Effectiveness of an Online Preceptor Development Program Across Health Professions.

Introduction: An online Preceptor Development Program (PDP) was developed to meet the needs of geographically dispersed preceptors across health professions. We aimed to measure the audience, their engagement, and effectiveness of an online PDP developed and implemented amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: The mixed methods study included survey and attendance data for live and asynchronous formats.

Technology Use to Deliver Faculty Development: A CERA Study.

Introduction: Technology provides a platform to help address individualized training needs for community preceptors who are separated from the campus and pressured to achieve clinical productivity goals. This study explores technology use and support for delivering faculty development to community preceptors.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was part of the 2017 Council of Academic Family Medicine's (CAFM) Educational Research Alliance (CERA) annual survey of family medicine clerkship directors in the United States and Canada.

Faculty Development for Medical School Community-Based Faculty: A Council of Academic Family Medicine Educational Research Alliance Study Exploring Institutional Requirements and Challenges.

Purpose: Community-based faculty play a large role in training medical students nationwide and require faculty development. The authors hypothesized that positive relationships exist between clerkships paying preceptors and requiring faculty development, and between protected clerkship directors' time and delivering face-to-face preceptor training, as well as with the number or length of community-based preceptor visits. Through under standing the quantity, delivery methods, barriers, and institutional support for faculty development provided to community-based preceptors teaching in family medicine clerkships, best practices can be developed.

Bilateral heel pain in a patient with Diamond-Blackfan anaemia.

A rare case of bilateral calcaneal stress fractures in a patient with Diamond-Blackfan anaemia is described. This has not been previously reported in the literature. A calcaneal stress fracture is an important differential diagnosis in a patient presenting with heel pain.

Epidural collection following a late infected total knee replacement--a case report.

Prosthetic joint infection is a well-described complication following primary joint replacement. The association between an epidural abscess and joint replacement surgery following the use of epidural anaesthetics has been previously documented. There is however, no report in the literature of an epidural abscess forming as a result of haematogenous spread from an infected prosthetic joint.

Medicine, law, ethics: teaching versus learning.

Purpose: Doctors' anxieties about the legal environment begin during medical school. The signals faculty members send to medical students contribute to this anxiety. A pilot study was conducted to examine signals sent by faculty members to students regarding the relationship of legal risk management and ethical patient care at one medical school.

A fluorescence lifetime spectroscopy study of matrix metalloproteinases-2 and -9 in human atherosclerotic plaque.

Matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and -9 play important roles in the progression of atherosclerosis. This study aims to determine whether MMP-2 and -9 content in the fibrotic caps of atherosclerotic plaque is correlated with plaque autofluorescence. A time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy (TR-LIFS) system was used to measure the autofluorescence and assess the biochemical composition of human plaques obtained from carotid endarterectomy.

Teacher-student relationships in medical education: boundary considerations.

Background: Despite recent attention to the area of student mistreatment, there has been less emphasis on the problem of excessive or inappropriate intimacy between teachers and students. Although a certain amount of closeness to faculty is important to the professional socialization of students, excessive or inappropriate closeness can be coercive because of the power differential between teacher and student. This can cause discomfort, discrimination, or psychological and academic harm to students, who often feel too intimidated to express concern.

Obstructive jaundice due to autoimmune cholangiopathy.

A 59-year-old man presented with upper abdominal pain, cholestasis and radiological evidence of common hepatic duct hilar stricture which was suggestive of cholangiocarcinoma. The patient initially underwent percutaneous drainage and a laparotomy. No evidence of malignancy was identified.

Detection of rupture-prone atherosclerotic plaques by time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy.

Objective: Plaque with dense inflammatory cells, including macrophages, thin fibrous cap and superficial necrotic/lipid core is thought to be prone-to-rupture. We report a time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy (TR-LIFS) technique for detection of such markers of plaque vulnerability in human plaques.

Methods: The autofluorescence of carotid plaques (65 endarterectomy patients) induced by a pulsed laser (337 nm, 0.

Guidelines for screening of extracranial carotid artery disease: a statement for healthcare professionals from the multidisciplinary practice guidelines committee of the American Society of Neuroimaging; cosponsored by the Society of Vascular and Interventional Neurology.

The aim of this new statement is to provide comprehensive and timely evidence-based recommendations on the screening for asymptomatic carotid artery stenosis in the general population and selected subsets of patients. Recommendations are included for high-risk persons in the general population; patients undergoing open heart surgery including coronary artery bypass surgery; patients with peripheral vascular diseases, abdominal aortic aneurysms, and renal artery stenosis; patients after radiotherapy for head and neck malignancies; patients following carotid endarterectomy, or carotid artery stent placement; patients with retinal ischemic syndromes; patients with syncope, dizziness, vertigo or tinnitus; and patients with a family history of vascular diseases and hyperhomocysteinemia. The recommendations are based on prevalence of disease, anticipated benefit, and concurrent guidelines from other professional organizations in selected populations.

