International Postgraduate Course Research Articles

Phenotype clustering of hospitalized high-risk patients with COVID-19 - a machine learning approach within the multicentre, multinational PCHF-COVICAV registry.

The high-risk population of patients with cardiovascular (CV) disease or risk factors (RF) suffering from COVID-19 is heterogeneous. Several predictors for impaired prognosis have been identified. However, with machine learning (ML) approaches, certain phenotypes may be confined to classify the affected population and to predict outcome. This study aimed to phenotype patients using unsupervised ML technique within the International Postgraduate Course Heart Failure Registry for patients hospitalized with COVID-19 and Cardiovascular disease and/or RF (PCHF-COVICAV). Patients from the eight centres with follow-up data available from the PCHF-COVICAV registry were included in this ML analysis (K-medoids algorithm). Out of 617 patients included into the prospective part of the registry, 458 [median age: 76 (IQR:65-84) years, 55% male] were analyzed and 46 baseline variables, including demographics, clinical status, comorbidities and biochemical characteristics were incorporated into the ML. Three clusters were extracted by this ML method. Cluster 1 (n = 181) represents mainly women with the least number of overall comorbidities and cardiovascular RF. Cluster 2 (n = 227) is characterized mainly by men with non-CV conditions and less severe symptoms of infection. Cluster 3 (n=50) mainly represents men with the highest prevalence of cardiac comorbidities and RF, more extensive inflammation and organ dysfunction with the highest 6-month all-cause mortality risk. The ML process has identified three important clinical clusters from hospitalized COVID-19 CV and/or RF patients. The cluster of males with severe CV disease, particularly HF, and multiple RF presenting with increased inflammation had a particularly poor outcome.

An interactive decision-making model of international postgraduate student course choice

ABSTRACT This paper explores the decision-making process of international non-EU postgraduates when choosing a qualification from a UK business school and proposes a new model which reflects the iterative, cyclical and continuous nature of the process. The degree of rigour and rationality employed in decision-making was often limited and influenced by culture and the composition of the decision-making unit (DMU). A Decision Maker Typology is proposed which will support segmentation strategies. Postgraduates continuously searched for information and relied on word of mouth information from students, parents, agents and academic staff. Online sources (websites, search engines and reviews) were perceived uncritically to be trustworthy sources. Data on reputation, rankings and friendship groups helped form choice sets. Forty-two qualitative interviews were conducted with international postgraduates from one Post-92 University. The need to meet the information requirements of all DMU members and stimulate information exchange to create a virtuous circle of communication was identified.

Education on electrical phenomena involved in electroporation-based therapies and treatments: a blended learning approach.

BackgroundElectroporation-based applications require multidisciplinary expertise and collaboration of experts with different professional backgrounds in engineering and science. Beginning in 2003, an international scientific workshop and postgraduate course electroporation based technologies and treatments (EBTT) has been organized at the University of Ljubljana to facilitate transfer of knowledge from leading experts to researches, students and newcomers in the field of electroporation. In this paper we present one of the integral parts of EBTT: an e-learning practical work we developed to complement delivery of knowledge via lectures and laboratory work, thus providing a blended learning approach on electrical phenomena involved in electroporation-based therapies and treatments.MethodsThe learning effect was assessed via a pre- and post e-learning examination test composed of 10 multiple choice questions (i.e. items). The e-learning practical work session and both of the e-learning examination tests were carried out after the live EBTT lectures and other laboratory work. Statistical analysis was performed to compare and evaluate the learning effect measured in two groups of students: (1) electrical engineers and (2) natural scientists (i.e. medical doctors, biologists and chemists) undergoing the e-learning practical work in 2011–2014 academic years. Item analysis was performed to assess the difficulty of each item of the examination test.ResultsThe results of our study show that the total score on the post examination test significantly improved and the item difficulty in both experimental groups decreased. The natural scientists reached the same level of knowledge (no statistical difference in total post-examination test score) on the post-course test take, as do electrical engineers, although the engineers started with statistically higher total pre-test examination score, as expected.ConclusionsThe main objective of this study was to investigate whether the educational content the e-learning practical work presented to the students with different professional backgrounds enhanced their knowledge acquired via lectures during EBTT. We compared the learning effect assessed in two experimental groups undergoing the e-learning practical work: electrical engineers and natural scientists. The same level of knowledge on the post-course examination was reached in both groups. The results indicate that our e-learning platform supported by blended learning approach provides an effective learning tool for populations with mixed professional backgrounds and thus plays an important role in bridging the gap between scientific domains involved in electroporation-based technologies and treatments.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12938-016-0152-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Introduction to Third Special Electroporation-Based Technologies and Treatments Issue

