ABSTRACT
SUMMARY: Academic performance has been defined as the achievement of goals, results or objectives established in the subject program that the student is taking and it is important to study the factors that can predict it. The objective of this study is to establish the correlation between performance in weekly quizzes with performance in global tests and the final exam of first year Odontology students at the Universidad de los Andes. We measured 737 observations corresponding to the average of weekly morphology quizzes with the average of the semestral morphology global tests and the final exam, taken by 370 students admitted in first year of Odontology at the Universidad de los Andes between the years 2011 to 2014 included. The data was analyzed with Student's T test and Pearson's correlation. Continuous variables were described with measures of central tendency and dispersion. There is a significant positive correlation (p value <0.001), between the average of the morphology weekly control grades and the averages of global test grades of 0.736; between the average of the weekly control grades and the final exam grade of 0.577 and between the average of global test grades and the exam grades of 0.763. According to our observations, the results of the weekly control grades correlate positively with the results of the global tests and the final exam, so it could be considered as one of the measurable predictors of academic performance.
RESUMEN: El rendimiento académico ha sido definido como el cumplimiento de las metas, logros u objetivos establecidos en el programa o asignatura que está cursando un alumno y resulta importante estudiar aquellos factores que lo puedan predecir. El objetivo de este estudio fue establecer la correlación entre el rendimiento en controles semanales con el rendimiento de las pruebas globales y del examen final en alumnos de primer año de Odontología de la Universidad de los Andes. Se midieron 737 observaciones correspondiente a los valores de los promedios de controles semanales de morfología con el promedio de las pruebas globales semestrales de morfología y el examen final del semestre, rendidas por 370 estudiantes admitidos en el primer año de la carrera de odontología en la Universidad de los Andes entre los años 2011 al 2014 incluidos. Se analizaron los datos con test T student y Correlación de Pearson. Las variables continuas se describieron con medidas de tendencia central y dispersión. Existe una correlación positiva con un nivel de significancia de (p value < 0,001) de los promedios de los controles de morfología con los promedios de las pruebas globales de 0,736; el promedio de los controles con el examen final de 0,577 y el promedio de pruebas globales con el examen de 0,763. De acuerdo con nuestras observaciones el resultado de los controles semanales se correlaciona positivamente con el resultado de las pruebas globales y el examen final, lo cual podría considerarse como uno de los factores predictores medibles del rendimiento académico.
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Female , Students, Dental , Educational Measurement/methods , Academic Performance , Anatomy/education , Achievement , Time Factors , Prospective Studies , Longitudinal StudiesABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Tissue engineering using mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) is a recent therapeutic modality that has several advantages. MSCs have high proliferation potential and may be manipulated to permit differentiation before being transplanted, suggesting they may be an ideal candidate for regenerative procedures. Precise identification of cells capable of regenerating the periodontium is valuable because no predictable regeneration procedure has yet been described. The purpose of this study is to determine the presence of MSCs in human gingival connective tissue and their morphologic and functional characteristics. METHODS: Gingival connective tissue samples were obtained from five healthy students. The samples were deepithelialized, leaving only connective tissue. The explants were minced and cultured on tissue culture dishes for 3 to 4 weeks, after which cells were characterized by flow cytometry. Differentiation into osteogenic, chondrogenic, and adipogenic lineages was induced and evaluated by culture staining. An immunoregulation assay was also performed. RESULTS: The results show that gingival tissue cells fulfill the minimal criteria proposed by the International Society for Cellular Therapy to be defined as MSCs. Cell characterization was consistently positive for CD90, CD105, CD73, CD44, and CD13 markers and negative for hematopoietic markers CD34, CD38, CD45, and CD54. We observed differentiation in positive staining of adipogenic, chondrogenic, and osteogenic lineages. Furthermore, gingival cells showed immunomodulative capacity. CONCLUSION: Gingival connective tissue could be a reservoir of MSCs that could be used in regenerative procedures based on tissue engineering.
