BACKGROUND: It is accepted that the three commercially available type A botulinum toxins (BoNT-As) are different, their units of potency are not interchangeable and no fixed dose conversion ratio exists between them. To date, there is no clear evidence demonstrating the superiority of one toxin over another clinically. OBJECTIVE: The ...

OBJECTIVE: The use of aptitude tests in the selection of surgeons has gained recent attention. Few have described its relevance in predicting the acquisition of surgical techniques. We aim to show whether assessing manual dexterity can predict the quality of the final product after a period of training. METHODS: Thirty-six ...

ABSTRACT Objectives. Little is known about toxicity-related costs of monoclonal antibody treatments in metastatic colorectal cancer. We aimed to identify toxicities associated with bevacizumab, cetuximab and panitumumab and estimate the direct costs of these toxicities. Methods. Grade 3 and 4 toxicities were identified by a comprehensive literature search. Inpatient costs ...

The objective of this study was to describe the process of intensive speech therapy for a 6-year-old child using compensatory articulations while presenting with velopharyngeal insufficiency (VPI) and a history of cleft lip and palate. The correction of VPI was temporarily done with a pharyngeal obturator since the child presented ...

Faculty members most often use plagiarism detection software to detect portions of students' written work that have been copied and/or not attributed to their authors. The rise in plagiarism has led to a parallel rise in software products designed to detect plagiarism. Some of these products are configurable for rapid ...

Globally, a large number of blockbuster biotherapeutic molecules are going off patent in the next few years. For emerging economies, like India, it is imperative to be able to provide safe and cost effective drugs for its huge, non-insured and poor population. India has a robust pharmaceutical industry including the ...

Several genome sequencing programs were launched in Brazil by the end of the nineties and the early 2000s.The most important initiatives were supported by the ONSA program (http://watson.fapesp.br/onsa/Genoma3.htm) and aimed at gaining domain in genomic technology and bringing molecular biology to the state of art. Two mainsets of data were ...

Academic emergency physicians (EPs) often feel that the demands of clinical productivity, income generation, and patient satisfaction conflict with educational objectives. The objective of this study was to explore whether the quality of faculty bedside teaching of residents correlated with high clinical productivity, measured by relative value units (RVUs). We ...

Digital production is a means through which African American adolescents communicate and express their experiences with peers. This study examined the content and the form of the digital productions of 24 urban, low-income African American adolescents who attended a summer academic program. The content of student digital productions focused on ...

The Massachusetts Toxics Use Reduction Act (TURA) has achieved significant reductions in toxic chemical use in Massachusetts, using a combination of regulatory and voluntary measures. Historically the program has regulated only users of relatively large quantities of toxic chemicals, with services provided to facilities of all sizes on a voluntary ...

Objective: Time spent sitting increases all-cause mortality. Sedentary occupations are a major contributor to the obesity epidemic. A treadmill desk offers the potential to increase activity while working; however, it is important to make sure that productivity does not decline. The purpose of this study is to evaluate productivity while ...

This paper describes the methodology used to develop a consensual glossary for haematopoietic cells within Diagnostics-WP10 of European-LeukemiaNet EU-project. This highly interactive work was made possible through the use of the net, requiring only a single two-day meeting of actual confrontation and debate. It resulted in the production of a ...

Direct observation of medical trainees by their supervisors with actual patients is essential for trainees to develop clinical skills competence. Despite the many available tools for direct observation of trainees by supervisors, it is unclear how educators should identify an appropriate tool for a particular clinical setting and implement the ...

Human and non-human animals can use geometric information (metric information and left-right discrimination sense) to reorient themselves in an environment. The hypothesis that in so doing they rely on allocentric (map-like) representations has received wide consensus. However, theoretical models suggest that egocentric representations may represent efficient strategies for visuo-spatial navigation. ...

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this perspective is to describe the reliability and feasibility of methods such as direct observation of procedural skills and multisource feedback in assessment of the performance of radiology residents. CONCLUSION: Workplace-based assessments such as direct observation of procedural skills have a role in the formative assessment ...

Three European Directives published in 2004 and 2006 require Member States to take a series of regulatory actions to ensure appropriate quality and safety of tissues and cells. These directives define responsibilities to inspect and certify centers, to put vigilance systems in place and to publish information on certified centers ...

PURPOSE: Self-directed lifelong learning is integral to medical professionalism, yet how best to encourage its development during clinically intensive training is unknown. The authors develop a model for successful self-directed learning by analyzing qualitative data from a national survey of residents. METHOD: Pediatric and medicine/pediatric residents at 46 training programs ...