Laguerre-based method for analysis of time-resolved fluorescence data: application to in-vivo characterization and diagnosis of atherosclerotic lesions.

We report the application of the Laguerre deconvolution technique (LDT) to the analysis of in-vivo time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy (TR-LIFS) data and the diagnosis of atherosclerotic plaques. TR-LIFS measurements were obtained in vivo from normal and atherosclerotic aortas (eight rabbits, 73 areas), and subsequently analyzed using LDT. Spectral and time-resolved features were used to develop four classification algorithms: linear discriminant analysis (LDA), stepwise LDA (SLDA), principal component analysis (PCA), and artificial neural network (ANN).

Innominate artery occlusive disease: sonographic findings.

Objective: The objective of this study was to report the sonographic abnormalities in a group of patients with angiographically proven innominate artery stenosis and occlusion.

Materials And Methods: A review of all cerebrovascular sonograms at our institutions was undertaken to identify patients with complete or partial flow reversal in the right vertebral artery and reversal or midsystolic deceleration of flow in any one of the three major segments of the right carotid system (common, internal, or external carotid artery). The distribution and appearance of these abnormalities was evaluated, and the presence or absence of tardus-parvus waveforms was noted in any segment of the right carotid artery.

In vivo detection of macrophages in a rabbit atherosclerotic model by time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy.

Accumulation of numerous macrophages in the fibrous cap is a key identifying feature of plaque inflammation and vulnerability. This study investigates the use of time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy (TR-LIFS) as a potential tool for detection of macrophage foam cells in the intima of atherosclerotic plaques. Experiments were conducted in vivo on 14 New Zealand rabbits (6 control, 8 hypercholesterolemic) following aortotomy to expose the intimal luminal surface of the aorta.

Ultrasonographic confirmation of carotid artery atheromas diagnosed via panoramic radiography.

Background: Studies have shown that panoramic radiographs can capture images of calcified atheromas in the internal carotid artery (ICA) in some neurologically asymptomatic patients receiving routine dental care. However, the prevalence of these hemodynamically significant lesions--that is, those causing greater than 50 percent vessel lumen occlusion with the consequent heightened risk of stroke--has been evaluated rarely. The purpose of this study was to use Doppler ultrasonography (DUS) to determine the prevalence of large occlusive lesions detected initially via panoramic radiography.

Cost analysis of carotid endarterectomy: is age a factor?

Carotid endarterectomy (CEA) has been demonstrated to be safe and effective in elderly patients. Our aim was to analyze and compare outcome and cost of CEA in both elderly and younger patient groups. A total of 125 consecutive patients who underwent CEA were examined retrospectively and grouped according to age (<80 years old, n = 95; and >or=80 years old, n = 30).

Open versus endovascular repair of abdominal aortic aneurysms: what does each really cost?

Endovascular repair (EVAR) of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) has emerged as an alternative to open repair (OR). The aim of this study was to compare the clinical outcomes and specific costs of these procedures since commercialization.A retrospective analysis of 119 consecutive infrarenal AAA repaired via an EVAR or an OR between July 2000 and September 2001 was performed.

Carotid artery stenosis: grayscale and Doppler ultrasound diagnosis--Society of Radiologists in Ultrasound consensus conference.

The Society of Radiologists in Ultrasound convened a multidisciplinary panel of experts in the field of vascular ultrasonography (US) to come to a consensus regarding Doppler US for assistance in the diagnosis of carotid artery stenosis. The panel's consensus statement is believed to represent a reasonable position on the basis of analysis of available literature and panelists' experience. Key elements of the statement include the following: First, all internal carotid artery (ICA) examinations should be performed with grayscale, color Doppler, and spectral Doppler US.

Carotid artery stenosis: gray-scale and Doppler US diagnosis--Society of Radiologists in Ultrasound Consensus Conference.

The Society of Radiologists in Ultrasound convened a multidisciplinary panel of experts in the field of vascular ultrasonography (US) to come to a consensus regarding Doppler US for assistance in the diagnosis of carotid artery stenosis. The panel's consensus statement is believed to represent a reasonable position on the basis of analysis of available literature and panelists' experience. Key elements of the statement include the following: (a) All internal carotid artery (ICA) examinations should be performed with gray-scale, color Doppler, and spectral Doppler US.