnosis was 42 years (range 8 – 83 years). Over half (n=50, 53%) of patients had a tumour in the lower limb. Thirty-seven (39.6%) had a tumour size of <5cm. Sixteen (17%) patients had local recurrence, and under half (n=40 43.5%) developed metastatic disease. Most patients (n=63, 63%) were initially treated with surgery. The majority (n=58, 61.7%) had a monophasic subtype, and the overall survival of the whole cohort was 83 months (95% CI 39.1-127.8). Increasing tumour size and distant recurrence (metastasis) had a significantly negative impact on median overall survival (p = 0.0001). Patients who underwent surgery and radiotherapy had a significantly better median overall survival (p = 0.02). Multivariable analysis identified adjuvant radiotherapy (p = 0.039), lower limb tumour (p = 0.033), and tumour size (<5 cm p = 0.006, 5-10 cm p = 0.0001, >10 cm p = 0.013) as significant survival predictors. Conclusion Adjuvant radiotherapy is a novel independent prognostic marker for synovial sarcoma
Pro-Poor Tourism as a Mechanism of Social Innovation and Empowerment
Full text linkPro-poor Tourism is a concept that emerged in the early 2000’s as a means of fostering the development of sustainable tourism and as a means of ensuring the benefits of this were felt by local populations. Whilst the efficacy of pro-poor tourism and the impact that it makes for communities has been questioned over the last two decades, with research focus on how its impacts on communities and how it is operationalised, there has been less of a focus on the underpinnings of what pro-poor tourism is (or should be) from a theoretical perspective. In particular, there remains a lack of understanding as to what constitutes pro-poor tourism from a sociological perspective. In this review paper, the concept of social innovation is used to theoretically explain the mechanisms for successful implementation of pro-poor tourism initiatives, as a means of empowerment. The paper illustrates how pro-poor tourism can act as a means for empowering the poor and achieving sustainable development agendas, by utilising ‘strong tradition’ social innovation approaches in order to enable social action that can refigure societal power structures
Duchenne muscular dystrophy gene product expression is associated with survival in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma
Full text linkMutation of the Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) gene causes neuromuscular disorders, but increasing evidence has implicated DMD in the development and progression of several major cancer types. This study investigates the prognostic and biological significance of DMD expression in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Analysis of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) data revealed that high DMD expression correlates with improved overall (median survival difference: 22 months, p = 0.0083) and progression-free (p = 0.0237) survival. The Dp71ab transcript is most strongly associated with better outcomes (median overall survival: 42 months, p = 0.0007). Notably, DMD expression levels stratify HPV-positive patients, identifying a DMD low/HPV-positive subgroup with poor outcomes. Immunohistochemical analysis of 50 HNSCC tissue cases confirmed dystrophin localisation in the nucleus and cytoplasm, with high nuclear expression linked to longer overall survival (mean difference: 31 months, p = 0.0497). Functional assays in HNSCC cells showed that Dp71ab overexpression disrupts nuclear morphology and reduces proliferation. Differential gene expression analysis additionally identified 388 upregulated and 30 downregulated genes, with pathways linked to muscle processes, ribosome biogenesis and non-coding RNA regulation. These findings highlight DMD as a potential biomarker and/or therapeutic target in HNSCC, warranting further mechanistic studies of Dp71 isoforms
Applied Operational Intelligence: Improving Practice Through Marginal Gains
Full text linkThe Journal of Applied Operational Intelligence aims to be a bridge between high-quality peer-reviewed academic research and the intelligence community. The journal’s focus will be on evidence-based research, where conclusions and recommendations aim to inform intelligence practices, policies, training, and future research. In this editorial to the very first volume of the journal, Editors-in-Chief discuss the necessity of interdisciplinary research, the vital role of intelligence, and how marginal gains (e.g., research that produces small yet meaningful improvements) are vital to the overall performance of intelligence
Laserwing
No full textA research project demonstrating modern game development practices applied to older hardware conventions. The game was initially created for an arcade cabinet to demonstrate game development workflow. Programming, art, and design processes unique to the hardware and peripherals were utilised to create a working prototype. Published by the in-house game studio Goblin Games.Details of the development process can be found in the development log link
Practical recommendations on stretching exercise: a Delphi consensus statement of international research experts
Full text linkStretching has wide appeal but there seems to exist some mismatch between its purported applications and what the evidence shows. There is compelling evidence for some stretching applications, but for others, the evidence seems heterogeneous or unsupportive. The discrepancies even affect some systematic reviews, possibly due to heterogeneous eligibility criteria and search strategies. This consensus paper seeks to unify the divergent findings on stretching and its implications for both athletic performance and clinical practices by delivering evidence-based recommendations. A panel of 20 experts with a blend of practical experience and scholarly knowledge was assembled. The panel meticulously reviewed existing systematic reviews, defined key terminologies (e.g., consensus definitions for different stretching modes), and crafted guidelines using a Delphi consensus approach (min. required agreement: 80%). The analysis focussed on eight topics including stretching’s acute and chronic (long-term) effects on range of motion, strength performance, muscle hypertrophy, stiffness, injury prevention, muscle recovery, posture correction, and cardiovascular health. There was consensus that chronic and acute stretching improves i) range of motion (although alternatives exist) and ii) reduces muscle stiffness (which may not always be desirable). The panel also agreed that chronic stretching iii) may promote vascular health, but more research is warranted. In contrast, consensus was found that stretch training does not i) contribute substantively to muscle growth, ii) serve as an all-encompassing injury prevention strategy, or improve iii) posture or iv) acutely enhance post-exercise recovery. These recommendations provide guidance for athletes and practitioners, highlighting research gaps that should be addressed to more comprehensively understand the full scope of stretching effects
A yeast model for investigating mitochondrial reprogramming.
