Introduction: Bioethics subject which is part of the curriculum in higher education has a slightly different orientation compared to the science subjects. This study investigates the challenges of teaching bioethics subject to the health sciences students and the outcome of using mixed educational background classes in bioethics. Methods: Discussions among lecturers of bioethics were conducted to determine the possible challenges when teaching bioethics to the health sciences students who are accustomed to the format of science subjects. Results of written bioethics tests (multiple choice questions [MCQs] versus short essays) were also analysed among students from nine different health sciences background (biomedical sciences, nursing, speech pathology, dietetics, nutrition, medical radiation, audiology, sports science, and occupational safety and health) as a measure of the students’ understanding of the bioethics subject. Findings: The challenges of bioethics teaching were divided into five categorical themes; (i) attitude/discipline, (ii) background knowledge, (iii) reasoning/critical thinking, (iv) knowledge/jargon, and (v) diverse educational background. Excellence performances were demonstrated by the students across the ten disciplines in the direct MCQs while they did very poorly (p < 0.01) in the critical thinking short essay questions. Conclusions: Bioethics proof to be a challenging subject for the health sciences students as this subject deal with complex issues of ethical concerns which differ with most science subjects. Combined efforts of the educators and students are needed in order to address these challenges and stimulate the understanding of bioethics.
The rapid progression of molecular-based technology now enables us to analyse huge number of samples. Nonetheless, DNA (Deoxyrebonucleic acid) extraction is always a limiting factor. In this study, we analysed human microbes to compare the performance of DNA extraction methods: simple boiling method and MasterPureTM Complete DNA and RNA Purification Kit. Dental plaque was initially collected from 12 subjects, 6 of which were from individuals with caries active lesions with International Caries Detection and Assessment System (ICDAS) score five and six, and 6 samples from non-caries subjects, were collected in deionised water. The bacterial samples were extracted by the two aforementioned methods and examined using gel electrophoresis, followed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Streptococcus mutans was detected using conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Our results demonstrated that boiling method produced higher DNA concentration (100 – 350 ng/µl), however, the commercial kit yield superior in DNA quality with single and specific PCR products. Based on the findings, the commercial kit is the better choice and practicable method for DNA extraction considering the quality of the DNA yield.
DNA microarray technology has permitted large scale parallel analysis of gene expression of several diseases, including cancers. Real-time PCR has become a well-established procedure for
quantifying levels of gene expression. We evaluated Real-Time PCR to validate differentially expressed genes identified by DNA arrays. Gene expression of three different grade of transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) of human bladder cancer was determined using microarray slide containing cancer-related genes. Data obtained were sorted according based on the ratios between Cy3 and Cy5 dyes used and revealed 119, 235 and 183 differentially expressed genes in TCC WHO Grades I, II and III, respectively. Real-time PCR used SYBR Green-1 dye detection to validate relative change in gene expression. Real- Time PCR confirmed the change in gene expression of 17 of 28 (75%) genes identified by microarray. Real-Time PCR also suggest that genes identified by microarray with two or higher fold change cannot be eliminated as false nor be accepted as true without validation. Real-Time PCR based on SYBR Green- 1 is well-suited to validate DNA array results because it is quantitative, rapid and requires less RNA compared to the conventional assays.