In this work, a novel mock circulatory loop (MCL) is presented that is capable of simulating both healthy cardiac function and Heart Failure with preserved Ejection Fraction (HFpEF). This MCL differs from others presented in the literature as it features two independently actuated heart chambers, representing the left atrium and the left ventricle. This is an important improvement over other designs as it allows for potential HFpEF treatments to be examined, not just in relation to their effect on the left ventricle but also on the left atrium. The aim of this work was to show that novel MCL designs could be developed to allow for testing of new mechanical circulatory support devices for the treatment of HFpEF. Two loop configurations are presented, one featuring hard PVC cylindrical chambers and one that features soft silicone chambers which are anatomically analogous to the native heart. We show that both MCLs are capable of simulating the onset of HFpEF with a sustained increase in diastolic pressure of 62.03% and a sustained decrease in end diastolic volume (EDV) of 14.24%.

The Emergency Department (ED) is a highly stressful and fast-paced environment in which doctors are challenged to efficiently adapt and recall knowledge to make safe patient-care decisions. A literature search was conducted to assess the evidence supporting the benefits of exclusively hiring pre-clerkship and clerkship medical students as medical scribes in the emergency department. Several databases were used to collect a total of (insert#) articles and studies to explore and summarize the benefits of its implementation. These include, but are not limited to, increasing medical student exposure to the specialty of emergency medicine, enhancing their clinical skills, and assisting students to pay-down their medical school-related debt. Furthermore, appointing medical students as scribes is mutually beneficial to the ED by helping to cut down the lengthy wait times for patients and reduce the significantly high rates of emergency physician burnout. We conclude that hiring medical students as scribes in the ED is a potentially beneficial practice that merits further consideration and analysis. 

The Emergency Department (ED) is a highly stressful and fast-paced environment in which doctors are challenged to efficiently adapt and recall knowledge to make safe patient-care decisions. A literature search was conducted to assess the evidence supporting the benefits of exclusively hiring pre-clerkship and clerkship medical students as medical scribes in the emergency department. Several databases were used to collect a total of (insert#) articles and studies to explore and summarize the benefits of its implementation. These include, but are not limited to, increasing medical student exposure to the specialty of emergency medicine, enhancing their clinical skills, and assisting students to pay-down their medical school-related debt. Furthermore, appointing medical students as scribes is mutually beneficial to the ED by helping to cut down the lengthy wait times for patients and reduce the significantly high rates of emergency physician burnout. We conclude that hiring medical students as scribes in the ED is a potentially beneficial practice that merits further consideration and analysis. 

Introduction: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disorder, impacting 55 million people worldwide. With rates on the rise, research is continually being conducted to examine risk factors that are contributing to its growing prevalence. There is growing evidence showing a bidirectional relationship between sleep and AD, where poor sleep contributes to the development of AD, and conversely, AD pathology impairs patients’ sleep quality and quantity. Methods: A narrative review was conducted in a systematic fashion using the databases PubMed, Embase and the Cochrane Library. After performing a literature search, high-quality relevant sources are selected, and data were extracted and analyzed to explore the relationship between AD and lack of sleep. Results: A bi-directional relationship was suggested based off evidence which was gathered from longitudinal studies and cross-sectional studies. As well as experimental studies which was focused on the mechanisms of AD, including tau protein aggregation and beta-amyloid accumulation. Discussion: Results showed that there could be a potential bi-directional relationship when discussing AD and sleep. In AD, metabolic waste known as beta-amyloid creates neurotoxic plaques which form in the spaces between neurons. Studies suggest that Aβ has an important role to play in sleep as increased sleep disturbances are present with Aβ accumulation. Conversely, after losing one night of sleep, there is an increase in beta-amyloid, highlighting the role of sleep in metabolite clearance. Another AD protein associated with sleep is tau. Poor sleep is associated with clumping of tau, forming toxic tangles inside neurons which injure tissues nearby and contributes to cognitive impairment. However, it still difficult to conclude the directionality of sleep and AD due to limitations on the current technologies used to detect amyloid-beta and tau. Conclusion: This narrative review concludes that a bi-directional relationship may be present between sleep abnormalities and AD. Management of poor sleep quality should be further considered as a potential prophylactic intervention against AD.