[Anteromedial heel pad nodules--a benign condition].

A 6-month-old girl was referred with plantar tumours noticed a few weeks after birth. The tumours, which were localized on the heels, had grown proportionally with the child. An ultrasonographic examination showed subcutaneous nodules, and she was referred for further dermatologic evaluation.

Long-term follow up of factual knowledge after a single, randomised problem-based learning course.

Background: The long-term effect of problem-based learning (PBL) on factual knowledge is poorly investigated. We took advantage of a previous randomised comparison between PBL and traditional teaching in a 3rd year course to follow up factual knowledge of the students during their 4th and 5th year of medical school training.

Methods: 3rd year medical students were initially randomized to participate in a problem-based (PBL, n = 55), or a lecture-based (LBL, n = 57) course in basic pharmacology.

The influence of tutor qualification on the process and outcome of learning in a problem-based course of basic medical pharmacology.

Limited access to expert tutors is a problem that can be addressed by using tutors from different stages of medical or non-medical (under-, post-) graduate education. To address whether such differences in qualification affect the results of process evaluation by participants or their learning outcome (exam results), we analysed the data of a 4-year prospective study performed with 787 3rd-year medical students (111 groups of 5-10 participants) taking an obligatory problem-based learning (PbL)-course of basic pharmacology. We compared peer tutors (undergraduate medical students, >/=4th year), non-expert (junior) staff tutors (physicians, pharmacists, veterinarians, biologists, or chemists during postgraduate education), and expert (senior) staff tutors (completed postgraduate education).