Goodness of fit of the items used in the 2nd cycle of evaluation and accreditation of medical schools by the Korea Institute of Medical Education and Evaluation based on the Rasch model

Purpose Since 2004, the Korea Institute of Medical Education and Evaluation has been responsible for the evaluation and accreditation of medical schools in Korea. The 2nd cycle of evaluations was conducted from 2007 to 2011. The present study aimed at testing the goodness of fit of the items used in the 2nd cycle of evaluation and accreditation based on the Rasch model. Methods Dichotomous data on 40 medical schools were analyzed using Winsteps, a tool based on the Rasch model that includes goodness-of-fit testing. Results Two of the 109 items had an outfit mean square exceeding 2.0. The other 107 items showed a goodness of fit in the acceptable range for the outfit mean square. All items were in the acceptable range in terms of the infit mean square. Furthermore, 1 school had an outfit mean square exceeding 2.0, while all schools were in the acceptable range for the infit mean square. An outfit mean square value over 2.0 means that an item is a outlier. Therefore, 2 items showed an extreme response relative to the overall response. Meanwhile, the finding of an outfit mean square over 2.0 for 1 school means that it showed extraordinary responses to specific items, despite its excellent overall competency. Conclusion The goodness of fit of the items used for evaluation and accreditation by the Korea Institute of Medical Education and Evaluation should be checked so that they can be revised appropriately. Furthermore, the outlier school should be investigated to determine why it showed such an inappropriate goodness of fit

Leisure sedentary time is differentially associated with hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and hyperlipidemia depending on occupation

Abstract Background Sedentary behavior is considered an independent cause of cardio-metabolic diseases, regardless of physical activity level and obesity. Few studies have reported the association between leisure sedentary time and cardio-vascular diseases in terms of occupation. Methods We performed a cross-sectional study using data from the Korean Community Health Survey (KCHS) for 240,086 participants assessed in 2011 and 2013. Occupation was categorized into four groups: farmer or fisherman, laborer, and soldier (Group I); service worker, salesperson, technician, mechanic, production worker, and engineer (Group II); manager, expert, specialist, and clerk (Group III); and unemployed (Group IV). Leisure sedentary time was divided into five groups: 0 h, 1 h, 2 h, 3 h, and 4+ h. The association between leisure sedentary time on weekdays and hypertension/diabetes mellitus/hyperlipidemia for different occupations was analyzed using simple and multiple logistic regression analyses with complex sampling. Results In Groups I, II and III, no length of sedentary time was associated with hypertension, and only 3 h or 4+ h of sedentary time was associated with diabetes mellitus and hyperlipidemia. Group IV showed a significant association with hypertension and diabetes mellitus for the 2 h, 3 h, and 4+ h sedentary times. Conclusions The unemployed are more susceptible than other occupation groups to cardio-metabolic diseases when leisure time is sedentary

서 론 최근 10년간, 한국에서 위 내시경 등의 검사가 증가하면서 조기 위 암이 점점 증가하고 있다. 전체 위암 중 조기 위암의 비율이 최대 50%까지도 보고되고 있다[1]. 이에 영향을 받아 내시경적 점막하절 제술, 내시경적 점막절제술 등의 내시경적 절제술이 증가하는 추세 이다[2]. 조기 위암에 대한 내시경적 절제술은 최소침습적이며 의료 비용을 낮추는 효과도 있다[3]. 그러나, 내시경적 절제술이 늘어나면서 적응증도 확대기준을 적 용하는 사례가 많아

Purpose: The increase in the incidence of early gastric cancer (EGC) cases has led to an increase in endoscopic resections, thereby resulting in an increasing number of endoscopic resection failure cases. The purpose of this study was to identify indicators for endoscopic resection, such as depth of invasion and tumor differentiation. Methods: This study included 273 patients who underwent endoscopic resection for EGC at Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital from January 2006 to May 2013. Of these resection cases, 41 were also surgical treatment cases. The endoscopic findings and lesion characteristics were analyzed, retrospectively using medical records. Results: The results suggested that when the location of tumor was in the middle third of the stomach (P= 0.002), the patient was younger (P= 0.057), there was a higher likelihood of surgical treatment after endoscopic resection. Conclusion: To determine the indicators for endoscopic resection, it is essential to consider tumor location as well as tumor size, tumor differentiation and depth of invasion, which are considered important factors. If the lesion was located in the upper and middle third of the stomach, sufficient explanation and consent was required

