Students online: learning medical genetics.

It is possible to focus medical genetics education by using a model that integrates the skills of end-user searching of the medical literature into the traditional course content. Since 1988, 313 first-year medical students were studied as they accessed MEDLINE to retrieve information about biochemical genetic disorders. Their search behavior was studied by analyzing data from the National Library of Medicine's traffic files. The skills that they initially learned were reinforced as they searched clinical genetics problem cases in the second-year pathology course, and these skills were consolidated in the third year when the students addressed specific patient-care questions in pediatrics. The students' perception of the value of this model was studied by analyzing questionnaires completed during the exercise. It was demonstrated that when students were taught the skills of accessing MEDLINE by computer, they could formulate a question, retrieve current information, critically review relevant articles, communicate effectively, and use these skills to contribute to patient care.     

Remembering Biochemistry: A study of the patterns of loss of biochemical knowledge in medical students

A questionnaire consisting of twenty-five multiple-choice biochemistry questions was given to a random sample of students one year (N = 100), three years (N = 60), five years (N = 49), and eight years (N = 20), after passing the examination ‘biochemistry in medical studies’ (first course). The results showed increasing memory loss with time, falling to the level ‘C’ just one year after examination, independent of the level obtained beforehand. The results also suggest that the areas in which students more frequently need to use the knowledge in the following years of medical studies (eg metabolism of carbohydrates and enzymes) are better preserved than those in which there has been no need of its use (biomolecules and genetics, mainly). No relationship was observed between social or personal factors and the phenomenon of remembering biochemical information.     

Innovations in human genetics education. Incorporation of genetics into a problem-based medical school curriculum.

There has been recent interest in the development of problem-based human genetics curricula in U.S. medical schools. The College of Human Medicine at Michigan State University has had a problem-based curriculum since 1974. The vertical integration of genetics within the problem-based curriculum, called "Track II," has recently been revised. On first inspection, the curriculum appeared to lack a significant genetics component; however, on further analysis it was found that many genetics concepts were covered in the biochemistry, microbiology, pathology, and clinical science components. Both basic science concepts and clinical applications of genetics are covered in the curriculum by providing appropriate references for basic concepts and including inherited conditions within the differential diagnosis in the cases studied. Evaluations consist of a multiple-choice content exam and a modified essay exam based on a clinical case, allowing evaluation of both basic concepts and problem-solving ability. This curriculum prepares students to use genetics in a clinical context in their future careers.     

An integrated biochemistry and genetics outreach program designed for elementary school students

Exposure to genetic and biochemical experiments typically occurs late in one's academic career. By the time students have the opportunity to select specialized courses in these areas, many have already developed negative attitudes toward the sciences. Given little or no direct experience with the fields of genetics and biochemistry, it is likely that many young people rule these out as potential areas of study or career path. To address this problem, we developed a 7-week (~1 hr/week) hands-on course to introduce fifth grade students to basic concepts in genetics and biochemistry. These young students performed a series of investigations (ranging from examining phenotypic variation, in vitro enzymatic assays, and yeast genetic experiments) to explore scientific reasoning through direct experimentation. Despite the challenging material, the vast majority of students successfully completed each experiment, and most students reported that the experience increased their interest in science. Additionally, the experiments within the 7-week program are easily performed by instructors with basic skills in biological sciences. As such, this program can be implemented by others motivated to achieve a broader impact by increasing the accessibility of their university and communicating to a young audience a positive impression of the sciences and the potential for science as a career.     

Lack of impact of undergraduate genetic courses on the teaching of medical genetics.

The impact of undergraduate genetic courses on the academic performance of first-year medical students in the medical genetics course at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine was evaluated over a period of 9 years. Comparisons were made between medical students who had taken a formal undergraduate course in genetics and those who had not. Little if any differences were found in the academic performance in the medical genetics course between these two groups of students. Perhaps the design of undergraduate courses in genetics should be re-evaluated to give more depth to the medical student's preparation for appreciating the significance of genetics in normal and abnormal human variation.     

