In coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19), higher morbidity and mortality are associated with age, male gender, and comorbidities, such as chronic lung diseases, cardiovascular pathologies, hypertension, kidney diseases, diabetes mellitus, and obesity. All of the above conditions are characterized by increased sympathetic discharge, which may exert significant detrimental effects on COVID‐19 patients, through actions on the lungs, heart, blood vessels, kidneys, metabolism, and/or immune system. Furthermore, COVID‐19 may also increase sympathetic discharge, through changes in blood gases (chronic intermittent hypoxia, hyperpnea), angiotensin‐converting enzyme (ACE)1/ACE2 imbalance, immune/inflammatory factors, or emotional distress. Nevertheless, the potential role of the sympathetic nervous system has not yet been considered in the pathophysiology of COVID‐19. In our opinion, sympathetic overactivation could represent a so‐far undervalued mechanism for a vicious circle between COVID‐19 and comorbidities.

Quality management improvement has become a recent focus of attention in medical education. The program for the donation of bodies and body parts (Body Donation Program) at the University of Padova has recently been subjected to a global quality management standard, the ISO 9001:2008 certification. The aim of the present work is to show how the above standard is useful in enhancing the efficiency of body donation procedures and the quality and output of medical education. The program is managed by means of the following interlinked procedures: the collection of body donations, death certificates, data, and body parts from living donors; the transportation and identification of cadavers; the management of bodies, body parts, equipment, instruments, purchasing of necessary materials, and setting up anatomical training sessions; the management of preventive and corrective actions; the management of documents and registration; the management of internal and external quality audits; and the review of outcomes and improvement planning. Monitoring indicators are identified in the numbers of donors and of donated body parts per year, education sessions, and satisfaction of learners and donors, as evaluated by questionnaires. The process management approach, the integrated involvement of medical, technical, and administrative staff in defining procedures, and the application of monitoring indicators allow quality improvement in all aspects of the Body Donation Program.

The carotid body (CB) plays a contributory role in the pathogenesis of various respiratory, cardiovascular, renal and metabolic diseases, through reflex changes in ventilation and sympathetic output. On the basis of available data about peripheral arterial chemoreception and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome - Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2), a potential involvement in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) may be hypothesized through different mechanisms. The CB could be a site of SARS-CoV2 invasion, due to local expression of its receptor (Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme (ACE) 2), and an alternative route of nervous system invasion, through retrograde transport along the carotid sinus nerve. The CB function could be affected by COVID-19-induced inflammatory/immune reactions and/or ACE1/ACE2 imbalance, both at local or systemic level. Increased peripheral arterial chemosensitivity and reflex sympatho-activation may contribute to the increased morbidity/mortality in COVID-19 patients with respiratory, cardiovascular, renal or metabolic comorbidities.

Introduction Anatomy has traditionally been taught via dissection and didactic lectures. The rising prevalence of informatics plays an increasingly important role in medical education. It is hypothesized that virtual dissection can express added value to the traditional one. Methods Second-year medical students were randomised to study anatomical structures by virtual dissection (intervention) or textbooks (controls), according to the CONSORT guidelines. Subsequently, they applied to the corresponding gross dissection, with a final test on their anatomical knowledge. Univariate analysis and multivariable binary logistic regression were performed. Results The rate of completed tests was 76.7%. Better overall test performance was detected for the group that applied to the virtual dissection (OR 3.75 with 95% CI 0.91–15.49; p = 0.06). A comparable performance between groups in basic anatomical knowledge (p 0.45 to 0.92) but not muscles and 2D-3D reporting of anatomical structures was found, for which the virtual dissection was of tendential benefit (p 0.08 to 0.13). Medical students who applied to the virtual dissection were over three times more likely to report a positive outcome at the post-dissection test than those who applied to textbooks of topographical anatomy. This would be of benefit with particular reference to the understanding of 2D–3D spatial relationships between anatomical structures. Conclusion The combination of virtual to traditional gross dissection resulted in a significant improvement of second-year medical students’ learning outcomes. It could be of help in maximizing the impact of practical dissection, overcoming the contraction of economic resources, and the shortage of available bodies.