Use of Coronary Computed Tomography for Calcium Screening of Atherosclerosis.

Coronary artery calcium (CAC) scoring serves as a highly specific marker of coronary atherosclerosis. Based on the results of multiple large-scale, longitudinal population-based studies, CAC scoring has emerged as a reliable predictor of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) presence and risk assessment in asymptomatic patients across all age, sex and racial groups. Therefore, the measurement of CAC is useful in guiding clinical decision-making for primary prevention (e.

An investigation into the impact of approaches to learning on final-year student nurses' clinical decision-making.

This research aimed to investigate whether a correlation exists between students' approach to learning and clinical decision-making and to determine whether an educational learning intervention would impact on clinical decision-making outcomes. Tait, Entwistle and McCune's Approaches to Study Skills for Students (ASSIST) and Jenkins' Clinical Decision Making Nursing Scale (CDMNS) was administered to a convenience sample of adult nursing students (n = 78) at a university in central London, UK, at the beginning of the final year of their nursing course and, following the learning intervention, again at the end of the year. Pre-intervention, 38% of participants predisposed to the surface approach to learning; post-intervention, less than 8%.

Reflecting on the learning opportunities of presenting at a conference.

Background Research productivity is a major indicator of higher educational institutions' (HEI) academic performance. The increasing focus on research productivity is resulting in an expectation that academics publish their research initiatives, ideas and developments in their scope of work or area of interest. It can influence academic status and compel nursing academics to undertake higher degrees, including PhDs or other doctoral studies.

Synthetic, organic compound vepoloxamer (P-188) potentiates tissue plasminogen activator.

Objective: Poloxamer-188 is a synthetic, organic compound that acts by binding hydrophobic pockets on damaged lipid bilayers in the circulation. P-188 reduces blood viscosity and confers anti-inflammatory and cytoprotective effects. Vepoloxamer (Mast Therapeutics, San Diego, Calif) is a purified version of this compound that has limited side effects.