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Background: Team-based learning (TBL) has become a more commonly recognized and implemented pedagogical approach in curricula of numerous disciplines. The desire to place more autonomy on the student and spend less in-class time delivering content has resulted in complete or partial adoption of this style of learning in many educational settings. Aim: Provide faculty with tools that foster a well facilitated and interactive TBL learning environment. Methods: We examined the published literature in the area of facilitation--specifically in TBL environments, and explored learning theories associated with team learning and our own experiences to create these facilitation tips. Results: We created 12 tips for TBL facilitation designed to assist faculty to achieve an effective and engaging TBL learning environment. Conclusions: Applying these twelve tips while facilitating a TBL classroom session will help to ensure maximal participation and optimal learning in a safe yet stimulating environment.

Objective: We sought to compare clinical outcomes, pathological features, treatment patterns, and survival outcomes between radiation-induced squamous cell carcinoma (RISCC) and de novo SCC (DNSCC) of the head and neck, as well as identify prognostic factors in these patients.Study Design: Case-control study.Setting: Tertiary medical center.Subjects and Methods: Retrospective case-control analysis of 34 RISCCs and 136 DNSCCs matched by age at diagnosis, sex, smoking status, and primary tumor site.Results: Median latency of RISCC development was 13 years. Radiation-induced squamous cell carcinomas were more likely to present with node-negative disease than DNSCCs (70.6% vs 42.9%; P = .024). A greater proportion of DNSCCs was treated with curative intent (92.6% vs 79.4%; P = .048) and achieved no residual disease posttreatment (82.2% vs 41.2%; P < .001) compared with RISCCs. Patients with RISCC had poorer overall survival (OS) (median, 1.67 vs 5.03 years; P = .018) and disease-specific survival (DSS) (median, 1.67 vs 8.65 years; P = .001) than those with DNSCC. Among patients who underwent curative treatment with no residual disease after treatment, there were, however, no survival differences between RISCC and DNSCC.Conclusion: In our cohort, RISCCs have a poorer prognosis than DNSCCs. However, those able to undergo curative treatment and have no residual disease after treatment have comparable survival outcomes. Locoregional control of these tumors appears paramount in achieving the best outcomes for patients with RISCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Team-based learning (TBL) has become a more commonly recognized and implemented pedagogical approach in curricula of numerous disciplines. The desire to place more autonomy on the student and spend less in-class time delivering content has resulted in complete or partial adoption of this style of learning in many educational settings. Aim: Provide faculty with tools that foster a well facilitated and interactive TBL learning environment. Methods: We examined the published literature in the area of facilitation – specifically in TBL environments, and explored learning theories associated with team learning and our own experiences to create these facilitation tips. Results: We created 12 tips for TBL facilitation designed to assist faculty to achieve an effective and engaging TBL learning environment. Conclusions: Applying these twelve tips while facilitating a TBL classroom session will help to ensure maximal participation and optimal learning in a safe yet stimulating environment. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a commonly diagnosed cancer in Southeast Asia. Many studies have examined the risk factors for NPC, yet the roles of some risk factors remain inconclusive. The purpose of this study was to examine associations between modifiable lifestyle factors and the risk of NPC in the Singaporean population., Methods: We conducted a case-control study in Singapore with 300 patients and 310 controls who were recruited between 2008 and 2012. Each control was selected and individually matched to each patient based on sex, ethnicity, and age (±5 years). A total of 290 pairs of cases and controls were matched successfully. We examined lifestyle factors such as tobacco smoking, alcohol drinking, various salted and preserved food consumption, and weaning practices., Results: After adjusting for covariates, multivariate analysis showed that those participants who were current smokers and had ever smoked tobacco had a higher risk of NPC than participants who had never smoked, with odds ratios (ORs) of 4.50 (95% confidence interval [CI] 2.58-7.86; P < 0.001) and 2.52 (95% CI 1.54-4.12; P < 0.001), respectively. Those who consumed salted vegetables at least once a week also showed a significantly increased risk of NPC than those who never or rarely consumed salted vegetables, with an OR of 4.18 (95% CI 1.69-10.38; P = 0.002)., Conclusion: Smoking (currently and ever-smoked) and consuming salted vegetables once a week or more were lifestyle risk factors for NPC, and changes of these factors for the better may reduce the risk of NPC.

Nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) is endemic in Southern China, with Guandong province and Hong Kong reporting some of the highest incidences in the world. The journal Science has called it a "Cantonese cancer". We propose that in fact NPC is a cancer that originated in the Bai Yue ("proto Tai Kadai" or "proto Austronesian" or "proto Zhuang") peoples and was transmitted to the Han Chinese in southern China through intermarriage. However, the work by John Ho raised the profile of NPC, and because of the high incidence of NPC in Hong Kong and Guangzhou, NPC became known as a Cantonese cancer. We searched historical articles, articles cited in PubMed, Google, monographs, books and Internet articles relating to genetics of the peoples with high populations of NPC. The migration history of these various peoples was extensively researched, and where possible, their genetic fingerprint identified to corroborate with historical accounts. Genetic and anthropological evidence suggest there are a lot of similarities between the Bai Yue and the aboriginal peoples of Borneo and Northeast India; between Inuit of Greenland, Austronesian Mayalo Polynesians of Southeast Asia and Polynesians of Oceania, suggesting some common ancestry. Genetic studies also suggest the present Cantonese, Minnans and Hakkas are probably an admixture of northern Han and southern Bai Yue. All these populations have a high incidence of NPC. Very early contact between southern Chinese and peoples of East Africa and Arabia can also account for the intermediate incidence of NPC in these regions.

Introduction: The journal impact factor is often used to judge the scientific quality of individual research articles and individual journals. Despite numerous reviews in the literature criticising such use, in some countries the impact factor has become an outcome measure for grant applications, job applications, promotions and bonuses. The aim of this review is to highlight the major issues involved with using the journal impact factor as a measure of research quality., Methods: A literature review of articles on journal impact factors, science citation index, and bibliometric methods was undertaken to identify relevant articles., Results: The journal impact factor is a quantitative measure based on the ratio between yearly citations in a particular journal to total citations in that journal in the previous 2 years. Its use as a criterion for measuring the quality of research is biased. The major sources of bias include database problems from the Institute for Scientific Information and research field effects. The journal impact factor, originally designed for purposes other than the individual evaluation of research quality, is a useful tool provided its interpretation is not extrapolated beyond its limits of validity., Conclusion: Research quality cannot be measured solely using the journal impact factor. The journal impact factor should be used with caution, and should not be the dominant or only factor determining research quality.