ABSTRACT
Despite the increasing importance of gerontology to medical practice, it has been difficult to incorporate it into the curriculum of most medical schools. The aim of this project was to explore the feasibility of introducing gerontology into medical education by utilizing the framework of an existing clinical program. A gerontologist used the structure and resources of a Psychiatry Consultation-Liaison Program for this purpose. Three groups of target trainees were identified: psychiatry residents on their Liaison rotation; junior medical students on their psychiatry clerkship; and medical-surgical house officers in the general hospital. The objectives were to impart didactic information and to counteract negative attitudes leading to disinterest in evaluating and treating the elderly. The results indicated a positive impact on all three trainee groups, and a diffusion of the gerontologic innovation from the initial locus of a clinical sub-unit into the medical center and the medical school.
Subject(s)
Education, Medical , Geriatrics/education , General Surgery/education , Humans , Psychiatry/education , Schools, Medical , Students, MedicalSubject(s)
Seminiferous Tubules/radiation effects , Spermatogonia/radiation effects , Spermatozoa/radiation effects , Testis/radiation effects , Animals , Cell Survival/radiation effects , Clone Cells/radiation effects , Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation , Gamma Rays , Male , Mice , Mitosis/radiation effects , Rats , Seminiferous Tubules/cytology , Species SpecificitySubject(s)
Erythrocytes/physiology , Hemolysis , Biological Transport , Cell Membrane , Cell Membrane Permeability , Diffusion , Hemoglobins , Kinetics , Methods , Models, TheoreticalABSTRACT
This is a report of a pilot project designed to explore the feasibility of using the clinical Adult Service Psychiatry Consultation-Liaison Program at the University of Michigan as the locus for teaching medical gerontology to psychiatric and medical/surgical house officers and medical students. The goals, general techniques, educational content, and implementation procedures are described. Evidence was obtained that teaching medical gerontology through the program is both feasible and effective. Since a nonphysician gerontologist implemented the clinically based teaching program, the project is an example of the possibilities inherent in a multidisciplinary clinical teaching program.
Subject(s)
Education, Medical , Geriatrics/education , Psychiatry/education , Aged , Aging , Education, Medical, Undergraduate , Humans , Internship and Residency , Michigan , Middle Aged , Pilot Projects , Referral and ConsultationABSTRACT
Previous experimental results revealed that thiamin (vitamin B1) reduced lead (Pb) toxicity in calves and decreased tissue lead content in lead-treated calves and rodents. The objective of this experiment was to study the uptake and tissue distribution of lead in rats deprived of thiamin or given excess thiamin and to determine the effect of thiamin on lead absorption. Rats were divided into four groups and fed a thiamin-deficient or thiamin-supplemented diet. The thiamin-replete group also received daily injections of thiamin hydrochloride. Experimental diets were fed for 5 weeks, after which the rats were administered 10 muCi of 203Pb acetate (25 micrograms lead) and killed 6, 24, 48 or 72 hours later. Lead content and concentration of tissues increased twofold in the thiamin-replete group at 24 hours after dosing, but returned to control values 24 hours later. Tissue lead concentration of the thiamin-depleted group was slightly depressed at 24 hours after dosing, but this trend was reversed at the end of the experiment. Tissue lead concentrations in the pair-fed control group were three to seven times greater than in the other treatment groups 6 hours after dosing. The results indicate that thiamin facilitated absorption and increased the amount of lead initially taken up by tissue. Thiamin may also promote more rapid release of lead from tissues.