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The shift from traditional medical curricula to newer teaching and learning approaches such as problem-based learning has often resulted in omission or significant reduction of cadaveric dissections as a method of learning anatomy. The objective of this study was to evaluate students' perception of dissection in a graduate-entry, problem-based learning-based medical curriculum. At the end of the musculoskeletal dissection program in second year, a Likert-type questionnaire was used to explore medical student perceptions of the perceived advantages and challenges of cadaveric dissections in comparison with other anatomy teaching methods. Overall, a majority of students had a positive perception of dissections. Students who attended dissections regularly had significantly more positive perceptions about their experience and were in agreement with statements such as "dissections make learning more interesting" and "I would be disadvantaged if I did not attend dissection classes." Non-regular attendance was associated with statements about dissections such as "I do not like the smell," "time consuming," and "bored with the way it is carried-out." A follow-up study after completion of the medical program revealed a significant improvement of positive perception about dissection. Student perceptions appear to favour a role for cadaveric dissection in learning anatomy in modern medical curricula. However, optimal and effective integration of dissections is important, with consideration given to its structure and extent of content weighed against logistics and availability of resources; while addressing negative perceptions of dissection-based teaching.

Objective To determine whether regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) is abnormal in any cerebral structure of women with fibromyalgia (FM), following a report that rCBF is reduced in the thalami and heads of caudate nuclei in FM. Methods Seventeen women with FM and 22 healthy women had a resting single‐photon–emission computed tomography (SPECT) brain scan to assess rCBF and a T1‐weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan to enable precise anatomic localization. Additionally, all participants underwent 2 manual tender point examinations and completed a set of questionnaires evaluating clinical features. SPECT scans were analyzed for differences in rCBF between groups using statistical parametric mapping (SPM) and regions of interest (ROIs) manually drawn on coregistered MRI. Results Compared with control subjects, the rCBF in FM patients was significantly reduced in the right thalamus (P = 0.006), but not in the left thalamus or head of either caudate nucleus. SPM analysis indicated a statistically significant reduction in rCBF in the inferior pontine tegmentum (corrected P = 0.006 at the cluster level and corrected P = 0.023 for voxel of maximal significance), with consistent findings from ROI analysis (P = 0.003). SPM also detected a reduction in rCBF on the perimeter of the right lentiform nucleus. No correlations were found with clinical features or indices of pain threshold. Conclusion Our finding of a reduction in thalamic rCBF is consistent with findings of functional brain imaging studies of other chronic clinical pain syndromes, while our finding of reduced pontine tegmental rCBF is new. The pathophysiologic significance of these changes in FM remains to be elucidated.

Estimates of the water and sodium fluxes of unrestrained Weddell seal pups were derived from the turnover of tritiated water and 22sodium chloride throughout the nursing period. Milk intake was calculated from water influx. There was a strong correlation between daily body weight gain in pups (x̄= 1·98 ± 0·44 kg/d) and daily weight loss by dams (x̄= 4·55±1·24 kg/d; r= 0·85, p <0·001). The maximum weight loss recorded was 249 kg over 38 days. This considerable drain on the dams' energy reserves amounts to a loss of almost 60 % of the female's body weight after parturition. Mean total body water of pups decreased from 72·5 % at birth to 48·6 % at day 40 of lactation. Total milk consumption was positively correlated with body weight gain by pups (r= 0·87, p < 0.001), with daily milk intake ranging from 2·76 to 5·46 1/day (x̄= 3.54 ± 0·87 1/d). The pups gained 0·51 ± 0·08 kg body weight for each litre of milk consumed, and the efficiency of conversion of milk energy to stored energy was 52·1 ± 7·7 %. Sodium influx rates averaged 2±24 · 0±41 mmol/kg. day. Approximately 70% of sodium intake was derived from milk, with the remainder coming from the ingestion of small amounts of sea water. The high energy content of the milk (20·8 MJ/kg) and reduced milk yield (relative to body weight) means that pups can consume sufficient energy for rapid growth with comparatively brief nursing periods and short lactational duration. The relatively longer duration of lactation in the Weddell seal, during which the dams and pups engage in extensive swimming activities, has resulted in: (a) reduced daily energy intake by pups, and (b) increased percentage weight loss by dams compared to other phocids.

Anomalous muscular variants of pectoralis major have been reported on several occasions in the medical literature. Among them, chondroepitrochlearis is one of the rarest. Therefore, this study aims to provide a comprehensive description of its anatomy and subsequent clinical significance, along with its phylogenetic importance in pectoral muscle evolution with regard to primate posture. The authors suggest a more appropriate name to better reflect its proximal attachment to the costochondral junction and distal attachment to the epicondyle of humerus, as “chondroepicondylaris”; in addition, we suggest a new theory of phylogenetic significance to explain the twisting of pectoralis major tendon in primates that may have occurred with their adoption to bipedalism and arboreal lifestyle. Finally, the clinical significance of this aberrant muscle is elaborated as a cause of potential neurovascular entrapment and as a possible hurdle during axillary surgeries (i.e., mastectomy).