The Effect of ECG Training Workshop on Medical Students' Knowledge of ECG Reading and Interpretation

Background : The importance of adequate training of Medical students in regard to the reading and interpretation of ECG is obvious and there are various studies about new methods of teaching ECG interpretation. Objective : This study was aimed to determine the effect of teaching ECG interpretation in workshops and to compare it with current method of ECG training in Isfahan University of Medical Sciences. Methods: This experimental study was done on two groups of students using pre-test/ post-test design. For this purpose, 88 Medical students of an academic semester admitted to the university in the same year were selected and randomly divided into two groups of experimental group (taught in the workshop), and control group (taught by the current method) during Internal Medicine Ward. Results: In whole, 88 students participated in the study of whom 45 were in the experimental group and 43 ones in the control group . In the experimental group mean (±SD) scores of the pre-test (6 ± 1.1) and post-test test (17 ± .7) showed a significant difference (p=0.0001). Mean difference of pre- and post-test scores in experimental group was significantly higher than that in the control group (P=0.0001). Eighty five percent of students in the control group believed on the inefficacy of ECG training in the current educational system, while, 83.80% of participants in the experimental group believed on the efficacy of ECG workshop on their learning. Conclusion: Using new educational methods to improve the quality of educational system and to provide some new opportunities for students to learn by more initiative ways are highly necessary. The obtained results showed clearly the efficacy of the new method comparing to the current one. Keywords: Training, ECG (Electrocardiography), Medical student, Worksho

K-ras Mutation in Colorectal Cancer, A Report from Southern Iran

There are very few studies about K-ras mutations in colorectal cancer (CRC) from developing countries such as Iran. It is therefore essential to conduct studies to learn about the molecular signature of such tumors, allowing the determination of an appropriate management plan. In the present study, we aimed to determine the frequency and types of K-ras mutations among patients with CRC in Iran. Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded specimens of 100 cases of CRC were collected from hospitals affiliated with Shiraz University of Medical Sciences (June 2011 to June 2013). All of the H&E slides were examined and proper slide with a minimum of necrosis and maximum of well-preserved tumor cells (at least 70% tumor in each slide) were selected. Recurrent, metastatic, and post chemotherapy cases were excluded from the study. Mutation of codons 12 and 13 of K-ras gene by PCR was performed, followed by direct sequencing by Sanger method. From 100 eligible cases (55 male and 45 females with mean age of 59 years), 32% had mutant K-ras gene; the most common substitution was 12G>C followed by 12G>A and 13G>A, respectively. It is found that K-ras mutation rate, among the selected population of the southern province of Iran, was as high as 32% (codon 12: 71.8% and in codon 13: 25% and one in both codons: 3.1%)

The Efficacy of New Method of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Training in Promoting Knowledge and Skills of 4th Year Medical Students

Introduction: Educational goals of CPR (CardioPulmonary Resuscitation) training are not fully achieved by traditional methods. The aim of this study was to present a new method for teaching CPR to medical students and also to compare the effect of this new method on knowledge and skills of medical students with current CPR training method. Methods: In this quasi-experimental study, Forty 4th year medical students were divided into two experiment and control groups randomly. The control group passed the current method of CPR training and the experiment group participated in a 3 day workshop (first day: theoretical session, second day: group work and practice on model, third day: confrontation to real environment). The test for assessing knowledge and skills was held before and after the workshop. Then the mean scores were compared using independent t-test and paired t-test Results: Comparing the mean scores of pre-test and post-test showed a significant difference in both knowledge and skills of the experiment group. The mean of the difference between pre-test and post-test scores of the two groups in theoretical and practical exams were also compared which revealed a significant difference Results: Considering the higher mean of difference between pre and post tests in the experiment group, it seems that educational intervention enhanced the knowledge and proficiency of medical students in performing CPR. Some reasons could be successive theoretical and practical sessions, devoting much more time to practice, confrontation with real environment, and education through group work

Two Invasive Thymomas Incidentally Found during Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery

Thymoma, the most common neoplasm of the anterior mediastinum, is a rare tumor of thymic epithelium that can be locally invasive. We reported 2 cases of invasive thymoma incidentally found during routine coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery at Faghihee Hospital of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences of Iran in a period of about 6 months. The 2 patients were male and above 60 years old. They had no clinical symptoms and radiological evidence of mediastinal mass before detection of the tumor during operation. For both patients mass was completely excised and sent to the laboratory. The ultimate pathological diagnosis of both masses was invasive thymoma (stage 2). There are few reports in which thymomas were found incidentally during cardiac surgery. In spite of rare coincidence, due to being asymptomatic and possibly invasive, special attention to thymus gland during cardiac surgery or other mediastinal surgery and preoperative imaging studies seem to be reasonable approach

Comparing Resident Evaluation of Attending Surgeons to Attendings Self-Evaluation

Introduction. Studying the educational situation of surgery residents according to the perspective of residents and attending surgeons could lead to recognizing the strengths and weaknesses of their education and also to evaluating faculty performance. The purpose of this study was to determine the residents' viewpoints on evaluating their attending surgeons and compare the obtained results with their own attendings' perspective in this regard. Methods. Seventeen surgical residents selected through census sampling method took part in this descriptive study by filling a valid and reliable questionnaire including 20 items, in which they evaluated all their 18 attending surgeons on doing their educational duties in the operating room, surgical ward, clinic and conference. The same written evaluation forms were distributed among the faculty members to examine their own performance in the units mentioned above. SPSS software was used for statistical analysis and, independent t-test and paired t-test for comparisons. Results. The mean scores that residents considered for attending surgeons in the operating room, other clinical settings and overall scores were 3.97 0.62, 3.86 0.57 and 3.91 0.58 out of 5, respectively. The mean scores for attendings' self-evaluation in this three sections were calculated 4.22 0.67, 4.05 0.85 and 4.14 0.67 out of 5, respectively. The attending surgeons who completed the self-evaluation forms received higher scores from residents but no significant difference was observed.. Conclusion. This study shows that attending surgeons should pay more attention to teaching the side effects of surgeries as well as providing appropriate feedback for residents and also to designing and supervising educational system. The results of these kinds of study can help attending surgeons to recognize the strength and weaknesses of their education. More studies are recommended to help for promoting the educational situation of surgery residents

Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma of Bartholin’s Gland Clinically Mimics Endometriosis, A Case Report

Adenoid cystic carcinoma of Bartholin’s gland is a rare malignant tumor of female genital tract. We report a case of a 42-year-old woman, presenting a palpable painful mass and burning sensation on the left side of vulva during the preceding two months. Based on examination, a solid fixed painful nodule with intact mucosa was palpated on the left side of the vagina. Histological features were compatible with adenoid cystic carcinoma. Often, such lesion is clinically misdiagnosed as a cyst or inflammation. The present case was carried out with an impression of endometriosis. The possibility of cancer should be considered in any female older than 40 years of age with a lesion near the Bartholin’s glands