‘Teach Me Chemistry Like a Ladder and Make it Real’ – Barriers and Motivations Students Face in Learning Chemistry for Bioscience

Students enrolled in the Bachelor of Nursing program come with diverse academic abilities, age, language skills and experience. Many enrol without any prior knowledge of the supporting sciences including chemistry. Moreover, whilst some do possess such prior knowledge, they may have had a substantial break since they last studied chemistry. This paper draws from surveys and interviews conducted to investigate students’ prior knowledge of chemistry and experiences around learning. These were first year students enrolled in a core unit of anatomy and physiology for which, albeit implicitly some prior knowledge of chemistry is assumed. It explores barriers and motivations to learning chemistry and offers insights into what students need in order to gain a mastery of the foundational chemical principles that underlie anatomy and physiology. This research is of considerable importance given that the teaching of anatomy and physiology relies heavily on foundation-level chemistry knowledge. It is of great significance if students can be better supported in the successful learning, retention and completion of their nursing studies. Insights reveal that problems stem from various factors including length of time since their last chemistry studies, language difficulties, students’ interests and motivations in the subject, pace and structure of sessions, relevance of information and the students’ ability to manage the amount of content. This informs future practice suggesting that it is important to scaffold the learning for all students in a structured and relevant manner. Additionally, it supports the development and provision of resources to support students transitioning into higher education from diverse backgrounds

Effect of Exposure of Human Monocyte-Derived Macrophages to High, versus Normal, Glucose on Subsequent Lipid Accumulation from Glycated and Acetylated Low-Density Lipoproteins

During atherosclerosis monocyte-derived macrophages accumulate cholesteryl esters from low-density lipoproteins (LDLs) via lectin-like oxidised LDL receptor-1 (LOX-1) and class AI and AII (SR-AI, SR-AII) and class B (SR-BI, CD36) scavenger receptors. Here we examined the hypothesis that hyperglycaemia may modulate receptor expression and hence lipid accumulation in macrophages. Human monocytes were matured into macrophages in 30 versus 5 mM glucose and receptor expression and lipid accumulation quantified. High glucose elevated LOX1 mRNA, but decreased SR-AI, SR-BI, LDLR, and CD36 mRNA. SR-BI and CD36 protein levels were decreased. Normo- and hyperglycaemic cells accumulated cholesteryl esters from modified LDL to a greater extent than control LDL, but total and individual cholesteryl ester accumulation was not affected by glucose levels. It is concluded that, whilst macrophage scavenger receptor mRNA and protein levels can be modulated by high glucose, these are not key factors in lipid accumulation by human macrophages under the conditions examined

The use of simulation as a novel experiential learning module in undergraduate science pathophysiology education

Teaching of pathophysiology concepts is a core feature in health professional programs, but it can be challenging in undergraduate medical/biomedical science education, which is often highly theoretical when delivered by lectures and pen-and-paper tutorials. Authentic case studies allow students to apply their theoretical knowledge but still require good imagination on the part of the students. Lecture content can be reinforced through practical learning experiences in clinical environments. In this study, we report a new approach using clinical simulation within a Human Pathophysiology course to enable undergraduate science students to see "pathophysiology in action" in a clinical setting. Students role played health professionals, and, in these roles, they were able to interact with each other and the manikin "patient," take a medical history, perform a physical examination and consider relevant treatments. Evaluation of students' experiences suggests that using clinical simulation to deliver case studies is more effective than traditional paper-based case studies by encouraging active learning and improving the understanding of physiological concepts. © 2016 The American Physiological Society

