MedWorm: Training

Steep Learning Curve For Surgeons Who Perform ACL Reconstructions Identified By Study

Health News from Medical News Today — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 08:00:00 +0100

Patients who have their anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstructed by surgeons who have performed less than 60 surgeries are roughly four to five times more likely to undergo a subsequent ACL reconstruction, according to a study by researchers at Hospital for Special Surgery. The study also showed that participating in a subspecialty orthopedic fellowship-training program did not improve the learning curve of young surgeons performing ACL reconstructions. The research was presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, held Feb 7-11... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

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Transport of Functionally Appropriate Tools by Capuchin Monkeys (Cebus apella)

American Journal of Primatology — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 07:14:23 +0100

Capuchin monkeys (Cebus sp.) are notable among New World monkeys for their widespread use of tools. Like chimpanzees, they use both hammer tools and insertion tools in the wild to acquire food that would be unobtainable otherwise. Recent evidence indicates that capuchins transport stones to anvil sites and use the most functionally efficient stones to crack nuts. We further investigated capuchins’ assessment of functionality by testing their ability to select a tool that was appropriate for two different tool‐use tasks: A stone for a hammer task and a stick for an insertion task. To select the appropriate tools, the monkeys investigated a baited tool‐use apparatus (insertion or hammer), traveled to a location in their enclosure where they could no longer see the apparatus, made a sel...

Genetic Screening and Counseling: Family Medicine Obstetrics

Primary Care: Clinics in Office Practice — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 06:32:26 +0100

This article reviews these concerns and provides a framework for training in family medicine obstetrics training. (Source: Primary Care: Clinics in Office Practice)

Enablers and barriers to abortion training in New York City

Contraception — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 03:36:55 +0100

Few obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN) programs provide routine abortion training. A 2002 New York City (NYC) political initiative marked the first time a city government provided leadership and financial support for abortion training. We set out to identify enablers and barriers to OB/GYN abortion training in the context of the NYC training initiative from the perspective of a wide range of stakeholders using qualitative methodology. (Source: Contraception)

Tai Chi May Help Parkinson’s Patients

The Doctors Lounge - Neurology — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 23:00:00 +0100

Study found twice-weekly training boosted balance, reduced falls (Source: The Doctors Lounge - Neurology)

Occupational driver safety: Conceptualising a leadership-based intervention to improve safe driving performance.

Accident; Analysis and Prevention. — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 21:36:10 +0100

This study adopts the A-B-C framework to identify the contingencies associated with an effective exchange of safety information within the occupational driving context. Utilizing a sample of occupational drivers and their supervisors, this multi-level study examines the contingencies associated with the exchange of safety information within the supervisor-driver relationship. Safety values are identified as an antecedent of the safety information exchange, and the quality of the leader-member exchange relationship and safe driving performance is identified as the behavioural consequences. We also examine the function of role overload as a factor influencing the relationship between safety values and the safety information exchange. Hierarchical linear modelling found that role overload mod...

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The effects of driving experience on responses to a static hazard perception test.

Accident; Analysis and Prevention. — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 21:24:31 +0100

Authors: Scialfa CT, Borkenhagen D, Lyon J, Deschênes M, Horswill M, Wetton M Abstract Novice drivers exhibit deficits in hazard perception that are likely to increase their risk of collisions. We developed a static hazard perception test that presents still images to observers and requires them to indicate the presence of a traffic conflict that would lead to a collision. Responses to these scenes were obtained for young adult novice (N=29) and experienced drivers (N=27). Additionally, participants rated the hazard risk and clutter of each scene. Novice drivers rated traffic conflicts as less hazardous and responded more slowly to them. Using a subset of 21 scenes, we were able to discriminate novice and experienced young adult drivers with a classification accuracy of 78% and a ...

A holistic approach for assessing traffic safety in the United Arab Emirates.

Accident; Analysis and Prevention. — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 21:24:19 +0100

Authors: Hassan MN, Hawas YE, Maraqa MA Abstract Traffic accident and fatality rates can be utilized as indicators of traffic safety, but cannot reflect the overall status of traffic safety in a country. This paper uses a holistic perspective approach to investigate traffic safety in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Initially, 12 potential items were selected to investigate the issue of traffic safety in the country. The investigation included data collection and analyses from official police reports, survey among road-users and interview of traffic safety experts. Based on data analysis and interpretation, the main factors affecting traffic safety in the UAE along with their level of deficiency were identified. The study revealed that the main factors contributing to traffic safety...

Fatal intersection crashes in Norway: Patterns in contributing factors and data collection challenges.

Accident; Analysis and Prevention. — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 21:19:07 +0100

Authors: Ljung Aust M, Fagerlind H, Sagberg F Abstract Fatal motor vehicle intersection crashes occurring in Norway in the years 2005-2007 were analyzed to identify causation patterns among their underlying contributing factors, and also to assess if the data collection and documentation procedures used by the Norwegian in-depth investigation teams produces the information necessary to do causation pattern analysis. 28 fatal accidents were analyzed. Causation charts of contributing factors were first coded for each driver in each crash using the Driving Reliability and Error Analysis Method (DREAM). Next, the charts were aggregated based on a combination of conflict types and whether the driver was going straight or turning. Analysis results indicate that drivers who were performin...

Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstructions - Steep Learning Curve For Surgeons

Health News from Medical News Today — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 18:00:00 +0100

An investigation by researchers at Hospital for Special Surgery reveals that individuals who undergo anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction are approximately 4 to 5 times more likely to undergo further ACL reconstruction, if the initial operation was performed by a surgeon who has carried out less than 60 operations. Furthermore, the researchers found that taking part in subspecialty orthopedic fellowship-training program did not enhance the learning curve of young surgeons carrying out ACL reconstructions... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

Female Soccer Players May Face Health Problems: Study

Gynecology News - Doctors Lounge — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 18:00:00 +0100

Intense training, poor nutrition might lead to menstrual abnormalities, stress fractures in young players (Source: Gynecology News - Doctors Lounge)

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Sex 'helps keep your mind young in old age'

the Mail online | Health — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 17:01:32 +0100

Want to stay sharp in your old age? Scientists at Rostock University in Germany say having sex later in life could provide a pleasant alternative to playing incessant brain-training games. (Source: the Mail online | Health)

Common factors of change in couple therapy.

Behavior Therapy — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:44:54 +0100

Authors: Davis SD, Lebow JL, Sprenkle DH Abstract Though it is clear from meta-analytic research that couple therapy works well, it is less clear how couple therapy works. Efforts to attribute change to the unique ingredients of a particular model have consistently turned up short, leading many researchers to suggest that change is due to common factors that run through different treatment approaches and settings. The purpose of this article is to provide an empirically based case for several common factors in couple therapy, and discuss clinical, training, and research implications for a common factors couple therapy paradigm. Critical distinctions between model-driven and common factors paradigms are also discussed, and a moderate common factors approach is proposed as a more use...

Exploring programmatic moderators of the effectiveness of marriage and relationship education programs: a meta-analytic study.

Behavior Therapy — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:44:22 +0100

This study uses meta-analytic methods to explore programmatic moderators or common factors of the effectiveness of marriage and relationship education (MRE) programs. We coded 148 evaluation reports for potential programmatic factors that were associated with stronger intervention effects, although the range of factors we could code was limited by the lack of details in the reports. Overall, we found a positive effect for program dosage: moderate-dosage programs (9-20 contact hours) were associated with stronger effects compared to low-dosage programs (1-8 contact hours). A programmatic emphasis on communication skills was associated with stronger effects on couple communication outcomes, but this difference did not reach statistical significance for the relationship quality/satisfaction o...

Common factors in the enhancement of dyadic coping.

Behavior Therapy — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:44:12 +0100

Authors: Bodenmann G, Randall AK Abstract Stress and coping are important constructs in understanding the dynamics of close relationships. Couple therapy and marital distress prevention approaches have become increasingly focused on these variables to gain knowledge of how stress and coping may impact the quality and stability of close relationships. In this paper, we outline couple's coping enhancement training (CCET) and the coping-oriented couple's therapy (COCT); both, couple interventions derived from stress and coping research. We address specific features of each approach and report data on their efficacy and effectiveness. We also examine both the common and specific factors that may play a role in the effectiveness of these approaches. PMID: 22304881 [PubMed - in proce...

The effects of cognitive behavior therapy delivered by students in a psychologist training program: an effectiveness study.

Behavior Therapy — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:42:57 +0100

Authors: Ost LG, Karlstedt A, Widén S Abstract Relatively little is known about the efficacy of clinically inexperienced student therapists carrying out cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) under supervision during a professional, psychologist training program. The current study evaluated this by collecting pre- and posttreatment data on 591 consecutive patients receiving treatment at the Psychotherapy Clinic of the Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Sweden, over an 8-year period. The patients had mainly anxiety disorders or depression with a mean duration of 15years, and received individual CBT for a mean of 18 sessions. They improved significantly on both general measures (Beck Anxiety Inventory [BAI], Beck Depression Inventory [BDI], and Quality of Life Inventory [QOLI...

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Neurogenic Bladder

Anesthesiology Research and Practice — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 12:16:29 +0100

Congenital anomalies such as meningomyelocele and diseases/damage of the central, peripheral, or autonomic nervous systems may produce neurogenic bladder dysfunction, which untreated can result in progressive renal damage, adverse physical effects including decubiti and urinary tract infections, and psychological and social sequelae related to urinary incontinence. A comprehensive bladder-retraining program that incorporates appropriate education, training, medication, and surgical interventions can mitigate the adverse consequences of neurogenic bladder dysfunction and improve both quantity and quality of life. The goals of bladder retraining for neurogenic bladder dysfunction are prevention of urinary incontinence, urinary tract infections, detrusor overdistension, and progressive upper ...

