OBJECTIVE:Poor sleep quality is thought to be a contributor to medical student stress. The authors evaluated the effect of high and low periods of academic stress on sleep quality and quantity in first-year medical students.METHODS:A group of 25 students in their first year of medical school were provided Fitbit Charge 3 activity trackers for continual use and were surveyed at 4 intervals to assess stress level, sleep quantity, and sleep quality. Fitbit data were collected through the Fitbit mobile app and uploaded to the Fitabase (Small Steps Labs, LLC) server. Data collection times were scheduled around the academic exam schedule. Weeks in which testing occurred were identified as high-stress periods. Results from assessments were compared to nontesting periods of low stress.RESULTS:During stressful periods, students slept an average of one hour less per 24-h period, took more naps, and reported poorer sleep quality than during the low-stress periods. No significant change was seen in the 4 surveyed intervals in sleep efficiency or sleep stages.CONCLUSION:Students slept less and had poorer quality sleep in their main sleep event during stressful periods but attempted to compensate with increased napping and weekend catchup sleep. The objective Fitbit activity tracker data were consistent with and validated the self-reported survey data. Activity trackers could potentially be used to optimize the efficiency and quality of both student napping and main sleep events as one component of a stress reduction program for medical students.

Getting the diagnosis right is a critical skill for a physician and learning this skill should start early in a medical student's training. To this end, students in their first year at William Carey University College of Osteopathic Medicine must write and orally present an original clinical case on an assigned topic as a part of their medical biochemistry course. At the first of the 2016 spring semester the class was randomly divided into groups of three and each group assigned a unique topic consistent with the content covered in the course. The group was then asked to write an original clinical presentation of a new patient along with a listing of four possible diagnoses. This case was distributed to the entire class without a final diagnosis and the class voted via clicker slide on the final diagnosis after the group presented their case and the four diagnostic possibilities. The group then explained/justified their differential, decided on the diagnosis, described treatment and prognosis, and briefly explained the underlying biochemical basis of the disease/disorder. Assessment of the written and oral components was via rubric and comprised 10% of the student grade for the semester. The final exam was derived completely from aspects of the student‐authored cases, bringing accountability to the class for their own work as well as those of their classmates. The average grade on the final was the highest exam average of the entire year, suggesting a high level of mastery of the thirty‐six clinical cases authored by the students.

As biochemists, one of our most captivating teaching tools is the use of molecular visualization. It is a compelling medium that can be used to communicate structural information much more effectively with interactive animations than with static figures. We have conducted a survey to begin a systematic evaluation of the current classroom usage of molecular visualization. Participants (n 5 116) were asked to complete 11 multiple choice and 3 open ended questions. To provide more depth to these results, interviews were conducted with 12 of the participants. Many common themes arose in the survey and the interviews: a shared passion for the use of molecular visualization in teaching, broad diversity in software preference, the lack of uniform standards for assessment, a desire for more quality resources, and the challenge of enabling students to incorporate visualization in their learning. The majority of respondents had used molecular visualization for more than 5 years and mentioned 32 different visualization tools used, with Jmol and PyMOL clearly standing out as the most frequently used programs at the present time. The most common uses of molecular visualization in teaching were lecture and lab illustrations, followed by exam questions, in-class or in-laboratory exercises, and student projects, which frequently included presentations. While a minority of instructors used a grading rubric/scoring matrix for assessment of student learning with molecular visualization, many expressed a desire for common use assessment tools. VC 2013 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 41(3):193–205, 2013

Glutaminyl cyclase (QC) catalyzes the cyclization of N-terminal glutamine residues into pyroglutamate. This post-translational modification extends the half-life of peptides and, in some cases, is essential in binding to their cognate receptor. Due to its potential role in the post-translational modification of tick neuropeptides, we report the molecular, biochemical and physiological characterization of salivary gland QC during the prolonged blood feeding of the black-legged tick (Ixodes scapularis) and the gulf-coast tick (Amblyomma maculatum). QC sequences from I. scapularis and A. maculatum showed a high degree of amino acid identity to each other and other arthropods and residues critical for zinc binding/catalysis (D159, E202, and H330) or intermediate stabilization (E201, W207, D248, D305, F325, and W329) are conserved. Analysis of QC transcriptional gene expression kinetics depicts an upregulation during the bloodmeal of adult female ticks prior to fast-feeding phases in both I. scapularis and A. maculatum suggesting a functional link with bloodmeal uptake. QC enzymatic activity was detected in saliva and extracts of tick salivary glands and midguts. Recombinant QC was shown to be catalytically active. Furthermore, knockdown of QC transcript by RNA interference resulted in lower enzymatic activity, and small, unviable egg masses in both studied tick species as well as lower engorged tick weights for I. scapularis. These results suggest that the post-translational modification of neurotransmitters and other bioactive peptides by QC is critical to oviposition and potentially other physiological processes. Moreover, these data suggest that tick-specific QC-modified neurotransmitters/hormones or other relevant parts of this system could potentially be used as novel physiological targets for tick control.

