Implications, large and small, from chemical education research for the teaching of chemistry

Research studies in chemical education pose a communication problem for chemists. Unlike the findings from other specializations in chemistry the findings in chemical education tend to be reported in education journals that are not readily accessible to most chemists or chemistry teachers. This lecture is an attempt to remedy this gap in communication. Research studies fall into three broad categories. (i) issues related to the content of chemistry itself, that is, What content to teach? And What meaning of each topic is to be conveyed? (ii) issues related to how chemical content is taught, such as, the role of lectures, practical work, particular pedagogies, etc. and (iii) issues related to its learning, that is, learning of concepts, conceptual change, motivation, etc. Findings in each of these categories of research over the last twenty years have drawn attention to opportunities for improving the quality of chemical education in each of the levels of formal education where chemistry is taught. Sometimes the research findings seem small since they, in fact, merely diagnose the actual problem in teaching and learning. At other times, the research findings are large because they provide a solution to these problems. What remains to be done is to disseminate the findings so that appropriate teaching occurs more widely, with its consequent gains in the quality of learning. Research findings, of these small and large types will be used to illustrate the potential of research to make the practice of chemical education more effective.

Clinical characteristics and evolution of syphilis in 24 HIV+ individuals in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

A total of 24 patients with syphilis and HIV infection were treated from January 1997 to March 2003 at the Infectious Dermatology Outpatient Clinic of the Evandro Chagas Clinical Research Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The caseload consisted of 20 males (83.3%) and four females (16.7%), with a mean age of 38.04 years and mean T CD4+ count of 389.5 cells/mL. Syphilis was diagnosed as secondary in 16 (62.5%) patients, late latent in eight (33.3%), and tertiary in one (4.2%). Manifestations of secondary syphilis were palmar and plantar erythematopapulous cutaneous lesions in nine (37.5%), papulous exanthema in four (16.7%), patchy alopecia in 3 (12.5%) and osteochondritis in one patient (4.2%). Tertiary syphilis was characterized by verrucous lesions. Neurosyphilis was diagnosed in four patients (16.7%), with headache as the only manifestation in two patients. Drugs used in treatment included benzathine penicillin, ceftriaxone, erythromycin, and crystalline penicillin. Cure was achieved in 18 patients (75%). Five patients (20.8%) were retreated, three of whom presented a history of re-exposure. This study confirms the importance of establishing the diagnosis of neurosyphilis in patients with HIV infection, in addition to performing follow-up on treatment for syphilis.

Evolution of coauthorship networks: worldwide scientific production on leishmaniasis

Introduction Collaboration is one of the defining features of contemporary scientific research, and it is particularly important with regard to neglected diseases that primarily affect developing countries. Methods The present study has identified publications on leishmaniasis in the Medline database from 1945 to 2010, analyzing them according to bibliometric indicators and statistics from social network analysis. Examining aspects such as scientific production, diachronic evolution, and collaboration and configuration of the research groups in the field, we have considered the different types of Leishmania studied and the institutional affiliation and nationality of the authors. Results Seven-hundred and thirty-five authors participate in 154 prominent research clusters or groups. Although the most predominant and consolidated collaborations are characterized by members from the same country studying the same type of Leishmania, there are also notable links between authors from different countries or who study different clinical strains of the disease. Brazil took the lead in this research, with numerous Brazilian researchers heading different clusters in the center of the collaboration network. Investigators from the USA, India, and European countries, such as France, Spain, the United Kingdom, and Italy, also stand out within the network. Conclusions Research should be fostered in countries such as Bangladesh, Nepal, Sudan, and Ethiopia, where there is a high prevalence of different forms of the disease but limited research development with reference authors integrated into the collaboration networks.

An interactive perspective of health education for the tropical disease control: the schistosomiasis case

Some municipalities in Brazil have been requesting orientation for the implementation of health education programs related to the control of schistosomiasis. This demand was based on experiences in the development of health education researches, strategies and materials for school-age children, involving the communities and secretaries of health and education. Motivated by this request and the recently implemented plan of health services (Unified Health System - Sistema Único de Saúde - SUS) that gives autonomy to the municipalities to utilize health resources and services in Brazil, this paper presents an interactive perspective of planning health education research and programs. The purpose of this perspective is to stimulate a reflection on the needs and actions of institutions and people involved in health education research and/or programs to obtain sustainability, commitment and effectiveness - not only in the control of schistosomiasis, but also in the improvement of environmental conditions, quality of life and personal health. This perspective comprises interaction among three levels related to health education programs: the decision level, the executive level and the beneficiary level. The needs and lines of action at each of these levels are discussed, as well as the ways in which they can interact with each other. This proposal may lead to useful interactive ways of planing, organizing, executing and evaluating health education research and/or program, not only towards the prevention and control of the disease at stake, but also to promote health in general.

