Education and training of clinical and translational study investigators and research coordinators: A competency-based approach.

Introduction: Training for the clinical research workforce does not sufficiently prepare workers for today's scientific complexity; deficiencies may be ameliorated with training. The Enhancing Clinical Research Professionals' Training and Qualifications developed competency standards for principal investigators and clinical research coordinators.

Methods: Clinical and Translational Science Awards representatives refined competency statements.

Enhancing Clinical Research Professionals' Training and Qualifications (ECRPTQ): Recommendations for Good Clinical Practice (GCP) training for investigators and study coordinators.

Introduction: The translation of discoveries to drugs, devices, and behavioral interventions requires well-prepared study teams. Execution of clinical trials remains suboptimal due to varied quality in design, execution, analysis, and reporting. A critical impediment is inconsistent, or even absent, competency-based training for clinical trial personnel.

Effects of fluid load on human urine characteristics related to workplace drug testing.

During workplace drug testing, urine is tested for dilution, substitution and adulteration. Donors argue that these findings are due to medical, health or working conditions or diet and genetic differences. There is a paucity of data correlating changes in urine characteristics after a fluid load to various body parameters.

A review of cancer in U.S. Hispanic populations.

There are compelling reasons to conduct studies of cancer in Hispanics, the fastest growing major demographic group in the United States (from 15% to 30% of the U.S. population by 2050).

Pressure ulcers and endothelial dysfunction: is there a link?

Pressure ulcers were first described in the medical literature in the mid-16th century. Today, in the 21st century, pressure ulcers continue to cause pain and suffering to patients and increase the cost of medical care. Researchers and clinicians have used significant time and money to develop prevention and treatment strategies for pressure ulcers.

Health promotion in older adults: the role of lifestyle in the metabolic syndrome.

The metabolic syndrome, also known as dysmetabolic syndrome, Syndrome X, or insulin resistance syndrome, is an amalgam of obesity-related health risks that significantly increases the chance of developing diabetes, coronary artery disease, and stroke. Progress in understanding the metabolic syndrome has confirmed the importance of metabolic imbalances in the development of serious and chronic cardiovascular, neurologic, immunologic, renal, and endocrine diseases. Crucial to planning treatment is the understanding that the metabolic syndrome is largely a disorder caused by behavior, thus its most important therapeutic intervention entails lifestyle change: Significant behavioral change can dramatically modify and even reverse all factors of the metabolic syndrome and its consequences.

Sleep disorders in the elderly.

Problems with sleep, including acute and chronic conditions, increase with age. Expertise in dealing with sleep problems using pragmatic management strategies is an essential component of comprehensive geriatric patient care. This article provides a succinct review of the physiology, diagnosis, and treatment of sleep disorders in the elderly.

Obesity in the elderly: survival of the fit or fat.

Obesity is an important health problem for the growing elderly segment of the population. Age-related changes in body composition should be taken into account when considering morbidity. Today, sarcopenic obesity, which is defined as excess fat with loss of lean body mass, is a highly prevalent problem.