Monday, July 13, 2009

It's Crunch Time at the Anne Ross Library!


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Friday, July 10, 2009

Student Nurse Association Election Results

Dear Students & Faculty,
I would like you to join the SNA Officers and myself in congratulating the newly elected Officers for IUON’s Student Nurse Association (SNA) Fall Semester 2009:
President: Amanda Barnes
Vice President: Rachita Patel
Secretary: Kristen Foster
Treasurer: Chris French
I am certain that with the support of their fellow student nurses, this team will accomplish great things next semester! Congratulations again to Amanda, Rachita, Kristen and Chris. I would like to encourage all nursing students to become a member of the association. Our officers are quite competent, but will certainly still need YOUR help to achieve their goals.
Thank you,
Juliet Battice, RN, B.Soc.Sc, BSN
Clinical Nurse Instructor

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Tuesday, July 07, 2009

PubMed Central Canada

An important new partnership initiative was announced yesterday in Ottawa, Canada. The National Research Council's Canada Institute for Scientific and Technical Information (NRC-CISTI), the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), and the US National Library of Medicine (NLM) will be working together to establish PubMed Central Canada (PMC Canada). This will be a searchable, web-based, national digital repository of peer-reviewed health and life sciences literature providing free and open access to Canadian health research. Click on the title to read the press release.

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posted by Ann Celestine @ 9:29 AM 0 comments links to this post

Friday, July 03, 2009

Atlas of Human Embryology

Mirna Saraga-Babic and Damir Sapunar (University of Split SOM), working with Chronolab out of Switzerland, have made this Altas of Embryology accessible via the internet.
The atlas covers all major events during the embryonic period of human development with a large collection of interactive, color histological slides and whole-embryo pictures. The site includes a time line of embryotic development, hundreds of schematic drawings, etc.

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posted by Ann Celestine @ 11:11 AM 0 comments links to this post

Thursday, July 02, 2009

The APA Style Guide has been Updated



The 6th edition of the APA Publication Manual [APA Style Guide] is coming off the presses as we read. So for a heads-up on what is new, check out this online tutorial from APA.

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posted by Ann Celestine @ 3:05 PM 0 comments links to this post

Are our Med students 'neurophobic'?

An interesting study conducted by Farid Youssef at the University of the West Indies SOM indictes that 'neurophobia' probably exists among their medical students, giving rise to concerns regarding the impact this will have on future patients.
"Neurophobia and it's implications: Evidence from a Caribbean medical school." (July 1, 2009) BMC Medical Education 2009, 9:39.

"Neurology is regarded as a difficult component of the medical curriculum. This has been so marked that the term neurophobia and its effects are being investigated. Given the impact of neurological disorders worldwide, neurophobia has the potential to affect the diagnosis and management of such cases."

The study determined that neurology was the subject students found the most difficult and had the least knowledge of. The difficulty seemed to stem from the need to know basic neuroscience and the complex clinical examination associated with neurology. In conclusion some suggestions are put forward to address this finding:
~ provide students with greater clinical and practical exposure
~ spend more time on the subject
~ improve the teaching skills of lecturers
~ re-visit the approach to neurology and neuroscience education
Click on the title for open access to the article.

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Sunday, June 28, 2009

Sahara Dust & NASA Earth Observatory's Aerosol Optical Depth Monitor


Have you noticed that we can't see Nevis for the last few days? Perhaps it is due to Sahara dust?
"Tiny solid and liquid particles suspended in the atmosphere are called aerosols. Windblown dust, sea salts, volcanic ash, smoke from wildfires, and pollution from factories are all examples of aerosols. Depending upon their size, type, and location, aerosols can either cool the surface, or warm it. They can help clouds to form, or they can inhibit cloud formation. And if inhaled, some aerosols can be harmful to people’s health."

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posted by Ann Celestine @ 11:44 AM 0 comments links to this post

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Steps Forward in the Prevention of Cervical Cancer

Dear Colleagues,
Our second semester medical student Smita Prasad, with her Master’s in Public Health [University of Kentucky, College of Public Health, Lexington, KY] has done it again... Smita is an asset to our University and a joy to work with! This is her second published article on HPV vaccines and their cost effectiveness in the prevention of Cervical Cancer.
Sincerely,
Dr. MJ Cannon

"Management strategies and cost effectiveness in the prevention of cervical cancer." by Smita R Prasad, ClinicoEconomics and Outcomes Research Journal, June 2009.

Coincidentally, Cervical Cancer is in the news here in the Caribbean this week as well. The Trinidad & Tobago Express reports:
"The incidence of cervical cancer in the Caribbean is more than four times that in some developed countries because women are either uneducated about the disease or afraid to be screened, says Minister of Health, Jerry Narace."

