Genetic variation and heritability of agronomic traits in a native perennial forage species from drylands: breeding potential of Festuca pallescens.

Festuca pallescens is a native forage grass species of Patagonia, playing a crucial role in supporting sheep production in arid and semi-arid ecosystems. This study assessed genetic differentiation among populations and estimated the heritability of traits linked to biomass production and phenological development as part of its domestication effort. A common garden trial was established with ten half-sib families from four preselected populations, and phenological and morphological traits were measured over three seasons.

Diagnosis and treatment of urethral stricture in men with neurogenic lower urinary tract dysfunction: A systematic review.

Aim: To summarize available data focused on diagnosis and management of urethral stricture in men with neurogenic lower urinary tract dysfunction by a systematic review of the literature.

Materials And Methods: A systematic review of the literature was carried out through an extensive electronic database search performed in PubMed/MEDLINE and Scopus databases for full texts, and International Continence Society, American Urology Association, and European Association of Urology abstracts for citations related to urethral structure. This review was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis.

Is there a role for sacral neuromodulation in patients with neurogenic lower urinary tract dysfunction?

Purpose: To review current literature regarding sacral neuromodulation (SNM) for neurogenic lower urinary tract dysfunction (NLUTD) focused on indications, barriers and latest technological developments.

Material And Methods: A PubMed database search was performed in April 2020, focusing on SNM and various neuro-urological conditions.

Results: SNM has been increasingly indicated for lower urinary tract dysfunction (LUTD) in neuro-urological patients.

Beyond the United States Medical Licensing Examination Score: Assessing Competence for Entering Residency.

Assessments of physician learners during the transition from undergraduate to graduate medical education generate information that may inform their learning and improvement needs, determine readiness to move along the medical education continuum, and predict success in their residency programs. To achieve a constructive transition for the learner, residency program, and patients, high-quality assessments should provide meaningful information regarding applicant characteristics, academic achievement, and competence that lead to a suitable match between the learner and the residency program's culture and focus.The authors discuss alternative assessment models that may correlate with resident physician clinical performance and patient care outcomes.

The future of continuing medical education: effectiveness of continuing medical education: American College of Chest Physicians Evidence-Based Educational Guidelines.

To ensure that continuing medical education (CME) continues to evolve so that it offers educational activities that are relevant to physicians in keeping with the definition of CME, CME providers must respond to and prepare for emerging expectations. This article puts into context the impact of the current emphasis on lifelong learning in medicine, particularly the requirement for maintenance of certification and licensure, on CME. Further, the effect of changing needs assessments and the impact of the integration of new technology in CME is included.

The role of audience characteristics and external factors in continuing medical education and physician change: effectiveness of continuing medical education: American College of Chest Physicians Evidence-Based Educational Guidelines.

Background: The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Evidence Report identified and assessed audience characteristics (internal factors) and external factors that influence the effectiveness of continuing medical education (CME) in changing physician behavior.

Methods: Thirteen studies examined a series of CME audience characteristics (internal factors), and six studies looked at external factors to reinforce the effects of CME in changing behavior.

Results: With regard to CME audience characteristics, the 13 studies examined age, gender, practice setting, years in practice, specialty, foreign vs US medical graduate, country of practice, personal motivation, nonmonetary rewards and motivations, learning satisfaction, and knowledge enhancement.

Continuing medical education, professional development, and requirements for medical licensure: a white paper of the Conjoint Committee on Continuing Medical Education.

To provide the best care to patients, a physician must commit to lifelong learning, but continuing education and evaluation systems in the United States typically require little more than records of attendance for professional association memberships, hospital staff privileges, or reregistration of a medical license. While 61 of 68 medical and osteopathic licensing boards mandate that physicians participate in certain numbers of hours of continuing medical education (CME), 17 of them require physicians to participate in legislatively mandated topics that may have little to do with the types of patients seen by the applicant physician. Required CME should evolve from counting hours of CME participation to recognizing physician achievement in knowledge, competence, and performance.

The continued evolution of the credit system.

In its ongoing support of continuous physician professional development, the American Medical Association (AMA) for use in the AMA Physician's Recognition Award has adopted 2 new learning platforms: Performance Improvement (PI) and Internet Point of Care (PoC). This article highlights the process that led to their adoption and places these new forms of continuing and physician professional development in the framework of existing continuing medical education (CME). The article calls for new research that revisits existing data on physician learning and prepares to incorporate provider experience with "practice situated" forms of CME.