Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education最新文献

{"title":"Assessment of early scientific research skills training for medical undergraduates in China","authors":"Xueer Liu,&nbsp;Huiyu Chen,&nbsp;Xiaoying Liu,&nbsp;Teng Teng,&nbsp;Xuemei Li,&nbsp;Dan Zhu,&nbsp;Xinyu Zhou","doi":"10.1002/bmb.21806","DOIUrl":"10.1002/bmb.21806","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The medical field is facing a physician-scientist shortage, threatening future medical research and development. Medical institutions can contribute to developing physician-scientists by stimulating students' involvement in research. In this study, a medical undergraduate teaching module to develop research skills and encourage interest in research was held in Chongqing, China. Undergraduate medical students at Chongqing Medical University completed research skills training. Before and after the training, an online, anonymous, self-reported questionnaire was administered. The self-reported questionnaire investigated students' demographic characteristics, students' perception of attitudes toward conducting research, research skills (e.g., identifying and utilizing information, critical appraisal of literature, paper writing, and understanding of research), and feedback on scientific research training. The module was implemented with 25 students from July 2019 to October 2019, and 96.0% (<i>N</i> = 24) of participants responded to the questionnaire both prior to and after the training. In the evaluation of research skills, results showed that use of appropriate tools for research (<i>Z</i> = −3.340, <i>p</i> &lt; 0.01), students' ability to undertake a focused literature search (<i>Z</i> = −3.40, <i>p</i> &lt; 0.01), identifying and utilizing information (<i>Z</i> = −3.34, <i>p</i> &lt; 0.01), and paper-writing skills (<i>Z</i> = −3.49, <i>p</i> &lt; 0.01) were significantly improved after the undergraduates participated in the scientific research training. A qualitative analysis of the feedback showed that students found that the training helped to enhance their knowledge, improve their study scores, and motivate them to conduct research in the future. Early scientific research ability training strengthened the research skills of medical undergraduates and motivated them to pursue research.</p>","PeriodicalId":8830,"journal":{"name":"Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education","volume":"52 2","pages":"210-219"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2024-01-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139458610","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Multi-focused laboratory experiments based on Quorum Sensing and Quorum Quenching for acquiring Microbial Physiology concepts","authors":"Mariela Analía Torres,&nbsp;Alejandra Leonor Valdez,&nbsp;Carolina de Lourdes Olea,&nbsp;María Fernanda Figueroa,&nbsp;Carlos Gabriel Nieto-Peñalver","doi":"10.1002/bmb.21815","DOIUrl":"10.1002/bmb.21815","url":null,"abstract":"<p>After a time away from the classrooms and laboratories due to the global pandemic, the return to teaching activities during the semester represented a challenge to both teachers and students. Our particular situation in a Microbial Physiology course was the necessity of imparting in shorter time, laboratory practices that usually take longer. This article describes a 2-week-long laboratory exercise that covers several concepts in an interrelated way: conjugation as a gene transfer mechanism, regulation of microbial physiology, production of secondary metabolites, degradation of macromolecules, and biofilm formation. Utilizing a Quorum Quenching (QQ) strategy, the Quorum Sensing (QS) system of <i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i> is first attenuated. Then, phenotypes regulated by QS are evidenced. QS is a regulatory mechanism of microbial physiology that relies on signal molecules. QS is related in <i>P. aeruginosa</i> to several virulence factors, some of which are exploited in the laboratory practices presented in this work. QQ is a phenomenon by which QS is interrupted or attenuated. We utilized a QQ approach based on the enzymatic degradation of the <i>P. aeruginosa</i> QS signals to evidence QS-regulated traits that are relevant to our Microbial Physiology course. Results obtained with the same test performed by a random group of students before and after the activities show the positive effectiveness of the approach presented in this work.