Evolutionary trends of problem-based learning practices throughout a two-year preclinical program: a comparison of students' and teachers' perceptions

Implementation of a pedagogical approach is a continuous and evolving process. As an institution with more than 15years problem-based learning (PBL), we studied how the learning and teaching processes are currently practiced in a 2-year preclinical basic sciences program to assess whether they still match the intended objectives. Using both students' and tutors' evaluations, we analyzed and compared their perceptions on the program content and its organization, on tutors' functioning and on the duration of PBL sessions throughout 11 instructional units of the second and third-year of a 6years medical curriculum. Whereas both tutors and students indicated that the content and problems selected for the curriculum were well adapted to the PBL process, they felt the references as well as the self-study time as moderately appropriate. Over the course of the 2-year program, tutorial sessions got linearly shorter, whereas reporting sessions got longer. While tutors knew well the PBL approach and were suitably prepared to their tutorials, they however, became less regular in providing feedback and in evaluating group functioning over the 2years. Our results suggest that the practice of the PBL process evolves within and throughout a 2-year preclinical program and moves away from the original intentions. Possible underlying reasons and their implications are discussed within the context of tutors' and students' concepts of teaching and learning, the medical schools' learning environment and teaching practices and the difficulty of developing and maintaining in the long term a deep and self-directed learning approac

Impact of road traffic noise annoyance on health-related quality of life: results from a population-based study

Purpose: To estimate the impact of traffic-related noise annoyance on health-related quality of life (HrQoL) in a population-based study and potential effect modification by gender. Methods: The study included 5,021 participants of the Swiss Cohort Study of Air Pollution and Lung Disease in Adults second survey. The association between traffic-related noise annoyance, measured on an 11-point scale, and HrQoL, based on SF-36 scores, was investigated by multivariate regression analysis. Effect sizes were calculated, and interactions by gender and chronic disease status examined. Results: Thirteen percentage of the study population reported high annoyance due to traffic. Women were more likely to report high noise annoyance (adjOR 1.23; 95%CI 1.01-1.48). Except for general health, all SF-36 scores showed a significant negative association with noise annoyance. The respective effect sizes ranged between 0.13 and 0.54. Significant effect modification by gender and chronic disease status was present in specific SF-36 domains. Conclusion: This paper presents first evidence of an inverse relationship of noise annoyance and HrQoL in a general population. Although the estimated effects are small to moderate for individuals, they may add up to a relevant public health impac

Air pollution and diabetes association : modification by type 2 diabetes genetic risk score

Exposure to ambient air pollution (AP) exposure has been linked to type 2 diabetes (T2D) risk. Evidence on the impact of T2D genetic variants on AP susceptibility is lacking. Compared to single variants, joint genetic variants contribute substantially to disease risk. We investigated the modification of AP and diabetes association by a genetic risk score (GRS) covering 63 T2D genes in 1524 first follow-up participants of the Swiss cohort study on air pollution and lung and heart diseases in adults. Genome-wide data and covariates were available from a nested asthma case-control study design. AP was estimated as 10-year mean residential particulate matter <10μm (PM10). We computed count-GRS and weighted-GRS, and applied PM10 interaction terms in mixed logistic regressions, on odds of diabetes. Analyses were stratified by pathways of diabetes pathology and by asthma status. Diabetes prevalence was 4.6% and mean exposure to PM10 was 22μg/m(3). Odds of diabetes increased by 8% (95% confidence interval: 2, 14%) per T2D risk allele and by 35% (-8, 97%) per 10μg/m(3) exposure to PM10. We observed a positive interaction between PM10 and count-GRS on diabetes [ORinteraction=1.10 (1.01, 1.20)], associations being strongest among participants at the highest quartile of count-GRS [OR: 1.97 (1.00, 3.87)]. Stronger interactions were observed with variants of the GRS involved in insulin resistance [(ORinteraction=1.22 (1.00, 1.50)] than with variants related to beta-cell function. Interactions with count-GRS were stronger among asthma cases. We observed similar results with weighted-GRS. Five single variants near GRB14, UBE2E2, PTPRD, VPS26A and KCNQ1 showed nominally significant interactions with PM10 (P<0.05). Our results suggest that genetic risk for T2D may modify susceptibility to air pollution through alterations in insulin sensitivity. These results need confirmation in diabetes cohort consortia

Factors associated with cessation of smoking among Swiss adults between 1991 and 2011: results from the SAPALDIA cohort

