Improving the Student Experience of Learning and Teaching in Second Year Biochemistry: Assessment to Foster a Creative Application of Biochemical Concepts

Biochemistry is an inherently difficult, content-laden discipline that at times struggles to capture the imagination of students. In an attempt to improve engagement and performance in a second year Metabolism course, the implementation of a creative, multimedia based group project conducted. The project provides a creative outlet for students that supplements the didactic lecture content so commonly used in undergraduate biochemistry education. In completing the assessment task, students gained a deeper understanding of their chosen biochemical pathway and were provided with a range of presentations that neatly summarised the range of content considered fundamental to the understanding of metabolism. On the whole, students found this assessment task to be a useful learning and study tool that added a ‘fun’ dimension to the course. The current assessment concept, although directly relevant to the education of biochemists, could easily be translated to any subject where an emphasis is placed on the integration of multiple sets of information to achieve coherent understanding

Engaging alumni to support employability and the study-work transition

Abstract Ensuring graduate employability is core business for Australian Higher Education Institutions and evidence-based strategies for embedding employability have been implemented across the sector. This work is particularly important in STEM disciplines where students are presented with a broad array of career opportunities. For universities interested in improving employability skills and graduate outcomes, it is imperative to move beyond requests of alumni to provide mentoring, membership on advisory boards, donations, and contributions to brand capital. To date, alumni are an underutilised resource in supporting employability and they are often left to fend for themselves in the transition from university. This OLT National Teaching Fellowship proposes a redefinition of the philosophy of the alumnus and their role in Australian Higher education. By reshaping our notions of success and modalities for connecting with alumni we may enhance our capacity to maintain connection with our graduates. In return we will unlock their intelligences to support curricula and employability initiatives, ensuring graduate capabilities in future cohorts. This session aims to explore current alumni engagement methodologies, provide tools for connecting with alumni, and open dialogue around the role of alumni connection in facilitating graduate success and the study-work transition. Objectives • To develop participant awareness of the value of alumni engagement in STEM disciplines. • To explore opportunities for alumni contribution to undergraduate curriculum and employability initiatives. • To help participants facilitate improved relationships between alumni and their School or University. Workshop description Two hours with 50 participants maximum. The intended audience is (i) academic staff involved in the development of employability curriculum and (ii) university leadership interested in supporting alumni relationships. Activities include: • Identification of key areas in programs where alumni may contribute to employability. • Discussion of current and emerging methods for supporting graduates in the transition to work. • Strategies for developing and maintaining strong alumni networks. Biography of workshop leader Dr. Jessica Vanderlelie is a Senior Lecturer at the Griffith University School of Medical Science, where she coordinates the embedding of employability curriculum across the Faculty of Health. Jessica is passionate about supporting graduate success and as an Australian Learning and Teaching Fellow, is currently leading a program of activities to ‘Revision Alumni Engagement for Graduate Success’

Essential mineral intake during pregnancy and its association with maternal health and birth outcomes in South East Queensland, Australia

Micronutrient supplements are often recommended during pregnancy, yet their role and necessity remain poorly understood in the Australian population. This study aimed to determine the essential mineral intake of a population of pregnant women in South East Queensland and investigate the effects of supplements on their micronutrient status and birth outcomes. Women completing the Oral Glucose Tolerance Test at two South East Queensland hospitals between 180 and 210 days gestation provided fasting blood samples and dietary data using the Maternal Outcomes and Nutrition Tool (n = 127). Birth outcomes were sourced from medical records. Serum elemental profiles were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) analysis. Intake of 8 essential minerals was compared with Australian dietary recommendations; matched serum mineral levels were compared with the current Queensland pregnancy reference ranges. Data were examined using cross-sectional cohort design and independent sample t-tests. Supplement use had no significant influence on serum values of trace elements or the incidence of hypertensive disorders, gestational diabetes, preterm birth or infant birthweight. Dietary selenium, zinc and iodine were significantly higher in women birthing beyond 41 completed weeks; selenium (P = .026) and zinc (P = .034) both made unique contributions to the regression models when controlling for confounders. Women exhibited adequate to excessive serum micronutrient levels compared with pregnancy reference ranges, a finding consistent with dietary intake calculations. Data suggest that excessive essential mineral intake contributed to prolonged pregnancy in this cohort, supporting previous studies in this population. Further research is required to determine individual needs and eliminate the potential for harm before recommending pregnancy supplements

