Learning styles and gross anatomy assessment outcomes at a Colombian School of Medicine

The term, “learning styles” refers to the concept that individuals have as regards the method of instruction or study that is most efficient for them. It has been proposed that optimal learning occurs when the preferences of the primary learning style of the student correspond to the course content and the method of instruction. The Visual, Aural, Written/Read and Kinesthetic (VARK) model is a preferred instruction model. The objective of the study was to investigate the relationship between the VARK preferences and the Gross Anatomy test results of a group of students from the Universidad del Norte. The study included 111 (61 female and 50 male) students enrolled in their third semester of medical school in the skeletomuscular system during the summer of 2015. The VARK Aural and Kinesthetic modes were the most common (34.2% and 26.1%, respectively), while Visual was the learning style with the lowest number of representatives (9%). The multimodal style was preferred by 12.6% of the students involved. There was no significant statistical relationship (X² = 2.61; p = .62 and X² = 5.4; p = .24) between the VARK modes and the mid-term test results. The Aural and Kinesthetic modes showed significant negative correlations with the mid-term electronic multiple-choice assessment (r_s = ?0.19; p = .03; and (r_s = ?0.24; p = .01). Although different teaching strategies were offered to the students, no significant differences were observed. However, the students with Aural and Kinesthetic modes did show a negative correlation with the mid-term electronic multiple-choice assessment.     

Marital violence in Barranquilla [Colombia]: prevalence and risk factors

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of violence against women of fertile age living in a couple and identify the personal, socioeconomic, and family function characteristics associated with this phenomenon. METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional study in a random sample of 275 women of fertile age living in the neighborhood of Carlos Meisel in Barranquilla, Colombia. Information was gathered through a structured questionnaire and face-to-face interviews at the participants' homes. The questionnaire was adapted from the World Health Organization's recommendations on ethics and safety when investigating domestic violence. The questionnaire included items on personal characteristics, habitual alcohol and drug consumption, family function test (Family Apgar), socioeconomic characteristics, and physical abuse in the 12 months prior to the interview. RESULTS: The prevalence of marital violence was 22.9%. Women aged 25-29 years old were the most commonly affected (33.3%). Factors associated with violence were habitual alcohol consumption in women (Odds ratio [OR] = 6.02; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 1.7-22.2) and in the spouse (OR = 10.11; 95% CI, 5.1-20.1) and drug consumption by the husband (OR = 11.01; 95% CI, 4.2-29.5). A monthly wage of less than 300,000 Colombian pesos (140 euros) was also significantly associated with domestic violence as was moderate or severe family dysfunction (respectively, OR = 16.9; 95% CI, 4.8-59.0; OR = 81.6; 95% CI, 18.8-335). CONCLUSIONS: Because this was a cross-sectional study, the results should be interpreted with caution. Nevertheless, violence against women in the study sample was associated with potentially modifiable factors.     

Complexation hydrogels for oral protein delivery: an in vitro assessment of the insulin transport-enhancing effects following dissolution in simulated digestive fluids

The insulin-transport enhancing effects of a pH-sensitive poly((methacrylic acid)-grafted-poly(ethylene glycol)) hydrogel system were studied using Caco-2 monolayers as an in vitro model of intestinal transport. Further, the ability of the hydrogel system to protect entrapped proteins through the upper gastrointestinal tract via digestion in simulated gastric and simulated intestinal fluids with digestive enzymes was confirmed. Caco-2 cell monolayers were exposed to a series of formulations including insulin alone, the polymer in insulin solution, insulin-loaded polymer (ILP) and ILP previously subjected to simulated digestive fluids with enzymes. These studies demonstrated greatly increased insulin transport for the ILP samples when compared with insulin alone and insulin in the presence of polymer, P(app)=12.7 x 10(-8) cm/s and 6.61 x 10(-8) cm/s versus 0.07 x 10(-8) cm/s and 0.06 x 10(-8) cm/s, respectively. While enhanced transport with the ILP was observed, the largest changes in TEER values did not coincide with the highest amounts of insulin transport, this suggests that the paracellular route may not be the sole mechanism of transport. Further, as the Caco-2 cell line has been demonstrated to possess the insulin receptor, active transport or a mixed mechanism cannot be ruled out.     

Synthesis,Characterization and In Vivo Efficacy of PEGylated Insulin for Oral Delivery with Complexation Hydrogels

Purpose  This work evaluated the feasibility of combining insulin PEGylation with pH responsive hydrogels for oral insulin delivery. Methods  A mono-substituted PEG–insulin conjugate was synthesized and purified. The site of conjugation was determined by MALDI-TOF MS. Uptake and release of PEGylated insulin was performed in complexation hydrogels to simulate oral dosing. The bioactivity of the conjugate and PK/PD profile was measured in vivo in rats. Results  PEGylation was confirmed to be specifically located at the amino terminus of the B-chain of insulin. Higher loading efficiency was achieved with PEGylated insulin than regular human insulin in pH responsive hydrogels. The release of PEGylated insulin was lower than that of human insulin at all pH levels considered. Full retention of bioactivity of the PEG–insulin conjugate was confirmed by intravenous dosing while subcutaneous dosing exhibited a relative hypoglycemic effect 127.8% that of human insulin. Conclusions  Polyethylene glycol conjugated specifically to the amino terminus of the B-chain of insulin maintained the bioactivity of the protein and significantly extended the duration of the hypoglycemic effect. Used in combination with pH responsive hydrogels, PEGylated insulin has significant potential for oral delivery.     

Complexation hydrogels for oral insulin delivery: effects of polymer dosing on in vivo efficacy

Hydrogels comprised of poly(methacrylic acid) grafted with poly(ethylene glycol) (P(MAA-g-EG)) were characterized and examined for their potential as oral insulin carriers. Insulin loaded polymer (ILP) samples were made using two different polymer formulations. The values for the effective molecular weight between crosslinks, M _e , and the network mesh size, xi, were characterized and increased with increasing pH levels for both formulations. Insulin uptake studies indicated a high insulin loading efficiency for all samples tested, however release was dependent on the amount of insulin loaded. The effect of total polymer dosing was investigated by in situ administration in isolated ileal segments in rats. All ILP samples induced a hypoglycemic effect and an increase in insulin levels, proving that insulin was still biologically active. Insulin dosing amounts were varied by (i) maintaining a constant insulin fraction within an ILP sample while changing the amount of ILP and (ii) by varying the insulin fraction while dosing with the same amount of ILP. The total insulin absorption was dependent on both the amount of the polymer present and the concentration of insulin within an ILP sample, with a maximum relative bioavailability of 8.0%.