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Master's degree by coursework students have been identified as a "forgotten" cohort by the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) Careers and Employment service. Traditionally, these students have been included in undergraduate career development activities. Master's degree students are arguably a specialised group due to the advanced learning implicit in many of their degrees. A brief survey was designed to better understand how to assist QUT master's degree students with career development activities. Students were emailed an invitation to complete a brief online survey, asking for their assistance in planning appropriate career development activities for their cohort. Questions included reasons for undertaking a master's degree and preferred topics and times for career development activities. A total of 615 students completed the survey. This brief report presents the results of the survey and highlights suggestions for career development practitioners and services. (Contains 3 tables.)

A mechanical device that allows doctors to decompress the chest actively during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) rather than passively may be more effective in restoring heart function in patients who are in cardiac arrest. This device was used on 10 patients in cardiac arrest who had received conventional care for at least 10 minutes. Each patient was randomized to receive either CPR with an active compression-decompression (ACD) device or traditional CPR for two minutes; then they were switched to the alternate method. Blood pressure in eight patients increased significantly when they were switched from CPR to ACD-CPR. Doppler echocardiography during ACD-CPR showed that blood flow from the heart increased, compared to CPR. The echocardiogram also showed that the mitral valve, which controls the flow of blood into the left ventricle, opened much more widely during the relaxation phase of ACD-CPR, compared to CPR. ACD-CPR restored a stable rhythm in three of the patients, but none survived., Objective.--To described and compare with standard cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in humans a new form of CPR that involves both active compression and active decompression of the chest. Design.--Patients in cardiac arrest in whom standard cardiac life support failed were randomized to receive 2 minutes of either standard or active compression-decompression (ACD) CPR using a custom, hand-held suction device, followed by 2 minutes of the alternate technique. The ACD device was applied midsternum and used to perform CPR according to the guidelines of the American Heart Association: 80 compressions per minute, compression depth of 3.8 to 5 cm, 50% duty cycle, and constant-volume ventilation. Mechanical Thumper CPR was also compared in five patients. End-tidal carbon dioxide ([ETCO.sub.2]) concentrations and hemodynamic variable were measured. Transesophageal Doppler echocardiography was used to assess contractility, the velocity time integral(an analogue of cardiac output), and diastolic myocardial filling times. Results.--Ten patients were enrolled. The mean [+ or -] SD [ETCO.sub.2] was 4.3 [+ or -] 3.8 mm Hg with standard CPR and 9.0 [+ or -] 3.9 mm Hg with ACD CPR (P

