Concern has been raised about the possibility of transmission of infection by gastrointestinal endoscope. This vexation may be related to reliability of the disinfecting techniques or to the compliance with the guidelines laid down for disinfection. There have been very few recent surveys examining the disinfection practices for gastrointestinal endoscopes ...

Marty Mayman will be remembered as a uniquely gifted clinician, diagnostician, supervisor, and teacher. In this article, I link his distinctive capacity for empathic understanding to his reliance on self-representational and object representational concepts as a vehicle for accessing the inner life of his participant. Mayman's special brand of empathy ...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Prior to randomization of patients into the UK Medical Research Council multicentre randomized trial (RT-01) of conformal radiotherapy (CFRT) in prostate cancer, clinicians at participating centres were required to complete a quality assurance (QA) clinical planning exercise to enable an investigation of inter-observer variability in gross target ...

A simulation model for leprosy transmission and control has been developed with specific objectives. Several sensitivity experiments have been carried out by altering the various inputs based on empirical data combined with intelligent guessing. The outputs generated through these exercises were on the expected lines. While incremental exercises would improve ...

The Madingley scenarios were created to suggest potential contrasting futures (around year 2020) that could develop from the same driving forces. Those contrasting futures are named 'Trust their Guidance' and 'Find my Way', respectively. Trust their Guidance depicts a world where institutions have succeeded in adapting to the changing world ...

Financially successful personality profiles in most of the business world have been reported to be the choleric (powerful) and the melancholy (perfect) types. In 1996, Hughes proposed that the same relationship possibly exists in the profession of orthodontics. The purpose of this study was to explore whether a dominant personality ...

The performance of a fume cupboard is determined by a complex interaction of factors which are time consuming and expensive to determine. This paper describes a simple and practical means of ranking, and assessing fume cupboard installations that can help to discharge managerial responsibility for a 'safe' environment. The method ...

Due to rising patient expectations and recent developments in material composition and clinical techniques, the demand for restorations that replicate the natural dentition has increased significantly. It is imperative that clinicians and dental technicians develop the communication skills necessary to ensure predictable and reliable shade reproduction. This article defines tooth ...

We consider the determination of the harvesting strategy maximizing the present expected value of the cumulative yield from the present up to extinction. By relying on a combination of stochastic calculus, ordinary nonlinear programming, and the classical theory of diffusions, we show that if the underlying population evolves according to ...

To address this work, we studied the vertebral canal and the lateral recess at the L1 to L5 level. The importance of this tract of vertebral column lies in the frequent pathologies involving this anatomical region. In fact, the diagnosis of any pathological condition requires the knowledge of the normal ...

OBJECTIVES: This study analysed the errors made by 16 final-year medical students in a classroom prescribing exercise. The aim was to gain greater understanding of the reasons for non-optimal prescribing and of how to improve basic training in pharmacotherapeutics. METHODS: The task was to adjust a patient's phenytoin sodium dosage ...

An international evaluation exercise for uranium enrichment measurement was organized by the ESARDA (European Safeguards Research and Development Association) Working Group on Techniques and Standards for Non-Destructive Analysis. The aim of this exercise was to test the different methods and more particularly X- and gamma-ray spectrometry methods used in the ...

In the summer of 1999 the BDA conducted a Timings Inquiry in order to provide information on treatment timings within the General Dental Services (GDS) and to develop a model of an hourly rate for general practice. A panel of dentists measured the absolute time taken to carry out 21 ...

We conducted survey research with the intent to characterize post-secondary introductory genetics (IG) education in Canada during the 1996-1997 academic year. At least a minimum data set was obtained from 47 institutions through responses to a mailed questionnaire and on-line resources. The total reported enrollment (TRE) for IG was 10,500. ...

This paper describes a collaborative exercise organised under the auspices of the European Network of Forensic Science Institutes (ENFSI). The purpose of this EU (European Union) funded group is to carry out research to enable STR loci to be compared between European laboratories, ultimately leading to the formation of a ...

In February 1995, an outbreak of contagious bovine pleuropneumonia occurred in the Northwest district of Ngamiland, Botswana. The government of Botswana determined to eradicate the disease by depopulating the entire district of cattle. In total, 320,000 cattle were destroyed. Measures were put in place by government to mitigate the effects ...

Land cover is a critical variable in epidemiology and can be characterized remotely. A framework is used to describe both the links between land cover and radiation recorded in a remotely sensed image, and the links between land cover and the disease carried by vectors. The framework is then used ...

