From the "what" to the "how": Teaching integrative medicine-related skills to medical students during COVID-19

ObjectiveTo examine the impact of an integrative medicine (IM) course on self-perceived IM-related communication and research skills.MethodsA 3-day mandatory "hybrid" (online and in-person) IM course was held within COVID-19 restrictions for 161 pre-clerkship medical students, with workshops facilitated by mentor healthcare professionals (IM and non-IM) and student-directed tasks. Self-perceived levels of 6 IM-related skills were scored (from 1 to 5) for history-taking; communicating with patients with "alternative" health-beliefs; referral to IM consultations; assessing risks/benefits; and working with non-medical IM practitioners.Results137 students (85.1%) completed pre-/post-course questionnaires, with overall scores improving from pre-course (1.98 ± 0.92) to post-course (3.31 ± 0.63; p < 0.0001), for the entire group and student subgroups (with vs. without prior IM experience). Multivariate analysis found no association between age, gender, primary language or prior experience with IM and improvement in skill scores.ConclusionsThe IM course increased self-perceived skill levels, reflecting the course curriculum and workshops. Further research needs to explore the application of these skills during clinical training.Practice implicationsTeaching medical students about IM in a course comprising communication and research skills was shown to be feasible and effective. The application of IM-related skills needs to be evaluated during the clinical clerkship.     

COVID-19 convalescent plasma: current status,lessons from the past and future perspectives

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, blood transfusion services worldwide started collection of convalescent plasma as early as possible, as exemplified by the response in Norway. There were challenges related to donor selection, donor safety, testing for relevant antibodies and indications for and dosing of the convalescent plasma. As more knowledge became available, the product quality was more standardised. Multiple case reports, observational studies and some randomized studies were published during the pandemic, as well as laboratory studies reporting different approaches to antibody testing. The results were conflicting and the importance of convalescent plasma was disputed.Even though there has been strong international collaboration with involvement of many key organisations, we may better prepare for the next pandemic. An even stronger, more formalised collaboration between these organisations could provide more clear evidence of the importance of convalescent plasma, based on the principles of passive immunisation.     

老年脓毒症患者临床特征及预后影响因素

 目的 探讨老年脓毒症患者临床特征及影响预后的危险因素。方法 选取2020年7月-2021年9月某三级甲等医院收治的老年脓毒症患者为研究对象，记录患者的临床及实验室资料，根据患者28天预后情况分为存活组和死亡组，比较各临床指标在两组间的差异，应用二元logistic回归分析法分析影响老年脓毒症患者预后的独立危险因素，进一步绘制受试者工作特征（ROC）曲线，评估不同指标预测患者预后的价值。结果 共纳入121例患者，其中74例为脓毒症，47例为脓毒性休克。存活组92例，死亡组29例。与存活组相比，死亡组患者发生脓毒性休克、合并症个数 ≥ 2的比例均较高（P<0.05）；序贯器官衰竭评估（SOFA）评分和急性生理与慢性健康状况评估（APACHEⅡ）评分也较高，白细胞介素6（IL-6）、胱抑素C（Cys-C）、降钙素原（PCT）、凝血酶原时间（PT）和D -二聚体（D -D）表达水平均增高（均P<0.05），而淋巴细胞绝对计数（ALC）和清蛋白（ALB）表达水平降低（均P<0.01）。二元logistic回归分析显示脓毒性休克、SOFA评分、D -D及Cys-C表达水平是影响老年脓毒症患者28天预后的独立危险因素。ROC曲线分析显示SOFA评分（AUC=0.758）、D -D（AUC=0.774）、Cys-C（AUC=0.650）预测患者的预后均有一定的价值（均P<0.01），与单个指标相比，三个指标的联合检测显示出更高的预测价值（AUC=0.882）。结论 发生脓毒性休克、SOFA评分增高、D -D及Cys-C表达水平增加是导致老年脓毒症患者病死率上升的独立危险因素，SOFA评分、D -D和Cys-C的联合检测可进一步提高脓毒症患者预后的预测价值，为临床治疗和预后评估提供参考依据。     

Paleopathological study of a podal osteochondroma from the prehistoric Hypogeum of Calaforno (Sicily)

In this article, we report a case of isolated podal osteochondroma from the prehistoric Hypogeum of Calaforno (Giarratana, Ragusa, Sicily). Although the phalanx exhibiting the benign tumoral mass comes from a context featuring several commingled remains, the very good state of preservation of this bone allowed us to perform a comprehensive study of the neoplasm by applying a multidisciplinary approach encompassing archeology, morphology, stereomicroscopy, and radiology. The results from this very ancient specimen have been assessed in the light of the available paleopathological literature and clinical implications currently encountered in modern patients.     

PBL联合PDG在临床医学系高年级医学生中的应用

目的研究以问题为导向的教学方法(PBL)联合问题—讨论—指导(PDG)教学模式在临床医学系高年级医学生培养中的应用效果。方法选取2018年1月—2019年1月临床医学系高年级医学生134例,按随机数字表分为对照组(67例)与研究组(67例),对照组学生采用传统的教学模式,研究组学生采用PBL联合PDG教学模式,比较两组学生理论考试成绩、教学质量与教学效果评分。结果研究组学生的总成绩、教学质量优良率、教学效果各项评分均显著高于对照组(P<0.05)。结论在临床医学系高年级医学生培养中应用PBL联合PDG教学模式,可以有效提高学生对理论知识的掌握与教学效果,提高教学质量。