La gestión del conocimiento en la formación de los estudiantes de Medicina

¿Cómo formar con pertinencia y calidad al estudiante de Medicina en el contexto contemporáneo, de modo que posea las herramientas y competencias para aprender por sí y mejorar su desempeño profesional durante su vida? El objetivo de este artículo es valorar la significación de la gestión del conocimiento en la formación de los estudiantes de Medicina. Se exponen ideas básicas para propiciar el debate y la reflexión relacionados con las funciones sustantivas de la universidad, que, a su vez, son vistas como escenarios de formación. Se sistematiza un resultado parcial de carácter teórico de una investigación en curso acerca de la gestión del conocimiento en la formación de los estudiantes de la carrera Medicina Humana, de la Universidad Técnica de Manabí, en la República del Ecuador.

How to train medical students with relevance and quality in the contemporary context so that they have the tools and skills to learn for themselves and improve their professional performance throughout life? The aim of this article is to assess the significance of knowledge management in the training of contemporary medical students. Basic ideas are presented to encourage debate and reflection related to the substantive functions of the university which, in turn, are seen as training scenarios. Authors systematize a partial theoretical result of an ongoing investigation about knowledge management in the training of students of the Human Medicine studies at the Technical University of Manabí, Republic of Ecuador.

Mate Selection on Anastrepha curvicauda: Effect of Weight, Age, and Virginity.

Sexual selection determines the evolution of the species by favoring some attributes that confer a reproductive advantage to those individuals with those attributes. Tephritidae flies do not always select the same traits when looking for a mating partner. Some aspects of the mating system of Anastrepha curvicauda are known; nevertheless, there is no information on the effect of age, size, and virginity when selecting a mating partner. We set up a series of experiments where a selector (male or female) may select between (a) an old or young partner, (b) a small or large partner, and (c) a virgin or mated partner. Males of A. curvicauda significantly preferred large, young, and virgin females, while females showed no preference for high- or low-quality males. The females' non-preference for a particular male is discussed in the light of their mating system.

Formación de los estudiantes de Medicina Integral Comunitaria durante el enfrentamiento a la COVID-19

Se realizó un estudio observacional, descriptivo y transversal en colaboración entre profesionales cubanos y venezolanos involucrados en la dirección del proceso de formación de la carrera Medicina Integral Comunitaria en la Universidad de Ciencias de la Salud Hugo Rafael Chávez, con el propósito de valorar el impacto de la actividad comunitaria en la formación de los estudiantes de Medicina Integral Comunitaria en el enfrentamiento a la COVID-19 en el Estado Falcón, en el período de febrero a septiembre de 2020. El universo lo representa 508 estudiantes de la carrera y la muestra estuvo conformada por 244 que se incorporaron en las actividades comunitaria en el enfrentamiento a la COVID-19. Se utilizó la observación participativa e informes diarios de actividad de pesquisa, la revisión documental, encuesta y técnicas de estadística descriptiva. Se emplearon medidas resúmenes como media, porcentaje que permitieron la búsqueda y procesamiento de la información. Los principales resultados fueron la transformación del personal pedagógico en los diferentes niveles de dirección y la organización del sistema de influencia en los estudiantes, la introducción de un nuevo estilo de trabajo en función de elevar la calidad del proceso docente educativo a partir de la educación a distancia, la integración de los estudiantes a las actividades comunitarias en la contingencia y su impacto en la formación integral de los futuros profesionales de la salud, así como la solución de los problemas de salud de las comunidades del territorio.

An observational, descriptive and cross-sectional study was carried out in collaboration between Cuban and Venezuelan professionals involved in the direction of the training process of the Comprehensive Community Medicine career at the Hugo Rafael Chávez University of Health Sciences, with the purpose of assessing the impact of the community activity in the comprehensive training of Comprehensive Community Medicine students in the confrontation with COVID-19 in Falcón State, from February to September 2020. The universe is represented by 508 students from the Comprehensive Community Medicine career and The sample consisted of 244 students who joined community activities in the fight against COVID-19. Participatory observation and daily reports of research activity, documentary review, survey and descriptive statistical techniques were used using summary measures such as average, percentage, which allowed the search remains and information processing, the main results obtained were the transformation of the pedagogical personnel at the different levels of management and the organization of the system of influence on the students, the introduction of a new style of work in order to raise the quality of the process educational teacher from distance education, the integration of students into community activities in the contingency and its impact on the comprehensive training of future health professionals and the solution of health problems in the communities of the territory.

