Comparison of first-year grade point average and national board scores between alternative admission track students in a chiropractic program who took or did not take preadmission science courses.

Objective: We compared first-year cumulative grade point average and a composite score on part I of the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners (NBCE) exam for first-year alternative admission track program (AATP) students who did and did not take three specific undergraduate courses: general chemistry, organic chemistry, and anatomy and physiology.

Methods: All AATP students in 2015 ( = 50) were evaluated for the course history of general chemistry and anatomy and physiology compared to their first-year cumulative grade point average and NBCE part 1 scores using independent -tests.

Results: Students in the AATP who took general chemistry tended to score higher overall on the NBCE exams ( = .

Synthesis of calcium-silica composites: a route toward an in vitro model system for calcific band keratopathy precipitates.

Calcific band keratopathy (CBK) is a degenerative condition resulting in the deposition of calcium salts in the superficial layers of the cornea and causing significant visual disturbance and pain of the affected eye. Unfortunately, the amount of CBK precipitates recovered from the affected eye is very small therefore; it would be beneficial to prepare a synthetic material mimicking CBK material to further the development of therapeutics. Analyses of biological samples recovered from patients show the presence of silicon in addition to calcium, as well as a distinctive fused spherical morphology.