An analysis of compassionate access programmes for novel oncology drugs.

Background: Despite the rise in the number of approved novel oncology drugs, just over half of all new cancer medicines approved by the EMA between 2017 and 2021 were granted reimbursement in Ireland by the HSE. Compassionate access programmes (CAPs) are a means of providing managed access to drugs which are of proven benefit but have not yet received full approval for reimbursement by the state, or where the requested indication has not been yet been authorised/licensed.

Methods: A retrospective review was performed of patients attending The Mater hospital for treatment of advanced malignancy who availed of a CAP between August 2012 and July 2022.

Design and optimization of potent and orally bioavailable tetrahydronaphthalene Raf inhibitors.

Inhibition of mutant B-Raf signaling, through either direct inhibition of the enzyme or inhibition of MEK, the direct substrate of Raf, has been demonstrated preclinically to inhibit tumor growth. Very recently, treatment of B-Raf mutant melanoma patients with a selective B-Raf inhibitor has resulted in promising preliminary evidence of antitumor activity. This article describes the design and optimization of tetrahydronaphthalene-derived compounds as potent inhibitors of the Raf pathway in vitro and in vivo.

Exploring dual professional identities, the role of the nurse tutor in higher education in the UK: role complexity and tensions.

Aims: This paper presents a discussion on the role of the nurse, teachers in mainstream education and nurse educators, reviewing theories of professional identity and how these theories have had an impact on practice.

Background: The professional identity of both the teacher and nurse aspect of the nurse educator role is reviewed using historical perspectives to define the role of a nurse from doctor's handmaiden to autonomous practitioner, and determine society's idea of a teacher.

Data Sources: The literature reviewed for this paper has been drawn from the Cumulated Index Nursing And Allied Heath Literature, Educational Resources Information Centre, Professional Development Collection and Education-line.

Discovery and optimization of pyrazoline compounds as B-Raf inhibitors.

The discovery of novel pyrazoline derivatives as B-Raf (V600E) inhibitors is described in this report. Chemical modification of the pyrazoline scaffold led to the development of SAR and identified potent and selective inhibitors of B-Raf (V600E). Determination of the pharmacokinetic properties of selected inhibitors is also reported.

Qualitative health needs assessment of a former mining community.

This paper reports on a health needs assessment that set out to elicit the perceived and expressed health and wellbeing needs of the residents of a former mining village in Kent. Data was principally collected from residents, professionals and stakeholders through focus groups and interviews. Open days enabled key themes to emerge and provided verification of the research findings.

Narcolepsy in children: a single-center clinical experience.

Although the initial manifestations of narcolepsy in children may differ from those with adult onset, hypersomnia remains the most common presenting sign. This study aimed to (1) describe the clinical and polysomnographic features, and treatment outcomes, of a group of children with narcolepsy, and (2) describe other sleep disorders to be considered in the differential diagnosis of hypersomnia and which may coexist with narcolepsy. A retrospective review of 125 children referred in 1 year for hypersomnia revealed 20 patients (16%) with narcolepsy.

Association between inadequate sleep and insulin resistance in obese children.

Objective: To analyze the relationships between sleep duration, obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS), and markers of insulin resistance in obese children.

Study Design: Forty obese children were evaluated for sleep-related complaints. Each child underwent a polysomnogram, an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), and fasting lipid panel tests.

Preparation of kinase-biased compounds in the search for lead inhibitors of kinase targets.

This work describes the preparation of approximately 13,000 compounds for rapid identification of hits in high-throughput screening (HTS). These compounds were designed as potential serine/threonine or tyrosine kinase inhibitors. The library consists of various scaffolds, e.