Is the use of videotape recording superior to verbal feedback alone in the teaching of clinical skills?

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In recent times, medical schools have committed to developing good communication and history taking skills in students. However, there remains an unresolved question as to which constitutes the best educational method. Our study aims to investigate whether the use of videotape recording is superior to verbal feedback alone in the teaching of clinical skills and the role of student self-assessment on history taking and communication skills.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A randomized controlled trial was designed. The study was conducted with 52 of the Dokuz Eylul University Faculty of Medicine second year students. All students' performances of communication and history taking skills were assessed twice. Between these assessments, the study group had received both verbal and visual feedback by watching their video recordings on patient interview; the control group received only verbal feedback from the teacher.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Although the self-assessment of the students did not change significantly, assessors' ratings increased significantly for videotaped interviews at the second time.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Feedback based on videotaped interviews is superior to the feedback given solely based on the observation of assessors.</p

Knowledge and attitudes of university students toward pandemic influenza: a cross-sectional study from Turkey

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>During an influenza pandemic, higher education institutions with large populations of young adults can become serious outbreak centers. Since outbreak management is essential to disease control, we aimed to examine university students' knowledge of and attitudes toward the pandemic influenza A/H1N1 and vaccination and other preventive measures.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A cross-sectional study was conducted among 402 first year university students at Yeditepe University in Istanbul, Turkey between 1^stand 30^thof November 2009. Data regarding socio-demographic characteristics of the students, perceptions, level of knowledge and attitudes toward influenza pandemic and prevention measures were collected by means of a self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire was distributed by the students affiliated with SANITAS, a university club of students in health related sciences.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>25.1% (101/402) of the study group perceived their personal risk of influenza as "high", while 40.5% (163/402) perceived it as "moderate", 20.6% (107/402) viewed it as "low" and 7.7% (31/402) indicated that it was "unknown". The risk perception of males was significantly lower than that of females (p = 0.004) and the risk perception among the students of health sciences was significantly lower than that of students of other sciences (p = 0.037). Within the study group, 72.1% (290/402) indicated that their main information source regarding H1N1 was the mass media. Health sciences students tended to rely more on the internet as an information source than other students (p = 0.015). The vast majority (92.8%; 373/402) of those interviewed indicated that they would not be vaccinated. The major concerns regarding vaccination had to do with the safety and side effects of the vaccine. Most of the participants (343/402, 85.3%) were carrying out one of prevention measures and the vast majority believed that hand washing, face mask and quarantina were effective measures for prevention.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The participants had enough knowledge about H1N1 pandemic about the disease although there were still gaps and confusions in some areas. In the future, when planning management strategies regarding pandemics or outbreaks in higher education institutions, new strategies should be developed to promote positive health behaviour among university students compatible with the international guidelines. Main information source is mass media, so it seems that new policies must be developed to attract attention of students to use different and more scientific-based information sources.</p

Exploring the training and scope of practice of GPs in England, Germany and Spain

OBJECTIVE: To explore general practitioner (GP) training, continuing professional development, scope of practice, ethical issues and challenges in the working environment in three European countries. METHOD: Qualitative study of 35 GPs from England, Germany and Spain working in urban primary care practices. Participants were recruited using convenience and snowball sampling techniques. Semi-structured interviews were recorded, transcribed and analysed by four independent researchers adopting a thematic approach. RESULTS: Entrance to and length of GP training differ between the three countries, while continuing professional development is required in all three, although with different characteristics. Key variations in the scope of practice include whether there is a gatekeeping role, whether GPs work in multidisciplinary teams or singlehandedly, the existence of appraisal processes, and the balance between administrative and clinical tasks. However, similar challenges, including the need to adapt to an ageing population, end-of-life care, ethical dilemmas, the impact of austerity measures, limited time for patients and gaps in coordination between primary and secondary care are experienced by GPs in all three countries. CONCLUSION: Primary health care variations have strong historical roots, derived from the different national experiences and the range of clinical services delivered by GPs. There is a need for an accessible source of information for GPs themselves and those responsible for safety and quality standards of the healthcare workforce. This paper maps out the current situation before Brexit is being implemented in the UK which could see many of the current EU arrangements and legislation to assure professional mobility between the UK and the rest of Europe dismantled

Hedgehog-mediated regulation of PPARγ controls metabolic patterns in neural precursors and shh-driven medulloblastoma