We are pleased to introduce this third special electroporation-based technologies and treatments issue of the Journal of Membrane Biology. Readers will find here reports of recent developments in the field of electroporation that were presented and discussed during the 6th International Workshop and Postgraduate Course on ‘‘Electroporation-Based Technologies and Treatments’’ (EBTT 2012) held in Ljubljana, November 18–24, 2012. Participants included seven faculty members, eight lecturers who are recognized researchers in the field, 17 young scientists and clinicians, and 32 students—altogether 64 participants coming from 13 different countries. Once again colleagues from the Laboratory of Biocybernetics of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering at the University of Ljubljana conducted practical training exercises during the afternoons—a unique opportunity for hands-on experience guided by experts. This school is now an established platform for learning, extending, and consolidating knowledge of electroporation mechanisms and applications. The field of cell and membrane electroporation—theoretical studies, laboratory experiments, and clinical and industrial applications—continues to grow and expand. Electroporation is now performed in silico (molecular dynamics and numerical simulations), with artificial membrane systems, in cultured cells, in animal and plant tissues, and in whole organisms. The importance of electroporation, in research and in biotechnological, medical, and industrial applications, was recognized in 2012 when 22 countries signed a Memorandum of Understanding to participate in a COST action at the European level (COST TD 1104 ‘‘European network for development of electroporation-based technologies and treatments’’) (Miklavcic 2012). In the year that has passed since launching, this EU Action (http://www.electroporation.net/) has gathered 445 participants from 150 institutions in 32 countries, with the EBTT meeting as one of its many activities. The peer-reviewed selection of articles presented in this dedicated issue offers a wide-ranging view of the various aspects of current research in the field of cell electroporation. We wish to thank all the contributors for their efforts in presenting their recent results to the journal’s readers who, whether new or old in the field, will find new data and interesting ideas in this special issue. We would especially like to express our sincere thanks to our scientific colleagues, to the reviewers, to the agencies sponsoring our research, in particular to the Slovenian Research Agency and the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), and to the Bioelectrochemical Society which has sponsored the school from its very beginning. We also would like to thank BIA Separations (Slovenia), Bio-Rad Laboratories (USA), C3M (Slovenia), IGEA (Italy), Iskra Medical (Slovenia), Kemomed (Slovenia), Mediline (Slovenia) and Profector (Ireland), whose financial support allowed us to assist many D. Miklavcic Faculty of Electrical Engineering, University of Ljubljana, Tržaska 25, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia e-mail: damijan.miklavcic@fe.uni-lj.si

