Endodontic Board Certification: A Review of Factors Affecting the Certification Rate.

Introduction: Board certification identifies clinicians who possess advanced proficiency and expertise within their field. Only 23% of endodontists are board certified (the lowest among all dental specialties). The aim of this study was to determine the factors that influence endodontists' decisions regarding the completion of board certification.

Impact of dermatologic adverse events on quality of life in 283 cancer patients: a questionnaire study in a dermatology referral clinic.

Background: Anticancer therapies cause a wide range of dermatologic adverse events (AE). Although the frequency and severity of these events have been described, their effects on health-related quality of life (QoL) remain poorly understood, and the ones having a greater impact have not been ascertained.

Objective: To assess QoL in patients on conventional versus targeted anti-cancer therapies using a dermatology-specific questionnaire.

Rash to the mTOR inhibitor everolimus: systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Everolimus is a mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitor approved for treatment of renal cell carcinoma, subependymal giant cell astrocytoma, breast cancer, and progressive neuroendocrine tumors of pancreatic origin. Its use may be hindered because of adverse events, including rash. The reported incidence and risk of a rash to everolimus varies widely and has not been closely investigated.

Arm control recovery enhanced by error augmentation.

Here we present results where nineteen stroke survivors with chronic hemiparesis simultaneously employed the trio of patient, therapist, and machine. Massed practice combined with error augmentation, where haptic (robotic forces) and graphic (visual display) distortions are used to enhance the feedback of error, was compared to massed practice alone. The 6-week randomized crossover design involved approximately 60 minutes of daily treatment three times per week for two weeks, followed by one week of rest, and then repeated using the alternate treatment protocol.

Haptic/graphic rehabilitation: integrating a robot into a virtual environment library and applying it to stroke therapy.

Recent research that tests interactive devices for prolonged therapy practice has revealed new prospects for robotics combined with graphical and other forms of biofeedback. Previous human-robot interactive systems have required different software commands to be implemented for each robot leading to unnecessary developmental overhead time each time a new system becomes available. For example, when a haptic/graphic virtual reality environment has been coded for one specific robot to provide haptic feedback, that specific robot would not be able to be traded for another robot without recoding the program.

An algorithm for the care of type 2 diabetes.

An algorithm for the care of type 2 diabetes as used by the Partners Healthcare System is presented. Included recommendations are consistent with and rely heavily on published and generally accepted standards of care, including a recent published consensus statement and the 2009 American Diabetes Association Clinical Practice Guidelines. Areas of focus include criteria for diagnosis, recommended treatment targets and frequency of care components, management recommendations for the care of hyperglycemia, lipids, and of hypertension.