Smartphone training helps people with memory impairment regain independence

EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

(Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care) The treatment for moderate-to-severe memory impairment could one day include a prescription for a smartphone. (Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science)

Oregon Research Institute Tai Chi program helps Parkinson's disease patients

EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

(Oregon Research Institute) An Oregon Research Institute exercise study conducted in four Oregon cities has shown significant benefits for patients with mild-to-moderate Parkinson's disease. In an original article published in the Feb. 9, 2012 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, ORI scientist Fuzhong Li, Ph.D. and colleagues report that a tailored program of twice-weekly Tai Chi training resulted in improved postural stability and walking ability, and reduced falls in the participants. (Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science)

Facilitation of learning induced by both random and gradual visuomotor task variation

Journal of Neurophysiology — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Motor task variation has been shown to be a key ingredient in skill transfer, retention, and structural learning. However, many studies only compare training of randomly varying tasks to either blocked or null training, and it is not clear how experiencing different nonrandom temporal orderings of tasks might affect the learning process. Here we study learning in human subjects who experience the same set of visuomotor rotations, evenly spaced between –60° and +60°, either in a random order or in an order in which the rotation angle changed gradually. We compared subsequent learning of three test blocks of +30°->–30°->+30° rotations. The groups that underwent either random or gradual training showed significant (P < 0.01) facilitation of learning in...

Mechanisms underlying rule learning-induced enhancement of excitatory and inhibitory synaptic transmission

Journal of Neurophysiology — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Training rats to perform rapidly and efficiently in an olfactory discrimination task results in robust enhancement of excitatory and inhibitory synaptic connectivity in the rat piriform cortex, which is maintained for days after training. To explore the mechanisms by which such synaptic enhancement occurs, we recorded spontaneous miniature excitatory and inhibitory synaptic events in identified piriform cortex neurons from odor-trained, pseudo-trained, and naive rats. We show that olfactory discrimination learning induces profound enhancement in the averaged amplitude of AMPA receptor-mediated miniature synaptic events in piriform cortex pyramidal neurons. Such physiological modifications are apparent at least 4 days after learning completion and outlast learning-induced modifications in t...

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Beside the point: motor adaptation without feedback-based error correction in task-irrelevant conditions

Journal of Neurophysiology — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Adaptation of movement may be driven by the difference between planned and actual motor performance, or the difference between expected and actual sensory consequences of movement. To identify how the nervous system differentially uses these signals, we asked: does motor adaptation occur when movement errors are irrelevant to the task goal? Participants reached on a digitizing tablet from a fixed start location to one of three targets: a point, an arc, or a ray. For the arc, reaches could be in any direction, but to a specific extent. For the ray, reaches could be to any distance, but in a targeted direction. After baseline reaching to the point, the direction or extent of continuous visual feedback was perturbed during training with either a cursor rotation or gain, respectively, while re...

Cell phone based balance trainer

Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusion: The results suggest users can use the real-time feedback provided by this system to reduce their trunk sway. Its advantages over more complex laboratory-based and commercial balance training systems in terms of cost, size, weight, functionality, flexibility, and accessibility make it a good candidate for further home-based balance training evaluation. (Source: Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation)

GPs failing on new standard for practice nurse training

Nursing Times Breaking News — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0100

A significant number of GP practices are struggling to hit new Care Quality Commission standards incorporating nurse access to training, Nursing Times has learnt. (Source: Nursing Times Breaking News)

PubMed for Trainers in Chicago

The Cornflower — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 21:31:06 +0100

Register for a FREE hands-on PubMed for Trainers class provided by the staff of the National Library of Medicine Training Center (NTC)! Would you like to gain new skills, brush up on existing PubMed skills and collaborate with colleagues to help create an effective training strategy? Join us for three Adobe Connect distance education classes and a one-day in-person class at the University of Illinois at Chicago Library of Health Sciences in Chicago, IL. These hands-on classes will include 9 presentations created by the National Library of Medicine, interactive demonstrations, hands-on exercises and networking opportunities. Upon completion of all four sessions the course will be worth 15 hours of MLA CE credit. View the full announcement and register at: http://nnlm.gov/ntc/promos/PMT_Chi...

Your Body Knows Better

Al Sears, MD Natural Remedies — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:53:51 +0100

Cardio doesn’t work. Modern fitness “experts” have been pushing the idea that cardiovascular endurance training is the only way to get fit. But your body knows better. It’s why you dread that long, boring, painful workout. So don’t do it anymore. I have something better. And it’s the opposite of “exercise.” It’s easy to do, [...] (Source: Al Sears, MD Natural Remedies)

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Elsevier's SimChart integrates EHR training and practice into nursing education curriculum

Healthcare IT News Press Releases — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 14:01:16 +0100

Elsevier, the leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services, announced today the availability of SimChart, an educational simulated electronic health record (EHR) system designed for nursing students. read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Press Releases)

Critical narrative review to identify educational strategies promoting physical activity in preschool

Obesity Reviews — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 10:44:22 +0100

SummaryThe aim of this narrative review is critically to evaluate educational strategies promoting physical activity that are used in the preschool setting in the context of obesity prevention programmes. Literature search was conducted between April and August 2010 in English and German databases (PubMED, PsychINFO, PSYNDEX, ERIC, FIS Bildung). Outcomes considered were time and intensity of physical activity, motor skills or measures of body composition. A total of 19 studies were included. Ten studies added physical activity lessons into their curriculum, one study provided more time for free play, eight studies focused on the social and play environment. Studies reporting positive outcomes implemented physical activity sessions that lasted at least 30 min d−1. Several studies show...

Driven to the brink by the will to win

The Irish Times - Health — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 08:41:54 +0100

Repetitive exercise routines, lonely training camps and financial insecurity all combine to put pressure on athletes’ mental health, writesJOANNE HUNT (Source: The Irish Times - Health)

Angola: Education Ministry Points Out Plans for Combat HIV/Aids

AllAfrica News: HIV-Aids and STDs — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 06:32:10 +0100

[ANGOP] Luanda - The national director for social actions of Education Ministry, Domingos Torres Júnior mentioned the training of teachers and students next three years, as one of the goals of study and strategic plan of the sector in fighting HIV/AIDS. (Source: AllAfrica News: HIV-Aids and STDs)

Y-90: Are you ready? -- comprehensive liver tumor treatment course returns

EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

(Society of Interventional Radiology) Y-90: Are You Ready? -- an intensive course examining radiation biology, dosimetry, radiation safety, embolotherapy and clinical office management in the use of yttrium-90 in the treatment of cancer -- is being offered by the Society of Interventional Radiology Feb. 9-12 in Scottsdale, Ariz. The course is designed to provide focused educational opportunities for interventional radiologists, and SIR encourages fellows-in-training to attend. Limited spaces are still available. (Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health)

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Improving the histopathologic diagnosis of pediatric malignancies in a low‐resource setting by combining focused training and telepathology strategies

Pediatric Blood and Cancer — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

ConclusionsBrief, focused training in pediatric cancer histopathology can improve diagnostic accuracy. Dynamic and static telepathology analyses are equally effective for diagnostic review. Pediatr Blood Cancer © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. (Source: Pediatric Blood and Cancer)

Clinical Performance and Skill Retention after Simulation‐based Education for Nephrology Fellows

Seminars In Dialysis — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

AbstractWe previously demonstrated that simulation‐based education (SBE) improved temporary hemodialysis catheter (THDC) insertion skills by nephrology fellows. SBE, featuring deliberate practice and rigorous achievement standards, was a powerful method to enhance THDC insertion skills in nephrology fellows. However, experts have called for further research to evaluate skill transfer from the simulated environment to actual clinical care and skill retention. This is a prospective observational cohort study of THDC insertion skills. Twelve nephrology fellows from three academic centers in Chicago were evaluated using a skills checklist from July 2008 to June 2009. Simulator‐trained fellows were tested after the SBE intervention and expected to meet or exceed a minimum passing score (MPS...

Teaching About Health Literacy: Competency-based training for medical students (Cliff Coleman MD, MPH)

Family Medicine Digital Resources Library (FMDRL) Recently Uploaded — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

This seminar will include information about health literacy in general, including definitions, prevalence, and important health-related associations, in order to provide a common starting point for participants. We will discuss evidence-based best-practices for mitigating the effects of low health literacy. We will then discuss competency-based training outcomes, and associated methods for teaching and evaluating learners. We will discuss various curricular models, and examine the example of one medical school's health literacy curriculum in more detail. (Source: Family Medicine Digital Resources Library (FMDRL) Recently Uploaded)

Consultant advocates doctors be trained in Alexander Technique

The Irish Times - Health — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:35:23 +0100

A RETIRED west of Ireland consultant has advocated far greater awareness of the Alexander Technique in medical training and practice. (Source: The Irish Times - Health)

EDUCATION: Spotlight! on NLM Resources -Feb. 8, 2012 1:00 Mountain Time, 2:00 Central Time -Mobile Resources

Midcontinental Region News — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 21:37:22 +0100

Ipads and tablets are the rage! What can you do with them? And other mobile resources? John Bramble will have some answers as he will be presenting the Spotlight! session on Feb 8 (not our usual end of month time but we didn’t want to conflict with the E-Science events at the University of Utah!) Taking the one-hour class and completing the exercises and class evaluation makes you eligible to receive 1 Medical Library Association Continuing Education credit. This online training is FREE. Register online at http://tinyurl.com/mcrclasses (registration is not required but is appreciated). URL: https://webmeeting.nih.gov/mcr/ Equipment: connection to the Internet and a phone, Login: as a guest with your first and last name. Instructions to connect to the audio will show up onc...

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Rhabdomyolysis after heterotopic ossification: an unusual complication in a spinal cord injured patient

European Spine Journal — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 19:37:04 +0100

Conclusions We report the case of our patient to increase awareness among physicians and training staff working with patients with a spinal cord injury to expedite the diagnosis of rhabdomyolysis in the setting of HO and SCI. Content Type Journal ArticleCategory Case ReportPages 1-4DOI 10.1007/s00586-012-2174-6Authors Mustafa Citak, Department of General and Trauma Surgery, BG University Hospital Bergmannsheil, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bürkle-de-la-Camp-Platz 1, 44789 Bochum, GermanyEduardo M. Suero, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, USAManuel Backhaus, Department of General and Trauma Surgery, BG University Hospital Bergmannsheil, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bürkle-de-la-Camp-Platz 1, 44789 Bochum, GermanyRenate Meindl, Division...

