Comparison of Changes in Speciality Choices and Future Career Plans between Public and Private Medical Students Over Five Years of Medical Studies.

This study aimed to compare medical students' satisfaction with their choice of the medical field in their fifth year to their first year of MBBS and to compare speciality choices and career plans between public and private medical students. It was an online survey conducted from December 2020 to April 2021. Two consecutive classes of final-year medical students from five medical schools (2 public and 3 private) were included. They were asked about their satisfaction with the medical profession, intentions to practice abroad, intended speciality, and career plans in the final year and the first year of medical school via a 24-item semi-structured pre-piloted questionnaire. Of 468 responses (34.41% response rate), 331 (70.7%) were females. There was a significant change (p = 0.002) in the intention of students to practice abroad, however, no significant change (p=0.11) in their satisfaction with the medical profession was observed. Key Words: Career choices, Medical students, Medical schools, Personal satisfaction, Pakistan.

ß-1,3-glucan Attenuated Chronic Unpredictable Mild Stress-induced Cognitive Impairment in Rodents via Normalizing Corticosterone Levels.

BACKGROUND: Chronic stress elevates the cortisol beyond normal levels, which affects cognition including learning & memory. This injurious effect is primarily mediated via over excitation of metabotropic glucocorticoid receptors (mGR). METHODS: The present study was aimed to appraise the neuroprotective effects of naturally occurring molecule ß-1,3-glucan by interfering with stress-cortisol-mGR axis. Our data of virtual screening (in silico) exhibited the promising interactions of ß-glucan with the mGR. Therefore, the study was extended to evaluate its efficacy (2.5, 5 and 10 mg/kg/ i.p) in an animal model of chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS, 28 days) induced memory impairment. RESULTS: Results of the current study revealed the ß-glucan provided dose dependent protection against deleterious effects of stress on learning and memory associated parameters observed in Morris water maze (MWM) task. At higher tested doses, it has also significantly antagonized the stress induced weight loss and corticosterone elevation.