Full text linkInflammation is a fundamental feature of many diseases. It is part of a programmed response to threats concerning an organism’s integrity. Programming is modified by the environment and is made up of complex relationships between regulating mechanisms of metabolism. In this study, S. cerevisiae were used to establish a model of reprogramming, utilizing in this case a 23-hour water only fast. Crude mitochondrial preparations were made using differential centrifugation. Experiments with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) involved a procedure exposing the yeast to LPS (100ng/ml) for 90 minutes prior to mitochondrial isolation. Oxygen consumption rates were measured using a Clark type electrode setup. Results suggest that fasting in water can reprogram yeast mitochondria. Mechanisms modified by this process appear to regulate the ability of the mitochondria to maintain the relationship of oxygen consumption (indicative of electron transport) to RCR (indicative of membrane potential), largely separate to ATP synthesis. Although the ADP/O may be lower in the progeny of the fasted yeast it is the fact that it maintained a higher RCR with the same or lower ADP/O, that is the important observation. In addition, the LPS challenge also revealed possible changes in immune response that may be resulting from glucose toxicity. In conclusion, S. cerevisiae can be reprogrammed to metabolically respond differently to a specific environment. This includes both a high glucose environment and an environment containing LPS (a pathogen associated molecular pattern), with regard to bioenergetic changes. These changes are associated in mammalian cells with the switch to a proinflammatory and proliferative metabolic state, analogous to that of M1 macrophages (decreased OxPhos and lower RCR), seen in atherosclerosis and other conditions. This data supports the use of this model for further investigation of inflammatory processes and potential interventions to restore proper regulation of immune responses
Are Wednesday's Children Full of Woe? Children's Differences in Personality Are Independent of Day of Birth
Full text linkIntroduction: Nursery rhymes, which are rich in literary devices, benefit children's language learning. Less is known about the influence that nursery rhymes' messages may have on children's development. We focused on “Monday's Child,” a popular nursery rhyme that alleges children's day of the week of birth forecasts their differences in personality and physical traits.Methods: Data came from E-Risk, a UK population representative, longitudinal cohort study of 2232 same-sex twin children (with 93% retention). We used linear regression models to test whether the day of the week of birth predicted personality and physical traits at ages 5–18 years.Results: Being born on Monday through Saturday did not predict children's personality and physical traits as implied by the “Monday's Child” rhyme. Being born on Sunday was also not associated with children's traits across measures. These results were unchanged after covariate adjustment (i.e., children's sex, birthweight, and socioeconomic status).Conclusion: We showed that children's differences in personality and physical traits are independent of their day of the week of birth. These findings suggest that nursery rhymes' messages are unlikely to influence children's development, at least those conveyed by “Monday's Child”
Dataset for: Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a Model for Reprogramming of Eukaryotic Cells: Implications for the Study of the Relationship Between Metabolism and Inflammation in Chronic Disease.
No full textThis dataset contains all the raw data from all replications and repeats used to generate the figures in the above publication
Focus Group Transcripts on Practice Readiness of Newly Qualified Occupational Therapists: Multi-Stakeholder Perspectives (UK)
No full textThis dataset contains de-identified, pseudonymised verbatim transcripts from four stakeholder-specific focus groups discussions conducted in the United Kingdom as part of a qualitative study exploring practice readiness among newly qualified occupational therapists (NQOTs). The four groups include (1) newly qualified occupational therapists, (2) workplace managers who supervise NQOTs in the workplace, (3) university lecturers involved in occupational therapy education, and (4) practice educators responsible for student placement training. The focus groups lasted from 71 to 90 minutes and transcribed verbatim by a professional transcriber. Each file includes a brief header describing the stakeholder group and speaker turns are labelled with a pseudonym and stakeholder role (e.g., “NQOT_P3”, “WM_P2”). The dataset files will be made available on request after publication of the associated journal article
Data sources:
Access Repository Dashboard
Do you manage University of Northampton Research Explorer? Access insider analytics, issue reports and manage access to outputs from your repository in the CORE Repository Dashboard!