Influence of national culture on the adoption of integrated medical curricula

Integrated curricula have been implemented in medical schools all over the world. However, among countries different relative numbers of schools with integrated curricula are found. This study aims to explore the possible correlation between the percentage of medical schools with integrated curricula in a country and that country’s cultural characteristics. Curricula were defined as not integrated if in the first 2 years of the program at least two out of the three monodisciplinary courses Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry were identified. Culture was defined using Hofstede’s dimensions Power distance, Uncertainty avoidance, Masculinity/Femininity, and Individualism/Collectivism. Consequently, this study had to be restricted to the 63 countries included in Hofstede’s studies which harbored 1,195 medical schools. From each country we randomly sampled a maximum of 15 schools yielding 484 schools to be investigated. In total 91% (446) of the curricula were found. Correlation of percent integrated curricula and each dimension of culture was determined by calculating Spearman’s Rho. A high score on the Power distance index and a high score on the Uncertainty avoidance index correlated with a low percent integrated curricula; a high score on the Individualism index correlated with a high percent integrated curricula. The percentage integrated curricula in a country did not correlate with its score on the Masculinity index. National culture is associated with the propensity of medical schools to adopt integrated medical curricula. Consequently, medical schools considering introduction of integrated and problem-based medical curricula should take into account dimensions of national culture which may hinder the innovation process

Clinical effects of the three CFTR potentiator treatments curcumin, genistein and ivacaftor in patients with the CFTR-S1251N gating mutation

Contains fulltext : 229853.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Closed access)BACKGROUND: The natural food supplements curcumin and genistein, and the drug ivacaftor were found effective as CFTR potentiators in the organoids of individuals carrying a S1251N gating mutation, possibly in a synergistic fashion. Based on these in vitro findings, we evaluated the clinical efficacy of a treatment with curcumin, genistein and ivacaftor, in different combinations. METHODS: In three multi-center trials people with CF carrying the S1251N mutation were treated for 8 weeks with curcumin+genistein, ivacaftor and ivacaftor+genistein. We evaluated change in lung function, sweat chloride concentration, CFQ-r, BMI and fecal elastase to determine the clinical effect. We evaluated the pharmacokinetic properties of the compounds by evaluating the concentration in plasma collected after treatment and the effect of the same plasma on the intestinal organoids. RESULTS: A clear clinical effect of treatment with ivacaftor was observed, evidenced by a significant improvement in clinical parameters. In contrast we observed no clear clinical effect of curcumin and/or genistein, except for a small but significant reduction in sweat chloride and airway resistance. Plasma concentrations of the food supplements were low, as was the response of the organoids to this plasma. CONCLUSIONS: We observed a clear clinical effect of treatment with ivacaftor, which is in line with the high responsiveness of the intestinal organoids to this drug. No clear clinical effect was observed of the treatment with curcumin and/or genistein, the low plasma concentration of these compounds emphasizes that pharmacokinetic properties of a compound have to be considered when in vitro experiments are performed

Rectal Organoids Enable Personalized Treatment of Cystic Fibrosis

In vitro drug tests using patient-derived stem cell cultures offer opportunities to individually select efficacious treatments. Here, we provide a study that demonstrates that in vitro drug responses in rectal organoids from individual patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) correlate with changes in two in vivo therapeutic endpoints. We measured individual in vitro efficaciousness using a functional assay in rectum-derived organoids based on forskolininduced swelling and studied the correlation with in vivo effects. The in vitro organoid responses correlated with both change in pulmonary response and change in sweat chloride concentration. Receiver operating characteristic curves indicated good-toexcellent accuracy of the organoid-based test for defining clinical responses. This study indicates that an in vitro assay using stem cell cultures can prospectively select efficacious treatments for patients and suggests that biobanked stem cell resources can be used to tailor individual treatments in a cost-effective and patient-friendly manner

Preclinical students' experiences in early clerkships after skills training partly offered in primary health care centers: a qualitative study from Indonesia

BACKGROUND: Students may encounter difficulties when they have to apply clinical skills trained in their pre-clinical studies in clerkships. Early clinical exposure in the pre-clinical phase has been recommended to reduce these transition problems. The aim of this study is to explore differences in students' experiences during the first clerkships between students exclusively trained in a skills laboratory and peers for whom part of their skills training was substituted by early clinical experiences (ECE). METHODS: Thirty pre-clinical students trained clinical skills exclusively in a skills laboratory; 30 peers received part of their skills training in PHC centers. Within half a year after commencing their clerkships all 60 students shared their experiences in focus group discussions (FGDs). Verbatim transcripts of FGDs were analyzed using Atlas-Ti software. RESULTS: Clerkship students who had participated in ECE in PHC centers felt better prepared to perform their clinical skills during the first clerkships than peers who had only practiced in a skills laboratory. ECE in PHC centers impacted positively in particular on students’ confidence, clinical reasoning, and interpersonal communication. CONCLUSION: In the Indonesian setting ECE in PHC centers reduce difficulties commonly encountered by medical students in the first clerkships

