Evaluation of the Impact of an International Master of Advanced Studies in Medical Physics

The Master of advanced studies in Medical Physics (MMP) has been jointly organized since 2014 by the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) and Trieste University and supported by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), through the work of the Dosimetry and Medical Radiation Physics Section (DMRP), Division of Human Health (NAHU) and the IAEA Technical Cooperation Programme. The MMP, offers one academic year of theoretical classes followed by one year of structured clinical training in hospitals. It aims at addressing the scarcity of formal education and training schemes for medical physics studies, through an internationally harmonized programme that provides graduates with an academic knowledge and practical skills and competencies, to effectively practice medical physics once back to their home countries and Regions. Adequate academic education and structured clinical training of medical physicists play an important role in ensuring the safe and effective use of nuclear technologies in the diagnosis and treatment of patients. To evaluate the impact of the MMP, an online survey was developed and distributed to the graduates of the first two cycles of the programme, in March 2017, considering different aspects contributing to the overall fulfilment of the MMP aims. Criteria comprised: the activity of the graduates before and after the MMP, return rate to their home country and work activities performed after the degree. Specific feedback was also analysed about the MMP programme. The analysis of the 22 received answers (85% of all graduates at the time of the survey) is presented in this article

Thyroid function tests and early outcomes of acute ischemic stroke in older euthyroid patients

none9noBlood thyroid function tests (TFT) are routinely used to screen for thyroid disorders in several clinical settings. TFT on hospital admission may also be useful prognostic predictors of acute IS: according to recent evidence, poststroke outcome is better in patients with lower thyroid function and worse in those with higher thyroid function. However, previous reports are few and mostly compared patients with thyroid disorders to euthyroid patients. Thyroid disorders are known risk factors for cerebrovascular disease. However, hyperthyroidism is related to cardioembolic IS whereas hypothyroidism is related to atherosclerotic risk factors. Therefore, findings from available studies of TFT might just reflect the worse prognosis of cardioembolic IS compared to other IS subtypes. Another limitation of previous studies is the lack of information for older persons, who represent three quarters of all IS patients. In this paper, we investigated whether serum thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), free thyroxine (FT4) and free triiodothyronine (FT3) measured on Stroke Unit (SU) admission are associated with early outcomes of acute IS in 775 euthyroid patients aged ≥ 65. years (mean age 80.1 ± 8.7. years). Two composite outcomes were investigated: poor functional outcome (death during SU stay or disability at SU discharge), and unfavorable discharge setting (death during SU stay, transfer from SU to other acute hospital unit or transfer from SU to long-term care-facilities as opposed to direct discharge home). Analyses were performed using logistic regression models. Curvilinear associations were tested including TFT as polynomial terms. Models were adjusted for demographics, prestroke, and IS-related confounders. We found that lower TSH had a complex curvilinear association with poor functional outcome and that the shape of the associations changed with age. At age 65, the curve was U-shaped: outcome risk decreased with increasing TSH, reached its minimum at TSH near 3.00. mUI/L and then started to rise. Between ages 70 and 75, however, the shape of the curve straightened and, starting from age 80 took an inverted U-shape: outcome risk rose with increasing TSH, reached its maximum at TSH values that progressively shifted upward with increasing age (from 1.70. mU/L at age 80 to about 2.20. mUI/L at age 90), then started to decrease. A linear inverse association was found between FT3 and unfavorable discharge setting. Our study suggests that measurement of TFT on SU admission can provide independent prognostic information for early outcomes of acute IS in older euthyroid patients.mixedForti, Paola; Maioli, Fabiola; Coveri, Maura; Nativio, Valeria; Arnone, Giorgia; Loreti, Alice; Zoli, Marco; Sacquegna, Tommaso; Procaccianti, GaetanoForti, Paola; Maioli, Fabiola; Coveri, Maura; Nativio, Valeria; Arnone, Giorgia; Loreti, Alice; Zoli, Marco; Sacquegna, Tommaso; Procaccianti, Gaetan

Additional file 1: of Reliability, validity and discriminant ability of the instrumental indices provided by a novel planar robotic device for upper limb rehabilitation

Table S1. Correlation between the robotic indices. (DOCX 19 kb