How Can We Help Keep Children, Teens, Adults With Autism Safe?

Psychology Today Parenting Center — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:25:44 +0100

A school environment that strictly enforced a policy of "bullying will not be tolerated" is important and necessary. It is crucial to teach the same safety rules you would to any child, using teaching methods that have been successful for that child. read more (Source: Psychology Today Parenting Center)

Community of Science Transformed to ‘Pivot’

What's New on JEFFLINE — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 14:41:19 +0100

The old familiar Community of Science (COS) Funding Opportunities database has gone away. In its place, you’ll find the new COS Pivot database. Pivot is a major step forward for COS, combining a much easier searching interface with a new profile option for grant seekers. Rest assured – your funding search still covers all the tens of thousands of opportunities the old database offered. You can still search by title, sponsor, abstract, deadline, amount of award, and more. You’ll be able to get regular alerts, share information about opportunities with colleagues, and track individual opportunities. But click on the Profiles tab, and you’ll find that you probably already have a record in the database, so that potential collaborators can find you and vice versa. Register...

Prediction of Ligand Binding Affinity Using a Multiple-Conformations-Multiple-Protonation Scheme: Application to Estrogen Receptor α.

Chemical and Pharmaceutical Bulletin — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 14:06:02 +0100

In this study, we have constructed a prediction scheme with target-specific scores for estimating ligand-binding affinities to human estrogen receptor α (ERα), considering the major conformational change between agonist- and antagonist-bound forms and the change in protonation states of histidine at the ligand-binding site. The generated scheme calibrated with fewer training compounds (23 for the agonist-bound form, 17 for the antagonist-bound form) demonstrated good predictive power (a predictive r(2) of 0.83 for 154 validation compounds); this was also true for compounds with frameworks that were quite different from those of the training compounds. Our prediction scheme will be useful in drug development targeting ERα and in primary screening of endocrine disruptors, and provides a s...

Development and implementation of a clinical pharmacist training and assessment program.

American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy : AJHP — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 12:07:29 +0100

Authors: White AM, Albertson B, Muncey L PMID: 22302252 [PubMed - in process] (Source: American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy : AJHP)

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Health Tip: Common Reasons for Potty Training 'Accidents'

MedlinePlus Health News — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 12:00:00 +0100

They're just a step backward in the learning process, experts saySource: HealthDay Related MedlinePlus Page: Toilet Training (Source: MedlinePlus Health News)

Can simulator-based training improve street-crossing safety for elderly pedestrians? - Dommès A, Cavallo V.

SafetyLit: All (Unduplicated) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 11:54:53 +0100

Older adults are known to be over-involved in pedestrian fatalities. Past research has shown that many of them make unsafe decisions when vehicles are approaching at a high speed and also miss many crossing opportunities when vehicle speed is low. They see... (Source: SafetyLit: All (Unduplicated))

Effects of a Late-Life Suicide Risk-Assessment Training on Multidisciplinary Healthcare Providers. - Huh JT, Weaver CM, Martin JL, Caskey NH, O'Riley A, Kramer BJ.

SafetyLit: All (Unduplicated) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 11:54:53 +0100

Older adults are among the highest at risk for completing suicide, and they are more likely to seek mental health services from providers outside of traditional mental health care, but providers across the spectrum of care have limited training in suicide ... (Source: SafetyLit: All (Unduplicated))

Drink refusal training as part of a combined behavioral intervention: Effectiveness and mechanisms of change. - Witkiewitz K, Donovan DM, Hartzler B.

SafetyLit: All (Unduplicated) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 11:54:53 +0100

This study was designed to evaluate whether drink refusal traini... (Source: SafetyLit: All (Unduplicated))

When Recruiting and Training Generation Y to Work in Medical Laboratories, U.S.A and U.K. Face Same Challenges

Dark Daily — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 11:00:11 +0100

DATELINE—BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND: Workforce issues in medical laboratories received special attention here at the 10th Annual Frontiers in Laboratory Medicine (FiLM) conference that ended last week. Probably the major concern going forward is how to attract, train, and sustain adequate numbers in the medical laboratory workforce. Two speakers addressed medical laboratory workforce issues at a strategic [...] (Source: Dark Daily)

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RCGP chairwoman says Health Bill undermined focus on GP training

Healthcare Republic News — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 09:46:00 +0100

Dr Gerada is working hard to fight the Bill and says other RCGP priorities have suffered as a result. (Source: Healthcare Republic News)

Health Tip: Common Reasons for Potty Training 'Accidents'

MedicineNet Crohn's Disease General — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 07:00:00 +0100

Title: Health Tip: Common Reasons for Potty Training 'Accidents'Category: Health NewsCreated: 2/6/2012 8:05:00 AMLast Editorial Review: 2/6/2012 (Source: MedicineNet Crohn's Disease General)

Fogarty Institute for Innovation launches advanced endovascular training fellowship

EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

(WCG) The Fogarty Institute for Innovation announced today that it has launched its Advanced Endovascular Training Fellowship. This unique, year-long clinical training program for postgraduate physicians, which begins July 1, 2012, will provide Fellows with broad exposure to all aspects of endovascular patient care, with an emphasis on interventional training. Fellows will also engage with the Fogarty Institute's early-stage medical device start-up companies and assist in the process of developing technologies to improve patient care. (Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health)

Negative Symptoms and the Failure to Represent the Expected Reward Value of Actions: Behavioral and Computational Modeling Evidence [Original Article]

Archives of General Psychiatry — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusions Negative symptoms in schizophrenia are associated with a specific reinforcement learning abnormality: patients with high-negative symptoms do not represent the expected value of rewards when making decisions but learn to avoid punishments through the use of prediction errors. This computational framework offers the potential to understand negative symptoms at a mechanistic level. (Source: Archives of General Psychiatry)

A Novel Training Model for Mohs Surgeons

Dermatologic Surgery — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

(Source: Dermatologic Surgery)

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Implementation and Usefulness of Single Access Laparoscopic Segmental and Total Colectomy

Colorectal Disease — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusion: Single incision laparoscopic surgery is an effective option for abdominal surgery and seems especially suited for laparoscopic‐assisted right sided colonic resections. The Glove port technique facilitates procedural frequency and familiarity and proves economically favourable. (Source: Colorectal Disease)

Sustained Decreases in Risk Exposure and Youth Problem Behaviors After Installation of the Communities That Care Prevention System in a Randomized Trial [Article]

Archives of Pediatrics — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusions Using the CTC system can produce enduring reductions in community-wide levels of risk factors and problem behaviors among adolescents beyond the years of supported implementation, potentially contributing to long-term public health benefits. Trial Registration clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01088542 (Source: Archives of Pediatrics)

Understanding treatment effectiveness for aggressive youth: The importance of regulation in mother–child interactions.

Journal of Family Psychology — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Reviews summarizing hundreds of studies cite parent management training (PMT) and cognitive–behavior therapy (CBT) as some of the most effective interventions for aggressive youth. However, studies continue to report variability in outcomes, and researchers have yet to understand why certain interventions only produce behavior change in some children. Using a clinical sample of 57 children (53 boys, 4 girls; mean age = 9.33, standard deviation = 1.16) and their mothers enrolled in a combined PMT/CBT program, the current study examined the relation between changes in real-time mother–child interactions, and children's externalizing outcomes from pre- to posttreatment. Results showed that dyads who were regulated in their interactions over time reported greater reductions in externalizin...

Toward a Collective Framework on Verbal Aggression: Hierarchical and Antagonistic Processes

Journal of Language and Social Psychology — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

In the epilogue to this special issue, a hierarchical antagonistic process model is offered as a collective framework to explain the antecedents and consequences of verbal aggression described in the five preceding articles. The model proposes that the general traits of motivation to argue and verbal aggressiveness are second-order factors exerting top-down influence on more statelike subsidiary motives and attitudes. A test of the model (N = 743) found support for the proposed four-step process: Argumentation training increased motivation to argue, motivation to argue increased ability to argue, ability to argue increased self-esteem, and self-esteem decreased verbal aggressiveness. However, the indirect negative effect of motivation to argue on verbal aggressiveness was offset by a much ...

Quality assessment of expert answers to lay questions about cystic fibrosis from various language zones in Europe: the ECORN-CF project

BMC Medical Research Methodology - Latest articles — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

The objectives of this study were to: 1. develop a detailed quality assessment tool to analyze quality of expert answers, 2. evaluate the intra- and inter-rater agreement of this tool, and 3. explore changes in the quality of expert answers over the time frame of the project. Methods: The quality assessment tool was developed by an expert panel. Five experts within the ECORN-CF project used the quality assessment tool to analyze the quality of 108 expert answers published on ECORN-CF from six language zones. 25 expert answers were scored at two time points, one year apart. Quality of answers was also assessed at an early and later period of the project. Individual rater scores and group mean scores were analyzed for each expert answer. Results: A scoring system and training manual were dev...

