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Background Deliberate reflection when practising the diagnosis of clinical cases has been shown to develop medical students' diagnostic competence. Adding guidance by cueing reflection or providing modelling of reflection increased the benefits of reflection for advanced (Years 5–6) students. The present study investigated whether we could replicate and extend these findings by comparing the effects of free, cued and modelled reflection on novice students' diagnostic competence. Methods A total of 80 third‐year medical students participated in a two‐phase experiment. In the learning phase, students diagnosed nine clinical cases under one of three conditions: free reflection; cued reflection, and modelled reflection. Two weeks later, all students diagnosed four new examples of the diseases studied in the learning phase and four cases of non‐studied related diseases (‘adjacent diseases’). The main outcome measurements were diagnostic accuracy scores (range 0–1) on studied and adjacent diseases. Results For studied diseases, there was a significant effect of experimental condition on diagnostic accuracy (p < 0.02), with the cued‐reflection group (mean = 0.58, standard deviation [SD] = 0.23) performing significantly better than the free‐reflection group (mean = 0.41, SD = 0.20; p < 0.02). The cued‐reflection and modelled‐reflection groups (mean = 0.54, SD = 0.22) did not differ in diagnostic accuracy (p > 0.05), nor did the modelled‐reflection group perform better than the free‐reflection group (p > 0.05). For adjacent diseases, the three groups scored extremely low, without significant differences in performance (p > 0.05). Cued reflection and free reflection were rated as requiring similar effort (p > 0.05) and both were more demanding than studying examples of reflection (both p < 0.001) in the learning phase. Conclusions Simply cueing novice students' reflection to focus it on relevant diseases was sufficient to increase diagnostic performance relative to reflection without any guidance. Cued reflection and studying examples of reflection appear to be equally useful approaches for teaching clinical diagnosis to novice students. Students found studying examples of reflection required less effort but cued reflection will certainly demand much less investment from teachers.

BackgroundDombrock blood group system genotyping has revealed various rearrangements of the Dombrock gene and identified new variant alleles in Brazil (i.e., DO*A-SH, DO*A-WL and DO*B-WL). Because of the high heterogeneity of the Brazilian population, interregional differences are expected during the investigation of Dombrock genotypes. ObjectiveThe present study aims to determine the frequencies of Dombrock genotypes in blood donors from Minas Gerais and compare the frequencies of the HY and JO alleles to those of another population in Brazil. MethodsThe frequencies of the DO alleles in Minas Gerais, a southeastern state of Brazil, were determined from the genotyping of 270 blood donors. Genotyping involved polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis to identify the 323G>T, 350C>T, 793A>G, and 898C>G mutations, which are related to the HY, JO, DO*A/DO*B, and DO*A-WL/DO*B-WL alleles, respectively. Moreover, the frequencies of rare HY and JO alleles were statistically compared using the chi-square test with data from another Brazilian region. ResultsThe HY allele frequency in Minas Gerais (2.4%) was almost twice that of the JO allele (1.5%). The frequency of the HY allele was significantly higher (p-value = 0.001) than that in another Brazilian population and includes a rare homozygous donor with the Hy- phenotype. In addition, the DO*A-WL and DO*B-WL alleles, which were first identified in Brazil, were found in the state of Minas Gerais. ConclusionsThe data confirm that the frequencies of DO alleles differ between regions in Brazil. The population of Minas Gerais could be targeted in a screening strategy to identify the Hy- phenotype in order to develop a rare blood bank.

Some ELISA kits have comparable or superior diagnostic sensitivity to ANA HEp-2 and could be used as an alternative method for ANA screening, therefore allowing the immediate report of the results with fewer false negatives than ANA HEp-2. Owing to the lower specificity, ELISA-positive samples should be submitted to ANA HEp-2 for confirmation of results.

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Educação médica -Aprendizagem -Diagnóstico clínico -Estudantes de medicina RESUMO O raciocínio clínico se refere ao processo cognitivo, através do qual, o médico é capaz de estabelecer o diagnóstico correto e propor uma conduta adequada frente a um problema clínico encontrado. Apesar da grande evolução do conhecimento médico ao longo dos tempos, a prática clínica é ainda hoje, muito dependente da habilidade profissional de elaborar um diagnóstico correto e, a partir deste, definir a melhor conduta. Trabalhos recentes vêm demonstrando que erros diagnósticos constituem fonte de doenças evitáveis e morte, promovendo prejuízos clínicos e financeiros a pacientes, familiares e à nação. As escolas médicas e seus docentes têm o desafio de facilitar a aquisição desta competência pelos estudantes, pois, trata-se de um dos maiores atributos a ser desenvolvido durante o curso médico. Nas últimas três décadas, os processos envolvidos no aprendizado e desenvolvimento do raciocínio clínico vêm sendo estudados e muito já se sabe sobre as fases envolvidas na formação desta importante habilidade. Teorias e estudos cognitivos sobre a formação e o uso da memória podem ser encontrados em diversas áreas do conhecimento. No entanto, pouco material existe com uma discussão direcionada para o ensino médico. Este é um dos objetivos deste artigo, apresentar uma revisão das principais teorias e pesquisas sobre os processos do desenvolvimento do raciocínio clínico, fornecendo aos professores um material que permita a compreensão desta fascinante área do ensino médico. Espera-se assim, contribuir para a formação docente, estimular o desenvolvimento da pesquisa em educação médica e fornecer subsídio técnico para o planejamento de estratégias instrucionais orientadas pelos princípios do aprendizado do raciocínio clínico. Para facilitar a compreensão, as teorias serão apresentadas em tópicos. No entanto, uma vez que o raciocínio clínico é uma atividade cognitiva complexa, é importante lembrar que os mecanismos propostos em cada tópico apresentam fatores que se sobrepõem e muitas vezes ocorrem simultaneamente. ABSTRACTClinical reasoning refers to the cognitive process by which the physician is able to provide a correct diagnosis and appropriate treatment for a clinical problem. Despite the great medical knowledge evolution over the time, clinical practice is still very dependent on professional ability to make a correct diagnosis. Studies have shown that diagnostic errors are an important source of preventable diseases and death, promoting clinical and financial damage to patients, families and nation. Medical schools and teachers face the challenge of promoting the development of this competence in medical students as it is one of the greatest attributes to be developed during medical school. In the last three decades, the processes involved in learning and developing clinical reasoning have been studied and now much is known about the stages involved in the formation of this important skill. Theories and cognitive studies on memory building and...

