Learning veterinary anatomy playing cards

Gamification is a dynamic tool for educational transformation useful to encourage student interest and enhance learning. Here we present a study conducted to investigate the effectiveness of an educational card game developed by us in veterinary anatomy practicals to reinforce knowledge acquisition in veterinary students. A total of four sets of cards were designed, each one with different anatomical topics (structure identification, articulation and positioning, clinical anatomy, and comparative anatomy); students were arranged in small groups (7–10 students per group) and played the game at the end of each anatomy practical session, discussing the corresponding questions, randomly chosen, as a team. This activity was highly valued by students, most of whom (>80%) expressed that the game was enjoyable, challenging, helpful to improve their knowledge and understanding in clinical anatomy, and effective for anatomy exam preparation. Thus, the use of educational games in practical sessions seems to improve student engagement in the learning process individually and as a team.NEW & NOTEWORTHY The development and implementation of a card game as a training resource that allows learning veterinary anatomy in a motivating and cooperative environment, promoting teamwork, relationships, and trust and communication between colleagues, is described. Stimulating the ability to solve problems as a team has provided help to students preparing for their exams in a more dynamic and enjoyable way.The authors are supported by Universidad CEU CardenalHerrera (PI83A-VV-19)Veterinari

Desarrollo de módulos de apoyo a las prácticas en laboratorio de Electrónica

Se ha realizado una recopilación de dispositivos de visualización para microcontroladores centrada fundamentalmente en displays de LEDs y pantallas táctiles. Se han elaborado las librerías y programas de demostración necesarios para su utilización en aplicaciones simples de laboratorio, tomando como referencia las placas Arduino, ampliamente usadas en las prácticas de Electrónica Digital. En cuanto al tipo de pantalla táctil se ha seleccionado una del tipo capacitivo por sus especificaciones

Neural stem cells direct axon guidance via their radial fiber scaffold

Neural stem cells directly or indirectly generate all neurons and macroglial cells and guide migrating neurons by using a palisade-like scaffold made of their radial fibers. Here, we describe an unexpected role for the radial fiber scaffold in directing corticospinal and other axons at the junction between the striatum and globus pallidus. The maintenance of this scaffold, and consequently axon pathfinding, is dependent on the expression of an atypical RHO-GTPase, RND3/RHOE, together with its binding partner ARHGAP35/P190A, a RHO GTPase-activating protein, in the radial glia-like neural stem cells within the ventricular zone of the medial ganglionic eminence. This role is independent of RND3 and ARHGAP35 expression in corticospinal neurons, where they regulate dendritic spine formation, axon elongation, and pontine midline crossing in a FEZF2-dependent manner. The prevalence of neural stem cell scaffolds and their expression of RND3 and ARHGAP35 suggests that these observations might be broadly relevant for axon guidance and neural circuit formation.This work was supported by Labex LifeSenses grants ANR-10-LABX-65 and ANR-11-IDEX-0004-02 to A.C.; MINECO SAF2013-49176-C2-1-R and Programa Santander-FUSP to I.P.-R. and J.T.; NIH grants R01 MH115939, NS105640, and NS089662 to A.J.K.; and NIH grants MH103339, MH106934, MH110926, and MH109904 to N.S. Additional support was provided by the Kavli Foundation and the Simons Foundation.Peer reviewe

RhoE Deficiency Produces Postnatal Lethality, Profound Motor Deficits and Neurodevelopmental Delay in Mice

Rnd proteins are a subfamily of Rho GTPases involved in the control of actin cytoskeleton dynamics and other cell functions such as motility, proliferation and survival. Unlike other members of the Rho family, Rnd proteins lack GTPase activity and therefore remain constitutively active. We have recently described that RhoE/Rnd3 is expressed in the Central Nervous System and that it has a role in promoting neurite formation. Despite their possible relevance during development, the role of Rnd proteins in vivo is not known. To get insight into the in vivo function of RhoE we have generated mice lacking RhoE expression by an exon trapping cassette. RhoE null mice (RhoE gt/gt) are smaller at birth, display growth retardation and early postnatal death since only half of RhoE gt/gt mice survive beyond postnatal day (PD) 15 and 100% are dead by PD 29. RhoE gt/gt mice show an abnormal body position with profound motor impairment and impaired performance in most neurobehavioral tests. Null mutant mice are hypoactive, show an immature locomotor pattern and display a significant delay in the appearance of the hindlimb mature responses. Moreover, they perform worse than the control littermates in the wire suspension, vertical climbing and clinging, righting reflex and negative geotaxis tests. Also, RhoE ablation results in a delay of neuromuscular maturation and in a reduction in the number of spinal motor neurons. Finally, RhoE gt/gt mice lack the common peroneal nerve and, consequently, show a complete atrophy of the target muscles. This is the first model to study the in vivo functions of a member of the Rnd subfamily of proteins, revealing the important role of Rnd3/RhoE in the normal development and suggesting the possible involvement of this protein in neurological disorders

Surfactant-free assembling of functionalized single-walled carbon nanotube buckypapers

