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Biomedical subjects

M Kirch

Publications and source records attributed to M Kirch.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

Website navigation and surgical education.

We evaluated the way in which medical students interacted with a surgical education Website. Ten medical students on their paediatric surgery rotation were asked to study online a chapter on intussusception in young children, for a period of 1 h. The computer was connected by video link to a video-recorder that recorded their navigation movements, i.e. navigation time, time spent in front of each page, stepwise, progressive exploration of the surgical contents, and use of interactive links. The students were asked to complete a questionnaire to identify their overall competency in computers and Internet navigation capabilities. The mean time spent viewing the entire Website was 48 min (range 31-63) and the mean time spent on the assigned chapter was 38 min (range 8-53). Each page out of 14 within the chapter was visited a mean of 1.8 times (range 0-10). Access to video selections occurred after a mean of 10 min after beginning the session. A connection was made to the video a mean of 2.3 times per session. The mean time spent viewing video footage was 9 min (24% of the time spent viewing the chapter). The questionnaire results showed that few students regularly accessed the Internet for educational purposes.

Attitude to Computers↗

[What education means in surgery? A surgery among chirurgical residents in university hospital in Strasbourg].

OBJECTIVE: Numerous tools for surgical education are available. The objective of the study is to know how future surgeons do feel about these different possibilities to learn and what do they think about the place of e-learning, or virtual universities and on-line training and learning in their formation. METHODS: A questionnaire has been sent to each surgical student of Strasbourg University. Learning and training methods were evaluated: observation, fellowship, Internet, reading videos, reading books or scientific journals, discovery of pathology by oneself or performing surgical procedures by oneself, sharing meetings, playing pedagogic games. RESULTS: Fellowship is voted by plebiscite, as using Internet which grows the usual book contents thanks to interactivity, videos, quickenings and actuality of the inquiries. The difficulties to approach this tool is emphasized : the cost, availability, time consuming, lack of any tutor, ability with a computer. Dissection of corpses or live animals is wished by the majority of young surgeons. Using simulators or robots remains something for the future and must be evaluated. CONCLUSION: Fellowship is voted by plebiscite for learning surgery. The interest for new technologies of communication is more out of curiosity than necessity.

Adult↗

Surface activation of polyetheretherketone (PEEK) and formation of calcium phosphate coatings by precipitation.

Plasma activation of polyetheretherketone (PEEK) surfaces and the influence on coating formation in a supersaturated calcium phosphate solution was investigated in this study. It was observed that plasma treatment in a N2/O2 plasma had a significant effect on the wettability of the PEEK surface. The contact angle decreased from 85 degrees to 25 degrees after plasma treatment. Cell culture testing with osteoblastic cell lines showed plasma activation not to be disadvantageous to cell viability. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis was performed to characterize the chemical composition of the PEEK surfaces. It was observed that the O1s intensity increased with plasma activation time. At the C1s peak the appearance of a shoulder at higher binding energies was observed. Coating of PEEK was performed in a supersaturated calcium phosphate solution. Coating thicknesses of up to 50 microm were achieved after 24 days of immersion. Plasma activation followed by nucleation in a highly saturated hydroxyapatite solution had a positive effect on the growth rate of the layer on PEEK. Chemical analysis revealed that the coating consists of a carbonate-containing calcium phosphate.

Journal Article↗

Partial purification of pemphigus-related epidermal antigens.

Epidermal antigens partially purified by either isoelectric focusing (the pH 5.2 peak) or concanavalin A (Con A) affinity chromatography react with Con A in tube precipitation reactions. Bands of identity between crude skin antigens, the Con A affinity antigens eluted with alpha-methyl glucoside and the pH 5.2 peak are formed in Ouchterlony gel with rabbit antisera (Rab) to the pH 5.2 antigen. Absorption of Rab or pemphigus antibodies (Pab) with A+ erythrocytes does not affect complement fixation reactions of Rab with the skin antigen nor abolish the ability of Pab to interact with the intercellular cement. The pH 5.2 epidermal antigens react weakly with Pab in tube precipitation reactions and only weakly, if at all, to inhibit Pab reactions in the region of the intercellular cement. High concentrations of Con A inhibit the Pab, peroxidase-anti-IgG tissue reaction whereas the converse inhibition does not occur. Simultaneous use of both Pab and Con A-perodixase reactions at Con A concentrations which do not inhibit Pab, causes enhanced tissue peroxidase reactions in the region of the intercellular cement. These preliminary data indicate that the Pab and Con A-reacting sites are localized on different molecules or antigenic determinants in the intercellular cement. They exclude the possibility that A-blood substances are involved in either site.

Animals↗

The emerging role of carcinodevelopmental antigens in the clinical laboratory.

Patterns of carcinoembryonic antigens (CEA) in fetal gut, seminal plasma, and amniotic fluids were investigated. In fetal gut the broadest range of CEA-expression occurred during the period of maximal mucosal differentiation. While normal adult colon or other fetal stages expressed lower quantitative and qualitative amounts of CEA, maximal CEA expression could be found in a pool of 20 primary adenocarcinomas of the colon. Low levels of CEA in seminal plasma were associated with subfertile, poorly differentiated sperm as opposed to CEA levels found in either normal ejaculates or those obtained from vasectomized, previously fertile males. In amniotic fluid CEA remained at a constant level between the 16th and 22nd week in utero as did fructose and urea levels. Glucose and histaminase levels showed great variance. The relationship of these latter findings to genetic defects is currently being investigated. These data suggest that an ever increasing number of biologic samples will be tested in the clinical laboratories for carcinodevelopmental antigen levels. These will be used for the prognosis and/or diagnosis of abnormal differentiation patterns in patients with cancer or in the developing fetus.

Amniotic Fluid↗