Biogeography and evolution of Amazonian triatomines (Heteroptera: Reduviidae): implications for Chagas disease surveillance in humid forest ecoregions

An ecological-evolutionary classification of Amazonian triatomines is proposed based on a revision of their main contemporary biogeographical patterns. Truly Amazonian triatomines include the Rhodniini, the Cavernicolini, and perhaps Eratyrus and some Bolboderini. The tribe Rhodniini comprises two major lineages (pictipes and robustus). The former gave rise to trans-Andean (pallescens) and Amazonian (pictipes) species groups, while the latter diversified within Amazonia (robustus group) and radiated to neighbouring ecoregions (Orinoco, Cerrado-Caatinga-Chaco, and Atlantic Forest). Three widely distributed Panstrongylus species probably occupied Amazonia secondarily, while a few Triatoma species include Amazonian populations that occur only in the fringes of the region. T. maculata probably represents a vicariant subset isolated from its parental lineage in the Caatinga-Cerrado system when moist forests closed a dry trans-Amazonian corridor. These diverse Amazonian triatomines display different degrees of synanthropism, defining a behavioural gradient from household invasion by adult triatomines to the stable colonisation of artificial structures. Anthropogenic ecological disturbance (driven by deforestation) is probably crucial in the onset of the process, but the fact that only a small fraction of species effectively colonises artificial environments suggests a role for evolution at the end of the gradient. Domestic infestation foci are restricted to drier subregions within Amazonia; thus, populations adapted to extremely humid rainforest microclimates may have limited chances of successfully colonising the slightly drier artificial microenvironments. These observations suggest several research avenues, from the use of climate data to map risk areas to the assessment of the synanthropic potential of individual vector species.

The evolution of universities' relations with the business sector in Brazil: What national publications between 1980 and 2012 reveal

ABSTRACT This paper addresses the changes in university-industry relations in Brazil regarding innovation activities. It is based on a survey of articles published in major national journals or presented at the most relevant Brazilian and regional conferences, between 1980 and 2012. The year 1980 was chosen due to the creation of the Technological Innovation Offices (NITs), which was the first government initiative to encourage knowledge transfer from universities to companies; the second was the Innovation Act of 2004. Our assumption was that after the Act the number of academic papers on this subject would increase, bringing new ideas and propositions of models to enhance this relationship. The methodology employed a qualitative, exploratory approach, using bibliographical research and a bibliometric analysis of 247 papers. Literature review of international studies shows the discussion of problems and suggestions for improvements, while in Brazil there is still a debate on whether this collaboration should occur, and if this is a legitimate role for the university. Despite the numerical growth, the content analysis showed few papers on new configurations and procedures for partnership management. We conclude that university-industry relations are not a regular and totally accepted process in Brazilian public universities, which reflect an ideological bias against cooperation with firms.

Integrating professional education, research and extensionin irrigated agriculture technology centers

With the objective to stimulate the use of irrigation and the electric energy fee reduction during night time program granted by the 2004 Federal law, the Government of the state of Paraná, Brazil launched the Night Irrigation Program - NPI. Beyond this discount, the farmer that adheres to NPI will get additional benefits, as completion of the electric grid without cost, subsidized financing of equipment, technical assistance, support with environmental farm compliance, and the possibility of replacing the entire pump energy matrix. As part of the NPI strategy of action, installation of learning centers for irrigation technology was planned in agricultural schools, thus contributing both to improve technical professional training in agriculture, and for the dissemination of knowledge in irrigated agriculture, in order to increase agricultural productivity.