Electroporation-Based Technologies and Treatments

When a cell is exposed to a sufficiently large electric field, even for a very short time, its plasma membrane is changed so that molecules that normally cross the membrane only in minute amounts can more readily pass through the barrier. This phenomenon was first described by Neumann and Rosenheck (1972) in this journal. A decade later gene transfer was achieved by means of electroporation (Neumann et al. 1982). This technique is now widely used in laboratories around the world and is gaining even more attention in recent years as a method for introducing foreign genes into cells in vivo (Mir 2009), with good prospects for use in a clinical setting (Daud et al. 2008). Electroporation has been used in the last decade also for improving cancer drug delivery to cells. Preclinical investigations in the late 1980s (Orlowski et al. 1988; Mir et al. 1991) were followed by the first clinical trial in 1991 (Mir et al. 1991; Belehradek et al. 1993). Electrochemotherapy as an effective and safe local treatment for cutaneous and subcutaneous tumors (Marty et al. 2006; Sersa and Miklavcic 2008) is now accepted in a number of countries, is routinely employed in more than 60 cancer treatment centers and is being further developed for treating more deep-seated tumors (Miklavcic et al. 2010). Electroporation can be used in all kinds of isolated cells as well as in tissues. The electric field to which one exposes the target cell has to be of sufficient strength and the exposure of sufficient duration. The magnitude of the electric field to be used depends on cell type, size, orientation and density; pulse duration; and number of pulses. The selection of pulse parameters is influenced also by the size and type of molecule to be internalized. Depending on the location and size of the targeted tissue, electric pulses will be delivered via appropriate electrodes chosen among a number of different types. Geometry and positioning of electrodes affect electric field distribution, which is important for effective in vivo electropermeabilization (Miklavcic et al. 1998, 2000). Strategies for the treatment of malignancies based on direct effects of pulsed electric fields on cells, independent of the induced influx of pharmacological or genetic material, are also under development. These include tumor ablation by irreversible electroporation (Al-Sakere et al. 2007) and by the application of intense (MV/m), nanosecond-duration pulses, which induce apoptosis and destruction of the tumor vascularization (Nuccitelli et al. 2006). This special issue of the Journal of Membrane Biology features selected peer-reviewed reports from investigators currently active in electroporation-related research who attended the Fourth International Scientific Workshop and Postgraduate Course on Electroporation-Based Technologies and Treatments in Ljubljana, Slovenia, in November 2009. This unique working conference at the University of Ljubljana has been organized every 2 years since the first one in 2003. More than 200 participants from 21 countries D. Miklavcic Faculty of Electrical Engineering, University of Ljubljana, Tržaska 25, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia e-mail: damijan.miklavcic@fe.uni-lj.si

An e-learning application on electrochemotherapy

BackgroundElectrochemotherapy is an effective approach in local tumour treatment employing locally applied high-voltage electric pulses in combination with chemotherapeutic drugs. In planning and performing electrochemotherapy a multidisciplinary expertise is required and collaboration, knowledge and experience exchange among the experts from different scientific fields such as medicine, biology and biomedical engineering is needed. The objective of this study was to develop an e-learning application in order to provide the educational content on electrochemotherapy and its underlying principles and to support collaboration, knowledge and experience exchange among the experts involved in the research and clinics.MethodsThe educational content on electrochemotherapy and cell and tissue electroporation was based on previously published studies from molecular dynamics, lipid bilayers, single cell level and simplified tissue models to complex biological tissues and research and clinical results of electrochemotherapy treatment. We used computer graphics such as model-based visualization (i.e. 3D numerical modelling using finite element method) and 3D computer animations and graphical illustrations to facilitate the representation of complex biological and physical aspects in electrochemotherapy. The e-learning application is integrated into an interactive e-learning environment developed at our institution, enabling collaboration and knowledge exchange among the users. We evaluated the designed e-learning application at the International Scientific workshop and postgraduate course (Electroporation Based Technologies and Treatments). The evaluation was carried out by testing the pedagogical efficiency of the presented educational content and by performing the usability study of the application.ResultsThe e-learning content presents three different levels of knowledge on cell and tissue electroporation. In the first part of the e-learning application we explain basic principles of electroporation process. The second part provides educational content about importance of modelling and visualization of local electric field in electroporation-based treatments. In the third part we developed an interactive module for visualization of local electric field distribution in 3D tissue models of cutaneous tumors for different parameters such as voltage applied, distance between electrodes, electrode dimension and shape, tissue geometry and electric conductivity. The pedagogical efficiency assessment showed that the participants improved their level of knowledge. The results of usability evaluation revealed that participants found the application simple to learn, use and navigate. The participants also found the information provided by the application easy to understand.ConclusionThe e-learning application we present in this article provides educational material on electrochemotherapy and its underlying principles such as cell and tissue electroporation. The e-learning application is developed to provide an interactive educational content in order to simulate the "hands-on" learning approach about the parameters being important for successful therapy. The e-learning application together with the interactive e-learning environment is available to the users to provide collaborative and flexible learning in order to facilitate knowledge exchange among the experts from different scientific fields that are involved in electrochemotherapy. The modular structure of the application allows for upgrade with new educational content collected from the clinics and research, and can be easily adapted to serve as a collaborative e-learning tool also in other electroporation-based treatments such as gene electrotransfer, gene vaccination, irreversible tissue ablation and transdermal gene and drug delivery. The presented e-learning application provides an easy and rapid approach for information, knowledge and experience exchange among the experts from different scientific fields, which can facilitate development and optimisation of electroporation-based treatments.

