Clinical and investigative medicine. Médecine clinique et experimentale
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Near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is an emerging technology that can measure tissue oxygen saturation levels (StO2) and has many potential clinical applications. NIRS devices have been studied in various disease states in the pediatric as well as adult populations. A review of this technology, with its potential applications and a review of current evidence is presented. ⋯ Widespread availability, ease of use, non-invasive nature and continuous data display makes it an attractive option for bedside clinical monitoring.
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The Canadian Society of Clinician Investigators (CSCI) and Clinical Investigator Trainee Association of Canada/Association des cliniciens-chercheurs en formation du Canada (CITAC/ACCFC) annual general meeting (AGM) was held in Toronto during November 21-24, 2015 for the first time in conjunction with the University of Toronto Clinician-Investigator Program Research Day. The overall theme for this year's meeting was the role of mentorship in career development, with presentations from Dr. Chaim Bell (University of Toronto), Dr. ⋯ Their research topics spanned the diverse fields of science and medicine, ranging from basic science to cutting-edge translational research, and their work has been summarized in this review. Over 120 abstracts were presented at this year's meeting. This work was presented during two poster sessions, with the six most outstanding submitted abstracts presented in the form of oral presentations during the President's Forum.
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Meta Analysis Comparative Study
Comparison of Pressure- and Volume-Controlled Ventilation in Laparoscopic Surgery: A Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trial.
Volume-controlled ventilation (VCV) has been the traditional mechanical ventilation mode in laparoscopic surgery. Pressure-controlled ventilation (PCV) has been used more frequently in recent years, especially for patients with complicated conditions; however, evidence on whether PCV is superior to VCV is still lacking. A meta-analysis was used to compare the effects of PCV and VCV on respiratory and hemodynamic parameters during laparoscopic surgery. ⋯ Our meta-analysis suggests that hemodynamic parameters are similar in patients who underwent laparoscopic surgery with PCV and VCV, but patients who had PCV exhibited mildly better respiratory data.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Quality of Life Following Treatment of Trochanteric Fractures with Proximal Femoral Nail versus Cementless Bipolar Hemiarthroplasty in Elderly.
There is currently no gold standard treatment for unstable intertrochanteric fractures of the elderly. Internal fixation and hemiarthroplasty are two common treatment methods but studies comparing the functional outcomes of these procedures in the elderly are limited. This study evaluates the functional outcomes of hip fracture patients treated either with internal fixation or hemiarthroplasty. ⋯ Internal fixation resulted in better social functioning and mobility scores compared with cementless bipolar hemiarthroplasty at the end of 24 months in treatment of unstable pertrochanteric hip fracture in the elderly.
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The Clinician Investigator Trainee Association of Canada/ Association des cliniciens-chercheurs en formation du Canada (CITAC/ACCFC) recently published the first survey to assess factors contributing to trainee satisfaction. One key finding is that increased level of mentorship strongly correlates with overall satisfaction; however, while 98% of respondents reported mentorship as important to success, more than 60% expressed some dissatisfaction with the mentorship received. To help address this discrepancy, we reviewed mentorship in academic medicine, focusing on clinician-investigator trainees, and distilled a set of recommendations for mentors, mentees and institutions. ⋯ OVID and manual curation based on the search terms 'mentorship' AND 'education, medical and research' identified 198 articles. Two authours independently reviewed both titles and abstracts and narrowed them down to 75 articles, based on relevance to mentorship in academic medicine. Consensus resulted in the selection of 19 articles for detailed review. Principal findings and Conclusion: Mentorship is beneficial at each training stage and is associated with greater research productivity, career retention and promotion. Nevertheless, more rigorous studies are needed, especially regarding cost-effectiveness. Studies have identified the characteristics of good mentors, including the ability to ensure open communication, ability to maintain confidentiality and ability to ensure that there is no mentor-mentee competition. Similarly, the characteristics of good mentees have been identified as the ability to take ownership of a project and the ability to build a network or team of mentors. The literature has also identified the actions that institutions can take to facilitate mentorship, which include mentor training and recognizing mentorship through awards.