Nanotechnology: meeting the future of Veterinary Parasitology Research

Abstract: The field of nanotechnology involves an array of different areas of expertize with the application of innovative products in Medicine, Engineering, and to a less extent to Veterinary Medicine. In our opinion, more research is needed, in special to Animal Parasitology, to develop state of the art products to solve old problems. Livestock, pets and wildlife may benefit from products in nanoscale, such as vaccines, target recombinant proteins, or new drug candidates. Thus, we want to give some food for thought to drive scientific programs into nanotechnology, creating a safer environment to animals and humans

Evolution of circadian organization in vertebrates

Circadian organization means the way in which the entire circadian system above the cellular level is put together physically and the principles and rules that determine the interactions among its component parts which produce overt rhythms of physiology and behavior. Understanding this organization and its evolution is of practical importance as well as of basic interest. The first major problem that we face is the difficulty of making sense of the apparently great diversity that we observe in circadian organization of diverse vertebrates. Some of this diversity falls neatly into place along phylogenetic lines leading to firm generalizations: i) in all vertebrates there is a "circadian axis" consisting of the retinas, the pineal gland and the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), ii) in many non-mammalian vertebrates of all classes (but not in any mammals) the pineal gland is both a photoreceptor and a circadian oscillator, and iii) in all non-mammalian vertebrates (but not in any mammals) there are extraretinal (and extrapineal) circadian photoreceptors. An interesting explanation of some of these facts, especially the differences between mammals and other vertebrates, can be constructed on the assumption that early in their evolution mammals passed through a "nocturnal bottleneck". On the other hand, a good deal of the diversity among the circadian systems of vertebrates does not fall neatly into place along phylogenetic lines. In the present review we will consider how we might better understand such "phylogenetically incoherent" diversity and what sorts of new information may help to further our understanding of the evolution of circadian organization in vertebrates

Use of nucleotides in weanling rats with diarrhea induced by a lactose overload: effect on the evolution of diarrhea and weight and on the histopathology of intestine, liver and spleen

Until recently, dietary sources of nucleotides were thought not to be essential for good nutrition. Certain states with higher metabolic demands may require larger amounts that cannot be provided by endogenous production. The objective of the present study was to determine the action of nucleotides on the recovery from lactose-induced diarrhea in weaned rats. Thirty-six weanling Fisher rats were divided into two groups. Group 1 received a standard diet and group 2 received a diet containing lactose in place of starch. On the 10th day, six animals per group were sacrificed for histopathological evaluation. The remaining animals were divided into two other subgroups, each with 6 animals, receiving a control diet, a control diet with nucleotides (0.05% adenosine monophosphate, 0.05% guanosine monophosphate, 0.05% cytidine monophosphate, 0.05% uridine monophosphate and 0.05% inosine monophosphate), a diet with lactose, and a diet with lactose and nucleotides. On the 32nd day of the experiment all animals were sacrificed. Animals with diarrhea weighed less than animals without diarrhea. The introduction of nucleotides did not lead to weight gain. Mean diet consumption was lower in the group that continued to ingest lactose, with the group receiving lactose plus nucleotides showing a lower mean consumption. Animals receiving lactose had inflammatory reaction and deposits of periodic acid-Schiff-positive material in intestinal, hepatic and splenic tissues. The introduction of nucleotides led to an improvement of the intestinal inflammatory reaction. In lactose-induced diarrhea, when the stimulus is maintained - lactose overload - the nucleotides have a limited action on the weight gain and on recovery of intestinal morphology, although they have a protective effect on hepatic injury and improve the inflammatory response.

Critical steps in the early evolution of the isocortex: Insights from developmental biology

This article proposes a comprehensive view of the origin of the mammalian brain. We discuss i) from which region in the brain of a reptilian-like ancestor did the isocortex originate, and ii) the origin of the multilayered structure of the isocortex from a simple-layered structure like that observed in the cortex of present-day reptiles. Regarding question i there have been two alternative hypotheses, one suggesting that most or all the isocortex originated from the dorsal pallium, and the other suggesting that part of the isocortex originated from a ventral pallial component. The latter implies that a massive tangential migration of cells from the ventral pallium to the dorsal pallium takes place in isocortical development, something that has not been shown. Question ii refers to the origin of the six-layered isocortex from a primitive three-layered cortex. It is argued that the superficial isocortical layers can be considered to be an evolutionary acquisition of the mammalian brain, since no equivalent structures can be found in the reptilian brain. Furthermore, a characteristic of the isocortex is that it develops according to an inside-out neurogenetic gradient, in which late-produced cells migrate past layers of early-produced cells. It is proposed that the inside-out neurogenetic gradient was partly achieved by the activation of a signaling pathway associated with the Cdk5 kinase and its activator p35, while an extracellular protein called reelin (secreted in the marginal zone during development) may have prevented migrating cells from penetrating into the developing marginal zone (future layer I).