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Anxiety UK is seeking a Peer Mentoring Project Coordinator

ANXIETY UK News — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 14:45:45 +0100

Anxiety UK is seeking a Coordinator to lead on the charity’s successful Peer Mentoring Project. Funded by Big Lottery, the project supports peer mentors and mentees in their journey back into employment, training or further volunteering. To find out more about the vacancy and to apply, click here. Closing date for applications is 12:00 pm on [...] (Source: ANXIETY UK News)

YMCA's 'Fit Start' Program Aims to Curb Childhood Obesity

RWJF News Digest - Childhood Obesity — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 11:24:10 +0100

School funding cuts and a focus on academics over physical fitness has emptied playgrounds and stalled physical education programs across the country, causing the childhood obesity rate to skyrocket. That prompted Phillip Newman, wellness director at the Bob Sierra YMCA Youth & Family Center, to brainstorm a solution. His idea came to fruition last August, when Newman started the Fit Start program at the YMCA. The program allows kids and teenagers to participate in physical activity through activities such as obstacle courses, spinning, zumba classes and boot-camp style training. (Source: RWJF News Digest - Childhood Obesity)

[Correspondence] The Integrated Academic Training programme at Oxford

LANCET — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

In 2006, the Integrated Academic Training programme was initiated in the UK as a result of the Walport report on the crisis of decreasing clinical academic numbers. In Oxford, we decided that the most effective way to manage the programme would be to create a dedicated Oxford University Clinical Academic Graduate School ( OUCAGS). We wish to highlight both some advantages of this approach and challenges within the overall programme. (Source: LANCET)

[Department of Error] Department of Error

LANCET — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Glazener C, Boachie C, Buckley B, et al. Urinary incontinence in men after formal one-to-one pelvic-floor muscle training following radical prostatectomy or transurethral resection of the prostate (MAPS): two parallel randomised controlled trials. Lancet 2011; 378: 328–37—This Article (July 23) should have contained the following conflicts of interest statement: “BB has received travel expenses from Astellas, Medtronic, and Pfizer. All other authors declare no conflicts of interest”. This correction has been made to the online version as of Feb 3, 2012. (Source: LANCET)

Using Formative Assessment in Active Learning Environments: Transitioning from Preclinical to Clinical Training (Linda Chang PharmD)

Family Medicine Digital Resources Library (FMDRL) Recently Uploaded — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Many medical students struggle as they enter the clinical setting because they have difficulty in integrating and applying what they have learned in the preclinical classroom. In order to address this challenge, active learning activities were added to the Essentials of Patient Care course for second year medical students. This PowerPoint was presented at the 38th Annual STFM Conference on Medical Student Education and presents 1) the structure of the course that encompasses cultural competency, health policy, preventive medicine, epidemiology/evidence-based medicine, and medical ethics; 2) examples of the active learning activities; 3) the formative assessment of students' performance in these activities qualitatively and quantitatively; and 4) the use of these assessment data to improve ...

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CDC 2D Vaccine Barcoding Pilot Nearing Sign-up Deadline

AAFP Health of the Public — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 23:35:00 +0100

For family physicians who count immunizations as one of the many services they provide, the CDC is funding a two-dimensional (2D) vaccine barcoding pilot project that is scheduled to begin in August. The pilot is gearing up to begin installing scanning equipment and training participants, but there is still time to enroll. According to Erin Kennedy, D.V.M., M.P.H., a medical officer in the CDC's Immunization Services Division, "2D barcoded vaccines have a number of potential public health benefits, which include decreasing errors in recorded immunization information and improving patient safety." The sign-up period for the project, which will assess the challenges and determine best practices for documenting vaccine encounters using 2D barcodes, comes to a close in late February. (Source: ...

PubMed for Trainers Coming to Our Region

NN/LM Middle Atlantic Region Blog — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 21:26:52 +0100

The National Library of Medicine Training Center is bringing their PubMed for Trainers course to Syracuse, NY, April 16-30, 2012. The course requires attendance at all sessions, both online and in-person: Online session: April 16, 2012 (10:00 am – 12:00 pm ET) Online session: April 18, 2012 (10:00 am – 12:00 pm ET) [...] (Source: NN/LM Middle Atlantic Region Blog)

White House Begins to Map Course toward Bio-Based Economy

Washington Watch — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 19:26:34 +0100

Politicians and pundits clogged the airwaves last year with rhetoric about the state of the nation's economy. Amid this noise, a few economic policy initiatives did begin to take shape. For instance, last fall, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) issued a request for comments on a draft policy to stimulate the bioeconomy. Scientists have long asserted that research is an investment that yields economic prosperity. A growing number of scientists and engineers have more recently advised that the biological sciences are poised to inspire transformative discoveries that can solve persistent problems while stimulating new economic opportunities. Indeed, in 2009, the National Research Council (NRC) released a 112-page report, A New Biology for the 21st Century: Ensuri...

Sports Medicine Training Room Clinic Model for the Military

Military Medicine — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 12:18:15 +0100

(Source: Military Medicine)

Theoretically-Driven Infrastructure for Supporting Health Care Teams Training at a Military Treatment Facility

Military Medicine — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 12:18:15 +0100

(Source: Military Medicine)

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Consent for cataract surgery training: a national trainers’ survey

Eye — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 08:00:00 +0100

Consent for cataract surgery training: a national trainers’ survey Eye advance online publication, February 3, 2012. doi:10.1038/eye.2012.2 Authors: L Steeples, K Mercieca & K Smyth (Source: Eye)

A procedure for obtaining Impact of Cancer version 2 scores using version 1 responses

Quality of Life Research — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 07:21:35 +0100

Conclusions The approach facilitates comparison across samples of survivors surveyed using different versions of the IOC and may be useful to other investigators trying to compare participants surveyed using different versions of the same instrument. Content Type Journal ArticleCategory Brief CommunicationPages 1-7DOI 10.1007/s11136-012-0127-5Authors Catherine M. Crespi, Division of Cancer Prevention and Control Research, Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USAPatricia A. Ganz, Division of Cancer Prevention and Control Research, Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USALaura Petersen, Division of Cancer Prevention and Control Research, Jonsson Comprehensive C...

Free Certification Training From CertSchool.com in the Latest...

PRWeb: Medical Pharmaceuticals — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 06:24:02 +0100

Seeking to improve team collaboration and project results, companies are updating to Microsoft Project 2010’s new set of tools for project managers. CertSchool.com is presenting a free certification...(PRWeb January 31, 2012)Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/microsoft/free-training/prweb9157565.htm (Source: PRWeb: Medical Pharmaceuticals)

A pathway analysis method for genome‐wide association studies

Statistics in Medicine — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

For genome‐wide association studies, we propose a new method for identifying significant biological pathways. In this approach, we aggregate data across single‐nucleotide polymorphisms to obtain summary measures at the gene level. We then use a hierarchical Bayesian model, which takes the gene‐level summary measures as data, in order to evaluate the relevance of each pathway to an outcome of interest (e.g., disease status). Although shifting the focus of analysis from individual genes to pathways has proven to improve the statistical power and provide more robust results, such methods tend to eliminate a large number of genes whose pathways are unknown. For these genes, we propose to use a Bayesian multinomial logit model to predict the associated pathways by using the genes with kno...

CPR Training

About.com Eating Disorders — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

There are two reasons to find CPR training classes: to get a CPR certification or to actually learn CPR. Unfortunately, not every CPR class will satisfy both goals. Ideally, CPR training is always going to be about learning to do CPR well. Where do you go to find good CPR training? (Source: About.com Eating Disorders)

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Rapid synaptic potentiation within the anterior cingulate cortex mediates trace fear learning

Molecular Brain — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Although the cortex has been extensively studied in long-term memory storage, less emphasis has been placed on immediate cortical contributions to fear memory formation. AMPA receptor plasticity is strongly implicated in learning and memory, and studies have identified calcium permeable AMPA receptors (CP-AMPARs) as mediators of synaptic strengthening. Trace fear learning engages the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), but whether plastic events occur within the ACC in response to trace fear learning, and whether GluN2B subunits are required remains unknown. Here we show that the ACC is necessary for trace fear learning, and shows a rapid 20% upregulation of membrane AMPA receptor GluA1 subunits that is evident immediately after conditioning. Inhibition of NMDA receptor GluN2B subunits during...

The Alabama Coalition for a Healthier Black Belt: A Proof of Concept Project.

Community Mental Health Journal — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Authors: Savage RM, Dillon JM, Hammel JC, Lewis TC, Johnson NC, Barlow LM, Brooms MM, Moore PM, Parker HE, Rodney KZ Abstract The Alabama Coalition for a Healthier Black was a demonstration of concept project. This paper is a descriptive and qualitative overview of this 2.5 year project. Limited key project results are reported here. Located in the rural Black Belt region of Alabama this coalition had several key aims: to develop a collaboration between primary care and mental health care through co-location of services; use of video-conferencing capability to provide mental health services more efficiently; enhanced training in rural healthcare; and development of stigma reduction campaigns along with other coalition partner specific initiatives. Co-location and telepsychiatry im...

Growth Hormone Response Induced by a Respiratory Muscle Endurance Training in Healthy Subjects

Hormone and Metabolic Research — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Horm Metab ResDOI: 10.1055/s-0031-1301303To date, the large majority of studies evaluating growth hormone (GH) response to acute physical exercise has been performed involving gross muscle groups. To the best of our knowledge, none has evaluated the effects of a respiratory muscle endurance training (RMET) on hormonal secretions, particularly on GH release, though some respiratory devices have been widely used in athletes to train respiratory muscles and to improve cardiopulmonary function and physical performance. 8 healthy men underwent an incremental progressive RMET protocol of 11 daily sessions, obtained through the use of a specifically designed respiratory device (Spiro Tiger®). The 12th session of RMET (15 min duration: 1 min at a respiration rate of 28 acts/min, 5 min at ...