Preclinical students’ experiences in early clerkships after skills training partly offered in primary health care centers: a qualitative study from Indonesia

Abstract Background Students may encounter difficulties when they have to apply clinical skills trained in their pre-clinical studies in clerkships. Early clinical exposure in the pre-clinical phase has been recommended to reduce these transition problems. The aim of this study is to explore differences in students' experiences during the first clerkships between students exclusively trained in a skills laboratory and peers for whom part of their skills training was substituted by early clinical experiences (ECE). Methods Thirty pre-clinical students trained clinical skills exclusively in a skills laboratory; 30 peers received part of their skills training in PHC centers. Within half a year after commencing their clerkships all 60 students shared their experiences in focus group discussions (FGDs). Verbatim transcripts of FGDs were analyzed using Atlas-Ti software. Results Clerkship students who had participated in ECE in PHC centers felt better prepared to perform their clinical skills during the first clerkships than peers who had only practiced in a skills laboratory. ECE in PHC centers impacted positively in particular on students’ confidence, clinical reasoning, and interpersonal communication. Conclusion In the Indonesian setting ECE in PHC centers reduce difficulties commonly encountered by medical students in the first clerkships.</p

Natuurlijk Maastricht: Compacte stad in een weids landschap

Het boek 'Natuurlijk Maastricht, Compacte stad in een weids landschap' is geschreven door ruim 25 auteurs en stond onder redactie van Gerard Majoor, Olaf Op den Kamp, Tineke de Jong, Maurice Martens en Roy Erkens. In deze uitgave komen diverse aspecten van de natuur in de gemeente Maastricht aan bod, van de Sint-Pietersberg met de ENCI-groeve en de grindgaten bij de Pietersplas in het zuiden tot het Rivierpark Maasvallei en de landgoederenzone in het noorden. Het boek begint met algemene inleidingen op de geologie, historisch natuuronderzoek in Maastricht, de historie van het landschap en de natuur in de stad. In de overige 21 hoofdstukken wordt middels laagdrempelige, maar gedegen geschreven teksten informatie over de natuurgebieden in de gemeente Maastricht gegeven. Twee hoofdstukken beschrijven op historisch geografische wijze het terrassenlandschap ten westen en ten oosten van Maastricht. Ruim aandacht is er voor de 4 natuurlijke waterlopen die Maastricht rijk is, de Maas, de Jeker, de Kanjel en de Geul en voor de vele kunstmatige waterlopen in het Bosscherveld en Boschpoort. De verschillende natuurgebieden langs de Maas, zoals de Pietersplas, de Kleine Weerd, het Rivierpark Maasvallei en het Bosschereiland worden in woord en beeld beschreven. Van de Sint-Pietersberg en de Cannerberg komen niet alleen de bovengrondse delen, waaronder ook de ENCI-groeve, maar ook de onderaardse kalksteengroeven aan bod. Ook de verschillende parken komen uitgebreid aan bod, natuurlijk het Stadspark, maar ook de diverse parken in de woonwijken en de parken rondom de verschillende kastelen en landhuizen in de landgoederenzone. Een bijzonder park is de begraafplaats aan de Tongerse weg. De bloemrijke bermen verspreid over de gemeente worden apart besproken in een eigen hoofdstuk. Het boek sluit af met de vestingwerken van de stadsmuren en het Frontenpark waar natuur en cultuurhistorie samenkomen. In 43 kaderteksten worden bijzondere soorten, zoals de Muurhagedis, de Bever en de Fladderiep beschreven, maar ook bijzondere aanpassingen van planten aan het groeien op muren, in het water en in kalkgraslanden. Historische kaders lichtten de geschiedenis van Fort Sint Pieter, de watermolens langs de Jeker, Château Neercanne of de geschiedenis van de vesting Maastricht toe. Het boek is rijk geïllustreerd met 1400 afbeeldingen in kleur en zwart-wit. Daarnaast bestaat de mogelijkheid om zelf een bezoek te brengen aan de beschreven gebieden middels een op kaart ingetekende wandelroute. Deze wandelkaart kan als PDF, evenals de GPX-tracks, vanaf de website https://nhgl.nl/publicatie/overigen#natuurlijk-limburg worden gedownload