Patients' and carers' views on research priorities in prehabilitation for cancer surgery.

INTRODUCTION: The views of patients and carers are important for the development of research priorities. This study aimed to determine and compare the top research priorities of cancer patients and carers with those of multidisciplinary clinicians with expertise in prehabilitation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study surveyed patients recovering from cancer surgery at a major tertiary hospital in Sydney, Australia, and/or their carers between March and July 2023. Consenting patients and carers were provided a list of research priorities according to clinicians with expertise in prehabilitation, as determined in a recent International Delphi study. Participants were asked to rate the importance of each research priority using a 5-item Likert scale (ranging from 1 = very high research priority to 5 = very low research priority). RESULTS: A total of 101 patients and 50 carers participated in this study. Four areas were identified as research priorities, achieving consensus of highest importance (> 70% rated as "high" or "very high" priority) by patients, carers, and clinical experts. These were "optimal composition of prehabilitation programs" (77% vs. 82% vs. 88%), "effect of prehabilitation on surgical outcomes" (85% vs. 90% vs. 95%), "effect of prehabilitation on functional outcomes" (83% vs. 86% vs. 79%), and "effect of prehabilitation on patient reported outcomes" (78% vs. 84% vs. 79%). Priorities that did not reach consensus of high importance by patients despite reaching consensus of highest importance by experts included "identifying populations most likely to benefit from prehabilitation" (70% vs. 76% vs. 90%) and "defining prehabilitation core outcome measures" (66% vs. 74% vs. 87%). "Prehabilitation during neoadjuvant therapies" reached consensus of high importance by patients but not by experts or carers (81% vs. 68% vs. 69%). CONCLUSION: This study delineated the primary prehabilitation research priorities as determined by patients and carers, against those previously identified by clinicians with expertise in prehabilitation. It is recommended that subsequent high-quality research and resource allocation be directed towards these highlighted areas of importance.

How learners learn: A new microanalytic assessment method to map decision-making.

BACKGROUND: Microanalytic techniques have shown considerable potential as avenues for understanding learning in a range of learning contexts. If a microanalytic approach is to be tested for utility, a suitable learning context is required. We chose problem-based learning (PBL) tutorials as our context. AIMS: We sought to determine if a new microanalytic approach is suitable for investigating the learning decisions made by students during PBL and what this form of microanalysis reveals. METHODS: Stimulated recall interviews were used to question 17 first year graduate-entry medical students regarding the conscious decisions behind their actions during one PBL case. Responses were categorized and used to construct process maps to illustrate the students' decision-making. These maps and the decisions within them were analyzed focusing on how learners learn. RESULTS: Stimulated recall interviewing (SRI) was conducted, during which students could articulate the conscious decisions they made during PBL. The data collected were used to construct 191 process maps and 802 categorized decisions for analysis. Students' decisions became increasingly self-centered as the case progressed while maintaining an awareness of group dynamics. CONCLUSIONS: The microanalytic approach employed in this study is a suitable tool for understanding the nature of learning in this, and other environments.

In silico screening and biological evaluation of inhibitors of Src-SH3 domain interaction with a proline-rich ligand.

Src signalling and transduction are directly involved in cell growth, cell cycle, malignant transformation and cell migration, providing therapeutic opportunities through inhibition of Src. Here we report virtual screening for novel compounds that inhibit the Src-SH3 protein-protein interaction with a proline-rich peptide ligand. Computational docking of the ZINC compound database was performed using GOLD. Top-scoring compounds were assayed using a fluorescence polarization-based assay. A benzoquinoline derivative showed micromolar inhibition of binding between Src-SH3 and the proline-rich peptide. Several analogues were subsequently assayed showing the requirement of a linker between the benzoquinoline and phenyl rings, and electron donating substituents on the phenyl ring.