MCAT

PURPOSE: To improve admissions process equity, the Uniformed Services University masked Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) scores at or above the 51st percentile to admissions committee members. This policy was aimed at improving admissions rates for applicants in 2 priority groups: those from races and ethnicities underrepresented in medicine (URM) and those from lower socioeconomic status, represented by first-generation college (FGC) graduates. METHOD: All applicants invited to interview were included: 1,624 applicants from admissions years 2014-2016 before MCAT score masking and 1,668 applicants from admissions years 2018-2020 during MCAT score masking...

Streptomyces lavendulae subsp. lavendulae CCM 3239 (formerly Streptomyces aureofaciens CCM 3239) contains a type II polyketide synthase (PKS) biosynthetic gene cluster (BGC) aur1 whose genes were highly similar to angucycline BGCs. However, its product auricin is structurally different from all known angucyclines. It contains a spiroketal pyranonaphthoquinone aglycone similar to griseusins and is modified with D-forosamine. Here, we describe the characterization of the initial steps in auricin biosynthesis using a synthetic-biology-based approach...

OBJECTIVE: The introduction of a new collagen substitute, that potentially will reduce the invasiveness of the two techniques, by avoiding the need for a second surgical site, i.e., the donor site, need to be evaluated in relation with the surgical procedure that could benefit the most by the utilization of such a matrix. The aim of this study was to compare the clinical outcomes following treatment of RT 1 multiple adjacent gingival recessions (MAGRs) using the modified coronally advanced tunnel technique (MCAT) or the multiple coronally advanced flap (MCAF) in conjunction with a new volume stable xenogeneic collagen matrix (VXCM)...

The highly flexible nature of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) can be owed to its tough cell wall and multiple gene interaction system which makes it resistant to frontline TB drugs. Mycolic acids are the key components of the unique cell wall that protects the organism from external threats. Proteins of the fatty acid synthesis pathway are evolutionarily conserved that enables cellular survival in harsh conditions and hence have become attractive targets. Malonyl Co-A Acyl carrier protein transacylase (FabD; MCAT, EC2...

Background Students from lower socioeconomic groups tend to underestimate their chances of acceptance to medical school and their likelihood of success once admitted. Objective The objective of this study is to determine if socioeconomic disadvantage status is linked to lower medical college admission test (MCAT) scores and academic performance in medical school. Methods Using the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) education/occupation (EO) indicator, we compared economically disadvantaged students to students with no financial disadvantage on the MCAT, Phase 1 National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME), United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1, Phase 2 NBME, and USMLE Step 2 test scores...

To examine the function of phytoglobin 2 (Pgb2) on seed oil level in the oil-producing crop Brassica napus L., we generated transgenic plants in which BnPgb2 was over-expressed in the seeds using the cruciferin1 promoter. Over-expression of BnPgb2 elevated the amount of oil, which showed a positive relationship with the level of BnPgb2, without altering the oil nutritional value, as evidenced by the lack of major changes in composition of fatty acids (FA), and key agronomic traits. Two key transcription factors, LEAFY COTYLEDON1 (LEC1) and WRINKLED1 (WRI1), known to promote the synthesis of fatty acids (FA) and potentiate oil accumulation, were induced in BnPgb2 over-expressing seeds...

BACKGROUND: The Multiple Sclerosis Quality of Life-54 (MSQOL-54) is one of the most commonly-used MS-specific health-related quality of life (HRQOL) measures. It is a multidimensional, MS-specific HRQOL inventory, which includes the generic SF-36 core items, supplemented with 18 MS-targeted items. Availability of an adaptive short version providing immediate item scoring may improve instrument usability and validity. However, multidimensional computerized adaptive testing (MCAT) has not been previously applied to MSQOL-54 items...

Clean water and sanitation are two of the most important challenges worldwide and the main source for freshwater is groundwater. Nowadays, water is polluted by human activities. Concern about the presence of nitrates (NO3 - ) in groundwater is increasing day-by-day due to the intensive use of fertilizers and other anthropogenic sources, such as sewage or industrial wastewater discharge. Thus, the main solution available is to remove NO3 - from groundwater and transfer it back to a usable nitrogen source. Electrochemical reduction of NO3 - to ammonia (NH3 ) under ambient conditions is a highly desirable method and it needs an efficient electrocatalyst...

OBJECTIVE: To determine the critical roles of PU.1/cathepsin S activation in regulating inflammatory responses of macrophages during periodontitis. BACKGROUND: Cathepsin S (CatS) is a cysteine protease and exerts important roles in the immune response. Elevated CatS has been found in the gingival tissues of periodontitis patients and is involved in alveolar bone destruction. However, the underlying mechanism of CatS-driven IL-6 production in periodontitis remains unclear...

