Innovation in the teaching of human physiology at university and school: pedagogical process based on interdisciplinarity and learning station rotation.

This paper presents the description and analysis of a didactic experience involving the participation of a university and a community school, developed as part of the National Science and Technology Week, at a public university in northeastern Brazil. For this purpose, the use of learning station rotation enabled innovation in the teaching of physiology integrated with biochemistry and health education contents. The didactic approach consisted of creating a learning circuit comprising seven stations. The central theme of the stations emphasized physiology, with specific foci on biochemistry and cardiorespiratory and endocrine health. Each station provided unique activities related to the central theme, including a station concerning digital technology in physiology. The school students were divided into small groups (6 or 7 people) that rotated through the stations, with a total of 81 students visiting each station. A qualitative assessment was performed using a Likert-scale questionnaire to measure the level of satisfaction of the students. It was found that this didactic approach increased the receptivity of the students to the contents, facilitated student-teacher dialogue, and provided an excellent tool for establishing an interface between the university and the community school. Overall, 76.5% of the students rated the activity as excellent.

[Evaluation of control measures for visceral leishmaniasis (kala azar) in an endemic area in Bahia, Brazil (1995-2000)]. / Avaliação das ações de controle da leishmaniose visceral (calazar) em uma área endêmica do Estado da Bahia, Brasil (1995-2000).

This study evaluated the Control Program for Visceral Leishmaniasis in the city of Feira de Santana, Bahia, Brazil. Information was collected on control measures from 1995 to June 2000, and focused on periodicity, coverage, and incidence trends in the target areas. The dependent variable was the incidence rate for human cases, and independent variables were: percentage of buildings visited in the canine survey and buildings sprayed, number of cycles in the canine survey and spraying, and canine prevalence rate. To evaluate the correlation between control measures and the human visceral leishmaniasis incidence rate, we calculated the Pearson s correlations coefficients and performed linear regression analysis. No association was observed between the prevalence of dogs with positive serology and the incidence rate of human cases. The variables that remained in the final model and that proved most effective in controlling the disease were: percentage of buildings visited during the survey and spraying and number of cycles in the canine survey, capable of explaining 40% of the incidence of human cases. The findings constitute relevant material for the discussion of effectiveness in control measures for visceral leishmaniasis.