Propuesta metodológica para el perfeccionamiento del trabajo de los colectivos de asignatura en las carreras de Medicina y Estomatología / Methodological proposal for the improvement of the work of subject of study collectives in the Medicine and Dentistry careers

Introducción: El profesional de la salud que se desempeñe como docente y dirija los colectivos de asignatura requiere entrenamientos metodológicos que permitan su preparación para la adecuación de los contenidos, el tratamiento político-ideológico y la implementación de las estrategias curriculares, así como el seguimiento a las dificultades encontradas en el proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje. Objetivo: Diseñar una propuesta metodológica para el perfeccionamiento del trabajo de los colectivos de asignatura en las carreras de Medicina y Estomatología. Material y Métodos: Se realizó un estudio descriptivo de corte transversal con 22 profesores principales de asignaturas de las carreras de Medicina y Estomatología, del ICBP Victoria de Girón. El estudio se dividió en tres etapas. En la primera se analizaron los documentos que rigen el proceso docente y el trabajo de los colectivos de asignatura. Se diseñó una encuesta que evaluó los conocimientos acerca del trabajo de estos colectivos y una guía de observación. En la segunda se aplicó la encuesta para la identificación de las necesidades de aprendizaje de los profesores principales que participaron en el estudio y la observación al desarrollo de estos colectivos. En la tercera se desarrolló el taller y la actividad práctica para darles solución a las necesidades de aprendizaje identificadas, así como para debatir la propuesta para el perfeccionamiento del trabajo metodológico en este subsistema. Resultados: Con las observaciones realizadas a los colectivos de asignatura y la encuesta aplicada a los profesores principales se determinaron las necesidades de aprendizaje, se diseñó e implementó el taller, la actividad práctica y la propuesta metodológica para el desarrollo de estos colectivos. Conclusiones: Se diseñó una propuesta metodológica para el perfeccionamiento de los colectivos de asignatura que atiende las necesidades develadas y homogeniza el trabajo en sistema con el resto de los subniveles de organización metodológica(AU)

Introduction: The health professional that acts as a teacher and guides the subject's groups must have a methodological training that allows his preparation for the adequacy of the contents, the political and ideological treatment and the implementation of the curriculum strategies, as well as follow up the difficulties found during the teaching learning process. Objective: To design a methodological proposal for the improvement of the work of the subject's groups in the Medicine and Dentistry careers. Materials and Methods: A transversal - descriptive study was carried out with 22 leading professors of the Medicine and Dentistry careers, from the ICBP Victoria de Girón. The study was divided in three phases. In the first phase the documents that rule the teaching process and the work of the subject's groups were analyzed. A survey was designed to evaluate the knowledge about the work of these groups and also an observation guide. In the second phase a survey was applied for the identification of the learning needs of the leading professors that participate in the study and the observation to the development of these groups. In the third phase a workshop and practical activities were developed in order to solve the learning problems that were identified, as well as to discuss proposals for the improvement of the methodology work in this subsystem. Results: With the observations carry out to the subject's groups and the survey applied to the leading professors, learning needs were identified, the workshop, practical activity and the methodology proposal, was designed and implemented for the development of these collectives. Conclusions: A methodological proposal was designed for the improvement of the work of the subject's collectives that attend the disclose necessities, and also homogenize work by systems in association with the rest of the methodological organization sub levels(AU)

Genome-wide transcription analysis of clinal genetic variation in Drosophila.

Clinal variation in quantitative traits is widespread, but its genetic basis awaits identification. Drosophila melanogaster shows adaptive, clinal variation in traits such as body size along latitudinal gradients on multiple continents. To investigate genome wide transcription differentiation between North and South that might contribute to the clinal phenotypic variation, we compared RNA expression patterns during development of D. melanogaster from tropical northern and temperate southern populations using whole genome tiling arrays. We found that genes that were differentially expressed between the cline ends were generally associated with metabolism and growth, and experimental alteration of expression of a sample of them generally resulted in altered body size in the predicted direction, sometimes significantly so. We further identified the serpent (srp) transcription factor binding sites to be enriched near genes up-regulated in expression in the south. Analysis of clinal populations revealed a significant cline in the expression level of srp. Experimental over-expression of srp increased body size, as predicted from its clinal expression pattern, suggesting that it may be involved in regulating adaptive clinal variation in Drosophila. This study identified a handful of genes that contributed to clinal phenotypic variation through altered gene expression level, yet misexpression of individual gene led to modest body size change.

No influence of Indy on lifespan in Drosophila after correction for genetic and cytoplasmic background effects.

To investigate whether alterations in mitochondrial metabolism affect longevity in Drosophila melanogaster, we studied lifespan in various single gene mutants, using inbred and outbred genetic backgrounds. As positive controls we included the two most intensively studied mutants of Indy, which encodes a Drosophila Krebs cycle intermediate transporter. It has been reported that flies heterozygous for these Indy mutations, which lie outside the coding region, show almost a doubling of lifespan. We report that only one of the two mutants lowers mRNA levels, implying that the lifespan extension observed is not attributable to the Indy mutations themselves. Moreover, neither Indy mutation extended lifespan in female flies in any genetic background tested. In the original genetic background, only the Indy mutation associated with altered RNA expression extended lifespan in male flies. However, this effect was abolished by backcrossing into standard outbred genetic backgrounds, and was associated with an unidentified locus on the X chromosome. The original Indy line with long-lived males is infected by the cytoplasmic symbiont Wolbachia, and the longevity of Indy males disappeared after tetracycline clearance of this endosymbiont. These findings underscore the critical importance of standardisation of genetic background and of cytoplasm in genetic studies of lifespan, and show that the lifespan extension previously claimed for Indy mutants was entirely attributable to confounding variation from these two sources. In addition, we saw no effects on lifespan of expression knockdown of the Indy orthologues nac-2 and nac-3 in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans.

Flight activity, mortality rates, and lipoxidative damage in Drosophila.

In this study, the effect of flight activity on mortality rates and lipoxidative damage in Drosophila was determined to identify mechanisms through which oxidative damage affects life span. The results showed that flies allowed flying throughout life had higher mortality rates and decreased median and maximum life spans compared to controls. The mortality rate of the flight activity group could be lowered, but not completely reversed by switching to control conditions; and the accrued oxidative damage could not be eliminated. The levels of reactive oxygen species produced by mitochondria isolated from high activity and control flies did not differ significantly. However, the high activity flies had altered membrane fatty acid compositions, which made them prone to increased lipid peroxidation. The effect of flight activity on insect life span differs considerably from the beneficial effects of exercise in mammals; these differences may be caused by physiological differences between the two taxa.