8 pages, 7 figures, 3 tables.The electrical and textural properties of single-walled carbon nanotube buckypapers were tunned through chemical functionalization processes. Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) were covalently functionalized with three different chemical groups: Carboxylic acids (-COOH), benzylamine (-Ph-CH2-NH2), and perfluorooctylaniline (-Ph-(CF2)7-CF3). Functionalized SWCNTs were dispersed in water or dimethylformamide (DMF) by sonication treatments without the addition of surfactants or polymers. Carbon nanotube sheets (buckypapers) were prepared by vacuum filtration of the functionalized SWCNT dispersions. The electrical conductivity, textural properties, and processability of the functionalized buckypapers were studied in terms of SWCNT purity, functionalization, and assembling conditions. Carboxylated buckypapers demonstrated very low specific surface areas (< 1 m2/g) and roughness factor (Ra = 14 nm), while aminated and fluorinated buckypapers exhibited roughness factors of around 70 nm and specific surface areas of 160-180 m2/g. Electrical conductivity for carboxylated buckypapers was higher than for as-grown SWCNTs, but for aminated and fluorinated SWCNTs it was lower than for as-grown SWCNTs. This could be interpreted as a chemical inhibition of metallic SWCNTs due to the specificity of the diazonium salts reaction used to prepare the aminated and fluorinated SWCNTs. The utilization of high purity as-grown SWCNTs positively influenced the mechanical characteristics and the electrical conductivity of functionalized buckypapers.This work was supported by the NRC (Canada) and CSIC (Spain) collaboration project (2007-2010 call). Special thanks are directed towards M Vico and colleges at the ICB analysis services.Peer Reviewe

Application of Blended Learning to Veterinary Gross Anatomy Practical Sessions: Students’ Perceptions of Their Learning Experience and Academic Outcomes

The use of blended learning strategies is increasingly common in health sciences, including veterinary medicine; however, there are very few descriptions of these methods being applied to practicals. We describe here the application of blended learning based on the implementation of flipped classrooms with collaborative learning and gamification to the 2020–2021 veterinary medicine gross anatomy practicals at CEU Cardenal Herrera University (Spain). Students prepared for the sessions by pre-viewing videos and taking a quiz before the start. The sessions were conducted in small groups where students learned through collaborative work and reviewed their learning with a card game. A small but significant increase was observed when comparing the scores of practical exams of the locomotor apparatus with those of 2018–2019 (6.79 ± 2.22 vs. 6.38 ± 2.24, p < 0.05), while the scores were similar (7.76 ± 1.99 vs. 7.64 ± 1.92) for the organ system exams. Students’ responses in a satisfaction survey were mostly positive (>80%) regarding the motivating and learning-facilitating effect of this educational method. Our work shows that the application of blended learning in anatomy practicals based on a flipped classroom and with elements of gamification and collaborative work can be an effective way to improve the learning experience of students.Veterinari

Alzheimer β-amyloid precursor proteins display specific patterns of expression during embryogenesis

The β-amyloid precursor proteins (βAPPs) are a family of glycosylated transmembrane proteins that include in their sequences the β-amyloid peptide, a major component of the characteristic amyloid deposits or senile plaques found in the brains of Alzheimer's disease patients and aged Down's syndrome subjects. Various βAPP isoforms, mainly βAPP-695, βAPP-714, βAPP-751 and βAPP-770, the number corresponding to the number of amino acids they encode, resulting from the alternative splicing of a single primary transcript have been described. Using oligonucleotides recognizing each of the four major Alzheimer's βAPP mRNAs, we have found that each βAPP mRNA displays a specific temporal and spatial pattern of expression. The prototype isoform βAPP-695 occurs early in cells actively implicated in morphogenetic events, as those mesodermal cells invaginating at the level of the primitive streak, and it is later restricted to the neurectodermal (neural tube, neural crest and neurogenic placode) derivatives. By contrast, the longest isoform βAPP-770 appears later and restricted to mesodermal and endodermal derivatives. The isoforms βAPP-714 and βAPP-751 are still expressed later than the other two isoforms and distributed ubiquitously, though βAPP-714 transcripts predominate typically within the neural tube. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd.This work was supported by grants SAF97-0238 and DGA P51/97 to M.S. from C.I.C.Y.T. and Aragon's Government, respectivelyPeer Reviewe

Differential expression of α-CGRP and β-CGRP genes within hypoglossal motoneurons in response to axotomy

In this study we have analysed, by in situ hybridization, the expression of the genes for both α-CGRP and β-CGRP in hypoglossal motor nuclei following transection of the left hypoglossal nerve. Our results show that the gene for α-CGRP displays a peculiar sequence of regulation (a successive up-down-up-recovery sequence) within ipsilateral hypoglossal motoneurons in response to axotomy. It is initially up-regulated, then down-regulated (displaying mRNA levels below basal), and later again up-regulated before recovery. By contrast, the gene for β-CGRP displays a successive and distinct up-down-recovery sequence of regulation (it does not display a second increase in mRNA production). The first up-regulation of the α-CGRP gene occurs just during the early period of perineuronal glial reaction and the second up-regulation just during the period of delayed astrocyte reaction and muscle reinnervation. Because α-CGRP is a neuron-derived factor for many types of cells, including astrocytes and skeletal myocytes, our results suggest that the pleiotropic α-CGRP may be a motoneuron-derived trophic signal for both glial and skeletal muscle cells in order to maintain the motoneuron itself and, in consequence, might be of therapeutic interest in treating degenerative diseases of motoneurons. β-CGRP might be redundant within the hypoglossal motoneurons.M.S. was supported by a Juan March Foundation Fellowship. Part of the study was supported by a grant (PB91-0691) from the Spanish Ministry of Education and SciencePeer Reviewe