Josep-Eladi Baños

Neuropathic pain is enhanced in δ-opioid receptor knockout mice

We have evaluated the possible involvement of δ‐opioid receptor (DOR) in the development and expression of neuropathic pain. For this purpose, partial ligation of the sciatic nerve was performed in DOR knockout mice and wild‐type littermates. The development of mechanical and thermal allodynia, as well as thermal hyperalgesia was evaluated by using the von Frey filament model, the cold‐plate test and the plantar test, respectively. In wild‐type and DOR knockout mice, sciatic nerve injury led to a neuropathic pain syndrome revealed in these nociceptive behavioural tests. However, the development of mechanical and thermal allodynia, and thermal hyperalgesia was significantly enhanced in DOR knockout mice. These results reveal the involvement of DOR in the control of neuropathic pain and suggest a new potential therapeutic use of DOR agonists.

The effectiveness of the hybrid problem-based learning approach in the teaching of biology: a comparison with lecture-based learning

Although several studies have shown that the problem-based learning (PBL) method promotes relevant professional skills as well as critical thinking and lifelong learning, some teachers remain sceptical regarding whether PBL is also adequate in acquiring the factual knowledge that students need. In this article, we describe an experience in which PBL has been introduced as an interdisciplinary activity in the teaching of students in the bachelor degree of biology, with special attention on the analysis of contextualised complex problems. This experience was a part of a traditional curriculum and roughly 20% of the entire learning time was devoted to it. We named this teaching approach hybrid problem-based learning (H-PBL) curriculum, in contrast to the lecture-based learning (LBL) traditional curriculum. The study reported here aims to answer a fundamental question: are there differences between both models in the students’ factual knowledge acquisition? The results of this study have failed to show significant differences in factual knowledge acquisition between both groups of students. We conclude that the use of an interdisciplinary H-PBL approach has no deleterious effect on the recall of factual knowledge, while it may permit the simultaneous development of other professional skills, which could be more difficult to attain in traditional curricula based mainly on the lecture-based method.

Efecto nocebo: la otra cara del placebo

Administration of drugs is often followed by beneficial (placebo effects) and harmful (nocebo effects) effects that are not always related to their mechanism of action. Nocebo effects are rather unknown even when may be the source of many adverse reactions which could be erroneously attributed to drug therapy. Some mechanisms have been postulated which might be associated with the development of nocebo effects. Expectancy, learning and classical conditioning are probably important in the psychological domain. The neuropharmacological substrate is much less known yet an opioid peptide-cholecystokinin interaction has been suggested. At the clinical setting, a nocebo effect should be suspected in those patients who present common unspecific symptoms after drug administration and have a tendency to somatize. An early detection of these patients may contribute to the prevention of the nocebo effect.

Contacto precoz con la realidad asistencial: una experiencia piloto en medicina

Tradicionalmente, el primer contacto de los estudiantes de medicina con los pacientes aparece en el tercer curso de sus estudios, cuando han adquirido una formacion suficiente en las disciplinas basicas y entran en el periodo clinico de su formacion, que incluye la fisiopatologia y la semiologia de las distintas enfermedades por aparatos y sistemas. Esta division entre el ciclo preclinico y clinico ha sido la norma durante la mayor parte del siglo xx [1]. No obstante, desde la publicacion del informe del GeContacto precoz con la realidad asistencial: una experiencia piloto en medicina

Los itinerarios profesionales en Biología: un ejemplo de formación académica orientada a la inserción profesional

Correspondencia: Josep-E. Banos Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud y de la Vida Universitat Pompeu Fabra Dr. Aiguader 80 08003-Barcelona tel. 93 542 29 50 e-mail: jbanos@imim.es * La experiencia descrita en este articulo fue premiada con la distincion Jaume Vicens Vives a proyectos colectivos de calidad docente universitaria en su convocatoria de 2005. Estos galardones son concedidos por el gobierno de la Generalitat de Catalunya a propuesta del Departament d’Universitats, Recerca i Societat de la Informacio (DURSI). Uno de los retos de la Universidad es formar los profesionales necesarios para la sociedad en que esta inserta. Este ajuste no es facil de obtener debido a la rigidez de los planes de estudios oficiales y a las cambiantes necesidades sociales. Sin embargo, el proximo Espacio Europeo de Educacion Superior tiene este empeno como uno de sus principales objetivos. En el presente articulo se presenta la experiencia de los itinerarios profesionales de la licenciatura en Biologia de la Universitat Pompeu Fabra durante dos cursos academicos. Situados en el quinto curso del plan de estudios, permiten a los estudiantes una formacion especifica en uno de los ambitos profesionales en los que pueden insertarse laboralmente. La experiencia muestra que, tras un periodo de uno o dos anos de su graduacion, el 83% de los egresados se encuentran realizando un trabajo remunerado, en la mayoria de los casos relacionado con la biologia, mientras que un 9% realizan otros estudios (no doctorado). Solo el 3% de los graduados estan buscando trabajo de forma activa. En conclusion, los itinerarios profesionales pueden constituir una estrategia educativa adecuada para permitir que los licenciados en Biologia se inserten con exito en ocupaciones laborales acordes con su formacion.