Conhecimento escolar em química: processo de mediação didática da ciência

xThe aim of this article is to present a contribution of the school knowledge research to Chemistry Teaching. The object of research is school knowledge on physical sciences, considering the existence of a rupture between scientific knowledge and everyday knowledge. The differences between analogies and metaphors and the process of didactic mediation were thoroughly examined. The conclusion is that the process of didactic mediation is built on their own cognitive configurations, which not always make public the private scientific knowledge to certain social groups.

Planejamento racional de fármacos baseado em produtos naturais

In the area of drug discovery, natural products represent a myriad of templates for new lead discovery. It is, however, most unlikely that the bioactive principle itself shall become a drug; it is much more likely that a medicinal chemistry project needs to be initiated as soon the potency or selectivity or specificity of the new natural product candidate has been disclosed. Brazil has an enormous biodiversity where just a few has been disclosed. Nevertheless, it urges to initiate a joint collaboration in order to circumvent a major breakdown linking between natural products and medicinal chemistry in this country. This paper is intended to encourage people to follow up one of the most pushing forward enterprise that needs to be settled: the pharmaceutical industry.

Estratégia de simplificação molecular no planejamento racional de fármacos: a descoberta de novo agente cardioativo

In this article are described examples of the successful use of molecular simplification strategy in the discovery of new drugs from bioactive natural products and synthetic compounds. The discovery of a new cardiotonic derivative (37, 2-thienylidene-3,4-methylenedioxybenzoylhydrazine; LASSBio-294), efficiently synthesized from Brazilian natural product and structurally designed by molecular simplification of active pyridazinone compounds reported in the literature, is described. A brief description of the pharmacological profile of this new cardiotonic lead-compound, belonging to the N-acylhydrazone (NAH) class, is also reported herein.

Química Medicinal: 25 anos de planejamento racional de fármacos

The Sociedade Brasileira de Química is commemorating its 25th anniversary, and this paper is intended to draw an overview of the Brazilian Medicinal Chemistry over all these years. In 1977 Brazil had almost no activities at all in the field, albeit many efforts were already on the way for encouraging Brazilian Scientists to enter the area. Among many different endeavours to help medicinal chemists to fulfil their proposals and the establishment of an on-going research with the help of networks, the Sociedade Brasileira de Química created, in 1991, its own Division on Structure and Activity Relationship, which became the Division of Medicinal Chemistry, in 1997.

Química geral experimental: uma nova abordagem didática

This essay describes a new didactic approach, in according with the national curriculum guidelines for chemistry undergraduate courses in Brazil, employed during the one-semester course "Experimental General Chemistry" for chemistry undergraduate students at the Federal University of Piauí. The new approach has positively helped student's training by improving their reading skills and their understanding of scientific reports, by developing the use of electronic tools to search and to recover the required knowledge for their learning activities, and by improving their skills of understanding published texts and dealing with digital sources. At the same time the students are strongly stimulated to enter the research program for undergraduate students available at the University.

I2: uma molécula didática

Iodine vapor is a very suitable substance to learn about molecular energy levels and transitions, and to introduce spectroscopic techniques. As a diatomic molecule its spectra are relatively simple and allow straightforward treatment of the data leading to the potential energy curves and to quantum mechanics concepts. The overtone bands, in the resonance Raman scattering, and the band progressions, in the electronic spectra, play an important role in the calculation of the Morse potential curves for the fundamental and excited electronic state. A weaker chemical bond in the electronic excited state, compared to the fundamental state, is evidenced by the increase in the equilibrium interatomic distance. The resonance Raman scattering of I2 is highlighted due to its importance for obtaining the anharmonicity constant in the fundamental electronic state.

Sistemas tampão: uma estrutura didática teórico-prática

Courses with practical and theoretical classes are potentially didactic structures for the development of motor and complex cognitive skills when operated in an integrated manner. When worked aligned, theory and practice enable a clearer view of the issue, opening scope for introducing concepts from other disciplines and for the development of lab skills. This paper presents a methodology for biochemistry labwork that promotes the teaching of the buffering systems contents together with to the development of scientific research practice concepts in an interdisciplinary perspective that integrates theory and practice.

Proteases de Leishmania: novos alvos para o desenvolvimento racional de fármacos

Leishmania causes tegumental and visceral diseases called leishmaniasis. Disease control is possible interrupting the transmission cycle, but HIV co-infection, chemotheraphy toxicity and lack of a vaccine are paramount difficulties. So, is necessary to study new Leishmania molecules and investigate the possibility to develop rational drugs using these molecules as targets. Leishmania express many peptidases during their life, and cysteine are the most abundant protease and many inhibitors were developed but failed to kill parasites. On the other hand, inhibitors of serine proteases killed promastigotes, indicating the possibility of these enzymes to be important targets in the development of anti-Leishmania drugs.

Uma experiência didática de corrosão usando colorimetria visual

In this paper, a simple and rapid method of evaluating galvanized steel sheet corrosion in a CuSO4 solution, as an experimentation proposal for corrosion teaching. Galvanized steel corrosion is present in tanks and tubing by leading of natural or industrial waters which contain soluble copper compounds. This was the rationale for choosing the Cu2+ ions solution as an oxidizing agent. The method principle is based on visual colorimetry because the used oxidant has an intense blue color. Thus, a change in its concentration as a result of the corrosive process can be followed by a color intensity change in the solution thereby allowing evaluation of the corrosion rate.

