Subtle skills: Using objective structured clinical examinations to assess gastroenterology fellow performance in system based practice milestones.

Background: System based practice (SBP) milestones require trainees to effectively navigate the larger health care system for optimal patient care. In gastroenterology training programs, the assessment of SBP is difficult due to high volume, high acuity inpatient care, as well as inconsistent direct supervision. Nevertheless, structured assessment is required for training programs.

Occupational exposure to silica in construction workers: a literature-based exposure database.

We created an exposure database of respirable crystalline silica levels in the construction industry from the literature. We extracted silica and dust exposure levels in publications reporting silica exposure levels or quantitative evaluations of control effectiveness published in or after 1990. The database contains 6118 records (2858 of respirable crystalline silica) extracted from 115 sources, summarizing 11,845 measurements.

Efficacy of surface sampling methods for different types of beryllium compounds.

The objective of the research work was to evaluate the efficiency of three different sampling methods (Ghost Wipe™, micro-vacuum, and ChemTest®) in the recovery of Be dust by assessing: (1) four Be compounds (beryllium acetate, beryllium chloride, beryllium oxide and beryllium aluminium), (2) three different surfaces (polystyrene, glass and aluminium) and (3) inter-operator variation. The three sampling methods were also tested on site in a laboratory of a dental school for validation purposes. The Ghost Wipe™ method showed recovery ranging from 43.

Beryllium aerosol characteristics in the magnesium and aluminum transformation industry in Quebec: a comparison of four different sampling methodologies.

To examine the influence of the sampling method on beryllium (Be) exposure assessment, a study was conducted in foundries and smelters to contrast the performance of five different dust sampling devices. Six sampling surveys were conducted in four different settings, and both personal and fixed station samples were collected using the following sampling heads: IOM samplers (inhalable dust), 35-mm plastic cassettes (total dust), aluminum SKC cyclones (respirable dust), 8-stage Sierra cascade impactors, and 12-stage MOUDI impactors. In total, beryllium concentrations were determined for 66/68 inhalable dust samples, 62/62 total dust samples, 56/57 respirable dust samples, 54/64 8-stage Sierra samples, and 19/25 12-stage MOUDI samples.

Beryllium decontamination with different solvents on different structures.

The objective of the present work was to estimate the efficiency of moistened wipes in removing beryllium with different solutions including Citranox, Alconox, NaCl 5%, Resolve, and Ledizolv on various types of surfaces such as unpainted metal, wood frames, painted metal, concrete, painted concrete, and Plexiglas from three different occupational settings. Of the three plants that were investigated, only surfaces in the aluminium smelter were decontaminated down to the clearance reference level of 0.2 microg 100 cm(-2), with all the solvents used.

Solvent removal of beryllium from surfaces of equipment made of beryllium copper.

Exposure to beryllium compounds, both by inhalation and skin contact, may result in immune sensitization and chronic beryllium disease. The objective of the present research work was to study the feasibility of removing beryllium compounds from the surfaces of devices made of Be-Cu alloy and to estimate the frequency at which the surfaces had to be rubbed in order to evaluate the likelihood that beryllium can be removed from the surfaces by serial wipe sampling at concentrations exceeding the US Department of Energy (DOE) standard limit of 0.2 microg per 100 cm2.

Personal and static sample measurements of asbestos fibres during two abatement projects.

Exposure assessment was performed during the abatement of amosite containing material (ACM) and chrysotile containing material (CCM). Mean fibre concentrations (MFC) in breathing zone (BZ) were 20.6+/-7.

Investigation of determinants of past and current exposures to formaldehyde in the reconstituted wood panel industry in Quebec.

Objectives: Past and present formaldehyde measurements made in facilities manufacturing reconstituted wood panels in Quebec have been collected in order to assess formaldehyde exposure and its determinants in this industry.

Methods: All 12 plants manufacturing Oriented-strand board (OSB), Medium density fibreboard (MDF) and Particle board (PB) in Quebec were visited by a research team which took area and personal measurements. Past measurements taken by governmental occupational health teams in these plants were also collected.

SSR181507, a dopamine D(2) receptor antagonist and 5-HT(1A) receptor agonist, alleviates disturbances of novelty discrimination in a social context in rats, a putative model of selective attention deficit.