A woman’s vaginal pH has many implications on her health and it can be a useful tool in disease diagnosis and prevention. For that reason, the further examination of the relationship between the human vaginal pH and microbiota is imperative. In the past several decades, much has been learned about the physiological mechanisms modulating the vaginal pH, and exogenous/genetic factors that may influence it. A unified, coherent understanding of these concepts is presented to comprehend their interrelationships and their cumulative effect on a woman’s health. In this review, we explore research on vaginal pH and microbiota throughout a woman’s life, vaginal intermediate cell anaerobic metabolism and net proton secretion by the vaginal epithelial, and the way these factors interact to acidify the vaginal pH. This review provides foundational information about what a microbiota is and its relationship with human physiology and vaginal pH. We then evaluate the influence of physiological mechanisms, demographic factors, and propose ideas for the mechanisms behind their action on the vaginal pH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Driving habits among recipients of ICDs have not been well characterized previously, yet such information may have implications for development of national policy. This study was undertaken to characterize driving behavior after defibrillator implantation in our patient population. From 1988-1993, 82 ICDs were implanted at the University of Florida. All patients received defibrillator teaching preoperatively and postoperatively with particular emphasis placed on driving restrictions. A standardized questionnaire was developed to ascertain driving behavior, compliance with restrictions, and occurrence of motor vehicle accidents following implantation. The patients were divided into two groups according to whether or not they had received a shock from their device since implantation. Group I patients did, and Group 11 patients did not. Fifty-two out of 82 (63%, Group I) patients had at least one shock. The remaining 30 patients had received no shocks. Mean age and gender were no different between the two groups. Mean time since implantation was 6 ± 1.3 years in Group I, compared to 4 ± 1.5 years In Group II (P = 0.001). Forty-seven out of 52 (90%) and 26 out of 30 (87%) in Groups I and II, respectively, resumed driving after defibrillator implantation. There was no difference in the amount of time that passed prior to resumption of driving. Group I patients drove more, 20.5 ± 27 miles/day compared to patients in Group II, 8.3 ±9.7 miles/day (P = 0.02). No patient experienced device discharge during driving; likewise, no patient was involved in a motor vehicle accident secondary to their device firing. Sixty-seven out of 82 (82%) patients complied with the instructions they thought they heard; seven patients in Group I and eight patients in Group II deliberately did not follow our advice. The majority of patients do comply with physician instructions, although the instructions they remember are not always the instructions given. If a national policy is created to prohibit driving after IGD implantation, effective enforcement may be difficult. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) of left-sided accessory pathways can be achieved using catheters introduced by a retrograde or transseptal approach. Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) has previously been demonstrated to be safe and efficacious in guiding transseptal puncture in patients during mitral valvuloplasty (MV). This study was undertaken to assess the feasibility, safety, and clinical utility of TEE during transseptal puncture and RFA of left-sided accessory pathways. Methods: TEE was performed during transseptal puncture in 30 patients (41 ± 12 years, 19 females), 15 patients during attempted RFA of a left-sided accessory pathway and 15 patients during attempted balloon MV. Results: There was no difference in age, sex distribution, or procedural complications when MV patients were compared to RFA patients. At baseline, left atrial dimension was increased and congestive heart failure was more common when MV patients were compared to RFA patients (P < 0.05) Adequate baseline two-dimensional and Doppler TEE images were obtained in all patients. One patient sustained mild esophageal bleeding during the TEE. Positioning of the transseptal catheter in the fossa ovalis was facilitated and confirmed by TEE in 29 of 30 cases. One case of cardiac perforation occurred and was associated with inadequate TEE localization of the fossa ovalis. Thrombus was detected on the transseptal catheter by TEE in two cases prior to systemic heparinization. In both cases, thrombus was removed without embolic event. Conclusions: TEE safely guides transseptal puncture in patients undergoing RFA of left-sided accessory pathways. TEE markers of the fossa ovalis facilitate puncture and may reduce the risk of cardiac perforation particularly in patients with a normal size left atrium. TEE may be especially valuable for identifying thrombus during transseptal puncture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on syncope and sinus arrest associated with the upper limb cardiovascular syndrome. Researchers originally described the syndrome of upper limb abnormalities and congenital heart lesions in a four-generation family with nine affected members. It is now established that the disorder follows autosomal dominant inheritance with variable penetrance. The most frequently encountered upper limb abnormalities are the presence of an abnormal scaphoid bone in the wrist and deformities of the thumb.

A letter to the editor is presented in response to the article "Dietary Fructose Induces Endotoxemia and Hepatic Injury in Calorically Controlled Primates" published in "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition."

Abstract: The ability to directly release 5 aerobic and 5 anaerobic bacterial strains from 3 swab transport systems was evaluated by a time zero roll-plate method. The Copan ESwab (Copan Diagnostics, Murrieta, CA), a new nylon-flocked swab with Amies liquid medium, yielded greater organism release and recovered approximately 10-fold more microorganisms than the Becton Dickinson (Sparks, MD) CultureSwab MaxV and Remel (Lenexa, KS) BactiSwab. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Swab transport systems are used for a variety of specimen types and must maintain organism viability throughout the transport process. The Copan ESwab is a new nylon-flocked swab designed to optimize specimen collection and to minimize entrapment of the specimen. We used the quantitative elution method with recommended strains, as described in CLSI document M40-A, to evaluate the ESwab for maintenance of viability of aerobic and anaerobic microorganisms for 0, 6, 24, and 48 h during room temperature and refrigerated temperature storage. The Becton Dickinson CultureSwab MaxV swab and the Remel BactiSwab were used as comparators. The ESwab met CLSI acceptance criteria for all aerobic isolates stored at both temperatures and for all anaerobic isolates stored at refrigerated temperature. The ESwab also met CLSI criteria for four of five anaerobic strains at room temperature. Prevotella melaninogenica was not recovered after 24 or 48 h of room temperature storage with any of the three swab transport systems tested. Overall, the ESwab was equivalent to the Becton Dickinson CultureSwab MaxV swab in organism recovery but recovered more isolates than Remel BactiSwab.