医学病例在高校普通遗传学教学中的运用

遗传学是生命科学、医学、农学等相关领域的核心课程。作为21世纪生命科学中发展最为迅速的学科之一,教学内容复杂、更新快,遗传学知识对人一生的影响也日益增强,特别是与医学相关的遗传学知识更是受到大众关注。为使学生更容易理解深奥的遗传学知识,使教学内容更贴近生活,在教学过程中引入医学病例,将相应的医学病例同遗传学理论知识结合并作出适当的延伸,将有利于提高学生的遗传学知识综合分析能力,同时提高学生的学习积极性和实用技能。本文根据现代遗传学教学体系,引入相应的医学病例,强调培养学生综合遗传分析能力,为综合性大学、师范院校的普通遗传学教学提供参考。     

A Biochemistry of Human Disease course for undergraduate and graduate students

This paper describes the experience of members of a medical school faculty who have been offering for more than 10 years a two-course series in the biochemistry of human disease to undergraduate students majoring in biochemistry, biology, or chemistry. Each of the two 3-credit courses meets twice a week for 90 min per session. The courses are divided into five three-week blocs (total number of sessions per bloc, six), each of which is taught by a different instructor. The sixth and last class in each of the blocs is devoted to an exam; there is no cumulative final exam. The topics that are covered include the following: diabetes mellitus, alcoholism, Alzheimer's disease, trophoblastic diseases of pregnancy, molecular and cellular mechanisms of cancer (including chemical carcinogenesis), disorders of calcium metabolism, biochemical and nutritional causes of anemia, collagen diseases, and gene replacement therapy. The various teaching formats and kinds of reading assignments that are used are discussed, as are the reactions of selected faculty who have participated in these courses. The positive experience we have had with a bloc approach to topics-based, multi-instructor courses in human disease should encourage basic science faculty at other medical schools in the US and elsewhere to become involved in teaching specialized, advanced courses to undergraduate, pre-professional students.     

Essential Bioinformatics * Jin Xiong * Cambridge University Press; ISBN: 0-521-60082-0; 339pp.; 2006; * {pound}65.00 (hardcover); {pound}29.00 (paperback).

Few would argue the need for today's college biology majorsto have basic skills in bioinformatics. Yet, their undergraduatefaculty faces several challenges in providing these skills,particularly at smaller colleges. First, faculty members whoteach bioinformatics have usually been trained in molecularbiology, genetics or biochemistry. Therefore, most do not haveextensive applied mathematics experience beyond statistics.Second, bioinformatics textbooks for undergraduate biology majorsare rare. Most bioinformatics books are geared to researchers,computer programmers or graduate students. Others are simpleuser manuals, with little coverage of critical evaluation ofthe output. Third, most students today have great ‘point-and-click’computing skills, but minimal understanding or patience forcommand-line computing or programming. In light of these challenges to introducing undergraduate studentsto bioinformatics, it was quite a joy to read and review ProfessorJin Xiong's recent book, Essential Bioinformatics. This compact,economical, first edition of     

Development of a genetics education workshop curriculum for Native American college and university students.

The long-term goal of Genetic Education for Native Americans (GENA), a project funded by the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), is to provide a balance of scientific and cultural information about genetics and genetic research to Native Americans and thereby to improve informed decision making. The project provides culturally sensitive education about genetic research to Native American medical students and college and university students. Curriculum development included focus groups, extensive review of available curricula, and collection of information about career opportunities in genetics. Special attention was focused on genetic research to identify key concepts, instructional methods, and issues that are potentially troublesome or sensitive for Native Americans. Content on genetic research and careers in genetics was adapted from a wide variety of sources for use in the curriculum. The resulting GENA curriculum is based on 24 objectives arranged into modules customized for selected science-related conference participants. The curriculum was pretested with Native American students, medical and general university, health care professionals, and basic scientists. Implementation of the curriculum is ongoing. This article describes the development and pretesting of the genetics curriculum for the project with the expectation that the curriculum will be useful for genetics educators working in diverse settings.     

