Continuing education: The 1998 survey of the Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons

The document attached has been archived with permission from the Australian Dental Association. An external link to the publisher’s copy is included.Background: Continuing education (CE) is an essential professional activity. In the last decade, CE has been actively pursued by the medical profession in Australia and abroad. However, the uptake of CE in dentistry has been much slower and there is minimal Australian data on dental CE. Methods: To determine the level of CE activity, in 1998, postal questionnaires were sent to all fellows of the Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons. The responses were analysed. Results: There was a high reponse rate (90 per cent) but a moderate usable rate (54 per cent). The results show a biphasic distribution between high and low CE activity. The average amount of activity of those involved in CE was 116 hours per year, above the usually accepted minimum of 100 hours/year. Some groups, particularly members of the specialist divisions of oral and maxillofacial surgeons (215 hours) and periodontists (205 hours), have high levels of CE. However, approximately 25 per cent of college fellows reported little or no CE activity. The survey revealed that inactive fellows are more likely to be older and in general practice. Inactive fellows were also tardy in replying to the questionnaire. Conclusion: The high activity CE group needs to be recognised and encouraged to continue. Specific plans to help the low CE activity group should be developed. Although these findings relate directly to the Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons, they are presented as they have implications for the dental profession at large.P Sambrook, D Thomson, R Bastiaan and A Gos

Role of the Basal Ganglia in Balance Control

In this review paper, we summarize the important contributions of the basal ganglia to the regulation of postural control. After a brief overview of basal ganglia circuitries, the emphasis is on clinical observations in patients with focal lesions in parts of the basal ganglia, as the impairments seen here can serve to highlight the normal functions of the basal ganglia nuclei in postural control. Two particularly relevant functions are discussed in detail: first, the contribution of the basal ganglia to flexibility and to gaining control of balancecorrecting responses, including the ability to lend priority to the elements of a postural task; and second, processing afferent information by the basal ganglia, which is increasingly recognized as being highly relevant for postural control

Too hot to handle: heat stroke in multiple system atrophy

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Recent advances in the assessment and treatment of falls in Parkinson's disease

Falls are among the most incapacitating features of Parkinson's disease. Prevention of falls requires a systematic assessment of all contributing factors (with emphasis on freezing of gait and frontal executive dysfunction), and a multidisciplinary treatment approach tailored to the specific pathophysiology of falls for each individual patient

The AutoDrive Challenge: Autonomous Vehicles Education and Training Issues

Automotive companies are focusing significant research and development efforts on autonomous vehicles. As they do so, they recognize the need for a large, well-trained workforce that is equipped to conduct these research and development projects, particularly in light of the projected shortages of STEM professionals in the United States. Some of these companies have found various ways to engage with professional societies and with universities to encourage the development of this workforce, and to promote themselves to STEM students while they are still in school. One such effort is the SAE / GM AutoDrive ChallengeTM, a new collegiate competition organized by SAE International in collaboration with General Motors Corporation. In this competition, eight teams are working to modify a Chevrolet Bolt to meet the requirements of a Level 4 autonomous vehicle (i.e., a vehicle that is totally capable of driving itself within a certain operational domain). Teams were selected for this competition through a proposal process, with one of the requested components of the proposal focusing on existing courses and the development of new courses at the participating university. In this paper, we will discuss the roles of students and faculty advisors at one of the participating schools, address issues related to education and training of students who want to work in the autonomous vehicle industry, and discuss the benefits of the competition to all of its stakeholders. This discussion will include the skills developed by students, the outcomes of the competition, and the value that is being created for the automotive industry. As part of this discussion, we will focus on the close ties that can be forged between the participating universities and the corporate sponsors of the AutoDrive Challenge, as well as the impact on course development at the universit

The clinical heterogeneity of drug-induced myoclonus: an illustrated review

Contains fulltext : 177995.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)A wide variety of drugs can cause myoclonus. To illustrate this, we first discuss two personally observed cases, one presenting with generalized, but facial-predominant, myoclonus that was induced by amantadine; and the other presenting with propriospinal myoclonus triggered by an antibiotic. We then review the literature on drugs that may cause myoclonus, extracting the corresponding clinical phenotype and suggested underlying pathophysiology. The most frequently reported classes of drugs causing myoclonus include opiates, antidepressants, antipsychotics, and antibiotics. The distribution of myoclonus ranges from focal to generalized, even amongst patients using the same drug, which suggests various neuro-anatomical generators. Possible underlying pathophysiological alterations involve serotonin, dopamine, GABA, and glutamate-related processes at various levels of the neuraxis. The high number of cases of drug-induced myoclonus, together with their reported heterogeneous clinical characteristics, underscores the importance of considering drugs as a possible cause of myoclonus, regardless of its clinical characteristics

Home away from Home: Research Report

The Home away from Home ERASMUS+ project has been developed within a context of increasing levels of migration in Europe. Some of this migration is occurring into areas with a long experience of migration, whereas in other areas it is a new phenomenon. Though this tends to mean that there are different perspectives on the issue in different contexts, generally speaking migration is the subject of debate and political and social concern across the European Union. Nevertheless, there is considerably lack of knowledge and awareness about the topic. As the Special Eurobarometer report showed in 2018 (Survey 469 related to the integration of immigrants)1 , most European citizens are not aware of the actual facts and figures on migration, with only 37% being well informed about immigration and integration. At the same time, according to this report, negative perceptions of the impact immigrants have on society are more likely amongst those who do not feel well informed about immigration and integration issues and also amongst those who have little interaction with immigrants (p.82). This is the context, in which the Home away from Home project was designed with the aim of supporting the integration of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants. Though the construct of integration is a contested one, for Home away from Home it relates to the successful co-existence of two or more cultures within one society, which requires change and re-education for all in order to address negative attitudes towards increasing diversity, rather than responsibility for integration residing completely in the migrant communities, which suggests a more assimilationist process. This necessity to consider carefully and critically the language and discourse that surrounds issues of migration is a thread, which has run throughout the project and will be seen in this report on the research undertaken as part of the project. However, the diversity of background experiences, histories, and languages brought together by this project has proven to be a rich source of learning and reflection, enhanced by the opportunities grasped to see the world through different sets of eyes

Shoulder-touch test to reveal incongruencies in persons with functional motor disorders

Clinical experience suggests that many patients with functional motor disorders (FMD), despite reporting severe balance problems, typically do not fall frequently. This discrepancy may hint towards a functional component. Here, we explored the role of the Shoulder-Touch test, which features a light touch on the patient's shoulders to reveal a possible functional etiology of postural instability