Operant conditioning is often used to train a desired behavior in an animal. The contingency between a specific behavior and a reward is required for successful training. Here, we compared the effectiveness of two different mazes for training turning behaviors in response to directional cues in Sprague-Dawley rats. Forty-three rats ...

When a new sensorimotor mapping is learned through practice, learning commonly transfers to unpracticed regions of task space, that is, generalization ensues. Does generalization reflect fixed properties of movement representations in the nervous system and thereby limit what visuomotor mappings can and cannot be learned? Or does what needs to ...

Whether relational or goal-directed interactions are most useful in youth mentoring has been frequently debated, but until recently, little work had been done to understand how such interactions manifest to create viable relationship styles. The authors' findings in the first study they explore in this article support Karcher and Nakkula's ...

The purpose of this study was to determine if a computer-aided instruction learning module improves students' knowledge of the neuroanatomy/physiology and clinical examination of the dorsal column-medial lemniscal (DCML) system. Sixty-one physical therapy students enrolled in a clinical neurology course in entry-level PT educational programs at two universities participated in ...

In fastball sports such as baseball and tennis people are required to produce accurate responses following brief observations of the ball. This limits the time available to prepare the movement. To cope with constrained viewing periods which precede the interception of fast approaching balls, performers are likely to prepare their ...

Unaffiliated workers are directly hired personal assistance workers who are not employed through an agency and are not family members or close friends. This article examines the working conditions of unaffiliated workers in a consumer-directed setting in comparison to agency workers and to other consumer-directed workers. Unaffiliated workers earned higher ...

The Glidescope Video Laryngoscope (Glidescope, Verathon Medical, Bothell, WA, U.S.A.) is a relatively new intubating device. It has been proposed to be useful for securing both routine airways and those where direct laryngoscopy may be difficult. In this prospective observational study, data for 742 intubations using the Glidescope were collected ...

In this paper we present a universal haptic drive (UHD), a device that enables rehabilitation of either arm ("ARM" mode) or wrist ("WRIST" mode) movement in two degrees-of-freedom. The mode of training depends on the selected mechanical configuration, which depends on locking/unlocking of a passive universal joint. Actuation of the ...

BACKGROUND: Students in higher education are expected to make decisions about the depth and breadth of their study, and so self-direct their learning. Students vary in their willingness or readiness to engage in self-directed learning (SDL). AIM: This study examines the factorial validity of a new instrument, the Self-Directed Learning ...

OBJECTIVES: We explored the clinical application of goal-directed therapy in community-based rehabilitation from the perspective of clients with traumatic brain injury (TBI), their significant others, and their treating occupational therapists. METHOD: Twelve people with TBI and their significant others completed an outpatient, goal-directed, 12-week occupational therapy program. Semistructured interviews with ...

In 2000, the Accreditation Council for Medical Education introduced a new initiative that substantively changed the method by which residency programs are evaluated. In this new competency-based approach to residency education, assessment of performance became a main area of interest, and direct observation was offered as a tool to assess ...

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact of advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs) on doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) students' readiness for self-directed learning. METHODS: The Self-Directed Learning Readiness Scale (SDLRS) was administered to students prior to and after completing their APPEs. SDLRS is a validated instrument that determines the relative degree to ...

Background: Students in higher education are expected to make decisions about the depth and breadth of their study, and so self-direct their learning. Students vary in their willingness or readiness to engage in self-directed learning (SDL). Aim: This study examines the factorial validity of a new instrument, the Self-Directed Learning ...

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of intervention programs at the workplace or elsewhere aimed at preventing burnout, a leading cause of work related mental health impairment. METHODS: A systematic search of burnout intervention studies was conducted in the databases Medline, PsycINFO and PSYNDEX from 1995 to 2007. Data was also ...

Self-directed learning is an important outcome of nursing education. Although problem-based learning is believed to facilitate self-directed learning, previous studies have reported conflicting results. This longitudinal survey explored the perceived changes in self-directed learning for 4 years in a baccalaureate nursing education program with an integrated problem-based learning curriculum. Fifty ...

Previous studies have demonstrated anisotropic patterns of hand impedance under static conditions and during movement. Here we show that the pattern of kinematic error observed in studies of dynamics learning is associated with this anisotropic impedance pattern. We also show that the magnitude of kinematic error associated with this anisotropy ...

