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Introduction: Widening participation in Medicine is a key policy priority as it helps promote a diverse and representative workforce and improves patient care. The selection process employed can influence the socio-economic composition of the student cohort and this study therefore evaluated whether Multiple Mini Interview (MMI) performance was influenced by school type or area-level Higher Education (HE) participation rates. Methods: MMI performance for all UK applicants was recorded and consent to link performance with socio-economic data was requested using an applicant questionnaire. Station-level and total MMI scores, and offer rates were compared between applicants from non-selective, non-fee-paying schools and from selective and/or fee-paying schools; and between applicants from each quintile of area-level HE participation. Results: 793 applicants were included in the analysis. MMI performance and offer rates were slightly higher for applicants from non-selective, non-fee-paying schools and/or from lower HE participation quintiles, but the effects were small and not statistically significant. Conclusions: The MMI did not favour applicants from selective and/or fee-paying schools, or from areas with high HE participation rates. Work to evaluate whether the relationship between MMI and medical school performance is the same for all sub-groups of students is now required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efficient transfection of NG108-15 cells with GABAB receptor subunits was achieved using polyethylenimine. Baclofen modulated high voltage-activated Ca2+ current in differentiated cells transfected with GABAB1 and GABAB2 receptor subunits or with the GABAB2 subunit alone, but not with the GABAB1 subunit alone. Characteristics of the current modulation were very similar for cells transfected with GABAB1/2 and GABAB2 subunits. Using antisense oligonucleotides against GABAB1 subunits and also western immunoblotting, we are able to show that NG108-15 cells contain endogenous GABAB1 subunits. Therefore, functional receptors can be formed by the combination of native GABAB1 subunits with transfected GABAB2 subunits, in agreement with the proposed heteromeric structure of GABAB receptors. Finally, we used selective channel blockers to identify the subtypes of Ca2+ channels that are modulated by GABAB receptors. In fact, in differentiated NG108-15 cells, the recombinant GABAB receptors couple only to N-type Ca2+ channels. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]