Employing an online microscopy tutorial in the collaborative classroom to reinforce laboratory-based practical skills

Biomedical Skills 1 is a new first semester unit that was introduced in 2012 into QUT’s Bachelor of Biomedical Science. One of the main aims of the unit is to facilitate the competent learning of laboratory skills for the study and practice of biomedical science. Microscopy is one such laboratory skill that can prove challenging for some students and which has largely been taught in the wet laboratory. Time in the wet laboratory is often limited so learning needs to be maximized. By using a collaborative classroom with students working in groups of five with access to a networked PC, we employed an online virtual microscopy tutorial to reinforce the working components and use of the compound microscope. The virtual microscope was able to be manipulated in the same ways as a real microscope. Students were given a group worksheet to complete which encouraged them to engage with each other as they progressed through the tutorial as well as conferring with each other as they answered the questions. Feedback from the students was overwhelmingly positive, with students commenting that they felt much more confident in using the microscope in the laboratory sessions following the virtual microscopy tutorial

The gut-brain axis, the human gut microbiota and their integration in the development of obesity

Obesity is a global epidemic, placing socioeconomic strain on public healthcare systems, especially within the so-called Western countries, such as Australia, United States, United Kingdom, and Canada. Obesity results from an imbalance between energy intake and energy expenditure, where energy intake exceeds expenditure. Current non-invasive treatments lack efficacy in combating obesity, suggesting that obesity is a multi-faceted and more complex disease than previously thought. This has led to an increase in research exploring energy homeostasis and the discovery of a complex bidirectional communication axis referred to as the gut-brain axis. The gut-brain axis is comprised of various neurohumoral components that allow the gut and brain to communicate with each other. Communication occurs within the axis via local, paracrine and/or endocrine mechanisms involving a variety of gut-derived peptides produced from enteroendocrine cells (EECs), including glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP1), cholecystokinin (CCK), peptide YY3−36 (PYY), pancreatic polypeptide (PP), and oxyntomodulin. Neural networks, such as the enteric nervous system (ENS) and vagus nerve also convey information within the gut-brain axis. Emerging evidence suggests the human gut microbiota, a complex ecosystem residing in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT), may influence weight-gain through several inter-dependent pathways including energy harvesting, short-chain fatty-acids (SCFA) signalling, behaviour modifications, controlling satiety and modulating inflammatory responses within the host. Hence, the gut-brain axis, the microbiota and the link between these elements and the role each plays in either promoting or regulating energy and thereby contributing to obesity will be explored in this review

The Gut-Brain Axis, the Human Gut Microbiota and Their Integration in the Development of Obesity

Obesity is a global epidemic, placing socioeconomic strain on public healthcare systems, especially within the so-called Western countries, such as Australia, United States, United Kingdom, and Canada. Obesity results from an imbalance between energy intake and energy expenditure, where energy intake exceeds expenditure. Current non-invasive treatments lack efficacy in combating obesity, suggesting that obesity is a multi-faceted and more complex disease than previously thought. This has led to an increase in research exploring energy homeostasis and the discovery of a complex bidirectional communication axis referred to as the gut-brain axis. The gut-brain axis is comprised of various neurohumoral components that allow the gut and brain to communicate with each other. Communication occurs within the axis via local, paracrine and/or endocrine mechanisms involving a variety of gut-derived peptides produced from enteroendocrine cells (EECs), including glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP1), cholecystokinin (CCK), peptide YY3−36 (PYY), pancreatic polypeptide (PP), and oxyntomodulin. Neural networks, such as the enteric nervous system (ENS) and vagus nerve also convey information within the gut-brain axis. Emerging evidence suggests the human gut microbiota, a complex ecosystem residing in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT), may influence weight-gain through several inter-dependent pathways including energy harvesting, short-chain fatty-acids (SCFA) signalling, behaviour modifications, controlling satiety and modulating inflammatory responses within the host. Hence, the gut-brain axis, the microbiota and the link between these elements and the role each plays in either promoting or regulating energy and thereby contributing to obesity will be explored in this review

You don't know what you don't know: ethics and participant consent issues for eResearch users

