Ketamine-induced ulcerative cystitis and bladder apoptosis involve oxidative stress mediated by mitochondria and the endoplasmic reticulum.

Ketamine abusers develop severe lower urinary tract symptoms. The major aims of the present study were to elucidate ketamine-induced ulcerative cystitis and bladder apoptosis in association with oxidative stress mediated by mitochondria and the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Sprague-Dawley rats were distributed into three different groups, which received normal saline or ketamine for a period of 14 or 28 days, respectively.

Clinical learning environment measurement for medical trainees at transitions: relations with socio-cultural factors and mental distress.

Background: Measuring clinical learning environment is crucial for the quality improvement of medical education, especially for medical trainees at transition stages. Medical education in Taiwan is shaped by multiple socio-cultural influences. The aims of this study were to construct an instrument for measuring clinical learning environment in alignment with the local socio-cultural factors and medical training settings, and further investigate the relationship between the quality of the clinical learning environment and the status of mental distress among medical trainees.

Effects of supraphysiological testosterone treatment and orchiectomy on ischemia/reperfusion-induced bladder dysfunction in male rabbits.

Introduction: The roles of testosterone and orchiectomy on male bladder subjected to ischemic/reperfusion (I/R) injuries received little attention. To fill this gap, the present study intended to examine testosterone and orchiectomy effects on male rabbits subjected to I/R damages.

Aim: To elucidate the effects of testosterone and orchiectomy on contractile response, bladder morphology, interstitial fibrosis, and oxidative stress in male rabbit bladder subjected to I/R surgery.

Dual involvements of cyclooxygenase and nitric oxide synthase expressions in ketamine-induced ulcerative cystitis in rat bladder.

Aims: The aims of the present study were to investigate voiding patterns, tissue constituents and the expressions of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and nitric oxide synthase (NOS) involved in ketamine-induced ulcerative cystitis in rat urinary bladder.

Methods: Thirty Sprague-Dawley rats were distributed into three groups which received saline or ketamine (25 mg/kg/day) for a period of 14 and 28 days. In each group, cystometry was performed weekly and the concentration of ketamine and its metabolites (norketamine) was assayed.

Power of the policy: how the announcement of high-stakes clinical examination altered OSCE implementation at institutional level.

Background: The Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) has been widely applied as a high-stakes examination for assessing physicians' clinical competency. In 1992, OSCE was first introduced in Taiwan, and the authorities announced that passing the OSCE would be a prerequisite for step-2 medical licensure examination in 2013. This study aimed to investigate the impacts of the announced national OSCE policy on implementation of OSCE at the institutional level.

Protective effects of estrogen on ischemia/reperfusion-induced bladder dysfunction in female rabbits.

Objective: The present study investigated the effects of ovarian hormone depletion and estrogen administration on ischemia/reperfusion (I/R)-induced bladder damage in female rabbits.

Methods: Female New Zealand white rabbits were divided into five groups. A sham surgical procedure was performed on rabbits in group 1.

Green tea catechins decrease oxidative stress in surgical menopause-induced overactive bladder in a rat model.

Unlabelled: What's known on the subject? and What does the study add? Ovary hormone deficiency and the age-related changes in post-menopausal women are subjected to a number of urological dysfunctions, including overactive bladder syndrome. Green tea is a popular healthy drink worldwide and its extract catechin has strong anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. EGCG, the major type of catechin, is an antioxidant polyphenol flavonoid isolated from green tea.

Protein kinase C inhibitor prevents renal apoptotic and fibrotic changes in response to partial ureteric obstruction.

Unlabelled: What's known on the subject? and What does the study add? Protein kinase C inhibitor (PKCI) can decrease glomerular and tubular cell apoptosis and mitosis and attenuate collagen accumulation and fibronectin expression in a PUUO rat model. Although the role of PKC has been well studied in diabetic nephropathy, there is no report on its role in obstructive nephropathy. This investigation evaluated the processes that were associated with the activation of PKCα and PKCβ pathways and showed that PKCI played an important role in the protection of renal function during ureteric obstruction.

Ebf2 marks early cortical neurogenesis and regulates the generation of cajal-retzius neurons in the developing cerebral cortex.

Mammalian cortical neurogenesis occurs on a precise time schedule during development. The earliest born neurons form the preplate and later separate into layer 1, which includes Cajal-Retzius (C-R) neurons, and the subplate. The preplate and its derivatives play a critical role in regulating subsequent neuron migration and cortical lamination.

The effect of L-arginine on bladder dysfunction following ovariectomy in a rabbit model.

Introduction And Hypothesis: The present study was designed to investigate the effect of nitric oxide precursor, L: -arginine, on bladder function following ovariectomy.

Methods: Twenty-eight New Zealand white female rabbits were separated into seven groups. Groups 1 to 6 underwent ovariectomy surgery.

Setting pass scores for clinical skills assessment.

In a clinical skills assessment, the decision to pass or fail an examinee should be based on the test content or on the examinees' performance. The process of deciding a pass score is known as setting a standard of the examination. This requires a properly selected panel of expert judges and a suitable standard setting method, which best fits the purpose of the examination.

Evaluation of the effectiveness of postgraduate general medicine training by objective structured clinical examination---pilot study and reflection on the experiences of Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital.

Objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) is an effective assessment method to evaluate medical students' clinical competencies performance. Postgraduate year 1 (PGY1) residents have been initiated in a general medicine training program in Taiwan since 2003. However, little is known about the learning effectiveness of trainees from this program.

The experience of an objective, structured clinical examination at Kaohsiung Medical University.

The objective, structured clinical examination (OSCE) is a method to assess clinical competency based on objective testing, through direct observation in a formal setting. The Kaohsiung Medical University (KMU) has pioneered OSCEs in Taiwan. In KMU, three groups of examinees---medical students in years 3 and 4, medical students in years 5 and 6, and medical students in year 7---were assessed using different OSCEs.

Correlations between academic achievement and anxiety and depression in medical students experiencing integrated curriculum reform.

This study aimed to examine the correlations between academic achievement and levels of anxiety and depression in medical students who were experiencing curriculum reform. The differences in academic achievement and the directions of correlations between academic achievement and anxiety and depression among the medical students with different levels of anxiety and depression were also examined. Grade 1 students from graduate-entry program and grade 3 students from undergraduate-entry program in their first semester of the new curriculum were recruited to complete the Zung's Anxiety and Depression Scale twice to examine their levels of anxiety and depression.

Implementation of an OSCE at Kaohsiung Medical University.

The Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE), a tool to objectively and fairly assess medical students' clinical competences, has become widely used in medical education worldwide. However, most medical schools in Taiwan have just begun to adopt this assessment method. In 2003, Kaohsiung Medical University (KMU) established the first standardized patient (SP) program in Taiwan and applied SPs with an OSCE.

Assessing core clinical competencies required of medical graduates in Taiwan.

Medical students are assumed to be competent to provide basic patient care independently on graduation. However, there is a gap between what students are expected to learn and what they have actually learned. This may be due to the lack of clearly defined learning objectives, well-organized curriculum, and properly administered assessment.

Radiation-induced modulation of the microglial population in the normal and injured mature spinal cord.

Recent attempts by other investigators to enhance repair processes in the spinal cord have involved the administration of X rays to spinal cord injury sites. Although some functional improvement has been reported, the underlying cellular changes within the irradiated spinal cords are not clear. Studies initiated recently in this laboratory examined the potential of X rays to modulate nonneuronal cell populations associated with an injury site in adult mammalian spinal cords.