OBJECTIVE To evaluate the pattern, motivation and facilities for choosing journal club topics by residents in two medical institutions in India. METHOD A self-appraisal questionnaire was used to compare motivation for choice of topics, availability of infrastructure, sites and type of articles accessed and formal training in computer based literature search in two medical institutions- a post...

Retinoic acid (RA) is a potent regulator of neuronal cell differentiation. RA normally activates gene expression by binding to nuclear receptors that interact with response elements (RAREs) in regulatory regions of target genes. We show here that in PC12 cell subclones in which the retinoid causes neurite extension, RA induces a rapid and sustained phosphorylation of CREB (cyclic AMP response e...

BACKGROUND Despite a long history of use in the treatment of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF), the efficacy of cardiac glycosides has not been established. If such drugs are beneficial in this condition, the general view is that the benefit must be related to their inotropic actions. METHODS AND RESULTS To assess the effects of the rapid-acting cardiac glycoside, acetylstrophanthidin (AS),...

Workfare programs aim to reduce poverty by providing low-wage work to those who need it. They are often turned to in a crisis when there is no time for a rigorous evaluation. This paper offers som e simple analytic tools for a rapid ex-ante appraisal of an existin g workfare program. For pedagogic purposes, the two programs studied are stylized versions of a range of actual programs found i n p...

OBJECTIVE Chronic systemic inflammation plays a pivotal role in the development of atherosclerosis in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Soluble (s) adhesion molecules were found significantly increased in RA patients with active disease. Since increased levels of some adhesion molecules were closely linked to the development of endothelial dysfunction and atherosclerosis and administration of anti-TNF...

OBJECTIVE Using a large series of unselected consecutive patients, to investigate whether patients with fibromyalgia differ from those with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or osteoarthritis (OA) in the number of reported comorbid conditions and in their perceived importance, and thereby to investigate differences in symptom appraisal and somatization. METHOD In a clinical care setting, 1,298 patien...

Specific clinical practice recommendations for the management of influenza like-illness were developed by a national multidisciplinary panel (Guideline Development Group, GDG), and included in the update of the evidence-based clinical practice guideline: "Management of influenza-like syndrome" issued by the Italian National Guidelines System (SNLG May 2008). The methodological process included:...

The study is aimed at investigating the use of Performance appraisal (PA) in some manufacturing enterprises and private banks in Bangladesh. Some hypotheses were developed on individual and job based determinants of PA usage. Based on the data set on individual employees, these hypotheses were tested in order to explore the impact of PA on pay and career prospects. The result indicates that PA ...

In this article we investigate two-level split-plot designs where the sub-plots consist of only two mirror image trials. Assuming third and higher order interactions negligible, we show that these designs divide the estimated effects into two orthogonal sub-spaces, separating sub-plot main effects and sub-plot by whole-plot interactions from the rest. Further we show how to construct split-plot...