Evaluación de la metodología Team Based Learning en cursos de estadística para estudiantes de medicina / Evaluation of team-based learning methodology for teaching statistics to medical students

Background Team-Based Learning methodology (TBL) is used in medicine teaching in different clinical and basic fields, but seldom in statistics courses. Aim To compare the performance of students taught using TBL with those receiving the traditional lecture modality. Materials and Methods The grades and percentage of correct answers obtained in exams written during the statistics course of students that were taught without TBL (years 2009-2011) or using this methodology (years 2013-2016) were compared. Z Test for one mean (Milestone 1) and Student's t test for two independent means assuming equal variances/unequal variances (Milestone 2) were evaluated. The mean and minimum grades and the percentage of grades below the flunking threshold were also evaluated. Students' assessment of the methodology was also recorded. Results The percentage of correct answers was 94.2% and 94% among students taught with and without TBL methodology, respectively (Milestone 1), achieving a similar performance independent of the teaching strategy. The global percentage of correct answers of Milestone 2 increased from 75.3% to 89.5% (P < 0.001) among students using TBL. In 75.0% of questions, the percentage of correct answers increased with TBL. Likewise, there was an increase in mean grades increased from 5.4 to 6.2 (P < 0.05) and mean minimum grades from 2.8 to 3.7 (P = 0.05). The proportion of grades below the flunking threshold decreased from 9.9% to 4.4% (P = 0.054). Almost all students evaluated TBL methodology positively. Conclusions Students taught using TBL methodology performed better in the statistics course evaluation than students attending standard lectures in statistical analysis of greater complexity. TBL was well evaluated.

Algunas especies de Passiflora y su capacidad antioxidante / Some Passiflora species and their antioxidant capacity

Introducción: las frutas y vegetales desempeñan un papel importante en la dieta humana, lo cual se atribuye al hecho de que estos alimentos proveen una mezcla óptima de antioxidantes como la vitamina C y E, polifenoles y carotenoides, que otorgan beneficios para la protección de la salud. Objetivos: evaluar la capacidad antioxidante, el poder reductor y el contenido de fenoles totales de extractos de algunas frutas y hojas del género Passiflora pertenecientes al departamento de Huila. Métodos: la capacidad antioxidante fue medida como la habilidad para atrapar el radical 2.2-difenil-1-picril hidrazilo (DPPH) y 2'-azino-bis (3-etilbenztiazolin-6-sulfonato de amonio (ABTS'+), el potencial para reducir el hierro (FRAP) y, finalmente, el contenido de fenoles totales se determinó mediante el ensayo del reactivo de Folin-Ciocalteu. Resultados: todos los extractos presentaron diferentes grados de capacidad antioxidante. Sin embargo, los extractos de las hojas exhiben mayor capacidad antioxidante que los extractos de las frutas. Estas variaciones pueden deberse a un alto contenido de agentes reductores como el ácido ascórbico, minerales y carotenoides, factores genéticos y ambientales de las especies. Conclusiones: se evidenció la presencia de sustancias antioxidantes en los frutos y en los sustratos provenientes de las hojas de algunas especies del género Passiflora. Específicamente se encontraron valores significativos para los frutos de granadilla silvestre y para las hojas de gulupa.

Introduction: fruits and vegetables play an important role in the human diet because these foods provide an optimal mix of antioxidants like vitamins C and E, polyphenols and carotenoids which is beneficial for health protection. Objectives: to evaluate the antioxidant capacity, the reducing power and the content of total phenols of some fruit and leaf extracts of Passiflora genus in Huila department. Methods: the antioxidant capacity was measured as the ability to catch the radical 2.2-diphenyl-1-picryl hydrazil (DPPH) and 2'-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzatiazolin-6-ammonium sulphonate (ABTS'+), the ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and total phenol content were determined using Folin-Ciocalteu´s reagent trial. Results: the extracts demonstrated different degrees of antioxidant capacity. However, leaf extracts exhibited higher antioxidant capacity than the fruit extracts. These variations may be due to high content of reducing agents such as ascorbic acid, minerals and carotenoids, and to genetic and environmental factors of the species. Conclusions: the presence of antioxidants in fruits and substrates from the leaves of some species of Passiflora genus was evinced, especially high significant values were found in wild granadilla fruits and in gulupa leaves.

Nongranulomatous anterior uveitis associated with alendronate therapy

We describe a case of acute nongranulomatous anterior uveitis associated with alendronate therapy, in an adult woman, without medical history of previous diseases, except for intercurrent problems of osteoporosis. The symptoms disappeared abruptly after anti-inflammatory therapy and discontinuation of alendronate. Side effects associated with ocular inflammation have been recently documented in 3 patients under alendronate therapy. Clinical and laboratory diagnosis of ocular inflammation syndromes are also reviewed.