The objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) is expected to be used for the Japanese medical license exami-nation (Advanced OSCE). An Advanced OSCE trial was conducted at Hyogo College of Medicine. We examined 96 stu-dents in 11 areas in 1 day with 58 examiners, 5 simulated patients, 70 student volunteers, and 34 clerks. According to thequestionnaire filled out by the students and examiners, this trial was moderately or rather difficult. This trial suggeststhat the Advanced OSCE can be used for the license examination, although some aspects should be improved.

Introduction: Our school adopted team-based learning （TBL） in symptomatology classes for fourth-year students in 2010.
Method: This study examined the effects and problems of using a questionnaire survey involving students.
Results: The final scores of the students were distributed widely between approximately 65 to 90 points, indicating that TBL increased the spread of scores. The results of the survey showed that many students considered TBL to be a more effective approach than class-based learning, but most students showed an unfavorable attitude toward peer assessment. However, the results of multiple linear regression analysis showed no correlation between the survey results and final scores. The students who did not work together had better scores than students who did （p＝0.048）.
Discussion: The findings suggest that students’ scores after TBL are correlated with those after class-based teaching and that TBL helps improve students’ scores, especially those for case-study questions.

INTRODUCTIONMyocardial scintigraphy with ¹²³I-15-(p-iodophenyl)-3-methyl pentadecanoic acid (¹²³I-BMIPP) is used to evaluate impaired fatty acid metabolism. B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP), which is secreted by the ventricular myocardium on stretching and/or pressure overload, is a useful cardiac biomarker. This study aimed to evaluate the usefulness of ¹²³I-BMIPP imaging and serum BNP levels in patients with heart failure (HF).

METHODS113 patients with HF were enrolled. There were 68 patients with ischaemic heart disease (IHD) and 22 with overt HF. Cardiac scintigraphy was performed 7 ± 3 days after admission, and heart-to-mediastinum (H/M) count ratios on early and delayed images and washout rates (WR) of ¹²³I-BMIPP were recorded. Serum BNP levels were recorded on the day of ¹²³I-BMIPP imaging. The ejection fraction (EF) was calculated just before cardiac scintigraphy using conventional echocardiography.

RESULTSThe mean BNP level and EF were 282 pg/mL and 47%, respectively, with significant correlation between them. The mean H/M count ratios on early and delayed images were 2.29 and 1.93, respectively, showing significant positive correlations with EF (r = 0.31, p = 0.0006). The WR was significantly correlated with EF (r = -0.36, p < 0.0001) and BNP levels (r = 0.33, p = 0.003), and mean WR was significantly higher in patients with overt HF compared to those without (p < 0.001). Patients with IHD had significantly higher EFs than those with non-IHD (p = 0.03).

CONCLUSIONThe evaluation of impaired myocardial metabolism using ¹²³I-BMIPP scintigraphy and serum BNP levels appears to be useful for the evaluation of severity of HF.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Biomarkers ; metabolism ; Echocardiography ; methods ; Fatty Acids ; metabolism ; Female ; Heart Failure ; blood ; diagnosis ; diagnostic imaging ; Humans ; Iodine Radioisotopes ; Iodobenzenes ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Myocardial Perfusion Imaging ; methods ; Myocardium ; pathology ; Natriuretic Peptide, Brain ; blood ; Time Factors ; Treatment Outcome