Reações multicomponentes de Biginelli e de Mannich nas aulas de química orgânica experimental: uma abordagem didática de conceitos da química verde

The introduction of Mannich and Biginelli multicomponent reactions in a practical Organic Chemistry course is presented in this article. Procedures described in the literature were adapted for use under the simple conditions available in undergraduate laboratories and were selected on the basis of Green Chemistry principles and practicality of synthesis. The reactions are easy to carry out and all products are readily isolated as crystalline solids with yields ranging from moderate to high.

PROPOSTA EXPERIMENTAL DIDÁTICA PARA O ENSINO DE ANÁLISE DE COMPONENTES PRINCIPAIS

Principal component analysis (PCA) is a chemometric method that allows for the extraction of chemical information that would otherwise be impossible to determine. Teaching chemometrics to undergraduates can contribute to the overall professional development and training of new teachers, whose profiles have been gaining attention due to the current demand for data interpretation. In this study, a didactic experiment involving PCA is proposed. Spectrophotometry was used in the ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) region to assess the behavior of anthocyanins extracted from red cabbage at different pH values. The results suggest the possible separation of anthocyanin structures into three distinct groups, according to their chemical characteristics displayed in acid, neutral, and basic media. The objective is to develop educational materials targeted to undergraduate courses, which encompass a larger number of concepts and introduce instrumental techniques currently being employed in both academic research and the industrial sector. Specifically, the proposed experiment introduces concepts related to spectrophotometry in the UV-Vis range and the PCA chemometric method. The materials used are easily accessible, and UV-Vis spectroscopy equipment is less expensive in comparison with other spectroscopy methods.

AVALIAÇÃO DO USO DE PLANILHAS COMPUTACIONAIS COMO UMA FERRAMENTA DIDÁTICA EM QUÍMICA ANALÍTICA QUALITATIVA

The use of spreadsheet softwares is not widespread in Chemical Education in Brazil as a computational education tool. By its turn the Qualitative Analytical Chemistry is considered a discipline with classical and non-flexible content. Thus in this work the spreadsheet software Excel® was evaluated as a teaching tool in a Qualitative Analytical Chemistry course for calculations of concentrations of the species in equilibrium in solutions of acids. After presenting the theory involved in such calculations the students were invited to elaborate the representation of the distribution of these species in a graphical form, using the spreadsheet software. Then the teaching team evaluated the resulting graphics regarding form and contents. The graphics with conceptual and/or formal errors were returned for correction, revealing significant improvement in the second presentation in all cases. The software showed to be motivating for the content of the discipline, improving the learning interest, while it was possible to prove that even in classical disciplines it is possible to introduce new technologies to help the teaching process.

Reconstrução teórica do cuidado para as práticas de saúde: um olhar a partir da produção de alunos de curso de especialização a distância

Este estudo analisa a produção coletiva realizada por um grupo de tutores do curso de especialização a distância "Ativação de processos de mudança na formação superior de profissionais de saúde", sobre cuidado em saúde. A questão debatida foi: como os diferentes sentidos do cuidado devem orientar as práticas do cuidado à saúde num contexto de articulação ensino-serviço-comunidade? Utilizou-se para análise da produção a técnica de análise de conteúdo. As categorias sobre cuidado em saúde foram: ontológica, crítica, reconstrutiva e genealógica. O enfoque central foi uma abordagem do cuidado que extrapola o ato técnico, por meio de pactos, compartilhamento de poderes, parcerias e utilização do método da roda. A formação dos ativadores objetivou contribuir para uma assistência qualificada e comprometida com as necessidades dos usuários. Destaca-se a importância da articulação da academia, enquanto órgão formador, do serviço, como exercício da prática e da comunidade que receberá o cuidado, sob uma nova ótica - centrada no usuário, ou seja, enquanto sujeito participativo e protagonista do processo de produção do cuidado.

Uso racional de medicamentos: relato de experiência no ensino médico da Unesc, Criciúma/SC

O presente estudo objetivou disseminar entre os alunos do curso de Medicina da Unesc a lógica do Uso Racional de Medicamentos e suas aplicações na prática médica. Utilizou-se como modelo o curso de formação sobre Uso Racional de Medicamentos promovido pela OMS, por meio do método didático-pedagógico da aprendizagem baseada em problemas, a mesma concepção utilizada pelo curso de Medicina da Unesc. Com apoio e financiamento da Diretoria de Pesquisa e da Diretoria de Extensão e Ação Comunitária (Unesc), o trabalho foi desenvolvido a partir de duas vertentes: a primeira visou capacitar acadêmicos do curso de Medicina na lógica do Uso Racional de Medicamentos; a segunda vertente objetivou desenvolver ações educativas na comunidade dos bairros adjacentes à universidade, envolvendo temas como Uso Racional de Medicamentos. Foram capacitados 35 alunos e realizadas intervenções na comunidade que abrangeram 689 pessoas. Os acadêmicos envolvidos neste trabalho passaram a visualizar a prescrição de medicamentos de forma mais racional e ainda adquiriram a noção da importância de priorizar uma lista de medicamentos essenciais, tendo como base condutas pautadas nas melhores evidências disponíveis.

Análise do perfil de professores da área da saúde que usam a simulação como estratégia didática

Neste trabalho, relata-se os resultados obtidos no primeiro momento de uma pesquisa que objetiva conhecer o perfil e a formação de professores da área da saúde que usam a simulação como estratégia didática no Laboratório de Habilidades (LabHab) da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo. Com previsão de dois anos, a pesquisa busca contribuir para uma proposta de formação docente que observe as prioridades e a relevância da simulação nas suas atividades didáticas. A ideia é analisar como esse profissional recria seus conhecimentos em grupo para trabalhar a simulação na atuação clínica e observar como ele percebe o alcance dos processos de simulação aprimorados pela tecnologia e pelas propostas de inovação educativa.