Potential influence of selection criteria on the demographic composition of students in an Australian medical school

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Prior to 1999 students entering our MBBS course were selected on academic performance alone. We have now evaluated the impact on the demographics of subsequent cohorts of our standard entry students (those entering directly from high school) of the addition to the selection process of an aptitude test (UMAT), a highly structured interview and a rural incentive program.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Students entering from 1985 to 1998, selected on academic performance alone (N = 1402), were compared to those from 1999 to 2011, selected on the basis of a combination of academic performance, interview score, and UMAT score together with the progressive introduction of a rural special entry pathway (N = 1437).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Males decreased from 57% to 45% of the cohort, students of NE or SE Asian origin decreased from 30% to 13%, students born in Oceania increased from 52% to 69%, students of rural origin from 5% to 21% and those from independent high schools from 56% to 66%. The proportion of students from high schools with relative socio-educational disadvantage remained unchanged at approximately 10%. The changes reflect in part increasing numbers of female and independent high school applicants and the increasing rural quota. However, they were also associated with higher interview scores in females vs males and lower interview scores in those of NE and SE Asian origin compared to those born in Oceania or the UK. Total UMAT scores were unrelated to gender or region of origin.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The revised selection processes had no impact on student representation from schools with relative socio-educational disadvantage. However, the introduction of special entry quotas for students of rural origin and a structured interview, but not an aptitude test, were associated with a change in gender balance and ethnicity of students in an Australian undergraduate MBBS course.</p

