Assessing the reaction to and efficacy of the Screener drug discovery and development board game as a pedagogical tool in postgraduate courses

Screener, a board game supplemented with online resources, was introduced and distributed by the Brazilian Society of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics to postgraduate programs as an instructional tool for the process of drug discovery and development (DDD). In this study, we provided a comprehensive analysis of five critical aspects for evaluating the quality of educational games, namely: 1) description of the intervention; 2) underlying pedagogical theory; 3) identification of local educational gaps; 4) impact on diverse stakeholders; and 5) elucidation of iterative quality enhancement processes. We also present qualitative and quantitative assessments of the effectiveness of this game in 11 postgraduate courses. We employed the MEEGA+ online survey, comprising thirty-three close-ended unipolar items with 5-point Likert-type response scales, to assess student perceptions of the quality and utility of Screener. Based on 115 responses, the results indicated a highly positive outlook among students. In addition, we performed a preliminary evaluation of learning outcomes in two courses involving 28 students. Pre- and post-quizzes were applied, each consisting of 20 True/False questions directly aligned with the game's content. The analysis revealed significant improvement in students' performance following engagement with the game, with scores rising from 8.4 to 13.3 (P<0.0001, paired t-test) and 9.7 to 12.7 (P<0.0001, paired t-test). These findings underscore the utility of Screener as an enjoyable and effective tool for facilitating a positive learning experience in the DDD process. Notably, the game can also reduce the educational disparities across different regions of our continental country.

Could paraprobiotics be a safer alternative to probiotics for managing cancer chemotherapy-induced gastrointestinal toxicities?

Clinical oncology has shown outstanding progress improving patient survival due to the incorporation of new drugs. However, treatment success may be reduced by the emergency of dose-limiting side effects, such as intestinal mucositis and diarrhea. Mucositis and diarrhea management is symptomatic, and there is no preventive therapy. Bacterial and fungal-based compounds have been suggested as an alternative for preventing the development of diarrhea in cancer patients. Using probiotics is safe and effective in immunocompetent individuals, but concerns remain during immunosuppressive conditions. Paraprobiotics, formulations composed of non-viable microorganisms, have been proposed to overcome such limitation. The present literature review discusses current evidence regarding the possible use of paraprobiotics as an alternative to probiotics to prevent gastrointestinal toxicity of cancer chemotherapy.

Immune cellular profile of bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaw.

OBJECTIVES: Characterize the cell profile and immunostaining of proinflammatory markers in an experimental model of bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (BRONJ). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Male Wistar rats (n = 6-7) were treated chronically with saline solution or zoledronic acid (ZA) at 0.04, 0.20, and 1.00 mg kg(-1) (1.4 × 10(-7) , 6.9 × 10(-6) , and 3.4 × 10(-5)  mol kg(-1) ), and subsequently, the first left inferior molar was extracted. Were performed counting of viable and empty osteocyte lacunae, viable and apoptotic osteoclasts, polymorphonuclear neutrophil, mast cells (toluidine blue), and the positive presence cells for CD68, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), IL (interleukin)-1ß, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kB) and IL-18 binding protein (IL-18 bp). RESULTS: BRONJ was showed in ZA treated with 0.20 and 1.00 mg kg(-1) . There is a dose dependent increase in percentage of empty osteocyte lacunae (P < 0.001) and apoptotic osteoclasts (P < 0.001), counting of total osteoclasts (P = 0.003), polymorphonuclear neutrophil cells (P = 0.009), cytoplasmic-positive cells of CD68 (P < 0.001), TNF-α (P = 0.001), IL-1ß (P = 0.001), iNOS (P < 0.001), NF-kB (P = 0.006), and nuclear-positive cells of NF-kB (P = 0.011). Consequently, there is no difference in mast cells (P = 0.957), and IL-18 bp immunostaining decreases dose dependently (P = 0.005). CONCLUSIONS: BRONJ is characterized by increases in immunostaining for proinflammatory markers and NF-kB and inversely associated with cells exhibiting IL-18 bp.