Clickers in Biosciences: Do they Improve Academic Performance?

While “clickers” are widely advocated for their capacity to enhance student motivation and engagement in large classes, the extent to which they lead to improved academic outcomes is a more recent target of research. The aim of this review is to analyse the literature and evaluate whether there is an improved academic performance of students in the biological and biomedical sciences as a result of using clickers. It focuses on publications in specialised peer-reviewed journals in earlier years of university and college. The evidence in the literature provides an encouraging picture of the benefit of clickers and identifies variables that may influence student academic performance. It appears that the benefit of the clickers is dependent upon the way they are used, the individuals and their prior knowledge. While there is evidence for the benefit of clickers in increasing student engagement and motivation, more needs to be done to address the scarcity of empirical and quantitative studies on their effect on academic performance

Snapshot of Mathematical Background Demographics of a Broad Cohort of First Year Chemistry Science Students

A case study of the background mathematical skills of a varied group of first year chemistry students (n = 455) is presented. Potential student demographic factors, including school leaver, mature age, non-English speaking background, and pre-requisite or prior assumed mathematical and chemistry knowledge, were examined. The student cohort had a diverse background in mathematical knowledge with only 53% meeting the pre-requisite mathematics admission criteria used in Queensland. A voluntary survey was completed by some students (n = 57) from the total cohort, which identified the individual mathematical background of students, their perception of the importance of mathematical skills in their study and their confidence with mathematics. The survey responses indicated that students generally did not have high confidence with their mathematical skills; especially for those with poorer mathematics backgrounds. Interestingly, all students were in strong agreement regarding the importance of mathematics to their study of chemistry. Correlation of the student mathematics background with a chemistry diagnostic test revealed that prior achievement in mathematics impacted on performance within chemistry. We propose that integration of foundational and enabling mathematical skills with curriculum would build student confidence and is more likely to have success in enabling science students to engage and succeed

Mathematics background and early performance of a sample of first year chemistry students

Background and Aims: The number of students taking the easier Maths A in Queensland exceeds that of the other two mathematics subjects combined, and there is a consistent drop out from Maths B into Maths A in year 12, with students presumably wishing to maximize their university entrance score. The decline in Australian students taking more advanced mathematics subjects has previously been highlighted (McPhan et al. 2008). Other studies have shown that students entering university are deficient in areas of mathematics deemed necessary in science based university subjects (Hoyles et al. 2001, Matthews et al. 2013). The aims of this project were to examine the background of students enrolled in a first semester, first year chemistry course and to investigate the relationship between prior chemistry and mathematics studies, and students’ results in early assessment items of the course. In addition student confidence in mathematics and chemistry and their perception of the importance of mathematical skills in their study were investigated. Methodology: The students enrolled in the chemistry course (n = 455) were in various degree programs with different entry requirements and pre-requisite mathematical knowledge. The chemistry course provided the ideal case study for evaluation of the relevance of a student’s mathematics background at the commencement of their studies. Some students (n = 57) from the total cohort, completed a voluntary survey which identified their perception of the importance of mathematical skills in their study and their confidence with mathematics. The survey data and the student mathematics and chemistry background (where available), was correlated with an early chemistry diagnostic test and the mid-semester examination results. We analysed student access to extra online mathematics support (c.f. Jackson & Johnson, 2013), which was provided to all students prior to the mid-semester exam in chemistry. Results and Conclusion: The survey responses indicated that students generally did not have high confidence with their mathematical skills; especially those with poorer mathematics backgrounds. By contrast, students’ perception of the importance of mathematical skills to their chemistry studies was high (average rating of 4.2 on a 5-point scale (5 = very important). The correlation data revealed that prior achievement in mathematics impacted on performance within chemistry, despite prior studies in chemistry. A possible solution is to integrate foundational and enabling mathematical skills with curriculum, which would build student confidence and is more likely to have success in enabling science students to engage and succeed. However, preliminary results indicated that very few students

Effect of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor and angiotensin receptor blocker initiation on organ support-free days in patients hospitalized with COVID-19

