The Common Achievement Tests for medical students consists of Computer Based Testing (CBT) conducted before clinical training, and Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) conducted before and after clinical training. Since the publicization of the Common Achievement Tests for medical students before clinical training in 2023, the Committee for Reasonable Accommodation has been established within the Common Achievement Tests Organization (CATO), where reasonable accommodations for each exam are being considered. Reasonable accommodations begin with an assessment based on requests from candidates and proceed through constructive dialogue between candidates and universities. Additionally, recordings of practical training sessions are provided to facilitate objective assessments, enabling the provision of reasonable accommodations tailored to candidates’ participation in clinical training and internships, thereby ensuring smooth examination processes.

We provide “student-selected components (SSCs) “ for 3rd-year students at our school. They work with local NGOs and identify SDH that affect the underserved population including people in isolation, poverty and/or homelessness. Since most students are from privileged families, those encounters made a strong impression on students who create a short video to advocate for people they have met. We describe the process of developing this program and explain the models and theories that underpin this education.

Crude drugs that feature the name “gui” have appeared in classical medicinal textbooks with different names,and the correspondence between their names and origins remains the subject of research and discussion. In the present study, we investigated these correspondences using the descriptions in the annotations of the Bencaojingjizhu and through our previous study that revealed the standards of weights and measures in this book. Based on this investigation, we strongly speculate that “gui” in the Bencaojingjizhu was the branch skin of Cinnamomum cassia (C. cassia) (corresponding to cinnamon sticks in the market), which fits with the descriptions about the length and weight of “gui” -related crude drugs in this book. We measured the contents of cinnamic aldehyde and coumarin in the branch skin of C. cassia, and compared these to contents in other crude drugs related to “gui” that can be obtained on the market. The contents of these two compounds in the branch skin of C. cassia were similar to those in the bark of C. cassia from Vietnam that meets the standards for cinnamon bark in the Japanese Pharmacopoeia and is regarded as high-grade in the market. These results support our speculation, and it might be possible that the branch skin of C. cassia can be used as medicine instead of cinnamon bark.

OBJECTIVE: Galvanic vestibular stimulation (GVS) activates the vestibular afferents, and these changes in vestibular input exert a strong influence on the subject's posture or standing balance. In patients with Parkinson's disease (PD), vestibular dysfunction might contribute to postural instability and gait disorders. METHODS: Current intensity was increased to 0.7 mA, and the current was applied to the patients for 20 minutes. To perform a sham stimulation, the current intensity was increased as described and then decreased to 0 mA over the course of 10 seconds. The patient's status was recorded continuously for 20 minutes with the patient in the supine position. RESULTS: Three out of 5 patients diagnosed with PD with postural instability and/or abnormal axial posture showed a reduction in postural instability after GVS. The score for item 12 of the revised Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale part 3 was decreased in these patients. CONCLUSIONS: The mechanism of postural instability is complex and not completely understood. In 2 out of the 5 patients, postural instability was not changed in response to GVS. Nonetheless, the GVS-induced change in postural instability for 3 patients in our study suggests that GVS might be a therapeutic option for postural instability.
Gait ; Humans ; Parkinson Disease* ; Posture ; Supine Position

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective case series. PURPOSE: To clarify the influence of cervical spinal canal stenosis (CSCS) on neurological functional recovery after traumatic cervical spinal cord injury (CSCI) without major fracture or dislocation. OVERVIEW OF LITERATURE: The biomechanical etiology of traumatic CSCI remains under discussion and its relationship with CSCS is one of the most controversial issues in the clinical management of traumatic CSCI. METHODS: To obtain a relatively uniform background, patients non-surgically treated for an acute C3-4 level CSCI without major fracture or dislocation were selected. We analyzed 58 subjects with traumatic CSCI using T2-weighted mid-sagittal magnetic resonance imaging. The sagittal diameter of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) column, degree of canal stenosis, and neurologic outcomes in motor function, including improvement rate, were assessed. RESULTS: There were no significant relationships between sagittal diameter of the CSF column at the C3-4 segment and their American Spinal Injury Association motor scores at both admission and discharge. Moreover, no significant relationships were observed between the sagittal diameter of the CSF column at the C3-4 segment and their neurological recovery during the following period. CONCLUSIONS: No relationships between pre-existing CSCS and neurological outcomes were evident after traumatic CSCI. These results suggest that decompression surgery might not be recommended for traumatic CSCI without major fracture or dislocation despite pre-existing CSCS.
Cerebrospinal Fluid ; Cervical Cord* ; Constriction, Pathologic* ; Decompression ; Dislocations* ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Retrospective Studies ; Spinal Canal* ; Spinal Injuries

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The interaction between nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and Helicobacter pylori remains controversial. We retrospectively investigated whether H. pylori infection exacerbates severe gastric mucosal injury among chronic NSAID users. METHODS: From January 2010 to December 2013, a total of 245 long-term NSAID (including low-dose aspirin) users who had undergone an esophagogastroduodenoscopy and had been evaluated for H. pylori infection were enrolled at Okayama University Hospital and Tsuyama Chuo Hospital. The degree of gastric mucosal injury was assessed according to the modified Lanza score (MLS). Severe gastric mucosal injury was defined as an MLS > or =4. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed. RESULTS: In the univariate analysis, age > or =75 years (odds ratio [OR], 2.4; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.3 to 4.2), H. pylori-positivity (OR, 2.0; 95% CI, 1.2 to 3.5), and the concomitant use of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) (OR, 0.48; 95% CI, 0.26 to 0.86) were significantly associated with severe gastric mucosal injury. The multivariate analysis was adjusted by age and sex and demonstrated that H. pylori-positivity (OR, 1.8; 95% CI, 1.0 to 3.3) and the concomitant use of PPIs (OR, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.28 to 0.99) significantly contributed to severe gastric mucosal injury. CONCLUSIONS: H. pylori infection exacerbates severe gastric mucosal injury among chronic NSAID users.
Aged ; Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal/*adverse effects ; Case-Control Studies ; *Disease Progression ; Endoscopy, Digestive System ; Female ; Gastric Mucosa/*drug effects/*microbiology ; Helicobacter Infections/*complications/microbiology/pathology ; *Helicobacter pylori/drug effects ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Odds Ratio ; Proton Pump Inhibitors/adverse effects ; Retrospective Studies

For the purpose of investigating weights in the era when the Shan Han Lun was set forth, the weight and measures described in the Ben Cao Jing Ji Zhu, written in the period slightly after the Shan Han Lun, were studied. Some descriptions of the metrological standards are confusing in the Ben Cao Jing Ji Zhu. We focused on the measuring container, whose volume is equal to that of the one cun square spoon (fang cun bi), shown in the dun huang version of the Ben Cao Jing Ji Zhu. The volume of this measuring container was calculated on the assumption that the measures in this text follow those of the Han Shu Li Li Shi, and a result of 5.07 cm³ was obtained. The result was confirmed by using the actual measured values of the crude drugs. The result was also considered to support measurements of the volume in the Ben Cao Jing Ji Zhu as following the Han Shu Li Li Shi. With those results, descriptions of the density of honey and lard were examined, and the weight in the Ben Cao Jing Ji Zhu was clarified to follow that in the Han Shu Li Li Shi.