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Background: Critical care (CC) admission has traditionally been viewed as likely to result in a poor outcome for hematological malignancy (HM) patients. Such a view can have implications for decisions surrounding CC admission. Recent studies have challenged this poor prognostication, however, there still remains limited data to support CC admission and escalation decisions and to elucidate risk factors which independently predict short- and longer-term survival outcomes. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed a large cohort of adult HM patients (n=437) admitted to CC over a sixteen-year period, with the specific aim of identifying risk factors present at CC unit admission that could help to predict outcome. We assessed all-cause mortality at CC discharge (CC mortality, primary outcome) and at further time points (hospital discharge and 12-months post-discharge from CC). Single variable and multivariate analyses were performed to identify independent predictors of outcome. Results: CC unit and hospital mortality rates were 33.4% (146 patients) and 46.2% (202 patients) respectively. At six-month and one-year follow-up, mortality increased to 59.5% and 67.9% respectively. At single variable adjusted regression analysis, eight factors were associated with CC mortality: APACHE II score, the number of organs supported, requirement for continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT), cardiovascular support, or respiratory support (invasive and non-invasive), the ratio between arterial partial pressure of oxygen (PaO2) and the inspired oxygen concentration (FiO2) (P/F ratio) on CC admission, and the lowest P/F ratio during CC admission. However, only three factors showed independent predictive capacity for CC outcome at multivariate logistic regression analysis; APACHE II score on admission, requirement for ventilation and lowest P/F ratio. Conclusion: One third of HM patients admitted to CC died on the unit and, following admission to CC, approximately one-third of HM patients s

As part of the Biomedical Sciences undergraduate degree course students are required to apply biological principles to the interpretation of clinical case studies and the diagnosis of patients. Case study-based learning i.e., application of knowledge to patient diagnosis, is new to most students as case studies do not form part of non-applied A level courses in biological sciences. This approach is an example of Problem Based Learning (PBL) which has been shown to support higher levels of student learning, encouraging critical thinking and analysis. PBL approaches have also been shown to increase academic satisfaction and student engagement. In recent years we have observed a downwards trend instudent engagement and historically student performance in applied case study-based assessments to be lower than that observed for assessments based on detailing fundamental biological principles. We hypothesised that PBL teaching delivery would support students in preparinge for case study-based assessments, helping them todemonstrate their critical evaluation and problem-solving skills, and hence, improve student performance. We also hypothesised that the student learning experience would be enhanced by a PBL teaching delivery approach which would improve overall engagement. We therefore redesigned a second year Biomedical Sciences degree haematology and clinical biochemistry unit: ‘Blood Science’, with a stronger focus on PBL, including case study focussed activities throughout the unit. We subsequently analysed whether this PBL- focussed unit design improved student experience and feedback, student engagement and student confidence for biomedical science undergraduate students. We present here, our teaching strategy and the impact our changes had on student feedback for the 21/22 and 22/23 academic years. Our findings demonstrate that case study-based activities and tutorial PBL exercises, when incorporated into the curriculum design, can improve student experience in the

Biomarkers play an important and irrefutable role in the screening, diagnosis, monitoring and treatment of a wide variety of human diseases. As these biomarkers inevitably feature more and more prominently in the patient care pathway, there is a growing need for technologies that can provide rapid, accurate and sensitive test results at low cost. In this review we showcase, discuss, evaluate, and explain some recent advances in screen-printed electrodes (SPEs) and the modification strategies used for the electrochemical biosensing of some of the important, established biomarkers related to 1) cardiac injury, 2) cancer diagnostics and 3) acute inflammatory conditions, three areas of medicine currently associated with significant healthcare costs. Electroanalytical biosensors are proven to be an attractive alternative to benchtop conventional testing techniques, saving space, whilst allowing enhanced portability, a reduction in testing costs and test turnaround times. Electrochemical-based point-of-care (POC) testing technologies are still in the early stages of commercial, and hence clinical, uptake. Due to the design flexibility, low-cost and reliability of SPEs we expect to see a significant acceleration in the development of SPE-based electrochemical approaches to POC in these areas of medicine. Rapid, simultaneous detection of multiple important analytes in a single test at the point of patient's care will undoubtedly be the driver for uptake into clinical settings; their potential for impact is discussed herein.