Entrustable professional activities (EPAs) serve as a critical instrument bridging competency frameworks and clinical practice, and have garnered widespread attention in medical education both domestically and internationally. This article systematically reviews the origin, theoretical framework, and operational mechanisms of EPAs, summarizes their current application status and developmental trajectory in medical education across China and other countries, and provides an in-depth analysis of the core challenges confronting the localization of EPAs in China, including insufficient multi-center validation, lack of unified evaluation standards, poor articulation across training stages, and incomplete implementation conditions. On this basis, and in consideration of China′s medical education policy environment and practical needs, this article proposes strategic pathways for future localization efforts, with the aim of providing a reference for further research and practical promotion of EPAs in China.

Clinical reasoning is a core competency in the cultivation of competent medical professionals, requiring practitioners to integrate professional knowledge, clinical experience, and individual patient variability to make sound judgments and therapeutic decisions under conditions of incomplete information, uncertain evidence, and multiple treatment options. Traditional assessment modalities—including written examinations, case analyses, and the objective structured clinical examination (OSCE)—can effectively evaluate learners′ theoretical knowledge and fundamental clinical skills, yet they have limited capacity to capture the dynamic reasoning processes deployed in complex clinical scenarios. The script concordance test (SCT) offers a novel approach to address this gap. Grounded in script theory, the SCT presents typical clinical situations with inherent uncertainty, examining learners′ abilities to interpret new information and their adjustments in diagnostic hypotheses, test selection, and treatment decisions. Responses are scored by comparison with a reference panel of experts using a weighted scoring system, thereby assessing the degree of concordance between the learner′s clinical reasoning and expert patterns. The SCT authentically mirrors real-world clinical decision-making logic, is applicable across various specialties and training stages, and demonstrates particular strength in formative assessment by facilitating early identification of learners′ thinking patterns and potential deficiencies in information analysis, hypothesis revision, and risk-benefit balancing. At present, the application of SCT in Chinese clinical medical education remains in its preliminary stages. Future efforts should focus on developing standardized SCT item banks and feedback mechanisms tailored to the domestic educational context, and incorporating artificial intelligence-assisted technologies to enhance instructional feedback, thereby improving the effectiveness of clinical reasoning training and the overall quality of medical education.

BACKGROUND: Disease-modifying therapies have been approved for the treatment of relapsing multiple sclerosis (RMS). The present study aims to examine the safety of teriflunomide in Chinese patients with RMS. METHODS: This non-randomized, multi-center, 24-week, prospective study enrolled RMS patients with variant (c.421C>A) or wild type ABCG2 who received once-daily oral teriflunomide 14 mg. The primary endpoint was the relationship between ABCG2 polymorphisms and teriflunomide exposure over 24 weeks. Safety was assessed over the 24-week treatment with teriflunomide. RESULTS: Eighty-two patients were assigned to variant ( n  = 42) and wild type groups ( n  = 40), respectively. Geometric mean and geometric standard deviation (SD) of pre-dose concentration (variant, 54.9 [38.0] μg/mL; wild type, 49.1 [32.0] μg/mL) and area under plasma concentration-time curve over a dosing interval (AUC tau ) (variant, 1731.3 [769.0] μg∙h/mL; wild type, 1564.5 [1053.0] μg∙h/mL) values at steady state were approximately similar between the two groups. Safety profile was similar and well tolerated across variant and wild type groups in terms of rates of treatment emergent adverse events (TEAE), treatment-related TEAE, grade ≥3 TEAE, and serious adverse events (AEs). No new specific safety concerns or deaths were reported in the study. CONCLUSION: ABCG2 polymorphisms did not affect the steady-state exposure of teriflunomide, suggesting a similar efficacy and safety profile between variant and wild type RMS patients. REGISTRATION NCT04410965, https://clinicaltrials.gov .
Humans ; Crotonates/adverse effects* ; Toluidines/adverse effects* ; Nitriles ; Hydroxybutyrates ; Female ; Male ; Adult ; ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Subfamily G, Member 2/genetics* ; Middle Aged ; Multiple Sclerosis, Relapsing-Remitting/genetics* ; Prospective Studies ; Young Adult ; Neoplasm Proteins/genetics* ; East Asian People

Interprofessional education (IPE) refers to students from two or more professions learn about, from and with each other to enable effective collaboration, enhance medical quality, and improve health outcomes. IPE is considered as a crucial educational model in contemporary clinical medical education. Taking the current state of IPE at renowned medical schools in China as an example, this article compares and summarizes the practice modes and achievements of IPE, such as improvement in team collaboration, role recognition, and communication skills, in well-known medical colleges in China and worldwide. From the aspects of policy support, teacher training, and student needs, this article also elucidates the driving forces and challenges faced by IPE development in China at the present stage. As an important topic in medical education in China, IPE should critically draw on advanced international experiences while considering the specific conditions of China to develop targeted courses, in order to provide robust support and drive the high-quality development of clinical medical education in China.

