Susanne Julia Kühl

: The ability to talk to patients is an important medical competence. Therefore, new teaching methods need to be developed and their usefulness and effectiveness studied. The objective of the study was to determine whether there are differences in the acquisition of communication skills or student evaluation depending on whether the simulated conversation is carried out in a high-fidelity simulation practice (“To Train U”, TTU) or in a traditional seminar room (SR). The study was carried out in the context of the biochemistry seminar titled “from genes to proteins”, which is part of the preclinical study portion of the Ulm School of Human Medicine. In addition to biochemical fields of study, it also includes a simulated consultation to train medical communication. One group carried out the simulated consultation in a seminar room (SR group, n=91), the other group in a high-fidelity simulation practice (TTU group; n=131). Both groups completed a communication competency test before and after the simulation, which was used to test Bloom’s level II-IV. An online evaluation was completed after the simulation. Both groups showed significant increases in their overall communication competence scores. The TTU group improved significantly with regard to Bloom levels II and IV, the SR group only with regard to Level II. The TTU group reported higher satisfaction levels and perceived the simulation to be more realistic and conducive to learning than the SR group. High-fidelity simulation practices provide an innovative learning environment that enhances the student skills, motivation and satisfaction. Future studies should examine whether training in such settings may have lasting effects on the medical practice.

Gamification is characterized by the use of gaming elements in a non‐gaming context. This concept is commonly applied in teaching to create a more meaningful and activating learning environment. The major aim of this study was to compare possible effects of gamification on a traditional interactive teaching concept in a biochemistry course on students' learning. This study was performed in summer semester 2024 with fourth semester medical students at Ulm University in Germany. Students were divided into two homogenous study groups that differed in the teaching concept. In the control group, students received instruction through traditional, interactive face‐to‐face lessons that included open‐ended questions. In the gaming group, the quiz‐game “Bionopoly” was introduced and the students were taught using a gamified didactic concept. Learning success was measured by a multiple‐choice test at the beginning and the end of the course day. Satisfaction, motivation and a possible continuous activating effect were analyzed by an online evaluation and a handout questionnaire. Students of the gamified concept scored higher in the post‐knowledge test. Furthermore, the gamified concept motivated the student's significantly more when compared to the traditional teaching concept. Measured throughout the entire course day, gamification had a stabilizing effect on students' concentration, motivation and interest in biochemistry. All in all our study provides evidence that gamification is an attractive teaching concept for practical courses with an accompanying seminar.

Inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate 3-kinase A (Itpka) is a neuronal isoform of the ITPK family that regulates both actin dynamics and calcium signaling. While itpka deficiency in adult mice mainly results in central nervous system phenotypes, its contribution to early development remains unclear. To study the role of Itpka in embryogenesis, we used the South African clawed frog, Xenopus laevis, as vertebrate model organism. Our analysis revealed that itpka is specifically expressed in distinct regions of the developing anterior neural tissue. To investigate Itpka function during early anterior neural development, we generated a morpholino oligonucleotide (MO)-mediated itpka knockdown approach. The depletion of Itpka leads to defects in head, brain, and eye development which can be rescued by Xenopus itpka RNA co-injection. An analysis of the underlying molecular basis revealed a reduced expression of key genes associated with head, brain and eye development in Itpka MO-injected embryos. These findings highlight a crucial role of Itpka during anterior neural development in Xenopus laevis and indicate that the function of Itpka needs to be further investigated.

Mutations in PRDM15 lead to a syndromic form of holoprosencephaly (HPE) known as the Galloway–Mowat syndrome (GAMOS). While a connection between PRDM15, a zinc finger transcription factor, and WNT/PCP signaling has been established, there is a critical need to delve deeper into their contributions to early development and GAMOS pathogenesis. We used the South African clawed frog Xenopus laevis as the vertebrate model organism and observed that prdm15 was enriched in the tissues and organs affected in GAMOS. Furthermore, we generated a morpholino oligonucleotide–mediated prdm15 knockdown model showing that the depletion of Prdm15 leads to abnormal eye, head, and brain development, effectively recapitulating the anterior neural features in GAMOS. An analysis of the underlying molecular basis revealed a reduced expression of key genes associated with eye, head, and brain development. Notably, this reduction could be rescued by the introduction of wnt4 RNA, particularly during the induction of the respective tissues. Mechanistically, our data demonstrate that Prdm15 acts upstream of both canonical and non-canonical Wnt4 signaling during anterior neural development. Our findings describe severe ocular and anterior neural abnormalities upon Prdm15 depletion and elucidate the role of Prdm15 in canonical and non-canonical Wnt4 signaling.