La réceptivité aux technologies des étudiants en médecine et le rapport entre cette réceptivité et leurs intérêts envers certaines spécialités

Background: Technology readiness (TR) is a construct which characterizes an individual’s propensity to utilize new technology. Despite increased technology use in healthcare, limited data exists on medical student TR and the relation of TR with specialty interest. This study assesses the TR of 2nd year medical students and its association with specialty interest. Methods: Respondents completed a survey assessing their most preferred specialty, specialty interests, and technology readiness using a 5-point Likert scale. Using Chi-square analysis, we examined the relation between demographics, TR, and specialty interest. Results: This study obtained a 45.7% (n = 53/116) response rate demonstrating that 79.2% (n = 42/53) of students were “technology ready.” Male students were more likely to be technology ready (95.2%, n = 20/21, vs 68.8%, n = 22/32, p = 0.02) when compared to female students. Technology ready students were associated with being more interested in “Technology-Focused” specialties compared to students who were not technology ready (88.5%, n = 23/26 vs 70.4%, n = 19/27, p = 0.104). Conclusions: As a cohort, most medical students were technology ready. It is inconclusive if technology ready students are more likely to be interested in technology-focused specialties due to the limited sample size of this study, although with an increased sample size, an improved understanding on technology readiness and its potential impact on student specialty interest may be obtained. Furthermore, knowledge of TR may aid in developing targeted technology-based education programs and in improving remedial approaches for students who are less comfortable with new technology.Contexte : La réceptivité aux technologies (RT) renvoie à la tendance qu’a un individu à utiliser une nouvelle technologie. Malgré l’utilisation accrue des technologies dans le domaine des soins de santé, il existe peu de données sur la RT des étudiants en médecine et sur la relation entre cette réceptivité et leur intérêt envers les diverses spécialités. La présente étude évalue la RT des étudiants en médecine de 2e année et le rapport entre celle-ci et leur intérêt envers certaines spécialités. Méthodes : Les répondants au sondage ont été interrogés sur leur spécialité préférée, sur leurs intérêts envers les diverses spécialités et sur leur réceptivité aux technologies. Leurs réponses ont été évaluées à l’aide d’une échelle de Likert à 5 points. En utilisant l’analyse du Chi carré, nous avons examiné la relation entre la démographie, la RT et les intérêts de spécialité. Résultats : Cette étude a obtenu un taux de réponse de 45,7 % (n = 53/116), montrant que 79,2 % (n = 42/53) des étudiants sont prêts pour l’utilisation des technologies. Cette tendance est davantage présente chez les étudiants de sexe masculin (95,2 %, n = 20/21, comparé à 68,8 %, n = 22/32, p = 0,02 pour les étudiantes). Les étudiants qui sont réceptifs aux technologies ont plus tendance que leurs homologues qui le sont moins à s’intéresser aux spécialités « axées sur la technologie » (88,5 %, n = 23/26, comparé à 70,4 %, n = 19/27, p = 0,104). Conclusions : La plupart des étudiants de la cohorte étudiée étaient réceptifs aux technologies. En raison de la taille limitée de l’échantillon de l’étude, on ne peut pas conclure que les étudiants qui sont réceptifs aux technologies sont plus susceptibles de s’intéresser aux spécialités axées sur la technologie. Des recherches fondées sur un échantillon élargi nous aideraient à mieux comprendre la réceptivité aux technologies et son impact potentiel sur les intérêts des étudiants envers les diverses spécialités. De surcroît, ces connaissances peuvent contribuer à l’élaboration de programmes d’enseignement axés sur la technologie et de mesures d’aide au profit des étudiants qui sont moins à l’aise avec les nouvelles technologies

Insulin resistance and reduced cardiac autonomic function in older adults: the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study

