Areas Of Basic Science Research Articles

Teachers’ Variables and Academic Achievement of Community Health Students in Basic Science in Cross River State

Many factors are attributable to the academic achievements of students among which Teachers’ variable is a major attribute. The limitations of the teacher as a supporting agent in the area of Basic Science hinder academic achievement of students in learning of Basic Sciences. The quality of instructions from the teacher at all levels of education determines the acquisition of competencies necessary for self-reliance and effective service delivery. The teacher’s attitude to work, knowledge of subject matter and instructional competence have a relationship with students’ academic achievements. The poor quality of students’ academic quality among community health students’ in Basic Sciences in CrossRiver State may be as a result of these variables. This study therefore examined Teachers’ variable and academic achievement of community health students’ in Basic Sciences in Cross River State. To achieve the purpose of this study, four (4) specific objectives were raised to guide the study, which were then converted to four (4) research questions and transformed to research hypotheses. Related literatures we reviewed in line with the variables of the study. The study adopted correlational research design, which is a non-experimental approach between a set of variables and naturally cannot be manipulated. The research area is Cross River State, Nigeria. The target population of study was year 1 Community Health students. Sample of study was415 students randomly selected from ten schools for the 2023/2024 academic session. The instrument employed was questionnaire designed by the researcher. Cronbach Alpha reliability method was used to determine the reliability estimate of the instrument which range from 0.73 to 0.81. Data was analysed using Multiple Linear regression. The findings of the study revealed that all teachers’ variables had significant positive relationship with students’ academic performance in Basic Sciences in Cross River State. It was recommended among others that teachers should adopt positive attitude towards their teaching profession especially in secondary schools.

Factors affecting the choice of medical specialties in Turkiye: an analysis based on cross-sectional survey of medical graduates

BackgroundModern healthcare systems require the right mix of medical specialties for effective provision of high-quality services. Despite increased availability of general physicians and specialists, Türkiye lags behind high-income countries in terms of availability of specialists. The purpose of the study is to identify several specific factors that affect the choice of medical specialization.MethodsAll 350 medical school graduates in a specialty examination preparation bootcamp were requested to participate in the survey and 333 completed the self-administered questionnaire. The survey asked questions about factors affecting choice of medical specialty by medical graduates.ResultsThe empirical results indicate that surgical specialties, compared to other broad medical specializations, are selected because of its higher income-earning potential and social prestige. The likelihood of selecting surgical specialties is negatively affected by rigorousness of the training program, high work-load, risk of malpractice lawsuits and risk of workplace violence. Male participants were 2.8 times more likely to select surgery specialty compared to basic medical science. Basic medical science areas were selected at a higher rate by female graduates and graduates with high level of academic performance in medical schools.ConclusionsIt is critically important to improve trust and inter-personal communications between the patients and physicians in all specialties to lower the likelihood of malpractice lawsuits and workplace violence. Policy-makers may adopt policies to affect income earning potential and social prestige of targeted specializations to improve their supply.

Reliability across content areas in progress tests assessing medical knowledge: a Brazilian cross-sectional study with implications for medical education assessments.

Brazilian medical schools equitably divide their medical education assessments into five content areas: internal medicine, surgery, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, and public health. However, this division does not follow international patterns and may threaten the examinations' reliability and validity. To assess the reliability indices of the content areas of serial, cross-institutional progress test examinations. This was an analytical, observational, and cross-sectional study conducted at nine public medical schools (mainly from the state of São Paulo) with progress test examinations conducted between 2017 and 2023. The examinations covered the areas of basic sciences, internal medicine, surgery, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, and public health. We calculated reliability indices using Cronbach's α, which indicates the internal consistency of a test. We used simple linear regressions to analyze temporal trends. The results showed that the Cronbach's α for basic sciences and internal medicine presented lower values, whereas gynecology, obstetrics, and public health presented higher values. After changes in the number of items and the exclusion of basic sciences as a separate content area, internal medicine ranked highest in 2023. Individually, all content areas except pediatrics remained stable over time. Maintaining an equitable division in assessment content may lead to suboptimal results in terms of assessment reliability, especially for internal medicine. Therefore, content sampling of medical knowledge for general assessments should be reappraised.