Sonic hedgehog (Shh) signaling is critical during development and its aberration is common across the spectrum of human malignancies. In the cerebellum, excessive activity of the Shh signaling pathway is associated with the devastating pediatric brain tumor medulloblastoma. We previously demonstrated that exaggerated de novo lipid synthesis is a hallmark of Shh-driven medulloblastoma and that hedgehog signaling inactivates the Rb/E2F tumor suppressor complex to promote lipogenesis. Indeed, such Shh-mediated metabolic reprogramming fuels tumor progression, in an E2F1- and FASN-dependent manner. Here, we show that the nutrient sensor PPARγ is a key component of the Shh metabolic network, particularly its regulation of glycolysis. Our data show that in primary cerebellar granule neural precursors (CGNPs), proposed medulloblastoma cells-of-origin, Shh stimulation elicits a marked induction of PPARγ alongside major glycolytic markers. This is also documented in the actively proliferating Shh-responsive CGNPs in the developing cerebellum, and PPARγ expression is strikingly elevated in Shh-driven medulloblastoma in vivo. Importantly, pharmacological blockade of PPARγ and/or Rb inactivation inhibits CGNP proliferation, drives medulloblastoma cell death and extends survival of medulloblastoma-bearing animals in vivo. This coupling of mitogenic Shh signaling to a major nutrient sensor and metabolic transcriptional regulator define a novel mechanism through which Shh signaling engages the nutrient sensing machinery in brain cancer, controls the cell cycle, and regulates the glycolytic index. This also reveals a dominant role of Shh in the etiology of glucose metabolism in medulloblastoma and underscores the function of the Shh → E2F1 → PPARγ axis in altering substrate utilization patterns in brain cancers in favor of tumor growth. These findings emphasize the value of PPARγ downstream of Shh as a global therapeutic target in hedgehog-dependent and/or Rb-inactivated tumors

EFFECT OF LINOPIRDINE ON FORCED SWIMMING TEST IN RATS

WOS: 000467534400006Objective: In this study, we aimed to investigate the effect of Kv7 type voltage-gated potassium channel blocker linopirdin in Forced Swimming Test (FST) in rats. Material and Method: For this purpose, on the second day of the swimming test, rats received %0.9 NaCl (4 mu l) or a Kv7 type voltage-gated potassium channel blocker linopirdine (0.1, 1, 10 mu g/4 mu l) intracerebroventricularly (i.c.v.), 15 min before the test. Results: Linopirdine at a dose of 0.1 mu g/4 mu l significantly decreased immobilisation (p=0.003) and significantly increased swimming (p<0.01) with respect to the control grup. Linopirdine at the doses of 1 mu g/4 mu l and 10 mu g/4 mu l; i.c.v., significantly decreased immobilisation (p values<0.001) and significantly increased swimming (p=0.003 and p=0.021, respectively), and climbing (p=0.009 and p=0.006, respectively) with respect to the control grup. Conclusion: The results we obtained shows that linopirdine applied through i.c.v way produces similar effects as the anti-depressant drugs in the FST model. Therefore, we believe that drugs that block Kv7 type voltage-gated potassium channels can be considered as antidepressant drug targets

EFFECT OF LINOPIRDINE ON FORCED SWIMMING TEST IN RATS

WOS: 000467534400006Objective: In this study, we aimed to investigate the effect of Kv7 type voltage-gated potassium channel blocker linopirdin in Forced Swimming Test (FST) in rats. Material and Method: For this purpose, on the second day of the swimming test, rats received %0.9 NaCl (4 mu l) or a Kv7 type voltage-gated potassium channel blocker linopirdine (0.1, 1, 10 mu g/4 mu l) intracerebroventricularly (i.c.v.), 15 min before the test. Results: Linopirdine at a dose of 0.1 mu g/4 mu l significantly decreased immobilisation (p=0.003) and significantly increased swimming (p<0.01) with respect to the control grup. Linopirdine at the doses of 1 mu g/4 mu l and 10 mu g/4 mu l; i.c.v., significantly decreased immobilisation (p values<0.001) and significantly increased swimming (p=0.003 and p=0.021, respectively), and climbing (p=0.009 and p=0.006, respectively) with respect to the control grup. Conclusion: The results we obtained shows that linopirdine applied through i.c.v way produces similar effects as the anti-depressant drugs in the FST model. Therefore, we believe that drugs that block Kv7 type voltage-gated potassium channels can be considered as antidepressant drug targets