Validation study of the USDA's Data Quality Evaluation System

The Nutrient Data Laboratory (NDL) of USDA conducted a validation study of the USDA Data Quality Evaluation System (DQES). The system evaluates the quality of analytical data on nutrients by rating important documentation concerning the analytical method, analytical quality control, number of samples, sampling plan, and sample handling and creates a “Quality Index” (QI) and “confidence code” (CC) for each nutrient and food. Objectives of the study were: (1) to measure the variability of ratings assigned by different evaluators, (2) to assess the objectivity of the “critical” questions of the DQES categories and (3) to test the robustness of the rating scale. Out of 39 individuals who participated in the International Postgraduate Course for Food Composition and four nutritionists from NDL, 37 completed the evaluation of a research article containing analytical data on vitamin K in lettuce, 25 evaluated an article containing data on catechin in black grapes, and 16 evaluated an article containing data on riboflavin in portabella mushrooms using the DQES. The various rating scores assigned by the participants were analyzed to assess the success of above objectives. The maximum score for each category was 20. There was a greater variation among individuals in the ratings for “number of samples” and “analytical quality control” categories than the other three categories. Overall seventy five percent of the participants assigned a confidence code of “C” to the vitamin K in lettuce, while 70% and 100% assigned confidence codes of “B” and “C” to catechin in black grapes and riboflavin in mushrooms, respectively. The wide range of scores on individual categories by first time evaluators emphasizes the importance of training for evaluators who score analytical values for inclusion in a food composition database. Clear documentation by the authors and training for evaluators to understand basic concepts related to data quality evaluation will be helpful. Future work will assess the assignment of equal rating points for all the categories. Modifications in “sampling plan” category to accommodate country and population size are necessary. The USDA Data Quality Evaluation System represents one of the first efforts to standardize and harmonize the evaluation of analytical data quality across the international food composition network.

14th International Postgraduate Course on Advances in Cardiac Ultrasound

14th International Postgraduate Course on Advances in Cardiac Ultrasound

Teaching Global Health at the Frontlines

Global health is a challenge to define, and even more of a challenge to improve. A broad definition of global health is given by the United States Institute of Medicine as “health problems, issues, and concerns that transcend national boundaries, may be influenced by circumstances or experiences in other countries, and are best addressed by cooperative actions and solutions” [1]. Most medical students in rich countries think that there should be more teaching on global health issues [2], and many have led the way in calling for global health to be included in their curriculum [3]. Little is known, however, about the experiences of teaching and learning about global health in medical schools in developing countries, which are in the frontlines of global health problems. The experience of learning about global health in a developing country such as Peru is best described by the motto of the Gorgas International Post-Graduate Course taught at the Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia (UPCH) every year: “Teaching tropical medicine in the tropics” [4]. UPCH and its collaborators have long recognized that infectious diseases training and research needs to be both hands-on and conducted in the actual context where public health challenges are encountered, enabling realistic evaluation and problem solving [4]. This essay discusses, from the point of view of a fourth-year medical student and a research professor, a one-week course on global health held at UPCH, which included a one-day road trip to the mining town of La Oroya near Ticlio, 15,610 feet above sea level in the Peruvian Andes.