Revisión sistemática con metaanálisis. Iodo povidona / Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis. Povidone Iodine

Introducción: La descontaminación preoperatoria de la piel es parte de la práctica quirúrgica estándar. La infección del sitio quirúrgico implica un gasto adicional a los sistemas de salud y un incremento en la morbilidad y mortalidad de los pacientes sometidos a cirugía. El iodo povidona es un desinfectante muy utilizado para eliminar la carga bacteriana cutánea. Objetivo: Constatar si el iodo povidona es mejor que otros desinfectantes cutáneos en la reducción de las infecciones del sitio quirúrgico. Métodos: Se realizó una búsqueda en Google Académico, PubMed y Embase utilizando los términos Mesh; iodo povidona, infección del sitio quirúrgico, cirugía, antisépticos locales, unidos por el operador booleano AND y los filtros Adultos, desde 2015, y ensayos clínicos controlados. Se aplicó la escala de Jadad para riesgo de sesgos y el Consort 2010 y la lista de chequeo PRISMA para determinar la calidad del estudio. El riesgo relativo fue la medida de efecto para un IC95 y un error de 0,05. Se incluyeron 8 ensayos clínicos controlados, n= 4800 casos, con la distribución de eventos en los grupos experimental 140/2402 y control 141/2398, para una diferencia no significativa p=0,444. La heterogeneidad fue I2=62,57 por ciento. Conclusiones: No existieron diferencias entre el iodo povidona y el resto de los desinfectantes para disminuir el porcentaje de infecciones del sitio quirúrgico en este estudio(AU)

Introduction: Preoperative skin decontamination is part of standard surgical practice. Surgical site infection implies an additional cost to health systems and an increase in morbidity and mortality of patients undergoing surgery. Povidone iodine is a widely used disinfectant to eliminate the bacterial load on the skin. Objective: To verify if povidone iodine is better than other skin disinfectants in reducing surgical site infections. Methods: A search of articles and controlled clinical trials published since 2015 was carried out in Google Scholar, PubMed and Embase and using terms of the Mesh such as povidone iodine, surgical site infection, surgery, local antiseptics, joined by the Boolean operator AND in addition to Adult filters. The Jadad scale for risk of bias and Consort 2010 and PRISMA checklist were applied to determine the quality of the study. Relative risk was the measure of effect for CI95 and an error of 0.05. Eight controlled clinical trials were included, n= 4800 cases, with the distribution of events in the experimental groups 140/2402 and control 141/2398, for a non-significant difference p=0.444. Heterogeneity was I2=62.57 percent. Conclusions: There were no differences between povidone iodine and the rest of the disinfectants to reduce the percentage of surgical site infections in this study(AU)

Reproductive Apparatus, Gonadic Maturation, and Allometry of Cyclocephala barrerai Martínez (Coleoptera: Melolonthidae: Dynastinae).

The Order Coleoptera provides good examples of morphological specializations in the reproductive apparatus, gonadic maturation, and allometry differing between the sexes. The female and male reproductive apparatus has been modified to ensure reproduction between individuals of the same species. The genus Cyclocephala has more than 500 species distributed in America, and Cyclocephala barrerai Martínez is an economically important species in the central part of Mexico. The objective of this work was to study the reproductive system, gonadic maturation, and allometry of C. barrerai. We used light, scanning electron, and laser scanning confocal microscopy to describe the reproductive apparatus and gonadic maturation of females and males. The relationship between adult weight and different parts of the body was established by linear regression. Regardless, the reproductive apparatuses of C. barrerai are like those of other Melolonthidae: the genital chamber, the type II accessory glands, and the ventral plaques of the female and the ejaculator bulb and genital capsule of the males are specific to C. barrerai. The gonads are fully developed when 18 d old. The weight of adult C. barrerai has a positive linear relationship with distinct parts of its body, while the antennae of males are larger than those of the females.

Comparative Genomics and Pathogenicity Analysis of Two Bacterial Symbionts of Entomopathogenic Nematodes: The Role of the GroEL Protein in Virulence.