This paper shares the experiences of researchers and research support teams to enable eResearch that is ethically sound, particularly with regard to the consent of research participants. A key goal of eResearch is to use compute and data intensive infrastructure and collaborative approaches supported by advanced ICTs (HPC, Cloud Storage, Collaborative tools and High Speed networks) to enable data sharing and re-use. This paper shares the practical challenges and solutions from the perspectives of researchers and research support teams at the University of Southern Queensland (USQ) and poses questions and suggestions on ethics dilemmas such as ensuring that research participants have consented to share the data collected on them with other researchers. A collaborative and consultative approach involving teams in the USQ Office of Research, the USQ Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) Chair, the ICT Service Division and Library Services division resulted in successful outcomes for researchers

Embedding Authentic First Nations Content within Biomedical Science Curriculum

The importance of incorporating First Nations content into curriculum has been widely recognised with significant progress in developing curricula and graduate attributes in several disciplines (Australian Government Department of Health, 2021; Page, et al., 2019), however substantial work remains, particularly in the sciences. A recent review of our Biochemistry of Nutrition curriculum identified an opportunity to incorporate authentic First Nations food and health content. Through collaboration with the University of Southern Queensland’s Elder in Residence, a new module was developed. The module, built around a traditional yarning circle experience, shared First Nations knowledge of culture, nutrition, and medicine. This was supported by lectorials and other content, including the importance of Indigenous research governance. As we also recognised the need to introduce First Nations content vertically across the curriculum, we further collaborated with a First Nations health expert to integrate and deliver topics such as historical policies, health perspectives, and cultural safety into our first-year foundational Biomedical Science course. Student feedback on these enhancements has been positive and the yarning circle approach to learning attracted substantial media attention. By forming collaborations with local First Nations leaders, we have developed authentic First Nations content that has strengthened student knowledge and graduate preparation for work in the health and research fields

Academic achievement and student satisfaction: moving anatomy and physiology teaching online

Introudction The COVID-19 pandemic had a large impact on tertiary education content delivery, driving university programs to replace face-to-face teaching and practical hands-on experience with digital learning through online platforms. The aim of this study was to evaluate changes in academic achievement and overall student satisfaction in a first-year undergraduate student cohort in response to Zoom-delivered ‘dissection workshops’. Methods A comparative analysis was carried out on two first year undergraduate student cohorts (2019 and 2020) studying introductory anatomy and physiology. Student exam marks for questions relating to knowledge gained from the dissections were utilised to compare academic achievement and student feedback was collected to assess how digital learning affected student satisfaction. Results and Conclusion The student cohort that participated in the Zoom dissections (2020) had comparable academic achievement however student feedback indicated that a face-to-face, hands-on learning experience is preferable to digital learning in an introductory anatomy and physiology course

The long non-coding RNA GHSROS reprograms prostate cancer cell lines toward a more aggressive phenotype

It is now appreciated that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are important players in orchestrating cancer progression. In this study we characterized GHSROS, a human lncRNA gene on the opposite DNA strand (antisense) to the ghrelin receptor gene, in prostate cancer. The lncRNA was upregulated by prostate tumors from different clinical datasets. Transcriptome data revealed that GHSROS alters the expression of cancer-associated genes. Functional analyses in vitro showed that GHSROS mediates tumor growth, migration and survival, and resistance to the cytotoxic drug docetaxel. Increased cellular proliferation of GHSROS-overexpressing PC3, DU145, and LNCaP prostate cancer cell lines in vitro was recapitulated in a subcutaneous xenograft model. Conversely, in vitro antisense oligonucleotide inhibition of the lncRNA reciprocally regulated cell growth and migration, and gene expression. Notably, GHSROS modulates the expression of PPP2R2C, the loss of which may drive androgen receptor pathway-independent prostate tumor progression in a subset of prostate cancers. Collectively, our findings suggest that GHSROS can reprogram prostate cancer cells toward a more aggressive phenotype and that this lncRNA may represent a potential therapeutic target

Ghrelin and cancer

Ghrelin is a peptide hormone that was originally isolated from the stomach as the endogenous ligand for the growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHSR). Ghrelin has many functions, including the regulation of appetite and gut motility, growth hormone release from the anterior pituitary and roles in the cardiovascular and immune systems. Ghrelin and its receptor are expressed in a number of cancers and cancer cell lines and may play a role in processes associated with cancer progression, including cell proliferation, apoptosis, and cell invasion and migration

Cells and 3D printed bioscaffolds: inter-disciplinary collaborations to engage and inspire students in biomedical science

Poster presentation made at the Biosciences Education Australia Network Forum in December 2019