Flamingo Vol. III N 2

Anonymous. Cover. Picture. 0. Anonymous. Untitled. Picture. 4. Price, John M. Dada--Esthetic Nihilism. Prose. 5. G.C. Tolerance. Poem. 6. G.W.B. The Castaway. Poem. 6. G.W.B. Cinquains. Poem. 7. Holt, K. HORATI CARMINA, Liber I, ix. Prose. 7. W.A.V. Untitled. Poem. 7. A.E.R. Moods. Poem. 7. G.W.B. Some Say The Moon. Poem. 7. A.E.R. On Quoting The Night Has A Thousand Eyes . Poem. 7. Anonymous. Chapel Cherubs. Prose. 8. E.B. Untitled. Picture. 8. E.B. Untitled. Picture. 8. Anonymous. Untitled. Prose. 9. Anonymous. Untitled. Prose. 9. Anonymous. FLIP— MIGHT I ASK YOU FOR THIS DANCE? FLAP— PLEASE DO, I\u27VE BEEN DYING TO REFUSE YOU ALL EVENING. . Picture. 9. Anonymous. HUSBAND (SAVAGELY)— MARIA, WHERE\u27S MY CLOTHES? MARIA— GOOD HEAVENS, DEAR, I WONDER IF I USED THEM IN THE SALAD. Picture. 9. Anonymous. Our Log Table. Prose. 9. Anonymous. Approved Vocabulary For Fans. Prose. 9. Anonymous. Untitled. Prose. 9.; Anonymous. Untitled. Prose. 9. Anonymous. Untitled. Prose. 9. Anonymous. Untitled. Prose. 9. Anonymous. Only Too True! Prose. 10. F.T. GEORGE TOLD ME ALL THE SECRETS OF HIS PAST LAST NIGHT. REALLY! WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THEM? OH, I THOUGHT THEY WERE HORRIBLY DISAPPOINTING. Picture. 10. Anonymous. Untitled. Prose. 10. Anonymous. Untitled. Prose. 10. Anonymous. Untitled. Prose. 10. Howard, Lillis. The Engaged Homo. Poem. 10. Anonymous. Before and After. Poem. 11. Anonymous. Untitled. Poem. 11. Ubersax. AS OTHERS MIGHT SEE US—CLEVELAND HALL TO A CUBIST. Picture. 11. Anonymous. Untitled. Prose. 11. Anonymous. Untitled. Prose. 11. Anonymous. Untitled. Prose. 11. Anonymous. SECOND FROM THE RIGHT— WHAT\u27S THAT DESERTED OLD BUILDING OVER THERE? DITTO LEFT— MUST BE WHERE THEY USED TO MAKE HAIRPINS. Picture. 11. Anonymous. Untitled. Prose. 11. Anonymous. Untitled. Prose. 11. E.T.B. Broadway Bizarre. Prose. 12. E.B. Untitled. Picture. 13. E.B. The First One. Picture. 13. Anonymous. It\u27s done. Prose. 14. W.G.M. Mother. Prose. 15. Anonymous. Our Daily Mud. Prose. 15. G.C. Optimism. Poem. 15. Bridge. Denison Comics. Picture. 16. Anonymous. Our Asinetic Appreciation Corner. Prose. 18. Anonymous. STILL LIFE OF A NEAR-BEER AT THE TURNING POINT. Picture. 18. Rine, Russell. Stewed and Hashed. Poem. 18. Anonymous. Untitled. Poem. 18. Anonymous. Untitled. Poem. 19. Anonymous. Untitled. Prose. 19. Anonymous. Untitled. Prose. 19. Mercer, Hod. OUR OWN IDEA OF SOMETHING AESTHETIC. Picture. 19. Anonymous. Untitled. Prose. 19. Anonymous. Untitled. Prose. 19. Anonymous. Such Is Life. Poem. 19. Anonymous. Untitled. Prose. 19. Anonymous. Untitled. Prose. 19. Grayce. THE FLIGHT IS ON—THE FESTIVAL IS HERE. Picture. 20. W.G.K. Eutopia Regained. Prose. 20. Anonymous. Untitled. Prose. 20. Anonymous. Untitled. Prose. 20. Anonymous. Oh You Nine Weeks. Poem. 20. Anonymous. Untitled. Prose. 20. Anonymous. Untitled. Prose. 20. Anonymous. Untitled. Prose. 20. Anonymous. THAT MAUSOLEUM HAS BEEN CONDEMNED BY THE BUILDING INSPECTOR. WHAT\u27S WRONG WITH IT? IT HASN\u27T ANY FIRE ESCAPES. Picture. 20. Jester. Untitled. Prose. 24. Anonymous. Untitled. Prose. 24. Panther. Untitled. Prose. 24. Octopus. Untitled. Prose. 24. Mugwump. Untitled. Prose. 24. Reel, Virginia. Untitled. Prose. 24. Garber, Jock. Kows and Why Not. Prose. 25. Texas Scalper. Untitled. Prose. 25. Lord Jeff. Untitled. Prose. 28. Lampoon. Cut Rates. Prose. 28. Malteaser. Untitled. Prose. 28. Sun Dodger. Untitled. Prose. 28. Beanpot. Untitled. Prose. 28. Malteaser. Untitled. Prose. 28. Gargoyle. Putting It Fairly. Prose. 29. Malteaser. Untitled. Prose. 29. Gargoyle. Untitled. Prose. 29. Sun Dial. Untitled. Prose. 29. Gargoyle. Untitled. Prose. 30. Malteaser. Untitled. Prose. 30. Panther. Untitled. Prose. 30. Sun Dial. The Stuffed Kind. Prose. 30. Student Life. Untitled. Prose. 30. Malteaser. Heard in EC. Class. Prose. 30. Nashville Tennessean. Untitled. Prose. 30. Lemon Punch. Untitled. Prose. 31. Sun Dial. Untitled. Prose. 31. Gargoyle. Two is a Crowd. Prose. 31. Phoenix. Untitled. Prose. 31