Evaluation of Cell Biology and Genetics using VIKOR Method

Cell biology and genetics are fields of heredity research. They enable experts to examine indigenous people's genetic data to identify their current state of health. By taking necessary precautions, one can protect their health using this technology. Cell biology has quickly expanded in the medical field and has emerged as the only treatment for issues with human reproduction. Genetics, or the science of genes and heredity, is all about the study of features that are passed down from one generation to the next. The subject of cell biology is the smallest units of life, cells, and their structures and functions. Understanding the structure and physiological functioning of single cells, and how cells interact and work together in great numbers to generate tissues and organisms, is a goal of cell biology. Cell biology is based on the notion that a cell is the basic unit of all life. Understanding the tissues and organisms that make up cells in great detail is made possible by concentrating on the cell. If you want to teach in a classroom, you can look into botany or zoology. If you're interested in biological or industrial sciences or medical research, you can choose from genetics, microbiology, or biotechnology. Cell biology encompasses both eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells and has a wide range of subtopics, including the research of cellular metabolism, cell communication, cell cycle, chemistry, and cell composition. Cells can be examined using a variety of microscopy techniques, cell culturing, and cell fractionation. There are two different cell types: prokaryotic and eukaryotic ones. Despite having differing morphologies (see Prokaryote, Eukaryote), eukaryotic organisms are remarkably comparable in terms of underlying molecular make-up and functions. Over the past 50 years, cell biology has seen remarkable expansion as a key area of basic science (1). Medicine makes use of information from basic science domains such as cell biology for the benefit of patients (2-4). A subfield of biology known as cell biology focuses on the cell, including its different types, structures, functions, and interactions with other cells. The subfields of cell biology include cell composition, cell cycle, cell communication, and cell metabolism. Research in several domains, including genetics, biochemistry, neuroscience, plant biology, molecular biology, microbiology, and immunology, is tied to those in cell biology. The VIKOR (VIšekriterijumsko Compromising Rangiranje) Optimal Replacement Select method is used in the evaluation of Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor, Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptors, Discoidin Domain Receptor, Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase, and Nuclear Receptor-Binding SET Domain Protein alternatives for skin, lung, head/neck, and cervical cancer. Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptors have the highest rank, whereas Nuclear Receptor-Binding SET Domain Protein has the lowest rank.

Empfehlungen für ein Kerncurriculum für Masterstudiengänge der Versorgungsforschung

The aim of the present study was to develop recommendations for a core curriculum for master's degree programs in health services research. For this purpose, a standardized online survey of university lecturers was conducted in the first step. In the second step, the curricula of the existing study programs were analyzed. In the third step, a literature search was conducted. In the last step, the resulting recommendations were discussed in a panel of experts. The final recommendations comprise 13 topics on five guiding questions with 26 subtopics. The main topics come from the areas of basic sciences in the context of health services research, the health care system and health policy, the (empirical) health services research process, and knowledge transfer. The present recommendations will serve as a basis for discussion and as a starting point. The development of recommendations should be seen as an ongoing process, as the core competencies of health services researchers will have to be continuously adapted to new research topics, new research methods and regulations.

Matching, behavioral economics, and teleological behaviorism: Final cause analysis of substance use and health behavior.

Howard Rachlin and his contemporaries pioneered basic behavioral science innovations that have been usefully applied to advance understanding of human substance use disorder and related health behaviors. We briefly summarize the innovations of molar behaviorism (the matching law), behavioral economics, and teleological behaviorism. Behavioral economics and teleological behaviorism's focus on final causes are especially illuminating for these applied fields. Translational and applied research are summarized for laboratory studies of temporal discounting and economic demand, cohort studies of alcohol and other drug use in the natural environment, and experimental behavioral economic modeling of health behavior-related public health policies. We argue that the teleological behavioral perspective on health behavior is conducive to and merges seamlessly with the contemporary socioecological model of health behavior, which broadens the contextual influences (e.g., community, economic, infrastructure, health care access and policy) of individuals' substance use and other health risk behaviors. Basic-to-applied translations to date have been successful and bode well for continued applications of basic science areas pioneered by Howard Rachlin and his contemporaries.