With the increasing emphasis on interdisciplinary practice, there is a need to recognize factors that promote effective interdisciplinary teams. The influence of individual learning-style preference on collaborative performance was examined in 78 occupational and physical therapy students in a neuroscience course. They were randomly assigned in pairs to one of ...

Providing suitable and varied environmental enrichment opportunities for nonhuman primates is both challenging and expensive, requiring institutions to be innovative when planning an enrichment program. Equipment must be durable, nontoxic, easily sanitized and disinfected, and readily assembled or prepared by animal care personnel. We developed a portable exercise cage for ...

Many people think of plants as essentially sessile organisms that do not actively respond to their environment. What could be further from the truth! In fact, plants are capable of a variety of movements, including the dramatic nastic responses (such as Venus fly trap closure) and the less sensational tropisms. ...

This article examines the theoretical and practical logics of community engagement exercises in health care rationing. To evaluate such exercises in Canada, it is necessary to compare suspected rationing exercises (such as those in Nova Scotia and Saskatchewan) with clear examples of rationing. The Oregon Medicaid reform process is considered ...

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine the extent and cause of radioactive contamination in our nuclear cardiology laboratory, and to develop possible solutions to minimize future occurrence. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective review to determine the underlying causes of the 15 minor radioactive contamination events that have ...

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this paper is to discuss ethical issues that arise in the care of suicidal patients within a prison context. Such a discussion provides a suitable framework for exploration of the broader question of how coercion may be exercised by psychiatrists in a morally justifiable, as opposed ...

Four major worldwide intercomparison exercises for the determination of trace elements in various environmental matrices were completed by the IAEA Marine Environment Laboratory since 1990: SD-M-2/TM, deep sea marine sediment; IAEA-350, tuna fish homogenate; IAEA-356, contaminated coastal sediment and IAEA-140, sea plant (Fucus sp.). These intercomparison exercises aim at enabling ...

Cyathostomes are common nematode parasites of horses, donkeys and mules in developing countries. These equids usually work on a daily basis and this includes transportation of goods, crops and people. Stress, associated with work, and limited nutrition often result in a loss of condition, and cyathostomid nematodes may, then, cause ...

In an illustrative sequence of exercises, we teach our students how to don, use, and take off sterile gloves correctly and how to wash hands properly. During this sequence, the effect of a good handwashing technique as well as the effect of failures in aseptic technique with gloves is made ...

A variety of codes and standards for humanitarian assistance have been put forth in recent years. Many NGOs have agreed to abide by these codes. There is uncertainty, however, about if and how these codes are actually being put into practice. Have we moved from words to action? One response ...

This review traces the history of radiological protection judgements concerning the relative biological effectiveness (RBE) for neutrons and quality factor. The basis of the different views coming from the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) and the International Commission on Radiation Units and Measurements (ICRU) is explained. A review of ...

BACKGROUND: We developed a problem-based learning exercise with a full-scale human patient simulator to teach residents the emergency management and differential diagnosis of acute intraoperative hypotension. METHODS: We developed the exercise through the following steps: clear definition of learning objectives, preparation of an appropriate case stem, development of clinically realistic ...

Ten exercises are described that demonstrate some classic experiments in human memory and cognition. The studies, prepared in MEL Professional V1.0, have been incorporated in an undergraduate class taught by the author for a number of years. Survey data from students completing the course indicate that the exercises promote understanding ...

A series of surgical simulation exercises has been developed using an animal model to allow trainees to practise basic instrument handling and develop psychomotor skills in bronchoscopy, without risk to patients. A pig model was found to be most suitable. After suitable preparation the model can be used for diagnostic ...

Five tissue factor reagents and three types of automated instruments for prothrombin time (PT) determination were studied in an international multicenter collaborative exercise. The purpose of this work was to determine the international sensitivity index (ISI) for each combination of reagent and instrument against the international reference preparation RBT/90. Each ...

To investigate the hypothesis that commercial kits for CFU-GM (colony forming unit granulocyte-macrophage) assay will reduce the interlaboratory variation noted by many workers, we carried out a quality assurance exercise in 2 parts. There were 8 participants in the first study and each performed CFU-GM assays using their in-house method ...

As rationing decisions become more of an immediate reality for healthcare practitioners it is important to design mechanisms that facilitate carefully deliberated outcomes. No individual can be expected to be able to cover wide debate on their own, so an exercise has been designed that helps generate consensus decisions from ...

