House officers in general medicine: their perception of educational value of rotation components

Summary: As curriculum planners in general medicine residency training programmes we were concerned about house officers' anecdotal reports that hospital work requirements often overshadow individual learning goals. After each of five rotations, we asked residents to identify the educational 'usefulness' of certain rotation components which can be included in three categories; team members, work-related activities and educational events. Of 165 surveys distributed, 127 (77%) were returned. Data were analysed by residency year and by all years combined. The mean overall perception of learning was 3.9 out of a possible 5 points suggesting that residents do find some learning value. Results suggest that different residency years vary as to the significance of specific educational components. The importance of faculty/resident relationships to residents' perceptions of learning value was highlighted in particular.     

CT对眼球异物的诊断及定位

本文比较了11例眼球异物CT与X线影像，并经手术摘出异物证实，CT眼球异物检出及定位准确性均优于X线，尤其对球壁异物的定位，而且能显示断层眼球壁轮廓，具有直观效果，CT异物影像比异物明显扩大，应警惕CT伪影可能使球壁异物定位发生误差，CT目前尚不能完全取代眼球异物常规X线检查。     

Education in family and community health: the challenge faced by a new medical school

This paper describes the efforts of the Department of Family and Community Health at Sultan Qaboos University in providing opportunities for the development of 'hands-on' problem-solving skills appropriate for Oman. The curriculum of the Department is discussed, highlighting the unusual emphasis of this discipline in both the preclinical and clinical curriculum of the College of Medicine. The importance of continuous assessment and supervision of students is discussed. Course-work in the preclinical curriculum of the Department is kept to a minimum. Field-work forms an important part of preclinical training, where application and problem-based learning are emphasized. During the clinical years the students are exposed to an integrated series of lectures and practicals covering core knowledge in clinical medicine. Practical clinical training, over a total period of 15 weeks, takes place at a variety of sites where common problems in primary health care in Oman are handled by students under supervision.     

The implications of Project 2000 and the formation of links with higher education for the professional and academic needs of nurse teachers in the United Kingdom

A national study was conducted between 1991 and 1994 to explore and describe the changing role of the nurse teacher following the introduction of Project 2000 pre-registration nursing courses. Multiple methods were used to collect data from a wide variety of respondents (nurse teachers, midwife teachers, clinical nurses, health service managers and higher education lecturers). This paper presents the findings relating to the impact of Project 2000 and the move into higher education on the continuing educational needs of nurse teachers. Views on college strategies for staff development, the changing nature of teachers'academic and professional development needs and the problems of the conflicting demands experienced are reported. The research highlights the need for clinical credibility to be clearly defined in relation to nurse teachers and for educational institutions to place more emphasis on teachers'clinical development if the rhetoric of policy is to become a reality.     

Numerical method for weights adjustment in minimax multi‐model LQ‐control

The minimax linear quadratic problem, where ‘max’ is taken over a finite set of indices (models) and ‘min’ is taken over the set of admissible controls, is considered. The solution is obtained by the robust optimal control application. The control turns out to be a linear combination of the controls optimal for each individual model. This paper develops a numerical method for the optimal weights adjustment. An example shows a quick convergence of the proposed procedure. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

筑起抗击"非典"的心理长城

目的 探讨心理疗法对防治SARS的作用,方法 本文综合国内外心理疗法研究成果,提出了应对非典的心理处方：“接纳恐惧,顺其自然;平衡思维,端正认识;积极暗示,增强信心;切已体察,心理常态”;结果 从原理上解释其发生作用的机制,明确心理处方的实际操作,提出具体的步骤和要点,并对日常生活中的不妥做法进行了剖析。结论 采用心理疗法可增强抗击“非典”的信心及提高免疫功能。     

Replication of alcelaphine herpesviruses in various cell culture systems and subsequent purification of virus

Summary Cultures of fetal aoudad sheep kidney (FAK), bovine embryonic lung (BEL), and African green monkey kidney (Vero) cells were compared for differential replication of alcelaphine herpesviruses. Cell-free virus appears more rapidly when infected cells are incubated at 33° C rather than at 37° C. Events in the replication and morphologic development of several alcelaphine herpesvirus isolates have been documented using light and electron microscopy. Techniques for indirect immunofluorescence and serum virus neutralization are described. When virus free of host-cell contaminants is desired for biochemical analysis, virus isolates are initially purified on sucrose gradients and then further purified by density gradient centrifugation in Percoll.     