Aberrant DNA methylation associated with aggressiveness of gastrointestinal stromal tumour

Gut — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusion Our results suggest that GIST is not, in epigenetic terms, a uniform disease and that DNA methylation in a set of genes is associated with aggressive clinical behavior and unfavorable prognosis. The genes identified may potentially serve as biomarkers for predicting aggressive GISTs with poor survivability. (Source: Gut)

Chemokine-driven lymphocyte infiltration: an early intratumoural event determining long-term survival in resectable hepatocellular carcinoma

Gut — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusion A 14 immune-gene signature, which identifies molecular cues driving tumour infiltration by lymphocytes, accurately predicts survival of patients with HCC especially in early disease. (Source: Gut)

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Impact of technology‐based care and management systems on aged care outcomes in Australia

Nursing and Health Sciences — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

This study determined the impact of a computerized care documentation system on client outcomes, regulatory compliance, and staff workloads after 3 years of use. The survey was conducted at an 800‐bed aged care facility, and staff using the computerized care system were invited to participate (n = 112). The survey was an adapted version of the Nurses Computer Attitudes to Technology Inventory, which was refined to make it relevant to the aged care workplace. Four multiple regression models were produced, assessing the impact of the computerized care management system on staff and workload; time; accuracy, and regulatory data; and resident care. The analysis showed that the perceived benefits of the computerized system were influenced by personal attitudes towards computer use and f...

Nurse preparedness for the non‐communicable disease escalation in Thailand: A cross‐sectional survey of nurses

Nursing and Health Sciences — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

AbstractChronic diseases are now the largest cause of mortality in Thailand, and form an increasingly large portion of the healthcare landscape. In the Thai health system, many patients with chronic conditions receive care and disease management services from nurses, yet specialized training in chronic diseases is not currently part of standard nursing degree programs. Given the evolving epidemiology of the Thailand population, we questioned whether practicing nurses remain confident in their knowledge and skills in chronic disease management. We conducted a cross‐sectional, self‐efficacy survey of nurses in eight randomly‐selected provinces in Thailand, receiving 468 responses. Nurse self‐efficacy was analyzed in prominent chronic disease types, including cancer, hypertension, dia...

fmSTAT: Family Medicine Scholars Training and Admission Track (Judy Gary MEd)

Family Medicine Digital Resources Library (FMDRL) Recently Uploaded — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

1 General information about the VCU Department of Family Medicine fmSTAT Program 2 Description of a new dual admission program at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine. 3 Sample of supplemental fmSTAT application. 4 Snapshot of curricular elements, format, and benefits of the program for participants 5 A values inventory used during the interviewing day. (Source: Family Medicine Digital Resources Library (FMDRL) Recently Uploaded)

Student Ratings of Selection Factors for PsyD Programs

Journal of Clinical Psychology — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

ConclusionsPsyD students rated a program's structure, tone, and reputation as particularly important factors to consider in selecting a program. Students' quality ratings were used to determine the top 5 programs for each of the factors assessed in the study. (Source: Journal of Clinical Psychology)

Development of an automated method to detect sitting pivot transfer phases using biomechanical variables: toward a standardized method

Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusion: The relative threshold-based algorithm used to automatically detect the four distinct phases of the SPT, is rapid, accurate and repeatable. A quantitative and thorough description of the precise phases of the SPT is prerequisite to better interpret biomechanical findings and measure task performance. The algorithm could also become clinically useful to refine the assessment and training of SPTs. (Source: Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation)

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Benefits and Mechanisms of Recovery Among Peer Providers With Psychiatric Illnesses

Qualitative Health Research — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Providing peer support to individuals with psychiatric disabilities has emerged as a promising modality of mental health services. These services are delivered by individuals who experience mental illnesses themselves. The purpose of this study was to explore how working as a peer provider can enhance personal recovery. The study was conducted with 31 peer providers employed in a variety of mental health agencies. Data were collected through face-to-face semistructured interviews and analyzed using a grounded theory approach. Qualitative analysis revealed a wide range of recovery benefits for the peer providers. The benefits span across five wellness domains: foundational, emotional, spiritual, social, and occupational. In addition, analysis revealed five role-related and five work-environ...

Birmingham trust takes nurse training online

Nursing Times Breaking News — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:10:00 +0100

A Midlands hospital trust has pioneered a new online training system for nurses which it believes could free up thousands of hours of time for patient care as well as saving money on agency staff. (Source: Nursing Times Breaking News)

UK’s first ever core skills and training framework for health

MEDEV News — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 21:48:49 +0100

Skills for Health is advancing its development of a core skills framework for statutory and mandatory training across the UK health sector, building on work already undertaken in England in the London, North West, South Central and West Midlands regions. A core framework will offer the health sector common guidance and standards which should be helpful to organisations in guiding minimum standards in this key area of learning activity for all health sector staff. A first stage consultation on the demand and support for a Core Skills Framework has just been completed and we are pleased to present the report. With the largest ever response seen for an electronic consultation supported by Skills for Health, initial analysis, confirms strong support for the initiative, with many respondents re...

Randomized Clinical Trial Results in PubMed

Dragonfly — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 21:22:19 +0100

Of recent interest to medical librarians is an article that was published in BMJ regarding search results in PubMed and how evidence from randomized clinical trials is retrieved. Here is some updated information from the National Library of Medicine, Bibliographic Services Division: Re: Wieland LS, Robinson KA, Dickersin K. Understanding why evidence from randomised clinical trials may not be retrieved from Medline: comparison of indexed and non-indexed records. BMJ. 2012 Jan 3;344:d7501. doi: 10.1136/bmj.d7501. PubMed PMID: 22214757. Readers of this article should recognize that the authors assumed no changes took place in the NLM indexing of Randomized Controlled Trial [publication type]. In fact, NLM has made changes since 2005 that we think affect the conclusions and projections ma...

Factors Affecting Clinician Educator Encouragement of Routine HIV Testing Among Trainees

Journal of General Internal Medicine — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:15:12 +0100

CONCLUSIONS Clinician educators have a special role in the dissemination of the CDC recommendations as they impact the knowledge and attitudes of newly practicing physicians. Despite awareness of CDC recommendations, many CEs do not recommend universal HIV testing to trainees. Interventions that improve faculty knowledge of HIV testing recommendations and address barriers in resident clinics may enhance adoption of routine HIV testing. Content Type Journal ArticleCategory Original ResearchPages 1-6DOI 10.1007/s11606-012-1985-9Authors Gail V. Berkenblit, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 601 North Caroline St., Baltimore, MD 21287, USAJames M. Sosman, Department of Medicine, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Hea...

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Effects of Active and Passive Smoking on Ear Infections

Current Infectious Disease Reports — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:14:13 +0100

Abstract Otitis media (OM) is one of the most frequent diseases in young children, causing to visit a physician, and also the most common indication for antibiotic prescription. The peak incidence and prevalence of OM is 6 to 18 months of age. In children, second-hand smoke (SHS) exposure is associated with upper and lower respiratory tract infections, such as acute otitis media (AOM), pneumonia, and bronchitis. Despite the overwhelming evidence of the role of SHS exposure on infant health, a very high proportion of children still continue to be exposed. This important relationship between all kinds of smoking and poor health may not be appreciated universally. With this article, we aim to review tobacco smoke exposure and OM connection. How this exposure may cause OM...

Obscure and occult gastrointestinal bleeding: role of radionuclide imaging

Abdominal Imaging — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:12:44 +0100

Content Type Journal ArticlePages 1-2DOI 10.1007/s00261-012-9841-2Authors Tamer Aksoy, Nuclear Medicine Division, Haydarpasa Numune Training & Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey Journal Abdominal ImagingOnline ISSN 1432-0509Print ISSN 0942-8925 (Source: Abdominal Imaging)

Save on EuroPRevent registration until 6 February

European Society of Cardiology — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:04:51 +0100

EuroPRevent is the ideal occasion for clinicians, general practitioners, cardiologists in training, nurses and allied professionals to connect, network and discuss the latest topics in preventive cardiology. Don't miss this opportunity - Deadline is Monday 6 February Topics: Cardiovascular Disease Prevention - Risk Assessment and Management, Rehabilitation and Exercise Physiology (Source: European Society of Cardiology)

Instituto de Cooperación Social - Integrare

WHO Maternal, Newborn and Child Health — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:47:00 +0100

Academic, Research & Training Institutes (Source: WHO Maternal, Newborn and Child Health)

Exposing the Hidden Curriculum Influencing Medical Education on the Health of Indigenous People in Australia and New Zealand: The Role of the Critical Reflection Tool

Academic Medicine — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 14:12:24 +0100

The disparity in health status between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in Australia and New Zealand is widely known, and efforts to address this through medical education are evidenced by initiatives such as the Committee of Deans of Australian Medical Schools' Indigenous Health Curriculum Framework. These efforts have focused primarily on formal curriculum reform. In this article, the authors discuss the role of the hidden curriculum in influencing the teaching and learning of Indigenous health (i.e., the health of Indigenous people) during medical training and suggest that in order to achieve significant changes in learning outcomes, there needs to be better alignment of the formal and hidden curriculum. They describe the Critical Reflection Tool as a potential resource through whic...

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Perspective: Ten Thousand Hours to Patient Safety, Sooner or Later

Academic Medicine — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 14:09:41 +0100

A call by the Institute of Medicine to advance the cause of patient safety catalyzed the current focus on duty hours limits during resident education. Unrelated benefits to resident education have accrued from those efforts, but, despite rigorous study of the issue, there is little evidence of a positive impact on patient safety resulting from trainee duty hours adjustments. Moreover, the discussion has become worrisomely myopic in its singular preoccupation with the impact of postgraduate medical education duty hours on safe patient care. The author argues that patient safety efforts should focus instead on the three essential elements of capacity, of which a discussion of duty hours and fatigue are an important part, commitment, and competence. Commitment requires altruism and profession...

Endurance training improves diastolic function in heart failure patients

MedWire News - Heart Failure — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 14:06:16 +0100

Endurance training significantly improves left ventricular diastolic function in patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction, research suggests. (Source: MedWire News - Heart Failure)

Nature Launches Global Scientific Calendar

What's New on JEFFLINE — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 13:00:46 +0100

Nature Publishing Group (NPG) has launched an online calendar of global scientific events. The calendar provides users with a new way to search for science events, which can also be personalized and synced to a personal online or mobile calendar. The calendar is hosted on nature.com; it is free both to view and to contribute to. The calendar provides users with an innovative way to find important dates in science, as well as events that have been specifically selected by Nature editors. Content includes: Conferences Training courses Careers events Journal publication dates International observances Congress Historical anniversaries Astronomical events Webinars/virtual events Users can synchronize their personal calendar automatically with the events calendar using the iCal feed. Feeds...

