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The Role of Sex Hormones in the Pathogenesis of Renal Diseases
Agnieszka Pęczuła IFMSA - Poland Medical University of Warsaw peczula@yahoo.pl
2 years ago, I participated in a research project about the influence of sex hormones on the pathogenesis of renal diseases in Bratislava, Slovakia. Epidemiological studies have shown that being a male is, by itself, a risk factor for the emergence and development of chronic kidney disease and that was the focus of our study.
inoculation loops and Escherichia Coli.
Fortunately for me, there was a direct bus between my hometown in Poland and Bratislava. Upon arrival, I was greeted by the Local Officer,Veronica. The dorms were in the suburbs of Bratislava and my room mate, Dilara, was a girl from Turkey and we hit it off as friends almost instantly despite the many cultural differences.
I was the only SCORE student there so I joined a group of about 20 SCOPE students. I met people from Turkey, Greece, Spain, Mexico, Russia, and Taiwan, which was a very interesting experience, learning about so many different cultures. I was able to compare many different aspects of medical education all around the globe, and tried different traditional.
Bratislava lays at the riverbanks of Danube and the most breathtaking places for sightseeing are the castle at the top of the hill and the Slavin Monument, both giving astonishing views of the whole city. Bratislava is only an hour away from Vienna.
My task was to set a standard procedure on infecting mice with E. Coli and inducing renal diseases. Every medical student had to perform urinary catheterization on mice; imagine how hard that is when the mouse’s entire body is no more than 5 cm long.
All the people I have met were amazing and I am still in touch with them. It has been one of the best experiences of my life!
My tutors were Julius Hodosy and Lubomira Tothova of the Institute of Molecular Biomedicine at the Comenius University in Bratislava. I had just finished my second year of medical studies and fresh out of my physiology and histology classes. The tutors were kind enough to teach me about
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