Morgellons disease, illuminating an undefined illness: a case series

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>This review of 25 consecutive patients with Morgellons disease (MD) was undertaken for two primary and extremely fundamental reasons. For semantic accuracy, there is only one "proven" MD patient: the child first given that label. The remainder of inclusive individuals adopted the label based on related descriptions from 1544 through 1884, an internet description quoted from Sir Thomas Browne (1674), or was given the label by practitioners using similar sources. Until now, there has been no formal characterization of MD from detailed examination of all body systems. Our second purpose was to differentiate MD from Delusions of Parasitosis (DP), another "informal" label that fit most of our MD patients. How we defined and how we treated these patients depended literally on factual data that would determine outcome. How they were labeled in one sense was irrelevant, except for the confusing conflict rampant in the medical community, possibly significantly skewing treatment outcomes.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>Clinical information was collected from 25 of 30 consecutive self-defined patients with Morgellons disease consisting of laboratory data, medical history and physical examination findings. Abnormalities were quantified and grouped by system, then compared and summarized, but the numbers were too small for more complex mathematical analysis. The quantification of physical and laboratory abnormalities allowed at least the creation of a practical clinical boundary, separating probable Morgellon<it>s</it> from non-Morgellons patients. All the 25 patients studied meet the most commonly used DP definitions.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>These data suggest Morgellons disease can be characterized as a physical human illness with an often-related delusional component in adults. All medical histories support that behavioral aberrancies onset only after physical symptoms. The identified abnormalities include both immune deficiency and chronic inflammatory markers that correlate strongly with immune cytokine excess. The review of 251 current NLM DP references leads us to the possibility that Morgellons disease and DP are grossly truncated labels of the same illness but with the reversal of the cause-effect order. Further, the patients' data suggest that both illnesses have an infectious origin.</p

Delayed Cord Clamping in Very Preterm Infants Reduces the Incidence of Intraventricular Hemorrhage and Late-Onset Sepsis: A Randomized, Controlled Trial

Objective: This study compared the effects of immediate (ICC) and delayed (DCC) cord clamping on very low birth weight (VLBW) infants on 2 primary variables: bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) and suspected necrotizing enterocolitis (SNEC). Other outcome variables were late-onset sepsis (LOS) and intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH). Study Design: This was a randomized, controlled unmasked trial in which women in labor with singleton fetuses \u3c32 weeks’ gestation were randomly assigned to ICC (cord clamped at 5–10 seconds) or DCC (30–45 seconds) groups. Women were excluded for the following reasons: their obstetrician refused to participate, major congenital anomalies, multiple gestations, intent to withhold care, severe maternal illnesses, placenta abruption or previa, or rapid delivery after admission. Results: Seventy-two mother/infant pairs were randomized. Infants in the ICC and DCC groups weighed 1151 and 1175 g, and mean gestational ages were 28.2 and 28.3 weeks, respectively. Analyses revealed no difference in maternal and infant demographic, clinical, and safety variables. There were no differences in the incidence of our primary outcomes (BPD and suspected NEC). However, significant differences were found between the ICC and DCC groups in the rates of IVH and LOS. Two of the 23 male infants in the DCC group had IVH versus 8 of the 19 in the ICC group. No cases of sepsis occurred in the 23 boys in the DCC group, whereas 6 of the 19 boys in the ICC group had confirmed sepsis. There was a trend toward higher initial hematocrit in the infants in the DCC group. Conclusions: Delayed cord clamping seems to protect VLBW infants from IVH and LOS, especially for male infants

Myosin-Vb functions as a dynamic tether for peripheral endocytic compartments during transferrin trafficking

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Myosin-Vb has been shown to be involved in the recycling of diverse proteins in multiple cell types. Studies on transferrin trafficking in HeLa cells using a dominant-negative myosin-Vb tail fragment suggested that myosin-Vb was required for recycling from perinuclear compartments to the plasma membrane. However, chemical-genetic, dominant-negative experiments, in which myosin-Vb was specifically induced to bind to actin, suggested that the initial hypothesis was incorrect both in its site and mode of myosin-Vb action. Instead, the chemical-genetic data suggested that myosin-Vb functions in the actin-rich periphery as a dynamic tether on peripheral endosomes, retarding transferrin transport to perinuclear compartments.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In this study, we employed both approaches, with the addition of overexpression of full-length wild-type myosin-Vb and switching the order of myosin-Vb inhibition and transferrin loading, to distinguish between these hypotheses. Overexpression of full-length myosin-Vb produced large peripheral endosomes. Chemical-genetic inhibition of myosin-Vb after loading with transferrin did not prevent movement of transferrin from perinuclear compartments; however, virtually all myosin-Vb-decorated particles, including those moving on microtubules, were halted by the inhibition. Overexpression of the myosin-Vb tail caused a less-peripheral distribution of early endosome antigen-1 (EEA1).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>All results favored the peripheral dynamic tethering hypothesis.</p