Rationale: Selective attention deficit, characterised by the inability to differentiate relevant from irrelevant information, is considered to underlie many cognitive deficits of schizophrenia, and appears to be only marginally responsive to treatment with current antipsychotics.

Objectives: We compared the activity of the putative atypical antipsychotic SSR181507 (a dopamine D(2) receptor antagonist and 5HT(1A) receptor agonist) with reference compounds, on disturbances of novelty discrimination in a social context in rats, a behavioural paradigm that putatively models selective attention deficit.

Methods: A first (familiar) juvenile rat was presented to an adult rat for a period (P1) of 30 min.

Assessment of exposure to quartz, cristobalite and silicon carbide fibres (whiskers) in a silicon carbide plant.

The main objective of the present paper is to report on the concentration of silicon carbide (SiC) fibres, crystalline silica and respirable dust in a Canadian SiC production plant and to compare the results with earlier investigations. The second objective is to tentatively explain the differences in concentration of the fibrogenic substances between different countries. The assessment of SiC fibres, dusts, respirable quartz and cristobalite was performed according to standard procedures.

Nicotine-associated cues maintain nicotine-seeking behavior in rats several weeks after nicotine withdrawal: reversal by the cannabinoid (CB1) receptor antagonist, rimonabant (SR141716).

Conditioned stimuli are important for nicotine dependence and may trigger craving and relapse after prolonged nicotine abstinence. However, little is known about the pharmacology of this process. Among the systems that have been shown to play a role in drug-seeking behavior is the endocannabinoid transmission.

SSR181507, a putative atypical antipsychotic with dopamine D2 antagonist and 5-HT1A agonist activities: improvement of social interaction deficits induced by phencyclidine in rats.

Social behaviour is frequently impaired in schizophrenic patients, and current antipsychotics appear poorly effective in alleviating this deficit. SSR181507 is a selective dopamine D2 receptor antagonist and 5-HT1A receptor agonist [Neuropsychopharmacology 28 (2003) 2064] with an atypical antipsychotic profile and additional antidepressant/anxiolytic activities [Neuropsychopharmacology 28 (2003) 1889]. Here, we sought to assess the efficacy of SSR181507, and of reference antipsychotics and antidepressant/anxiolytics, to counteract phencyclidine (PCP)-induced social interaction deficit in rats.

Exaggerated bronchoconstriction due to inhalation challenges with occupational agents.

Inhalation challenges with occupational agents are used to confirm the aetiology of occupational asthma. It has been proposed that using closed-circuit equipment rather than the realistic challenge method would improve the methodology of these tests. Changes in forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) were examined in 496 subjects with "positive specific inhalation challenges", i.

SSR181507, a dopamine D2 receptor antagonist and 5-HT1A receptor agonist. II: Behavioral profile predictive of an atypical antipsychotic activity.

SSR181507 ((3-exo)-8-benzoyl-N-(((2S)7-chloro-2,3-dihydro-1,4-benzodioxin-1-yl)methyl)-8-azabicyclo(3.2.1)octane-3-methanamine monohydrochloride) is a novel tropanemethanamine benzodioxane that displays antagonist activity at dopamine D(2) receptors and agonist activity at 5-HT(1A) receptors.

SSR591813, a novel selective and partial alpha4beta2 nicotinic receptor agonist with potential as an aid to smoking cessation.

(5aS,8S,10aR)-5a,6,9,10-Tetrahydro,7H,11H-8,10a-methanopyrido[2',3':5,6]pyrano[2,3-d]azepine (SSR591813) is a novel compound that binds with high affinity to the rat and human alpha4beta2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) subtypes (Ki = 107 and 36 nM, respectively) and displays selectivity for the alpha4beta2 nAChR (Ki, human alpha3beta4 > 1000, alpha3beta2 = 116; alpha1beta1deltagamma > 6000 nM and rat alpha7 > 6000 nM). Electrophysiological experiments indicate that SSR591813 is a partial agonist at the human alpha4beta2 nAChR subtype (EC50 = 1.3 micro M, IA =19% compared with the full agonist 1,1-dimethyl-4-phenyl-piperazinium).