The use of multiple tools for teaching medical biochemistry

In this work, we describe the use of several strategies employing the philosophies of active learning and problem-based learning (PBL) that may be used to improve the teaching of metabolic biochemistry to medical and nutritional undergraduate students. The main activities are as follows: 1) a seminar/poster system in a mini-congress format (using topics of applied biochemistry); 2) a true/false applied biochemistry exam (written by peer tutors); 3) a 9-h exam on metabolism (based in real publications); 4) the Advanced Biochemistry course (directed to peer tutors, where students learn how to read and criticize real medical papers); 5) experiments about nutrition and metabolism, using students as volunteers, and about free radicals (real science for students); 6) the BioBio blog (taking advantage of the "web age," this enhances out of class exchanges of information between the professor, students, and peer tutors); 7) student lectures on public health issues and metabolic disorders directed to the community and lay people; and 8) the BioBio quiz show. The main objective of these activities is to provide students with a more practical and interesting approach to biochemistry, such as the application of theoretical knowledge to real situations (diseases, experiments, media information, and scientific discoveries). In addition, we emphasize the importance of peer tutor activities for optimized learning of both students and peer tutors, the importance of a closer interaction between students and teaching staff, and the necessity to initiate students precociously in two broad fields of medical activity: "real" basic science and contact with the public (also helping students--future doctors and nutritionists--to be able to communicate with lay people). Most activities were evaluated by the students through written questionnaires and informal conversations, along various semesters, indicating good acceptance and approval of these methods. Good student scores in the biochemistry exams and seminars indicated that these activities are also working as valid educational tools.     

Attempts to use computers as diagnostic aids in medical decision making: a thirty-year experience.

For more than 30 years our group of physicians, statisticians, and computer scientists has worked toward developing a computer program with the capability of a trained physician to make diagnostic decisions in the relatively broad medical subspecialty of hematology. We devised and tested many programs, none of which have been sufficiently useful to warrant carrying beyond the pilot-study stage. We analyzed the reasons for this failure. Our experience confirms the great difficulty, and even the impossibility, of incorporating the complexity of human thought into a system that can be handled by a computer. We concluded that we should stop trying to make a computer act like a diagnostician and concentrate instead on ways of making computer-generated relevant information available to physicians as they make decisions.     

Biochemistry,Coming Along with Melodies: Instructional Design and Teaching Tips for Introduction of Biochemistry Course

The first class of a higher education course, in most cases, is an introduction that covers the learning goals, course overview, syllabus, and evaluation mode. The effectiveness of an introduction lecture is vital for students to develop an interest in the course. Biochemistry is the foundation of a vast array of scientific disciplines; therefore, it is a core course required for medical schools and life science majors. However, many students are often intimidated by the complex, intertwined metabolic pathways composed of a great variety of structurally diverse biomolecules. Well begun is half done: a good introduction is essential for the success of a course and this is particularly true for teaching of biochemistry. As an educator with over twenty years of teaching experience in biochemistry to students of biology, medicine, pharmacy, and nursing at Peking University, I have successfully enriched the introduction class with delightful biochemistry songs, multiple sources of educational materials, and biochemistry-related knowledge in medical humanities. These strategies and tips have proven effective, and I hope it can be enlightening and helpful to the teaching of biochemistry.     

ASHG activities relative to education: Human genetics as a component of medical school curricula: A report to the American society of human genetics

In recent years, there has been a remarkable increase in both the rate of acquiring new information about human genetics and the importance of human genetics for modern health care. As a result, human genetics educators have queried whether the teaching of human genetics in North-American medical schools has kept pace with these increases. To address this question, a survey of these medical schools was undertaken to assess how human geneticists perceive the teaching of human genetics in their respective institutions. The results of the survey, begun and completed in 1985, indicate the following: (1) the teaching of human genetics in medical schools is extremely variable from one institution to another, with some schools having no identifiable human genetics teaching at all; (2) the relevance of human genetics to other basic science and clinical disciplines apparently leads to noncategorical or fragmented teaching of human genetics, which may also contribute to the absence of a specific medical school course in the subject; and (3) there is a need for closer collaboration between human genetics educators and their respective medical school administrators and curriculum committees.     

