Graduate Education at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of São Paulo: Quo Vadis?

Abstract

EDITORIALThe aims of sensu strictu graduate education, as stated in the prospectus of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of São Paulo (FMUSP), are to form researchers with a broad view of their field of knowledge, and, at the same time, to be a system that generates knowledge in those fields. Undoubtedly lofty objectives, coherent with the general mission of universities, University of São Paulo being no exception: the continuous search for scientific knowledge, and the task of spreading the results of research to the public at large. Communication of knowledge and science is an essential part of the process. In fact, the number of Brazilian authors and their publications in international scientific literature has increased substantially 1 . Brazil now stands as the 25 th science producer in the world (ISI Web of Science).In the above scenario, it becomes clear that the graduate education process does not end at thesis presentation. It should be followed by the publication of the results reached during that particular study. Moreover, in any particular case, if the objectives of the program have been achieved, knowledge has been generated and a system has been established in the particular field, from which a series of other publications from the same author(s) should follow.Is this the case at the FMUSP? In order to determine this, we have reviewed the fate of 1181 doctoral thesis presented between 1990 and 2000 at that Institution. In order to assess whether publications resulted from the respective authors in the years following thesis presentation, national and international publications databases (e.g., Medline, LILACS) were searched using the 'author' field in each database. The overall number of examined theses increased from 61 in 1990, to 158 in 2000, with a peak of 198 in 1999. Figure 1 depicts the number of doctorate holders remaining without any publication, either national or international, 1 -10 years after the thesis completion.One may clearly see that publication only starts two years after completion of the theses. A similar study conducted recently in France, regarding an equivalent situation, disclosed rather different results. Twenty-seven percent of the theses appeared in print in the first year, nearly 50% after two years 2 . This suggests a failure in

Publication rate of scientific papers presented at the largest event on breast cancer research in Latin America

“…In the University of São Paulo, one of the most renowned universities in Latin America, less than 50% of doctoral theses presented between 1990 and 2000 were published within a 5-year period [7]. Other factors such as financial limitations, lack of institutional incentives and a lack of technical support may also discourage scientific publication of a recently concluded study [14,15].…”

“…Only three of the factors capable of affecting publication rates were found to be significant. The publication rate was higher in the case of studies developed in public institutions, possibly due to the authors' academic experience and the scientific incentives present in the majority of these institutions in Brazil [7,12,13]. Studies dealing with rehabilitation following breast cancer were also more likely to be published, reflecting not only the quality of these studies but also the encouragement provided for multidisciplinary participation in the BBCS [3].…”

“…Among other benefits, medical congresses promote continued education, the discussion of clinical cases, the formulation of institutional protocols and the launching of specialised bibliographic material, as well as allowing contact between individuals from different geographic regions [6]. In this respect, bibliometric studies within any given medical speciality can contribute by providing indicators related to the production and dissemination of scientific knowledge [1,7]. These studies also allow the progress achieved in any given subject or topic within each area of interest to be evaluated [1,2,6].…”

Publication rate of abstracts on breast cancer presented at different scientific events in Brazil

“…In Brazil, most bibliometric studies indicate a publication rate between 5 and 20% of the research presented at medical congresses 6,7 . At the University of São Paulo, one of the most prestigious universities in Latin America, less than 50% of the doctoral theses presented between 1990 and 2000 were published within five years 8 . Together, these data raise questions about the model of scientific production in Brazil and reinforce the hypothesis that the rate of publication of papers presented at mastology congresses is modest.…”

Perda de calor determinada pela exposição das alças intestinais em ratos

“…No ser humano a perda de calor corpóreo interfere nas funções fisiológicas, sendo que essa perda de calor é determinada por fenômenos físicos (condução, evaporação, irradiação, convecção) e não por diferenças entre espécies 2 . A perda de calor corpóreo causa as seguintes alterações fisiológicas: retardo no consumo de oxigênio 3 , depressão respiratória 4 , coagulopatia 5 , acarretando em maior volume de perda de sangue e consequente maior número de transfusões 6 , deslocamento da curva da dissociação da hemoglobina para a esquerda, aumento da concentração de íons hidrogênio (H + ) no sangue, pode ocorrer coagulação intravascular disseminada devido à lesão tecidual difusa 7 . A zona termoneutra de 28°C, com um limite superior de 40°C e inferior de 18°C, é definida como a temperatura ambiente na qual a taxa basal de termogênese é suficiente para neutralizar as perdas constantes de calor.…”