Teaching critical thinking skills in physiology.
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This is a report of a workshop presented at Experimental Biology '99 on April 18, 1999, in Washington, DC. (+info)
Involving students in question writing: a unique feedback with fringe benefits.
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A contest on question writing was organized during the undergraduate medical physiology teaching program. Students were asked to write and submit multiple-choice questions of the assertion-reasoning type (type E) in physiology. The winners were decided after the questions submitted were graded on a six-point scale (0-5) that considered both thematic novelty and construct correctness. Of the 100 students in the class, 37 participated in the contest, and a total of 912 questions was received. The contest encouraged the students to go through their subjects critically. The questions provided the instructor with insight into the learning habits and misconceptions of the students and provided the grist for animated discussions in tutorial classes. Although several types of errors were deciphered in these questions, with suitable modifications the questions helped the faculty build up a sizable question bank. (+info)
An outbreak of cryptosporidiosis linked to a foodhandler.
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In September and October 1998, a cryptosporidiosis outbreak occurred on a Washington, DC, university campus. In a case-control study of 88 case patients and 67 control subjects, eating in 1 of 2 cafeterias was associated with diarrheal illness (P<.001). Morbidity was associated with eating dinner on 22 September (odds ratio, 8.1; 95% confidence interval, 3.4-19.5); weaker associations were found for 6 other meals. Cryptosporidium parvum was detected in stool specimens of 16 (70%) of 23 ill students and 2 of 4 ill employees. One ill foodhandler with laboratory-confirmed C. parvum prepared raw produce on 20-22 September. All 25 Cryptosporidium isolates submitted for DNA analysis, including 3 from the ill foodhandler, were genotype 1. This outbreak illustrates the potential for cryptosporidiosis to cause foodborne illness. Epidemiologic and molecular evidence indicate that an ill foodhandler was the likely outbreak source. (+info)
Characterization of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli strains in patients with travelers' diarrhea acquired in Guadalajara, Mexico, 1992-1997.
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The relationship between enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) and travelers' diarrhea was examined in a high-risk area in 1992-1997. Toxin patterns, colonization-factor antigens (CFAs), and in vitro antimicrobial susceptibility were determined. In total, 928 US students with diarrhea acquired in Guadalajara, Mexico, were screened for enteric pathogens. Diagnosis of ETEC infection was done with oligonucleotide probes. ETEC was isolated in 19.9% of the travelers with diarrhea. CFAs were identified in 51% of the ETEC strains. The highest CFA frequency was observed among heat-stable isolates. Ampicillin, furazolidone, and sulfisoxazole resistance of ETEC increased during the study period. ETEC isolation rates and CFA patterns varied little during the 6 years of the study, which has implications for immunoprophylactic strategies. The finding that differences in the results of ribotyping and plasmid analysis change over time suggests that multiple strains of ETEC were responsible for the illness in the region studied. (+info)
Outbreak of meningococcal disease in western Norway due to a new serogroup C variant of the ET-5 clone: effect of vaccination and selective carriage eradication.
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A new sulphonamide resistant (SR) C: 15:P1.7,16 meningococcal strain, a variant of the ET-5 clone, dominated in an outbreak of 22 cases in western Norway commencing in 1995. The first eight patients were 15-21 years old from the Nordhordland area, initiating a carrier study in the local high schools. Carriage of SR serogroup C meningococci was detected by routine methods and treated with a single dose of ofloxacin 400 mg. Of 20 treated carriers, 14 harboured the outbreak strain C: 15:P1.7,16. Vaccination of 4000 children, adolescents and close contacts of patients was also performed. After the intervention, 14 additional cases of meningococcal disease occurred, 8 due to the outbreak strain. However, incidence rates dropped from 180 to 30 per 100000 per year in the student population, but increased from 0 to 13 in the rest of the population in Nordhordland. Carriage eradication is not generally recommended in Norway. However, tracing and treating meningococcal carriage may have reduced transmission and disease in this outbreak situation. (+info)
Lack of immunity in university students before an outbreak of serogroup C meningococcal infection.
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Immunity to meningococci was determined in infected and uninfected students before and during an outbreak of serogroup C meningococcal infection at a university in the United Kingdom. No immunity against the outbreak strain was detected in serum taken from infected students prior to the outbreak or at the time of admission; bactericidal activity developed during convalescence. Carriage of all strains of serogroup C meningococci in asymptomatic students was low (0.9%), and no carriage of the outbreak strain could be detected. Immunity in the at-risk student population before the outbreak was low: 90% of students had no significant bactericidal activity against the outbreak strain. A low prevalence of carriage of the outbreak strain, together with a low prevalence of protective immunity within the student population, was associated with a high incidence of invasive disease in those who acquired the outbreak strain. (+info)
Changing carriage rate of Neisseria meningitidis among university students during the first week of term: cross sectional study.
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OBJECTIVE: To determine the rates of, and risk factors for, meningococcal carriage and acquisition among university students. DESIGN: Repeated cross sectional study. PARTICIPANTS: 2,507 students in their first year at university. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Prevalence of carriage of meningococci and risk factors for carriage and acquisition of meningococci. RESULTS: Carriage rates for meningoccoci increased rapidly in the first week of term from 6.9% on day 1, to 11.2% on day 2, to 19.0% on day 3, and to 23.1% on day 4. The average carriage rate during the first week of term in October among students living in catered halls was 13.9%. By November this had risen to 31.0% and in December it had reached 34. 2%. Independent associations for acquisition of meningococci in the autumn term were frequency of visits to a hall bar (5-7 visits: odds ratio 2.7, 95% confidence interval 1.5 to 4.8), active smoking (1.6, 1.0 to 2.6), being male (1.6, 1.2 to 2.2), visits to night clubs (1. 3, 1.0 to 1.6), and intimate kissing (1.4, 1.0 to 1.8). Lower rates of acquisition were found in female only halls (0.5, 0.3 to 0.9). The most commonly acquired meningococcal strain was C2a P1.5 (P1.2), which has been implicated in clusters of invasive meningococcal disease at other UK universities. CONCLUSIONS: Carriage rates of meningococci among university students increase rapidly in the first week of term, with further increases during the term. The rapid rate of acquisition may explain the increased risk of invasive meningococcal disease and the timing of cases and outbreaks in university students. (+info)
Subjective daytime sleepiness in schoolchildren.
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OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to find out how the occurrence of subjective daytime sleepiness (SDS) in schoolchildren had changed after 2 years follow-up and which were the predictors associated with persistence and appearance of SDS. METHODS: A total of 107 schoolchildren with SDS (Group 1) and an equal number without SDS (Group 2) were chosen to take part in the questionnaire study (age range 12-20 years). The questions concerned sleeping habits, sleep disorders and daytime sleepiness of the child and the family, progress at school and TV/video watching of the child, and social background of the family. A bivariate method (Pearson's chi-square) was used as a statistical tool. RESULTS: We received 68 replies (64%) from Group 1 and 75 (70%) from Group 2. Fifty-four schoolchildren were still sleepy in Group 1 and 28% had become sleepy in Group 2. The persistence of SDS in Group 1 was related to older age, irregular sleeping habits, frequent night waking and the fathers' sleep difficulties. The appearance of SDS in Group 2 was related to a high average grade at school. CONCLUSION: A delayed sleep phase rhythm and problems staying asleep are obvious causes of persistent SDS, but the stress of schoolwork can also cause daytime sleepiness in schoolchildren. (+info)