An online educational model in andrology for student training in the art of scientific writing in the COVID-19 pandemic

Impact of Performing Medical Writing/Publishing Workshops: A Systematic Survey and Meta-Analysis

Objectives

Proficiency in medical writing and publishing is essential for medical researchers. Workshops can play a valuable role in addressing these issues. However, there is a lack of systematic summaries of evidence on the evaluation of their impacts. So, in this systematic review, we aimed to evaluate all articles published on the impact of such workshops worldwide.

Methods

We searched Ovid EMBASE, Ovid Medline, ISI Web of Science, ERIC database, and grey literature with no language, time period, or geographical location limitations. Randomized controlled trials, cohort studies, before-after studies, surveys, and program evaluation and development studies were included. We performed a meta-analysis on data related to knowledge increase after the workshops and descriptively reported the evaluation of other articles that did not have sufficient data for a meta-analysis. All analyses were performed using Stata software, version 15.0.

Results

Of 23 040 reports, 222 articles underwent full-text review, leading to 45 articles reporting the impacts of workshops. Overall, the reports on the impact of such workshops were incomplete or lacked the necessary precision to draw acceptable conclusions. The workshops were sporadic, and researchers used their own method of assessment. Meta-analyses of the impact on the knowledge showed that workshops could nonsignificantly increase the mean or percentage of participants' knowledge.

Conclusion

In the absence of systematic academic courses on medical writing/publishing, workshops are conducted worldwide; however, reports on educational activities during such workshops, the methods of presentations, and their curricula are incomplete and vary. Their impact is not evaluated using standardized methods, and no valid and reliable measurement tools have been employed for these assessments.

Remote training for strengthening capacity in sexual and reproductive health and rights research: a systematic review

BACKGROUND

Training has been used to develop research skills among sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) researchers. Remote education may accelerate transfer of skills and reduce barriers to strengthening research capacity. This systematic review aimed to assess the effectiveness of remote training on SRHR research and describe enablers and barriers of effective remote training.

METHODS

PubMed, Embase, and Scielo were searched up to December 2022 for studies that evaluated in any language online research training programmes either on a SRHR topic or tailored for professionals working in SRHR published since 1990. Characteristics of included studies, the programmes they evaluated, the programme's effectiveness, and reported barriers and enablers to remote learning were extracted. Three researchers synthesized and described findings on effectiveness, impact and outcomes mapping them against the Kirkpatrick model. Additionally, thematic analysis from qualitative data was conducted to identify themes relating to the barriers and enablers of remote learning.

RESULTS

Of 1,510 articles retrieved, six studies that included 2,058 remote learners met the inclusion criteria. Five out of six studies described empirical improvements in participant research knowledge/skills and three studies reported improvements in attitudes/self-efficacy towards research. Follow-up surveys from four studies revealed frequent application of new research skills and improved opportunities for career advancement and publication following online trainings. Cited barriers to effective online SRHR research training included time management challenges and participants' competing professional obligations; limited opportunities for interaction; and lack of support from home institutions. Cited enablers included well-structured and clear courses, learning objectives and expectations with participants; ensuring a manageable workload; facilitating interactions with mentors and hands-on experience; and selecting programme topics relevant to participants' jobs.

CONCLUSION

Remote SRHR training can lead to improvements in research knowledge, skills, and attitudes, particularly when course learning objectives, structure, and expectations are outlined clearly, and ongoing mentorship is provided.

Deciphering SARS CoV-2-associated pathways from RNA sequencing data of COVID-19-infected A549 cells and potential therapeutics using in silico methods

BACKGROUND

Coronavirus (CoV) disease (COVID-19) identified in Wuhan, China, in 2019, is mainly characterized by atypical pneumonia and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and is caused by SARS CoV-2, which belongs to the Coronaviridae family. Determining the underlying disease mechanisms is central to the identification and development of COVID-19-specific drugs for effective treatment and prevention of human-to-human transmission, disease complications, and deaths.

METHODS

Here, next-generation RNA sequencing (RNA Seq) data were obtained using Illumina Next Seq 500 from SARS CoV-infected A549 cells and mock-treated A549 cells from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) (GSE147507), and quality control (QC) was assessed before RNA Seq analysis using CLC Genomics Workbench 20.0. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were imported into BioJupies to decipher COVID-19 induced signaling pathways and small molecules derived from chemical synthesis or natural sources to mimic or reverse COVID -19 specific gene signatures. In addition, iPathwayGuide was used to identify COVID-19-specific signaling pathways, as well as drugs and natural products with anti-COVID-19 potential.

