Schiefer, Terry K.

Objective The goal of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a video presentation to first‐year medical students in clarifying their professional roles in the anatomy laboratory. Methods At the Mayo Clinic in 2005, we created a 10‐minute video interview of a woman whose parents donated their bodies to the anatomy program. In the interview, she discussed the lives of her parents, their message for medical students, and medical students’ roles in professionalism and confidentiality. First‐year anatomy students viewed the video during the first week of their anatomy course and were surveyed using an 11‐point Likert scale to assess the impact of the video (0=strongly disagree, 10=strongly agree). Results Students generally agreed that the video helped them understand professionalism and, especially, confidentiality in the context of the gross anatomy laboratory. Students tended to agree, although slightly less strongly, that they gained a deeper respect for donors after watching the video. Many believed that potential donors would benefit from viewing the video presentation. Finally, most students strongly agreed that future medical students would benefit from watching the video interview. Conclusions The results support the hypothesis that the video presentation clarifies medical students’ professional roles in protecting the confidentiality and humanity of the donors. Students generally agreed that it is worth showing to future classes of medical students. Furthermore, the video may benefit those contemplating body donation.

Objective The objective of this study was to introduce musculoskeletal physical examination skills in the gross anatomy course as a teaching tool and to evaluate medical students’ perceptions of this experience. Methods A list of 27 clinical examinations of the upper and lower limbs was generated from published core recommendations for undergraduate medical education. During gross anatomy laboratory sessions, teaching assistants (third year medical students) presented one or two of the clinical skills related to that day’s dissection to groups of 3–4 students at a time. The anatomic relationships tested by the clinical examinations were highlighted. One question on the laboratory examination at the end of the unit was an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) station where students were given a clinical scenario and asked to demonstrate a physical examination that they would use in evaluating the patient. Following the upper and lower limb units, the students were given a Likert‐scale survey to evaluate their perceptions of the experience. Results Survey responses indicated that most students felt the physical examination demonstrations improved their understanding of the clinical significance of the related anatomy, increased their interest in and motivation to learn the material, and made the laboratory experience more enjoyable. Conclusions Introducing musculoskeletal physical examination skills in the gross anatomy course can be an effective way to emphasize the clinical significance of the anatomy, thereby enhancing students’ motivation to learn the material.

Object Glial scar and cystic formation greatly contribute to the inhibition of axonal regeneration after spinal cord injury (SCI). Attempts to promote axonal regeneration are extremely challenging in this type of hostile environment. The objective of this study was to examine the surgical methods that may be used to assess the factors that influence the level of scar and cystic formation in SCI. Methods In the first part of this study, a complete transection was performed at vertebral level T9–10 in adult female Sprague-Dawley rats. The dura mater was either left open (control group) or was closed using sutures or hyaluronic acid. In the second part of the study, complete or subpial transection was performed, with the same dural closure technique applied to both groups. Histological analysis of longitudinal sections of the spinal cord was performed, and the percentage of scar and cyst formation was determined. Results Dural closure using sutures resulted in significantly less glial scar formation (p = 0.0248), while incorporation of the subpial transection surgical technique was then shown to significantly decrease cyst formation (p < 0.0001). Conclusions In this study, the authors demonstrated the importance of the vasculature in cyst formation after spinal cord trauma and confirmed the importance of dural closure in reducing glial scar formation.