Mobile technology in radiology resident education.

PURPOSE: The authors hypothesized that ownership of a mobile electronic device would result in more time spent learning radiology. Current trends in radiology residents' studying habits, their use of electronic and printed radiology learning resources, and how much of the funds allotted to them are being used toward printed vs electronic education tools were assessed in this study. METHODS: A survey study was conducted among radiology residents across the United States from June 13 to July 5, 2011. Program directors listed in the Association of Program Directors in Radiology e-mail list server received an e-mail asking for residents to participate in an online survey. The questionnaire consisted of 12 questions and assessed the type of institution, the levels of training of the respondents, and book funds allocated to residents. It also assessed the residents' study habits, access to portable devices, and use of printed and electronic radiology resources. RESULTS: Radiology residents are adopters of new technologies, with 74% owning smart phones and 37% owning tablet devices. Respondents spend nearly an equal amount of time learning radiology from printed textbooks as they do from electronic resources. Eighty-one percent of respondents believe that they would spend more time learning radiology if provided with tablet devices. CONCLUSIONS: There is considerable use of online and electronic resources and mobile devices among the current generation of radiology residents. Benefits, such as more study time, may be obtained by radiology programs that incorporate tablet devices into the education of their residents.

Caregiver status: a potential risk factor for extreme self-neglect.

BACKGROUND: Family caregivers are known to be at risk for physical illness and emotional distress caused by the extreme demands of the caregiving task. OBJECTIVE: The authors present the case of a middle-aged, well-educated woman with advanced endometrial cancer, the symptoms of which she had ignored over an extended period of time because of her family obligations. METHOD: The patient was treated with systemic chemotherapy and was evaluated for depression and subsequent delirium. RESULTS: The patient was informed about her poor prognosis and was transferred to a skilled nursing facility. DISCUSSION: The authors conclude that the caretaking responsibility, along with a low-grade depression, contributed to her delayed presentation and treatment.

The precise location and nature of the nerves to the male human urethra: histological and immunohistochemical studies with three-dimensional reconstruction.

OBJECTIVES: The precise location, origin and nature of nerve fibers innervating the male urethral sphincter have not been clearly established. Classical anatomical studies based on cadaver dissections have provided conflicting results concerning the location of somatic and autonomic nerve fibers. This study was designed to identify nerve fibers innervating the male urethral sphincter and to provide a three-dimensional representation of their tissue relations in the human male fetus. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Histology and immunohistochemistry (Hematein-Eosin-Safran, Luxol Fast Blue, Protein S 100 immunolabeling and smooth fibers actin immunolabeling) were performed in male external urethral sphincter of ten male fetuses (114-342 mm crown-rump length). Three-dimensional reconstruction of the urethral structure and innervation were obtained from serial sections using Surf Driver 3.5.3 software. RESULTS: The three-dimensional reconstruction of the same section levels with different strains allowed to identify the precise structure of the muscular layers and the nature of nervous elements (myelinated and unmyelinated), their distributions and their relations with the urethral wall, the prostate and the seminal vesicles. CONCLUSION: Histological and immunohistochemical three-dimensional reconstruction of the nervous elements of the urethral sphincter gives a very didactical understanding of the three dimensional arrangement of the urethral nerves and their relationships with the urethral layers. It allows a better understanding of the origin, the course and the nature of the nervous elements participating in the urinary continence.