BACKGROUND The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of instructor feedback and video tutorials on skill acquisition during proficiency-based laparoscopic suturing training. METHODS Performance data from a prospectively maintained database were reviewed for three groups of novices (n = 34 medical students) who completed the same proficiency-based laparoscopic suturing curriculum o...

An EEG coherence study was performed with a twofold objective: first, to scrutinize the theoretical concept of "cortical efficiency" in connection with second language (L2) acquisition and, second, to detect cooperations between cortical areas in specific frequency bands indicative for highly proficient L2 processing. Two groups differing only in their level of L2 proficiency were contrasted du...

BACKGROUND Skin prick/puncture testing (SPT) is widely accepted as a safe, dependable, convenient, and cost-effective procedure to detect allergen-specific IgE sensitivity. It is, however, prone to influence by a variety of factors that may significantly alter test outcomes, affect the accuracy of diagnosis, and the effectiveness of subsequent immunotherapy regimens. Proficiency in SPT administ...

OBJECTIVES Patients with limited English proficiency confront multiple barriers to health care access in the United States. Appropriate language services for families with limited English proficiency are essential; however, little is known about pediatricians' use of language services. The objective of this study was to examine pediatricians' provision of language services to patients with limi...

First language (L1) attrition in adulthood offers new insight on neuroplasticity and the role of language experience in shaping neurocognitive responses to language. Attriters are multilinguals for whom advancing L2 proficiency comes at the cost of the L1, as they experience a shift in exposure and dominance (e.g., due to immigration). To date, the neurocognitive mechanisms underlying L1 attrit...

Numerous studies have shown that the native language influences foreign word recognition and that this influence is modulated by the proficiency in the non-native language. Here we explored how the degree of reliance on cross-language similarity (as measured by the cognate facilitation effect) together with other domain-general cognitive factors contribute to reading comprehension achievement i...

An international interlaboratory proficiency testing program for the measurement of antifungal drugs was initiated in 2007. This first round was limited to azole antifungals: fluconazole, itraconazole and hydroxyitraconazole, voriconazole, and posaconazole. The results demonstrate the need for and utility of an ongoing proficiency testing program to further improve the analytical methods for ro...