Medical students' marriage/family and career perceptions: A pilot questionnaire survey / 医学教育

<p></p><p> The increase of female physicians and its undeveloped supporting system can be one of the causes of physicians' shortage. Although physicians' marriage/family perceptions and their influences on career choices have been extensively studied, those of medical students are not fully understood. An anonymous questionnaire survey was conducted involving male/female medical students in years 2 and 5 at Gifu University School of Medicine. The results showed that many male/female students hoped to get married, have children, and continue to work in the future, but different perceptions were demonstrated between the sexes with regards to the partners' occupation, working style, and influences of family/marriage perceptions on students' specialty choice. The results suggest the presence of sex-related differences in perceptions among medical students. The survey indicates the necessity of early undergraduate education for a better mutual understanding of gender issues.</p>

How Do Male and Female Medical Students Perceive Their Own Career? Implications from a Student Viewpoint / 日本プライマリ・ケア連合学会誌

<b>Introduction</b>: The aim of this study is to explore career perceptions of male and female medical students.<br><b>Methods</b>: Semi-structured interviews to 16 medical students (9males, 7 females) were undertaken.<br><b>Results</b>: Qualitative data analysis showed that development of their career perceptions were affected by “gender view”, “interests in medicine” as well as their “perceptions of family”. Specifically, female students in the lower grades felt difficulty in making decisions on career choices due to the conflict between carrying out family responsibilities (e.g., housework and childcare) and interests in medicine. After clinical clerkships, their perceptions of a career were formed in one of two ways: giving priority to family responsibilities or interest in medicine. On the other hand, male students in lower and higher grades consistently gave priority to their interests in medicine for their career choices.<br><b>Conclusion</b>: Differing career perceptions between male and female medical students emerged from this study, and supports the need for undergraduate education on gender-equality in society.

Balneological Studies Using I¹³¹ / 日本温泉気候物理医学会雑誌

Using radioactive isotope I¹³¹—NaI¹³¹ was mixed in 10% Na₂SO₃ solution, radio activity 100mc/ml, radio chemical purity 99.9%—, percutaneous absorption of iodide from bath water, peroral absorption after internal use of iodine containing mineral water, and the influence of absorbed iodine on the thyroid gland were studied in mice and rabbits.<br>Each mice was fixed in a small cage following the “bambootube” method of Masaji Seki, and bathed till the lower half of the body in the bath water at 37°-40°C, 20-30 minutes. NaI¹³¹ was added in the bath water to reach a radioactivity of 100-200μc/l. After the bath the surface of the animal body was washed out thoroughly with running water. Then the breast was cut open under anesthesia using chloroform or ether and blood was taken by heart puncture. The radioactivity (RA) of the blood was then measured by G-M counter or scintillation counter (well-typed).<br>Rabbit was bathed, fixed in a box, till the lower half of the body. The blood was taken from the ear vein. The radioactivity around the thyroid gland was measured by a survey meter.<br>For internal use of the waters, a thin polyvinyl tube with a diameter of 2mm was perorally inserted into the stomach of the mice. In the case of rabbit. Nelaton catheter was used.<br>To study function of the thyroid gland after serial oral administration of Mobara Mineral water, rabbits were given 5μc of I¹³¹. Then I¹³¹ uptake of the thyroid gland and plasma conversion rate after 24 hours were determined.<br>The investigations revealed the following results:<br>1. The longer was the duration of bath, the greater proved the amount of percutaneously absorbed iodine. Likewise, percutaneously absorbed iodine showed a tendency to increase as the temperature of bath water and as concentration of iodine in the bath water increased. It was recognized that iodide absorption continued still after the bath.<br>2. In relation to the influence of various co-existing ions upon the percutaneous absorption of I¹³¹, additon of sodium chloride, sodium sulfate, calcium chloride, or calcium sulfate at a concentration of 1g/l, showed an inhibition, while sodium bicarbonate, aluminium sulfate or pottasium bromide had a tendency to inhibit but not definitely. Especially, high concentration of sodium sulfate showed a strong inhibition, and in the case of sodium chloride similar finding was noted.<br>3. Concerning the effect of carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide an increase of percutaneous iodine absorption was demonstrated by the former.<br>4. After the serial daily bathings for 12 to 14 days in sodium sulfate solution, sodium chloride solution, or solution of pottasium iodide plus sodium chloride, respectively, an inhibition of percutaneous absorption of I¹³¹ was observed. As far as sodium chloride solution was concerned, the inhibition increased parallel with the length of the serial bathing period. On the other hand, after the serial bathings for 7 to 14 days in Kusatsu Hot Spring (H₂S-containing acid spring), an inhibition of percutaneous absorption of I¹³¹ was demonstrated, while after 21 days of the serial bathings an tendency of recovery in the percutaneous absorption was observed.<br>5. In adult rabbits thyroid uptake of iodine, in the amount corresponding to 1.8ml of bath water, was proved 48 hours after bathing for 30 minutes at 40°C in a bath water containing iodine at a concentration of 200μc/l.<br>6. Oral adminitstration of water containing I¹³¹ (0.25μc/l) resulted in a much more greater absorption than bathing in I¹³¹ added water (500μc/l). Oral administration of sodium bicarbonate or sodium chloride solution following the oral intake of I¹³¹ revealed no remarkable influence upon the absorption of I¹³¹<br>7. After oral administration of Mobara Mine