IMPORTANCE Overactivation of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) may contribute to poor clinical outcomes in patients with COVID-19. Objective To determine whether angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) initiation improves outcomes in patients hospitalized for COVID-19. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS In an ongoing, adaptive platform randomized clinical trial, 721 critically ill and 58 non–critically ill hospitalized adults were randomized to receive an RAS inhibitor or control between March 16, 2021, and February 25, 2022, at 69 sites in 7 countries (final follow-up on June 1, 2022). INTERVENTIONS Patients were randomized to receive open-label initiation of an ACE inhibitor (n = 257), ARB (n = 248), ARB in combination with DMX-200 (a chemokine receptor-2 inhibitor; n = 10), or no RAS inhibitor (control; n = 264) for up to 10 days. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary outcome was organ support–free days, a composite of hospital survival and days alive without cardiovascular or respiratory organ support through 21 days. The primary analysis was a bayesian cumulative logistic model. Odds ratios (ORs) greater than 1 represent improved outcomes. RESULTS On February 25, 2022, enrollment was discontinued due to safety concerns. Among 679 critically ill patients with available primary outcome data, the median age was 56 years and 239 participants (35.2%) were women. Median (IQR) organ support–free days among critically ill patients was 10 (–1 to 16) in the ACE inhibitor group (n = 231), 8 (–1 to 17) in the ARB group (n = 217), and 12 (0 to 17) in the control group (n = 231) (median adjusted odds ratios of 0.77 [95% bayesian credible interval, 0.58-1.06] for improvement for ACE inhibitor and 0.76 [95% credible interval, 0.56-1.05] for ARB compared with control). The posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitors and ARBs worsened organ support–free days compared with control were 94.9% and 95.4%, respectively. Hospital survival occurred in 166 of 231 critically ill participants (71.9%) in the ACE inhibitor group, 152 of 217 (70.0%) in the ARB group, and 182 of 231 (78.8%) in the control group (posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitor and ARB worsened hospital survival compared with control were 95.3% and 98.1%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE In this trial, among critically ill adults with COVID-19, initiation of an ACE inhibitor or ARB did not improve, and likely worsened, clinical outcomes. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT0273570

Student understanding of pH: "I don't know what the log actually is, I only know where the button is on my calculator"

In foundation biochemistry and biological chemistry courses, a major problem area that has been identified is students’ lack of understanding of pH, acids, bases, and buffers and their inability to apply their knowledge in solving acid/base problems. The aim of this study was to explore students’ conceptions of pH and their ability to solve problems associated with the behavior of biological acids to understand the source of student difficulties. The responses given by most students are characteristic of an atomistic approach in which they pay no attention to the structure of the problem and concentrate only on juggling the elements together until they get a solution. Many students reported difficulty in understanding what the question was asking and were unable to interpret a simple graph showing the pH activity profile of an enzyme. The most startling finding was the lack of basic understanding of logarithms and the inability of all except one student to perform a simple calculation on logs without a calculator. This deficiency in high school mathematical skills severely hampered their understanding of pH. This study has highlighted a widespread deficiency in basic mathematical skills among first year undergraduates and a fragmented understanding of acids and bases. Implications for the way in which the concepts of pH and buffers are taught are discussed

Ascidian Toxins with Potential for Drug Development

Ascidians (tunicates) are invertebrate chordates, and prolific producers of a wide variety of biologically active secondary metabolites from cyclic peptides to aromatic alkaloids. Several of these compounds have properties which make them candidates for potential new drugs to treat diseases such as cancer. Many of these natural products are not produced by the ascidians themselves, rather by their associated symbionts. This review will focus mainly on the mechanism of action of important classes of cytotoxic molecules isolated from ascidians. These toxins affect DNA transcription, protein translation, drug efflux pumps, signaling pathways and the cytoskeleton. Two ascidian compounds have already found applications in the treatment of cancer and others are being investigated for their potential in cancer, neurodegenerative and other diseases

Critical targets of protein kinase C in differentiation of tumour cells

The ultimate target of pharmacological research is to find new drugs for treating human diseases such as cancer. Agents causing differentiation and thus growth arrest should be particularly useful in this regard. A potential target for such anticancer therapy is the enzyme family protein kinase C (PKC), which is involved in the transduction of signals for cell proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis. Our recent work showing the induction of differentiation in melanoma cells by an activator of one PKC isoform, PKC delta, touches on several important areas of investigation, which will form the basis of this review: the role of individual isoforms of PKC, their downstream targets and their specific substrates, the mechanism of activation of specific Penes involved in the differentiation process, and the molecular basis for the morphological changes associated with differentiation. The central role that PKC plays in these processes points to the need for a greater understanding of the signalling pathways utilized by individual isoforms of this family of enzymes. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Inc

