A historical chronology of teaching physiological sciences to medical students in Hungary

Starting from the second half of the 18th century, a brief chronology of teaching medical physiology and pathophysiology in Hungary is given in this article. Even when the major milestones of this history are only identified, one can recognize several significant achivements that may inspire the present and coming generations to develope and enrich this inheritance of high values. These achivements involve--inter alia--influential scientific "schools" founded by eminent professors, outstanding institutions of basic medicine, recognition of the relevance of the integrative approach in medical education, close relationship between teaching and scientific research, high-standard theoretical and practical training, teaching based on excellent domestic and foreign textbooks, extensive international relationships and experience.     

The application of meteorology in medical sciences

After a brief mention of the distinct features of human biometeorology as compared with the other fields of biometeorology methods of approach are reviewed. The main aim of research is to establish a ranking order for the impact of the factors of the atmospheric environment within general biometeorology and within ecology as a whole. Both deductive and inductive methods reveal that all ranking is relative and dependent on the particular purpose served and the special limitations introduced through control of the ecosystem. The application of meteorology in the medical sciences requires a basic understanding of human biometeorology. It can only be fruitful if the various specialists define their purpose clearly so that meteorologists can arrange their recording scheme and data evaluation accordingly.     

Dialogues as teaching tools in the biochemical sciences

In their senior year, biochemistry majors take “Recent Advances in Biochemistry Related to Societal Issues” in which new advances in biochemical sciences are explored through the reading and presenting of recent articles from the literature. Emphasis is placed on the analysis and interpretation of experimental results and the ethical and societal implications of the work including the significance of the findings to the improvement of life. To fulfill the objectives of the course, a group project was implemented in which the goal was to write a dialogue that explores one area in which advances in biochemical research give rise to ethical and societal considerations. This assignment required the groups to research the topics and then creatively integrate the information into a dialogue format representing different views on the subject. The dialogue was presented to the rest of the class and invited guests in skit format and then a discussion followed. Based upon evaluations, the project was regarded highly by the students. The assignment, group and topic selection, examples of presentations and issues raised during discussions, and results from student and audience evaluations will be discussed.     

Fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy in the medical sciences

The steady improvement in the imaging of cellular processes in living tissue over the last 10–15 years through the use of various fluorophores including organic dyes, fluorescent proteins and quantum dots, has made observing biological events common practice. Advances in imaging and recording technology have made it possible to exploit a fluorophore's fluorescence lifetime. The fluorescence lifetime is an intrinsic parameter that is unique for each fluorophore, and that is highly sensitive to its immediate environment and/or the photophysical coupling to other fluorophores by the phenomenon Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET). The fluorescence lifetime has become an important tool in the construction of optical bioassays for various cellular activities and reactions. The measurement of the fluorescence lifetime is possible in two formats; time domain or frequency domain, each with their own advantages. Fluorescence lifetime imaging applications have now progressed to a state where, besides their utility in cell biological research, they can be employed as clinical diagnostic tools. This review highlights the multitude of fluorophores, techniques and clinical applications that make use of fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM).     

The role of analytical sciences in medical systems biology

Medical systems biology has generated widespread interest because of its bold conception and exciting potential, but the field is still in its infancy. Although there has been tremendous progress achieved recently in generating, integrating and analysing data in the medical and pharmaceutical field, many challenges remain, especially with respect to the crucial core technologies required for analytical characterization. This review briefly summarizes these aspects for metabolomics, proteomics, data handling and multivariate biostatistics.     

Ten years of achievements in biological and medical sciences

正This special issue commemorates the 10th anniversary of Institute of Biomedical Sciences(IBMS),East China Normal University(ECNU).IBMS was established in 2007 by a group of oversea scientists from Harvard Medical School,Yale University,the Texas AM University,Baylor College of Medicine,the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center,the University of California and the Scripps Research Institute.These scientists were brought together on the initiative of Dr.Mingyao Liu,who was then appointed as the director of IBMS and dean of School of Life Sciences,ECNU.The institute is located on the new ECNU     

A field guide for teaching evolution in the social sciences

The theory of evolution by natural selection has begun to revolutionize our understanding of perception, cognition, language, social behavior, and cultural practices. Despite the centrality of evolutionary theory to the social sciences, many students, teachers, and even scientists struggle to understand how natural selection works. Our goal is to provide a field guide for social scientists on teaching evolution, based on research in cognitive psychology, developmental psychology, and education. We synthesize what is known about the psychological obstacles to understanding evolution, methods for assessing evolution understanding, and pedagogical strategies for improving evolution understanding. We review what is known about teaching evolution about nonhuman species and then explore implications of these findings for the teaching of evolution about humans. By leveraging our knowledge of how to teach evolution in general, we hope to motivate and equip social scientists to begin teaching evolution in the context of their own field.