Dependence of Piezoelectric Discs Electrical Impedance on Mechanical Loading Condition

The piezoelectric effect, along with its associated materials, fascinated researchers in all areas of basic sciences and engineering due to its interesting properties and promising potentials. Sensing, actuation, and energy harvesting are major implementations of piezoelectric structures in structural health monitoring, wearable devices, and self-powered systems, to name only a few. The electrical or mechanical impedance of its structure plays an important role in deriving its equivalent model, which in turn helps to predict its behavior for any system-level application, such as with respect to the rectifiers containing diodes and switches, which represent a nonlinear electrical load. In this paper, we study the electrical impedance response of different sizes of commercial piezoelectric discs for a wide range of frequencies (without and with mechanical load for 0.1–1000 with resolution 20 ). It shows significant changes in the position of resonant frequency and amplitude of resonant peaks for different diameters of discs and under varying mechanical load conditions, implying variations in the mechanical boundary conditions on the structure. The highlight of our work is the proposed electrical equivalent circuit model for varying mechanically loaded conditions with the help of impedance technique. Our approach is simple and reliable, such that it is suitable for any structure whose accurate material properties and dimensions are unknown.

Sarcopenia in Distal Radius Fractures: A Scoping Review.

Sarcopenia is an emerging disease that adversely impacts outcomes of older adults across the spectrum of fragility fractures. Few studies have examined sarcopenia in upstream fragility fractures such as the distal radius. Understanding the state of current evidence is essential in defining a research agenda in this critical area of sentinel distal radius fractures and sarcopenia. The aim of this scoping review was to summarize existing literature on sarcopenia in distal radius fracture in older adults, and to identify research areas and gaps to guide future studies. We utilized the 5-stage framework of Arksey and O'Malley. We searched studies from 2010 to 2020 relating to «Sarcopenia» and «Distal radius fractures» in major databases. Two reviewers independently screened articles for inclusion and conducted full text reviews of shortlisted articles. We extracted data on research areas, key findings, and study limitations. Thirteen studies met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. They covered the areas of epidemiology (N=9), risk factors (N=4), basic science (N=2), outcomes (N=1), and diagnostic modalities (N=1). There were no studies on screening/case finding, prognostic scoring, intervention, or health economics. Identified limitations included the lack of clear definition and diagnostic criteria for sarcopenia, and lack of, or inappropriate, control group. Majority of studies were retrospective or cross-sectional in study design. This scoping review on sarcopenia in distal radius fractures highlighted gaps in research areas and in the rigor of studies conducted, and the need for more prospective cohort and interventional studies. Building upon current consensus criteria, we propose setting a research agenda along the timeline of sarcopenia management, from screening through to intervention and follow-up, which will inform future research in this early disease cohort of fragility fractures.

Vaccine Regulation, Licensing and Approval in USA

Vaccines are the foremost effective public and personal preventive health interventions, leading to vital reductions in vaccine-preventable diseases and in substantial price savings to the United States health care system. A vaccine is a biological preparation that will increase the immunity to a particular illness. Vaccine development is commonly found to be difficult and needs sharp understanding and information of recent developments by physicians and experts to confirm that safe and effective vaccines are manufactured with minimum risk. A strict regulative method to see the safety, efficacy, and quality should be achieved throughout the event of vaccine development for its authorization. The Office of Vaccines Research and Review at the CBER of the US-FDA is the federal administrative body charged with guaranteeing the safety, purity, and efficacy of vaccines within US. The licensing rules are published in the Title 21 CFR Part 60. Current authority for the regulation of vaccines is in Section 351(a) of the Public Health Service Act (PHS). Vaccine licensure, development of recommendations to be used, and implementation of these recommendations resulting in uptake, community protection, and result on illness burden represent a posh system that needs collaboration within the areas of basic science, public health, vaccine delivery and outcome observance, and public perception.

Preserving US microbe collections sparks future discoveries.

