Students learn and process information in many different ways. Learning styles are useful as they allow instructors to learn more about students, as well as aid in the development and application of useful teaching approaches and techniques. At the undergraduate level there is a noticeable lack of research on learning style preferences of students enrolled in gross anatomy courses. The Index of Learning Styles (ILS) questionnaire was administered to students enrolled in a large enrollment undergraduate gross anatomy course with laboratory to determine their preferred learning styles. The predominant preferred learning styles of the students (n = 505) enrolled in the gross anatomy course were active (54.9%), sensing (85.1%), visual (81.2%), and sequential (74.4%). Preferred learning styles profiles of particular majors enrolled in the course were also constructed; analyses showed minor variation in the active/reflective dimension. An understanding of students' preferred learning styles can guide course design but it should not be implemented in isolation. It can be strengthened (or weakened) by concurrent use of other tools (e.g., flipped classroom course design). Based on the preferred learning styles of the majority of undergraduate students in this particular gross anatomy course, course activities can be hands on (i.e., active), grounded in concrete information (i.e., sensing), utilize visual representation such as images, figures, models, etc. (i.e., visual), and move in small incremental steps that build on each topic (i.e., sequential). Anat Sci Educ 11: 358-365. © 2017 American Association of Anatomists.

We present a case of rapidly progressing Addison's disease in adrenal crisis with severe hyponatraemia and absence of hyperkalaemia in a 10-year-old girl. She presented with 2 weeks of vomiting, fatigue and weight loss. Her serum electrolytes obtained 1 week prior to presentation were normal, except for mild hyponatraemia at 131 mmol/L, which dropped to 112 mmol/L on admission. She had normal serum potassium, low-serum osmolality, with elevated urine sodium and osmolality, indistinguishable from syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone (SIADH). Subsequently, Addison's disease was diagnosed on the basis of gingival hyperpigmentation and undetectable cortisol on adrenocorticotropic hormone stimulation test. She rapidly responded to stress dose hydrocortisone, followed by hydrocortisone and fludrocortisone replacement therapy. The absence of hyperkalaemia in the presence of severe hyponatraemia cannot rule out Addison's disease in children. The mechanism of hypo-osmolar hyponatraemia in primary adrenal insufficiency and clinical clues to differentiate it from SIADH are discussed.

Curricular hours for anatomical sub‐disciplines (gross anatomy, embryology, histology, and neuroanatomy) continue to decline, while medical schools are simultaneously transitioning to systems‐based, vertically integrated curricula. This requires students to learn and integrate all basic science content for a learning block prior to the summative assessment. Currently, no educational technology resource exists that integrates the four anatomical sub‐disciplines into a single resource to supplement integrated curricula. The objective of this study was to assess a novel integrated anatomical sciences mobile app for medical students. The 4natomy mobile app was developed to integrate the four sub‐disciplines for a single topic, the spinal cord. The app was distributed to first‐year medical students during the neurological disorders learning. Following the learning block, assessment of the student acceptance and experience with the app was conducted through a technology acceptance model (TAM) framework survey. The results indicated that students found the app to be useful (p < 0.001) and easy to use (p < 0.05), predicting continued future usage of the app. Students requested expanded anatomy content for the entire learning block, as well as more clinical correlations, videos, and animations. The integrated anatomy mobile app developed in this study was useful and easy to use, indicating continued use within an integrated medical curriculum. This was the first study to utilize the TAM as a conceptual framework for technology assessment in medical education, suggesting that future studies that develop new technologies should adapt the TAM for user testing.

INTRODUCTION Understanding the gross anatomy of the pelvis and perineum has been a challenge for professional students for years. Dissection of this region is hampered by the complex spatial orientation of the pelvis and perineum, limited access for dissection, structural density and ambiguity as well as low anatomic efficiency (i.e. time dissecting versus number of structures identified). These limitations often result in programs minimizing dissection of the pelvis and perineum by utilizing prosected specimens as well as anatomic and computer models. RESOURCES At The Ohio State University, we have developed a novel approach to the cadaveric dissection of the pelvis and perineum that we implemented in the laboratory this past year with medical, dental and graduate students. DESCRIPTION Our approach involves the en bloc removal of the perineum from the cadaver followed by excision of the symphysis pubis. This approach closely mimics pelvic exenteration, a surgical salvage procedure used for recurrent pelvic cancers. It permits autonomous dissection of the perineal bloc while providing open access to all of the organs in the pelvis still intact. Following the examination and dissection of the midline pelvic organs, the pelvis is hemisected permitting removal of a single leg for continued dissection of the internal iliac vessels and pelvic nerves. SIGNIFICANCE We have developed and successfully piloted a novel approach to the dissection of the pelvis and perineum that appears to resolve many of the prior difficulties associated with this region. The majority of dissecting tables were able to successfully complete the new dissection approach on their first try, albeit with significant prelab preparation and GTA/faculty guidance in the lab. This approach appears to significantly improve the anatomic efficiency of pelvis and perineum dissections and provides professional students with a much better understanding of this complex region of human anatomy. Support or Funding Information (Supported by Department of Biomedical Education and Anatomy, The Ohio State University.) This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.

Objectives: To provide detailed descriptions of contraction-induced morphometric changes in the extravelar segments of the levator veli palatini (LVP) muscle using 3-dimensional (3-D) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Design: Three-dimensional MRI data were acquired at rest and during “silent /i/” from 4 singers. During silent /i/, participants voluntarily sustained velar elevation while breathing orally for the entire scan time. Focusing on the extravelar segments, LVP length, angle of the muscle origin, and cross-sectional area (CSA), measurements were obtained and compared between tasks. Results: Three of the 4 participants exhibited the expected patterns of change following concentric contraction of the LVP muscle. Consistent changes from the resting to the contracted state included reductions in LVP length by 13.5% and angle of the muscle origin by 9.8%, as well as increases in CSAs by 22.1%, on average. Conclusions: This study presented high-resolution data of the LVP muscle behavior with the first in vivo 3-D measurements of the contracted LVP muscle, which can be useful for the validation of computational models that aim at describing biomechanical properties of the LVP muscle in future research. The active behavior of the extravelar LVP muscle also provides some insight on optimal LVP muscle geometry to consider during cleft palate repair.