Teaching and evaluating graduate attributes in multimedia science based assessment tasks

New media literacy is an important employability skill for the future workforce and particularly important for graduates in the Health and Pharmaceutical Sciences. Digital story telling is a widely recognised strategy to engage student learning. This project evaluated student perspectives of the value digital story telling in the context of graduate skills development, digital media capability and leading areas of concern. Forth-year Pharmacy students (n=92) from the University of South Australia and 2nd year Health Science Students (n=83) from Griffith University were surveyed. Overwhelmingly, students reported the assessment was fun and they enjoyed working creatively and in teams. They also reported the development of graduate qualities including problem solving (85%), critical thinking (82%), oral (91%) communication, team work (95%) and time management (90%). For educators interested in this form of assessment, key considerations include mindfulness of level of anxiety this new form of activity may place on students, in particular their “need” for instruction and access to software and hardware. Students reporting anxiety or apprehension were most concerned about technical skill (87%) and the time required to complete the task (83%) that was linked to lower levels of computing ability (55% vs. 90% reporting as good/expert)

Red blood cell glutathione peroxidase activity in female nulligravid and pregnant rats

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The alterations of the glutathione peroxidase enzyme complex system occur in physiological conditions such as aging and oxidative stress consequent to strenuous exercise.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Authors optimize the spectrophotometric method to measure glutathione peroxidase activity in rat red blood cell membranes.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The optimization, when applied to age paired rats, both nulligravid and pregnant, shows that pregnancy induces, at seventeen d of pregnancy, an increase of both reactive oxygen substance concentration in red blood cells and membrane glutathione peroxidase activity.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The glutathione peroxidase increase in erythrocyte membranes is induced by systemic oxidative stress long lasting rat pregnancy.</p

Differential expression and distribution of placental glutathione peroxidases 1, 3 and 4 in normal and preeclamptic pregnancy

Preeclampsia is a pregnancy-specific condition affecting 2-7% of women and a leading cause of perinatal and maternal morbidity and mortality; it may also predispose the mother and fetus to increased risks of adult cardiovascular disease. The selenoprotein glutathione peroxidases (GPxs) have critical roles in regulating antioxidant status. Objectives, study design and main outcome measures: Immunohistochemical measurements of GPx 1, GPx3 and GPx4 protein expression were performed on samples taken from three standardised sampling sites between the cord insertion and the periphery of the placenta from 12 normotensive, and 12 preeclamptic women to establish if their expression differed between sampling sites. Total GPx activities were also examined from the three sampling sites of these placentae. Results: There were highly significant reductions in overall immunohistochemical staining of all 3 GPxs in the preeclampsia compared to normotensive placentae (GPx1: P = 0.016; GPx3: P = 0.003; GPx4: P < 0.001). Furthermore, graded differences in expression between the standardised placental sampling sites were also found for GPx3 (higher in the inner region, P = 0.05) and GPx4 (higher in the periphery, P = 0.02) but not GPx1. Placental GPx enzyme activity was also significantly reduced in tissue from preeclamptic women as compared to normotensive women (P = 0.007; the difference was more pronounced nearest the cord insertion). Conclusions: We have shown highly significant reductions in expression of all three major classes of GPx in placentae from women with preeclampsia, and distribution gradients in activity, which may relate to the differential oxygenation of regions of the placenta

Selenium in reproduction

Selenium is an essential trace element of importance to human biology and health. Increasing evidence suggests that this mineral plays an important role in normal growth and reproduction in animals and humans, and selenium supplementation is now recommended as part of public health policy in geographical areas with severe selenium deficiency in soil. This review addresses the biological functions of selenium followed by a detailed review of associations between selenium status and reproductive health. In many countries, selenium dietary intake falls below the recommended nutrient intakes and is inadequate to support maximal expression of the selenoenzymes. Numerous reports implicate selenium deficiency in several reproductive and obstetric complications including male and female infertility, miscarriage, preeclampsia, fetal growth restriction, preterm labor, gestational diabetes, and obstetric cholestasis. Currently, there is inadequate information from the available small intervention studies to inform public health strategies. Larger intervention trials are required to reinforce or refute a beneficial role of selenium supplementation in disorders of reproductive health