Making Bipedal Robot Experiments Reproducible and Comparable: The Eurobench Software Approach.

This study describes the software methodology designed for systematic benchmarking of bipedal systems through the computation of performance indicators from data collected during an experimentation stage. Under the umbrella of the European project Eurobench, we collected approximately 30 protocols with related testbeds and scoring algorithms, aiming at characterizing the performances of humanoids, exoskeletons, and/or prosthesis under different conditions. The main challenge addressed in this study concerns the standardization of the scoring process to permit a systematic benchmark of the experiments. The complexity of this process is mainly due to the lack of consistency in how to store and organize experimental data, how to define the input and output of benchmarking algorithms, and how to implement these algorithms. We propose a simple but efficient methodology for preparing scoring algorithms, to ensure reproducibility and replicability of results. This methodology mainly constrains the interface of the software and enables the engineer to develop his/her metric in his/her favorite language. Continuous integration and deployment tools are then used to verify the replicability of the software and to generate an executable instance independent of the language through dockerization. This article presents this methodology and points at all the metrics and documentation repositories designed with this policy in Eurobench. Applying this approach to other protocols and metrics would ease the reproduction, replication, and comparison of experiments.

Modeling cancer immunoediting in tumor microenvironment with system characterization through the ising-model Hamiltonian.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Cancer Immunoediting (CI) describes the cellular-level interaction between tumor cells and the Immune System (IS) that takes place in the Tumor Micro-Environment (TME). CI is a highly dynamic and complex process comprising three distinct phases (Elimination, Equilibrium and Escape) wherein the IS can both protect against cancer development as well as, over time, promote the appearance of tumors with reduced immunogenicity. Herein we present an agent-based model for the simulation of CI in the TME, with the objective of promoting the understanding of this process. METHODS: Our model includes agents for tumor cells and for elements of the IS. The actions of these agents are governed by probabilistic rules, and agent recruitment (including cancer growth) is modeled via logistic functions. The system is formalized as an analogue of the Ising model from statistical mechanics to facilitate its analysis. The model was implemented in the Netlogo modeling environment and simulations were performed to verify, illustrate and characterize its operation. RESULTS: A main result from our simulations is the generation of emergent behavior in silico that is very difficult to observe directly in vivo or even in vitro. Our model is capable of generating the three phases of CI; it requires only a couple of control parameters and is robust to these. We demonstrate how our simulated system can be characterized through the Ising-model energy function, or Hamiltonian, which captures the "energy" involved in the interaction between agents and presents it in clear and distinct patterns for the different phases of CI. CONCLUSIONS: The presented model is very flexible and robust, captures well the behaviors of the target system and can be easily extended to incorporate more variables such as those pertaining to different anti-cancer therapies. System characterization via the Ising-model Hamiltonian is a novel and powerful tool for a better understanding of CI and the development of more effective treatments. Since data of CI at the cellular level is very hard to procure, our hope is that tools such as this may be adopted to shed light on CI and related developing theories.

Una plataforma virtual para la evaluación e investigación on-line: Menpas / A virtual platform for on-line evaluation and research: MenPas / Uma plataforma virtual para avaliação e investigação on-line: MenPas

El desarrollo de una sociedad cada vez más tecnológica y unos ciudadanos con mayor necesidad de interactuar a través de las TIC (Tecnologías de la Información y la Comunicación) está llevando a la comunidad científica a replantearse la forma de gestionar su trabajo y los medios para acceder a la investigación y a los sujetos investigados. Desde este planteamiento, el uso de plataformas virtuales para la evaluación e investigación facilita tanto el acceso de los individuos como la labor de los investigadores. En este documento presentamos la plataforma 'MenPas', desarrollada especialmente para el campo de la Psicología aunque abierta a otras disciplinas, en la que se desarrollan evaluaciones e investigaciones relativas a los diferentes cuestionarios y aplicaciones implementadas en la misma. A modo de ejemplo se utilizan datos descriptivos relativos a tres de los cuestionarios disponibles en la plataforma (IPSETA, IPED, PID) con la intención de establecer posibles diferencias significativas en función del tipo de evaluación administrada a los participantes (anónima vs. identificada)

