Similarity of the cut score in test sets with different item amounts using the modified Angoff, modified Ebel, and Hofstee standard-setting methods for the Korean Medical Licensing Examination.

Purpose: The Korea Medical Licensing Exam (KMLE) typically contains a large number of items. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether there is a difference in the cut score between evaluating all items of the exam and evaluating only some items when conducting standard-setting.

Methods: We divided the item sets that appeared on 3 recent KMLEs for the past 3 years into 4 subsets of each year of 25% each based on their item content categories, discrimination index, and difficulty index.

Comparison of standard-setting methods for the Korea Radiological technologist Licensing Examination : Angoff, Ebel, Bookmark, and Hofstee.

Purpose: This study aims to compare the various standard setting methods for the Korean Radiological Technologist Licensing Examination with the fixed cut score and suggest the most appropriate method.

Methods: Six radiological technology professors, set the standards of 250 items for Korean Radiological Technologist Licensing examination that were conducted on December 2016 by using Angoff, Ebel, bookmark, and Hofstee methods.

Results: With the maximum percentile score of 100, the cut score for the examination was 71.

Phospholipase C-dependent hydrolysis of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate underlies agmatine-induced suppression of N-type Ca channel in rat celiac ganglion neurons.

Agmatine suppresses peripheral sympathetic tone by modulating Cav2.2 channels in peripheral sympathetic neurons. However, the detailed cellular signaling mechanism underlying the agmatine-induced Cav2.

Agmatine suppresses peripheral sympathetic tone by inhibiting N-type Ca(2+) channel activity via imidazoline I2 receptor activation.

Agmatine, a putative endogenous ligand of imidazoline receptors, suppresses cardiovascular function by inhibiting peripheral sympathetic tone. However, the molecular identity of imidazoline receptor subtypes and its cellular mechanism underlying the agmatine-induced sympathetic suppression remains unknown. Meanwhile, N-type Ca(2+) channels are important for the regulation of NA release in the peripheral sympathetic nervous system.

Stabilizing Morbidity and Predicting the Aesthetic Results of Radial Forearm Free Flap Donor Sites.

Background: The radial forearm flap is a versatile, widely used flap. However, the possibility of donor site complications has led to concern over its use. Some surgeons prefer using other flaps whose donor sites can be closed primarily with less morbidity, including avoiding unpleasant scarring.

Transient receptor potential c4/5 like channel is involved in stretch-induced spontaneous uterine contraction of pregnant rat.

Spontaneous myometrial contraction (SMC) in pregnant uterus is greatly related with gestational age and growing in frequency and amplitude toward the end of gestation to initiate labor. But, an accurate mechanism has not been elucidated. In human and rat uterus, all TRPCs except TRPC2 are expressed in pregnant myometrium and among them, TRPC4 are predominant throughout gestation, suggesting a possible role in regulation of SMC.

Suppression of peripheral sympathetic activity underlies protease-activated receptor 2-mediated hypotension.

Protease-activated receptor (PAR)-2 is expressed in endothelial cells and vascular smooth muscle cells. It plays a crucial role in regulating blood pressure via the modulation of peripheral vascular tone. Although some reports have suggested involvement of a neurogenic mechanism in PAR-2-induced hypotension, the accurate mechanism remains to be elucidated.

Protease-activated receptor 2 activation inhibits N-type Ca2+ currents in rat peripheral sympathetic neurons.

The protease-activated receptor (PAR)-2 is highly expressed in endothelial cells and vascular smooth muscle cells. It plays a crucial role in regulating blood pressure via the modulation of peripheral vascular tone. Although several mechanisms have been suggested to explain PAR-2-induced hypotension, the precise mechanism remains to be elucidated.

Physicians' perspectives on social competency education in academic medicine.

Purpose: This study aims to explore the improvement of medical curriculums by examining the relationship between attributes of the Korean physicians and their needs for specialized departments and professionals for enhancing Korean physicians' social competence.

