Purpose -As the interest in evidence-based librarianship increases, so does the need for a standardized practice methodology. One of the most essential components of EBL, critical appraisal, has not been fully established within the library literature. The purpose of this paper is to outline and describe a thorough critical appraisal tool and process that can be applied to library and information research in an evidence based setting. Design/methodology/approach -To create a critical appraisal tool for EBL, it was essential to look at other models. Exhaustive searches were carried out in several databases. Numerous articles were retrieved which provided "evidence" or "best practice" based on a critical appraisal. The initial tool, when created, was distributed to several librarians who provided comments to the author regarding its exhaustiveness, ease of use and applicability and was subsequently revised to reflect their suggestions and comments. Findings -The critical appraisal tool provides a thorough, generic list of questions that one would ask when attempting to determine the validity, applicability and appropriateness of a study. Originality/value -More rigorous research and publishing will be encouraged as more librarians and information professionals adopt the practice of EBL and utilize this critical appraisal model

Aerobic exercise may be a catalyst to promote neuroplasticity and recovery following stroke; however, the optimal methods to measure neuroplasticity and the effects of training parameters have not been fully elucidated. We conducted a systematic review and synthesis of clinical trials and studies in animal models to determine (1) the extent to which aerobic exercise influences poststroke markers of neuroplasticity, (2) the optimal parameters of exercise required to induce beneficial effects, and (3) consistent outcomes in animal models that could help inform the design of future trials. Synthesized findings show that forced exercise at moderate to high intensity increases brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I), nerve growth factor (NGF), and synaptogenesis in multiple brain regions. Dendritic branching was most responsive to moderate rather than intense training. Disparity between clinical stroke and stroke models (timing of initiation of exercise, age, gender) and clinically viable methods to measure neuroplasticity are some of the areas that should be addressed in future research.

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Book reviews Pathology of Rheumatic Diseases. By H. G. FASSBENDER, translated by G. LOEWI. 1975. Pp. 353, 444 figs. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg, New York. (DM. 104) 'His book', writes Joseph Lee Hollander in the foreword to H. G. Fassbender's Pathology of Rheumatic Diseases, 'will be a much used addition to my library on arthritis.' Many rheumatologists and pathologists will share this view, and be glad to possess these handsomely produced results of 25 years' experience and careful study. Most of the space is occupied by 444 black and white illustrations, many of the photomicrographs being very fine (such as those showing palisading surrounding necrotic vessels) or unusual (such as the appearance of synovial histology after several hundred intra-articular injections). Despite its comprehensive title, the book is nevertheless rather selective, limiting itself to accounts of rheumatic fever, rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis, gout, chondrocalcinosis, osteoarthrosis, and nonarticular rheumatism (with very short sections on the components of connective tissue, pathological reactions, and experimental arthritis). It is therefore in no way a general reference work and does not deal, for example, with the various forms of infective arthritis, Reiter's disease, disc degeneration, and spondylosis, or the inflammatory disorders of connective tissue such as lupus erythematosus. Moreover, Professor Fassbender, probably very wisely, confines himself to his morphological studies. His tool is the light microscope, and to a lesser extent the electron microscope. Although he does not hesitate to theorize about the relation of pathological findings to immunological events, no attempt is made to explore current concepts of immunopathology in any depth. Again, while accepting the usually-held view that the articular surface in rheumatoid arthritis is eroded by enzymatic activity originating from synovial tissue cells, copyright.