Engagement between patients with obesity and osteoarthritis and primary care physicians: a cross-sectional survey.

Purpose Of The Study: Obesity is a major risk factor for development and worsening of osteoarthritis (OA). Managing obesity with effective weight loss strategies can improve patients' OA symptoms, functionality, and quality of life. However, little is known about the clinical journey of patients with both OA and obesity.

Accessibility and Quality of Online Cancer-Related Clinical Trial Information for Naïve Searchers.

Although the Internet may help to increase cancer patients' awareness of clinical trials, little is known about the accessibility and quality of online clinical trial information. We simulated the experience of a naïve cancer patient without clinical trial knowledge by searching three popular search engines for treatment information for breast, lung, and prostate cancer, and myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). Two coders independently evaluated website content for accessibility and quality.

Improving the quality of bone marrow assessment: Impact of operator techniques and use of a specimen preparation checklist.

Background: Successful bone marrow assessment is essential to the diagnosis and staging of hematologic malignancies. The objective of this study was to determine whether specific operator techniques and/or use of a specimen preparation checklist could impact the quality of bone marrow assessment by reducing the frequency of nonspicular aspirates, small cores, and nondiagnostic samples.

Methods: All bone marrow biopsies performed at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute from April, 2012 to September, 2012 were eligible for inclusion.

The Morehouse Faculty Development Program: evolving methods and 10-year outcomes.

Background And Objectives: African American physicians remain underrepresented among all medical school faculty, including faculty in departments of family medicine. This paper reports on a faculty development effort aimed at increasing the number and academic skills of underrepresented minority faculty.

Methods: In 1992, Morehouse School of Medicine began a faculty development program.

Media influences on children and adolescents: violence and sex.

The portrayal of violence, sex, and drugs/alcohol in the media has been known to adversely affect the behavior of children and adolescents. There is a strong association between perceptions of media messages and observed behavior, especially with children. Lately, there has been more of a focus in the public health/medical field on media influences of youth and the role of the pediatrician and/or healthcare worker in addressing this area of growing concern.

An in vitro bovine pericardial hemocompatibility testing system.

Background And Aims Of The Study: Bovine pericardium has been used as a biomaterial for heart valves since the late 1960s. Cross-linking agents have been applied routinely to reduce host-tissue response, including antigenicity, and to improve tissue leaflet durability. Evaluation of improvements in bovine pericardial valve leaflet calcification and flexibility require that in vitro systems be developed to correlate data with results from in vivo studies.