Methods: The uniqueness of this study is in its conduction a survey about the Korean physicians' needs of specialized departments and professionals for physicians' social competence or not, unlikely that previous studies focused on reviews. Subjects of this study are 288 physicians among the members of the Korean Society of Medical Education and The Korea Intern Resident Association.

The role of sphingosine kinase 1/sphingosine-1-phosphate pathway in the myogenic tone of posterior cerebral arteries.

Aims: The goal of the current study was to determine whether the sphingosine kinase 1 (SK1)/sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) pathway is involved in myogenic vasoconstriction under normal physiological conditions. In the present study, we assessed whether endogenous S1P generated by pressure participates in myogenic vasoconstriction and which signaling pathways are involved in SK1/S1P-induced myogenic response under normal physiological conditions.

Methods And Results: We measured pressure-induced myogenic response, Ca(2+) concentration, and 20 kDa myosin light chain phosphorylation (MLC(20)) in rabbit posterior cerebral arteries (PCAs).

Increase of L-type Ca2+ current by protease-activated receptor 2 activation contributes to augmentation of spontaneous uterine contractility in pregnant rats.

We evaluated the effects of protease-activated receptor (PAR)-2 on spontaneous myometrial contraction (SMC) in isolated term pregnant myometrial strips of rat, and elucidated the cellular mechanisms of this effect using a conventional voltage-clamp method. In isometric tension measurements, trypsin and SL-NH(2), PAR-2 agonists, significantly augmented SMC in frequency and amplitude; however, boiled trypsin (BT) and LR-NH(2) had no effect on SMC. These stimulatory effects of PAR-2 agonists on SMC were nearly completely occluded by pre-application of Bay K 8644, an L-type voltage-gated Ca(2+) channel activator, thus showing the involvement of L-type voltage-gated Ca(2+) channels in PAR-2-induced augmentation of SMC.

Ionic mechanisms of desflurane on prolongation of action potential duration in rat ventricular myocytes.

Purpose: Despite the fact that desflurane prolongs the QTC interval in humans, little is known about the mechanisms that underlie these actions. We investigated the effects of desflurane on action potential (AP) duration and underlying electrophysiological mechanisms in rat ventricular myocytes.

Materials And Methods: Rat ventricular myocytes were enzymatically isolated and studied at room temperature.

Epithelial Na+ channel proteins are mechanotransducers of myogenic constriction in rat posterior cerebral arteries.

It has been suggested that mechanosensitive ion channels initiate myogenic responses in vessels; however, the molecular identity of the mechanosensitive ion channel complex is unknown. Although previous reports have suggested that epithelial Na(+) channel (ENaC) proteins are mechanotransducers in arteries, experimental evidence demonstrating that ENaC proteins are mechanotransducers are not fully elucidated. The goal of the present study was to determine whether the ENaC is a mechanotransducer for the myogenic response by providing supporting evidence in the rat posterior cerebral artery (PCA).

Intracellular acidification evoked by moderate extracellular acidosis attenuates transient receptor potential V1 (TRPV1) channel activity in rat dorsal root ganglion neurons.

Transient receptor potential V1 (TRPV1) has been suggested to play an important role in detecting decreases in extracellular pH (pH(o)). Results from recent in vivo studies, however, have suggested that TRPV1 channels play less of a role in sensing a moderately acidic pH(o) (6.0 < pH < 7.

Modulation of N-type Ca²⁺ currents by moxonidine via imidazoline I₁ receptor activation in rat superior cervical ganglion neurons.

Moxonidine, an imidazoline deriviatives, suppress the vasopressor sympathetic outflow to produce hypotension. This effect has been known to be mediated in part by suppressing sympathetic outflow via acting imidazoline I(1) receptors (IR(1)) at postganglionic sympathetic neurons. But, the cellular mechanism of IR(1)-induced inhibition of noradrenaline (NA) release is still unknown.