Nowadays, we are living in a technological society. The new literacies of the Internet and other information and communication technologies (ICTs) are influencing all areas of our personal and professional domains. The fact of people interacting everyday by the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) becomes an issue that makes the scientific community to reconsider the way it makes its work and the way it is gathering individual subjects in its researching. Therefore, virtual platforms for evaluating and researching will provide a useful tool to get individual subjects and gathering the whole information. This paper presents 'Menpas', a Psychosocial Evaluation virtual platform which is developed in the field of Sports Psychology, but it is open to other researching fields where researching and evaluation are taken related to several surveys and applications developed in the platform.For example, descriptive data related to IPSETA, IPED, PID surveys, available in the platform, are used in order to set significant differences between anonymous and identified evaluation

O desenvolvimento de uma sociedade cada vez mais tecnológica e de cidadãos com maior necessidade de interagir por meio das TIC (Tecnologias da Informação e Comunicação) está a conduzir a comunidade científica a repensar a forma de gerir o seu trabalho e os meios de acesso à investigação, bem como aos sujeitos que são analisados. A partir desta abordagem, o uso de plataformas virtuais para avaliação e investigação facilita tanto o acesso dos indivíduos, como o trabalho dos investigadores. No presente trabalho apresentamos a plataforma de Avaliação Psicossocial "MenPas", desenvolvida especialmente para o campo da Psicologia do desporto, embora seja também possível a sua utilização em outras disciplinas, que desenvolvem avaliação e investigação através de diversos questionários, , nas quais avaliações e investigações são desenvolvidas com relação aos diferentes questionários e aplicações nela implementadas. Por exemplo, , dados descritivos que são utilizados para três dos questionários disponíveis na plataforma (IPSETA, IPED, PID) com a intenção de estabelecer possíveis diferenças significativas dependendo do tipo de avaliação administrada aos participantes (anônimos vs. identificados)

Modelling sustainable salt water management under deficit irrigation conditions for melon in Spain and Brazil.

BACKGROUND: In water scarcity areas the use of saline water for irrigation is a common practice. In this study, experimental data from two two-year melon tests were collected for the calibration (2004 'Yellow Melon' (YeMe) type) and validation (2002 YeMe, 2005 and 2006 'Piel de Sapo' (PiSa) type) processes in melon crop simulation under deficit irrigation conditions using salt water. The simulations were carried out for Castilla-La Mancha (Spain) and Ceará (Brazil) using the MOPECO model, which includes optimized regulated deficit irrigation (ORDI) methodology. The objective was to determine the most suitable irrigation strategy for both areas. RESULTS: Under fresh water conditions, ORDI may increase yield by up to 20% (PiSa) and 7% (YeMe) compared with constant deficit irrigation. Higher water deficit should be induced during the vegetative development and ripening stages. The rainfall between irrigation periods is able to leach the salts supplied by the irrigation water. CONCLUSION: The combination of ORDI with different strategies for managing saline water may increase water use efficiency. In these areas it may be of interest not to apply the leaching fraction (saving up to 67% of irrigation water). However, leaching of the soluble salts accumulated before starting the most sensitive periods may be suitable.

Factores de riesgo asociados a la transmisión madre-hijo del VIH en los pacientes del CAPACITS de Veracruz / Risk factors associated with mother-to-child transmission of HIV in the patients of CAPACITS in Veracruz, Mexico

La infección por el virus de la inmunodeficiencia humana (VIH) puede adquirirse por transmisión perinatal, y el riesgo de adquirirla ha aumentado porque en los últimos años la epidemia ha tomado un patrón heterosexual, lo que aumenta el número de mujeres infectadas, un riesgo potencial para la transmisión perinatal. Objetivo: Determinar los factores de riesgo asociados a la transmisión vertical en recién nacidos hijos de madres con VIH atendidas en el Centro de Atención a Pacientes con Infecciones de Transmisión Sexual y SIDA (CAPACITS) de Veracruz. Material y métodos: Se realizó un estudio de cohorte retrospectivo de una población de madres VIH+ e hijos que acudieron al CAPACITS de Veracruz en el periodo comprendido entre 2007-2012. Se revisaron los expedientes de mujeres embarazadas y sus recién nacidos atendidos en el CAPACITS, y los resultados se analizaron con estadística descriptiva y mediante la prueba de χ² y regresión logística. Resultados: Se estudiaron 50 mujeres que solicitaron control prenatal. Las variables estudiadas fueron factores asociados en la madre y factores relacionados con el recién nacido. En relación al tratamiento antirretroviral en la muestra, nueve embarazadas (18%) no tomaron ningún tratamiento; dos de sus hijos se infectaron. De los casos de madres con tratamiento, ninguno de sus hijos se infectó. Considerando las variables relacionadas con infección en el producto, una madre sin esquema de tratamiento fue el factor principal para el contagio del niño, en segundo lugar fue el conteo de CD4 < 200 células/mm³ y en tercer lugar la carga viral materna. Conclusión: El resultado de nuestro estudio predice que la positividad de los recién nacidos depende del tratamiento antirretroviral de la madre.