Second-Line Irinotecan, Leucovorin, and 5-Fluorouracil for Gastric Cancer Patients after Failed Docetaxel and S-1

Background. This retrospective study aimed to assess the efficacy and toxicities of second-line chemotherapy with irinotecan, leucovorin, and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) in metastatic gastric cancer (MGC) patients previously treated with docetaxel and S-1 with or without oxaliplatin (DS/DOS). Patients and Methods. We reviewed the data of patients who had previously been treated with first-line DS/DOS and received biweekly irinotecan-based chemotherapy (FOLFIRI/IFL) between October 2004 and November 2011. Results. A total of 209 cycles were administered to 35 patients, with a median of 4 (range, 1–22) cycles each. The overall response rate in 29 response-assessable patients was 17.2%, including 2 complete and 3 partial responses. The median progression-free and overall survivals were 3.81 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.82–5.80) months and 6.24 (95% CI, 1.44–11.04) months, respectively. The major grade 3/4 toxicity was neutropenia (8.6%). Conclusion. FOLFIRI/IFL chemotherapy showed modest antitumour activity and tolerable toxicities in DS/DOS-treated MGC patients

Second-Line Irinotecan, Leucovorin, and 5-Fluorouracil for Gastric Cancer Patients after Failed Docetaxel and S-1

Background. This retrospective study aimed to assess the efficacy and toxicities of second-line chemotherapy with irinotecan, leucovorin, and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) in metastatic gastric cancer (MGC) patients previously treated with docetaxel and S-1 with or without oxaliplatin (DS/DOS). Patients and Methods. We reviewed the data of patients who had previously been treated with firstline DS/DOS and received biweekly irinotecan-based chemotherapy (FOLFIRI/IFL) between October 2004 and November 2011. Results. A total of 209 cycles were administered to 35 patients, with a median of 4 (range, 1-22) cycles each. The overall response rate in 29 response-assessable patients was 17.2%, including 2 complete and 3 partial responses. The median progression-free and overall survivals were 3.81 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.82-5.80) months and 6.24 (95% CI, 1.44-11.04) months, respectively. The major grade 3/4 toxicity was neutropenia (8.6%). Conclusion. FOLFIRI/IFL chemotherapy showed modest antitumour activity and tolerable toxicities in DS/DOS-treated MGC patients

Activation of AMP-activated Protein Kinase Is Essential for Lysophosphatidic Acid-induced Cell Migration in Ovarian Cancer Cells

Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) is a bioactive phospholipid that affects various biological functions, such as cell proliferation, migration, and survival, through LPA receptors. Among them, the motility of cancer cells is an especially important activity for invasion and metastasis. Recently, AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), an energy-sensing kinase, was shown to regulate cell migration. However, the specific role of AMPK in cancer cell migration is unknown. The present study investigated whether LPA could induce AMPK activation and whether this process was associated with cell migration in ovarian cancer cells. We found that LPA led to a striking increase in AMPK phosphorylation in pathways involving the phospholipase C-beta 3 (PLC-beta 3) and calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase kinase beta (CaMKK beta) in SKOV3 ovarian cancer cells. siRNA-mediated knockdown of AMPK beta 1, PLC-beta 3, or (CaMKK beta) impaired the stimulatory effects of LPA on cell migration. Furthermore, we found that knockdown of AMPK beta 1 abrogated LPA-induced activation of the small GTPase RhoA and ezrin/radixin/moesin proteins regulating membrane dynamics as membrane-cytoskeleton linkers. In ovarian cancer xenograft models, knockdown of AMPK significantly decreased peritoneal dissemination and lung metastasis. Taken together, our results suggest that activation of AMPK by LPA induces cell migration through the signaling pathway to cytoskeletal dynamics and increases tumor metastasis in ovarian cancer.close161

Minimal information for studies of extracellular vesicles (MISEV2023): From basic to advanced approaches