Enhanced contractility and myosin phosphorylation induced by Ca(2+)-independent MLCK activity in hypertensive rats.

Aims: The role of Ca(2+) sensitization induced by a Ca(2+)-independent myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) in hypertension has not been determined. The aim of this study was to clarify the role of possible Ca(2+)-independent MLCK activity in hypertension.

Methods And Results: We compared increases in contractile force and phosphorylation of myosin light chain (MLC) evoked by calyculin A, a phosphatase inhibitor, in β-escin-permeabilized mesenteric arteries at pCa 9.

Modulation of N-type calcium currents by presynaptic imidazoline receptor activation in rat superior cervical ganglion neurons.

Presynaptic imidazoline receptors (R(i-pre)) are found in the sympathetic axon terminals of animal and human cardiovascular systems, and they regulate blood pressure by modulating the release of peripheral noradrenaline (NA). The cellular mechanism of R(i-pre)-induced inhibition of NA release is unknown. We, therefore, investigated the effect of R(i-pre) activation on voltage-dependent Ca(2+) channels in rat superior cervical ganglion (SCG) neurons, using the conventional whole-cell patch-clamp method.

Natural therapeutic magnesium lithospermate B potently protects the endothelium from hyperglycaemia-induced dysfunction.

Aims: We have investigated the effects of magnesium lithospermate B (MLB), the active compound of the Oriental herbal remedy, Salvia miltiorrhizae, on endothelial dysfunction associated with diabetes mellitus using cultured endothelial cells and an animal model of type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Methods And Results: The effect of MLB on vasodilatory function in Otsuka Long-Evans Tokushima Fatty (OLETF) rats was assessed. MLB treatment for 20 weeks starting at 12 weeks attenuated the decrease in endothelium-dependent vasodilation in OLETF rats.

The present conditions of clinical clerkship management in Korea.

Purpose: This study investigated the present conditions of clinical clerkship management in Korea to make recommendations for it.

Methods: The data were collected between April 15 and May 30 in 2009 using questionnaires that were sent to the clerkship directors of 41 colleges of medicine and medical graduate schools.

Results: The elective course system was established in 78% of the institutions; the 6 core specialties were found in all medical schools.

Role of T-type Ca Channels in the Spontaneous Phasic Contraction of Pregnant Rat Uterine Smooth Muscle.

Although extracellular Ca(2+) entry through the voltage-dependent Ca(2+) channels plays an important role in the spontaneous phasic contractions of the pregnant rat myometrium, the role of the T-type Ca(2+) channels has yet to be fully identified. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of the T-type Ca(2+) channel in the spontaneous phasic contractions of the rat myometrium. Spontaneous phasic contractions and [Ca(2+)](i) were measured simultaneously in the longitudinal strips of female Sprague-Dawley rats late in their pregnancy (on day 18~20 of gestation: term=22 days).

Developing a Korean communication skills attitude scale: comparing attitudes between Korea and the West.

Objectives: We aimed to develop a Korean version of the Communication Skills Attitude Scale (CSAS) created by Rees et al. in order to elucidate the positive and negative aspects of Korean pre-medical and medical students' attitudes towards communication skills (CS) learning.

Methods: We performed two surveys.

Comparison of contractile mechanisms of sphingosylphosphorylcholine and sphingosine-1-phosphate in rabbit coronary artery.

Aims: Although stimulation with sphingosylphosphorylcholine (SPC) or sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) generally leads to similar vascular responses, the contractile patterns and their underlying signalling mechanisms are often distinct. We investigated the different reliance upon Ca2+-dependent and Ca2+-sensitizing mechanisms of constriction in response to SPC or S1P in coronary arteries.

Methods And Results: Contractile responses, changes in [Ca2+]i, and phosphorylation of myosin light chain phosphatase-targeting subunit (MYPT1) were measured.