SummaryCollections of micro‐organisms are a crucial element of life science research infrastructure but are vulnerable to loss and damage caused by natural or man‐made disasters, the untimely death or retirement of personnel, or the loss of research funding. Preservation of biological collections has risen in priority due to a new appreciation for discoveries linked to preserved specimens, emerging hurdles to international collecting and decreased funding for new collecting. While many historic collections have been lost, several have been preserved, some with dramatic rescue stories. Rescued microbes have been used for discoveries in areas of health, biotechnology and basic life science. Suggestions for long‐term planning for microbial stocks are listed, as well as inducements for long‐term preservation.

Growing field of materials informatics: databases and artificial intelligence

Abstract

Higher Education with the Most Publication in Focus Area of Basic Science using Frequency Distribution

This study investigated scientific research on determine the strength of Basic Science focus research BASED on the 2014-2018 Scopus data. The Ministry of Research Technology and (Kemenristekdikti), especially the Directorate General of Research and Development (RISBANG), has a significant role in improving the quality of higher education. One way to improve higher education quality is through mapping the strengths of research. The advantage of the study that forms the basis of this mapping refers to RPJPN 2005-2025 and RPJMN 2015-2019, which focuses on Basic Science. This study used three steps methodology. First, secondary Scopus data year 2014-2018 from Kemenristekdikti in scientific publication focus on Basic Science were collected. Second, Scopus data based on sub-focus of Basic Science were identified. Last, we analyzed the data using frequency distribution, which consist of determining the range of data, the class number, and the class interval). This study concluded that 96.4 % (611) of 634 universities published journals indexed Scopus on range 1-136 journal publications within five years. UI (University of Indonesia) has the most journal publications of Basic Science focus.

Expectations and Perceptions of Students' Basic Science Knowledge: Through the Lens of Clerkship Directors.

Basic sciences are a cornerstone of undergraduate medical education (UME) as they provide a necessary foundation for the clinical sciences to be built upon and help foster trainees' competency. However, research indicates that students' basic science knowledge is not well retained, and as a result, students are ill-prepared, with respect to their basic science knowledge, when entering clerkship. One potential reason why students may not be prepared for clerkship is a lack of understanding as to which basic science concepts are critical for medical students to retain from pre-clerkship. We facilitated interviews with all core UME clerkship directors to establish which basic science concepts they expect students to know prior to each clerkship rotation, along with student's basic science strengths and areas of improvement. Interviews revealed that students are expected to have some knowledge of every basic science prior to clerkship, with pharmacology being a strong focus, as many specialties deal with common drugs and classes of drugs. Additionally, general anatomy and physiology knowledge were deemed student strengths in two rotations. Clerkship directors focused on perceived areas of improvement more than perceived strengths, with the most prevalent areas being pharmacology, microbiology, and detailed anatomy. These results represent views of clerkship directors from one Canadian institution; however, since clerks rotate through institutions across Canada, this data provides the impetus for creating a national discussion to help foster standardization of UME curricula, with the overarching goal of ensuring all graduates are proficient in the necessary fundamentals as they transition into residency.

Condylar repair and regeneration in adolescents/young adults with early-stage degenerative temporomandibular joint disease: A randomised controlled study.