Oxidative phenomena in T lymphocyte activation

Murine lymph node cells (LNC) were used as model for the assessment of a role for reactive oxygen species (ROS) in T lymphocyte activation. When 2’7’- dichlorofluorescin (DCFHz) is oxidised it becomes the fluorescent compound dichlorofluorescein. Analysis of DCFHz-loaded LNC by flow cytometry identified an increase in DCFH2 oxidation upon stimulation with a mitogenic dose of the phorbol ester, phorbol myristate acetate. This could also be seen, although to a lesser extent, with a mitogenic dose of the lectin concanavalin A. The phorbol ester-induced increase in DCFH2 oxidation was inhibited by chelerythrine and desferrioxamine (the latter at concentrations lower than that required for maximal inhibition of lymphoproliferation in vitro), indicating a role in DCFHZ oxidation for protein kinase C and iron, respectively. Analysis of LNC prelabelled with an antibody against a pan-T lymphocyte marker, Thy-1, established that phorbol ester treatment of LNC induces an increase in DCFHZ oxidation in murine T lymphocytes. The inhibition of DCFH2 oxidation in LNC by superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione/glutathione peroxidase suggested that the source of oxidants may have been B lymphocytes and/or phagocytic cells within the population and that the oxidation in T lymphocytes essentially represented a "bystander effect". This was supported by preliminary studies where there was little or no response to phorbol ester stimulation in DCFHz-loaded LNC from mice lacking a functional NADPH oxidase (gp91Ph0X gene knockout mice). Studies of cell-free oxidation of DCFH2 demonstrated that the fluorogen could be oxidised by peroxyl radicals from either chemical (2,2'-azobis(2-amidinopropane) dihydrochloride) or enzymatic (soybean lipoxygenase) sources. Finally, the role of iron in T lymphocyte activation was investigated using the iron chelators desferrioxamine and a set of novel pyridoxal-based compounds. The novel iron chelators were of comparable or greater potency compared to desferrioxamine with regard to inhibition of lymphoproliferation in vitro. Time course studies confirmed previous reports by showing that a major target of iron chelators in activated T lymphocytes are events late in G1 or at the G1/S transition of the cell cycle. These studies: highlight the technical difficulties of assaying oxidant production using mixed populations of cells; support the notion that DCFH2 is a general target for radical-mediated oxidation; and confirm a critical role for iron in DNA synthesis in activated T lymphocytes

Is H + the symbol for acid? Provision of learning support in foundation-level chemistry for Bachelor of Nursing students enrolled in bioscience subjects

Abstract Despite the value given to the teaching of bioscience as a central component of undergraduate nursing education, it has been accepted that nursing students often find bioscience subjects some of the most difficult to both master and perform well in. This nuts and bolts paper explores a practical approach undertaken to give first year students, commencing their anatomy and physiology unit, the opportunity to selfassess their existing knowledge of chemistry. We then evaluated the outcomes of a providing a wiki of student-sourced web pages on chemistry that students could use to address any knowledge gaps or revise aspects of basic chemistry. We found that students were open to using online resources provided they saw the relevance, were aware of them and had time and access to tools. Additionally, results also indicated that encouragement from teaching staff may drive the usage of self-directed online resources

Oxysterols in biological systems : sources, metabolism and pathophysiological relevance

Oxysterols are the 27-carbon products of cholesterol oxidation by both enzymic and non-enzymic mechanisms. Their roles in cholesterol homeostasis, as well as in diseases in which oxidative damage and lipid peroxidation are implicated (e.g. atherosclerosis), have been investigated extensively. However, there are a number of important considerations regarding the physiological/ pathophysiological functions and activities of the different oxysterols. First, in both normal and diseased tissues, the levels of oxysterols are very low when compared to the native sterol. Also, when assessing studies that have measured the levels of oxysterols in biological samples, there must be careful consideration as to the method of sample isolation, storage and sampling. This is because of the potential generation or loss of oxysterols during these procedures. Additionally, the relevance of in vitro studies which examine the effects of oxysterols upon cell function should be judged as to cellular oxysterol content (both in terms of the levels of oxysterol and the degree of esterification) resulting from the oxysterol treatment. We present evidence that the means by which oxysterol is delivered in vitro determines whether the oxysterol content reflects what has been found in vivo. Studies identifying the specific cellular targets of oxysterol indicate that several oxysterols may be regulators of cellular lipid metabolism via control of gene transcription