Psychological, neuroanatomical, and neurochemical parallels are drawn between autistic disorder (AD) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) based on a case report of fluvoxamine treatment.The implications of this case of coincident AD and OCD are discussed with respect to nosology, pathophysiology, and treatment. (Author/JDD)

Automated evaluation methods, used in medical school training programs, are discussed. The use of situational questions which help students to make connections between the biochemical knowledge acquired and its application in medical practice is proposed. Examples of these types of questions are included. (KR)

Documents the growth of Internet use by university students in Japan. Focuses on the use of the Internet as part of the biochemistry curriculum in Japanese medical schools. (DDR)

Describes the implementation of the innovative Guided Discovery Curriculum at the National College of Chiropractic. Emphasizes the relevance of biochemical principles to clinical practice through the selection of two clinical cases. (DDR)

Describes the biochemical structure and functions of the enzyme chymosin. Presents activities to familiarize students with fundamental aspects of enzyme-substrate interaction. (WRM)

Argues that the traditional lecture format is a poor mode for learning. Outlines a simple but effective approach for eliciting student participation in an intermediate-size lecture course (50-100). (CCM)

Presents an inexpensive hands-on lesson in DNA fingerprinting that can be completed in a single class period. Involves students in solving a murder in which a drop of blood is fingerprinted and matched with the blood of the murderer. (DDR)

Describes a summer research program at James Madison University targeting deaf and hard-of-hearing students and teachers participating in and collaborating on chemistry research with hearing students and teachers. (Contains 18 references.) (YDS)

Focuses on the history of the organization of chemical principles in chemistry textbooks. Describes a higher-order organizing principle, based in chemical logic and understanding, from which topics and order of presentation are derived. Provides an example of a biochemistry curriculum developed using this organizing principle. (DDR)

Discusses the chemistry of marine ecosystems, particularly with regard to the Hawaiian islands. Contains 31 references. (WRM)

The extensive use of commercial kits in molecular biology and biochemistry has prompted us to design a series of practical sessions to help students become familiar with the uses and limitations of pre-packaged assay systems. To facilitate an understanding of these assay systems and to promote reflection on their appropriate use, students…

The present studies explored the role of the medial striatum in learning when task contingencies change. Experiment 1 examined whether the medial striatum is involved in place reversal learning. Testing occurred in a modified cross-maze across two consecutive sessions. Injections of the local anesthetic, bupivacaine, into the medial striatum, did…

The present experiments examined the effects of injecting glucose into the dorsal hippocampus or dorsolateral striatum on learning rates and on strategy selection in rats trained on a T-maze that can be solved by using either a hippocampus-sensitive place or striatum-sensitive response strategy. Percentage strategy selection on a probe trial…

In their junior or senior year, biochemistry majors at the University of Detroit Mercy are required to take a two-credit biochemistry laboratory course. Five years ago, the format of this course was changed from structured experiments to a more project-based approach. Several structured experiments were included at the beginning of the course…

For the past eight years the University of Michigan has offered two different styles of biochemistry courses each semester, one a standard lecture-based and discussion-section (SLB) course and one a self-paced, non-lecture Personalized System of Instruction (PSI) course. We tracked student responses to selected exam questions that were used in…