Carnitine (vitamin BT) is a compound which is involved with lipid metabolism. This article deals with the carnitine content of foods and diet, the absorption, transport, storage, and excretion of carnitine in humans. The metabolic functions and biosynthesis of carnitine are also reviewed.

The vitamin B-6 requirement of young women consuming a constant high-protein diet (1.55 g/kg body wt) and the effect of various ratios of vitamin B-6 to protein on this requirement were studied. Eight women were fed a lactoovovegetarian basal diet containing 0.45 mg vitamin B-6 (2.66 micromol as pyridoxine) and 30 micromol carnitine for 92 d. The protocol consisted of successive baseline adjustment (9 d), depletion (27 d), and repletion (two 21-d and then one 14-d) periods. Vitamin B-6 intakes were 1.60, 0.45, 1.26, 1.66, and 2.06 mg, resulting in ratios of vitamin B-6 (in mg) to protein (in g) for the five periods of 0.016, 0.005, 0.013, 0.017, and 0.021, respectively. Direct and indirect as well as short- and long-term vitamin B-6 status measures were assessed weekly. Regression analysis revealed that the amount of dietary vitamin B-6 required to normalize urinary 4-pyridoxic acid, plasma pyridoxal-P, erythrocyte pyridoxal-P and pyridoxal, and erythrocyte alanine and aspartate aminotransferase activity coefficients to predepletion baseline values was 1.94 mg vitamin B-6/d (0.019 mg vitamin B-6/g protein). This study suggests that the current vitamin B-6 recommended dietary allowance of 1.6 mg/d based on 0.016 mg/g protein is not an adequate intake and may require reevaluation.

The tsetse fly (Glossina spp.) inhabits 11 million km2 of Africa (Greekmore, 1989) where it is responsible for the transmission of trypanosomosis to man and animals. Because of its slow rate of reproduction, with females producing only four to five pupae per annum, control of the tsetse fly is the best means of controlling trypanosomosis. A number of different methods have been and are used but, whilst successes have been achieved, a long term solution has not been found.

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Purpose The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the importance for medical professionals to engage in work transcending national borders and to deeply understand perspectives of health in other countries. Internationalization of medical education can play a key role to that end, by preparing culturally competent and globally conscious medical healthcare professionals. The aim of this scoping review is to identify current practices and formats in internationalization in medical education, which to date has received sparse academic attention. The need for this review is heightened amid COVID-19 where a clearer understanding of current internationalization efforts can inform more effective practice. We also explore if the motivations driving internationalization activities in medicine align with current practice and formats based on a framework of thematic categories found in the field of international higher education. In addition, we identify gaps in existing research. Methods Using a scoping review, an international and interdisciplinary research team employed a comprehensive search strategy to identify publications on existing efforts in IoME, published from January 1, 2000, to December 31, 2020, in Scopus, PubMed/Medline, Google Scholar, and Web of Science. Inclusion/exclusion criteria were applied to identify relevant data from publication titles, abstracts, and main texts, which were subsequently summarized. Coding schemes were developed based on models for comprehensive internationalization in higher education. Results 350 articles met the inclusion criteria. Most articles originated from the high-income countries of the Global North and accounted for a literature base favoring perspectives and understandings that were typically representative of this region. Whereas motivations for internationalizing medical curricula in high-income countries were generally rooted in a model of social transformation/justice/health equity, drivers relating to competition and workforce preparation were common in the low- and middle-income countries. Importantly, the motivations driving internationalization activities generally did not align well with reported internationalization formats, which included student mobility, international curricula at home, and global partnerships. There was a disconnect between what medical curricula/professionals hope to accomplish and the reality of practice on the ground. Discussion and Conclusion There is a need for a common definition of internationalization of medical education and a more balanced and unbiased literature base, capturing the full spectrum of internationalization activities existing in both the Global North and South. International partnership frameworks need to equally benefit institutions of both the Global North and Global South. Currently, institutions in the low- and middle-income countries generally cater to the needs and interests of their ...