13th International Postgraduate Course on Advances in Cardiac Ultrasound

13th International Postgraduate Course on Advances in Cardiac Ultrasound

13th International Postgraduate Course on Advances in Cardiac Ultrasound

13th International Postgraduate Course on Advances in Cardiac Ultrasound

Announcement - 13th International Postgraduate Course on Advances in Cardiac Ultrasound

Announcement - 13th International Postgraduate Course on Advances in Cardiac Ultrasound

The Chilean Society of Gastroenterology and The Chilean Digestive Endoscopic Association: A brief history

The Chilean Society of Gastroenterology and The Chilean Digestive Endoscopic Association: A brief history

An international postgraduate course in pharmaceutical medicine: a 25-year review

An international postgraduate course in pharmaceutical medicine: a 25-year review

An international postgraduate course in pharmaceutical medicine: a 25-year review

In 1975, a Joint Advisory Committee (JAC) on Pharmaceutical Medicine was formed to establish a structured training programme in pharmaceutical medicine for medically qualified personnel employed in the pharmaceutical industry. This initiative paralleled the creation of a Diploma examination in the discipline. In 1978, the JAC sought an academic partner and the day-to-day running was handed over to the Welsh School of Pharmacy, University of Wales, Cardiff. Later the JAC was disbanded, and the course was jointly organized by the University of Wales and the British Association of Pharmaceutical Physicians (BrAPP). It is the leading course of its type in the world and attracts trainees from many countries. It is a 2-year, part-time residential course that is specifically designed for new entrants to the pharmaceutical industry. It provides the opportunity to obtain a professional qualification in pharmaceutical medicine, such as the Diploma in Pharmaceutical Medicine from the UK Royal Colleges of Physicians and to receive a thorough training in all aspects of this specialty.

Integrated Urban Water Systems (IUWS) - an international postgraduate course

In this paper we describe the background, the concept and the current status of an international postgraduate course on the subject of integrated urban water systems. The course aims to overcome the typical fragmentation of the engineering curricula in that field. Hence, the objective is to give a comprehensive overview on the total urban water and pollutant cycle, thus hoping to provide the students with a wider perspective on the problem. The course is structured into 22 modules that can also be taught in certain combinations. Emphasis is given to engineering problem solving and modeling.

International Postgraduate Course Integrated Pest and Disease Management in Protected Cultivation : Wageningen, The Netherlands 22–27 March 1999

International Postgraduate Course Integrated Pest and Disease Management in Protected Cultivation : Wageningen, The Netherlands 22–27 March 1999

Toward consensus on a European GIS curriculum: the international post-graduate course on GIS

Abstract At the Department of Geoinformation of the Technical University of Vienna, a European Community funded project to develop an International Post-Graduate Course on GIS is underway. This intensive course is intended for participants with a variety of disciplinary backgrounds and experience who need a broad theoretical overview of GIS coupled with the necessary knowledge and skills to apply GIS in real situations. As curriculum design for GIS courses is normally carried out by a very small group of individuals, curricula generally reflect the specifics of the experience or disciplinary environment of these individuals. For this European project, a widely acceptable course curriculum was needed. This required the cooperation of experts from different disciplines, across many application areas and from different countries. A Delphi survey method combined with a meeting of a small number of GIS education specialists was used to achieve the necessary balance in the curriculum. The survey was used to determine the general content of the course and allowed the varied opinions of the group of European GIS experts to be merged towards a consensus. It resulted in the development of a list of important topics that need to be taught. Following completion of the survey, the GIS education experts met to review this list and discuss the concerns raised in the survey. These discussions led to the development of a Course Blueprint which describes the organisation of the course into 18 instructional units and outlines the objectives and contents that will be achieved in each of them.

Toward consensus on a European GIS curriculum: the international post-graduate course on GIS

Toward consensus on a European GIS curriculum: the international post-graduate course on GIS

3rd International postgraduate course in endocrine surgery

3rd International postgraduate course in endocrine surgery