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Mona Hmoud AlSheikh,1 Rania G Zaini,2 Muhammad Zafar Iqbal1 1Medical Education Department, College of Medicine, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia; 2Medical Education Department, Faculty of Medicine, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi ArabiaCorrespondence: Mona Hmoud AlSheikh, Physiology Department, College of Medicine, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia, Tel +966 50 498 1912, Email monaalsheikh@gmail.com; msheikh@iau.edu.saPurpose: This study aimed at developing a national consensus on entrustable professional activities (EPAs) for Saudi undergraduate medical education and mapping them with the “Saudi Meds” competency framework.Methods: A three phased approach was used. Phase 1 consisted of identifying and developing EPAs; Phase 2 consisted of building a national consensus on developed EPAs (validation process); and Phase 3 consisted of mapping the validated EPAs with the Saudi Meds competency framework. Nominal group and modified Delphi techniques were used to develop consensus on EPAs. Classical test theory-based item analysis was conducted to establish validity and reliability of finalized EPAs.Results: Fifteen expert medical educationists and 109 academic leaders from 23 medical schools participated in the validation process. The study achieved a consensus on 10 core EPAs with an overall reliability (Cronbach’s Alpha) of 0.814. The item-total correlation ranged from 0.341 to 0.642.Conclusion: This study results in a national consensus on generic, comprehensive and region-specific EPAs that have been mapped with Saudi Meds competency framework. Our study is the first step in the direction of facilitating EPA-based curricular reforms in Saudi medical schools.Keywords: competency-based medical education, undergraduate training, entrustable professional activities, competency framework, Saudi Meds

Hong Su,1 Xin Song,1 Juan Li,2 Muhammad Zubair Iqbal,2 Samuel Selorm Fiati Kenston,1 Zhen Li,1 Aiguo Wu,2 Min Ding,3 Jinshun Zhao1 1Department of Preventative Medicine, Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Pathophysiology, Medicine School of Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang, 315211, People’s Republic of China; 2Key Laboratory of Magnetic Materials and Devices, Key Laboratory of Additive Manufacturing Materials of Zhejiang Province, Division of Functional Materials and Nanodevices, Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, Zhejiang, 315201, People’s Republic of China; 3Toxicology and Molecular Biology Branch, Health Effects Laboratory Division, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Morgantown, WV, 26505, USA Introduction: Newly synthesized Janus-structured Fe3O4-TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs) appear to be a promising candidate for the diagnosis and therapy of cancer. Although the toxicity of individual Fe3O4 or TiO2 NPs has been studied extensively, the toxicity of Janus Fe3O4-TiO2 NPs is not clear. Methods: In this study, the biosafety of both Janus Fe3O4-TiO2 NPs (20–25 nm) and the maternal material TiO2 NPs (7–10 nm) were evaluated in Sprague Dawley rats after one intravenous injection into the tail vein. Healthy rats were randomly divided into one control group and six experimental groups. Thirty days after treatment, rats were killed, then blood and tissue samples were collected for hematological, biochemical, element-content, histopathological, and Western blot analysis. Results: The results show that only a slight Ti element accumulation in the heart, spleen, and liver could be found in the Janus Fe3O4-TiO2 NP groups (P>0.05 compared with control). However, significant Ti element accumulation in the spleen, lungs, and liver was found in the TiO2 NP-treated rats. Both Fe3O4-TiO2 NPs and TiO2 NPs could induce certain histopathological abnormalities. Western blot analysis showed that both NPs could induce certain apoptotic or inflammatory-related molecular protein upregulation in rat livers. A certain degree of alterations in liver function and electrolyte and lipid parameters was also observed in rats treated with both materials. However, compared to Janus structure Fe3O4-TiO2 NP-treated groups, TiO2 NPs at 30 mg/kg showed more severe adverse effects. Conclusion: Our results showed that under a low dose (5 mg/kg), both NP types had no significant toxicity in rats. Janus NPs certainly seem less toxic than TiO2 NPs in rats at 30 mg/kg. To ensure safe use of these newly developed Janus NPs in cancer diagnosis and therapy, further animal studies are needed to evaluate long-term bioeffects. Keywords: Fe3O4-TiO2 NPs, Janus structure NPs, TiO2 NPs, accumulation, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, ICP-MS, biodistribution, nanomedicine