Exploration on writing features and learning strategies of English biomedical research papers / 中华医学教育探索杂志

Writing and publishing biomedical research papers in English for academic purposes (EAP) has become an essential requirement for medical postgraduates in China. To face this challenge, medical postgraduates need adapt themselves to the local environment of English as a second language and the transformation from writing for examinations to writing for application. This change determines the features of biomedical research papers, including being application-oriented, using clear and concise language, organizing the discourse by specific genre rules, and assessing the quality according to the completion of communicative purposes. Based on these features, students can exploit the learning strategies of choosing a word suited for the style, structuring a sentence according to the logic, creating a paragraph of continuity and one main idea, and composing the discourse in line with the genre. These strategies may help medical postgraduates effectively improve their ability to write biomedical research papers in English.

Construction of a digital course of biomedical research papers writing in English / 中华医学教育探索杂志

After in-depth needs analysis, we combined our previously written textbook with digitalized platform by information technology, and proposed construction principles guided by English for academic purposes (EAP) theories. Through scientific design and ongoing modification, we finally developed an open online digital course with academic and practical properties. The course received positive feedback after release online. It may become an effective way to improve research paper writing skills for medical postgraduates and provide references for medical colleges to develop other EAP digital courses.

Reduction and Functional Exhaustion of T Cells in Patients with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

BACKGROUNDThe outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has posed great threat to human health, which has been declared a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) by the WHO. T cells play a critical role in antiviral immunity but their numbers and functional state in COVID-19 patients remain largely unclear. METHODSWe retrospectively reviewed the counts of total T cells, CD4+, CD8+ T cell subsets, and serum cytokine concentration from inpatient data of 522 patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19, admitted into two hospitals in Wuhan from December 2019 to January 2020, and 40 healthy controls, who came to the hospitals for routine physical examination. In addition, the expression of T cell exhaustion markers PD-1 and Tim-3 were measured by flow cytometry in the peripheral blood of 14 COVID-19 cases. RESULTSThe number of total T cells, CD4+ and CD8+ T cells were dramatically reduced in COVID-19 patients, especially among elderly patients ([>=]60 years of age) and in patients requiring Intensive Care Unit (ICU) care. Counts of total T cells, CD8+T cells or CD4+T cells lower than 800/L, 300/L, or 400/L, respectively, are negatively correlated with patient survival. Statistical analysis demonstrated that T cell numbers are negatively correlated to serum IL-6, IL-10 and TNF- concentration, with patients in decline period showing reduced IL-6, IL-10 and TNF- concentrations and restored T cell counts. Finally, T cells from COVID-19 patients have significantly higher levels of the exhausted marker PD-1 as compared to health controls. Moreover, increasing PD-1 and Tim-3 expression on T cells could be seen as patients progressed from prodromal to overtly symptomatic stages, further indicative of T cell exhaustion. CONCLUSIONST cell counts are reduced significantly in COVID-19 patients, and the surviving T cells appear functionally exhausted. Non-ICU patients, with total T cells, CD8+T cells CD4+T cells counts lower than 800/L, 300/L, and 400/L, respectively, may still require aggressive intervention even in the immediate absence of more severe symptoms due to a high risk for further deterioration in condition.

Exploration on writing features and learning strategies of English biomedical research papers / 中华医学教育探索杂志

Writing and publishing biomedical research papers in English for academic purposes (EAP) has become an essential requirement for medical postgraduates in China. To face this challenge, medical postgraduates need adapt themselves to the local environment of English as a second language and the transformation from writing for examinations to writing for application. This change determines the features of biomedical research papers, including being application-oriented, using clear and concise language, organizing the discourse by specific genre rules, and assessing the quality according to the completion of communicative purposes. Based on these features, students can exploit the learning strategies of choosing a word suited for the style, structuring a sentence according to the logic, creating a paragraph of continuity and one main idea, and composing the discourse in line with the genre. These strategies may help medical postgraduates effectively improve their ability to write biomedical research papers in English.

Research on the compilation of academic English writing textbooks for postgraduate in medical colleges / 中华医学教育探索杂志

With globalization of biomedicine,Chinese postgraduates in medical colleges are facing increasing challenges.Writing and publishing research papers in English have become an essential requirement for their graduation and career development,but for non-native English speakers,having a good command of English for academic purposes (EAP) is of special difficulty.In China,lack of self-written textbooks is a bottleneck that restricts the teaching of EAP.Therefore,guided by EAP theories,this study carries out in-depth demand analysis for graduate students in medical colleges and universities,and designs a textbook framework with genre analysis theory.Based on self-established corpus finally completed an EAP writing textbook for postgraduates of biomedicine.This textbook and the writing and research process can provide implications for construction of EAP textbooks in other principles,thus promoting the all-round development of postgraduate education in China.

Flipped classroom for English biomedical research paper writing based on collaborative teaching / 中华医学教育探索杂志

English biomedical research paper writing is a key skill for biomedical postgraduates as it directly determines the publicity of their research findings and their international academic influence. It belongs to the field of ESP (English for Specific Purposes), and has the characteristics of diversified students, specialized and complicated teaching content, and a curriculum with time and space constraints. Based on the characteristics, needs analysis of this course as well as years of discipline construction and teaching research, the flipped classroom for English biomedical research paper writing based on collaborative teaching is put forward, which has combined the advantages of both collaborative teaching and flipped classroom: it integrates the knowledge expertise of biomedical teachers and English teachers to meet the requirements for ESP teachers; in the meantime, it has broken the time and space constraints of traditional classroom through "after-class knowledge input and in-class knowledge extension and deepening", blazing new trails for course delivery.

The application of formative assessment in conducting the course of medical English fundamental reading / 中华医学教育探索杂志

The course of medical English fundamental reading carefully chooses reading materials from original English medical textbooks as the course materials, aiming at imparting the skills for reading biomedical English literature, and meeting the reading needs of medical undergraduates. In conducting this course, formative assessment is adopted, the frame of which is the theoretical model developed by Professor Wen Qiufang. There are three key phases in this model: setting up goals, eliciting learning evidence, and providing feedback. Three ways are employed to assess the course (symposium records, reflective journals and quizzes), which confirms that this model of formative assessment has improved the effectiveness of the course.

Extracurricular activities for medical English course under the guidance of content-based instruction / 中华医学教育探索杂志

Medical English is an indispensible tool subject for medical students.However,the limited in-class teaching hours fail to provide adequate opportunities for students to participate in a diversity of subject-based tasks to practice medical English.Therefore,extracurricular activities serve as a complement to in-class teaching.Moreover,the features of extracurricular activities conform to those of Content-based instruction ( CBI),a teaching mode adopted in the teaching of ESP ( English for special purposes).The specific forms of extracurricular activities can be designed based on need analysis to cultivate the students' language competence in communicating biomedicine in Medical English.

Common mistakes in writing English medical papers and strategies to avoid them / 中华医学教育探索杂志

The language of English medical papers should be accurate, precise, clear and objective. Unfamiliar with these features and influenced by mother tongue, Chinese authors are prone to use unnecessary words, subjective expressions and long and confusing sentences, etc. To avoid those mistakes, they are suggested to practice a lot, keep a good reading habit and equip themselves with necessary searching skills, etc.