JAMA : the journal of the American Medical Association
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To provide physicians and other transfusion medicine professionals with a current consensus on infectious disease testing for blood transfusions. ⋯ The serum alanine aminotransferase test should be discontinued as a surrogate marker for blood donors likely to transmit posttransfusion non-A, non-B hepatitis infection since specific hepatitis C antibody testing has eliminated more than 85% of these cases. Antibody to hepatitis B core antigen testing should continue as it may prevent some cases of posttransfusion hepatitis B; it may also act as a surrogate marker for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in donors and may prevent a small number of cases of transfusion-transmitted HIV infection. Syphilis testing should continue until adequate data can determine its effect on the rarity of transfusion-transmitted syphilis. Vigilant public health surveillance is critical in responding to emerging infectious disease threats to the blood supply.
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To assess whether the dietary intake of long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids from seafood, assessed both directly and indirectly through a biomarker, is associated with a reduced risk of primary cardiac arrest. ⋯ Dietary intake of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids from seafood is associated with a reduced risk of primary cardiac arrest.
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Our on-site counseling for medical students at UCD School of Medicine has provided easily accessible services by psychologists who understand the rules, values, and traditions of the medical training experience. We also have had the benefit of a close working relationship with the faculty, staff, and administration of the School of Medicine. Counseling can facilitate exploration of personal issues that have been exposed during medical training, and it offers medical students an opportunity to learn new coping skills and enhance their understanding of themselves and their training environment, which in turn contributes to their professional growth. ⋯ We encourage students who are experiencing the stress of their arduous training experience to seek counseling when their usual coping strategies are exhausted. We encourage other medical schools to provide effective, accessible counseling services to their students. These services will assist in the development of a training atmosphere in which students can learn that medical education involves their whole person.
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Medical students spend almost a decade learning how to take good care of their patients. No less time and effort should be spent in learning how to take good care of themselves. When students find themselves needing assistance in sorting out their problems, we are available to help them conceptualize their difficulties and carry out an appropriate treatment regimen in a fully confidential matter.