Consolidation Carnival: A Case-Based Approach to Reviewing Musculoskeletal Anatomy in an Undergraduate Medical Curriculum.

Introduction: Recent changes in undergraduate medical curricula have resulted in time constraints that are particularly challenging, especially when students must learn large blocks of musculoskeletal anatomy content. Consequently, students have resorted to rote memorization to cope, which counteracts our established collaborative self-directed learning model.

Methods: For a 6-week musculoskeletal anatomy course, two structured case-based review sessions are described, each following the completion of two five-hour lab sessions, two on the upper extremities and two on the lower extremities.

Integration of physiology in a curriculum on human structure: a snapshot of the cardiovascular block.

With the gradual shift from discipline-based to competency-based medical education, the integrated curriculum has become a popular model for connecting basic science and clinical content in undergraduate medical education. Despite its popularity, there are concerns that important physiological concepts are not adequately addressed. We describe the spiral integration of physiology content in the 5-week Cardiovascular block of our Homeostasis course at the Zucker School of Medicine.

A Game-Based Approach to Teaching and Learning Anatomy of the Liver and Portal Venous System.

Introduction: The use of games and game elements as teaching tools has received increasing attention in the medical education literature. Used formatively, games promote student engagement and satisfaction, and encourage collaboration and teamwork among students. They may also help students retain knowledge, although research supporting this notion is limited.

Superior mesenteric origin of the proper hepatic artery: embryological and clinical implications.

The hepatic arteries are subject to a great deal of anatomical variation, potentially complicating hepatobiliary surgical procedures as well as general gastrointestinal procedures that involve foregut and midgut structures. We report a case of a rare variant of the proper hepatic artery discovered during dissection of an 84-year-old male cadaver. In this individual, the common hepatic artery was absent and the proper hepatic artery was replaced directly to the superior mesenteric artery.

Histological comparison of the candidate arteries for bypass grafting of the posterior interventricular artery.

This study evaluated five vessels as potential candidates for coronary artery bypass grafting at the posterior interventricular artery (PIVA) blockage site. We used light microscopy and digital image analysis of H&E and Van Gieson's-stained slides to investigate luminal diameter, arterial wall thickness, and relative muscularity and elasticity of candidate vessels. Results from our sample indicate that the inferior epigastric artery (IEA) may be the preferred graft to the PIVA based on overall similarities in these measurements.

And then there were four: Anatomical observations on the pollical palmar interosseous muscle in humans.

Although anatomists generally agree upon the presence of four interosseous muscles in the human hand, the number and identity of the palmar interosseous muscles remains contentious. Recent studies suggest that a majority of human hands possess four palmar interossei, yet most contemporary texts suggest the presence of only three. The pollical palmar interosseous muscle (PPIM), associated with the first digit, has been alternatively interpreted as a distinct muscle, part of another hand muscle, or nonexistent.

The role of the elastic fiber system in the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis and knee joint laxity.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a disease of synovial joints in which all articular structures are affected. Evidence suggests that a decreased density in the elastic fiber concentration of the knee capsule is associated with joint hypermobility, a condition associated with OA. However, there is no study that shows a direct relationship between the elastic fiber system and knee OA.

Divided and reunited maxillary artery: developmental and clinical considerations.

We describe an anatomical variation of the right maxillary artery, discovered during dissection of a male human cadaver. The right maxillary artery bifurcates into unequal superficial (larger) and deep (smaller) divisions. Each division gives off several branches that distribute to the muscles of mastication, facial structures, and teeth.

Arterio-arterial malformation between a high origin radial artery and brachial artery within the cubital fossa - its clinical and embryological significance: a case report.

Introduction: Arterial variations of the upper extremity are commonly seen in the radial and ulnar arteries. Arterial variations can be damaged through iatrogenic means if not properly documented.

Case Presentation: A rare arterial anomaly was found in a 61-year-old female cadaver consisting of an arterio-arterial malformation between a high-origin radial artery and the brachial artery within the cubital fossa.

Objective and subjective assessment of reciprocal peer teaching in medical gross anatomy laboratory.

Reciprocal peer teaching (RPT), wherein students alternate roles as teacher and learner, has been applied in several educational arenas with varying success. Here, we describe the implementation of a reciprocal peer teaching protocol in a human gross anatomy laboratory curriculum. We compared the outcomes of the RPT class with those of previous classes in which RPT was not employed.

Bigger than a breadbox; lighter than a heavy heart.

Inexact measurements can have devastating effects in sciences where precision is of paramount importance. In contrast, morphological sciences rely heavily on description, comparison, and estimation to make meaningful inferences about the structure of humans and other animals. A review of the 1918 edition of Gray's Anatomy shows that the tendency to approximate was as marked nearly a century ago as it is today.

An unusual variation of the flexor digitorum accessorius longus muscle--its anatomy and clinical significance.

In this article we describe a variant accessory muscle found in the deep posterior compartment of the leg in a 96 year-old female human cadaver. The flexor digitorum accessorius longus was found bilaterally, originating by two heads from the shafts of the tibia and fibula. The two heads of the muscle were observed to be subequal in size and none of the fleshy fibers of the muscle entered the tarsal tunnel.

Unusual accessory tendon connecting the hallucal extensors.

During routine dissection of an adult human cadaver, a suite of tendinous anomalies was discovered in the left hallucal region. Whereas the main tendon of the extensor hallucis longus muscle inserted normally, two accessory tendons were found coursing medial and lateral to the main tendon. The most lateral tendon originated from a supernumerary muscle belly and merged with the tendon of extensor hallucis brevis to form a composite tendon.

Assessing macroscopic and microscopic indicators of osteoarthritis in the distal interphalangeal joints: a cadaveric study.

Osteoarthritis is manifested both by macroscopically visible lesions and by specific histological indicators. Although traditional views of the disease process invoke physical abrasion of joint surfaces, recent studies indicate that tissue-level changes may precede grossly visible lesions of articular cartilage. This study investigates the association between gross and histological indicators of osteoarthritis at the manual interphalangeal joints, and examines a sequence of events that may lead to the onset of cartilage degeneration.

Comparative anatomy and histology of xenarthran osteoderms.

Reconstruction of soft tissues in fossil vertebrates is an enduring challenge for paleontologists. Because inferences must be based on evidence from hard tissues (typically bones or teeth), even the most complete fossils provide only limited information about certain organ systems. Osteoderms ("dermal armor") are integumentary bones with high fossilization potential that hold information about the anatomy of the skin in many extant and fossil amniotes.

The contributions of the Bartholin family to the study and practice of clinical anatomy.

Between 1585 and 1738, four members of the celebrated Bartholin family made significant contributions to anatomical science and medicine. Caspar Bartholin (the elder), two of his sons (Thomas and Rasmus), and his grandson (Caspar the younger) all served on the medical faculty of the University of Copenhagen, and helped to gain international acclaim for the institution. Over three generations, the Bartholins challenged traditional ideas about science and the human body, and discovered anatomical structures and phenomena that would prove crucial to the practice of modern medicine.

Integration of morphological data sets for phylogenetic analysis of Amniota: the importance of integumentary characters and increased taxonomic sampling.

Several mutually exclusive hypotheses have been advanced to explain the phylogenetic position of turtles among amniotes. Traditional morphology-based analyses place turtles among extinct anapsids (reptiles with a solid skull roof), whereas more recent studies of both morphological and molecular data support an origin of turtles from within Diapsida (reptiles with a doubly fenestrated skull roof). Evaluation of these conflicting hypotheses has been hampered by nonoverlapping taxonomic samples and the exclusion of significant taxa from published analyses.