Is the structure of anatomy curriculum adequate for safe medical practice?

IntroductionAnatomy has been considered a core subject within the medical education curriculum. In the current setting of ever-changing diagnostic and treatment modalities, the opinion of both students and trainers is crucial for the design of an anatomy curriculum which fulfils the criteria required for safe medical practice.MethodsMedical students, trainees and specialist trainee doctors and specialists from the London (England) area were surveyed to investigate the how curriculum changes have affected the relevance of anatomical knowledge to clinical practice and to identify recommendations for optimum teaching methods. The survey employed 5-point Likert scales and multiple-choice questions. Where the effect of training level was statistically significant (p < 0.05), post-hoc analysis was carried out using Mann–Whitney U tests. Significance levels were modified according to the Bonferroni method.ResultsTwo hundred and twenty-eight individuals completed the survey giving a response rate of 53%. Medical students, trainees and specialists all agreed (mean Likert score 4.51, 4.79, 4.69 respectively) that knowledge of anatomy is important for medical practice. Most of the trainees (88.4%) and specialists (81.3%) used dissection to learn anatomy, but only 61.4% of medical students used this approach. Dissection was the most commonly recommended approach for learning anatomy across all the groups (41.7%–69.3%).ConclusionsKnowledge of anatomy is perceived to be important for safe clinical practice. Anatomy should be taught with other relevant system or clinical modules. Newer tools for anatomy teaching need further validation before incorporation into the curriculum.     

Colorectal foreign bodies: a systematic review

Aim To perform a systematic review of the published reports on retained colorectal foreign bodies (CFBs) to collate the features and formulate a simple management plan based on the available evidence. Method An extensive search was carried out to identify articles on CFBs. The search was carried out on electronic databases Cinahl, Embase, Medline, PubMed and PsychInfo from 1950 to January 2009. Internet journals were also scoured and a general search was carried out using the search engine ‘Google’. Papers published in languages other than English were not included. Results This review covers a total of 193 patients with 196 presentations. There were 188 men and 5 women, a ratio of approximately 37:1. The mean age at presentation was 44.1 years (SD 16.6) in the single case reports and 39.3, 40 and 60.8 years in the three case series. Household objects, such as bottles and glasses, accounted for the largest percentage (42.2%) of inserted objects. Presentation for treatment occurred most often within 24 h of insertion and the majority of objects were removed transanally using manual manipulation with or without the use of a variety of tools, or via a scope. Conclusions The incidence of CFBs is disproportionately higher in men. Various techniques for removal are available, including some that are minimally invasive. The appropriate technique will depend on the size and surface of the retained object and the presence of complications such as perforation or obstruction.     

Effects of histamine H1R—H4R—agonist on the airway epithelium of rabbits

ObjectiveTo explore the exact role of histamine receptors in respiratory system.MethodsThe cohort comprised of six groups (group I control and group II-VI treated) containing five rabbits in each group. Control-group received vehicle (sterile distilled water) and treated groups received subcutaneous histamine (100 μg/kg, b.i.d.), and H1R-agonist (HTMT), H2R-agonist (amthamine), H3R-agonist (R-(?)-α-methylhistamine) and H4R-agonist (clobenpropit) each in a dose of 10 μg/kg, b.i.d. for 30 subsequent days. After completion of treatment, animals were euthanized and perfused with 10% buffered formalin. Small tissue blocks of trachea and lungs were processed for paraffin embedding. Observations were recorded in sample photomicrographs taken from 10 μm thick. Haematoxylin and eosin stained sections.ResultsIt was observed that trachea and bronchi from histamine, H1R and H4R groups had only patches of hyperplastic and hypertrophied epithelium and in general, cells in the affected region were taller heaped up. The bronchiolar epithelia from all treated groups showed hypertrophy and hyperplasia throughout with most of the cells having rounded profile and appeared to bud out from the basal cells.ConclusionsIt is concluded that histamine receptors on induction via its specific agonist can induce hypertrophy, hyperplasia of respiratory tract epithelia suggesting its role akin to growth stimulating factor and warranting further long-term study.     

Can intraoperative manometry during laparoscopic fundoplication predict postoperative dysphagia?

Background  

Many trials have used intraesophageal manometry (IEM) to measure the adequacy of fundoplication. This pilot study aimed to assess the value of IEM in predicting postoperative dysphagia.