MicroRNA-145 targeted therapy reduces atherosclerosis.

Background: MicroRNA are essential posttranscriptional modulators of gene expression implicated in various chronic diseases. Because microRNA-145 is highly expressed in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) and regulates VSMC fate and plasticity, we hypothesized that it may be a novel regulator of atherosclerosis and plaque stability.

Methods And Results: Apolipoprotein E knockout mice (ApoE(-/-)) mice were treated with either a microRNA-145 lentivirus under the control of the smooth muscle cell (SMC)-specific promoter SM22α or a SM22α control lentivirus before commencing the Western diet for 12 weeks.

Association of ICU or hospital admission with unintentional discontinuation of medications for chronic diseases.

Context: Patients discharged from acute care hospitals may be at risk for unintentional discontinuation of medications prescribed for chronic diseases. The intensive care unit (ICU) may pose an even greater risk because of the focus on acute events and the presence of multiple transitions in care.

Objective: To evaluate rates of potentially unintentional discontinuation of medications following hospital or ICU admission.

Bilingualism as a contributor to cognitive reserve: evidence from brain atrophy in Alzheimer's disease.

Much of the research on delaying the onset of symptoms of Alzheimer's disease (AD) has focused on pharmacotherapy, but environmental factors have also been acknowledged to play a significant role. Bilingualism may be one factor contributing to 'cognitive reserve' (CR) and therefore to a delay in symptom onset. If bilingualism is protective, then the brains of bilinguals should show greater atrophy in relevant areas, since their enhanced CR enables them to function at a higher level than would be predicted from their level of disease.

Functional MRI-compatible laparoscopic surgery training simulator.

During the past few years, laparoscopy has become the gold standard for some surgical procedures and its applications continue to expand. Because of multiple factors such as loss of tactile perception, two-dimensional visualization of the three-dimensional surgical field, and demanding bimanual hand-eye coordination, special training is required to achieve proficiency with laparoscopy. In this study, as the first step toward evidence-based development of strategies to improve the quality of laparoscopy training from brain activity and behavior relationships, a laparoscopy training simulator was developed for use in functional MRI.

Mechanical versus manual chest compressions for cardiac arrest.

Background: Mechanical chest compression devices have been proposed to improve the effectiveness of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

Objectives: To assess the effectiveness of mechanical chest compressions versus standard manual chest compressions with respect to neurologically intact survival in patients who suffer cardiac arrest.

Search Strategy: We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Studies (CENTRAL) on The Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Science Citation abstracts, Biotechnology and Bioengineering abstracts and Clinicaltrials.

A model of low-level primary blast brain trauma results in cytoskeletal proteolysis and chronic functional impairment in the absence of lung barotrauma.

Shock-wave exposure from improvised explosive devices (IEDs) has been implicated as a possible contributing factor to neurological impairment reported in combat veterans. However, evidence-based substantiation of this implication, particularly for low-level exposure in the absence of external signs of trauma, remain elusive. Accordingly, we constructed an open-ended shock tube producing a short-duration, low-amplitude shockwave.

Validation of electronic urinary incontinence questionnaires.

Objective: To investigate whether there is any significant difference between the electronic and the paper-based version of Urogenital Distress Inventory-6 questionnaire (UDI-6) and the Incontinence Impact Questionnaire-7 questionnaire (IIQ-7).

Materials And Methods: An electronic questionnaire and clinical tool was developed using a combination of open source questionnaire software and custom programming that closely replicated the paper version of the UDI-6 and IIQ-7 questionnaires. Ethics were reviewed and approved by the University Health Network of Toronto.

Treatment gaps in the management of cardiovascular risk factors in patients with type 2 diabetes in Canada.

Objectives: To evaluate vascular protection treatment patterns and attainment of the 2003 Canadian Diabetes Association's recommended targets in ambulatory patients with type 2 diabetes.

Methods: Between 2005 and 2006, 3002 outpatients with type 2 diabetes were enrolled by 229 primary health care settings across Canada. Baseline characteristics, therapeutic regimens and treatment success - defined as the achievement of a blood pressure (BP) of 13080 mmHg or lower, glycosylated hemoglobin (A1C) of 7% or lower, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) lower than 2.

Accuracy of physician self-assessment compared with observed measures of competence: a systematic review.

Context: Core physician activities of lifelong learning, continuing medical education credit, relicensure, specialty recertification, and clinical competence are linked to the abilities of physicians to assess their own learning needs and choose educational activities that meet these needs.

Objective: To determine how accurately physicians self-assess compared with external observations of their competence.

Data Sources: The electronic databases MEDLINE (1966-July 2006), EMBASE (1980-July 2006), CINAHL (1982-July 2006), PsycINFO (1967-July 2006), the Research and Development Resource Base in CME (1978-July 2006), and proprietary search engines were searched using terms related to self-directed learning, self-assessment, and self-reflection.