Dengue, a leading cause of illness and death in the tropics and subtropics since the 1950׳s, is fast spreading in the Western hemisphere. Over 30% of the world׳s population is at risk for the mosquitoes that transmit any one of four related Dengue viruses (DENV). Infection induces lifetime protection to a particular serotype, but successive exposure to a different DENV increases the likelihood of severe form of dengue fever (DF), dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF), or dengue shock syndrome (DSS). Prompt supportive treatment lowers the risk of developing the severe spectrum of Dengue-associated physiopathology. Vaccines are not available, and the most effective protective measure is to prevent mosquito bites. Here, we discuss selected aspects of the syndemic nature of Dengue, including its potential for pathologies of the central nervous system (CNS). We examine the fundamental mechanisms of cell-mediated and humoral immunity to viral infection in general, and the specific implications of these processes in the regulatory control of DENV infection, including DENV evasion from immune surveillance. In line with the emerging model of translational science in health care, which integrates translational research (viz., going from the patient to the bench and back to the patient) and translational effectiveness (viz., integrating and utilizing the best available evidence in clinical settings), we examine novel and timely evidence-based revisions of clinical practice guidelines critical in optimizing the management of DENV infection and Dengue pathologies. We examine the role of tele-medicine and stakeholder engagement in the contemporary model of patient centered, effectiveness-focused and evidence-based health care.AbbreviationsBBB - blood-brain barrier, CNS - central nervous system, DAMP - damage-associated molecular patterns, DENV - dengue virus, DF - dengue fever, DHF - dengue hemorrhagic fever, DSS - dengue shock syndrome, DALYs - isability adjusted life years, IFN-g - interferon-gamma, ILX - interleukinX, JAK/STAT - janus kinase (JAK) / Signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT), LT - Escherichia coli heat-labile enterotoxin formulations deficient in GM1 binding by mutation (LT[G33D]), MCP-1 - monocyte chemotactic protein 1, M-CSF - macrophage colony-stimulating fact, MHC - major histocompatibility complex, MIF - macrophage migration inhibitory factor, [MIP-1]-α / -β - macrophage inflammatory protein-1 alpha and beta, mAb - monoclonal antibody, NS1 - non-structural protein 1 of dengue virus, NK - natural killer cells, PAMP - pathogen-associated molecular patterns, PBMC - peripheral blood mononuclear cells, TBF-b - transforming growth factor-beta, TNF-α - tumor necrosis-alpha, VHFs - virus hemorrhagic fevers, WHO - World Health Organization.

RESUMOObjetivo: Realizar a adaptação transcultural do Attribution Questionnaire -AQ27 para o português falado no Brasil a partir da versão de Portugal e validar as propriedades psicométricas da escala por meio da análise fatorial exploratória. Métodos: Após a adaptação semântica e cultural, o questionário foi aplicado a 431 alunos do 1º ao 6º ano do Curso de Medicina Unifenas-BH, Brasil, e, em seguida, conduziu-se análise fatorial exploratória pelo método de extração de componentes principais e rotação Varimax. Resultados: A versão final brasileira do Questionário de Atribuição (AQ-26B) apresentou um fator a menos que a versão original em inglês e a portuguesa devido à fusão dos fatores Medo e Percepção de Perigo, o que gerou a supressão da questão 11 do questionário brasileiro por não apresentar valores psicométricos adequados. Dificuldades linguísticas relacionadas à interpretação da questão 11 e sua maior complexidade de significado latente parecem ter contribuído com esse resultado. Conclusões: O questionário brasileiro (AQ-26B) manteve parâmetros de validade e confiabilidade adequados observando-se coerência com o modelo teórico original. Além disso, mostrou-se de fácil aplicação, demonstrando ser um instrumento útil para avaliar o estigma relacionado à doença mental entre alunos de medicina de escolas médicas brasileiras. ABSTRACTObjective: A cross-cultural adaptation of the Portuguese version of the Attribution Questionnaire -AQ27 for Brazilian speakers and an exploratory factor analysis were conducted in order to validate the scale's psychometric properties. Methods: After semantic and cultural adaptation of the questionnaire, exploratory factor analysis was conducted through principal component extraction and Varimax rotation methods in 431 students, from the first to the last years of the course, at Unifenas Medical Course in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Results: The final Brazilian version of the Attribution Questionnaire (AQ-26B) had 8 factors instead of 9 from the original American and Portuguese versions. This change was due to the merger of Fear and Dangerousness factors. Question 11 was removed from the Brazilian version because it did not present adequate psychometric values. Language difficulties, related to the