Amendments to Health and Social Care Bill published

MEDEV News — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 08:45:47 +0100

The Government has tabled a series of amendments to the Health and Social Care Bill in advance of its Report Stage in the House of Lords, which begins next week. Health Minister Earl Howe has tabled a number of amendments that reaffirm the Government’s commitment to putting patients at the heart of the NHS and handing power to GPs and nurses. Alongside the amendments, the Department of Health has also pubished a set of briefing notes. The amendments include: Secretary of State accountability: Putting beyond doubt the Secretary of State’s responsibility and accountability with respect to a comprehensive health service. These amendments follow constructive cross-party discussion about this issue. Greater patient involvement: Patients will have a greater say in their health, with...

Educating non‐medical prescribers

British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

SummaryIntroduction: The decade has seen developments in non‐medical prescribing with the introduction of prescribing rights for healthcare professionals. In this article, we focus on the education, training and practice of non‐medical prescribers in the UK. There are around 20,000 nurse independent prescribers, 2,400 pharmacist supplementary/independent prescribers, several hundred allied health professional supplementary prescribers and almost 100 optometrist supplementary/independent prescribers. Many are active prescribers managing chronic conditions or acute episodes of infections and minor ailments.Aims: Key aims of non‐medical prescribing are: to improve patient care; increase patient choice in accessing medicines; and make better use of the skills of health professional...

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Briefing notes on Government amendments to the Health and Social Care Bill: Lords Report Stage

NeLM - News — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Source: Department of Health (DH) Area: News The Government has tabled a series of amendments to the Health and Social Care Bill in advance of its Report Stage in the House of Lords, which begins next week. The amendments include: . Secretary of State accountability: Putting beyond doubt the Secretary of State's responsibility and accountability with respect to a comprehensive health service. These amendments follow constructive cross-party discussion about this issue. . Greater patient involvement: Patients will have a greater say in their health, with the NHS Commissioning Board and clinical commissioning groups having stronger duties to promote patient involvement in their own care. . Education and training: The NHS Commissioni...

the month. December 2011/January 2012

NeLM - News — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Source: Department of Health (DH) Area: News This edition of 'the month' from the Department of Health features . NHS Future Forum calls on healthcare professionals to lead way on patient-centred care . Commissioning update . Transforming the provider landscape . New approach to education and training . Informatics Directorate update . High level design of new public health system . Patient and Public Engagement team update . Championing research in the NHS (Source: NeLM - News)

Effects of once weekly dual‐task training in older adults: A pilot randomized controlled trial

Geriatrics and Gerontology International — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusion: Once weekly group circuit training focusing on balance, gait and agility, with or without simultaneous cognitive tasks, resulted in significantly improved walking speed among older adults. Group‐format dual‐task training once per week did not improve walking time or dual‐task cost on an obstacle negotiation task. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2012; ••: ••–••. (Source: Geriatrics and Gerontology International)

Long‐term outcomes of phacoemulsification cataract surgery performed by trainees and consultants in an Australian cohort

Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: We found relatively comparable complication rates and visual outcomes after 2 years between patients operated on by ophthalmological trainees and those by consultants, in a cataract surgical cohort at Westmead Hospital.© 2012 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2012 Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists (Source: Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology)

Retention of Movement Pattern Changes After a Lower Extremity Injury Prevention Program Is Affected by Program Duration

The American Journal of Sports Medicine — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusion: Results suggest that training duration may be an important factor to consider when designing injury prevention programs that facilitate long-term changes in movement control. (Source: The American Journal of Sports Medicine)

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Patient and Surgeon Characteristics Associated With Primary Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction Graft Selection

The American Journal of Sports Medicine — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusion: Gender, age, race, as well as facility and surgeon characteristics such as volume and location are associated with ACL graft choices. (Source: The American Journal of Sports Medicine)

Thigh Muscle Injuries in Youth Soccer: Predictors of Recovery

The American Journal of Sports Medicine — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusion: The risk for prolonged recovery from thigh muscle injury was found to increase with age of the player and contact mechanism. The risk of injury increased toward the end of the first half, and this risk persisted throughout the second half. Delayed recovery was significantly associated with a hamstring muscle injury, first injury, and contact mechanism. This study, for the first time, allows identification of youth male soccer players at high-risk for prolonged symptoms after thigh muscle injury. (Source: The American Journal of Sports Medicine)

Resistance exercise training improves age-related declines in leg vascular conductance and rejuvenates acute leg blood flow responses to feeding and exercise

Journal of Applied Physiology — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

One manifestation of age-related declines in vascular function is reduced peripheral (limb) blood flow and vascular conduction at rest and in response to vasodilatory stimuli such as exercise and feeding. Since, even in older age, resistance exercise training (RET) represents an efficacious strategy for increasing muscle mass and function, we hypothesized that likewise RET would improve age-related declines in leg blood flow (LBF) and vascular conductance (LVC). We studied three mixed-sex age groups (young: 18–28 yr, n = 14; middle aged: 45–55 yr, n = 20; older: 65–75 yr, n = 17) before and after 20 wk of whole body RET in the postabsorptive state (BASAL) and after unilateral leg extensions (6 x 8 repetitions; 75% 1 repetition maximum) followed by intermittent mixed-nutri...

Resistance exercise training influences skeletal muscle immune activation: a microarray analysis

Journal of Applied Physiology — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

This study provides novel insight into the molecular processes involved in the adaptive response of skeletal muscle following RE training and the cellular and molecular events implicating the protective role of training on muscle stress and damage inflicted by acute mechanical loading. (Source: Journal of Applied Physiology)

Endurance exercise attenuates ventilator-induced diaphragm dysfunction

Journal of Applied Physiology — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Controlled mechanical ventilation (MV) is a life-saving measure for patients in respiratory failure. However, MV renders the diaphragm inactive leading to diaphragm weakness due to both atrophy and contractile dysfunction. It is now established that oxidative stress is a requirement for MV-induced diaphragmatic proteolysis, atrophy, and contractile dysfunction to occur. Given that endurance exercise can elevate diaphragmatic antioxidant capacity and the levels of the cellular stress protein heat shock protein 72 (HSP72), we hypothesized that endurance exercise training before MV would protect the diaphragm against MV-induced oxidative stress, atrophy, and contractile dysfunction in female Sprague-Dawley rats. Our results confirm that endurance exercise training before MV increased both HSP...

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Ineffective normobaric LHTL: room confinement or inappropriate training intensity?

Journal of Applied Physiology — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

(Source: Journal of Applied Physiology)

[PHTLS team course: a pilot project : Structured student education in prehospital care of severely injured patients.]

Der Unfallchirurg — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

CONCLUSION: Especially the treatment of multiply injured patients is a challenge for young medical professionals. However, there is a high motivation to learn and train in emergency medicine. The students long for a practical trauma course compared to the advanced medical CPR course provided by the Department of Anaesthesiology of the University of Heidelberg. Those algorithm-based trauma courses do exist with PHTLS® and ATLS®. Based on these courses we developed the PHTLS® TEAM course. PMID: 22294422 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Der Unfallchirurg)

Exercise a Good Pick-Me-Up After Cancer Treatment: Study

Cancercompass News: Breast Cancer — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Aerobic, resistance and strength training improved weight and well-being (Source: Cancercompass News: Breast Cancer)

The benefits of using virtual environment radiotherapy training

HSJ — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Utilising virtual environment radiotherapy training has helped one trust develop and improve learning and knowledge in different departments across the trust, as Dean Garnham and colleagues explain. (Source: HSJ)

MPs attack 'national scandal' of asbestos in schools

Telegraph Health — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:48:32 +0100

Urgent action is needed to protect children and teachers from exposure to deadly asbestos in schools, MPs warned today. (Source: Telegraph Health)

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The Effect of Combined Medical Treatment on Quality of Life in Persistent Allergic Rhinitis

Indian Journal of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:14:03 +0100

Abstract Allergic rhinitis may significantly affect the patients’ quality of life. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of nasal steroids alone, to nasal steroids plus Levocetirizine or Montelukast, on quality of life in persistent allergic rhinitis. This is a prospective, randomized study and included 56 patients with moderate to severe persistent allergic rhinitis. All patients had house dust mite allergy on skin prick test and we divided the patients into three groups. 1 month long medical treatment was; topical Mometasone furoate 200 mcg/day in the first group (n:14), Mometasone furoate 200 mcg/day plus oral Levocetirizine 5 mg/day in the second group (n:21), and Mometasone furoate 200 mcg/day plus oral Montelukast 10 mg/day i...

Could Cellular Proliferation Be a Predictive Index for the Relapse of Nasal Polyposis and Down-Regulated by Nasal Steroid Treatment?

Indian Journal of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:14:02 +0100

Abstract The aim of this article is to identify the cellular mitotic activity using Ki-67 monoclonal antibody for predicting relapses of nasal polyposis after surgery. A prospective study was conducted at Kartal Training and Research Hospital Otolaryngology Department between January 2006 and September 2008. Nasal polyps were obtained from all patients and pathological materials were analyzed for the Ki-67 staining using immunohistochemistry. Patients were followed after surgery for 12 months for relapse. There was no statistically significant difference between recurrent and nonrecurrent polyps. Polyp recurrence has a multifactorial origin. Ki-67 index alone does not provide sufficient information about polyp recurrence before the operation. Content Type Journal ...