Interprofessional education (IPE) refers to students from two or more professions learn about, from and with each other to enable effective collaboration, enhance medical quality, and improve health outcomes. IPE is considered as a crucial educational model in contemporary clinical medical education. Taking the current state of IPE at renowned medical schools in China as an example, this article compares and summarizes the practice modes and achievements of IPE, such as improvement in team collaboration, role recognition, and communication skills, in well-known medical colleges in China and worldwide. From the aspects of policy support, teacher training, and student needs, this article also elucidates the driving forces and challenges faced by IPE development in China at the present stage. As an important topic in medical education in China, IPE should critically draw on advanced international experiences while considering the specific conditions of China to develop targeted courses, in order to provide robust support and drive the high-quality development of clinical medical education in China.

AIM:To explore the synergistic sensitization effect of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell culture supernatant(hUMSC-CM)combined with temozolomide(TMZ)on various glioma cell lines,and to elucidate the underlying mechanisms.METHODS:The hUMSC-CM was harvested using two different serum deprivation tech-niques at 24 and 48 h,and was converted into freeze-dried powder,which was then given to rat malignant glioma cell line RG-2,human astrocytoma cell line U251 and human glioblastoma cell line LN-428 at 5 concentrations(0,1,3,6 and 9 g/L).The effectiveness and sensitivity of hUMSC-CM for inhibiting growth of glioma cells at 24,48 and 72 h were as-sessed using CCK-8 assay.Hematoxylin-eosin(HE)staining combined with CCK-8 assay was employed to evaluate the chemotherapy sensitivity of glioma cells after 48 h of treatment with TMZ at 6 concentrations(0,25,50,100,200 and 400 μmol/L).Two concentrations(3 and 9 g/L)of hUMSC-CM and 3 concentrations(50,100 and 200 μmol/L)of TMZ were chosen for concurrent treatment of glioma cells to assess the proliferation and pathological alterations.TUNEL staining was utilized to detect apoptosis.Flow cytometry was utilized to analyze cell cycle modifications.The expression alterations of apoptosis-inducing proteins,cleaved caspase-3,cleaved caspase-8 and cleaved PARP1,as well as autophagy-inducing proteins beclin-1 and LC3,were examined using Western blot to investigate the synergistic sensitization mechanism of hUMSC-CM combined with TMZ in vitro.RESULTS:The susceptibility of glioma cell lines to hUMSC-CM and TMZ varied,with RG-2 showing the highest sensitivity,followed by U251,and then LN-428.The inhibitory effect of hUMSC-CM(3 and 9 g/L)and TMZ(50,100 and 200 μmol/L)combined treatment on glioma cells was significantly greater than that that of single-agent treatments(P＜0.05),demonstrating a dose-and concentration-dependent enhancement.Notably,the combination of 9 g/L hUMSC-CM(C9)with 50 μmol/L TMZ(T50)effectively suppressed glioma cell growth.CCK-8 as-say indicated a significant reduction of cell viability in C9+T50 group compared with either C9 or T50 alone(P＜0.05).HE staining and TUNEL staining revealed pronounced morphological changes and significant apoptotic features in glioma cells treated with C9+T50.Flow cytometric analysis confirmed that C9+T50 induced cell cycle arrest in glioma cells.Fur-thermore,compared with control group,the levels of cleaved caspase-3,cleaved caspase-8,cleaved PARP1,beclin-1,and LC3-Ⅱ/LC3-Ⅰ were significantly elevated in the C9+T50-treated glioma cells(P＜0.01).CONCLUSION:(1)The concomitant administration of hUMSC-CM and TMZ exerts a broad inhibitory effect on glioma cells,with a synergistic sen-sitization observed across different cell lines.(2)The enhancement of glioma cell sensitivity to TMZ by hUMSC-CM may be attributed to the modulation of caspase-8/caspase-3/PARP1 signaling pathway and the induction of both apoptosis and autophagy in glioma cells.

To develop a framework for clinical teaching management (CTM) position competencies, and to initiate the preliminary application of this framework.

