Clinical and investigative medicine. Médecine clinique et experimentale
-
Suppression of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) below the normal range with administration of L-thyroxine has been shown to improve survival in patients treated for thyroid cancer (TC). Although most TC patients require long-term TSH suppression therapy, the effect of this treatment on cardiac rhythm remains unknown. A cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the prevalence of atrial fibrillation (AF) in TC patients on TSH suppressive therapy. ⋯ TSH suppression in thyroid cancer is associated with a high prevalence of AF, particularly in older individuals.
-
Clinician-scientists are particularly well positioned to bring basic science findings to the patient's bedside; the ultimate objective of basic research in the health sciences. Concerns have recently been raised about the decreasing workforce of clinician-scientists in both the United States of America and in Canada; however, little is known about clinician-scientists elsewhere around the globe. ⋯ Morty, director of a leading clinician-scientist training program in Germany, and Katrin Milger, a physician and graduate from that program, draw a picture of clinician-scientist training and career opportunities in Germany, outlining the place of clinician-scientists in the German medical system, the advantages and drawbacks of this training, and government initiatives to promote training and career development of clinician-scientists. The interview is followed by a discussion comparing the German and Canadian clinician-scientist development programs, focusing on barriers to trainee recruitment and career progress, and efforts to eliminate the barriers encountered along this very demanding but also very rewarding career path.
-
The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada undertook a review of its Clinician Investigator Program (CIP), 13 years after launching the program in response to shortages in clinical investigators. The primary study goals were to determine the outcomes, impact, strengths and weaknesses of CIP. ⋯ Since the progam's inception, the number of CIP in Canada has grown. CIP are recognized as important mechanisms for integrating clinical and research training during residency to produce highly qualified clinician investigators.
-
Genetic polymorphisms of the Interleukin-10 (IL-10) promoter have been implicated in several autoimmune diseases, including seronegative spondyloarthropathies. This study investigated whether single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and haplotypes of IL-10 are associated with ankylosing spondylitis (AS), a common subtype of spondyloarthritis (SpA). ⋯ Our results indicate that the gene haplotype of IL-10 can contribute to the susceptibility to AS in a Chinese population.
-
Few systematic studies have focused on determinants of cumulative research funding (CRF), a measure of research productivity among career researchers world-wide. Using researchers funded by the Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR), this exploratory study quantifies the association between CIHR-investigator roles and CRF obtained from the CIHR. ⋯ Demonstrated associations between investigator-level CRF and predictors suggest that CRF should be considered in the context of investigators' multiple roles. The study, without establishing causality, also documents evidence of multi-lateral returns to the enterprise of academic research from salary and trainee awards. The major limitation is that CRF and predictors are derived from a single funding agency. Findings should be viewed as preliminary and should serve to develop hypotheses for future, comprehensive research.