Using medical genetics applications to educate for computer competence.

This article proposes specific areas of computing competence and illustrates how these skills can be acquired as an integral part of the curriculum of medical genetics. Geneticists are at the forefront in the use of computers for medical care, because of the driving force of the Human Genome Project. Computer searching of international data bases is the most efficient method to keep current with the explosion in molecular genetics data and with its immediate relevance to clinical care. The use of computers in genetics education could go far beyond the use of computer-assisted instruction (CAI) to show how to use computer systems to assist with clinical decisions. The proposed basic computer skills can be obtained using genetics software. The six proposed skills include the use of (1) microcomputers, (2) productivity software, (3) CAI, patient simulations and specific application programs, (4) remote computers, (5) data bases and knowledge bases, and (6) computers to improve the clinical care of patients.     

A problem-based learning approach to teaching medical genetics.

A newly developed problem-based medical genetics course that was integrated into the fourth-year medical school curriculum of the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio is described. To provide a basic genetic background for the clinical rotations, a supplemental computer tutorial is required during the second year. These two formats prepare the medical students to recognize genetic diseases, to provide basic genetic counseling in their daily practice, and to appropriately refer patients to genetic specialists.     

The importance of phase information for human genomics

Contemporary sequencing studies often ignore the diploid nature of the human genome because they do not routinely separate or 'phase' maternally and paternally derived sequence information. However, many findings - both from recent studies and in the more established medical genetics literature - indicate that relationships between human DNA sequence and phenotype, including disease, can be more fully understood with phase information. Thus, the existing technological impediments to obtaining phase information must be overcome if human genomics is to reach its full potential.     

Ten simple rules for designing and running a computing minor for bio/chem students

Science students increasingly need programming and data science skills to be competitive in the modern workforce. However, at our university (San Francisco State University), until recently, almost no biology, biochemistry, and chemistry students (from here bio/chem students) completed a minor in computer science. To change this, a new minor in computing applications, which is informally known as the Promoting Inclusivity in Computing (PINC) minor, was established in 2016. Here, we present the lessons we learned from our experience in a set of 10 rules. The first 3 rules focus on setting up the program so that it interests students in biology, chemistry, and biochemistry. Rules 4 through 8 focus on how the classes of the program are taught to make them interesting for our students and to provide the students with the support they need. The last 2 rules are about what happens “behind the scenes” of running a program with many people from several departments involved.     

Journal club as a supplement to the undergraduate biochemistry laboratory

After purification of lysozyme, our biochemistry students write a research proposal that outlines a strategy for studying this enzyme after alteration by site-directed mutagenesis. Despite a literature search that yielded a wealth of background information, students were often overwhelmed by the assignment because they were not familiar with advanced techniques of protein analysis. We therefore developed a series of journal clubs in which teams of students present methods and data found in papers dealing with lysozyme. The five topics for journal clubs include; substrate binding and mechanism; spectroscopic techniques; stability analysis; two-dimensional NMR; and X-ray crystallography. After the adoption of the group talks, the quality of the research proposals improved immensely and students found the assignment to be an educationally rewarding exercise.     

Teaching medical students basic neurotransmitter pharmacology using primary research resources

Teaching pharmacology to medical students has long been seen as a challenge, and one to which a number of innovative approaches have been taken. In this article, we describe and evaluate the use of primary research articles in teaching second-year medical students both in terms of the information learned and the use of the papers themselves. We designed a seminar where small groups of students worked on different neurotransmitters before contributing information to a plenary session. Student feedback suggested that when the information was largely novel, students learned considerably more. Crucially, this improvement in knowledge was seen even when they had not directly studied a particular transmitter in their work groups, suggesting a shared learning experience. Moreover, the majority of students reported that using primary research papers was easy and useful, with over half stating that they would use them in future study.     

医学留学生生物化学实验的教学体会

通过对留学生生物化学的全英式教学,从留学生的特点从合理的管理体制、精选实验内容、动画辅助多媒体教学和尝试Free talk模式几个方面对留学生教学的方法进行探讨,希望能为培养优秀的留学生提供参考。