</p>","PeriodicalId":8830,"journal":{"name":"Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education","volume":"52 3","pages":"359-368"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2024-01-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139466044","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Teaching biologics design using molecular modeling and simulations","authors":"Andrew Phillips,&nbsp;Anusha Srinivas,&nbsp;Ilina Prentoska,&nbsp;Margaret O'Dea,&nbsp;Matthew Kustrup,&nbsp;Sarah Hurley,&nbsp;Savannah Bruno,&nbsp;Vy Nguyen,&nbsp;Pin-Kuang Lai","doi":"10.1002/bmb.21813","DOIUrl":"10.1002/bmb.21813","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Teaching chemistry and biology students about biologics design remains challenging despite its increasing importance in pharmaceutical development. Monoclonal antibodies, commonly called mAbs, are the most popular biologics. They have been developed into drugs to treat various diseases in the past decades. Multiple challenges exist for designing proper formulations to stabilize mAbs, such as preventing aggregation and mitigating viscosity. Molecular modeling and simulations can improve pharmaceutical products by examining the interactions between mAbs and other compounds, such as excipients. To introduce students to biopharmaceuticals, eight students at the Stevens Institute of Technology participated in a semester-long course to learn the challenges of pharmaceutical development and different computational skills to study biologics design. The students started with a limited background in this field. Throughout one semester, they were introduced to various literature and software tools for modeling antibodies and studying their interactions with excipients. This paper aims to develop a course structure to be replicated at other universities and institutions to teach biopharmaceutical development to students.</p>","PeriodicalId":8830,"journal":{"name":"Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education","volume":"52 3","pages":"299-310"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2024-01-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139401635","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Writing a literature review as a class project in an upper-level undergraduate biochemistry course","authors":"Sanchita Hati,&nbsp;Sudeep Bhattacharyya","doi":"10.1002/bmb.21814","DOIUrl":"10.1002/bmb.21814","url":null,"abstract":"<p>A literature review is an important part of conducting academic research. Knowing how to conduct a literature search and write a high-quality literature review is a valuable skill. Herein, the authors describe the method of introducing a literature review writing exercise in an upper-level biochemistry course. Since 2020, authors have collaborated with numerous undergraduates writing literature reviews on topics in biochemistry that resulted in peer-reviewed publications. Authors believe that this unique idea of providing a course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE) to many undergraduates, especially those who otherwise do not receive collaborative research experience through traditional research paths, must be shared with other instructors.</p>","PeriodicalId":8830,"journal":{"name":"Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education","volume":"52 3","pages":"311-316"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2024-01-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/bmb.21814","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139401636","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A comprehensive stem cell laboratory module with blended learning for medical students at Tongji University","authors":"Jie Xu,&nbsp;Zhihua Shao,&nbsp;Song Jia,&nbsp;Jihong Sha,&nbsp;Jiao Li,&nbsp;Furong Gao,&nbsp;Xiujuan Shi,&nbsp;Juan Wang,&nbsp;Caixia Jin,&nbsp;Mei Jiang,&nbsp;Haibin Tian,&nbsp;Jinfeng Cao,&nbsp;Hu Pu,&nbsp;Lei Xu,&nbsp;Lixia Lu","doi":"10.1002/bmb.21812","DOIUrl":"10.1002/bmb.21812","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The laboratory practice “Primary culture and directional differentiation of rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs)” is part of a required course for sophomore medical students at Tongji university, which has been conducted since 2012. Blended learning has been widely applied in medical courses. Based on a student-centered teaching philosophy, we reconstructed a comprehensive stem cell laboratory module with blended learning in 2021, aiming to facilitate students in enhancing their understanding of the multi-lineage differentiation potential of stem cells and improve their experimental skills, self-directed learning ability, and innovative thinking. First, we constructed in-depth online study resources, including videos demonstrating laboratory procedures, a PowerPoint slide deck, and published literature on student self-learning before class. In class, students performed a primary culture of BMSCs, freely chose among adipogenic, osteogenic, or chondrogenic differentiation, and used cytochemical or immunofluorescence staining for identification. After class, the extracurricular part involved performing quantitative polymerase chain reaction to examine the expression of multi-lineage differentiation marker genes, which was designed as an elective. After 2 years of practice, positive feedback was obtained from both students and faculty members who achieved, the learning goal as expected. The reconstructed stem cell laboratory module provides comprehensive practice opportunities for students. Students have a better understanding of BMSC at the molecular, cellular, and functional levels and have improved their experimental skills, which forms a basis for scientific research for medical students. Introducing blended learning into other medical laboratory practices thus seems valuable.