Objective To investigate correlation between the expression level of multiple cytokine levels in neonatal umbilical cord plasma and early-onset sepsis for screening out the cytokines with good diagnostic value for early-onset neonatal sepsis(EONS).Methods Full-term neonates and preterm neonates(Gestational age ≥ 32 weeks)of 310 cases between September 2021 and June 2023 were selected as study subjects.According to clinical signs,laboratory results and blood culture,these subjects were divided into 3 groups:control group without sepsis,EONS blood culture positive group and EONS blood culture negative group.Umbilical cord blood plasma of all subjects was collected within 72 hours after birth.The expression levels of cytokines IL-2,IL-4,IL-6,IL-9,IL-10,IL-21,IFN-γ and TNF-α were determined,and cytokines with high expression levels(high correlation)were screened out.Receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was used to analyze the specificity and sensitivity of the selected cytokines in the diagnosis of neonatal early-onset sepsis.Results Among the 8 cytokines mentioned above,the concentrations of IL-6,IL-9 and IL-21 in cord blood plasma of neonatal early-onset sepsis positive blood culture patients(392.6±258.7pg/ml,11.9±7.5pg/ml,29.1±16.8 pg/ml)and negative blood culture patients(353.8±244.5pg/ml,10.4±6.3pg/ml,27.7±19.2pg/ml)were higher than those of the control group(34.9±25.1pg/ml,5.9±4.5pg/ml,10.8±10.1 pg/ml),with significant differences(t=23.961,20.732;15.174,17.824;22.466,21.193,all P＜0.01),and the increase of IL-6 concentration was the most obvious.ROC curve analysis(the cut-off values of IL-6,IL-9 and IL-21:123.0 pg/ml,3.60 pg/ml,6.00 pg/ml,respectively)showed that the areas under the ROC curve for IL-6,IL-9 and IL-21 alone detection were 0.876(95％CI:0.786～0.955),0.782(95％CI:0.667～0.875)and 0.825(95％CI:0.737～0.913),respectively.The area under the ROC curve for the combined detection of IL-6,IL-9 and IL-21 was 0.930(95％CI:0.875～0.997).The combined detection of IL-6,IL-9 and IL-21 improved the specificity and sensitivity of the test than IL-6,IL-9 and IL-21 alone detection,and the differences were statistically significant(Z=2.137,2.391,2.257,all P＜0.05).There was no significant difference in cytokine expression between positive blood culture and negative blood culture neonates with early-onset sepsis(t=0.276～3.377,all P＞0.05).Conclusion The cytokines expression of IL-6,IL-9 and IL-21 in neonatal umbilical cord plasma of neonatal early-onset sepsis were increased.Combined detection of IL-6,IL-9 and IL-21 has good diagnostic value for early-onset neonatal sepsis.

Objective:To evaluate the prognostic value of thromboelastography maximum amplitude(MA)and arterial blood lactate levels for sepsis in elderly patients.Methods:A retrospective analysis was performed on clinical data of 63 sepsis patients(≥60 years old)admitted to the Intensive Care Unit(ICU)of Bethune Hospital of Shanxi Province from December 2018 to February 2020.MA values, white blood cell counts, lymphocyte counts, platelets, acute physiology and chronic health evaluation Ⅱ(APACHE Ⅱ)scores, sequential organ failure assessment(SOFA)scores, underlying diseases, body mass index, laboratory test results and other related treatments were analyzed.The subjects were divided into the survival group and the death group according to the 28-day survival outcome.Differences in MA, APACHE Ⅱ scores, SOFA scores and laboratory test results between the two groups were analyzed, and the correlations of MA with infection parameters and age were examined.Influencing factors of survival outcomes were analyzed using multivariate Logistic regression.The receiver operating characteristic curve(ROC)was used to calculate the prognostic value of MA and arterial lactate for sepsis in elderly patients.Results:The main sources of infections were pulmonary and abdominal(79.4%, 50/63)in 63 elderly patients with sepsis.The incidences of positive blood cultures and deaths were 15.9%(10/63)and 66.7%(42/63), respectively.There existed significant differences in lymphocyte counts, arterial lactate levels, MA and lengths of stay in the ICU between the survival group and the death group( t=3.847, 2.153, 2.745, -3.574, respectively, all P<0.05).MA was correlated with arterial lactate, SOFA score and survival outcome( r=-0.498, -0.506, and -0.358, respectively, all P<0.05).Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that MA and arterial lactate were independent factors for the survival outcome( OR=1.626, 0.766, all P<0.05).The area under the ROC curve(AUC, 95% CI)for the combination of MA and arterial lactate was larger than that of either MA or arterial lactate alone(0.89, range: 0.763-0.846; 0.58, range: 0.574-0.730; 0.77, range: 0.521-0.832; all P<0.05). Conclusions:The combination of thromboelastography maximum amplitude and lactate in arterial blood has important clinical value in assessing the prognosis of elderly patients with sepsis.

Objective:To explore the teaching effect of high-fidelity simulation teaching in emergency and critical care nursing course.Methods:From March to June 2019, 56 four-year nursing undergraduates from Xiamen Medical College in 2016 were selected as research subjects by convenient sampling. The high-fidelity simulation teaching was carried out in the emergency and critical care nursing course. The Jeffries Simulation Design Scale (SDS) and open-group interviews were used to evaluate the learning effect.Results:Among 56 students, scores of simulation teaching confidence and satisfaction were (3.80±0.80) and (4.00±0.62) respectively. Group interviews showed that students directly applied the theoretical knowledge they had learned to work situations, and students enhanced their self-learning ability and reflected on operational errors in simulation so as to provoke thinking and enhance learning confidence and personal learning ability.Conclusions:The application of high-fidelity simulation teaching in emergency and critical care nursing course can improve the self-confidence, teamwork ability and comprehensive quality of nursing undergraduates, and increase teaching satisfaction, which is feasible.