Students' interviewing skills are now commonly evaluated with standardized patient-based assessment methods. Four pairs of instructors at Nihon University School of Medicine used objective structured clinical examinations to evaluate the medical interviewing skills of 122 fifth-year medical students. The results were then analyzed to improve the accuracy of rating with objective structured clinical examinations. Interrater variability was significant among the two pairs of instructors. Variability was greatest when instructors evaluated a student's performance but was minimal when they judged whether a student had carried out a task. The number of standardized patients was 8, with the average score of each standardized patient ranging from 52.5 to 73.3 (full score, 100). These results suggest that the rating process for each item should be further refined and that the standard for evaluation should be clarified.

Heat shock proteins (Hsps) are generally known to be induced in response to a range of stressful stimuli such as hyperthermia, immobilization, UV radiation, arsenite, various chemicals, and drugs. In addition, these proteins have been suggested to have roles in protecting cells against apoptotic cell death. The ataxic mutant Pogo (pogo/pogo) mouse is a novel neurological ataxic mutant, which is derived from Korean wild type mouse (KJR/Mskist) strain. Pogo mutation is considered as an alleles of alpha subunit of P/Q-type calcium channel mutants such as rolling mouse Nagoya (RMN), tottering, and leaner. We investigated the topographical Hsp25 expression using immunohistochemistry and western blot analysis in several ataxic mutant mice: RMN, tottering, leaner, Pogo and Korean wild mouse. In the cerebellum of the RMN, tottering, leaner, and normal mouse including Balb/C, C57BL/6 and ICR mouse, Hsp25 was expressed in a subset of Purkinje cells that form parasagittal stripes. The Hsp25 expression is largely restricted to specific cerebellar lobules: VI /VII (the central zone: CZ), and IX/X (the nodular zone: NZ). Surprisingly, no Hsp25-immunoreactive Purkinje cells were seen in CZ and NZ of the cerebellum of Pogo (pogo/pogo), heterozygotes Pogo (pogo/+), and Korean wild mouse. Moreover, in western blot analysis, there was no cerebellar Hsp25 expression in ataxic Pogo mouse including Korean wild mouse. These data suggest that cerebellar Hsp25 expression was irrelevant with the development of ataxia in Pogo mouse.
Alleles ; Animals ; Arsenites ; Ataxia ; Blotting, Western ; Calcium Channels ; Cell Death ; Cerebellum ; Fever ; Heat-Shock Proteins ; Heterozygote ; Hot Temperature ; Immobilization ; Immunohistochemistry ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred ICR ; Proteins ; Purkinje Cells ; Sprains and Strains