HIV infection can be acquired through perinatal transmission. The risk of acquiring this infection has been increased in recent years because the epidemic has taken a heterosexual pattern, which has caused a growth in the number of infected women and a potential risk for perinatal transmission. Objective: To determine the risk factors associated with vertical transmission in newborns to HIV-positive mothers at the Care Center for Patients with Sexually Transmitted Infections and AIDS (CAPACITS) in Veracruz, Mexico. Material and methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of a population of HIV-positive mothers and their newborns, who sought care at the CAPACITS of Veracruz between 2007 and 2012. The records of controlled mothers and their children were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: The study was performed in 50 women. The variables studied were: associated factors in mothers and associated factors in newborns. Concerning the antiretroviral treatment in the sample of mothers, nine (18%) did not take any treatment; two of their children became infected. In the case of treated mothers, none of their children became infected. Considering the infection-related variables in the product, the main factor for the spread of the infection to the children was a mother without treatment schedule and, in second place, a CD4 count < 200 cells/mm³. Conclusions: The results of our study predict that the positivity of the newborn depends on the maternal antiretroviral treatment.

[Ichthyofauna from wetlands of San Pedro, Balancán, Tabasco, México]. / Ictiofauna de los humedales del río San Pedro, Balancán, Tabasco, México.

San Pedro River's wetlands sustain trophic nets in the fluvial system, due to the high habitat availability, and space and temporal variations. In order to describe the relationship between environmental parameters and ichthyofauna, this study evaluated fish assemblages composition, distribution, abundance, density, biomass, richness species, diversity and equitability in the wetlands. Sampling considered three different sites and climatic seasons (dry, rainy and cold fronts). The physical and chemical parameters considered were dissolved oxygen, temperature, pH, water transparency and the depth. Fishes were caught with a shrimp net, after six minutes towings and were identified afterwards. A total of 1 049 organisms of 25 fish species were caught, two of which were exotic species: Oreochromis niloticus and Parachromis managuense. A total of 23 species were found at site I (with the highest density 0.23 ind./m2), 17 at site II (0.23 ind./m2) and 14 at site III (0.12 ind./m2). The dry season had the highest species number with 21 species, followed by the rainy season with 17 species, and the cold season with five species. Similarly, the highest biomass (8.30 g/m2) was found in dry season, followed by the rainy (2.16 g/m2) and the cold seasons (0.03 g/m2). Considering seasons, highest density was found during the dry (0.436 ind./m2), followed by the rainy (0.213 ind./m2) and the cold (0.023 ind./m2) seasons. The dominant density species during the study period, according to the quadrants graphic of Olmstead-Tukey were: Petenia splendida, Vieja heterospila, Vieja synspila, Dorosoma petenense and Astyanax aeneus. There were significant differences in the species richness among sites. Temperature, depth and transparency showed differences among the seasons. The canonical correspondence analysis indicated that fish distribution was governed by environmental parameters during all seasons. In terms of fish abundance and composition, environmental parameters play an important role showing spatial and temporal differences in the ecosystem, this could be explained with the fact that most of young fishes have a movement behavior to the wetlands, searching refuge and feed during the dry season. Considering the diversity indexes variation, it may be concluded that San Pedro River's wetlands correspond to a system where the ichthyofauna composition fluctuates spatial and seasonally.