</p>","PeriodicalId":8830,"journal":{"name":"Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education","volume":"52 3","pages":"291-298"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2024-01-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139377168","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evaluating ChatGPT as a self-learning tool in medical biochemistry: A performance assessment in undergraduate medical university examination","authors":"Krishna Mohan Surapaneni,&nbsp;Anusha Rajajagadeesan,&nbsp;Lakshmi Goudhaman,&nbsp;Shalini Lakshmanan,&nbsp;Saranya Sundaramoorthi,&nbsp;Dineshkumar Ravi,&nbsp;Kalaiselvi Rajendiran,&nbsp;Porchelvan Swaminathan","doi":"10.1002/bmb.21808","DOIUrl":"10.1002/bmb.21808","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The emergence of ChatGPT as one of the most advanced chatbots and its ability to generate diverse data has given room for numerous discussions worldwide regarding its utility, particularly in advancing medical education and research. This study seeks to assess the performance of ChatGPT in medical biochemistry to evaluate its potential as an effective self-learning tool for medical students. This evaluation was carried out using the university examination question papers of both parts 1 and 2 of medical biochemistry which comprised theory and multiple choice questions (MCQs) accounting for a total of 100 in each part. The questions were used to interact with ChatGPT, and three raters independently reviewed and scored the answers to prevent bias in scoring. We conducted the inter-item correlation matrix and the interclass correlation between raters 1, 2, and 3. For MCQs, symmetric measures in the form of kappa value (a measure of agreement) were performed between raters 1, 2, and 3. ChatGPT generated relevant and appropriate answers to all questions along with explanations for MCQs. ChatGPT has “passed” the medical biochemistry university examination with an average score of 117 out of 200 (58%) in both papers. In Paper 1, ChatGPT has secured 60 ± 2.29 and 57 ± 4.36 in Paper 2. The kappa value for all the cross-analysis of Rater 1, Rater 2, and Rater 3 scores in MCQ was 1.000. The evaluation of ChatGPT as a self-learning tool in medical biochemistry has yielded important insights. While it is encouraging that ChatGPT has demonstrated proficiency in this area, the overall score of 58% indicates that there is work to be done. To unlock its full potential as a self-learning tool, ChatGPT must focus on generating not only accurate but also comprehensive and contextually relevant content.</p>","PeriodicalId":8830,"journal":{"name":"Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education","volume":"52 2","pages":"237-248"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2023-12-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138796847","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Students’ perceptions of online education: A session at the FAOBMB–IUBMB–CBSL virtual education symposium 2021","authors":"Minul Doluweera,&nbsp;Kiriheneappuhamilage Don Harindu Kusaljith Kirihene,&nbsp;Neluwa-Liyanage Ruwan Indika,&nbsp;Channa Nirmal Sirisena,&nbsp;Asel Helitha Jatunarachchi,&nbsp;Uthkarsha Chandrasena,&nbsp;Senumi Gihansa Dharmadasa,&nbsp;Amali Samaranayake,&nbsp;Vonara Gatharie Devendra,&nbsp;Vinudi Nimethma Edirisinghe,&nbsp;Thusharie Sugandhika Suresh,&nbsp;Sharmila Jayasena,&nbsp;Gracia Fe Budoy Yu,&nbsp;Crist John Pastor,&nbsp;Tharanga Thoradeniya","doi":"10.1002/bmb.21807","DOIUrl":"10.1002/bmb.21807","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The Federation of Asian and Oceanian Biochemists and Molecular Biologists (FAOBMB) and the College of Biochemists of Sri Lanka (CBSL) organized a virtual education symposium in 2021 funded by the International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (IUBMB). The parallel session named “Students’ Perception” was attended by 188 participants from 11 countries. The main objectives of this session were to aggregate participants’ viewpoints on aspects of virtual education, including innovative strategies to enhance motivation and engagement of students, improving teacher–student and student–student interactions, managing stress, and virtual learning platforms. Data were collected via rapporteurs from multiple segments of the session including a mini-introductory talk, poll, role play, and discussions about outstanding student experiences, types of virtual platforms, innovative methods of teaching, student motivation and stress management. The importance of student perception and issues like technological