The objective of this research was to develop robust predictive models of the gains in working memory (WM) and fluid intelligence (Gf) following executive attention training in children, using genetic markers, gender, and age variables. We explore the influence of genetic variables on individual differences in susceptibility to intervention.…

COVID-19 posed new challenges to undergraduate medical biochemistry instructors, providing an opportunity of exploring novel approaches online through methods such as case-based learning curriculum. In this study, an entire curriculum was created for medical biochemistry teaching online using case-based learning including the standards, time for…

Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs) incorporate research opportunities into the existing curriculum often by providing alternatives or replacing the traditional cookbook-based laboratory courses. Over the past 50 years, CURE courses have been shown to benefit both students and faculty members alike. Despite the large number of…

Anthocyanins are natural pigments belonging to the flavonoid family that generate the red, blue, and purple colors of fruits, vegetables, and flowers. Their structure and color are dependent on various factors, like the pH. Anthocyanins appear red in acidic, purple in neutral, and blue in basic solutions, making them suitable for use as natural pH…

Mental rotation (MR) is the ability to transform a mental representation of an object so as to accurately predict how the object would look from a different angle (Sci 171:701-703, 1971), and it is involved in a number of important cognitive and behavioral activities. In this review we discuss recent studies that have examined MR in infants and…

Course specific learning outcomes are an important tool to define the scope of a course and can be very helpful when designing experiments and assessments. With slight modification, these learning outcomes can serve as a guide when transitioning to the distance learning format especially in courses with a traditional lab. Here we present such an…

The COVID-19 pandemic provided a unique opportunity for a biochemistry course to cover the life cycle of SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes the disease. Adjusting the topics covered after the course transitioned to an online mode included switching to the chapters covering nucleic acid topics. The order of these related well to the…

Lab courses are a significant component of biochemistry and molecular biology (BMB) education. In teaching the labs, we combine established techniques with novel approaches. Lab formats have also moved from traditional cookbook style labs to guided inquiry to course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs), where faculty bring their own…

The New Horizons in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education Conference was organized by the International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (IUBMB) in collaboration with the Federation of European Biochemical Societies (FEBS), and the Weizmann Institute of Science (Israel) and held in Rehovot, Israel, on September 6-8, 2017. The…

The purpose of this research is to compare serum cotinine cutoffs for nicotine/tobacco exposure and self-reported tobacco use in adolescents. National Health and Nutrition Survey, 2015-18, cotinine levels and tobacco questions were analyzed for frequencies; bivariate and logistic regression analyses. With serum cotinine as the gold standard,…

Every branch of science needs visitors' attention during the poster presentation session at conferences, symposiums, seminars, etc. In particular, participants in the chemistry and biochemistry conference need more visual tools to explain their research work in detail. Presence of smartphones and the ability of 2D barcodes will allow chemical…

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) causing the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic is tragic, yet we can still learn a great deal about the virus and its effects. The biochemistry of the virus is rather interesting despite its ill effects, and it is important to know how it works to understand how to defeat…

Mitochondrial beta-oxidation is one of the most common modes of fatty acids' oxidation in most organisms, particularly mammals. Biochemistry undergraduate curriculum often contains the description of the process, with emphasis on ATP calculations for various types of fatty acids. During our decade long teaching experience in biochemistry, we…

This paper uses evidence-centered assessment design (ECD) to structure and analyze a laboratory activity where students collect and represent titration curve data to determine acid strength in terms of molarity and dissociation constant. Following principles of multidimensional learning, the activity prompts students to demonstrate knowledge of…

Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis activity is related to negative mental health outcomes, including depression. Most developmental research uses salivary cortisol to index HPA activity; however, hair cortisol concentrations (HCCs) reflect cortisol production over extended periods of time. While HCCs have been linked to adult depression,…