Ictiofauna de los humedales del río San Pedro, Balancán, Tabasco, México

Ichthyofauna from wetlands of San Pedro, Balancán, Tabasco, México. San Pedro River’s wetlands sustain trophic nets in the fluvial system, due to the high habitat availability, and space and temporal variations. In order to describe the relationship between environmental parameters and ichthyofauna, this study evaluated fish assemblages composition, distribution, abundance, density, biomass, richness species, diversity and equitability in the wetlands. Sampling considered three different sites and climatic seasons (dry, rainy and cold fronts). The physical and chemical parameters considered were dissolved oxygen, temperature, pH, water transparency and the depth. Fishes were caught with a shrimp net, after six minutes towings and were identified afterwards. A total of 1 049 organisms of 25 fish species were caught, two of which were exotic species: Oreochromis niloticus and Parachromis managuense. A total of 23 species were found at site I (with the highest density 0.23ind./m²), 17 at site II (0.23ind./m²) and 14 at site III (0.12ind./m²). The dry season had the highest species number with 21 species, followed by the rainy season with 17 species, and the cold season with five species. Similarly, the highest biomass (8.30g/m²) was found in dry season, followed by the rainy (2.16g/m²) and the cold seasons (0.03g/m²). Considering seasons, highest density was found during the dry (0.436ind./m²), followed by the rainy (0.213ind./m²) and the cold (0.023ind./m²) seasons. The dominant density species during the study period, according to the quadrants graphic of Olmstead-Tukey were: Petenia splendida, Vieja heterospila, Vieja synspila, Dorosoma petenense and Astyanax aeneus. There were significant differences in the species richness among sites. Temperature, depth and transparency showed differences among the seasons. The canonical correspondence analysis indicated that fish distribution was governed by environmental parameters during all seasons. In terms of fish abundance and composition, environmental parameters play an important role showing spatial and temporal differences in the ecosystem, this could be explained with the fact that most of young fishes have a movement behavior to the wetlands, searching refuge and feed during the dry season. Considering the diversity indexes variation, it may be concluded that San Pedro River’s wetlands correspond to a system where the ichthyofauna composition fluctuates spatial and seasonally. Rev. Biol. Trop. 59 (2): 693-708. Epub 2011 June 01.

Los humedales de San Pedro sostienen redes tróficas del sistema fluvial debido a la alta disponibilidad de hábitats y a sus variaciones espacio-temporales. En esta investigación se estudió la composición, densidad y biomasa de la ictiofauna de los humedales; se capturaron 1 049 organismos de 25 especies, dos son exóticas: Oreochromis niloticus y Parachromis managuense. Con 23 especies capturadas en el sitio I, 17 en el II y 14 en el III. En la época de secas se obtuvo mayor riqueza con 21 especies, lluvias con 17 y cinco en nortes. La mayor densidad se mostró en el sitio II (0.23ind./m²), seguido de los sitios I y III (0.12, 0.12ind./m²). La mayor biomasa fue en secas (8.30g/m²), seguida de lluvias (2.1g/m²) y por último nortes (0.01g/m²). La mayor densidad se mostró en secas (0.43ind./m²) y la mínima en nortes (0.023ind./m²). Las especies dominantes en densidad según el diagrama Olmstead-Tukey fueron: Petenia splendida, Vieja heterospila, Vieja synspila, Dorosoma petenense y Astyanax aeneus. Por lo tanto, existieron diferencias significativas en los parámetros ecológicos y ambientales. Al considerar la variación en la riqueza podemos concluir que los humedales del río San Pedro, es un sistema donde la composición de la ictiofauna responde a las fluctuaciones espaciales y temporales.

Development of tolerant features for characterization of masses in mammograms.

In this paper, four new features for the analysis of breast masses are presented. These features were designed to be insensitive to the exact shape of the contour of the masses, so that an approximate contour, such as the one extracted via an automated segmentation algorithm, can be employed in their computation. Two of the features, Sp(SI) and Sp(GO), measure the degree of spiculation of a mass and its likelihood of being spiculated. One of these features, Sp(GO), is a measure of the relative gradient orientation of pixels that correspond to possible spicules. The other feature, Sp(SI), is based on a comparison of mutual information measures between selected components of the mammographic images. The last two features, Fz(1) and Fz(2), measure the local fuzziness of the mass margins based on points defined automatically. The features were tested for characterization (i.e. discrimination between circumscribed and spiculated masses) and diagnosis (i.e. discrimination between benign and malignant masses) of breast masses using a set of 319 masses and three different classifiers. In the characterization experiments the features produced a result of approximately 89% correct classification. In the diagnosis experiments, the performance achieved was approximately 81% of correct classification.

[Recommendations for antibiotic monitoring in ICU patients]. / Recomendaciones para la monitorización de antibióticos en pacientes críticos ingresados en UCI.

