An overview of research ethics and learning from the past.

This article has introduced the reader to research ethics. In order to to show the development of the codes of ethics and guidelines in use today, it has briefly reviewed the most infamous unethical research studies. Learning from these traumatic and often cruel moments i history gave impetus to the development of international ethical guidelines, driving research conduct and protecting the rights and safety of those participating in studies today.

Embedding the 6 Cs into clinical research practice and management.

The White Paper, Equity and Excellence:liberating the NHS (DH, 2010) emphasises the promotion and conduct of research as a core NHS role. The updated NHS Constitution(DH, 2013) outlines its commitment to innovation and also to the promotion and conduct of research to improve the current and future health and social care of the population.Furthermore, NHS England (2013) in its guidance, Everyone Counts: planning for patients 2014/15 to 2018/19, identified research as one of the essential elements for a successful and sustainable health economy recommending research and evaluation be embedded across the whole patient pathway.

An exploration of the role of the research nurse and its impact.

Nurses, midwives and allied health professionals (AHPs) are multiskilled with a variety of career options available to them. As nurses develop they can specialize in many areas, performing many different and diverse roles. One of these roles is within the world of research.

Supporting failing students in practice 2: management.

This two-part unit examines the issue of students who fail in clinical practice. Part 1 explored reasons for failure, assessment and emotional challenges mentors may face when supporting underperforming students. This part, part 2, discusses the management of failing students.

Supporting failing students in practice. 1: Assessment.

This two-part unit examines the issue of nursing students who fail in clinical practice. Part 1 explores reasons for failure, assessment and the emotional challenges mentors may face when supporting failing students.

Asymptomatic spontaneous cerebral emboli and mood in a cohort of older people: a prospective study.

Objective: To examine whether asymptomatic spontaneous cerebral emboli (SCE) predicts subsequent depression in older people.

Methods: Prospective cohort study with 2.5 years of follow-up including 96 nondepressed older subjects in primary care.

Ten steps to convert your assignment into a journal article.

Nurses spend a great deal of time and effort in constructing a variety of assignments and dissertations as part of courses, both at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. It is not uncommon to read comments from lecturers such as 'this requires only minimal work to be published'. It might be assumed that many assignments and dissertations would therefore go on to appear in print; however it is questionable just how many of them ever do materialize in journals.

Ten steps to getting your paper published in a professional journal.

There is an increasing expectation that nurses, whether they work in clinical practice management, education or research, will publish. At the same time there remains a mystique about the best way to go about this. This article provides a simple commentary suggesting ten steps to help you publish in a professional journal.

Ten steps to successful conference presentations.

Delivering an oral presentation at a conference can be a demanding yet exhilarating experience. It can create a variety of emotions such as excitement, joy and achievement--but for many the overriding emotions are those of anxiety, fear and dread. A certain amount of nervousness can enhance your performance but how can you avoid pre-presentation nerves developing into full-blown anxiety and fear.

Ten steps to successful poster presentation.

Receiving a letter confirming acceptance for you to present a poster at a conference can evoke mixed emotions. Joy, panic, fear and dread are among the many possible emotions and this is not exclusive to first time presenters. Developing an effective poster presentation is a skill that you can learn and can provide a rewarding way to present your work in a manner less intimidating than oral presentation (Shelledy, 2004).

Ten steps to developing an abstract for conferences.

There is an increasing importance being placed on the dissemination of research and other high quality evidence. This article is the first in a series of three that will assist you in ensuring that your work is presented in the best light at the conference of your choice. In this first article we guide you through the ten steps you need to take to ensure that you submit the best possible abstract to the scientific committee.

How to search for and use 'grey literature' in research.

An ever-growing amount of grey literature is available to nurses, including oral presentations, personal communication, leaflets, newspapers and magazines, unpublished research, internal reports and minutes of meetings. It can be an invaluable research resource.

Asymptomatic spontaneous cerebral emboli and cognitive decline in a cohort of older people: a prospective study.

Background: Asymptomatic spontaneous cerebral emboli (SCE) are common in dementia and are associated with cognitive decline in dementia. The significance of their presence in older people is unknown.

Method: We included 96 participants (mean (SD) age 76.

Deletion/insertion polymorphism of the angiotensin-converting enzyme gene and white matter hyperintensities in dementia: A pilot study.

Objectives: To examine the association between the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) deletion/insertion (D/I) polymorphism and white matter hyperintensities (WMHs) in patients with dementia.

Design: Observational pilot study with adjustment for potential confounders using analysis of covariance.

Setting: Secondary care old-age psychiatry services in greater Manchester, United Kingdom.

Cerebral emboli and depressive symptoms in dementia.

Background: The vascular depression hypothesis and our recent findings of increased frequency of spontaneous cerebral emboli in dementia suggest that such emboli may be involved in the causation of depressive symptoms in dementia.

Aims: To evaluate the association between spontaneous cerebral emboli and depressive symptoms in Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia.

Method: In a cohort of 142 patients with dementia (72 with Alzheimer's disease and 70 with vascular dementia), the association between spontaneous cerebral emboli and clinically relevant depressive symptoms was examined using multiple logistic regression analyses.

Cerebral emboli as a potential cause of Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia: case-control study.

Objective: To compare the occurrence of spontaneous cerebral emboli and venous to arterial circulation shunts in patients with Alzheimer's disease or vascular dementia and controls without dementia.

Design: Cross sectional case-control study.

Setting: Secondary care old age psychiatry services, Manchester.

Apolipoprotein E epsilon4 allele frequency in vascular dementia.

Aim: The aim of the study was to investigate whether possession of the epsilon4 allelic form of the apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene increases the risk of developing vascular dementia (VaD).

Methods: APOE allele and genotype frequencies were determined by PCR in 89 patients with possible and probable VaD and compared with those in 97 patients with possible and probable Alzheimer's disease (AD) of similar age of disease onset and ethnic background, and with 766 control subjects drawn from the same geographical region.

Results: The APOE epsilon4 allele frequency in all 97 patients with possible and probable AD was significantly higher (p < 0.

Genetic associations between cathepsin D exon 2 C-->T polymorphism and Alzheimer's disease, and pathological correlations with genotype.

Genetic variations represent major risk factors for Alzheimer's disease (AD). While familial early onset AD is associated with mutations in the amyloid precursor protein and presenilin genes, only the e4 allele of the apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene has so far been established as a genetic risk factor for late onset familial and sporadic AD. It has been suggested that the C-->T (224Ala-->Val) transition within exon 2 of the cathepsin D gene (CTSD) might represent a risk factor for late onset AD.

Meeting the requirements for becoming a nurse lecturer.

Career planning is essential for nurses considering a change in role, as it provides direction and enables them to use time and money efficiently. This article describes a survey of 25 universities in which each participating institution was asked to comment on the required characteristics of nurse lecturers. The results should be useful to nurses who are planning to become nurse lecturers in the future.

Nurses' experiences of caring for the relatives of patients in ICU.

To date there have been no published qualitative studies looking solely at the experiences of nurses caring for the relatives of patients who are critically ill. This small-scale phenomenological study explores such experiences. Three intensive care units in North West England were included; the nine participants were D grade or above, with a minimum of three months' ICU experience.

Meeting the needs of families of patients in intensive care units.

Anyone entering an intensive care unit (ICU) can feel bombarded by the huge array of sensory stimuli. Family members in ICU are typically in a state of fear and shock. Studies have shown that caring for the families of patients who are critically ill is believed to be an essential component of the nurse's role.