RESULTS

Here, we identified the potential activation of upstream regulators such as signal transducer and activator of transcription 2 (STAT2), interferon regulatory factor 9 (IRF9), and interferon beta (IFNβ), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), and interferon regulatory factor 3 (IRF3). COVID-19 infection activated key infectious disease-specific immune-related signaling pathways such as influenza A, viral protein interaction with cytokine and cytokine receptors, measles, Epstein-Barr virus infection, and IL-17 signaling pathway. Besides, we identified drugs such as prednisolone, methylprednisolone, diclofenac, compound JQ1, and natural products such as Withaferin-A and JinFuKang as candidates for further experimental validation of COVID-19 therapy.

CONCLUSIONS

In conclusion, we have used the in silico next-generation knowledge discovery (NGKD) methods to discover COVID-19-associated pathways and specific therapeutics that have the potential to ameliorate the disease pathologies associated with COVID-19.

Learning activities without patient interactions can achieve pediatric curricular objectives for adult learners

BACKGROUND

The literature is lacking in studies about what specific types of learning activities are most effective for adult learners.

PURPOSE

To examine the effectiveness of a learning activity with patient interactions as compared to a learning activity without patient interactions.

METHODS

A convenience sample of third year Doctor of Physical Therapy students participated in this retrospective cross-sectional study (n = 47). Data were a clinical reasoning assignment, the Andragogy in Practice Inventory (API) and Intent to Use Scale, and the Behavioral Engagement Related to Instruction (BERI) protocol. Data analysis included descriptive frequencies, paired t-tests, Wilcoxon Signed Rank Tests and Multivariate Analysis of Variance.

RESULTS

Significant differences were noted between the learning activity with and the learning activity without patient interaction on several API subscales: prepare the learner, climate setting, setting of objectives and learning activities as well as in the conceptual reasoning area of the clinical reasoning assignment (p = .005, p = .036, p = .002, p = .047, and p = .038, respectively). No other significant differences were noted in other outcome variables. No significant influence of age or gender was found.

CONCLUSION

This study demonstrated that, overall, both the with and without patient interaction learning activities were compatible with the preferences of the adult learner.

Constructing an Online Sustainable Educational Model in COVID-19 Pandemic Environments

The outbreak of COVID-19 forced billions of learners to stay at home in order to receive online education. The aim of the study is to construct an online sustainable educational model to facilitate this learning approach. This study included 53 peer-reviewed articles for the review study following the selection process of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analysis Protocol (PRISMA-P) and the clustering techniques of VOSviewer. It is concluded that the model consists of online educational platforms, online assessment systems, social media, and digital literacy. With these features, online education could be sustained. However, challenges should also be addressed to sustain online education during the pandemic. Designers, scientists, and teachers should make every effort to increase learning engagement, enhance learning supervision, formulate adequate emergency programs, minimize educational inequalities, solve technical issues, and formulate systematic learning management and organization. The sustainable online educational model may be updated and perfected by including more practical features in the future.

An online educational model in andrology for student training in the art of scientific writing in the COVID-19 pandemic

In 2020, the COVID‐19 pandemic led to the suspension of the annual Summer Internship at the American Center for Reproductive Medicine (ACRM). To transit it into an online format, an inaugural 6‐week 2020 ACRM Online Mentorship Program was developed focusing on five core pillars of andrology research: scientific writing, scientific methodology, plagiarism understanding, soft skills development and mentee basic andrology knowledge. This study aims to determine mentee developmental outcomes based on student surveys and discuss these within the context of the relevant teaching and learning methodology. The mentorship was structured around scientific writing projects established by the team using a student‐centred approach, with one‐on‐one expert mentorship through weekly formative assessments. Furthermore, weekly online meetings were conducted, including expert lectures, formative assessments and social engagement. Data were collected through final assessments and mentee surveys on mentorship outcomes. Results show that mentees (n = 28) reported a significant (p < .0001) improvement in all criteria related to the five core pillars. These results illustrate that the aims of the online mentorship program were achieved through a unique and adaptive online educational model and that our model has demonstrated its effectiveness as an innovative structured educational experience through the COVID‐19 crisis.