BACKGROUND Rhinosporidiosis is a chronic granulomatous disease caused by the eukaryotic organism, Rhinosporidium seeberi affecting humans and animals. This disease is endemic in several parts of South Asia. The principal purpose of this study was to assess the clinical features of rhinosporidiosis and the demographic profile of the disease in the Ernakulam district. The role of predisposing factors like bathing in ponds, nose-picking habits and the postoperative recurrence rate in the patients were also studied. METHODS This retrospective record-based study was conducted in a tertiary care centre in Ernakulam district of Kerala, India, from January 2014 to June 2016. Clinicopathological profile, demographic data of the patients including their area of residence were retrieved from the records. All patients underwent routine haematological investigation and nasal endoscopy. All rhinosporidial masses were excised and their base cauterised under general anaesthesia, with the aid of endoscope. All patients were given dapsone for 6 months. All cases were followed up for a one-year postoperative period. The retrospective data obtained were entered in Microsoft Excel spreadsheet and analysed. RESULTS The patients in the series were between 14 to 60 years of age. There were 12 male and 3 female patients. Most patients came from the urban areas of the Ernakulam district. The main symptoms were nasal obstruction, epistaxis and nasal mass. The nose and nasopharynx were the commonest sites involved. The inferior meatus and floor of the nasal cavity were the common sites of attachment. Most of the nasal masses were pedunculated and multiple. Recurrent cases, which had previously been operated elsewhere formed the majority in the case series. None of the operated cases in the series showed recurrence during one year follow up. Most cases were associated with the O+ blood group. Nasal synechia was the most common sequelae of repeated surgeries. CONCLUSIONS This study revealed the endemic nature of this disease in Ernakulam and surrounding districts. The results showed the disease was associated more with the male gender, the young, bathing in stagnant water and the O+ blood group. Most of the cases came from an urban background. The study showed the complications of recurrent surgeries and the need for careful removal of the rhinosporidial masses under general anaesthesia. It also emphasises the need for educating the general public against bathing in contaminated water bodies. KEY WORDS Rhinosporidiosis, Rhinosporidium, Epidemiology, Recurrence, Retrospective Studies

BACKGROUND Many students attending ENT clinical postings were found to have difficulty in conceptualising the 3-dimensional (3 D) anatomy of the ear, nose and throat. Students in project-based learning (PBL) classrooms obtained higher scores than students in traditional classrooms. PBL using clay model and modelling compound have been successfully used to improve the 3 D anatomical understanding in medical students. The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of PBL over lecture in the acquisition of 3 D anatomical knowledge among third-year undergraduate medical students and also to understand the student perception towards PBL. METHODS This quasi-experimental study was done at GMC, Ernakulam among 84 third-year undergraduate medical (MBBS) students who had given consent for the study. They were divided into 3 batches according to roll numbers (28 students in each). Two topics in ENT anatomy were selected. 14 students of one batch attended lecture class, while the remaining 14 attended PBL class. This was repeated for the remaining two batches. In the next week, a cross-over was given for the second topic. Pre-test and post-test for both topics were administered to all the students before and after the sessions. Feedback regarding the student perceptions about PBL was obtained. RESULTS There was a statistically significant difference between the mean of pre-test and post-test scores (p values of 0.001) in both lecture and PBL groups in both topics. The mean of pre-test scores of the lecture group and PBL in both topics did not show any significant difference. There was a statistically significant difference between the mean of post-test scores in the case of nose topic (p value 0.004). 88% of students had a favourable view of PBL as a teaching methodology. There was no statistically significant difference across the genders in their perception of the PBL as a teaching-learning method. (p value 0.314) CONCLUSIONS The study shows that both PBL and lecture brought about significant change in the knowledge level of the student. The students had a favourable opinion regarding PBL as a teaching method. However, PBL was not found to be more beneficial than conventional lecture in the acquisition of knowledge. KEY WORDS Anatomy Education; Medical Education; Project-Based Learning; Didactic Lecture.