Bacteria of the genera Xenorhabdus and Photorhabdus are symbionts of entomopathogenic nematodes. Despite their close phylogenetic relationship, they show differences in their pathogenicity and virulence mechanisms in target insects. These differences were explored by the analysis of the pangenome, as it provides a framework for characterizing and defining the gene repertoire. We performed the first pangenome analysis of 91 strains of Xenorhabdus and Photorhabdus; the analysis showed that the Photorhabdus genus has a higher number of genes associated with pathogenicity. However, biological tests showed that whole cells of X. nematophila SC 0516 were more virulent than those of P. luminescens HIM3 when both were injected into G. mellonella larvae. In addition, we cloned and expressed the GroEL proteins of both bacteria, as this protein has been previously indicated to show insecticidal activity in the genus Xenorhabdus. Among these proteins, Cpn60-Xn was found to be the most toxic at all concentrations tested, with an LC50 value of 102.34 ng/larva. Sequence analysis suggested that the Cpn60-Xn toxin was homologous to Cpn60-Pl; however, Cpn60-Xn contained thirty-five differentially substituted amino acid residues that could be responsible for its insecticidal activity.

Esfinterotomía lateral interna vs. toxina botulínica como tratamiento de la fisura anal / Lateral Internal Sphincterotomy versus Botulinum Toxin as Treatment of Anal Fissure

Introducción: La fisura anal crónica es una entidad frecuente que produce molestias durante y después de la defecación, su fisiopatología no es clara y su manejo es variado. La esfinterotomia lateral interna es una de las técnicas más utilizadas, aunque su elevado porcentaje de incontinencia no es aceptado y la inyección de toxina botulínica es una alternativa tentadora. Objetivo: Comparar los resultados de la inyección de toxina botulínica tipo A con la esfinterotomia lateral interna para tratamiento de la fisura anal en cuanto a dolor postoperatorio, recurrencia, curabilidad e incontinencia. Métodos: Se realizó un estudio tipo cohorte. A un grupo de 40 pacientes se trató con inyección de 50 UI de Toxina Botulínica tipo A y el otro grupo de 42 pacientes se le realizó esfinterotomia lateral interna. Los resultados se comparan estadísticamente para CI95 y error de 0,05. Resultados: La esfinterotomia vs toxina botulínica, resultó en cuanto a curabilidad en un 85,4 por ciento de los casos contra un 77,5 por ciento. Las recidivas se presentaron en 4,8 por ciento / 12,5 por ciento, la incontinencia ocurrió en 9,5 por ciento / 2,5 por ciento y el dolor posoperatorio estuvo presente en el 14,8 por ciento / 5,0 por ciento. Conclusiones: La esfinterotomia resultó mejor en cuanto a curabilidad y recidivas, mientras la aplicación de la toxina botulínica presentó mejores resultados en la incontinencia fecal y el dolor posoperatorio(AU)

Introduction: Chronic anal fissure is a frequent entity that produces discomfort during and after defecation. Its pathophysiology is not clear and its management is varied. Lateral internal sphincterotomy is one of the most used techniques, although its high percentage of incontinence is not accepted; botulinum toxin injection is therefore a tempting alternative. Objective: To compare the results of botulinum toxin type A injection or lateral internal sphincterotomy for treatment of anal fissure in terms of postoperative pain, recurrence, healing and incontinence. Methods: A cohort study was carried out. One group of 40 patients were treated with injection of 50 IU of botulinum toxin type A and another group of 42 patients underwent lateral internal sphincterotomy. The results were statistically compared with a confidence interval of 95 percent and error of 0.05. Results: Sphincterotomy and botulinum toxin were effective in terms of healing in 85.4 percent and 77.5 percent of cases, respectively. Recurrences occurred in 4.8 percent and 12.5 percent of cases, respectively. Incontinence occurred in 9.5 percent and 2.5 percent of cases, respectively. Postoperative pain was present in 14.8 percent and 5.0 percent of cases, respectively. Conclusions: Sphincterotomy was better in terms of healing and recurrence, while botulinum toxin application showed better results regarding fecal incontinence and postoperative pain(AU)

On the Security of Bluetooth Low Energy in Two Consumer Wearable Heart Rate Monitors/Sensing Devices.