Experiences of the Regional Radiation Physics and Protection Service (RRPPS) in performance assessment of diagnostic X-ray QA instrumentation and on-patient dosemeters are recounted. Issues relating to the provision of realistic and reproducible reference conditions for calibrated X-irradiations are considered and summary statistics from test measurements of dose and kVp meters ...

We investigated the cricoid pressure technique of 135 anaesthetic assistants attending the annual conference of the British Association of Operating Department Assistants in May 1997. Their knowledge and training were assessed using a structured interview. Technique was assessed using a simulator measuring applied force during sham cricoid pressure. Our additional ...

This paper describes the results of three collaborative exercises which continues the EDNAP theme to explore whether uniformity of DNA profiling results could be achieved between European laboratories using STRs. In an earlier exercise, complex hypervariable AAAG-repeat STR loci were investigated, but reproducibility was found to be poor because of ...

OBJECTIVE: A concise, detailed, and complete instruction sheet is indispensable for adequate completion by the users of a product. This sheet should be enclosed in the envelope which contains Hemoccult II slides. The authors found that the instructions provided by the French manufacturer were unsatisfactory. They designed a short and ...

When we hand a patient a prescription for medication, we may assume that it will be filled and taken as we've instructed. We too often discover later that fears or unanswered questions kept the patient from ever filling the prescription or that side effects led him or her to discontinue ...

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna and the European Union (EU) in Bruxelles formed the "International Radon Metrology Programme" (IRMP, scientific secretary: F. Steinhäusler, University of Salzburg, Austria). The IRMP is designed to assess and foster the improvement of radon and decay product measurements that are made around ...

BACKGROUND: Medical students often experience difficulty comprehending anatomic relationships of complex operations to which they are exposed during surgical clerkship. Pancreaticoduodenectomy, the Whipple procedure, is one such operation. Although video recordings are available to facilitate the learning of the Whipple procedure, commercially available tapes are not self-explanatory to the uninitiated. ...

The use of biostatistics in experimental physiology is recognised by researchers. However, there has been no concerted attempt to integrate biostatistics into the undergraduate experimental physiology programme. This paper describes one such initiative. The student's response to the exercise was largely positive; it enabled them to describe and interpret data ...

This article presents the first version of the reporting format for economic valuation that was created in 1995 by a multidisciplinary taskforce. The members of this taskforce come from a broad spectrum of backgrounds within the healthcare field and participated in the exercise voluntarily. The format presented should be understood ...

The commercial sector, through a range of products and services, is already heavily involved in the weight loss industry. Because of its capability to access millions of people, it has great potential for promoting public health through dietary and exercise practices. However, an absence of controls or advertising standards, safety ...

The authors place great value on the role of experiential learning in their clinical trainings on Ericksonian approaches to hypnosis. This article describes several of the principal skill-building exercises used in their training programs. These highly practical exercises are intended to facilitate: (a) developing sensory acuity, (b) developing flexibility in ...

We have developed a solid-phase immunoadsorbent based on encapsulated goat anti-apolipoprotein B polyclonal antibodies previously crosslinked with a 0.25% glutaraldehyde solution, and designed to remove by immunoaffinity the excess of apolipoproteins B from the plasma of patients affected by familial hypercholesterolemia. Compared to a classical immunoadsorbent prepared by activation of ...

A 19-year-old nursing student was hospitalized after several days of nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and fevers. Salmonella paratyphi A was isolated from multiple blood cultures. Because this is an unlikely isolate in the United States, an investigation ensued. Two and a half weeks earlier, the student had been working on a ...

BACKGROUND: The impact of instructional method on students with opposing surgical career orientations was investigated in a prospective study. METHODS: Students were randomly assigned to structured or unstructured case-based discussions. Clinical reasoning (OSCE and a diagnosis exercise), subject knowledge (multiple choice test [MCT]), method preference, and pre-third year career preference ...

This report, in an effort to assist in the development of future operational and planning guidelines, presents data from a no-notice exercise involving an aviation brigade in Germany preparing for possible deployment to Bosnia. One hundred twenty-two soldiers (of 918) requested vision screening during predeployment processing. Twenty-four possessed 20/20 vision ...

The integration of the RNST with Med Squadron was the main objective of Exercise Rolling Deep. This objective was achieved most effectively and clearly indicated that should we be required to attend an operational deployment the teams are now much better prepared. The opportunity to experiment with the new surgical ...