The impact of various assessment parameters on medical students' performance in first professional examination in physiology

Background:

This study was carried out to assess the relationship between thevarious assessment parameters, viz. continuous assessment (CA), multiple choice questions (MCQ), essay, practical, oral with the overall performance in the first professional examination in Physiology.

Materials and Methods:

The results of all 244 students that sat for the examination over 4 years were used. The CA, MCQ, essay, practical, oral and overall performance scores were obtained. All the scores were rounded up to 100% to give each parameter equal weighting.

Results:

Analysis showed that the average overall performance was 50.8 ± 5.3. The best average performance was in practical (55.5 ± 9.1), while the least was in MCQ (44.1 ± 7.8). In the study, 81.1% of students passed orals, 80.3% passed practical, 72.5% passed CA, 58.6% passed essay, 22.5% passed MCQ and 71.7% of students passed on the overall performance. All assessment parameters significantly correlated with overall performance. Continuous assessment had the best correlation (r = 0.801, P = 0.000), while oral had the least correlation (r = 0.277, P = 0.000) with overall performance. Essay was the best predictor of overall performance (β = 0.421, P = 000), followed by MCQ (β = 0.356, P = 000), while practical was the least predictor of performance (β = 0.162, P = 000).

Conclusion:

We suggest that the department should uphold the principle of continuous assessment and more effort be made in the design of MCQ so that performance can improve.

Farm-related ocular trauma in Makurdi, Nigeria

BACKGROUND

Benue State, Nigeria, is largely an agrarian community. Farm related ocular injuries abound in this environment. Approximately two-third of all patients presenting to the eye casualty department do so because of ocular trauma sustained on the farm. This study aims to study the pattern and burden of farm related ocular injuries and its consequences and institute appropriate measures that will minimize visual loss from such injuries.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis of 1560 patients' record treated for ocular injuries between June 2000 and May 2005. The biodata extracted for each patient included age, sex, occupation, cause of injury, ongoing activities at time of injuries, severity of injury, time interval before presentation and entry and exit visual acuity.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSION

Result showed that of the 1560 patients' record audited, 1113 (71%) were male and 447 (29%) female. Their age ranged between 2 and 75 years with peak age incidence in the 2nd and 3rd decades. More than two-third of all ocular injuries were sustained in the farm environment with spear-grass corneal abrasion being the most common lesion. Only 25% presented for attention on the day of injury. On presentation, 55% presented with visual impairment, 15% presented blind in the affected eye. Closed eye injuries were more common than open eye injuries with the former having better prognosis.

Evaluation of the efficacy of separate oral supplements compared with the combined oral supplements of vitamins C and E on sperm motility in Wistar rats

Infertility is a major reproductive and social problem with a worldwide prevalence of 10-15%. While 11.8-39.0% of infertility cases are attributable to the female, 15.8-42.4% is attributed to the male and 8.0-11.1% to unknown factors. The study investigated the efficacy of the single versus combined regimes of antioxidant vitamins C and E oral supplements on sperm motility in the reproductively matured Wistar rats. Twenty [20] male Wistar rats aged 12 weeks and weighing between 182 g and 252 g were randomly grouped into 4 experimental blocks [A-D] of 5 rats each. Block A rats were served combined daily dose of 90 mg vitamin C and 15 mg vitamin E, block B rats had no treatment and served as control, block C rats were served daily dose of 15 mg vitamin E only while block D rats were served daily dose of 90 mg vitamin C only; all treatments were administered for 28 days. On the 29th day, the rats were humanely sacrificed and semen analyzed for sperm motility. The study showed that treatment with vitamins C and E as single regime significantly improved [P<0.01] the forward, progressive [category a] mean percentage sperm motility by 70 and 75 folds respectively while significantly decreasing [P<0.01] the non-progressive [category c] mean percent sperm motility by 8 and 5 folds respectively compared to the control mean percent sperm motility. We therefore conclude that sperm motility in the Wistar rats is significantly improved with the separate oral supplements of vitamins C and E as compared with the combined supplements.