Bistratene A induces a microtubule-dependent block in cytokinesis and altered stathmin expression in HL60 cells

Bistratene A is a cyclic polyether which affects cell cycle progression and can induce phosphorylation of cellular proteins. Treatment of HL60 cells with 100 ng/ml bistratene A was found to inhibit cytokinesis but had no effect on DNA synthesis and nuclear division. Consequently, bistratene A-treated cells became polyploid and multinucleate. In association with the development of this phenotype, the cytoplasmic protein stathmin was biphasically phosphorylated and levels of expression were doubled. Immunostaining of binucleate cells (bistratene A for 24 h) revealed increased alpha-tubulin localization where the cleavage furrow might be expected to form, i.e., along the equatorial plane. Treatment of these binucleate cells with the microtubule depolymerizing agent nocadazole promoted cleavage furrow formation and partially ameliorated the bistratene A-induced block in cell division. These findings implicate the polymerization status of microtubules and stathmin function in the regulation of cytokinesis. (C) 1999 Academic Press

Phytoplankton spatial and temporal distribution in the central part of the Venice lagoon

Colorectal cancers arising via the serrated pathway are often associated with BRAF V600E mutation, CpG island methylator phenotype (CIMP), and microsatellite instability. Previous studies have shown a strong association between BRAF V600E mutation and serrated polyps. This study aims to evaluate CIMP status of all the serrated polyp subtypes and its association with functionally important genes such as MLH1, p16, and IGFBP7. CIMP status and methylation were evaluated using the real-time based MethyLight assay in 154 serrated polyps and 63 conventional adenomas. Results showed that CIMP-high serrated polyps were strongly associated with BRAF mutation and proximal colon. CIMP-high was uncommon in conventional adenomas (1.59%), occurred in 8.25% of hyperplastic polyps (HPs), and became common in sessile serrated adenomas (SSAs) (51.43%). MLH1 methylation was mainly observed in the proximal colon and was significantly associated with BRAF mutation and CIMP-high. The number of samples methylated for p16 and IGFBP7 was the highest in SSAs. The methylation panel we used to detect CIMP is highly specific for CIMP-high cancers. With this panel, we demonstrate that CIMP-high is much more common in SSAs than HPs. This suggests that CIMP-high correlates with increased risk of malignant transformation which was also observed in methylation of functionally important genes

Ferritin functions as a proinflammatory cytokine via iron-independent protein kinase C zeta/nuclear factor kappaB-regulated signaling in rat hepatic stellate cells

Circulating ferritin levels reflect body iron stores and are elevated with inflammation in chronic liver injury. H-ferritin exhibits a number of extrahepatic immunomodulatory properties, although its role in hepatic inflammation and fibrogenesis is unknown. Hepatic stellate cells respond to liver injury through production of proinflammatory mediators that drive fibrogenesis. A specific receptor for ferritin has been demonstrated on activated hepatic stellate cells, although its identity and its role in stellate cell activation is unclear. We propose that ferritin acts as a cytokine regulating proinflammatory function via nuclear factor kappaB (NF-B)-regulated signaling in hepatic stellate cell biology. Hepatic stellate cells were treated with tissue ferritin and iron-free apoferritin, recombinant H-ferritins and L-ferritins, to assess the role of ferritin versus ferritin-bound iron in the production of proinflammatory mediators of fibrogenesis, and to determine whether signaling pathways act via a proposed H-ferritin endocytosis receptor, T cell immunoglobulin-domain and mucin-domain 2 (Tim-2). This study demonstrated that ferritin activates an iron-independent signaling cascade, involving Tim-2 independent phosphoinositide 3 (PI3)-kinase phosphorylation, protein kinase C zeta (PKC) and p44/p42-mitogen-activated protein kinase, resulting in p50/p65-NF-B activation and markedly enhanced expression of hepatic proinflammatory mediators interleukin-1 (IL-1), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), regulated on activation normal T cell expressed and secreted (RANTES), inhibitor of kappa B (IB), and intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM1). Conclusions:This study has defined the role of ferritin as a proinflammatory mediator of hepatic stellate cell biology acting through the NF-B signaling pathway, and suggests a potential role in the inflammatory processes associated with hepatic fibrogenesis. (HEPATOLOGY 2009;49:887-900.