difficulties and the reluctance of students to engage were discussed. In addition to well-established strategies such as using polls, chat box features, and discussions in breakout rooms, participants also proposed exciting learning methods to engage students such as quizzes, competitions and challenges, engagement of multiple sensory modalities, story-based learning, and so forth. This report provides anecdotal evidence on pedagogies described in textbooks and also introduces new ideas based on this existing foundation. Future research should aim to harmonize virtual education with traditional classroom methods and explore innovative virtual tools like avatar-based universities, virtual labs, and user-friendly online assessment platforms. The results apply to all disciplines, and not exclusively to biochemistry and molecular biology (BMB).</p>","PeriodicalId":8830,"journal":{"name":"Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education","volume":"52 2","pages":"228-236"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2023-12-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138687719","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A challenge-based interdisciplinary undergraduate concept fostering translational medicine","authors":"Floris A. Valentijn,&nbsp;Michael Y. Schakelaar,&nbsp;Maria A. Hegeman,&nbsp;Willemijn D. Schot,&nbsp;Wim J. A. G. Dictus,&nbsp;Sandra Crnko,&nbsp;Toine ten Broeke,&nbsp;Niels Bovenschen","doi":"10.1002/bmb.21804","DOIUrl":"10.1002/bmb.21804","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Translational medicine (TM) is an interdisciplinary branch of biomedicine that bridges the gap from bench-to-bedside to improve global health. Fundamental TM skills include interdisciplinary collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and creative problem-solving (4Cs). TM is currently limited in undergraduate biomedical education programs, with little patient contact and opportunities for collaboration between different disciplines. In this study, we developed and evaluated a novel interdisciplinary challenge-based educational concept, grounded in the theoretical framework of experimental research-based education, to implement TM in undergraduate biomedicine and medicine programs. Students were introduced to an authentic clinical problem through an interdisciplinary session with patients, medical doctors, and scientists. Next, students collaborated in groups to design unique laboratory-based research proposals addressing this problem. Stakeholders subsequently rewarded the best proposal with funding to be executed in a consecutive interdisciplinary laboratory course, in which mixed teams of biomedicine and medicine students performed the research in a fully equipped wet laboratory. Written questionnaires and focus groups revealed that students developed 4C skills and acquired a 4C mindset. Working on an authentic patient case and the interdisciplinary setting positively contributed to communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creative problem-solving skills. Furthermore, students were intrinsically motivated by (i) the relevance of their work that made them feel taken seriously and competent, (ii) the patient involvement that highlighted the societal relevance of their work, and (iii) the acquisition of a realistic view of what doing science in a biomedical research laboratory is. In conclusion, we showcase a widely applicable interdisciplinary challenge-based undergraduate concept fostering TM.</p>","PeriodicalId":8830,"journal":{"name":"Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education","volume":"52 2","pages":"198-209"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2023-11-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/bmb.21804","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138443692","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Universe","authors":"Joselyn Michelle Almeida,&nbsp;Andrés París-Muñoz","doi":"10.1002/bmb.21797","DOIUrl":"10.1002/bmb.21797","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":8830,"journal":{"name":"Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education","volume":"52 2","pages":"252-253"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2023-11-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138443723","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"DNA","authors":"Dipika Mishra","doi":"10.1002/bmb.21805","DOIUrl":"10.1002/bmb.21805","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This year marks 70 years since the discovery of DNA, and this poem “DNA” is an attempt to make the general audience aware of the basic features of this macromolecule.</p>","PeriodicalId":8830,"journal":{"name":"Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education","volume":"52 2","pages":"254"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2023-11-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138175484","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}