Background: Scientific education aims to be inclusive and to improve students learning achievements, through appropriate teaching and learning. Problem Based Learning (PBL) system, a student centered method, started in the second half of the previous century and is expanding progressively, organizes learning around problems and students learn about a subject through the experience of solving these problems.Objectives:To assess the opinions of undergraduate medical students regarding learning outcomes of PBL in small group teaching and to explore their views about the role of tutors and methods of evaluation. Type of the study: A cross-sectional study.Methods: This study was conducted in Kerbala Medical Colleges among second year students. A self-administered questionnaire was prepared to evaluate the newly applied teaching system. The study analysis included simple descriptive analysis and determining association through t-test, chi square test and regression analysis and using structural equation models to determine simultaneous association between different students’ demographic characteristics and potential predictors using SPSS-20 and Amos software at a significance level of < 0.05.Results:A total of 131 undergraduate medical students participated in the study with a response rate of 94%. The majority (93%) have indicated that PBL strategy contributed effectively to their knowledge development with a similar majority (92%) considering PBL successful new teaching method. About 86% reported that would choose PBL rather than conventional method and also 86% would advise PBL for others. Similarly, high majority indicated that various PBL activities are essential. Regarding the tutors’ role in PBL, the majority (92%) indicated that this role was positive and fundamental. According to two thirds (68%) of participants PBL application in Kerbala Medical college was very good application while a higher majority described various PBL sessions as successful and positive and fundamental role of tutors was stressed by most students.Conclusions: This study highlighted the benefits of soliciting student impressions of effective small group teaching. The students’ emphasized group atmosphere and facilitation skills of tutor in learning.Key words: Problem Based Learning, Medical Education, Small Group Teaching, Team Based Learning, Kerbala Medical College
Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is a public health problem and many studies support the link between kidney dysfunction and cardiovascular events. Aldosterone has been shown for decades that a plasma aldosterone concentration is elevated in CKD. Whilst, Osteoprotegerin (OPG), after its capacity to protect bone, also osteoprotegerin is elevated in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), where it could predict the deterioration of kidney function, cardiovascular, vascular events and all-cause mortality. On the other hand, fibroblast growth factors (FGFs), in patients with CKD, its levels seem to increase progressively as kidney function worsens. The aim of the present study is to assess the correlations between serum osteoprotegerin
... Show MoreIn their cross-sectional study, Al-Rubaye et al studied the extent of vitamin D (VD) deficiency/ insufficiency, factors affecting its degree, and the adverse outcomes of the altered VD status among a group of mothers and their neonates from Baghdad, Iraq. They found that 96.6% of the mothers had VD deficiency/ insufficiency compared to 86.4% in their neonates. Maternal VD levels and neonatal weights were significantly correlated with neonatal VD levels. We believe that the study results need to be revised. This is based two points listed in this letter to editor
This study aims to study some morphological and reproductional characteristics in eleven species of two genera belonging to the family of Asparagaceae, which are Bellevalia Lapeyrouse, 1808 and Ornithogalum Linnaeus, 1753 and the species are: Bellevalia chrisii Yildirim and Sahin, 2014; Bellevalia flexuosa Boissier, 1854; Bellevalia kurdistanica Feinbrun, 1940; Bellevalia longipes Post, 1895; Bellevalia macrobotrys Boissier, 1853; Bellevalia paradoxa Boissier, 1882; Bellevalia parva Wendelbo, 1973; Bellevalia saviczii Woronow, 1927; Ornithogalum brachystachys C. Koch, 1849; Ornithogalum neurostegium Boissier, 1882 and Ornithogalum pyrenaicum Linnaeus, 1753. These species were identified and compared with each other; the results showed th
... Show MoreAbstract Background: Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) results from sequential genetic alterations in a normal hematopoietic stem cell or its progenitors giving rise to an autonomous clone that dominates the bone marrow leading to marrow failure. MicroRNAs are short non-coding nucleic acid sequences that regulate post-transcriptional gene expression by base-pairing with their target mRNAs. MiRNAs can be secreted into extracellular fluids and carried to target cells by vesicles or bound to proteins. Intracellular and circulating miRNAs are believed to be useful markers in the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of various cancers. Practically, circulating miRNAs are more stable at room temperatures and extreme conditions. Purpose: This study aim
... Show MoreDoxycycline hyclate is an antibiotic drug with a broad‐spectrum activity against a variety of gram‐positive and gram‐negative bacteria and is frequently used as a pharmacological agent and as an effector molecule in an inducible gene expression system. A sensitive, reliable and fast spectrophotometric method for the determination of doxycycline hyclate in pure and pharmaceutical formulations has been developed using flow injection analysis (FIA) and batch procedures. The proposed method is based on the reaction between the chromogenic reagent (V4+) and doxycycline hyclate in a neutral medium, resulting in the formation of a yellow compound that shows maximum absorbance at 3
The current study aims to cover the health topics in the Iraqi journalism , to know the concern 's level of the Iraqi journalism when covering the health subjects and to know the size of its performance under the diversity of visual and audio medias. The researcher has discussed his research by wording it with a set of inquiries that should be answered via the research and study. He could have determined that by the following:
What is the concern's level of Iraqi journalism over the health subjects? What are the forms and press arts that are functionalized by the Iraqi journalism as to get the health message to the republics? What is t
... Show MoreProfit is a goal sought by all banks because it brings them income and guarantees them survival and continuity, and on the other hand, facing commitments without financial crisis. Hence the idea of research in his quest to build scientific tools and means that can help bank management in particular, investors, lenders and others to predict financial failure and to detect early financial failures. The research has produced a number of conclusions, the most important of which is that all Islamic banks sample a safe case of financial failure under the Altman model, while according to the Springate model all Islamic banks sample a search for a financial failure except the Islamic Bank of Noor Iraq for Investment and Finance )BINI(. A
... Show MoreBackground: evaluate the effects of three different intracoronal bleaching agents on the shear bond strengths (SBS) and failure site of stainless steel and monocrystalline (sapphire) orthodontic brackets bonded to endodontically treated teeth using light cured orthodontic adhesive in vitro. Materials and methods: Eighty extracted sound human upper first premolars were selected, endondontically treated and randomly divided equally (according to the type of the brackets used) into two main groups (n = 40 per group). Each main group were subdivided (according to the bleaching agent used) into four subgroups 10 teeth each; as following : control (un bleached) group, hydrogen peroxide group (Hp) 35%, carbamide peroxide group (CP) 37% group and s
... Show MoreThe study aimed to compare the expression of miR-126-3p and miR-423-5p in patients and normal subjects, and correlate their expression with response to induction therapy. Circulating miR-126-3p and miR-423-5p were measured in the plasma of 43 adult AML patients and 35 age- and sex-matched controls by real time PCR. The foldchange in differential expression for each gene was calculated using the comparative cycle threshold (CT) method (also known as the 2−CT method). For statistical purposes, the fold change was calculated using DDCT (or 2–∆∆Ct) method to find the relative expression of miRNAs. The expression fold change of miR-126-3p was 1.73-fold increase in patients than controls (p= 0.010). The expression fold change of miR-423-5
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