INTRODUCTION: Black, Latinx, and Native American and Alaska Native people are underrepresented in medicine. The increasingly competitive medical school application process poses challenges for students who are underrepresented in medicine or historically excluded from medicine (UIM/HEM). The University of California, San Francisco-University of California, Berkeley (UCSF-UCB) White Coats for Black Lives Mentorship Program provides a novel and antiracist approach to mentorship for these premedical students...

PROBLEM: Lack of diversity in the physician workforce has well-documented negative impacts on health outcomes. Evidence supports the use of pathway or pipeline programs to recruit underrepresented in medicine students. However, data on how a pathway program should deliver instruction are lacking. This report describes a multiyear project to build such a system with the goal of increasing diversity within medical school cohorts and ultimately the physician workforce. APPROACH: In the 2015-2016 academic year, the Ponce Health Sciences University started a 3-phase project to create a data-driven medical school feeder system by coupling a pathway program with predictive analytics...

Objective The aim of this research was to determine if medical students' use of the active study strategy of working practice questions is associated with improved performance on the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1 exam when compared to students who used the passive study strategy of watching educational videos. Methods The study used a correlational design. Participants were students from two cohorts in a United States medical school (N=164 and N=163) who completed their first two years and took the USMLE Step 1 exam...

Obesity is associated with significant metabolic co-morbidities, such as diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidaemia, as well as a range of cardiovascular diseases, all of which lead to increased hospitalisations, morbidity, and mortality. Adipose tissue dysfunction caused by chronic nutrient stress can result in oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, inflammation, hypoxia, and insulin resistance. Thus, we hypothesised that reducing adipose tissue oxidative stress via adipose tissue-targeted overexpression of the antioxidant mitochondrial catalase (mCAT) may improve systemic metabolic function...

OBJECTIVES: To assess the predictive value of baseline digitally measured exposure root surface area (ERSA) on the effectiveness of modified coronally advanced tunnel and de-epithelialized gingival grafting (MCAT + DGG) technique for the treatment of multiple adjacent gingival recessions (MAGRs). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 96 gingival recessions (48 RT1 and 48 RT2) from 30 subjects were included. ERSA was measured on the digital model obtained by intraoral scanner...

INTRODUCTION: Developing physicians as leaders has gained attention across the United States. Undergraduate medical education (UME) and graduate medical education (GME) leader development programs have increased. During postgraduate years (PGY), graduates bring their leadership education to the bedside; however, associations between leader performance in medical school and GME is largely unknown. It is important to find experiences that can assess leader performance that may be useful to predict future performance...

BACKGROUND: The Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) is designed to inform members of the admissions committee about applicants' academic readiness for medical school. Although previous work has shown that MCAT scores have some predictive validity evidence for a variety of medical student outcomes, there is also a concern that the MCAT is overly emphasized by admissions committees, which may, for example, affect matriculant diversity. The purpose of this study was to understand whether deemphasizing the MCAT by blinding committee members to applicants' specific scores has resulted in matriculants with different pre-clerkship and clerkship performance...

INTRODUCTION: As gatekeepers to the medical profession, admissions committees make important decisions through the analysis of quantitative (e.g. test scores and grade point averages) and qualitative (e.g. letters of recommendation and personal statements) data. One area of the application that deserves additional study is the Work and Activities section, where students describe their extracurricular experiences. Previous research has found different themes that sometimes overlap in the applications of exceptional performing and low performing medical students, but it is unclear if these themes are present in the applications of standard performers...

BACKGROUND: Cutaneous adnexal tumors (CATs) are a large group of neoplasms of the skin and the pathological diagnosis can be challenging. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to examine clinicopathological features of malignant cutaneous adnexal tumors (MCATs) and to identify therapeutic and prognostic implications. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-six patients diagnosed with MCATs and operated in our center were included. Demographic and clinical characteristics of patients, tumor size, histological subtype, perineural and lymphovascular invasion, re-excision status, lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis, recurrence, follow-up, and treatment choice were recorded...

INTRODUCTION: Limited evidence exists on the outcome of the modified coronally advanced tunnel (MCAT) with acellular dermal matrix (ADM) for the treatment of gingival recession defects (GRD) especially when complicated by restored cervical lesions. Therefore, the aim of this case report was to assess the short- and long-term clinical outcomes of maxillary Type 1 recession defects (RT1) associated with restored cervical lesions treated with MCAT with ADM. CASE PRESENTATION: A 43-year-old female patient, presented with multiple adjacent RT1 recessions in the left maxilla, previously treated with overhanging cervical resin restorations...

Lung cancer is one of the most common cancers with high mortality worldwide despite the development of molecularly targeted therapies and immunotherapies. A significant challenge in managing lung cancer is the accurate diagnosis of cancerous lesions owing to the lack of sensitive and specific biomarkers. The current procedure necessitates an invasive tissue biopsy for diagnosis and molecular subtyping, which presents patients with risk, morbidity, anxiety, and high false-positive rates. The high-risk diagnostic approach has highlighted the need to search for a reliable, low-risk noninvasive diagnostic approach to capture lung cancer heterogeneity precisely...