SL651498, a GABAA receptor agonist with subtype-selective efficacy, as a potential treatment for generalized anxiety disorder and muscle spasms.

SL651498 (6-fluoro-9-methyl-2-phenyl-4-(pyrrolidin-1-yl-carbonyl)-2,9-dihydro-1H-pyrido[3,4-b]indol-1-one) was identified as a drug development candidate from a research program designed to discover subtype-selective GABA(A) receptor agonists for the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder and muscle spasms. The drug displays high affinity for rat native GABA(A) receptors containing alpha(1) (K(i) = 6.8 nM) and alpha(2) (K(i) = 12.

SR141716, a central cannabinoid (CB(1)) receptor antagonist, blocks the motivational and dopamine-releasing effects of nicotine in rats.

The central CB(1) cannabinoid receptor has recently been implicated in brain reward function. In the present study we evaluated first the effects of the selective CB(1) receptor antagonist, SR141716, on the motivational effects of nicotine in the rat. Administration of SR141716 (0.

Effects of SR48968, a selective non-peptide NK2 receptor antagonist on emotional processes in rodents.

Rationale: It has been suggested that tachykinin NK(2) receptor antagonists may have therapeutic utility in anxiety and/or depressive disorders.

Objective: The present study investigated the modulatory action of the NK(2) receptor antagonist SR48968 on emotional processes in rodents.

Methods: The tests used include classical models of anxiety (punished lever pressing and punished drinking conflict tests, elevated plus-maze in rats), a model based on defensive behaviors of mice confronted with a natural threat (a rat), and two tests based on exposure of rats or mice to a natural predator (a cat) followed by subsequent exposure to a cat odor cue.

Adjustment of permissible exposure values to unusual work schedules.

Research activities sought development of a method to adjust exposure limits for 694 substances for unusual work schedules. A consensus was established on the basic toxicological principle for adjustment; criteria for adjustment were selected by a panel of scientists coordinated by a committee of international experts and supported by toxicokinetic modeling; and a group of toxicologists attributed primary health effects and related adjustment category to each substance. A consensus among scientists and employers' and workers' representatives was established on the protocol of the application, in the field, of the adjusted exposure limits.

The preclinical pharmacologic profile of tiapride.

Tiapride is a benzamide derivative that has been used successfully in the clinic for a number of years for the treatment of agitation and aggressiveness in elderly patients. Like many substituted benzamides, tiapride specifically blocks dopamine receptors in the brain. It has affinity for dopamine D(2) (IC(50) = 110-320 nM) and D(3) (IC(50) = 180 nM) receptors in vitro but lacks affinity for dopamine D(1) and D(4) receptors and for non-dopaminergic receptors including H(1), alpha(1), alpha(2)-adrenergic and serotonergic receptors.

SL651498: an anxioselective compound with functional selectivity for alpha2- and alpha3-containing gamma-aminobutyric acid(A) (GABA(A)) receptors.

SL651498 [6-fluoro-9-methyl-2-phenyl-4-(pyrrolidin-1-yl-carbonyl)-2,9-dihydro-1H-pyrido[3,4-b]indol-1-one] is a novel pyridoindole derivative that displays high affinity for rat native GABA(A) receptors containing alpha(1) (K(i) = 6.8 nM) and alpha2 (K(i) = 12.3 nM) subunits, and weaker affinity for alpha5-containing GABA(A) receptors (K(i) = 117 nM).

The effects of compounds varying in selectivity as 5-HT(1A) receptor antagonists in three rat models of anxiety.

Compounds varying in selectivity as 5-HT(1A) receptor antagonists have recently been reported to produce benzodiazepine-like antianxiety effects in mice. To assess the cross-species generality of these findings, the present experiments compared the effects of diazepam (0.625-5 mg/kg) with those of several non-selective (MM-77, 0.

Prepulse inhibition of the startle reflex in rats: effects of compounds acting at various sites on the NMDA receptor complex.

Prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the startle reflex in rats is disrupted by N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor non-competitive antagonists (phencyclidine-like compounds). In order to explore more thoroughly the control exerted by NMDA receptors on PPI, we assessed the effects of i.p.