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The article presents information on the ways in which admission tests for applicants in the field of medical and business schools are conducted. Applicants to medical and business schools will soon be able to leave their No. 2 pencils at home. Both the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) and the Graduate Management Admission Test are ditching their paper versions in favor of computer formats. The Association of American Medical Colleges has signed a contract with Thomson Prometric, part of the Thomson Corporation, to offer the computer-based version of the MCAT beginning in 2007.

A new analysis published in Clinical Cancer Research suggests that patients with treatment-refractory cancers who did not meet eligibility criteria for a pan-cancer clinical trial but received waivers allowing them to participate had similar outcomes to patients who participated without waivers. The study highlights the potential benefits of broadening eligibility criteria for clinical trials. However, it remains unclear how increasing trial inclusivity might impact treatment safety and efficacy. The study had limitations, including the small sample size of waiver-granted patients. Funding for the study was provided by various organizations, and the authors declared no conflicts of interest. [Extracted from the article]

Researchers have developed models that can predict the progression of cognitive decline in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or mild dementia. The models, based on a large real-world population, can help clinicians answer questions about the rate of cognitive decline in their patients. The study found that, on average, it takes 4 years for MCI to progress to dementia. The researchers have created an easy-to-use calculator that physicians can use to discuss prognosis and intervention strategies with patients. However, the models were built for use in memory clinics, so their generalizability to the general population may be limited. [Extracted from the article]

The article reports that Prozac paperweights and pizza lunches from Viagra peddlers would be strictly banned at academic medical centers under a tough new proposal presented in a paper in last week's issue of the "Journal of the American Medical Association." The paper, by several notable medical educators, calls on medical schools and their affiliated hospitals to crack down on gifts--even token ones--from pharmaceutical companies. The authors argue that physicians and their trainees are much more likely to prescribe expensive, and often ineffective, treatment when a company pays their way to a medical conference or hands them a bag of prescription-drug samples.