Second trimester maternal serum biomarkers and the risk of cerebral palsy.

Aims: To investigate whether second trimester maternal serum screening (2TMSS) biomarkers are associated with cerebral palsy (CP) and identify CP characteristics associated with abnormal biomarker levels.

Method: In this retrospective case-control data linkage study, we linked mothers of 129 singleton CP cases from a population register to their 2TMSS records and selected 10 singleton pregnancy controls per case (n = 1290). We compared mean and abnormal levels of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), beta subunit of human chorionic gonadotrophin (β-hCG), unconjugated estriol (uE3), and inhibin between cases and controls and within CP subgroups.

First-trimester maternal serum biomarkers and the risk of cerebral palsy.

Aim: To investigate whether combined first-trimester screening (cFTS) biomarkers are associated with cerebral palsy (CP) and to identify CP characteristics associated with abnormal biomarker levels.

Method: In this retrospective case-control data linkage study, we matched mothers of 435 singletons with CP from a population register to their cFTS records and selected 10 singleton pregnancy controls per case. We compared mean and abnormal levels (expressed as multiples of the median [MoMs]) of pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A), beta subunit of human chorionic gonadotrophin (β-hCG), and nuchal translucency between cases and controls and between CP subgroups.

Premedical Student Exposure to Pharmaceutical Marketing: Too Much, Too Soon?

Background And Objectives: Direct pharmaceutical marketing to physicians by pharmaceutical representatives is effective in changing behavior of health care providers, resulting in less evidence-based prescribing. Although much has been written about pharmaceutical marketing exposures among medical students, less is known about direct marketing exposures before students matriculate. This study examined the types of pharmaceutical representative direct marketing exposures for premedical students and where they occurred.

What Is the Impact of the Underserved Pathway Program on Graduates Entering an Underserved Family Medicine Residency? Five-Year Findings From the University of Washington School of Medicine.

Purpose: More primary care physicians are needed in underserved areas of the United States. Prior research indicates that medical student experiences in underserved settings increase the likelihood that they will practice in underserved areas; few studies have controlled for selection bias. This study aimed to estimate the effect of the University of Washington School of Medicine's (UWSOM's) longitudinal extracurricular experience, the Underserved Pathway (UP), on graduates' choice in entering a family medicine residency with underserved training opportunities.

Student Perceptions About Benets From an Extracurricular Curriculum: A Qualitative Study of the Underserved Pathway.

Introduction: Too few medical graduates choose to care for underserved populations. This qualitative study explores medical student perceptions of the benefits of participating in the Underserved Pathway (UP), a 4-year extracurricular program designed to nurture interest in, and develop skills to serve vulnerable populations.

Methods: Fourteen of 28 graduating students in the class of 2013 who completed the UP were interviewed.