The Indonesian government and authorities, moving rapidly in 2004 to rectify Indonesia's chronic shortage and regional imbalance in the number of physicians and to improve the standard of medical care, enacted the Medical Practice Act 2004 and established the Indonesian Medical Council (IMC). The IMC drew up a list of standard competencies to be acquired by all medical graduates; on the basis of this list, representatives from the Ministries of Health and National Education, medical school faculties, and the Indonesian Medical Association drew up the National Competency-Based Curriculum, which was subsequently approved by the IMC and adopted by all medical schools. This curriculum markedly improved Indonesia's core curricula for undergraduate medical education. By requiring that the medical competence of all physicians be evaluated before they receive a license to practice and requiring that all physicians renew their licenses every 5 years, the IMC has taken 2 major steps toward ensuring patient safety and improving the quality of medical services.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Alzheimer's disease is a neurodegenerative disease that induces symptoms such as a decrease in motor function and cognitive impairment. Increases in the aggregation and deposition of amyloid beta protein (Aβ) in the brain may be closely correlated with the development of Alzheimer's disease. In this study, the effects of an adzuki bean extract on the aggregation of Aβ were examined; moreover, the anti-Alzheimer's activity of the adzuki extract was examined. MATERIALS/METHODS: First, we undertook thioflavin T (ThT) fluorescence analysis and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to evaluate the effect of an adzuki bean extract on Aβ42 aggregation. To evaluate the effects of the adzuki extract on the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease in vivo, Aβ42-overexpressing Drosophila were used. In these flies, overexpression of Aβ42 induced the formation of Aβ42 aggregates in the brain, decreased motor function, and resulted in cognitive impairment. RESULTS: Based on the results obtained by ThT fluorescence assays and TEM, the adzuki bean extract inhibited the formation of Aβ42 aggregates in a concentration-dependent manner. When Aβ42-overexpressing flies were fed regular medium containing adzuki extract, the Aβ42 level in the brain was significantly lower than that in the group fed regular medium only. Furthermore, suppression of the decrease in motor function, suppression of cognitive impairment, and improvement in lifespan were observed in Aβ42-overexpressing flies fed regular medium with adzuki extract. CONCLUSIONS: The results reveal the delaying effects of an adzuki bean extract on the progression of Alzheimer's disease and provide useful information for identifying novel prevention treatments for Alzheimer's disease.
Alzheimer Disease ; Amyloid beta-Peptides ; Brain ; Cognition Disorders ; Diptera ; Drosophila ; Fluorescence ; Microscopy, Electron, Transmission ; Neurodegenerative Diseases

This study was undertaken to elucidate the usefulness and problems of autologous blooddonation for the patients with low-lying placenta. Seventy-eight women with low-lying placentawho gave birth in our institution were retrospectively analyzed. Autologous blood donation wasperformed in 58 patients (74%). The median volume of donated blood was 300 mL. Patients withor without autologous blood donation showed no significant difference in the distance betweenthe edge of the placenta and the internal os of the uterus. Median blood loss due to intrapartumhemorrhage was 1183 mL. All 7 patients with blood loss of more than 2000 mL had donatedautologous blood. The donated blood was transfused in 9 of the 58 patients (16%) who underwentautologous blood donation. No patients underwent allogenic blood transfusion. Althoughautologous blood donation was expected to be useful for avoiding allogenic blood transfusion inthese patients with low-lying placenta, the high discard rate suggests the need for a strategy toselect those patients at high risk for blood loss requiring transfusion.