Comparison of screening methods for detection of extended-spectrum beta-lactamases and their prevalence among Escherichia coli and Klebsiella species in Hong Kong

Three tests, the disk diffusion test, the double-disc synergy test and the inhibitor-potentiated disc diffusion test, were compared for their abilities to detect production of extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBL) in 702 Escherichia coli and 472 Klebsiella spp. strains from four hospitals. Eleven percent E. coli and 13% Klebsiella spp. were found to produce ESBL. As an indicator of ESBL activity, the sensitivities of the five extended-spectrum beta-lactams were as follows: cefotaxime (100%), cefpodoxime (99.3%), ceftriaxone (98.6%), aztreonam (93%) and ceftazidime (57.7%) when interpreted using the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards criteria. Their positive predictive values ranged from 67.8-83.8%. Both the inhibitor-potentiated disc diffusion test and the double-disc synergy test (at three inter-disc widths of 20, 25 and 30 mm) were capable of identifying all the ESBL-producers. However, at a single inter-disc width of 30 mm, the double-disc synergy test has limited sensitivity (83.8%). As a second test for confirming ESBL activity in strains with reduced susceptibility to beta-lactams, the inhibitor-potentiated disc diffusion test is therefore a simple and reliable option.     

A micro cell culture method utilizing modified microscope slides for use in fluorescent antibody and enzyme immunoassays

Summary A technique for culturing small quantities of mammalian cells on modified microscope slides is described. The modified microscope slides were Bellco Glass, Inc., toxoplasmosis slides and the cell cultures used were early passage bovine embryonic lung cells and continuous cell lines of porcine and canine origins. The slide cell cultures were either uninfected or infected with selected viruses or the obligate intracellular protozoanEncephalitozoon caniculi for utilization in direct and indirect fluorescent antibody testing or in peroxidase antiperoxidase immunosorbant assays.     

The dendritic architecture of the medial terminal nucleus of the accessory optic system in the rat,rabbit, and cat

Summary The neurons of the medial terminal nucleus (MTN) of the accessory optic system (AOS) have been studied in the rat, rabbit and cat in Golgi-Cox and Golgi-Kopsch impregnated brain sections. The present anatomical findings permit a division of the MTN of these species into dorsal and ventral components (MTNd, MTNv), in agreement with other investigations. The MTNd contains predominantly linear-bipolar and linear-multipolar shaped neurons with cell bodies that measure in the range of 25–50 m. These neurons have 2 to 4 primary dendrites which, along with their smaller dendritic branches, are oriented in the plane of the long axis of the MTN (i.e. from ventromedial to dorsolateral). These linear-bipolar and linear-multipolar cells represent 70–80% of the neurons of the MTNd as seen in the Golgi impregnated sections. The remaining 20–30% of the MTNd neurons are nearly all multipolar in shape with somata measuring in the range of 15–25 m. An occasional multipolar neuron is larger, has a soma that measures around 30–60 m and has dendrites which extend outward from the cell body to cover large areas of the MTNd. There was considerable extension of the dendrites of MTNd neurons into the MTNv; however, the dendrites of MTNd neurons were not observed extending into the adjacent substantia nigra (SN) or ventral tegmental area (VTA) of Tsai (1925). Conversely, the dendrites of neurons in the neighboring SN and VTA course along the borders of the MTN but only occasionally extend into the MTN. The neuron population of the MTNv consists almost entirely of small-multipolar shaped cells with somata measuring from 15–25 m and dendritic trees resembling those described for multipolar cells of the MTNd. A small number of neurons of the ventral division are medium-multipolar in shape with cell bodies that measure approximately 30–60 m. Typically, these cells have several dendrites which extend ventrally within the MTNv and one or more dendrites that extend either across the MTNv or dorsally into the MTNd. Only a few linear-bipolar and linear-multipolar neurons were observed in the MTNv. The present findings are discussed in relation to anatomical, physiological, and histochemical studies on the MTN.Abbreviations to Figures CP Cerebral Peduncle - DTN Dorsal Terminal Nucleus - LG Lateral Geniculate Nucleus - LP Lateral Posterior Nucleus - MG Medial Geniculate Nucleus - ML Medial Lemniscus - MTNd Medial Terminal Nucleus, dorsal division - MTNv Medial Terminal Nucleus, ventral division - NTO Nucleus of the Optic Tract - PA Anterior Pretectal Nucleus - pn Nucleus Paranigralis - PP Posterior Pretectal Nucleus - Pul Pulvinar - PO Olivary Pretectal Nucleus - RN Red Nucleus - SGS Stratum Griseum Superficiale, Superior Colliculus - SN Substantia Nigra Supported by USPHS research grant EYO3642 from the National Eye Institute