Vaccine effectiveness of tetanus toxoid, reduced diphtheria toxoid, and acellular pertussis vaccine during a pertussis outbreak in Maine.

Background: Multiple school-associated pertussis outbreaks were reported in Maine from 2010 to 2011. These outbreaks were associated with an overall increase in pertussis cases statewide. Waning of protection in students recently vaccinated with tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis (Tdap) has been implicated in the increase in reported rates of pertussis nationally.

AMEE 2010 symposium: medical student education in the twenty-first century - a new Flexnerian era?

As we mark the 100th anniversary of the Flexner report which revolutionized the process of medical education, there is again concern that we face a critical need for change in the process of medical education in order to meet the needs of learners, teachers, and patients. In this symposium, panelists shared perspectives on medical education reform from throughout the world, including The Future of Medical Education in Canada, the role of regulators in contributing to reform, the evolution of accreditation standards, the current state of medical education in Southeast Asia, and the perspectives of a medical student on medical education reform. In the "Audience discussion" section, themes emerged surrounding medical education as a social good, the need for governmental support of medical education, the cost of medical education and the rise of for-profit medical schools, and embracing a broader view of health professional education.

Genome-wide association and meta-analysis of bipolar disorder in individuals of European ancestry.

Bipolar disorder (BP) is a disabling and often life-threatening disorder that affects approximately 1% of the population worldwide. To identify genetic variants that increase the risk of BP, we genotyped on the Illumina HumanHap550 Beadchip 2,076 bipolar cases and 1,676 controls of European ancestry from the National Institute of Mental Health Human Genetics Initiative Repository, and the Prechter Repository and samples collected in London, Toronto, and Dundee. We imputed SNP genotypes and tested for SNP-BP association in each sample and then performed meta-analysis across samples.

Neuroticism: a non-informative marker of vulnerability to psychopathology.

Background: Neuroticism measures are very popular in psychopathological research, but it is unclear how useful neuroticism is in studies of the aetiology of psychopathology.

Method: A conceptual examination was made of the literature on the association of neuroticism and psychopathology, the ontological status of neuroticism, the purport of neuroticism questionnaires, and causal issues.

Results: The research on which neuroticism is built has historically been based solely on the factor analyses of the common adjectives used to describe usual behaviours.