As biochemists, one of our most captivating teaching tools is the use of molecular visualization. It is a compelling medium that can be used to communicate structural information much more effectively with interactive animations than with static figures. We have conducted a survey to begin a systematic evaluation of the current classroom usage of molecular visualization. Participants (n = 116) were asked to complete 11 multiple choice and 3 open ended questions. To provide more depth to these results, interviews were conducted with 12 of the participants. Many common themes arose in the survey and the interviews: a shared passion for the use of molecular visualization in teaching, broad diversity in software preference, the lack of uniform standards for assessment, a desire for more quality resources, and the challenge of enabling students to incorporate visualization in their learning. The majority of respondents had used molecular visualization for more than 5 years and mentioned 32 different visualization tools used, with Jmol and PyMOL clearly standing out as the most frequently used programs at the present time. The most common uses of molecular visualization in teaching were lecture and lab illustrations, followed by exam questions, in‐class or in‐laboratory exercises, and student projects, which frequently included presentations. While a minority of instructors used a grading rubric/scoring matrix for assessment of student learning with molecular visualization, many expressed a desire for common use assessment tools. © 2013 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 41(3):193–205, 2013

As biochemists, one of our most captivating teaching tools is the use of molecular visualization. It is a compelling medium that can be used to communicate structural information much more effectively in 3D than in 2D. While some of us have tried using true 3D visualization (with the help of stereo glasses), many of us have attempted to incorporate some aspect of molecular visualization in our classrooms, labs or online course materials. A survey and a series of interviews were conducted with the goal of compiling information on the educational uses of molecular visualization. We used a series of questions, but the two overarching issues were How does molecular visualization impact student learning? How can we assess this learning effectively? Results of the survey (n > 100) and the interviews (n ≥ 10) will be presented, as well as a perspective on developing an assessment rubric.

Dear Colleagues, Many of us use molecular visualization as we teach our courses. If so, it is likely that we have discussed our approaches with friends and colleagues over the Internet and as we gather at conferences. Bob Bateman, Lea Michel, and I created a survey for the biochemistry and molecular biology community to get a more systematic idea of how we use molecular visualization in education. We are planning to present our results at the April 2011 ASBMB conference and hope to also submit a manuscript to Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education. Here is the link to the survey on Survey Monkey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/62TL6ZJ The survey includes 11 multiple choice questions and 3 open-ended questions. We anticipate it will take you 15–25 min to complete. Many of the multiple choice questions include a comment box, so that you can address concerns that you feel may not be adequately covered in the multiple choice format. If you have questions please email me at paul.craig@rit.edu. Thank you for your time.

Most biochemistry instructors strive to illustrate complex biomacromolecular structures by both static images and interactive computer graphics. Most textbooks come with elaborate tutorials on CD or websites. Other biochemistry educators have written tutorials for stand‐alone graphics viewers such as Rasmol, Deep View, or kinemages, or for browser‐based viewers such as Jmol. Recent attempts to incorporate virtual reality games into structure exploration also seem promising. A clear measure of the educational effectiveness of these computer‐based renderings, however, will require new assessment tools that will have to account for a variety of factors including learning of content, development of spatial abilities, and effect on student attitudes and motivation levels. This presentation will consider possible approaches to developing such assessment instruments.

Glutaminyl cyclase, the enzyme responsible for N‐terminal pyroglutamyl residue formation, is found in a broad range of living species from yeast to humans. A BLAST analysis using the human glutaminyl cyclase protein sequence has revealed a family of QC‐like proteins in organism from human to Drosophila with high homology to glutaminyl cyclase in several organisms including humans. In Drosophila, the QC‐like protein and QC protein have greater than 53% sequence identity. The predicted tertiary structure among the two proteins is highly conserved. To investigate the function and structure of these QC‐like proteins, bacterial fusion proteins were developed for the Drosophila QC‐like protein containing a purification tag. Purification resulted in a 40 kD protein which was apparently devoid of glutaminyl cyclase activity. Currently Drosophila QC and QC‐like proteins are being expressed in parallel to clarify their structural and functional relationship.