Since its inception in 2013, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) has become the standard for short-distance wireless communication in many consumer devices, as well as special-purpose devices. In this study, we analyze the security features available in Bluetooth LE standards and evaluate the features implemented in two BLE wearable devices (a Fitbit heart rate wristband and a Polar heart rate chest wearable) and a BLE keyboard to explore which security features in the BLE standards are implemented in the devices. In this study, we used the ComProbe Bluetooth Protocol Analyzer, along with the ComProbe software to capture the BLE traffic of these three devices. We found that even though the standards provide security mechanisms, because the Bluetooth Special Interest Group does not require that manufacturers fully comply with the standards, some manufacturers fail to implement proper security mechanisms. The circumvention of security in Bluetooth devices could leak private data that could be exploited by rogue actors/hackers, thus creating security, privacy, and, possibly, safety issues for consumers and the public. We propose the design of a Bluetooth Security Facts Label (BSFL) to be included on a Bluetooth/BLE enabled device's commercial packaging and conclude that there should be better mechanisms for informing users about the security and privacy provisions of the devices they acquire and use and to educate the public on protection of their privacy when buying a connected device.

Caracterización de los estilos de aprendizaje en los estudiantes de la carrera de Medicina Integral Comunitaria del estado Falcón, Venezuela

RESUMEN El presente estudio tiene un carácter descriptivo explicativo causal y es el resultado de la colaboración entre profesionales cubanos y venezolanos involucrados en la dirección del proceso de formación de la carrera Medicina Integral Comunitaria en la Universidad de Ciencias de la Salud Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías, del estado de Falcón. Dirigido a caracterizar los estilos de aprendizaje de los estudiantes de primer año, teniendo en cuenta el modo en que en ello repercuten la edad y el sexo. Se desarrolló durante el curso 2020. La muestra seleccionada estuvo constituida por 126 estudiantes de una población de 244. El instrumento diagnóstico utilizado fue el cuestionario del modelo de Kolb. Aunque existe diversidad de estilos de aprendizajes, se evidenció el predominio del estilo reflexivo en ambos sexos; sin embargo, en el caso del sexo masculino también predomina el pragmático junto al reflexivo.

ABSTRACT The present study has a causal explanatory descriptive character and is the result of the collaboration between Cuban and Venezuelan professionals involved in the direction of the training process of the Comprehensive Community Medicine career at the University of Health Sciences Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías, of the state of Falcón. Aimed at characterizing the learning styles of first-year students, taking into account the way in which age and gender affect the learning styles. The study was developed during the 2020 academic year. The selected sample consisted of 126 students from a population of 244. The diagnostic instrument used was the Kolb model questionnaire. Although there is a diversity of learning styles, the predominance of the reflective style was evidenced in both sexes; however, in the case of the male sex, the pragmatic style also predominates along with the reflective one.

Recent Advances in Wearable Sensing Technologies.

Wearable sensing technologies are having a worldwide impact on the creation of novel business opportunities and application services that are benefiting the common citizen. By using these technologies, people have transformed the way they live, interact with each other and their surroundings, their daily routines, and how they monitor their health conditions. We review recent advances in the area of wearable sensing technologies, focusing on aspects such as sensor technologies, communication infrastructures, service infrastructures, security, and privacy. We also review the use of consumer wearables during the coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), and we discuss open challenges that must be addressed to further improve the efficacy of wearable sensing systems in the future.

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Derived Biomarkers for Evaluating Cardiometabolic Risk in Youth and Young Adults Across the Spectrum of Glucose Tolerance.