The Impact of Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography Education on Radiation Exposure to Experienced Endoscopist: “Trainee Effect”

Digestive Diseases and Sciences — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:12:08 +0100

Conclusions Based on our results, taking into consideration the heavy workload in our hospital, it would seem that more experienced endoscopists are required to help provide training in ERCP, and that the use of lead acrylic goggles is required to decrease radiation exposure to the eyes. Content Type Journal ArticleCategory Original ArticlePages 1-10DOI 10.1007/s10620-012-2028-4Authors Erkin Oztas, Department of Gastroenterology, Turkiye Yuksek Ihtisas Education and Research Hospital, Ankara, TurkeyErkan Parlak, Department of Gastroenterology, Turkiye Yuksek Ihtisas Education and Research Hospital, Ankara, TurkeyFahrettin Kucukay, Department of Radiology, Turkiye Yuksek Ihtisas Education and Research Hospital, Ankara, TurkeyMehmet Arhan, Department of Gastroenterolo...

Long term intensive exercise training leads to a higher plasma malate/lactate dehydrogenase (M/L) ratio and increased level of lipid mobilization in horses

Veterinary Research Communications — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:11:19 +0100

Abstract Continuous high intensity training may induce alterations to enzyme activities related to glucose and lipid metabolism in horses. In our study, five Thoroughbred race horses (3 male and 2 female, avg age = 5 yrs old) were compared against five riding horses (1 male, 1 female, 3 gelding, avg age = 13 yrs old) in terms of energy metabolism, by examining plasma malate (MDH) and lactate (LDH) dehydrogenase activities and M/L ratio. MDH is involved in NADH and ATP generation, whereas LDH can convert NADH back into NAD+ for ATP generation. An increase in plasma M/L ratio can reflect heightened energy metabolism in the liver and skeletal muscle of horses adapted to continuous intensive exercise. Moreover, plasma lipid metabolism analytes (adiponectin, NE...

Harlequin Productions stage performance of ‘Rent’ in Aberdeen to raise funds for HIV charity

Terrence Higgins Trust — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:34:41 +0100

Harlequin Productions are putting on a production of Rent to raise funds for HIV and sexual health charity Terrence Higgins Trust Scotland at the Aberdeen Arts Centre, from Wednesday 8th through to Saturday 11th February. Performances begin at 7.30pm. Rent is a rock opera with music and lyrics by Jonathan Larson based on Giacomo Puccini’s opera La Bohème. It tells the story of a group of impoverished young artists and musicians as they struggle to survive and create in New York's Lower East side, in the thriving days of Bohemian Alphabet City, under the shadow of HIV. The cast and crew received training from Terrence Higgins Trust Scotland staff in order to increase their knowledge and awareness around HIV as they prepared for the production. Staff and volunteers from Terrence Higgins T...

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Exercise a Good Pick-Me-Up After Cancer Treatment: Study

The Doctors Lounge - Oncology — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:00:00 +0100

Aerobic, resistance and strength training improved weight and well-being (Source: The Doctors Lounge - Oncology)

Exercise a Good Pick-Me-Up After Cancer Treatment

MedlinePlus Health News — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:00:00 +0100

Aerobic, resistance and strength training improved weight and well-being Source: HealthDay Related MedlinePlus Pages: Cancer, Exercise and Physical Fitness (Source: MedlinePlus Health News)

Current position of psychiatry in UK foundation schools [Education & training]

Psychiatric Bulletin — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

We report an audit of the provision of psychiatric postgraduate education within the foundation programme and psychiatry specialty programmes in the UK. Our primary measure was the number of foundation posts in psychiatry. Our audit standard was that all foundation doctors should receive programmed training in psychiatry via a psychiatry foundation post. Results We found a total of 413 foundation posts in psychiatry in 21 out of 22 foundation schools in England. This figure is only a fifth of that required to meet the audit standard. There is training capacity for 500 core trainees and 460 higher trainees in psychiatry per year. Currently, 13.6% of specialists other than general practitioners on the General Medical Council registers are psychiatrists. Clinical implications The provision of...

Foundation for what?: Commentary on... Current position of psychiatry in UK foundation schools [Education & training]

Psychiatric Bulletin — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Two years of foundation training were added to the medical students’ transition from learning theory in medical school to trainee clinical practice, replacing one year of house jobs or internship. In the recent few years there has been a tremendous amount of debate about undergraduate medical training and changes in regulations which led to the Collins review in 2010. The review proposed that trainees need more exposure to community-based placements such as psychiatry, public health and community paediatrics and that they also need to learn to deal with chronic conditions. Bearing in mind that nearly a third of the general practitioner’s patients will have psychiatric problems, it is essential that all doctors gain some exposure to psychiatric practice. It is crucial that this ...

Psychiatry recruited you, but will it retain you? Survey of trainees' opinions [Education & training]

Psychiatric Bulletin — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Aims and method To gather opinion from trainees across England about their current experiences and future career plans. This was done via an internet-based survey. Results Out of the 359 responses we received, 65.8% of trainees planned to stay in psychiatry until retirement. Trainees felt several issues were problematic, including the attitude of other specialties towards psychiatry, perceived substandard treatment of psychiatric patients by other specialties and implications of New Ways of Working. Clinical implications Despite there being many areas of training respondents were happy with, if attrition is to be minimised, issues such as how psychiatric trainees integrate with the other medical specialties and how the role of doctors in the specialty is perceived need to be addressed. (So...

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Training increases clinicians' care of abused women.

The American Journal of Nursing — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Authors: Kayyali A, Rosenberg K, Singh Joy SD PMID: 22277871 [PubMed - in process] (Source: The American Journal of Nursing)

[Hospital cooperation models : Safeguarding optimized patient care, medical training and resource utilization.]

Der Chirurg — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

CONCLUSIONS: The long-term results indicate that the cooperation model functions to achieve an optimized treatment of patients and an economical win-win situation for all cooperation partners by differential utilization of the available resources in the hospital network. PMID: 22290225 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Der Chirurg)

[Research as attractiveness parameter for young surgeons.]

Der Chirurg — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Authors: Vollmar B Abstract Increasing concern has been expressed about the significant shortage of new trainees in surgery. As research in the context of surgical education and training is an essential element of attraction for the field of surgery, there is an urgent priority to implement clear room for research in the concepts of education and training. In this article the relevance of both the thesis accompanying the study and research training during surgical residency for the clinical self-image, personal satisfaction and academic development of young surgeons will be presented. PMID: 22290223 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Der Chirurg)

[Palliative care in the light of legal and regulatory requirements in Germany].

Bundesgesundheitsblatt, Gesundheitsforschung, Gesundheitsschutz — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Authors: Cremer-Schaeffer P, Radbruch L Abstract In Germany, palliative care has developed rapidly since the establishment of the first palliative care unit in 1983. More improvements in patient-centered care are only possible if legal requirements as well as education of physicians, nurses, and other professionals involved in palliative care are adapted to current needs. This paper provides an overview of legal and regulatory requirements including a critical appreciation of their influence on palliative care in Germany. Only recently has medical education in palliative medicine been implemented as an integral part of medical studies at German universities. Starting in 2014, physicians applying for a license to practice medicine will have to provide a certificate of basic training...

[Health management as part of leadership in public administration].

Bundesgesundheitsblatt, Gesundheitsforschung, Gesundheitsschutz — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Authors: Matyssek AK Abstract Leadership includes two tasks within public administration: leading employees by creating healthy working conditions and being led by others. The basis of leading others in a healthy way means dealing with oneself in a healthy manner; this includes typical healthy behavior (i.e., physical activity, improved nutrition, not smoking), which allows for recovery by a good work-life balance and a sensitive dealing with one's own limits. Given these conditions of healthy self care, managers are able to act as role models and lead their employees in a healthy manner. Leading in a healthy manner means showing appreciation, being interested in the employees ("caring"), integrating them in decision-making, allowing transparency, improving the working atmosphere, ...

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Residency Training Oversight(s) in Surgery: The History and Legacy of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education Reforms.

The Surgical Clinics of North America — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Authors: Nauta RJ Abstract Despite a quarter century of discourse since a sentinel event in New York City raised the question of appropriate oversight for graduate medical education, many questions remain unanswered. Even with the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education rules in place, some opportunity remains to examine handoff methodology, the relationship of duty hours to education, and the impact of fatigue on resident performance. Neurophysiologic adjuncts applied concomitantly to evaluation of didactic performance offer promise for data-driven definition of the optimal shift. Concurrently, the merits of specialty-specific oversight of graduate medical education remain under active consideration. PMID: 22269265 [PubMed - in process] (Source: The Surgical Clini...

Surgeons' Non-technical Skills.

The Surgical Clinics of North America — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

This article discusses the core cognitive and social skills categories thought to underpin medical knowledge and surgical expertise, and describes the rise of non-technical skill models of assessment in surgery. Behavior rating systems such as NOTSS (Non-Technical Skills for Surgeons) have been developed to support education and assessment in this regard. We now understand more about these critical skills and how they impact surgery. The challenge in the future is to incorporate them into undergraduate teaching, postgraduate training, workplace assessment, and perhaps even selection. PMID: 22269259 [PubMed - in process] (Source: The Surgical Clinics of North America)

Educational needs in the field of detection of domestic violence and neglect: the opinion of a population of French dentists

European Journal of Dental Education — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: More information and training concerning abuse and domestic violence is required in the French undergraduate dental curriculum in order to help practitioners deal with such patients. (Source: European Journal of Dental Education)

Oral health attitudes and behaviours of final‐year dental students

European Journal of Dental Education — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: Final‐year dental students showed well established, favourable oral hygiene attitudes and behaviours, with evidence to suggest this knowledge was developed whilst in dental school. Despite many ceasing smoking, 5% still smoked. All dental students should receive training in motivational counselling and tobacco cessation to ensure this is included in patient care. (Source: European Journal of Dental Education)

The value of education in special care dentistry as a means of reducing inequalities in oral health

European Journal of Dental Education — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

This article aims to discuss the role and value of promoting and harmonising education in Special Care Dentistry as a means of reducing inequalities in oral health. (Source: European Journal of Dental Education)

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Cochlear implant performance in geriatric patients

The Laryngoscope — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusions:Geriatric cochlear implant patients have a similar learning curve to the younger adults and in speech tests in quiet show a comparable performance. However their performance is significantly lower in noisy surroundings. This may be due to the central presbycusis in patients older than 70 years and should be taken into account in postoperative fitting of geriatric patients. Further prospective studies are required to evaluate the role of special rehabilitation methods and cognitive training to improve the speech perception in noise in geriatric CI patients. (Source: The Laryngoscope)

Clinical features in a series of fast channel congenital myasthenia syndrome

Neuromuscular Disorders — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

We report a case of 12 fast channel patients to highlight clinical features and management difficulties. Patients were diagnosed through genetic screening and identification of mutations shown to cause fast channel syndrome. Data was obtained from clinical notes, history, examination and follow up. Patterns of muscle weakness involved limb, trunk, bulbar, respiratory, facial and extraocular muscles. Patients responded to treatment with anticholinesterase medication and 3,4-diaminopyridine. Fast channel syndrome contrasted with AChR deficiency in the occurrence of severe respiratory crises in infancy and childhood. The death of two children even when on treatment and the family histories of sibling deaths re-inforces the need for accurate genetic diagnosis, optimised pharmacological treatme...