Monitoring plasma concentrations of antimicrobial agents used to treat infection in critically ill patients is one of the recommended strategies for improving clinical outcome. Drug monitoring has a double aim: to limit adverse events and to increase the effectiveness of the drugs. In clinical practice, however, this approach is mainly limited to monitoring plasma concentrations of vancomycin and aminoglycosides, although future extension to other antimicrobial agents would be desirable. Application of this technique varies considerably between hospitals, and this makes interpretation and comparison of the results obtained difficult. For this reason, representatives of various scientific societies related to the pharmacokinetic area have developed a series of recommendations for monitoring plasma concentrations of antimicrobials using vancomycin and several aminoglycosides as the reference. The recommendations are based on 14 questions encompassing all steps of the process: indication for the test, blood sampling (timing of blood collection, blood volume, tubes), transport to the laboratory, techniques applied, normal values, dose adjustment, and reporting the results. The purpose of these guidelines is to develop a process of monitoring plasma antimicrobial concentrations that is as homogeneous as possible to facilitate the design of multicenter studies, as well as the interpretation and comparison of results.

[Recommendations for antibiotic monitoring in ICU patients]. / Recomendaciones para la monitorización de antibióticos en pacientes críticos ingresados en UCI.

UNLABELLED: Monitoring plasma concentrations of antimicrobial agents used to treat infection in critically ill patients is one of the recommended strategies for improving clinical outcome. Drug monitoring has a double AIM: to limit adverse events and to increase the effectiveness of the drugs. In clinical practice, however, this approach is mainly limited to monitoring plasma concentrations of vancomycin and aminoglycosides, although future extension to other antimicrobial agents would be desirable. Application of this technique varies considerably between hospitals, and this makes interpretation and comparison of the results obtained difficult. For this reason, representatives of various scientific societies related to the pharmacokinetic area have developed a series of recommendations for monitoring plasma concentrations of antimicrobials using vancomycin and several aminoglycosides as the reference. The recommendations are based on 14 questions encompassing all steps of the process: indication for the test, blood sampling (timing of blood collection, blood volume, tubes), transport to the laboratory, techniques applied, normal values, dose adjustment, and reporting the RESULTS: The purpose of these guidelines is to develop a process of monitoring plasma antimicrobial concentrations that is as homogeneous as possible to facilitate the design of multicenter studies, as well as the interpretation and comparison of results.

Recomendaciones para la monitorización de antibióticos en pacientes críticos ingresados en UCI / Recommendations for antibiotic monitoring in ICU patients

La monitorización de concentraciones plasmáticas de los antimicrobianos utilizados para el tratamiento de infecciones en pacientes críticos es una de las estrategias planteadas para mejorar los resultados clínicos. El objetivo de la monitorización es doble: limitar los efectos adversos y aumentar la efectividad de los antimicrobianos. Su desarrollo clínico se limita prácticamente a la monitorización de vancomicina y aminoglucósidos, aunque es deseable su extensión, en el futuro, al resto de antimicrobianos. La aplicación de esta técnica está sometida a múltiples variaciones entre hospitales, lo que dificulta la interpretación y comparación de resultados. Por este motivo, representantes de diversas sociedades científicas relacionadas con el área de la farmacocinética han elaborado un conjunto de recomendaciones para la monitorización plasmática de antimicrobianos utilizando como referencia la vancomicina y los distintos aminoglucósidos. La recomendaciones se realizan en torno a 14 preguntas que abarcan todas las etapas de proceso: indicación de la prueba, extracción de la muestra (tiempo de extracción, cantidad de sangre, tubos), traslado al laboratorio, técnicas aplicables, valores de normalidad, ajuste de dosis y comunicación de resultados. El objetivo de las recomendaciones es homogeneizar en la medida de lo posible el proceso de la monitorización de estos antimicrobianos y facilitar con ello la realización de estudios multicéntricos y la comparación e interpretación de los resultados (AU)