Youth with obesity have an increased risk for cardiometabolic disease, but identifying those at highest risk remains a challenge. Four biomarkers that might serve this purpose are "by products" of clinical NMR LipoProfile® lipid testing: LPIR (Lipoprotein Insulin Resistance Index), GlycA (inflammation marker), BCAA (total branched-chain amino acids), and glycine. All are strongly related to insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes (T2DM) in adults (glycine inversely) and are independent of biological and methodological variations in insulin assays. However, their clinical utility in youth is unclear. We compared fasting levels of these biomarkers in 186 youth (42 lean normal glucose tolerant (NGT), 88 obese NGT, 23 with prediabetes (PreDM), and 33 with T2DM. All four biomarkers were associated with obesity and glycemia in youth. LPIR and GlycA were highest in youth with PreDM and T2DM, whereas glycine was lowest in youth with T2DM. While all four were correlated with HOMA-IR (Homeostatic Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance), LPIR had the strongest correlation (LPIR: r = 0.6; GlycA: r = 0.4, glycine: r = -0.4, BCAA: r = 0.2, all P < 0.01). All four markers correlated with HbA1c (LPIR, GlycA, BCAA: r ≥ 0.3 and glycine: r = -0.3, all P < 0.001). In multi-variable regression models, LPIR, GlycA, and glycine were independently associated with HOMA-IR (Adjusted R2 = 0.473, P < 0.001) and LPIR, glycine, and BCAA were independently associated with HbA1c (Adjusted R2 = 0.33, P < 0.001). An LPIR index of >44 was associated with elevated blood pressure, BMI, and dyslipidemia. Plasma NMR-derived markers were related to adverse markers of cardiometabolic risk in youth. LPIR, either alone or in combination with GlycA, should be explored as a non-insulin dependent predictive tool for development of insulin resistance and diabetes in youth. Clinical Trial Registration: Clinicaltrials.gov, identifier NCT:02960659.

Effectiveness of Push-Pull Systems to Fall Armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) Management in Maize Crops in Morelos, Mexico.

Chemical control is the main method used to combat fall armyworm in maize crops. However, its indiscriminate use usually leads to a more complex scenario characterized by loss of its effectiveness due to the development of resistance of the insect pest, emergence of secondary pests, and reduction of the populations of natural enemies. For this reason, efforts to develop strategies for agroecological pest management such as Push-Pull are increasingly growing. In this context, the present study was carried out to evaluate field effectiveness of Push-Pull systems for S. frugiperda management in maize crops in Morelos, Mexico. In a randomized block experiment, the incidence and severity of S. frugiperda, the development and yield of maize were evaluated in nine Push-Pull systems and a maize monoculture. The Push-Pull systems presented incidence/severity values lower than those of the monoculture. Morphological development and maize yield in the latter were lower than those of most Push-Pull systems. Mombasa-D. ambrosioides, Mulato II-T. erecta, Mulato II-C. juncea, Tanzania-T. erecta and Tanzania-D. ambrosioides systems presented higher yields than those of monocultures.

Superconformal Bondi-Metzner-Sachs Algebra in Three Dimensions.

The conformal extension of the BMS_{3} algebra is constructed. Apart from an infinite number of "superdilatations," in order to incorporate superspecial conformal transformations, the commutator of the latter with supertranslations strictly requires the presence of nonlinear terms in the remaining generators. The algebra appears to be very rigid, in the sense that its central extensions as well as the coefficients of the nonlinear terms become determined by the central charge of the Virasoro subalgebra. The wedge algebra corresponds to the conformal group in three spacetime dimensions SO(3,2), so that the full algebra can also be interpreted as an infinite-dimensional nonlinear extension of the AdS_{4} algebra with nontrivial central charges. Moreover, since the Lorentz subalgebra [sl(2,R)] is nonprincipally embedded within the conformal (wedge) algebra, according to the conformal weight of the generators, the conformal extension of BMS_{3} can be further regarded as a W_{(2,2,2,1)} algebra. An explicit canonical realization of the conformal extension of BMS_{3} is then shown to emerge from the asymptotic structure of conformal gravity in three dimensions, endowed with a new set of boundary conditions. The supersymmetric extension is also briefly addressed.

The influence of male dominance in female Anastrepha curvicauda mate selection.

Males of the papaya fruit fly, Anastrepha curvicauda Gerstaecker (former Toxotrypana curvicauda), defend a papaya fruit from rivals and males release their sex pheromone to attract and mate with females and offer them an oviposition site. While some aspects of the biology of A. curvicauda are known, such as its reproductive biology, its sex pheromone, and host selection, there is currently no information on the species mate selection process. This paper describes the precopulatory mating behavior of A. curvicauda and elucidates how intrasexual selection affects the mate selection process. We studied the precopulatory mating behavior of dominant and subordinate males and ethograms were devised. The effect of hierarchy was studied in non-choice and choice experiments. Male's repertoire includes 15 behavioral elements, 12 precopulatory, one mating, and two postcopulatory (tandem and encounter). In non-choice experiments, dominant and subordinate males were accepted by females, but when females had the opportunity to choose among males, dominant males were significantly preferred over subordinate ones. The presence of a rival male modified the courting behavior of males and agonistic behavior among males was observed before and during mating.

