OBJECTIVES:The objective of this study was designed to investigate medical students’ perceptions of small group teaching effectiveness in a hybrid curriculum.MATERIALS AND METHODS:A cross-sectional, descriptive survey was conducted at the School of Medicine, The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine where we collected the data from 195 undergraduate students. A self-administered questionnaire consisting of 25 items was used to measure students’ perception on the effectiveness of problem-based learning (PBL) with regard to learning experience, teamwork, confidence, communication skills, and role of the tutor. Statistical analyses included mean and standard deviation for the description of each item; t-test to compare the mean scores for gender and class year, and one-way analysis of variance between groups for age group comparisons.RESULTS:The students overall perceptions of small group teaching effectiveness showed that the PBL sessions were beneficial to their learning process (mean: 3.63 ± 0.46). Students have positive perceptions toward small group effectiveness, particularly in learning experience (mean: 3.98 ± 0.63) and teamwork (mean: 3.67 ± 0.58). The mean scores, measuring teamwork, for 2nd year students was significantly higher than that for 1st year students (3.76 ± 0.55 and 3.55 ± 0.60 respectively, P = 013). A similar significant trend was observed between 2nd year and 1st year students on communication skills (3.48 ± 0.67 and 3.29 ± 0.55, respectively, P = 0.046).CONCLUSIONS:PBL is an effective small group teaching method for medical students. Faculty development and students’ training programs are required before implementing PBL.

Variations in the origin of arteries in the abdomen are very common. The arteries that show frequent variations include the celiac trunk, renal arteries, and gonadal arteries. We observed multiple variations in a 45-year-old male cadaver. The variations found on the left side were: one accessory renal artery, two testicular arteries, and middle suprarenal and inferior phrenic arteries that branched from the celiac trunk. On the right side, the inferior phrenic and middle suprarenal arteries arose from the right renal artery.

The skin of the fruit and the bark of Punica granatum are used as a traditional remedy against diarrhea, dysentery, and intestinal parasites. The fruit skin extract of P. granatum was tested for its wound healing activity in rats using an excision wound model. The animals were divided into three groups of six each. The experimental group of animals was topically treated with P. granatum at a dose of 100 mg/kg every day for 15 days, while the controls and standard group animals were treated with petroleum jelly and mupirocin ointment, respectively. Phytochemical analysis of the extract revealed the presence of saponins, triterpenes, tannins, alkaloids, flavonoids, and cardiac glycosides. Extract-treated animals exhibited 95% reduction in the wound area when compared with controls (84%), which was statistically significant (P<.01). The extract-treated wounds were found to epithelize faster compared with controls. The hydroxyproline content of extract-treated animals was significantly higher than controls (P<.05). The fruit skin extract did not show any antimicrobial activity against the microrganisms tested. P. granatum promotes significant wound healing in rats and further evaluation of this activity in humans is suggested.

Background: Stressful environment in medical school often has a negative effect on students' psychosocial well-being. An in-depth understanding of how medical students experience psychological distress and coping is necessary for the prospective students. Objectives: To estimate the prevalence of psychological distress among undergraduate medical students and its association with some demographic factors. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted among 380 medical students in the University of the West Indies, Saint Augustine. The questionnaires used in this study consisted of two components – (i) the demographic information that required participants to provide their gender, age, year of study, and nationality and (ii) Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21 items to measure the levels of psychological distress among participants. Results: Anxiety was the most prevalent psychological distress among medical students, with 63% of them having anxiety symptoms. Depression was found to be the second most common psychological distress, with a prevalence of 51%, while 48% of the students suffered from stress. In further analysis, we found that Trinbagonian students were more depressed than the students from Caribbean Community and other nationality. Higher anxiety score was significantly associated with gender and age of the students. There was a significant association between students from different age groups and level of stress. Conclusions: A considerable number of students studying medicine are suffering from psychological distress. Intervention programs to address the mental health problems of such students should be initiated.

During routine dissection for the undergraduate medical students, we encountered an unusual, additional muscle in the anterior compartment of the forearm. This muscle took origin from the anterior surface of the radius in common with the flexor digitorum superficialis muscle. It had a tendon of origin and a tendon of insertion. Its fleshy radial belly and the tendon of insertion, crossed superficial to the median nerve. The muscle was inserted partly to the flexor retinaculum and partly to the undersurface of palmar aponeurosis. The observations made by us in the present case will supplement our knowledge of variations of the muscles in this region which could be useful for hand surgeons as it could possibly compress the median nerve because of its close relationship to it.