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Monday, June 22, 2009

Sun Protection is Important for Your Eyes Too!

A recent survey conducted by the American Optometric Association shows that while many people are now concerned about UV protection for their skin, many still consider sunglasses mere fashion statements!

“Overexposure to UV rays has been linked to a variety of problems, including age-related cataracts and degeneration of the cornea,” said Gregory W. Good, O.D., PhD, optometrist and AOA’s UV Protection Expert. “Other disorders that can occur are abnormal growths on the eye’s surface and even sunburn of the eyes. These conditions can cause blurred vision, irritation, redness, tearing, temporary vision loss and, in some instances, blindness.”

The following top five tips from the AOA can help prevent eye damage from exposure to UV radiation:

~ Wear protective eyewear any time the eyes are exposed to UV rays, even on cloudy days.
~ Look for quality sunglasses or contact lenses that offer good protection. Sunglasses or protective contact lenses should block out 99 to 100 percent of UV-A and UV-B radiation and screen out 75 to 90 percent of visible light.
~ Check to make sure sunglass lenses are perfectly matched in color and free of distortions or imperfections.
~ Purchase gray-colored lenses because they reduce light intensity without altering the color of objects to provide the most natural color vision.

You know how powerful the Kittian sun is and the effects are cumulative!

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posted by Ann Celestine @ 12:12 PM 0 comments links to this post

Are you Worrying about your Debt Load from Med School?

...then read this Wall Street Journal Blog post by Laura Yao

"Physicians coming out of residencies last year reported increases in their starting salaries in many specialties, according to a survey by the Medical Group Management Association... Here are the specialties with the biggest jumps in 2008 from a year earlier based on data from 3,520 physicians:
Neurology: $200,000 to $230,000 –- up 15%
Non-invasive cardiology: $350,000 to $400,000 – up 14.29%
Anesthesiology: $275,000 to $312,500 – up 13.64%
Emergency medicine: $192,000 to $215,040 – up 12%
Internal medicine: $150,000 to $165,000 – up 10% "

Check the Wall Street Journal Health Blog regularly for interesting discussion ~ including the recent White Coat Controversy!

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posted by Ann Celestine @ 10:09 AM 0 comments links to this post

Saturday, June 20, 2009

Become a Doctor, but Don't Loose Yourself

The New York Times Health Section (Jun 18,2009) published an interesting article by Pauline Chen, MD called "Taking Time for the Self on the Path to Becoming a Doctor".

posted by Ann Celestine @ 1:39 PM 0 comments links to this post

Friday, June 19, 2009

A Talking Glossary of Genetic Terms


This new resource from the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) provides an excellent way to learn about Genetics.
It provides audio to aid your pronunciation of the terminology; an A to Z of genetic terms with explanations, illustrations and many animations; as well as an interactive test of your level of knowledge on the subject!

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Thursday, June 18, 2009

Come Check Out the New Library Books

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Thursday, June 04, 2009

The Open Medicine Wiki Project

Staying current, particularily in the rapidly developing area of medical research, has and continues to present a challenge. In response, creative solutions have given rise to syntheses presented in systemic reviews and meta-analyses of the research literature; the development of dynamic, point-of-care, evidence-based clinical summaries databases; technological innovations supporting anytime, anywhere access to the most current knowledge via handheld devices; as well as RSS for automatically bringing today's research news to you.

The Open Medicine Wiki Project, is set to demonstrate the next innovative response to this challenge; one which we all do well to note! This project presents a whole new opportunity for publishing academic research while maintaining currency to boot! Online collaboration software, commonly referred to as 'wiki' software provides the vehicle for this conceivably fundamental change.

With 'open access' more of us could Read more ; with 'open collaboration' more of us can now wRite more; I will leave the Math ['Rithmatic] up to you! Find out more about this exciting project and follow its collaborative outcome going forward ...

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posted by Ann Celestine @ 2:00 PM 0 comments links to this post

UMHS SGA Election Results

Dear Students, Staff and Faculty:
The Student Government Association thanks you for your interest and support during today’s elections. The votes for all offices were VERY close. Please join the current SGA in welcoming our new Student Government:

Executive Board
President: Tom Nouri
Vice-president: Igor Areinamo
Secretary: Hanh Vo
Treasurer: Dev Chanda
4th Semester
President: Madeleine Nguyen
Vice-president: unfilled
3rd Semester
President: Pooya Heiraty
Vice-president: Elliot Backer
2nd Semester
President: Smita Prasad
Vice-president: unfilled
1st Semester
President: TIED (Run off scheduled for later this week)
Vice-president: Stephanie Coleman

Message delivered on behalf of SGA President,
Panisse Padilla.

posted by Ann Celestine @ 9:27 AM 0 comments links to this post