Virtual microscopy as a teaching-learning tool for histology in a competency-based medical curriculum.

Background: Histology forms an important component of first-year medical education. Unfortunately, it is limited to the practical laboratory due to the need for a microscope and good quality slides. Virtual microscopy is a recent advancement, which uses computers as an alternative to microscopes.

Structured, functional histology practical modules: An answer to medical students' histology nightmare and the way forward for relevant histology instruction in the Indian undergraduate medical curriculum?

Background: . It is often a challenge to make histology instruction relevant and interesting. We assessed whether structured, worksheet-based histology practical modules with emphasis on functional histology and clinical application, would improve the learning experience and help students focus on relevant functional and clinical correlates.

A computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging study of the variations of the sciatic nerve branches of the pediatric knee: Implications for peripheral nerve blockade.

In pediatric patients, peripheral anesthetic blockade of the sciatic nerve is useful for postoperative pain relief after orthopedic procedures of the lower limb. The identification of the sciatic and its branches relative to the surrounding anatomical structures of the knee significantly contribute to the successful nerve blockade. However, reports have demonstrated complications arising from the inadequate and inconsistent understanding of the anatomy of the nerves in the knee region.

Do turbinate reduction procedures restore epithelial integrity in patients with turbinate hypertrophy secondary to allergic rhinitis? A histopathological study.

Purpose: Consensus has not been reached regarding the optimal reduction procedure for inferior turbinate hypertrophy in allergic rhinitis and whether such procedures result in improvement in mucosal architecture.

Methods: Twenty-nine patients aged 18-45 years (mean 26.8 years), with allergic rhinitis and inferior turbinate hypertrophy not responsive to medical therapy who underwent endoscopic submucosal diathermy (ESMD) (14 patients) or endoscopic submucosal resection (ESMR) (15 patients) with intraoperative and 3-6 months postoperative inferior turbinate biopsies, were included in the study.

Vertical integration of basic science in final year of medical education.

Background: Development of health professionals with ability to integrate, synthesize, and apply knowledge gained through medical college is greatly hampered by the system of delivery that is compartmentalized and piecemeal. There is a need to integrate basic sciences with clinical teaching to enable application in clinical care.

Aim: To study the benefit and acceptance of vertical integration of basic science in final year MBBS undergraduate curriculum.

Different subsets of Langerhans cells in human uterine tubes and uterus.

Aim: Langerhans cells (LC) are antigen-presenting cells present in tissues with high antigenic exposure. Their role in the upper female reproductive tract is not fully understood. This study aims to determine the distribution and morphology of LC in the normal and post-partum human uterine tubes and uterus by staining with the specific LC markers, CD1a and zinc iodide-osmium (ZIO), and to determine their association with helper and cytotoxic T cells.

Langerhans cells in the human tympanic membrane in health and disease: a morphometric analysis.

Hypothesis: The normal tympanic membrane contains Langerhans dendritic cells, and they play a role in the pathogenesis of chronic suppurative otitis media.

Background: The presence of Langerhans dendritic cells in the normal tympanic membrane is disputed. However, they have been identified in tympanic membranes of patients with otitis media.

Horner syndrome and VI nerve paresis as a diagnostic clue to a hidden lesion.

A 33-year-old man treated elsewhere for an isolated VI cranial nerve paresis underwent an attempted transnasal biopsy of a large space-occupying lesion in the cavernous sinus and petrous apex seen on a CT scan. During the procedure, he developed severe bleeding and hypovolaemic shock. When he came to us 2 years later, he had Homer syndrome along with a mild VI nerve paresis that aided in localizing the lesion to the carotid canal and the posterior cavernous sinus.