Extracellular vesicles (EVs), through their complex cargo, can reflect the state of their cell of origin and change the functions and phenotypes of other cells. These features indicate strong biomarker and therapeutic potential and have generated broad interest, as evidenced by the steady year-on-year increase in the numbers of scientific publications about EVs. Important advances have been made in EV metrology and in understanding and applying EV biology. However, hurdles remain to realising the potential of EVs in domains ranging from basic biology to clinical applications due to challenges in EV nomenclature, separation from non-vesicular extracellular particles, characterisation and functional studies. To address the challenges and opportunities in this rapidly evolving field, the International Society for Extracellular Vesicles (ISEV) updates its 'Minimal Information for Studies of Extracellular Vesicles', which was first published in 2014 and then in 2018 as MISEV2014 and MISEV2018, respectively. The goal of the current document, MISEV2023, is to provide researchers with an updated snapshot of available approaches and their advantages and limitations for production, separation and characterisation of EVs from multiple sources, including cell culture, body fluids and solid tissues. In addition to presenting the latest state of the art in basic principles of EV research, this document also covers advanced techniques and approaches that are currently expanding the boundaries of the field. MISEV2023 also includes new sections on EV release and uptake and a brief discussion of in vivo approaches to study EVs. Compiling feedback from ISEV expert task forces and more than 1000 researchers, this document conveys the current state of EV research to facilitate robust scientific discoveries and move the field forward even more rapidly

25th annual computational neuroscience meeting: CNS-2016

The same neuron may play different functional roles in the neural circuits to which it belongs. For example, neurons in the Tritonia pedal ganglia may participate in variable phases of the swim motor rhythms [1]. While such neuronal functional variability is likely to play a major role the delivery of the functionality of neural systems, it is difficult to study it in most nervous systems. We work on the pyloric rhythm network of the crustacean stomatogastric ganglion (STG) [2]. Typically network models of the STG treat neurons of the same functional type as a single model neuron (e.g. PD neurons), assuming the same conductance parameters for these neurons and implying their synchronous firing [3, 4]. However, simultaneous recording of PD neurons shows differences between the timings of spikes of these neurons. This may indicate functional variability of these neurons. Here we modelled separately the two PD neurons of the STG in a multi-neuron model of the pyloric network. Our neuron models comply with known correlations between conductance parameters of ionic currents. Our results reproduce the experimental finding of increasing spike time distance between spikes originating from the two model PD neurons during their synchronised burst phase. The PD neuron with the larger calcium conductance generates its spikes before the other PD neuron. Larger potassium conductance values in the follower neuron imply longer delays between spikes, see Fig. 17.Neuromodulators change the conductance parameters of neurons and maintain the ratios of these parameters [5]. Our results show that such changes may shift the individual contribution of two PD neurons to the PD-phase of the pyloric rhythm altering their functionality within this rhythm. Our work paves the way towards an accessible experimental and computational framework for the analysis of the mechanisms and impact of functional variability of neurons within the neural circuits to which they belong

Korean medical students’ knowledge about and attitudes towards plagiarism according to their commission of plagiarism

Purpose This study investigated Korean medical students’ knowledge about and attitudes towards plagiarism according to their commission of plagiarism. Furthermore, the institutional environment regarding plagiarism was assessed. Methods A questionnaire provided by Turnitin was distributed to 67 first-year medical students of Hallym University, Korea in December 17, 2015 through SurveyMonkey, a web survey platform. Of the 67 subjects, responses from 60 students (89.6%) were analyzed with descriptive statistics and a comparative analysis. Results The respondents’ average knowledge level about plagiarism, measured as the item difficulty index for the relevant 8 items, was 0.658 (maximum 1). More than half did not know where they could find guidance about how to reference others’ work. They were only a little confident (41.7%) or not confident (11.7%) in referencing others’ work. They felt that plagiarism was not dealt with seriously at the university (53.3%). Eighty percent of students wanted their instructors to use text-matching software to check students’ work, and many of them thought that text-matching software helps them to spend more time making sure that references are correct (48.3%). Forty-six (75.4%) students reported having copied and pasted from the internet for their work without citing the original work. There were no significant differences in knowledge about plagiarism, attitudes towards classmates who plagiarize, or recommended actions against classmates who plagiarize according to whether students had committed plagiarism. Conclusion The medical students’ knowledge about plagiarism was insufficient. This medical school should introduce more intensive training on how to correctly reference others’ work and on the concept of plagiarism

Goodness of fit of the items used in the 2nd cycle of evaluation and accreditation of medical schools by the Korea Institute of Medical Education and Evaluation based on the Rasch model

The present study aimed at testing the goodness of fit of the items used in the 2nd cycle of evaluation and accreditation based on the Rasch model. From 2007 to 2011, reports from 40 medical schools in Korea were evaluated and the final decision regarding whether they fulfilled each of the 109 items was made after visits to 40 schools by medical educators trained in the accreditation process. The 109 item data were classified into 41 required items, 34 recommended items, and 34 excellence (bonus) items. Raw data were converted to dichotomous data by treating marks with partial fulfillment or ‘not applicable’ as negative, such that only completely positive marks were treated as positive