Anterior repositioning splint (ARS) can facilitate regenerative condylar remodelling. To determine the effect of ARS on osseous condylar changes in adolescents/young adults with early-stage degenerative joint disease (DJD). Sixty-nine patients with early-stage temporomandibular joint (TMJ) DJD based on the Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (DC/TMD) and cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) imaging were recruited and randomly allocated to two treatment groups: (a) conservative therapy with ARS and (b) conservative therapy without ARS. Subjects with acute TMJ closed-lock had their displaced discs physically reduced by mandibular manipulation prior to ARS therapy. Clinical and CBCT data of 59 patients (86.4% females, mean age 17.95±4.53years, 67 joints) were attained pre- and at 6 or 12months post-treatment. Osseous changes after treatment were categorised into (a) progressed, (b) unchanged, (c) repaired (remodelled without new bone formation) and (d) regenerated (remodelled with new bone formation). Statistical analysis including chi-square test, independent samples t test or Mann-Whitney U test was conducted. About 85.5% of patients (59/69) completed the study, with 28 subjects (32 joints) in the splint group and 31 (35 joints) in the control group. The occurrence of condylar repair and regeneration was significantly higher with ARS (78.1%/[25/32] of joints) when compared to control group (48.6%/[17/35]) (P<0.05). Moreover, condylar regeneration was exclusively observed in 50%/(16/32) of joints with ARS. For the 14 joints in splint group that received physical TMJ closed-lock reduction, 85.7%/(12/14) exhibited condylar regeneration. The splint group (3.1%/[1/32]) also had significantly lower incidence of progressive TMJ degeneration than the control (37.1%/[13/35]) (P<0.001). Condylar repair and regeneration in early-stage TMJ DJD are possible, and ideal spatial disc-condyle relationship appears important. The possibility of restoring TMJ form/structure by ARS therapy presents an attractive area of new basic science and clinical research (Bone defect repair in early osteoarthrosis of temporomandibular joint by joint distraction therapy: A randomized controlled trial/ChiCTR-TRC-14005172).

The importance of geographical distance to different types of R&D collaboration in the pharmaceutical industry

ABSTRACT Innovation within companies is generated by a combination of different types of knowledge from external and geographically dispersed sources. Although the geographical dimension of collaboration has previously been investigated, studies have not distinguished between different types of knowledge involved in collaboration. This article analyses how the number of collaborations between pharmaceutical multinational companies (MNCs) and external organizations is affected by geographical distance, distinguishing between four knowledge types: basic science, clinical science, core knowledge, and exploration knowledge. We use co-publications as a proxy for collaborations. Our results show that collaborations in basic science and core knowledge areas are more negatively affected by geographical distance than collaborations within clinical science and exploration knowledge areas. This suggests that the importance of geographic proximity depends on the type of knowledge that is being transferred in R&D collaborations. Our results have implications for companies´ collaboration strategies and their choices for the R&D sites´ location.

Overview of NMR Spectroscopy-Based Metabolomics: Opportunities and Challenges.

The fast-growing field of metabolomics is impacting numerous areas of basic and life sciences. In metabolomics, analytical methods play a pivotal role, and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and mass spectrometry (MS) have provento be the most suitable and powerful methods. Although NMR exhibits lower sensitivity and resolution compared to MS, NMR's numerous important characteristics far outweigh its limitations. Some of its characteristics include excellent reproducibility and quantitative accuracy, the capability to analyze intact biospecimens, an unparalleled ability to identify unknown metabolites, the ability to trace in-cell and in-organelle metabolism in real time, and the capacity to trace metabolic pathways atom by atom using 2H, 13C, or 15N isotopes. Each of these characteristics has been exploited extensively in numerous studies. In parallel, the field has witnessed significant progress in instrumentation, methods development, databases, and automation that are focused on higher throughput and alleviating the limitations of NMR, in particular, resolution and sensitivity. Despite the advances, however, the high complexity of biological mixtures combined with the limitations in sensitivity and resolution continues to pose major challenges. These challenges need to be dealt with effectively to better realize the potential of metabolomics, in general. As a result, multifaceted efforts continue to focus on addressing the challenges as well as reaping the benefits of NMR-based metabolomics. This chapter highlights the current status with emphasis on the opportunities and challenges in NMR-based metabolomics.

Licensure, Approval, and Uptake of Vaccines in the United States.

Immunization is one of the most effective public and private preventive health interventions, resulting in significant reductions in vaccine-preventable diseases and in substantial cost savings to the US healthcare system. Vaccine licensure, development of recommendations for use, and implementation of those recommendations leading to uptake, community protection, and effect on disease burden represent a complex system that requires collaboration in the areas of basic science, public health, vaccine delivery, outcome monitoring, and public perception. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) sets standards for immunization delivery for both public and private vaccine providers, and state immunization programs can use these ACIP recommendations to develop school immunization requirements.

