Dopaminergic Immunofluorescence Studies in Kidney Tissue.

The kidney is a highly integrated system of specialized differentiated cells that are responsible for fluid and electrolyte balance in the body. While much of today's research focuses on isolated nephron segments or cells from nephron segments grown in tissue culture, an often overlooked technique that can provide a unique view of many cell types in the kidney is slice culture. Here, we describe techniques that use freshly excised kidney tissue from rats to perform a variety of experiments shortly after isolating the tissue. By slicing the rat kidney in a "bread loaf" format, multiple studies can be performed on slices from the same tissue in parallel. Cryosectioning and staining of the tissue allow for the evaluation of physiological or biochemical responses in a wide variety of specific nephron segments. The procedures described within this chapter can also be extended to human or mouse kidney tissue.

Modification of decision-making behavior of third-year medical students.

Modification of physician behavior has been suggested as one approach to controlling health care expenditures. Third-year students participated in an experimental program which attempted both to construct an educational approach that included aspects of such expenditures and to measure the effectiveness of the approach. Students were divided between experimental and control groups, with the former receiving information relative to the appropriate use and costs of diagnostic procedures. Both groups were presented with case studies dealing with specific disease processes discussed in the program. Members of the experimental group scored significantly better in their ability to determine diagnoses, make patient-management decisions, and choose essential diagnostic procedures. Average charges generated by the experimental student group were half the amount generated by the control group. Future studies will be required to determine whether the behavior modification carries forward in practice and to provide a standardized methodology for use by members of the faculty and house staff in educating future medical students.