Editorial

This article has no abstract

Teaching Competencies

In search of a model of teaching competencies for engineering education, we led a focus group discussion as a workshop at SEFI2023, where we got practitioners’ perspectives on essential competencies for teaching. These were compared to a model of teaching competencies called the S2L model, developed and used at a technical university in Sweden. The aim of the workshop was to enrich the participants’ understanding of which competencies are essential for teaching and to challenge and improve the S2L model. After the workshop, the competencies collected from the participants were analysed using content analysis. The results show that the teaching competencies suggested by the participants fit into the S2L model, giving the model support. The participants agreed that a model for teaching competencies is very useful for educators, for example, in self-development and when supporting new colleagues, as a checklist and a common language. They also expressed that the workshop had widened their views on teaching competencies

Integrative medicine and human health - the role of pre-, pro- and synbiotics

Western lifestyle is associated with a sustained low grade increase in inflammation -increased levels of endotoxin in the body and increased activation of Toll-like receptors and neutrophils, which leads to impaired immunity and reduced resistance to disease, changes which might explain the epidemic of chronic diseases spreading around the globe. The immune system cannot function properly without access to bacteria and raw plants, rich not only in bacteria but also in plant fibre, antioxidants, healthy fats and numerous other nutrients. Modern food technology with plant breeding, separation, condensation of food ingredients, heating, freezing, drying, irradiation, microwaving, are effective tool to counteract optimal immune function, and suspected to be a leading cause of so called Western diseases. Supply of pre-, pro-, and synbiotics have sometimes proved to be effective tools to counteract, especially acute diseases, but have often failed, especially in chronic diseases. Thousands of factors contribute to unhealth and numerous alterations in life style and food habits are often needed, in order to prevent and cure “treatment-resistant” chronic diseases. Such alterations include avoiding processed foods rich in pro-inflammatory molecules, but also a focus on consuming substantial amounts of foods with documented anti-inflammatory effects, often raw and fresh green vegetables and tubers such as turmeric/curcumin

Pragmatic Research on Educational Practice - PREP

Ambitious educators try different forms of interventions in their teaching to see what the effects are. However, they often do not have enough time, or data, to meet the requirement of regular educational research. In this talk, we describe a program for studying and improving teaching practices that uses the activities that educators often already do when developing and evaluating courses and assessing students’ knowledge. We call this Pragmatic Research on Educational Practice, or PREP for short. PREP aims to inspire educators to support each other in the process and share the knowledge they gain to add value to the teaching community and themselves without adding too much to their workload

Liver Resection for Metastatic Colon Carcinoma

This article has no abstract

Ischaemic and metabolic treatment of hepatic tumours

For treatment of malignancies, physical and metabolic differences between tumour cells and host cells have guided the development of new approaches. In this review, two new approaches to be used in the treatment of liver malignancies are outlined: ischaemic therapy and interferences with the glucose metabolism. Ischaemic therapy of liver malignancies has been used in different forms during the last 20 years: from ligation of the hepatic artery, embolization of the arterial tree, transient occlusion of the hepatic artery to the present day use of temporary, intermittent, transient hepatic arterial occlusion. The beneficial effect of ischaemic therapy on malignancies is supposed to depend on oxygen and nutritional deficiency, formation of oxygen-derived free radicals and loss of function in cellular enzymes. The tumour cells seem thereby to be more sensitive than the host cells. Also, ischaemia might potentiate the effect of cytotoxic drugs. Intereferencies with glucose metabolism might be directed either towards the exaggerated tumour glycolysis, for example by glucose analogues like 2-deoxy-glucose, or towards the exaggerated host gluconeogenesis, for example by hydrazine sulphate. These treatments result in reduction of the glucose availability in the intracellular glucose metabolism in the tumour cells and have experimentally been demonstrated to be correlated to reduced tumour growth. It is concluded that both these approaches, ischaemic therapy and manipulations with the glucose metabolism, seem promising for the future. What is needed now is research to clarify the mechanisms behind the effects, to establish their full consequences, and to identify the clinical use of these treatments and their possible combinations

Collateral Formation After Repeated Transient Dearterialization of the Rat Liver

Hepatic artery ligation is used for the palliation of patients with malignant liver tumours. Collaterals are developed rapidly and could to some extent explain why the growth is affected for only a short period. With intermittent dearterialization, collaterals seem to be avoided and possibly a more extended effect should be expected. The most efficient period of dearterialization to avoid collaterals was studied in this experiment. Five groups of rats were treated with daily repeated transient dearterializations for 0 (n = 3), 60 (n = 6), 120 (n = 6), 180 (n = 6) and 240 minutes (n = 6) respectively for 5 days and compared to another group (n = 3) that was permanently dearterialized. After treatment, celiac angiograms were obtained. All hepatic arteries were reliably occluded and patent after 5 days of daily blockades in all but two rats. There were no collaterals demonstrable on the angiograms in the first four groups after 5 days of intermittent obstruction of the arterial blood flow to the liver. After 240 minutes of dearterialization as well as after collaterals developed and were clearly demonstrated on the angiograms after six days. Liver enzymes were normal even after 4 hours of dearterialization. Repeated occlusions of the hepatic artery was reliably achieved with the implantable minioccluder. Repeated, transient dearterializations for 1, 2 or 3 hours could be performed without development of collaterals and without damage to the liver

Liver resection for intrahepatic stones

Intrahepatic stones are difficult to manage, especially when they are associated with bile duct stricture, cholangitis and destruction of liver parenchyma. Suggested modes of treatment include surgical bile duct exploration, endoscopic procedures, transhepatic cholangiolithotomy and liver resection. This paper reports 2 patients in whom liver resection was performed because of intrahepatic ductal stones, bile duct strictures and repeated episodes of cholangitis. Liver resection was uncomplicated and long-term results were satisfactory. Our results support the view that liver resection is indicated in rare instances of intrahepatic bile duct stones associated with bile duct strictures

Hemoperitoneum after spontaneous rupture of liver tumor: results of surgical treatment

Five cases of massive hemoperitoneum caused by spontaneous rupture of liver tumors, collected during a 27-year period, are reported. Four patients had a primary liver malignancy and one patient a liver cyst with hemangioma. Initial symptoms were obscure and hemoperitoneum was suspected pre-operatively in only one patient. At operation, a mean of 3100 ml of blood was found in the abdomen. Hemostatis was achieved by liver resection in four patients and by suture ligation in one. Two patients died during or shortly after operation. The three patients surviving the operation had primary liver cancer and lived for 6 months to 6.5 years. It is concluded that liver resection, whenever possible, is the treatment of choice and that pre-operative delay and mortality may be diminished by increased awareness of this condition