Forward and reverse genetics approaches for combined stress tolerance in rice

Climate change impact on global agricultural food production has been evident in the past few decades. Abiotic factors such as heat, drought, and salinity share a major proportion of crop yield losses and posing a serious threat to global food security. Developing climate resilient crops has become a frontier area of basic plant science and agricultural research. Persistent efforts by scientists to understand crop responses under natural environment and progress in the field of genomics and phenomics has provided unprecedented pace to crop development programs. Rice is the most important cereal crop and staple food for more than 3 billion people worldwide. Heat, drought and salinity stress are the major constraints for global rice production. Hence, efforts are warranted to develop climate-resilient rice cultivars that can produce substantially under different abiotic stresses. Crop plants seldom face single stress in the natural environment. Indeed, heat and drought or drought and salinity are documented as very obvious combinations suggesting multiple stress tolerance as an important breeding target. Forward and reverse genetic tools could effectively contribute towards achieving the target food production to feed the future population despite limiting resources and unfavorable climatic conditions. Genetic approaches adopted for crop improvement programs categorized as forward and reverse genetics are discussed highlighting their potential benefits for tailoring stress tolerant cultivars.

Trial integration of combined ultrasound and laparoscopy tuition in an undergraduate anatomy class with volunteer participation — A pilot study

Anatomy is a cornerstone of medical undergraduate curricula. Due to increasing changes in various medical fields, a lot of new subjects were introduced in undergraduate curricula, while the teaching areas of basic sciences, i.e. anatomy, were reduced. The introduction of advanced diagnostic and therapeutic devices, i.e. ultrasound and laparoscopy, with outstanding imaging quality will be increasingly introduced in basic sciences. In our project, we examined the effect integrating ultrasound and laparoscopy in an anatomy undergraduate course to illustrate the female pelvis. Anatomy students that completed their practicum and cadaver dissection course were enrolled in our project. They received a theoretical introduction followed by a practical course of ultrasound or laparoscopy in the department of obstetrics and gynaecology. Following the course the students had to answer two questionnaires that evaluated their satisfaction, subjective knowledge-gain, problems and content of the course. At the end, a closing briefing was done to discuss the clinical skills and the course. The answers of the questionnaire were summed up in a Likert scale. 25 students were enrolled in the project. 52% attended laparoscopy operations, while 48% attended ultrasound examinations. After analysing the questionnaires using Likert scales (1=strongly agree, 5=strongly disagree) a general satisfaction of 1.5, a subjective knowledge gain of 2.4 and a thrive to extend these clinical skill programs in gynaecology and other specialities in basic science of 1.5 and 1.2, respectively, was reported. There were no statistically significant differences in the Likert scores between both groups (p>0.05). The introduction of ultrasound and laparoscopy in undergraduate basic science teaching programs is a promising method and should be further evaluated, standardized and expanded.

Empathy score among medical students in Mashhad, Iran: study of the Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy.

BackgroundEmpathy is one of the essential components of physician-patient relationship that has a significant effect on treatment outcomes.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to assess the empathy score among medical students in Mashhad, Iran.MethodsIn this cross-sectional study in 2015, 624 medical students at Mashhad University of Medical Science (Iran) completed the Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy (JSPE). Data were analyzed by SPSS ver. 16, using independent-samples t-test, Chi-square, MANOVA, Spearman correlation, and Confirmatory factor analysis.ResultsOf the 38.4% males and 65% females who participated in this study, the mean score of JSPE in the sample was 103.67 (±15.34) which was higher in women than in men. Also, the mean scores for each of the three factors of the scale were calculated. The total empathy score, compassionate care, and taking perspectives among different age groups were significant (p=0.000). Furthermore, students having high interest in their field were more empathic (p=0.008). Empathy of interns in relation to three areas of basic sciences (the first year, the second year and the first half of the third year), physiopathology (the second half of the third year, and the fourth year), and clinical trainings (the fifth year, and the first half of the sixth year), experienced significant reduction (p≤0.001).ConclusionsThis study showed that empathy was higher in women in their first medical year and who were of younger age. The overall rate of empathy in the basic sciences period was more than that in the clinical period. Therefore, the initial exposure to clinical education, especially patient education and empathy, has a very prominent effect on the ability of medical students.