Metformin treatment and gastrointestinal symptoms in youth: Findings from a large tertiary care referral center.

OBJECTIVES: Metformin is the only oral therapy for youth with type 2 diabetes, but up to 50% require additional agents within 2 years of diagnosis. Extended-release (XR) metformin formulations may improve adherence and tolerability-important mediators of treatment response-but data in youth is lacking. To evaluate rates of gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms in patients treated with metformin (SR and XR) and the change in GI symptoms after changes in metformin therapy. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Retrospective chart review of youth with Type 2 or prediabetes seen in a multidisciplinary clinic during 2016-2019. RESULTS: Of 488 eligible patients, 41.4% and 21.1% were taking metformin SR and XR respectively, with most (58%, n = 178/305) taking a total daily dose of ≥1500 mg/day. Those not on metformin tended to be younger, leaner, and had lower HbA1cs than those taking metformin, p < 0.05. Thirty percentage of patients described GI symptoms, most commonly, abdominal pain and diarrhea. There was no difference in GI symptoms in those on SR versus XR (18.3% vs. 14.6%, p = 0.41). Among patients who initiated metformin, rates of GI symptoms increased (13%-33%, p = 0.001, n = 99), while rates tended to decrease when metformin was discontinued (28%-12%, p = 0.076, n = 50). Rates of GI symptoms were unchanged among those that switched from SR to XR metformin (17% vs. 14%, p = 0.6, n = 58). CONCLUSIONS: GI symptoms are common in youth with type 2 diabetes taking metformin XR and SR. Adjuncts to mitigate GI symptoms in youth on metformin therapy are needed to improve quality of life and medication adherence.

Plant Selection for the Establishment of Push-Pull Strategies for Zea mays-Spodoptera frugiperda Pathosystem in Morelos, Mexico.

Regulations imposed on the use of chemical insecticides call for the development of environmental-friendly pest management strategies. One of the most effective strategies is the push-pull system, which takes advantage of the behavioral response of the insect to the integration of repellent stimuli; it expels the pest out of the main crop (push), while attracting stimuli (attractants) pull the pest to an alternative crop or trap (pull). The objective of this study was to design a push-pull system to control Spodoptera frugiperda in maize crops (Zea mays) in Morelos, Mexico. Data on reproductive potential, larvae development, food consumption and olfactometry were used to obtain a Trap Plant Selection Index (TRAPS) based on Principal Component Analysis. This TRAPS was used to select the most suitable plants. The degree of repellency of potential plants to be used as the trap crop was studied with four-way olfactometers. S. frugiperda females oviposited more eggs on Brachiaria hybrid cv. Mulato II, Panicum maximum cv. Mombasa and Panicum maximum cv. Tanzania than on Z. mays, regardless of the fact that these plants delayed the development of their offspring. Dysphania ambrosioides, Tagetes erecta and Crotalaria juncea were less attractive to S. frugiperda females. Therefore, the former plants could be used as crop traps, and the latter as intercropped repellent plants in a push-pull system.

Mazes to Study the Effects of Spatial Complexity, Predation and Population Density on Mate Finding.

The difficulty to locate mates and overcome predation can hamper species establishment and population maintenance. The effects of sparseness between individuals or the effect of predators on the probability of population growth can be difficult to measure experimentally. For testing hypotheses about population density and predation, we contend that habitat complexity can be simulated using insect mazes of varying mathematical difficulty. To demonstrate the concept, we investigated whether the use of 3D printed mazes of varying complexity could be used to increase spatial separation between sexes of Drosophila simulans, and whether the presence of a generalist predator hampered mate-finding. We then examined how increasing D. simulans population density might overcome the artificially created effects of increasing the distance between mates and having a predator present. As expected, there was an increase in time taken to find a mate and a lower incidence of mating as habitat complexity increased. Increasing the density of flies reduced the searching time and increased mating success, and overcame the effect of the predator in the maze. Printable 3D mazes offer the opportunity to quickly assess the effects of spatial separation on insect population growth in the laboratory, without the need for large enclosed spaces. Mazes could be scaled up for larger insects and can be used for other applications such as learning.