Smoking is still the most preventable cause of disease and premature death in Switzerland, as elsewhere. We aimed to assess the main determinants of smoking cessation in the population-based cohort of SAPALDIA (Swiss Cohort Study on Air Pollution and Lung and Heart Diseases in Adults).; The SAPALDIA study was initiated in 1991 with 9651 participants aged 18 to 60 years from eight areas (S1). Follow-up assessments were conducted in 2002 (S2; 8047 participants) and 2010/11 (S3; 6088 participants). At each survey, detailed information on health and potential health-related factors was collected and lung function measured. Using logistic regression, we assessed predictors of smoking cessation between S1 and S2 and between S2 and S3.; In both periods, highest educational level (summary odds ratio [OR] 1.49, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.08-2.06; ref. lowest level), FEV1/FVC <0.5 (OR 6.19, 95% CI 2.44-15.7, ref. FEV1/FVC ≥0.7), higher age in men (OR 1.02, 95% CI 1.01-1.03, per year) and overweight (OR 1.38, 95% CI 1.16-1.64) were significant predictors of smoking cessation. Nicotine dependence (OR 0.97, 95% CI 0.96-0.98, per cigarette smoked a day) and female sex between age 45 and 60 (e.g., OR 0.74, 95% CI 0.61-0.91, at age 50) were negatively associated with smoking cessation. Moreover, smokers at S2 reporting a diagnosis of depression were less likely to quit smoking by S3 (OR 0.53, 95% CI 0.30-0.93).; Prospective tobacco control policies in Switzerland should be addressed to women, younger persons and persons of lower education

Prevalence of renal impairment and its association with cardiovascular risk factors in a general population: results of the Swiss SAPALDIA study

Background. Impaired renal function is evolving as an independent marker of the risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Little is known about the prevalence of impaired renal function and its relationship to cardiovascular risk factors in the Swiss general population. Methods. SAPALDIA comprises a random sample of the Swiss population established in 1991, originally to investigate the health effects of long-term exposure to air pollution. Participants were reassessed in 2002/3 and blood measurements were obtained (n = 6317). Renal function was estimated using the Cockcroft-Gault equation and the modified MDRD (four-component) equation incorporating age, race, gender and serum creatinine level. Results. The estimated prevalence of impaired renal function [estimated glomerular filtration rate <60 ml/min/1.73 m2] differed substantially between men and women, particularly at higher ages, and amounted to 13% [95% confidence interval (CI) 10-16%] and 36% (95% CI 32-40%) in men and women, respectively, of 65 years or older. Smoking, obesity, blood lipid levels, high systolic blood pressure and hyperuricaemia were all more common in men when compared with women. These cardiovascular risk factors were also associated independently with creatinine in both women and men. Women were less likely to receive cardiovascular drugs, in particular angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and β-blockers, when compared with men of the same age. Conclusion. Moderate renal impairment seems to be prevalent in the general population, with an apparent excess in females which is not explained by conventional cardiovascular risk factors. The unexpected finding questions the validity of the prediction equations, in particular in female

Transportation Noise and Blood Pressure in a Population-Based Sample of Adults

Background: There is some evidence for an association between traffic noise and ischemic heart disease; however, associations with blood pressure have been inconsistent, and little is known about health effects of railway noise

Follow-up of the Swiss Cohort Study on Air Pollution and Lung Diseases in Adults (SAPALDIA 2) 1991-2003: methods and characterization of participants

Summary.: Objectives: The Swiss Cohort Study on Air Pollution and Lung Diseases in Adults (SAPALDIA) was designed to investigate the health effects from long-term exposure to air pollution. Methods: The health assessment at recruitment (1991) and at the first reassessment (2001-3) consisted of an interview about respiratory health, occupational and other exposures, spirometry, a methacholine bronchial challenge test, end-expiratory carbon monoxide (CO) measurement and measurement for atopy. A bio bank for DNA and blood markers was established. Heart rate variability was measured using a 24-hour ECG (Holter) in a random sample of participants aged 50years and older. Concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulphur dioxide (SO2), ozone (O3) and particulates in ambient air have been monitored in all study areas since 1991. Residential histories collected over the 11year follow-up period coupled with GIS modelling will provide individual long-term air pollutant exposure estimates. Results: Of 9651 participants examined in 1991, 8715 could be traced for the cohort study and 283 died. Basic information about health status was obtained for 8047 individuals (86% of alive persons), 6528 individuals (70%) agreed to the health examination and 5973 subjects (62%) completed the entire protocol. Non-participants in the reassessment were on average younger than participants and more likely to have been smokers and to have reported respiratory symptoms in the first assessment. Average weight had increased by 5.5kg in 11years and 28% of smokers in 1991 had quit by the time of the reassessmen

Differences in Heart Rate Variability Associated with Long-Term Exposure to NO2

BACKGROUND: Heart rate variability (HRV), a measure of cardiac autonomic tone, has been associated with cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Short-term studies have shown that subjects exposed to higher traffic-associated air pollutant levels have lower HRV. OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to investigate the effect of long-term exposure to nitrogen dioxide on HRV in the Swiss cohort Study on Air Pollution and Lung Diseases in Adults (SAPALDIA). METHODS: We recorded 24-hr electrocardiograms in randomly selected SAPALDIA participants >or= 50 years of age. Other examinations included an interview investigating health status and measurements of blood pressure, body height, and weight. Annual exposure to NO2 at the address of residence was predicted by hybrid models (i.e., a combination of dispersion predictions, land-use, and meteorologic parameters). We estimated the association between NO2 and HRV in multivariable linear regression models. Complete data for analyses were available for 1,408 subjects. RESULTS: For women, but not for men, each 10-microg/m3 increment in 1-year averaged NO2 level was associated with a decrement of 3% (95% CI, -4 to -1) for the standard deviation of all normal-to-normal RR intervals (SDNN), -6% (95% CI, -11 to -1) for nighttime low frequency (LF), and -5% (95% CI, -9 to 0) for nighttime LF/high-frequency (HF) ratio. We saw no significant effect for 24-hr total power (TP), HF, LF, or LF/HF or for nighttime SDNN, TP, or HF. In subjects with self-reported cardiovascular problems, SDNN decreased by 4% (95% CI, -8 to -1) per 10-microg/m3 increase in NO2. CONCLUSIONS: There is some evidence that long-term exposure to NO2 is associated with cardiac autonomic dysfunction in elderly women and in subjects with cardiovascular disease