Prescription and Other Medication Use in Pregnancy

OBJECTIVE: To characterize prescription and other medication use in a geographically and ethnically diverse cohort of women in their first pregnancy. METHODS: In a prospective, longitudinal cohort study of nulliparous women followed through pregnancy from the first trimester, medication use was chronicled longitudinally throughout pregnancy. Structured questions and aids were used to capture all medications taken as well as reasons they were taken. Total counts of all medications taken including number in each category and class were captured. Additionally, reasons the medications were taken were recorded. Trends in medications taken across pregnancy and in the first trimester were determined. RESULTS: Of the 9,546 study participants, 9,272 (97.1%) women took at least one medication during pregnancy with 9,139 (95.7%) taking a medication in the first trimester. Polypharmacy, defined as taking at least five medications, occurred in 2,915 (30.5%) women. Excluding vitamins, supplements, and vaccines, 73.4% of women took a medication during pregnancy with 55.1% taking one in the first trimester. The categories of drugs taken in pregnancy and in the first trimester include the following: gastrointestinal or antiemetic agents (34.3%, 19.5%), antibiotics (25.5%, 12.6%), and analgesics (23.7%, 15.6%, which includes 3.6%; 1.4% taking an opioid pain medication). CONCLUSION: In this geographically and ethnically diverse cohort of nulliparous pregnant women, medication use was nearly universal and polypharmacy was common

Anti-TNF therapy is associated with an increased risk of serious infections in patients with rheumatoid arthritis especially in the first 6 months of treatment: updated results from the British Society for Rheumatology Biologics Register with special emphasis on risks in the elderly

Objectives. To evaluate the risk of serious infections (SIs) in patients with RA treated with anti-TNF therapy with emphasis on the risk across different ages

Lump-Sum Bonus Satisfaction: Testing the Construct Validity of a New Pay Satisfaction Dimension

There are both practical and theoretical reasons to measure lump-sum bonus satisfaction. The practical need for such a measure stems from its increased use as a component in modern compensation practices. Based on the means of administering and allocating lump-sum bonuses, a theoretical case can be built suggesting that lump-sum bonus satisfaction constitutes a separate component of pay satisfaction fitting into the Pay Satisfaction Questionaire\u27s (PSQ) theoretical framework. We develop 4 questions that complement the PSQ, and use a series of techniques to test the convergent and discriminant validity of the measure. Empirical evidence shows that bonus-related items are more related to the lump-sum bonus satisfaction measure than other PSQ dimensions. We also demonstrate that the dimension of lump-sum bonus satisfaction has a substantive relationship with attitudinal variables beyond that provided by pay level variables and the PSQ. The development of this measure should foster greater accuracy when assessing pay satisfaction levels and the effects of lump-sum bonus pay policies

Prediction of Spontaneous Preterm Birth Among Nulliparous Women With a Short Cervix

To evaluate whether demographic and sonographic factors associated with spontaneous preterm birth (sPTB) among nulliparous women with a cervical length (CL) < 30 mm could be combined into an accurate prediction model for sPTB

Storylines of family medicine V:ways of thinking-honing the therapeutic self

Storylines of Family Medicine is a 12-part series of thematically linked essays with accompanying illustrations that explore the many dimensions of family medicine, as interpreted by individual family physicians and medical educators in the USA and elsewhere around the world. In 'V: ways of thinking-honing the therapeutic self', authors present the following sections: 'Reflective practice in action', 'The doctor as drug-Balint groups', 'Cultivating compassion', 'Towards a humanistic approach to doctoring', 'Intimacy in family medicine', 'The many faces of suffering', 'Transcending suffering' and 'The power of listening to stories.' May readers feel a deeper sense of their own therapeutic agency by reflecting on these essays.</p