How Often Are We in the Here and Now?

Reflection for the undergraduate on writing in the portfolio: where are we now and where are we going?

Introduction: The portfolio can be seen as a tool for assessmentof a variety of learning activities that differ in content, usage, andassessment. The portfolio not only meets the learner’s educationalneeds but also the political and public reassurance demand thatthe health professional has achieved the required competency ofthe curriculum that allows him or her to practice safely with orwithout...

How did we get here and where are we going?

Hyperhomocysteinemia in health and disease: where we are now, and where do we go from here ?

Homocysteine is a sulfur-containing amino acid, which is synthesized from the precursor methionine through a multi-step process, and then reconverted to methionine or catabolyzed into cysteine. The presence of vitamin B9 (folic acid), vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) and vitamin B12 (cobalamin) is essential in homocysteine metabolism, wherein deficiency of one or more of these nutrients is associated wi...

Noninvasive ventilation for acute lung injury: how often should we try, how often should we fail?

The selection of patients with acute lung injury/acute respiratory distress syndrome (ALI/ARDS) to receive noninvasive ventilation (NIV) is challenging, partly because there are few reliable selection criteria. The study by Rana and colleagues in the previous issue of Critical Care identifies metabolic acidosis and a lower oxygenation index as predictors of NIV failure, although it is unable to...

Now We Are Six

1 Sabin Vaccine Institute and Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, Departments of Pediatrics and Molecular Virology & Microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States of America, 2 National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States of America, 3 James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy, Rice Universit...