مجله دانشکده پزشکی اصفهان
پیاپی 620 (هفته چهارم خرداد 1400)

In order to identify the challenges and shortcomings of the basic medical sciences course based on the Iranian national curriculum, and to offer proposed solutions to solve possible problems, the implemented curriculum was reviewed by the learners.

This study was conducted by program evaluation method in Isfahan Medical School, Iran, during the first semester of 2019-2020. Participants in this study included 76 students of basic science course of the national entrance program, starting their education from October 2017 or later, purposefully selected from students interested in education and with a grade point average of above. With structured group interviews, 61 lessons were examined. All interviews in the form of guidance, were recorded, handwritten, and typed. Then, it was analyzed by quantitative content analysis (percentage and frequency).

A total of 35 courses, including 6 in first semester, 7 in second semester, 8 in third semester, 9 in fourth semester, and 5 in fifth semester, faced challenges for the students. A total of 176 initial codes were extracted. Finally, 131 codes were obtained, which were placed in 4 main domains and 36 components. The main categories included design with 6 components, implementation with 15 components, student evaluation with 5 components, and professional behavior with 6 components. The highest frequency of challenges was in the implementation of theoretical courses (92 lessons) which included 43.2% of the courses.

Nearly half of the basic science courses in the National General Medicine Program faced challenges for students. The most frequent challenge was in the implementation of theoretical courses. Lack of a complete course plan in the category of design, disproportionate volume of content with class hours in the category of theoretical courses, inadequacy of equipment and tools in the category of practical courses, failure to handle student protests in the category of student evaluation, and finally liquidity and inflexibility in the category of teacher professional behavior was the most challenged by students.

During pregnancy, the exposure to perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) can accompany with oligodendrocyte death. In current study, the effect of exposure to PFOA during pregnancy on the expression of oligodendrocyte markers was investigated.

After Wistar rats’ fertilization, the rats were randomly divided into five groups of control, sham, and three other groups, which received PFOA as 1, 5, and 10 mg/kg body weight. 20-day-old rats were sacrificed, and brain samples were examined using immunohistochemical staining. Finally, the data were analyzed using SPSS software.

In the groups receiving PFOA at doses of 5 and 10 mg/kg, the percentage of Olig2- and myelin-basicprotein (MBP)-positive cells significantly reduced compared to the other groups (P < 0.001).

The findings of this study showed that exposure to PFOA during pregnancy can induce oligodendrocyte death; so it is recommended to avoid exposure to toxic agents such as PFOA during pregnancy.

Betaine has improving role in adipose tissue function and insulin activity. On the other hand, a highcalorie diet has complex effects on the hypothalamic-pituitary axis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of betaine on pituitary histomorphometry and oxidative index of rats fed with high-calorie diet.

24 wistar rats were divided into 4 groups of control, fed with standard food, obesity with 10 weeks of feeding with high-calorie diet and then intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (20 mg/kg), obesity/betaine with 10 weeks of feeding with high-calorie diet, intraperitoneal streptozotocin, and then oral betaine for 28 days, and betaine with oral betaine for 28 days. At the end of the study, the histomorphometric structure of the pituitary glands [using hematoxylin and eosin (H&E)] and oxidative stress indices such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPX), and malondialdehyde (MDA) [using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)]were evaluated.

Body weight, blood sugar, insulin level, and insulin resistance index increased significantly in the obese group compared to the control group. The number of acidophilic and basophilic cells in the peripheral and central parts of the posterior pituitary gland decreased in the obese group. Serum levels of SOD, GPX, and catalase showed a significant increase in the obese group compared to the control group and in obese/betaine group compared to the obese group. Serum MDA levels increased in the obese group compared to the control group, and decreased in the obese/betaine group in compared to the obese group.

It is seems that betaine consumption had beneficial and protective effects on the pituitary gland and antioxidant capacity in rat fed with high-calorie diet, by reducing insulin resistance, reducing oxidative stress, and improving the pituitary tissue structure.