The Barcelona SGA-SEG student chapter: New fronts for international cooperation in teaching Geology and student exchanges

The Barcelona SGA-SEG Student Chapter is a student organization created and organized by students from the Faculty of Earth Science (University of Barcelona; UB). It offers to students interested in Mineralogy, Mineral Deposits and Economic Geology the opportunity to participate in research projects, student exchanges, seminars and courses in an international level. The students develop capacity of self-organization, team-work and public social skills. Recent activities are international exchange of student groups and participation in the project to update and replicate the mineral collection of the UB

Clinical characteristics and patterns of healthcare utilization in patients with painful neuropathic disorders in UK general practice: a retrospective cohort study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Clinical characteristics and patterns of healthcare utilization in patients with painful neuropathic disorders (PNDs) who are under the care of general practitioners (GPs) in the UK are not well understood.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Using a large electronic UK database, we identified all adults (age ≥ 18 years) with any GP encounters between 1 January 2006 - 31 December 2006 at which a diagnosis of PND was noted ("PND patients"). An age-and gender-matched comparison group also was constituted consisting of randomly selected patients with one or more GP encounters-but no mention of PNDs-during this period. Characteristics and patterns of healthcare utilization of patients in the two groups were then examined over the one-year study period.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The study sample consisted of 31,688 patients with mention of PNDs and an equal number of matched comparators; mean age was 56 years, and 62% were women. The prevalence of various comorbidities was higher among patients in the PND group, including digestive disorders (31% vs. 17% for comparison group), circulatory disorders (29% vs. 22%), and depression (4% vs. 3%) (all <it>p </it>< 0.01). Receipt of prescriptions for pain-related pharmacotherapy also was higher among PND patients, including nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (56% of PND patients had one or more such prescriptions vs. only 22% in the comparison group), opioids (49% vs. 12%), tricyclic antidepressants (20% vs. 1%), and antiepileptics (12% vs. 1%) (all <it>p </it>< 0.01). PND patients also averaged significantly more GP visits (22.8 vs. 14.2) and referrals to specialists (2.8 vs. 1.4) over one year (both comparisons <it>p </it>< 0.01).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Patients with PNDs under the care of GPs in the UK have relatively high levels of use of healthcare services and pain-related pharmacotherapy.</p

“Ictal” Alien Hand Syndrome

The alien hand syndrome is rare, occurring with lesions in the mesial frontal lobe area and corpus callosum. We report an unusual presentation of seizures in a 65-year-old woman with a presumed low-grade glioma involving the mesial frontal lobe region, with the “alien hand” seen only during a seizure. Neuropsychological evaluation revealed lateralized cognitive dysfunction consistent with the location of the lesion. There were no interictal indications of disconnection syndrome. The mechanism postulated is disruption of transcallosal motor connections due to the propagating seizure across nondominant motor regions

Dinámica de la formación estadística del profesional de Medicina

Background: there are insufficiencies in the statistical training of the medical professional who demand an improvement oriented towards greater relevance in relation to the exercise of the profession. Objective: to design a model to perfect the dynamics of the statistical training process of the medical professional. Methods: a developmental research was developed at Sancti Spíritus University of Medical Sciences from 2009 to 2014. Theoretical methods were: analysis-synthesis and holistic dialectic; Empirical studies: the documentary review of scientific articles, career study plans starting in 1985, their syllabuses and basic teaching literature (texts and study guides) of subjects that contain statistical contents in their thematic plans, and the interview to key informants to complement the evidence found in the documentary review and the experts´ criteria for the valuation of the proposed model. Results: as a fundamental result of the research, a model of the dynamics of the statistical training process typified by the integration between the procedural and the evaluative was designed, which facilitates the approximation of this process towards the exercise of the medical profession. Conclusions: the model was assessed by experts as adequate for its relevance, its coherent and logical structure in the relationship of its categories, as well as its well-grounded theoretical foundations. It is a tool that enables a new approach in the teaching of this discipline that contributes to support decision making in medical practice.Fundamento: existen insuficiencias en la formación estadística del profesional médico que reclaman un perfeccionamiento orientado hacia mayor pertinencia en relación con el ejercicio de la profesión.Objetivo: diseñar un modelo para perfeccionar la dinámica del proceso de formación estadística del profesional de la Medicina.Métodos: se desarrolló una investigación de desarrollo en la Universidad de Ciencias Médicas de Sancti Spíritus en el periodo comprendido de 2009 a 2014. Se utilizaron como métodos teóricos: análisis-síntesis y el holístico-dialéctico; empíricos: la revisión documental de artículos científicos, los planes de estudio de la carrera a partir del año 1985, sus programas y literatura docente básica (textos y guías de estudio) de las asignaturas que contienen contenidos estadísticos en sus planes temáticos, y la entrevista a informantes clave para complementar las evidencias encontradas en la revisión documental y el criterio de expertos para la valoración del modelo propuesto.Resultados: como resultado esencial de la investigación se diseñó un modelo de la dinámica del proceso de formación estadística tipificado por la integración entre lo procedimental y lo valorativo, lo que propicia la aproximación de este proceso hacia el ejercicio de la profesión médica.Conclusiones: el modelo fue valorado por los expertos como adecuado por su relevancia, su estructura coherente y lógica en el tramado de relaciones de sus categorías, así como por sus fundamentos teóricos bien argumentados. Constituye una herramienta que posibilita un nuevo enfoque en la enseñanza de esta disciplina que contribuye a sustentar la toma de decisiones en la práctica médica.