Air pollution & health

Air pollution has become a central public health issue following a series of environmental calamities, which occurred in Europe during the second half of the XXth century and had an enormous impact on peoples' health and mortality. Since then, abundant scientific evidence has reported on the specific health effects determined by exposure to environmental air pollutants, notably ozone and particulate matter. More recently, worldwide large population-based cohort studies showed positive associations between levels of exposure to common air pollutants and systemic illnesses irrespective of age. Reports in children exposed to airborne hazards showed decreased lung growth and function, increased rates of respiratory allergies and early onsets of asthma, and aggravation of respiratory symptoms and asthma. In adults, the available evidence reports on the increased incidence of acute and chronic respiratory diseases, and also on the early cardiovascular morbidity risk factors, such as arteriosclerosis, thrombosis, decreased heart-rated variability, which may further lead to myocardial infarction and stroke. As a consequence, increased utilization of medical care, outpatient visits to emergency rooms and hospitalizations with a significant impact on individuals' health-related quality of life and costs have been shown. Individual susceptibility to environmental pollutants is an important determinant of the health effects. A number of personal conditions have been associated with the detrimental effects of air pollutants, including sex, nutrition, associated comorbidities, tobacco smoke, occupational exposure and genetic predisposition. In the last years, new policy regulation measures to reduce fine particle emissions and limit involuntary exposure to tobacco smoke proved beneficial, notably in susceptible persons. The present work aimed to 1) provide an overview of the consistent literature on the effects of outdoor and indoor air pollution on human's health, and 2) examine the evidence on the individual's factors of susceptibility to environmental air pollutants, further focusing on three articles from the author addressing the effects of passive smoking in susceptible individuals

Fumo e envelhecimento funcional pulmonar : estudo longitudinal com seguimento em dez anos

O estudo descreve os resultados de duas avaliações com intervalo de dez anos em 39 indivíduos assintomáticos, fumantes e não fumantes, através de testes funcionais respiratórios oriundos de espirometria e curvas fluxo-volume inalando ar ambiente e a mistura He02 (Hélio 80% + Oxigênio 20%) com o objetivo de acompanhar a progressão funcional em uma década dos efeitos fumo e avançar da idade em indivíduos com alterações incipientes nas vias aéreas periféricas. Na primeira avaliação, em 1981, o Volume de Isofluxo (VisoV) e o VEF3/CVF foram os testes que separaram fumantes de não fumantes (p<0,01). A reavaliação em dez anos evidenciou declínio funcional no grupo como um todo, demonstrada por vários testes, sendo mais pronunciada no VisoV que se encontra novamente mais alterado em fumantes, embora a sua variação no tempo tenha sido maior em não fumantes (p<0,01). Separando o grupo de acordo com o sexo observa-se uma diferença importante no grupo das mulheres fumantes; estas, apesar de iniciarem o comprometimento funcional mais tardiamente do que os homens, sofrem perda funcional mais aguda nesta faixa etária. Concluímos que o Volume de Isofluxo piorou com a idade no grupo em geral, mas fumantes com disfunção mínima inicial, expressa por este teste, parecem demonstrar um envelhecimento precoce das pequenas vias aéreas, comparativamente a não fumantes, pois estes atingiram dez anos depois valores para o teste que fumantes apresentavam na década anterior.We describe the results of a longitudinal study, determining the recombinant effects of aging and smoking, and the progression of airway dysfunction on individuais with incipient flow limitation on peripheral airways as assessed by density-dependence tests. A group of 39 symptomfree middle-aged smokers and nonsmolcers with normal baseline spircmetry, was evaluated twice, with an interval of ten years, using non invasive methods of assessing small airways. Air and He02 (Helium 80% + Oxygen 20%) maximal flowvolume curves, as well as spirometry, were obtained from the same individuais in 1981 and 1991. On the first occasion, significant tests separating smokers from nonsmokers were the Volume of Isoflow (VisoV) and the FEVj/FVC (p<0.01). On restudy in 1991, both smokers and nonsmokers showed a considerable lost on puhnonary function evidenced through different tests but more expressed by the VisoV. Though smokers still had higher VisoV than never smokers, the increase in ten years was greater in the latter group (p<0.01). Approaching the results according to gender suggest women, though starting later in life, to be more affected by smoking than men in the same age. We conclude that Volume of Isoflow worsened with age in the general group, but smokers with minimal dysfunction appear to show premature aging of small airways as expressed by VisoV