From hagfish to humans: teaching comparative physiology to internal medicine residents.

With more clinical information for trainees to master in the face of increasing time pressures, discussions about underlying physiology and the mechanisms of disease seem to have been de-emphasized during residency training. This reduced focus on pathophysiology and basic science may weaken trainees' clinical effectiveness and reduce their interest in pursuing research careers.In response, the authors helped to develop in 2006 a one-week immersive comparative physiology course for second- and third-year internal medicine residents at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. The course, held at the Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory, includes four modules (hematology, vascular physiology, secretory physiology, and salt and water homeostasis), each composed of basic science experiments using aquatic species and accompanied by clinical correlation discussions and group presentations.From 2007 to 2010, 72 residents rotated through the course. Most reported that it enhanced their understanding of the mechanisms of disease in their patients. After the course, residents reported that physiology played a more prominent role in their teaching and clinical decision making during both ward and intensive care unit rotations. They also reported being more likely than before the course to read about the pathophysiology of disease when faced with a clinical problem.Although cost-intensive and geographically unique, this model for teaching the mechanisms of disease could be applied elsewhere with the help of physician-scientists and clinician-educators. In this article, the authors describe the development of the course, share preliminary data evaluating progress toward its goals, and discuss future directions and lessons learned.

Comparative physiology in China 1984-2007.

We briefly summarize the history of the rise of comparative physiology in China, the research work focused on by domestic and international counterparts in the field of comparative physiology of China, and international academic exchange and collaboration during this period. We also introduce some of the interesting model systems used in past and current research. This paper is based on documents in historical materials such as the proceedings of the 1st (August 1988) to 6th (October, 2007) Comparative Physiology Academic Session of the Chinese Association for Physiological Sciences, collected physiological works in commemoration academic papers of the 70th (1926-1999) and 80th anniversary of the Chinese Association for Physiological Sciences (1926-2006), CBP and the Physiology History of China, and the authors' own research experience.

Aprendizaje basado en la solución de problemas en fisiología circulatoria: el caso o problema como nexo de unión para la integración curricular / Problem-based learning in cardiovascular physiology. The case as a link for curriculum integration

Antecedentes. El aprendizaje basado en la solución de problemas (ABSP) como filosofía tiene una amplia difusión mientras que su utilización como un método más en el currículo convencional/tradicional se ha ensayado escasamente. Objetivos. Valorar por parte de los estudiantes: a) el ABSP como un método dentro de un currículo convencional/tradicional, y b) el problema/caso como instrumento integrador, concurrente y secuencial, del currículo. Método y estrategias. Se ha utilizado un cuestionario basado en el de Ghosh y Dawka9 para valorar por parte de los estudiantes los objetivos planteados en el contexto de la enseñanza de la fisiología cardiovascular. Resultados. Los alumnos valoran el ABSP combinado juiciosamente con las clases teóricas como "muy útil" (valoración más alta) en la enseñanza de la fisiología cardiovascular y consideran al problema como un instrumento de integración en un porcentaje significativo. Conclusión. El ABSP puede ser el método clave para motivar a los estudiantes y conseguir una mejora en la calidad de los nuevos diseños y desarrollos curriculares (AU)