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Perspective of students in the Global Citizenship in Dentistry as an international peer learning experience

Yiu FSY, Yu OY, Wong AWY, Chu CH

J Dent Educ, 2021 Nov;85(11):1721-1728.
PMID: 34184258 DOI: 10.1002/jdd.12733

OBJECTIVE: To explore the achievement and perception of dental students in an international peer learning setting via the Global Citizenship in Dentistry (GCD) program.
METHODS: In the GCD program, year-2 dental students from universities in Egypt, Hong Kong, Malaysia, UK, and the United States developed a portfolio of a restorative procedure in simulation laboratory and uploaded to an online platform (https://gcd.hku.hk/). Through the platform, the students left comments on each other's portfolios to share and discuss their knowledge and experiences on restorative dentistry. This study invited students from Hong Kong in 2018-2019 to complete an open-ended questionnaire to explore their experience on the GCD program. The feedback was compiled and analyzed.
RESULTS: All 71 year-2 students completed the questionnaire. Their most dominant comments were positive feelings about learning different clinical principles and methods from universities abroad. The students also enjoyed the cultural exchange from the comfort of their own devices. Other recurrent comments included the improvement of the skills of communication and comments on the peers' work in a professional manner. The students were enthusiastic about being able to apply their critical thinking in evaluating their work. They shared their learning barriers, including the extra time needed for the program, some unenthusiastic responses from groupmates, and delayed replies from peers. They made suggestions to remove the barriers in the learning process of the GCD program.
CONCLUSION: Students generally welcomed the GCD program and benefitted from the global academic exchange, development of critical thinking, enhancing professional communication skills, as well as opportunities of cultural exchange.
Fulltext Multimeric disintegrin protein polymer fusions that target tumor vasculature

Janib SM, Gustafson JA, Minea RO, Swenson SD, Liu S, Pastuszka MK, et al.

Biomacromolecules, 2014 Jul 14;15(7):2347-58.
PMID: 24871936 DOI: 10.1021/bm401622y

Recombinant protein therapeutics have increased in number and frequency since the introduction of human insulin, 25 years ago. Presently, proteins and peptides are commonly used in the clinic. However, the incorporation of peptides into clinically approved nanomedicines has been limited. Reasons for this include the challenges of decorating pharmaceutical-grade nanoparticles with proteins by a process that is robust, scalable, and cost-effective. As an alternative to covalent bioconjugation between a protein and nanoparticle, we report that biologically active proteins may themselves mediate the formation of small multimers through steric stabilization by large protein polymers. Unlike multistep purification and bioconjugation, this approach is completed during biosynthesis. As proof-of-principle, the disintegrin protein called vicrostatin (VCN) was fused to an elastin-like polypeptide (A192). A significant fraction of fusion proteins self-assembled into multimers with a hydrodynamic radius of 15.9 nm. The A192-VCN fusion proteins compete specifically for cell-surface integrins on human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and two breast cancer cell lines, MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-435. Confocal microscopy revealed that, unlike linear RGD-containing protein polymers, the disintegrin fusion protein undergoes rapid cellular internalization. To explore their potential clinical applications, fusion proteins were characterized using small animal positron emission tomography (microPET). Passive tumor accumulation was observed for control protein polymers; however, the tumor accumulation of A192-VCN was saturable, which is consistent with integrin-mediated binding. The fusion of a protein polymer and disintegrin results in a higher intratumoral contrast compared to free VCN or A192 alone. Given the diversity of disintegrin proteins with specificity for various cell-surface integrins, disintegrin fusions are a new source of biomaterials with potential diagnostic and therapeutic applications.
Fulltext Extensive Scalp Melanoma in an Elderly Female: A Case Report and Literature Review

Francis MA, Shaikh R, Inban P, Akuma O, Intsiful TA, Akuma CM, et al.

Cureus, 2023 Sep;15(9):e45425.
PMID: 37859876 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.45425

Scalp melanoma is a rare and aggressive form of skin cancer. Its occurrence in the elderly population poses unique challenges due to factors such as delayed diagnosis and comorbidities. We present a case of extensive scalp melanoma in an elderly female to highlight the clinical presentation, diagnostic process, treatment modalities, and outcomes. Biopsy and histopathological analysis showed the presence of dysplastic nevi arising in pigmented melanocytic nevi, with uncertain pagetoid spread of atypical melanocytes. The management involved complete excision with safety margins and immunotherapy based on melanoma guidelines. This case underscores the importance of early detection and tailored treatment strategies in managing melanoma in elderly patients.

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