Monitoring plasma concentrations of antimicrobial agents used to treat infection in critically ill patients is one of the recommended strategies for improving clinical outcome. Drug monitoring has a double aim: to limit adverse events and to increase the effectiveness of the drugs. In clinical practice, however, this approach is mainly limited to monitoring plasma concentrations of vancomycin and aminoglycosides, although future extension to other antimicrobial agents would be desirable. Application of this technique varies considerably between hospitals, and this makes interpretation and comparison of the results obtained difficult. For this reason, representatives of various scientific societies related to the pharmacokinetic area have developed a series of recommendations for monitoring plasma concentrations of antimicrobials using vancomycin and several aminoglycosides as the reference. The recommendations are based on 14 questions encompassing all steps of the process: indication for the test, blood sampling (timing of blood collection, blood volume, tubes), transport to the laboratory, techniques applied, normal values, dose adjustment, and reporting the results. The purpose of these guidelines is to develop a process of monitoring plasma antimicrobial concentrations that is as homogeneous as possible to facilitate the design of multicenter studies, as well as the interpretation and comparison of results (AU)

Detection of masses in mammograms via statistically based enhancement, multilevel-thresholding segmentation, and region selection.

A method for automatic detection of mammographic masses is presented. As part of this method, an enhancement algorithm that improves image contrast based on local statistical measures of the mammograms is proposed. After enhancement, regions are segmented via thresholding at multiple levels, and a set of features is computed from each of the segmented regions. A region-ranking system is also presented that identifies the regions most likely to represent abnormalities based on the features computed. The method was tested on 57 mammographic images of masses from the Mini-MIAS database, and achieved a sensitivity of 80% at 2.3 false-positives per image (average of 0.32 false-positives per image).

Improved dynamic-programming-based algorithms for segmentation of masses in mammograms.

In this paper, two new boundary tracing algorithms for segmentation of breast masses are presented. These new algorithms are based on the dynamic programming-based boundary tracing (DPBT) algorithm proposed in Timp and Karssemeijer, [S. Timp and N. Karssemeijer, Med. Phys. 31, 958-971 (2004)] The DPBT algorithm contains two main steps: (1) construction of a local cost function, and (2) application of dynamic programming to the selection of the optimal boundary based on the local cost function. The validity of some assumptions used in the design of the DPBT algorithm is tested in this paper using a set of 349 mammographic images. Based on the results of the tests, modifications to the computation of the local cost function have been designed and have resulted in the Improved-DPBT (IDPBT) algorithm. A procedure for the dynamic selection of the strength of the components of the local cost function is presented that makes these parameters independent of the image dataset. Incorporation of this dynamic selection procedure has produced another new algorithm which we have called ID2PBT. Methods for the determination of some other parameters of the DPBT algorithm that were not covered in the original paper are presented as well. The merits of the new IDPBT and ID2PBT algorithms are demonstrated experimentally by comparison against the DPBT algorithm. The segmentation results are evaluated with base on the area overlap measure and other segmentation metrics. Both of the new algorithms outperform the original DPBT; the improvements in the algorithms performance are more noticeable around the values of the segmentation metrics corresponding to the highest segmentation accuracy, i.e., the new algorithms produce more optimally segmented regions, rather than a pronounced increase in the average quality of all the segmented regions.

Analisis de las principales deficiencias en la enseñanza coordinada de Medicina y Farmacologia / Anaylis of main deficiencies in coordinale teachib of Internal Medicine and Pharmacology

Se investigan los resultados obtenidos durante el curso 1988-1989 en la enseñanza coordinada clínico-farmacológica mediante el pase de visita docente y la posibilidad de incorporar a esta experiencia otras asignaturas del área básica . Se aplicó el método de encuesta a 150 estudiantes de tercer año de Medicina. Se analizaron diversos aspectos relacionados con la utilidad de esta metodología, la calidad del pase de visita y los criterios sobre la participación en el mismo de bioquímicos y fisiólogos. La mayoría de los encuestados consideró valiosa la aplicación de esta práctica docente y no estimó necesaria la inclusión de especialistas de la precitada área

Analisis de las principales deficiencias en la enseñanza coordinada de Medicina y Farmacologia / Anaylis of main deficiencies in coordinale teachib of Internal Medicine and Pharmacology

Se investigan los resultados obtenidos durante el curso 1988-1989 en la enseñanza coordinada clínico-farmacológica mediante el pase de visita docente y la posibilidad de incorporar a esta experiencia otras asignaturas del área básica . Se aplicó el método de encuesta a 150 estudiantes de tercer año de Medicina. Se analizaron diversos aspectos relacionados con la utilidad de esta metodología, la calidad del pase de visita y los criterios sobre la participación en el mismo de bioquímicos y fisiólogos. La mayoría de los encuestados consideró valiosa la aplicación de esta práctica docente y no estimó necesaria la inclusión de especialistas de la precitada área