Aliskiren is the first in a new class of orally effective direct renin inhibitors. Initial results of clinical efficacy studies have demonstrated at least equivalent or superior blood pressure-lowering efficacy when compared with existing drugs, and a favorable side-effect profile either as monotherapy or as a component of combination therapy. ...

Flight experience is one of the factors that influences initial orientation of displaced homing pigeons (Columba livia). Prior studies showed a systematic dependence of initial orientation on previously flown direction. Using GPS data loggers, this study sought to examine the effect of previous directional training of 40 homing pigeons when ...

JACIE was initiated as a small pilot project in Spain in 2000 and launched as a formal Europe-wide inspection program in January 2004. Since 2000, over 150 applications for accreditation have been received by the JACIE Office and more than 130 inspections have been completed in European centers and facilities. ...

INTRODUCTION: To engage effectively and efficiently in self-directed learning and knowledge-seeking practices, it is important that physicians construct well-formulated questions; yet, little is known about the quality of good questions and their relationship to self-directed learning or to change in practice behavior. METHODS: Personal learning projects (PLPs) submitted to the ...

In this paper the development of a self-management program to optimize long-term adherence to antiretroviral therapy for people living with HIV/AIDS is presented. The program is based on intervention mapping: that is, a framework that facilitates the use of theory and empirical evidence in intervention development. In the preparatory phase ...

Solidarity websites, such as The Hunger Site, where people can donate food at no financial cost and minimal effort, have become immensely popular and effective since 1999. These new forms of philanthropy are characterized by wide participation and direct assistance and feedback. The present longitudinal, quasi-experimental study aimed to examine ...

In May 2008, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) released an updated acoustics prerequisite and credit for inclusion in the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Schools 2009 Rating System. Guidance for the update was provided to the USGBC by the four acousticians in the Indoor Environmental Quality Technical ...

A questionnaire study was conducted with truck drivers to help understand driving and compliance behaviour using the theory of planned behaviour (TPB). Path analysis examined the ability of the TPB to explain the direct and indirect factors involved in self-reported driving behaviour and regulation compliance. Law abiding driving behaviour in ...

A series of studies tested whether people underestimate the likelihood that others will comply with their direct requests for help. In the first 3 studies, people underestimated by as much as 50% the likelihood that others would agree to a direct request for help, across a range of requests occurring ...

Speech pathology students enrolled in a lecture-based gross human anatomy program completed two out of nine topics in self-directed mode. Student performance in quizzes was compared for the two modes, and the students completed questionnaires on their perceptions of the self-directed mode of delivery. Students performed as well in the ...

INTRODUCTION: Self-directed learning has been recommended as a promising methodology for lifelong learning in medicine. However, the concept of self-directed learning continues to be elusive, with students and educators finding difficulty in defining it and agreeing on its worth. METHODS: In this paper we review the literature of self-directed learning ...

OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated the effectiveness of implementation intentions on increasing the use of a practice behavior among mental health practitioners who attended a one-day continuing education class. METHODS: Seventy-eight practitioners were randomly assigned to one of two classes on psychiatric advance directives. One class incorporated instruction in implementation intentions ...

The present study compared kinematic strategies for making sudden directional changes during walking between patients with Parkinson's disease (PwPD) and age-matched controls. Ten PwPD and 10 healthy elderly were visually cued to walk straight or to turn either 30 degrees or 60 degrees to the left or right, at the ...

The purpose of this work was to evaluate the efficacy of oncotic colpocytology stained with Harris-Shorr in the identification of the cervicovaginal microflora and infectious agents. Results of microbiologic evaluation carried out in colpocytology exams, bacterioscopy (Gram), and direct exams of 2,017 women aged from 13 to 80 years were ...

Resident physicians are expected to assist their outpatients to understand and complete advance directives, but their efficacy in doing so remains uncertain. After receiving educational training, internal medicine residents identified at-risk patients and solicited them about advance directives. Residents completed pretest and posttest questionnaires that assessed their knowledge, skills, attitude, ...

Mayo Clinic recently presented an outstanding education meeting in Orlando, FL, USA. This meeting is one of several education meetings coordinated by the gastroenterology and hepatology divisions from Mayo Clinic held throughout the year in multiple locations in the USA. The focus of this 3-day meeting was to provide an ...

China is an illustrative--and extreme--case of the difficulties of balancing the pursuit of economic, social, and environmental objectives. In 2003 it adopted a form of Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) for its plans and programs (referred to here as PEIA) with the aim of moving towards greater environmental sustainability. The literature ...