Mental health nurse independent prescribing: what are nurse prescribers' views of the barriers to implementation?

Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

This study identified many of these barriers to prescribing and these will be discussed. It is hoped that this study's findings will serve as a catalyst to prompt the removal of barriers to prescribing in mental health nursing and ultimately to enable independent nurse prescribing. Awareness about mental health nurse prescribing needs to be raised so that health care professionals, service users, carers and the general public become more familiar with the role. This should help the role to become more accepted and established in everyday practice.AbstractThis paper reports a pilot study exploring mental health nurse prescribers' perceptions of barriers to prescribing independently but also includes perceptions of barriers to supplementary prescribing. Current prescribing practice as experi...

Self‐esteem among German nurses: does academic education make a difference?

Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Accessible summary• Self‐esteem is not typically associated with nurses.• An academic nurse training can potentially increase self‐esteem.• Promoting self‐esteem in nurses should be part of academic as well as non‐academic education.AbstractSelf‐esteem is not typically associated with the nursing profession. However, the concept is indispensible for job satisfaction and good‐quality patient care. Many healthcare systems are confronted with declining numbers of qualified nurses, and desperately seek suitable strategies to recruit and retain sufficient trainees and junior staff. This investigation examined self‐esteem in 212 German nurses using the Rosenberg Self‐Esteem Scale. Nurses with an academic degree displayed a statistically significant higher level of sel...

Resident Cataract Surgery

Ophthalmology — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

We are writing regarding the recent report by Woodfield et al about resident cataract surgery complication rates. We definitely agree that it provides useful information that we might apply to our Ophthalmology Residency Training Program. However, it is also true that the results provided in this article are rather controversial. (Source: Ophthalmology)

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ImmunoMembrane: a publicly available web application for digital image analysis of HER2 immunohistochemistry

Histopathology — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: We anticipate that publicly available web applications, such as ImmunoMembrane, will accelerate the adoption of automated image analysis in clinical diagnostics of HER2 IHC. ImmunoMembrane is freely accessible at: http://jvsmicroscope.uta.fi/immunomembrane/. (Source: Histopathology)

Facts, Theories, Values: Shaping the Course of Neurorehabilitation. The 60th John Stanley Coulter Memorial Lecture

Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Abstract: Cicerone KD. Facts, theories, values: shaping the course of neurorehabilitation. The 60th John Stanley Coulter memorial lecture. We have seen an increase in efforts to establish evidence-based parameters for the practice of rehabilitation. This effort has been placed in a broader context involving the role of theory in advancing rehabilitation science, particularly in relation to specifying the active ingredients and mechanisms of action of interventions. One approach to cognitive rehabilitation is through direct training of cognitive functions such as working memory, which purportedly relies on mechanisms of neuroplasticity. However, this approach is also shown to be dependent on qualities of active attention and learning, feedback, effort, and motivation. Changes in functional...

Effect of Exercise on Physical Function, Daily Living Activities, and Quality of Life in the Frail Older Adults: A Meta-Analysis

Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: Exercise is beneficial to increase gait speed, improve balance, and improve performance in ADLs in the frail older adults. (Source: Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation)

No Specific Effect of Whole-Body Vibration Training in Chronic Stroke: A Double-Blind Randomized Controlled Study

Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Abstract: Brogårdh C, Flansbjer UB, Lexell J. No specific effect of whole-body vibration training in chronic stroke: a double-blind randomized controlled study. Objective: To evaluate the effects of whole-body vibration (WBV) training in individuals after stroke. Design: A double-blind randomized controlled study with assessments pre- and posttraining. Setting: A university hospital rehabilitation department. Participants: Participants (N=31; mean age ± SD, 62±7y; 6–101mo poststroke) were randomized to an intervention group or a control group. Interventions: Supervised WBV training (2 sessions/wk for 6wk; 12 repetitions of 40–60s WBV per session). The intervention group trained on a vibrating platform with a conventional amplitude (3.75mm) and the control group on a “pl...

Preliminary Evaluation of a Commercially Available Videogame System as an Adjunct Therapeutic Intervention for Improving Balance Among Children and Adolescents With Lower Limb Amputations

Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: In-home, videogame-based balance training therapies can achieve excellent compliance in children and adolescents with lower limb amputation. With proper instructions and monitoring, the therapeutic intervention can be safely administered. Some improvements in postural control characteristics were seen in children and adolescents with balance deficits immediately postintervention, but long-term retention remains unclear. (Source: Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation)

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Focusing, Situating, and Grounding Micro-Level Evaluation Field Experiences: An Instructional Tool

American Journal of Evaluation — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

This article identifies the challenges that students encountered with course-embedded, small-scale field experiences and introduces the development and application of an instructional tool to help them: (a) more strategically focus evaluation field experiences; (b) situate experiences in terms of the larger evaluation to which it is contributing; as well as (c) ground experiences in terms of relevant evaluation standards, ethical principles, and evaluator competencies. (Source: American Journal of Evaluation)

The Results of a Needs Assessment to Guide a Vascular Surgery Skills Simulation Curriculum

Annals of Vascular Surgery — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: Our needs assessment identified vascular procedures where simulation may be beneficial to improve the skill level of vascular trainees in Southern California. With economic and logistical constraints for simulation at each individual training facility, a potential approach to this educational challenge is a regional Southern California vascular surgery skills simulation center. (Source: Annals of Vascular Surgery)

Real‐time deformation of colon and endoscope for colonoscopy simulation

The International Journal of Medical Robotics and Computer Assisted Surgery — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

ConclusionsThe proposed method allows real‐time simulation of colon and endoscope deformation while maintaining a visually plausible result and realistic haptic sensation. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. (Source: The International Journal of Medical Robotics and Computer Assisted Surgery)

A panel of five circulating microRNAs as potential biomarkers for prostate cancer

The Prostate — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

CONCLUSIONSOur data suggested that circulating miRNAs could serve as biomarkers for CaP, and compared to single miRNA, the 5 miRNAs panel can accurately discriminate CaP from BPH and healthy controls with high sensitivity and specificity, and therefore, combined with routine PSA test, these 5 CaP‐specific miRNAs may help improve CaP diagnosis in clinical application. Prostate © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. (Source: The Prostate)

Calling amplified haplotypes in next generation tumor sequence data [METHOD]

Genome Research — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

During tumor initiation and progression, cancer cells acquire a selective advantage, allowing them to outcompete their normal counterparts. Identification of the genetic changes that underlie these tumor acquired traits can provide deeper insights into the biology of tumorigenesis. Regions of copy number alterations and germline DNA variants are some of the elements subject to selection during tumor evolution. Integrated examination of inherited variation and somatic alterations holds the potential to reveal specific nucleotide alleles that a tumor "prefers" to have amplified. Next-generation sequencing of tumor and matched normal tissues provides a high-resolution platform to identify and analyze such somatic amplicons. Within an amplicon, examination of informative (e.g., heterozygous) s...

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Assessing the impact of faculty development fellowship in shiraz university of medical sciences.

Archives of Iranian Medicine — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

CONCLUSION: Our faculty development program appears to have a significant positive effect on medical teachers' competencies, and we suggest that our educational intervention is effective in achieving its aims. Further research should investigate whether this faculty development program actually results in improved teaching performance. PMID: 22292575 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Archives of Iranian Medicine)

Evaluating the performance of different procedures for constructing confidence intervals for coefficient alpha: A simulation study.

The British Journal of Mathematical and Statistical Psychology — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Authors: Cui Y, Li J Abstract Abstract Reliability is one of the most important aspects of testing in educational and psychological measurement. The construction of confidence intervals for reliability coefficients has important implications for evaluating the accuracy of the sample estimate of reliability and for comparing different tests, scoring rubrics, or training procedures for raters or observers. The present simulation study evaluated and compared various parametric and non-parametric methods for constructing confidence intervals of coefficient alpha. Six factors were manipulated: number of items, number of subjects, population coefficient alpha, deviation from essentially parallel condition, item response distribution and type. The coverage and width of different confid...

Training community care workers to provide comprehensive TB/HIV/PMTCT integrated care in KwaZulu‐Natal: lessons learnt

Tropical Medicine and International Health — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusion The findings of this study suggest higher uptake of TB and STI symptoms screening, TB contact tracing and home based HCT in the intervention clusters. This study suggests that up‐skilling CCWs could be one avenue to enhance TB/HIV case finding, TB contact tracing and linkages to care. (Source: Tropical Medicine and International Health)

Evaluation of the diagnostic accuracy of the Haemoglobin Colour Scale to detect anaemia in young children attending primary healthcare clinics in Zanzibar

Tropical Medicine and International Health — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusions Haemoglobin Colour Scale does not improve the capacity of HCWs to diagnose anaemia in this population. Accuracy is limited by considerable variability in the performances of test operators. However, optimizing the training protocol for those using the test may improve performance. (Source: Tropical Medicine and International Health)