The Effect of Social and Cultural Factors on Ageism: Examination of the Dual-Process Motivational Model of Ideology, Politics, and Prejudice.

Objective: This study seeks to examine the applicability of the Dual-Process Model of Ideology, Politics, and Prejudice (DPM) as a theoretical explanatory frame-work to ageism.

Methods: The study is based on a secondary analysis of the European Social Survey (ESS), a quantitative project established in 2001 that includes 34 European countries. The sample was a representative random sample of the adult population of eight participating countries, and included a total of 19,073 participants.

Development and evaluation of methodologies for teaching focused cardiac ultrasound skills to medical students.

Background: Handheld ultrasound is emerging as an important tool for point-of-care cardiac assessment. Although cardiac ultrasound skills are traditionally introduced during postgraduate training, the optimal time and methodology to initiate training in focused cardiac ultrasound (FCU) are unknown. The objective of this study was to develop and evaluate a novel curriculum for training medical students in the use of FCU.

Anomalous right coronary artery: a multimodality hunt for the origin.

Anomalous origin of the right coronary artery from the pulmonary artery (ARCAPA) is a rare congenital anomaly. Although there have been several cases of ARCAPA reported in the literature, we present a case which highlights the challenges of diagnosing this rare condition and the incremental value of using multiple imaging modalities. A healthy 48 year old female presented with angina and exertional shortness of breath.

A post-myectomy heart: 20 years later.

We present the case of a 20-year old male that underwent a surgical ventricular septal myectomy at 8 months of age for symptomatic and drug-refractory obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). Though he has remained asymptomatic since the operation, he now demonstrates findings of cardiac arrhythmia and left ventricular dysfunction. His case is of particular interest as it represents a detailed and lengthy follow-up from early childhood to adulthood.

An unusual case of infective endocarditis: extension of a tricuspid valve vegetation into the left atrium through a patent foramen ovale.

Tricuspid valve endocarditis frequently occurs in the setting of intravenous drug use. A case of tricuspid valve endocarditis in a 37-year-old woman with a history of intravenous cocaine use is described. Transthoracic echocardiography showed extension of the tricuspid valve mass through a patent foramen ovale and into the left atrium.