Can Facebook® be used to administer a distance-learning module of evidence-based medicine? An observational study

Introduction: There is a small volume of published literature describing the use of social networking sites, such as Facebook®, in medical education. However where this literature is available, only poor outcome measures such as learner satisfaction have been measured.Objectives: The primary aim of this study was to create and measure the use of a novel distance-learning module on the practice of evidence based medicine (EBM). This programme was to be delivered using an established and free web-based social-networking site, Facebook®.Methods: A prospective observational study was performed. 31 postgraduate residents enrolled to participate in a module that was delivered by Facebook® over five simultaneous weeks. A standardised tool, the Columbia EBM Instrument, was used to measure outcome measures such as "comfort-level", "self-reported practice", and "knowledge" before and after the module. Results: 12 residents (40%) engaged with the Facebook® activities. The residents' knowledge of EBM did increase, though a quasiexperimental analysis revealed that this increase of knowledge could not be attributed to the Facebook® group.were aged 3 years and younger. Scalds were by far the commonest type of burn occurring in 93% of the patients. Partial thickness burns accounted for 91.7% of cases. The average length of hospital stay was 20.9 days and the mortality rate 16.7%. Total Body Surface Area (TBSA) burned greater than 25% and full thickness burns were associated with mortality.Conclusion: Residents did not engage with the Facebook® groups despite the feasibility of doing so being high. The results of this study should guide educators to use Facebook® with caution as students may not engage with the activities

Experiência inicial com o dispositivo de anastomose intestinal por compressäo AKA-2 e AKA-4 em cirurgia colorretal / Initial experience with the AKA-2 and AKA-4 sutureless anastomotic gun in colorectal surgery

Os autores apresentam resultados iniciais de estudo clínico prospectivo sobre a realizaçäo de anastomose colorretal sem sutura, utilizando-se mecanismo de anastomose por compressäo desenvolvido pelos russos e designado como pistola AKA. Esta técnica foi empregada em dez pacientes submetidos a ressecçäo colorretal, dos quais cinco portadores de câncer do retossigmóide, três portadores de adenomatose familiar dos colos e dois portadores de procidência retal. Näo houve mortalidade, em um paciente houve o aparecimento de fístula próxima à anastomose colorretal, o qual, submetido à colostomia proximal desfuncionalizante, apresentou boa evoluçäo pós-operatória. Os parâmetros clínicos, radiológicos e endoscópicos analisados mostraram-se dentro da normalidade. Säo realizados comentários comparativos sobre as técnicas de anastomoses sem sutura e as convencionais. Consideram seus resultados como encorajadores, propondo-se prosseguir na avaliaçäo do método

Lack of interferon induction in man by two rabies tissue culture vaccines.

Both neutralising antibody and interferon play a part in protection of animals against death from rabies virus infection. Interferon induction was therefore sought in 53 volunteers within 24 hours of receiving human diploid cell strain vaccine or fetal bovine kidney cell vaccine given either intramuscularly or intradermally. Repeat observations were made in 18 subjects following a second dose of vaccine seven days later. No interferon was detected in any sample tested although no subject had any detectable rabies neutralising antibody on day 0. The sensitivity of the interferon assay, and comparison with other studies are discussed. An interferon inducer suitable for human use should be sought as an alternative to, or a replacement for, passive rabies immunization.