Purpose : Bodies for purpose of dissection and organs for transplantation surgeries are needed for education of medical students and treatment of cases of end-stage organ failure. However deceased organ donation rate in India is very dismal. In the present study the authors assess the knowledge and attitude of the people living in an urban city in India towards organ and body donation. Materials/Methods : A questionnaire was distributed amongst all willing patients and their relatives attending the out-patient Department at our Hospital. This was followed by an awareness session wherein the researchers discussed body and organ donation and its need in India. Information sheet was handed to all and the willing respondents were given eye and body donation forms, and donor cards. Result: 41/65 people consented to participate. 41.5%, 31.7%, 12.2% and 12.2% had obtained knowledge regarding organ donation from newspaper, television, family members and internet respectively. 26.8% claimed that they were imparted knowledge by health care professionals. 78%, 53.7% and 19.5% were aware about eye, kidney and liver donations respectively. 17.1% were aware of body and lung donation each. Awareness of donation of other organs was found to be in the range between 4.9% to 14.6%. 43.9% were willing to be organ donors and 3 persons filled the body donation forms. Conclusion: Newspapers, healthcare professionals could be utilized to further the awareness regarding body and organ donation. Carrying out awareness programmes will help to reach information to each individual, clarifying any myths and increasing understanding and motivation levels among

Introduction. All over the world people on organ transplant waiting lists die due to shortage of donor organs. The success of organ donation program needs education of the population regarding organ donation for which healthcare professionals are most suitable. The present study was taken up to assess the knowledge and attitude of 1st, 2ndand 3rdyear medical students about organ donation. Methods. A specially designed self-administered questionnaire was distributed amongst all willing 1st, 2nd and 3rdyear medical students at our Medical College and later analyzed statistically. Results. A total of 157, 145 and 92 students from each year of medical education respectively gave their consent for participation in the study. Awareness regarding organ donation was found to be 98.7-100%, 69.4% claimed television as their source of information regarding organ donation and 46.7% stated that it is possible for patient to recover from brain death. The awareness regarding eye, liver, heart and kidney donations was found to be 92.4%, 87%, 87% and 97.8%, respectively. 87% of medical students were aware of need for legal supervision, and awareness regarding the existing laws was found to be 57.6%. Conclusion. Medical students had a high level of awareness and a positive attitude towards organ donation. However, knowledge regarding “brain-death”, organs and tissues donated, legislation and ethical issues was poor. A teaching intervention designed to specifically address these issues could help increase the confidence of the health-care professionals and may result finally in increased organ procurement rates.

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Background:The Extensor pollicis longus and brevis and abductor pollicis longus muscles have evolved progressively in different primates according to the function expected from the pollux finger. Analysis of individual muscles in different primates can help our understanding of evolution. Aims and objective: The present study was undertaken to study these three muscles and to note the variations therein and to attempt to explain the existence of these variations on the probable basis of their evolutionary history. Methodology: The extensor pollicis longus, brevis and abductor pollicis longus muscles were dissected meticulously in 100 upper limbs of adult cadavers. Results: In case of extensor pollicis longus and extensor pollicis brevis, 2% incidence of duplication of muscle and 1% of duplication of tendon and 1% incidence of duplication of muscle and 2% of duplication of tendon was observed respectively. In case of abductor pollicis longus 23% incidence of variation was observed. The muscle was observed to split into multiple tendons of muscles to have widespread attachment beyond the 1st metacarpal bone. Conclusion: The extensor pollicis longus with minimum variation seems to have settled in its evolutionary trajectory. In 8% of abductor pollicis longus studied, superficial and deep heads were observed. Oudenaarde states that the superficial head is used for range of movement and the deep set of fibers are used for strength of contraction. Elliot observes that the wide attachment of the abductor pollicis longus on the muscles abductor pollicis brevis and the opponens pollicis, the 1st carpometacarpal joint capsule and trapezium bone could be for better anchorage for radial deviation at the wrist joint. The extensor pollicis brevis muscle is seen as a separate muscle only in humans, hylobatids and gorillas whereas in all other primates. The chimpanzee hand seems to have evolved one step further with two extensor pollicis brveis muscles.

Organ shortage is the greatest challenge facing the field of organ transplantation today. We aimed to study the attitude and knowledge toward body and organ donation among people in rural India. The present study was conducted in a rural town called Lanja, in the Konkan region of Maharashtra in India. A questionnaire covering demographic data, knowledge, and attitude of the participants was distributed to 400 students, middle-aged and senior citizens; 91.5% of the respondents were aware about organ donation. Television (55.2%) and newspaper (45.8%) were the most popular sources of information. About 56.2% and 32.8% believed that a healthy person and a cardiac dead person can be donors, respectively. Nearly 29.4% believed that a brain-dead person can be a donor and 22.4% clearly stated as to be having no idea regarding the health status of a donor. Highest awareness was observed regarding eye donation (92%). High awareness was also observed regarding heart, kidney, and liver donations, that is, 71.1%, 61.2%, and 54.2%, respectively. Awareness regarding donation of other tissues and organs was poor. Only 46.8% believed that the family of the deceased person can give consent for organ donation if the donor had not signed the donor card. Awareness regarding both body and organ donation in rural India is high. However, there is lack of understanding regarding the concept of brain-death. Awareness regarding body and other organ and tissue donations besides eye, kidney, etc., needs further awareness drives.