Alleries

BACKGROUND: Investigations in urban areas have just begun to explore how the indoor dust microbiome may affect the pathogenesis of asthma and allery. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to investigate the early fungal and bacterial microbiome in house dust with allergic sensitization and wheezing later in childhood. METHODS: Individual dust samples from 189 homes of the LISAplus birth cohort study were collected shortly after birth from living room floors and profiled for fungal and bacterial microbiome...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

AIMS: This is a qualitative study of the perceived learning needs of trainees for graded responsibility in histopathological training in the UK. METHODS: A focus group with trainees and interviews with consultants was carried out. Participants were asked 'What do you perceive are the learning needs of histopathology trainees to develop skills for safe and confident independent reporting in surgical histopathology?' Data was analysed using open coding content analysis for items relating to training content and structure...

Work-based assessments (WBAs) were only recently introduced into medicine. However, since their introduction, they have rapidly grown in popularity. WBAs are now a routine part of medical training. As WBAs are being implemented, the practical difficulties with their use have come to light. A major problem is failure of the trainees, trainers and training programmes to adequately engage with them. In this review, the reasons for this and how these can be overcome are discussed.

BACKGROUND: In all medical specialities, trainees are increasingly encouraged to develop teaching skills alongside their clinical professional development. However, there have been few empirical UK-based studies that have examined trainees' attitudes and understanding of their own engagement with educational activities. This study therefore aimed to explore this in the context of general practitioner (GP) training using a qualitative approach. METHODS: Twenty GP registrars from the North Western Deanery were recruited to four focus groups...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

Understanding the impact that human memory B-cells (MBC), primed by previous infections or vaccination, exert on neutralizing antibody responses against drifted influenza hemagglutinin (HA) is key to design best protective vaccines. A major obstacle to these studies is the lack of practical tools to analyze HA-specific MBCs in human PBMCs ex vivo. We report here an efficient method to identify MBCs carrying HA-specific BCR in frozen PBMC samples. By using fluorochrome-tagged recombinant HA baits, and vaccine antigens from mismatched influenza strains to block BCR-independent binding, we developed a protocol suitable for quantitative, functional and molecular analysis of single MBCs specific for HA from up to two different influenza strains in the same tube...

The General Medical Council (GMC) states that teaching should be an integral part of the doctor's role and the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) have incorporated teaching outcomes into the GP training curriculum. However, there are suggestions that the teaching role of a GP trainee declines as they move from hospital posts to the registrar community year. Using doctors in training as near-peer tutors offers multiple advantages. Trainees themselves benefit as teaching others is a strong driver of the tutor's own learning...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

INTRODUCTION: The prevelance of allery and asthma has increased rapidly over the last 3 decades and is now estimated that 25-30% of population in Western industrialized countries show symptoms of allergy or asthma. The aim of this study was to reveal the success of allergen immunotherapy (AIT) in Landspitali from 1977-2006. MATERIAL AND METHODS: During the study period a total number of 289 individuals underwent immunotherapy in outpatient clinic of allergy and asthma in Landspítali...

Healthcare professionals have a key role to play in achieving consensus on the essential stages involved in undertaking practical and procedural skills. Providing opportunities for the trainee to practise is vital, as is regular critical scrutiny of performance, coupled with constructive feedback. Teaching procedural skills is a core role for many healthcare teachers. It is vital that trainers consider approaches to teaching skills, and the requirements for achieving skill mastery to ensure patient safety and ensure the training of competent clinicians for the future...

CONTEXT: Regular screenings are important for reducing cancer morbidity and mortality. There are several barriers to receiving timely cancer screening, including overweight/obesity. No study has examined the relationship between overweight/obesity and cancer screening among American Indian/Alaska Natives (AI/ANs). PURPOSE: To describe the prevalence of fecal occult blood testing (FOBT) and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing among AI/AN men within the past year by age and rurality, and determine if body mass index (BMI) is associated with screening...

Addressing the need to explore how Native American (NA) elders' subjective health (SH) compares to their objective health (OH; chronic disease conditions), we examined whether: congruence between 8191 NA elders' SH and OH parallels that of non-NA elders; health optimism (SH > OH) is protective and health pessimism (SH < OH), is detrimental; and whether gender moderates links between health congruence and health-related outcomes. Results comparing health optimists and pessimists to realists in functioning, hospitalizations, and social engagement showed optimists experienced better outcomes; pessimists had poorer outcomes; the role of health congruence differed by gender...

BACKGROUND: In the United Kingdom the medical teacher role is being formalized. One result is that Masters level programmes in medical education are proliferating; however little or no attempt has been made to capture any differences in quality offered by them. A small scale project (Allery et al. 2006) set out to rectify this omission. AIM: Drawing on data from that study, this paper considers the variation in standards across programmes. Specifically research methods training provided in MMEd courses and levels of support for researchers is investigated...

CONTEXT: The Association for the Study of Medical Education states that its aim is to improve the quality of medical education. As a consequence, it commissioned through its Education Research Group a small-scale project to explore the quality of the research methods elements in currently available UK master's and doctoral programmes. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore the breadth, depth and diversity of the research methods provision of those programmes currently available to course participants...

The increasingly popular trend of body piercing has led to an increase in allergic reactions to nickel. The most common symtom of a nickel allery is symptom of a nickel allery is contact dermatitis. This may manifest in various degrees ranging from minor itching and redness of the skin to the site of contact. Dermatology nurses play a pivotal role in pre and postoperative assessments, thorough skin important, patient education related to sources of nickel and complications resulting from long-term exposures...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

Sperm detection can be an important factor in confirming sexual assault in cases of rape. This paper compares two biochemical methods used in forensic medicine: the first detects the presence of zinc, the second detects acid phosphatase activity. The population studied was composed of 174 consenting women seen at the Male Infertility Center in Toulouse, France. The date of their last sexual intercourse was known accurately. Cytology was the reference test to confirm the presence of sperm in the vaginal samples...

Comparative radiological identification using bone criteria has mainly been based on cranial characteristics, in particular sinus patterns or bone changes after surgery or trauma. However, the thoracic skeleton, of which antemortem images are frequently available, also provides useful information. We report a case in which ante- and postmortem chest X-rays enabled positive identification of the victim of a road traffic accident.