Background: Prior studies have shown insulin resistance is associated with reduced cardiac autonomic function measured at rest, but few studies have determined whether insulin resistance is associated with reduced cardiac autonomic function measured during daily activities. Methods: We examined older adults without diabetes with 48-h ambulatory electrocardiography (n = 759) in an ancillary study of the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study. Insulin resistance, the exposure, was defined by quartiles for three indexes: 1) the homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), 2) the triglyceride and glucose index (TyG), and 3) the triglyceride to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio (TG/HDL-C). Low heart rate variability, the outcome, was defined by <25th percentile for four measures: 1) standard deviation of normal-to-normal R-R intervals (SDNN), a measure of total variability; 2) root mean square of successive differences in normal-to-normal R-R intervals (RMSSD), a measure of vagal activity; 3) low frequency spectral component (LF), a measure of sympathetic and vagal activity; and 4) high frequency spectral component (HF), a measure of vagal activity. Logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals weighted for sampling/non-response, adjusted for age at ancillary visit, sex, and race/study-site. Insulin resistance quartiles 4, 3, and 2 were compared to quartile 1; high indexes refer to quartile 4 versus quartile 1. Results: The average age was 78 years, 66% (n = 497) were women, and 58% (n = 438) were African American. Estimates of association were not robust at all levels of HOMA-IR, TyG, and TG/HDL-C, but suggest that high indexes were associated consistently with indicators of vagal activity. High HOMA-IR, high TyG, and high TG/HDL-C were consistently associated with low RMSSD (OR: 1.68 (1.00, 2.81), OR: 2.03 (1.21, 3.39), and OR: 1.73 (1.01, 2.91), respectively). High HOMA-IR, high TyG, and high TG/HDL-C were consistently associated with low HF (OR: 1.90 (1.14, 3.18), OR: 1.98 (1.21, 3.25), and OR: 1.76 (1.07, 2.90), respectively). Conclusions: In older adults without diabetes, insulin resistance was associated with reduced cardiac autonomic function - specifically and consistently for indicators of vagal activity - measured during daily activities. Primary prevention of insulin resistance may reduce the related risk of cardiac autonomic dysfunction

Cerebrovascular Pathology in Down Syndrome and Alzheimer Disease

People with Down syndrome (DS) are at high risk for developing Alzheimer disease (AD) with age. Typically, by age 40 years, most people with DS have sufficient neuropathology for an AD diagnosis. Interestingly, atherosclerosis and hypertension are atypical in DS with age, suggesting the lack of these vascular risk factors may be associated with reduced cerebrovascular pathology. However, because the extra copy of APP leads to increased beta-amyloid peptide (Aβ) accumulation in DS, we hypothesized that there would be more extensive and widespread cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) with age in DS relative to sporadic AD. To test this hypothesis CAA, atherosclerosis and arteriolosclerosis were used as measures of cerebrovascular pathology and compared in post mortem tissue from individuals with DS (n = 32), sporadic AD (n = 80) and controls (n = 37). CAA was observed with significantly higher frequencies in brains of individuals with DS compared to sporadic AD and controls. Atherosclerosis and arteriolosclerosis were rare in the cases with DS. CAA in DS may be a target for future interventional clinical trials

In search of colloidal hard spheres

We recently reviewed the experimental determination of the volume fraction, $\phi$, of hard-sphere colloids, and concluded that the absolute value of $\phi$ was unlikely to be known to better than $\pm 3$-6%. Here, in a second part to that review, we survey effects due to softness in the interparticle potential, which necessitates the use of an {\em effective} volume fraction. We review current experimental systems, and conclude that the one that most closely approximates hard spheres remains polymethylmethacrylate spheres sterically stabilised by polyhydroxystearic acid `hairs'. For these particles their effective hard sphere diameter is around 1-10% larger than the core diameter, depending on the particle size. We argue that for larger colloids suitable for confocal microscopy, the effect of electrostatic charge cannot be neglected, so that mapping to hard spheres must be treated with caution.Comment: 11 page

Run-to-tumble variability controls the surface residence times of E. coli bacteria

Motile bacteria are known to accumulate at surfaces, eventually leading to changes in bacterial motility and bio-film formation. We use a novel two-colour, three-dimensional Lagrangian tracking technique, to follow simultaneously the body and the flagella of a wild-type ${\it Escherichia~coli}$. We observe long surface residence times and surface escape corresponding mostly to immediately antecedent tumbling. A motility model accounting for a large behavioural variability in run-time duration, reproduces all experimental findings and gives new insights into surface trapping efficiency

On measuring colloidal volume fractions

Hard-sphere colloids are popular as models for testing fundamental theories in condensed matter and statistical physics, from crystal nucleation to the glass transition. A single parameter, the volume fraction (phi), characterizes an ideal, monodisperse hard-sphere suspension. In comparing experiments with theories and simulation, researchers to date have paid little attention to likely uncertainties in experimentally-quoted phi values. We critically review the experimental measurement of phi in hard-sphere colloids, and show that while statistical uncertainties in comparing relative values of phi can be as low as 0.0001, systematic errors of 3-6% are probably unavoidable. The consequences of this are illustrated by way of a case study comparing literature data sets on hard-sphere viscosity and diffusion.Comment: 11 page