The role of reelin in the development and evolution of the cerebral cortex

Reelin is an extracellular matrix protein that is defective in reeler mutant mice and plays a key role in the organization of architectonic patterns, particularly in the cerebral cortex. In mammals, a "reelin signal" is activated when reelin, secreted by Cajal-Retzius neurons, binds to receptors of the lipoprotein receptor family on the surface of cortical plate cells, and triggers Dab1 phosphorylation. As reelin is a key component of cortical development in mammals, comparative embryological studies of reelin expression were carried out during cortical development in non-mammalian amniotes (turtles, squamates, birds and crocodiles) in order to assess the putative role of reelin during cortical evolution. The data show that reelin is present in the cortical marginal zone in all amniotes, and suggest that reelin has been implicated in the evolution of the radial organization of the cortical plate in the synapsid lineage leading from stem amniotes to mammals, as well as in the lineage leading to squamates, thus providing an example of homoplastic evolution (evolutionary convergence). The mechanisms by which reelin instructs radial cortical organization in these two lineages seem different: in the synapsid lineage, a drastic amplification of reelin production occurred in Cajal-Retzius cells, whereas in squamates, in addition to reelin-secreting cells in the marginal zone, a second layer of reelin-producing cells developed in the subcortex. Altogether, our results suggest that the reelin-signaling pathway has played a significant role in shaping the evolution of cortical development.

Classification and hearing evolution of patients with sudden sensorineural hearing loss

The aim of this study was to analyze clinical aspects, hearing evolution and efficacy of clinical treatment of patients with sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL). This was a prospective clinical study of 136 consecutive patients with SSNHL divided into three groups after diagnostic evaluation: patients with defined etiology (DE, N = 13, 10%), concurrent diseases (CD, N = 63, 46.04%) and idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSHL, N = 60, 43.9%). Initial treatment consisted of prednisone and pentoxifylline. Clinical aspects and hearing evolution for up to 6 months were evaluated. Group CD comprised 73% of patients with metabolic decompensation in the initial evaluation and was significantly older (53.80 years) than groups DE (41.93 years) and ISSHL (39.13 years). Comparison of the mean initial and final hearing loss of the three groups revealed a significant hearing improvement for group CD (P = 0.001) and group ISSHL (P = 0.001). Group DE did not present a significant difference in thresholds. The clinical classification for SSNHL allows the identification of significant differences regarding age, initial and final hearing impairment and likelihood of response to therapy. Elevated age and presence of coexisting disease were associated with a greater initial hearing impact and poorer hearing recovery after 6 months. Patients with defined etiology presented a much more limited response to therapy. The occurrence of decompensated metabolic and cardiovascular diseases and the possibility of first manifestation of auto-immune disease and cerebello-pontine angle tumors justify an adequate protocol for investigation of SSNHL.

Comparison of I-FISH and G-banding for the detection of chromosomal abnormalities during the evolution of myelodysplastic syndrome

Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) patients with a normal karyotype constitute a heterogeneous group from a biological standpoint and their outcome is often unpredictable. Interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization (I-FISH) studies could increase the rate of detection of abnormalities, but previous reports in the literature have been contradictory. We performed I-FISH and conventional karyotyping (G-banding) on 50 MDS patients at diagnosis, after 6 and 12 months or at any time if a transformation to acute myeloid leukemia (AML) was detected. Applying a probe-panel targeting the centromere of chromosomes 7 and 8, 5q31, 5p15.2 and 7q31, we observed one case with 5q deletion not identified by G-banding. I-FISH at 6 and 12 months confirmed the karyotype results. Eight cases transformed to AML during follow-up, but no hidden clone was detected by I-FISH in any of them. The inclusion of I-FISH during follow-up of MDS resulted in a small improvement in abnormality detection when compared with conventional G-banding.