Refuerzo de conocimientos de Bioquímica aplicando juegos de letras o de palabras sencillos

Introducció i problema: Els jocs són molt apreciats per la població en general, i per això vam fer una cerca de diversos jocs amb la finalitat d’utilitzar-los per a reforçar els coneixements en bioquímica dels alumnes del grau de Química de la Universitat de Barcelona. Els jocs dels llibres de passatemps es basen en dues possibilitats: números i lletres. Entre els jocs de lletres, destaquen els mots encreuats, auto definits, paraules creuades i sopes de lletres. Metodologia: Per reforçar els coneixements dels estudiants de Bioquímica, vam realitzar una recerca de jocs de paraules usats en l’aprenentatge de la gramàtica als idiomes, per adaptar-los després a la nomenclatura i estructura de les biomolècules. Seguint una aproximació conductista, vam fer servir el model de Dick i Carey. Resultats i discussió: Els jocs més senzills sobre paraules es basen en cercar dins d’un conjunt de paraules, aquelles que tinguin alguna part en comú. En aquest sentit, vam implementar jocs de rimes, en el què les paraules acaben en –ina (terminació freqüent dels aminoàcids, bases nitrogenades, nucleòsids i algunes proteïnes), en –osa (terminació freqüent dels hidrats de carboni), o en – ic / –at (terminació freqüent dels àcids grassos i altres àcids intermediaris del metabolisme, o de les seves sals corresponents). Així doncs, els alumnes poden observar aquestes característiques a la nomenclatura. D'altra banda, també vam implementar jocs de paraules incompletes que es basen en completar els noms dels metabòlits tot utilitzant grups de lletres a escollir. Els jocs es van classificar en 4 grups i aquí se’n presenten alguns exemples. Pel que fa a la dificultat, els jocs tipus dòmino són els més difícils de resoldre, ja que cal conèixer tant la nomenclatura com l’estructura de les biomolècules. Conclusions: La nostra proposta inclou diversos jocs de paraules que permeten reforçar els coneixements de Bioquímica.Introduction and problem: Games are highly appreciated by general population, so we decided to search several games in order to use them to reinforce the knowledge in biochemistry of students from the Chemistry Degree of the University of Barcelona. The puzzle book games are based on two possibilities: numbers and letters. Among the letters’ games the most frequent are crossword, self-defined crosswords, crossword puzzles and word search puzzles. Methodology: To reinforce students’ knowledge in Biochemistry, we performed a search for word games based in those used in language grammar learning, to then adapt them to the nomenclature and structure of biomolecules in Biochemistry. Following a behaviorist approach, we applied the model of Dick and Carey. Results and discussion: The simplest word games are based on searching in a set of words, those that have some common part. In this sense, we implemented rhyming games, in which the words ended in –ine (a frequent ending of amino acids, nitrogenous bases, nucleosides and some proteins), in –ose (a frequent ending of carbohydrates), or ended in –ic / –ate (frequent ending of fatty acids and other acids intermediate of the metabolism, or their corresponding salts). Thus, students were able to observe these characteristics in the nomenclature. On the other hand, we also implemented incomplete words’ games that are based on completing the names of the metabolites using groups of letters. Games were classified into 4 groups and some examples of them are presented. Regarding difficulty, domino games are the most difficult to solve since they require knowing both the nomenclature and structure of biomolecules. Conclusions: Our proposal includes several word games that allow the reinforcement of the knowledge in the subject of Biochemistry.Introducción y problema: Los juegos son muy apreciados por la población en general, así que realizamos una búsqueda de diversos juegos con la finalidad de utilizarlos para reforzar los conocimientos en bioquímica de los alumnos del grado de Química de la Universidad de Barcelona. Los juegos de los libros de pasatiempos están basados en dos posibilidades: números y letras. Entre los juegos de letras los más frecuentes son los crucigramas, autodefinidos, palabras cruzadas y sopas de letras. Metodología: Para reforzar los conocimientos de los estudiantes en Bioquímica, realizamos una búsqueda de juegos de palabras usados en el aprendizaje de gramática de idiomas, para luego adaptarlos a la nomenclatura y estructura de biomoléculas en Bioquímica. Siguiendo una aproximación conductista, utilizamos el modelo de Dick y Carey. Resultados y discusión: Los juegos más sencillos sobre palabras se basan en buscar dentro de un conjunto de palabras, aquellas que tengan alguna parte en común. En este sentido, implementamos juegos de rimas, en los que las palabras terminan en –ina (terminación frecuente de los aminoácidos, bases nitrogenadas, nucleósidos y algunas proteínas), en –osa (terminación frecuente de los hidratos de carbono), o en –ico / –ato (terminación frecuente de los ácidos grasos y otros ácidos intermediarios del metabolismo, o de sus sales correspondientes). Así pues, los alumnos pueden observar estas características en la nomenclatura. Por otro lado, también implementamos juegos de palabras incompletas que se basan en completar los nombres de los metabolitos utilizando grupos de letras a escoger. Los juegos se clasificaron en 4 grupos y se presentan algunos ejemplos de estos. Respecto a la dificultad, los juegos tipo dominó son los más difíciles de resolver, pues requieren conocer tanto la nomenclatura como la estructura de las biomoléculas. Conclusiones: Nuestra propuesta incluye diversos juegos de palabras que permiten reforzar conocimientos de Bioquímica