Glutaminyl cyclase (QC) is responsible for the N-terminal conversion of glutamine to pyroglutamate in many peptides. Though the N-terminal pyroglutamate is found in many different peptides in virtually all species, including Drosophila, QC activity has not been linked to this peptide modification in Drosophila. Sequence analyses revealed putative protein sequences in Drosophila with greater than 50% sequence homology to human QC. To evaluate the enzymatic activity of the predicted Drosophila QC sequence a bacterial fusion protein was designed which contained the predicted amino acid sequence for Drosophila QC along with a purification tag. Expression of the fusion protein and subsequent purification revealed a protein of the expected size of 44kD. The 44kD protein was evaluated using two previously published QC activity assays. Both assays revealed QC activity in the fusion protein similar to human QC as well similar inhibition with published QC inhibitors suggesting the Drosophila protein is a QC. Further analyses will be completed to compare the structural properties of the Drosophila QC to the human QC.

ADVERTISEMENT RETURN TO ISSUEPREVArticleNEXTAssessment of Molecular Construction in Undergraduate BiochemistryDavid C. Richardson , Jane S. Richardson , Rudy Sirochman , Steven W. Weiner , Mary Farwell , Cindy Putnam-Evans , Deborah Booth , and Robert C. Bateman Jr.View Author Information Department of Biochemistry, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710 Science Education, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303 Department of Chemistry, Muhlenberg College, Allentown, PA 18104 Department of Biology, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858 Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS 39406Cite this: J. Chem. Educ. 2005, 82, 12, 1854Publication Date (Web):December 1, 2005Publication History Received3 August 2009Published online1 December 2005Published inissue 1 December 2005https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/ed082p1854https://doi.org/10.1021/ed082p1854research-articleACS PublicationsRequest reuse permissionsArticle Views233Altmetric-Citations12LEARN ABOUT THESE METRICSArticle Views are the COUNTER-compliant sum of full text article downloads since November 2008 (both PDF and HTML) across all institutions and individuals. These metrics are regularly updated to reflect usage leading up to the last few days.Citations are the number of other articles citing this article, calculated by Crossref and updated daily. Find more information about Crossref citation counts.The Altmetric Attention Score is a quantitative measure of the attention that a research article has received online. Clicking on the donut icon will load a page at altmetric.com with additional details about the score and the social media presence for the given article. Find more information on the Altmetric Attention Score and how the score is calculated. Share Add toView InAdd Full Text with ReferenceAdd Description ExportRISCitationCitation and abstractCitation and referencesMore Options Share onFacebookTwitterWechatLinked InRedditEmail Other access optionsGet e-Alertsclose SUBJECTS:Biochemistry,Software,Students,Testing and assessment,Undergraduates Get e-Alerts

Computer-based visualizations play a profoundly important role in chemistry instruction. In this chapter, we review the role of visualization tools and possible ways in which they may influence thinking about chemistry. There are now several visualization systems available that allow students to manipulate important variables in obtain a solution to a scientific problem. We discuss the fundamental differences between these tools, and we emphasize the use of each within the context of constructivist curricula and pedagogies. We also consider the impact such tools may have on visuo-spatial thinking. We suggest that although visuo-spatial ability may be important in visualization use, its role has at times been overemphasized. We argue for a more nuanced, richer understanding of the many ways in which visuo-spatial reasoning is used in solving chemistry problems. This discussion leads to a set of design principles for the use of visualization tools in teaching chemistry. Finally, we present our work on the Kinemage Authorship Project, a program designed to assist students in understanding spatial structures in complex, biochemical molecules. The Kinemage Authorship Project allows students to construct their own molecular visualizations, and we discuss how this may lead to greater understanding of the spatial properties of molecules. This constructivist program embodies many of the design principles that we present earlier in the chapter.

BACKGROUND:Glutaminyl cyclase (QC) forms the pyroglutamyl residue at the amino terminus of numerous secretory peptides and proteins. We previously proposed the mammalian QC has some features in common with zinc aminopeptidases. We now have generated a structural model for human QC based on the aminopeptidase fold (pdb code 1AMP) and mutated the apparent active site residues to assess their role in QC catalysis.RESULTS:The structural model proposed here for human QC, deposited in the protein databank as 1MOI, is supported by a variety of fold prediction programs, by the circular dichroism spectrum, and by the presence of the disulfide. Mutagenesis of the six active site residues present in both 1AMP and QC reveal essential roles for the two histidines (140 and 330, QC numbering) and the two glutamates (201 and 202), while the two aspartates (159 and 248) appear to play no catalytic role. ICP-MS analysis shows less than stoichiometric zinc (0.3:1) in the purified enzyme.CONCLUSIONS:We conclude that human pituitary glutaminyl cyclase and bacterial zinc aminopeptidase share a common fold and active site residues. In contrast to the aminopeptidase, however, QC does not appear to require zinc for enzymatic activity.