The relationship between performance on the Infectious Diseases In-Training and Certification Examinations.

Background: The Infectious Diseases Society of America In-Training Examination (IDSA ITE) is a feedback tool used to help fellows track their knowledge acquisition during fellowship training. We determined whether the scores on the IDSA ITE and from other major medical knowledge assessments predict performance on the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) Infectious Disease Certification Examination.

Methods: The sample was 1021 second-year fellows who took the IDSA ITE and ABIM Infectious Disease Certification Examination from 2008 to 2012.

Murine colitis is mediated by vimentin.

Vimentin, an abundant intermediate filament protein, presumably has an important role in stabilizing intracellular architecture, but its function is otherwise poorly understood. In a vimentin knockout (Vim KO) mouse model, we note that Vim KO mice challenged with intraperitoneal Escherichia coli control bacterial infection better than do wild-type (WT) mice. In vitro, Vim KO phagocytes show significantly increased capacity to mediate bacterial killing by abundant production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and nitric oxides, likely due to interactions with the p47phox active subunit of NADPH oxidase.

Electronic learning and open educational resources in the health sciences in ghana.

Objectives: To determine whether a group of Ghanaian students are able to easily use electronic learning material and whether they perceive this method of learning as acceptable.

Setting: The University of Ghana Medical School (UGMS) and the School of Medical Sciences (SMS), Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) PARTICIPANTS: One hundred and fifty third year medical students at SMS and nineteen fifth year medical students at UGMS METHODS: Two e-learning materials were developed, one on the polymerase chain reaction and the other on total abdominal hysterectomy and these were distributed to selected medical students. Two weeks after the distribution of the programmes, a one-page, self-administered questionnaire was distributed to the target groups of students at the two institutions.