In-silico gene essentiality analysis of polyamine biosynthesis reveals APRT as a potential target in cancer

Constraint-based modeling for genome-scale metabolic networks has emerged in the last years as a promising approach to elucidate drug targets in cancer. Beyond the canonical biosynthetic routes to produce biomass, it is of key importance to focus on metabolic routes that sustain the proliferative capacity through the regulation of other biological means in order to improve in-silico gene essentiality analyses. Polyamines are polycations with central roles in cancer cell proliferation, through the regulation of transcription and translation among other things, but are typically neglected in in silico cancer metabolic models. In this study, we analysed essential genes for the biosynthesis of polyamines. Our analysis corroborates the importance of previously known regulators of the pathway, such as Adenosylmethionine Decarboxylase 1 (AMD1) and uncovers novel enzymes predicted to be relevant for polyamine homeostasis. We focused on Adenine phosphoribosyltransferase (APRT) and demonstrated the detrimental consequence of APRT gene silencing on diferent leukaemia cell lines. Our results highlight the importance of revisiting the metabolic models used for in-silico gene essentiality analyses in order to maximize the potential for drug target identifcation in cance

Workforce preparation: the Biohealth computing model for Master and PhD students

Abstract The article addresses the strategic role of workforce preparation in the process of adoption of Systems Medicine as a driver of biomedical research in the new health paradigm. It reports on relevant initiatives, like CASyM, fostering Systems Medicine at EU level. The chapter focuses on the BioHealth Computing Program as a reference for multidisciplinary training of future systems-oriented researchers describing the productive interactions with the Synergy-COPD project

Workforce preparation: the Biohealth computing model for Master and PhD students

Abstract The article addresses the strategic role of workforce preparation in the process of adoption of Systems Medicine as a driver of biomedical research in the new health paradigm. It reports on relevant initiatives, like CASyM, fostering Systems Medicine at EU level. The chapter focuses on the BioHealth Computing Program as a reference for multidisciplinary training of future systems-oriented researchers describing the productive interactions with the Synergy-COPD project

La Cartuja de Jerez : con una carta-prólogo de Pelayo Quintero y Ataurí

Localització de l'original : Fundació AmatllerForma part del projecte: Biblioteca Digital d'Història de l'Art Hispànic (UAB)Estudi sobre la Cartoixa de Jerez de la Frontera escrit per Pedro de Quijano y López el 1924. Conté làmines.Study on the Cartuja de Jerez de la Frontera written by Pedro de Quijano y López in 1924. With prints.Estudio sobre la Cartuja de Jerez de la Frontera escrito por Pedro de Quijano y López en 1924. Contiene láminas

Sampling with Poling-based flux balance analysis: optimal versus sub-optimal flux space analysis of Actinobacillus succinogenes

BACKGROUND: Flux balance analysis is traditionally implemented to identify the maximum theoretical flux for some specified reaction and a single distribution of flux values for all the reactions present which achieve this maximum value. However it is well known that the uncertainty in reaction networks due to branches, cycles and experimental errors results in a large number of combinations of internal reaction fluxes which can achieve the same optimal flux value. RESULTS: In this work, we have modified the applied linear objective of flux balance analysis to include a poling penalty function, which pushes each new set of reaction fluxes away from previous solutions generated. Repeated poling-based flux balance analysis generates a sample of different solutions (a characteristic set), which represents all the possible functionality of the reaction network. Compared to existing sampling methods, for the purpose of generating a relatively “small” characteristic set, our new method is shown to obtain a higher coverage than competing methods under most conditions. The influence of the linear objective function on the sampling (the linear bias) constrains optimisation results to a subspace of optimal solutions all producing the same maximal fluxes. Visualisation of reaction fluxes plotted against each other in 2 dimensions with and without the linear bias indicates the existence of correlations between fluxes. This method of sampling is applied to the organism Actinobacillus succinogenes for the production of succinic acid from glycerol. CONCLUSIONS: A new method of sampling for the generation of different flux distributions (sets of individual fluxes satisfying constraints on the steady-state mass balances of intermediates) has been developed using a relatively simple modification of flux balance analysis to include a poling penalty function inside the resulting optimisation objective function. This new methodology can achieve a high coverage of the possible flux space and can be used with and without linear bias to show optimal versus sub-optimal solution spaces. Basic analysis of the Actinobacillus succinogenes system using sampling shows that in order to achieve the maximal succinic acid production CO(2) must be taken into the system. Solutions involving release of CO(2) all give sub-optimal succinic acid production. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12859-015-0476-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users