BackgroundEvery curriculum needs to be reviewed, implemented and evaluated; it must also comply with the regulatory standards. This report demonstrates the value of curriculum mapping (CM), which shows the spatial relationships of a curriculum, in developing and managing an integrated medical curriculum.MethodsA new medical school developed a clinical presentation driven integrated curriculum that incorporates the active-learning pedagogical practices of many educational institutions worldwide while adhering to the mandated requirements of the accreditation bodies. A centralized CM process was run in parallel as the curriculum was being developed. A searchable database, created after the CM data was uploaded into an electronic curriculum management system, was used to ensure placing, integrating, evaluating and revising the curricular content appropriately.ResultsCM facilitated in a) appraising the content integration, b) identifying gaps and redundancies, c) linking learning outcomes across all educational levels (i.e. session to course to program), c) organizing the teaching schedules, instruction methods, and assessment tools and d) documenting compliance with accreditation standards.ConclusionsCM is an essential tool to develop, review, improve and refine any integrated curriculum however complex. Our experience, with appropriate modifications, should help other medical schools efficiently manage their curricula and fulfill the accreditation requirements at the same time.

Diabetes Mellitus is a chronic generalized disorder due to insulin insufficiency or resistance. Skeletal muscles represent one of the most important target organs that is affected by insulin signaling. The aim of the current work was to investigate the effect of metformin versus vitamin D (and also simultaneous administration) therapy in type 2 diabetic (T2D) rats on the state of the muscle and insulin sensitivity. Thirty six male rats constituted the animal model and have been divided into five groups: control, Diabetic, Diabetic + Metformin, Diabetic + Vitamin D, Diabetic + Metformin + Vitamin D. Blood samples were taken for biochemical measurements of serum calcium, interleukin-6 (IL-6), Triglycerides (TG), glucose, insulin, and calculation of HOMA-IR, and then rats were sacrificed, dissected for removal of gastrocnemius muscle that is used for both biochemical, histopathological and electron microscopy examination. Oral administration of vitamin D alone or in combination with metformin improved insulin sensitivity in skeletal muscles, and sustained the metabolic complications along with muscle atrophy and inflammation in T2D rats. We demonstrated super-beneficial action on insulin resistance of additional vitamin D therapy in T2DM rats that were insufficiently controlled by metformin alone.

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For centuries, phytochemicals have been used to prevent and cure multiple health ailments. Phytochemicals have been reported to have antioxidant, antidiabetic, antitussive, antiparasitic, anticancer, and antimicrobial properties. Generally, the therapeutic use of phy-tochemicals is based on tradition or word of mouth with few evidence-based studies. Moreo-ver, molecular level interactions or molecular targets for the majority of phytochemicals are unknown. In recent years, antibiotic resistance by microbes has become a major healthcare concern. As such, the use of phytochemicals with antimicrobial properties has become perti-nent. Natural compounds from plants, vegetables, herbs, and spices with strong antimicrobial properties present an excellent opportunity for preventing and combating antibiotic resistant microbial infections. ATP synthase is the fundamental means of cellular energy. Inhibition of ATP synthase may deprive cells of required energy leading to cell death, and a variety of die-tary phytochemicals are known to inhibit ATP synthase. Structural modifications of phyto-chemicals have been shown to increase the inhibitory potency and extent of inhibition. Site-directed mutagenic analysis has elucidated the binding site(s) for some phytochemicals on ATP synthase. Amino acid variations in and around the phytochemical binding sites can re-sult in selective binding and inhibition of microbial ATP synthase. In this review, the therapeu-tic connection between dietary phytochemicals and ATP synthase is summarized based on the inhibition of ATP synthase by dietary phytochemicals. Research suggests selective target-ing of ATP synthase is a valuable alternative molecular level approach to combat antibiotic resistant microbial infections.