Systemic Approach to Teaching and Learning Chemistry (SATLC) as Integrated Approach towards Teaching Physical Chemistry

Enthusiasm is crucially needed in teaching and learning of chemistry at educational institutes. Issues and problems in achieving that end needs to be addressed on top priority. In this scenario the role of the instructor is of vital significance. A teacher can minimize the difficulties in concept building by providing better perspective related to the basics of the subject. This can be accomplished through novel efforts involving personal input. The recently emerged concept based teaching methodology, systemic approach to teaching and learning chemistry (SATLC), is a fascinating route to meet this noble endeavor. This new teaching method has been discovered to play a pivotal role, towards the efforts for promoting better understanding of chemical concepts. In addition to that, the results reported from the evaluation of SATL technique have been very promising as far as the improvements in students' academic achievements are concerned. In this presentation we discuss some examples that highlight the efficacy of SATLC based teaching method for providing clear understandings of some salient concepts in physical chemistry

Satl model lesson in chemical kinetics

Studies in order to pursue kinetics and mechanism of chemical reactions are a vital component of chemical literature. SATL literature is still not available for promoting this vital aspect of chemistry teaching. A lesson pertaining to this important issue has been developed and various parameters of kinetic studies are explained therein.[AJCE, 3(1), January 2013

Satlc model lesson for teaching and learning complex environmental issues related to the thermodynamics

Environmental chemistry is one of the disciplines of Science. For the goal of the deep learning of the subject, it is indispensable to present perception and models of chemical behaviour explicitly. This can be accomplished by giving careful consideration to the development of concepts such that newer approaches are given contemplation, taking in consideration participation of students. Students, well versed in issues which integrate to enhance vital concepts, are thus able to understand nature and help us to discover means to view the impact of industrialization on the well being of mankind. Understanding environmental chemistry needs quality teaching at undergraduate stage of students learning. In the absence of necessary input of biological sciences, mathematics, statistics, along with the parameters of analytical and physical chemistry, students often find environmental chemistry a difficult subject. It is therefore desirable that the practice of disseminating knowledge related to environmental chemistry must avoid the tradition of presenting the necessary information separated from each other. The lectures should be designed in such a way that they provide the complete description of any issue debated in the class room. The students have not to be encouraged to address the issue in a sphere of limited knowledge. It is suggested that the teachers organize their lectures in such a way that the student get involved in the class. This essential scenario can only develop when the knowledge is transferred through Systemic diagrams. Recently concept based teaching methodology; namely systemic approach to teaching and learning chemistry (SATLC) has been employed to highlight the connectivity between some environmental issues and the disciplines of Physical Chemistry. [African Journal of Chemical Education—AJCE 5(2), July 2015

SATL model lesson for teaching effect of temperature on rate of reaction

Physical Chemistry is an experimental science based upon theories supported by mathematical input. It is therefore crucial that one who teaches Physical Chemistry should give a wholesome knowledge about any issue relating to this vital discipline in chemistry. To achieve this end, a systematic approach to teaching and learning method is the most appropriate teaching method [1-2]. It helps to ingrain knowledge so that illustrations of different parameters  through systematic diagrams are helpful in in-depth transformation of  knowledge relating to any concept. [AJCE 4(2), Special Issue, May 2014

Breaking bad news and the importance of compassionate palliative care of the infant

Bad news to parents regarding their infant is information that negatively impacts the parent’s feelings and view of the present and/or future. It is implemented in situations with feelings of no hope or those that induce a threat to a parent’s mental and physical well-being. The term is difficult to define as it is based on parent’s subjective feelings. However, it is important to be aware of the impact of bad news as it can cause severe anguish and stress on the parent’s emotional stability. The style of delivering bad news has a significant impact on the physician/parent relationship and the satisfaction of the family upon the healthcare team and palliative care system. In the case of an inevitable death of an infant, the implementation of palliative care follows the delivery of bad news. The strategy of palliative care and the philosophy of communication between the healthcare provider and family unit leave a lasting impression on the parents regarding the care of their infant. Clinicians should strive to educate themselves regarding the art of breaking bad news as well as the approach to palliative care to minimize the suffering and grief of the family in their time of sorrow

