Reports on experimental comparisons between the leopard frog, currently captured for laboratory use, and the African clawed frog, raised specifically for research. Except for the increased longevity of isolated nerve axons in the clawed frog, no other significant differences were established. Recommends laboratory use of clawed frogs as…

Bacterial antibiotic resistance remains a problem of clinical importance. Current microbiological methods for determining antibiotic resistance are based on culturing bacteria, and may require up to 48 hours to complete. Molecular methods are increasingly being developed to speed the identification of antibiotic resistance and to determine its…

Compares the academic performance of students exposed to either "wet" practical classes or "simulated" practicals. Assessed practical write-ups from pharmacology students using a simulation showed a mark significantly better than those doing the "wet" practical. Simulations can provide an aid to learning which is as effective as "wet" practicals,…

Objective: To describe our experience of learning clinical psychopharmacology during residency, in order to assist educators planning psychopharmacology curricula. Methods: We describe how psychopharmacology teaching was structured in our program, dividing our experience into two phases, early residency (PGY-I and PGY-II) and late residency…

Discussed are applications of biochemistry. Included are designed drugs, clever drugs, carcinogenic structures, sugary wine, caged chemicals, biomaterials, marine chemistry, biopolymers, prospecting bacteria, and plant chemistry. (CW)

A computer program that replaces a set of pharmacology and physiology laboratory experiments on live animals or isolated organs is described and illustrated. Five experiments are simulated: dose-effect relationships on smooth muscle, blood pressure and catecholamines, neuromuscular signal transmission, acetylcholine and the circulation, and…

A study analyzed documents developed through major studies, commissions, and research efforts in pharmacy education to determine the conceptual frameworks upon which health profession education programs are built. Researchers conducted a content analysis of each document by organizing the sentences, words, and phrases contained in separate units…

Attitudes of students, faculty, and recent graduates to a self-paced, self-instructional junior-level program using learning modules were significantly positive for all groups. Faculty stressed the need for continuing support, and older students and seniors were the most positively disposed group. (MSE)

The development and use of computer assisted learning (CAL) materials in the life sciences is well established and, in the UK at least, significant resources have been provided to enable this. Some years on from when the major investments took place teachers are facing the problem that the technologies used to develop and deliver the CAL programs…

Objective: To consider the limited usefulness of expert guidelines for teaching psychopharmacology. Method: Potential problems using expert guidelines for teaching psychopharmacology are reviewed. Results: Expert guidelines are an important contribution to the growth of evidence-based psychiatry. As such, they may also be used to teach…

Objective: This article reviews methods used to teach psychopharmacology to psychiatry residents that utilize principles of adult learning, enlist active participation of residents, and provide faculty with skills to seek, analyze, and use new information over the course of their careers. Methods: The pros and cons of five "nonlecture" methods of…

OBJECTIVE: To describe and examine the role of the pharmaceutical industry in the teaching of psychopharmacology to residents and medical students and to make recommendations for changes in curriculum and policy based on these findings. METHODS: Literature reviews and discussions with experts, educators, and trainees. RESULTS: The pharmaceutical…

This unit is one of a group of units written to fit the Certificate of Sixth Year Studies (CSYS) chemistry course, but it could be used in most Sixth Form courses. It includes: (1) teacher notes on contents, methods, and preparation; (2) two sets of data booklets and decision sheets for two new drugs (one data booklet based on 1960 information and…

To help students learn science concepts, Pharmacology Education Partnership (PEP)--a science education program that incorporates relevant topics related to drugs and drug abuse into standard biology and chemistry curricula was developed. The interdisciplinary PEP curriculum provides six modules to teach biology and chemistry principles within the…

Objective: The author examines one aspect of the psychopharmacology curriculum: the psychology of psychopharmacology. Method: Drawing from his experience teaching this subject to trainees at many different levels and from an emerging evidence base suggesting that psychosocial factors in the doctor-patient relationship may be crucial for medication…