Laparoscopy in management of appendicitis in high-, middle-, and low-income countries: a multicenter, prospective, cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Appendicitis is the most common abdominal surgical emergency worldwide. Differences between high- and low-income settings in the availability of laparoscopic appendectomy, alternative management choices, and outcomes are poorly described. The aim was to identify variation in surgical management and outcomes of appendicitis within low-, middle-, and high-Human Development Index (HDI) countries worldwide. METHODS: This is a multicenter, international prospective cohort study. Consecutive sampling of patients undergoing emergency appendectomy over 6 months was conducted. Follow-up lasted 30 days. RESULTS: 4546 patients from 52 countries underwent appendectomy (2499 high-, 1540 middle-, and 507 low-HDI groups). Surgical site infection (SSI) rates were higher in low-HDI (OR 2.57, 95% CI 1.33-4.99, p = 0.005) but not middle-HDI countries (OR 1.38, 95% CI 0.76-2.52, p = 0.291), compared with high-HDI countries after adjustment. A laparoscopic approach was common in high-HDI countries (1693/2499, 67.7%), but infrequent in low-HDI (41/507, 8.1%) and middle-HDI (132/1540, 8.6%) groups. After accounting for case-mix, laparoscopy was still associated with fewer overall complications (OR 0.55, 95% CI 0.42-0.71, p < 0.001) and SSIs (OR 0.22, 95% CI 0.14-0.33, p < 0.001). In propensity-score matched groups within low-/middle-HDI countries, laparoscopy was still associated with fewer overall complications (OR 0.23 95% CI 0.11-0.44) and SSI (OR 0.21 95% CI 0.09-0.45). CONCLUSION: A laparoscopic approach is associated with better outcomes and availability appears to differ by country HDI. Despite the profound clinical, operational, and financial barriers to its widespread introduction, laparoscopy could significantly improve outcomes for patients in low-resource environments. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT02179112

Pooled analysis of WHO Surgical Safety Checklist use and mortality after emergency laparotomy

Background The World Health Organization (WHO) Surgical Safety Checklist has fostered safe practice for 10 years, yet its place in emergency surgery has not been assessed on a global scale. The aim of this study was to evaluate reported checklist use in emergency settings and examine the relationship with perioperative mortality in patients who had emergency laparotomy. Methods In two multinational cohort studies, adults undergoing emergency laparotomy were compared with those having elective gastrointestinal surgery. Relationships between reported checklist use and mortality were determined using multivariable logistic regression and bootstrapped simulation. Results Of 12 296 patients included from 76 countries, 4843 underwent emergency laparotomy. After adjusting for patient and disease factors, checklist use before emergency laparotomy was more common in countries with a high Human Development Index (HDI) (2455 of 2741, 89.6 per cent) compared with that in countries with a middle (753 of 1242, 60.6 per cent; odds ratio (OR) 0.17, 95 per cent c.i. 0.14 to 0.21, P <0001) or low (363 of 860, 422 per cent; OR 008, 007 to 010, P <0.001) HDI. Checklist use was less common in elective surgery than for emergency laparotomy in high-HDI countries (risk difference -94 (95 per cent c.i. -11.9 to -6.9) per cent; P <0001), but the relationship was reversed in low-HDI countries (+121 (+7.0 to +173) per cent; P <0001). In multivariable models, checklist use was associated with a lower 30-day perioperative mortality (OR 0.60, 0.50 to 073; P <0.001). The greatest absolute benefit was seen for emergency surgery in low- and middle-HDI countries. Conclusion Checklist use in emergency laparotomy was associated with a significantly lower perioperative mortality rate. Checklist use in low-HDI countries was half that in high-HDI countries.Peer reviewe

Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (3rd edition)

In 2008 we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, research on this topic has continued to accelerate, and many new scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Accordingly, it is important to update these guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Various reviews have described the range of assays that have been used for this purpose. Nevertheless, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to measure autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. For example, a key point that needs to be emphasized is that there is a difference between measurements that monitor the numbers or volume of autophagic elements (e.g., autophagosomes or autolysosomes) at any stage of the autophagic process versus those that measure fl ux through the autophagy pathway (i.e., the complete process including the amount and rate of cargo sequestered and degraded). In particular, a block in macroautophagy that results in autophagosome accumulation must be differentiated from stimuli that increase autophagic activity, defi ned as increased autophagy induction coupled with increased delivery to, and degradation within, lysosomes (inmost higher eukaryotes and some protists such as Dictyostelium ) or the vacuole (in plants and fungi). In other words, it is especially important that investigators new to the fi eld understand that the appearance of more autophagosomes does not necessarily equate with more autophagy. In fact, in many cases, autophagosomes accumulate because of a block in trafficking to lysosomes without a concomitant change in autophagosome biogenesis, whereas an increase in autolysosomes may reflect a reduction in degradative activity. It is worth emphasizing here that lysosomal digestion is a stage of autophagy and evaluating its competence is a crucial part of the evaluation of autophagic flux, or complete autophagy. Here, we present a set of guidelines for the selection and interpretation of methods for use by investigators who aim to examine macroautophagy and related processes, as well as for reviewers who need to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of papers that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a formulaic set of rules, because the appropriate assays depend in part on the question being asked and the system being used. In addition, we emphasize that no individual assay is guaranteed to be the most appropriate one in every situation, and we strongly recommend the use of multiple assays to monitor autophagy. Along these lines, because of the potential for pleiotropic effects due to blocking autophagy through genetic manipulation it is imperative to delete or knock down more than one autophagy-related gene. In addition, some individual Atg proteins, or groups of proteins, are involved in other cellular pathways so not all Atg proteins can be used as a specific marker for an autophagic process. In these guidelines, we consider these various methods of assessing autophagy and what information can, or cannot, be obtained from them. Finally, by discussing the merits and limits of particular autophagy assays, we hope to encourage technical innovation in the field