Background: Medical field and its curriculum is dynamic in nature which keeps on adding huge data each year, thus overburdening the students with content information. Most of the colleges in India teach subject in isolation with little or no attempt to integrate in basic science. This leads to confusion in students mind due to different opinion leading to improper grasping of these basic foundation subjects. Integration allows organization of teaching matter to unify subjects frequently taught in separate academic departments. Aims and Objectives: The aim of this study is to finding the perception and learning by integrated teaching approach for first-year medical students. Materials and Methods: A total of 150 students enrolled for the academic year 2016-2017 in medical program of Sumandeep Vidyapeeth were considered. Non-randomized and purposive study was done by providing survey questionnaire. Two focus group discussions (FGD) were conducted with 15 students in each group after completion of session. Pre-post test was conducted to assess learning outcome of students by feedback methodology. Data were collected, analyzed statistically using paired t-test and correlation analysis for gender variability for perception. Results: Pre-post test showed statistical significance (P < 0.001) for learning after each integrated session. Survey questionnaire and FGD results implied that students' learning process was enhanced by this teaching approach. Although statistical significance for gender variability as per perception was only for two questions among 27. About 71-79% of students accepted that sessions allowed them for better understanding and relate clinical implication of the course. Conclusion: In-depth understanding of the application of course content was achieved other than that it encouraged student's intellectual curiosity. They wanted to have these sessions frequently and for various other topics with other departments.
Background & aimThe spinal cord is the continuation of the brain from the lower point of the medulla and the terminal portion of the developing neural tube. The spinal cord develops within the bony canal, called the vertebral canal, formed by the union of individual vertebrae in the vertebral column. Initially, the development of the length of the vertebral column and spinal cord are the same but later on undergo alterations. The growth of the vertebral column is faster than that of the spinal cord because the spinal cord appears to terminate early within the vertebral canal. To measure the length of the spinal cord and lowermost point of conus medullaris in the third trimester gestational age fetuses.
Material and methodsThe present cross-section observational study was carried out on 30 fetuses collected from the museum of the Anatomy Department and Obstetrics and Gynecology Department. Before starting the study, permission and approval from the university's ethical committee were received. The dissection of fetuses includes the incision of the skin, removal of superficial and deep muscles, and a laminectomy. The meninges were cut and removed to note the vertebra level of the termination of the spinal cord. The spinal cord was taken out, and the total length of the spinal cord was measured. The fetuses were categorized into three groups determined by their gestational age (the first group was 28-31 weeks, the second group was 32-35 weeks, and the third group was 36-40 weeks).
ObservationIn the present study, 81.8% of male fetuses were in the 36-40 weeks gestational age group, and 52.6 % of female fetuses were in the 32-35 weeks, gestational age group. The mean length of the spinal cords was 14.74±1.45cm, with a range of 10.95 cm to a maximum of 16.60 cm. In the full-term gestational age group, male fetuses had a greater length of spinal cord than female fetuses. Sixteen fetuses had a spinal cord termination at level L2, followed by eight fetuses at the L3 level and six fetuses at the L4 level. Out of 11 male fetuses, eight fetuses had spinal cord termination at the L2 vertebra level, two at the L3 level, and one fetus at the L4 level. In female fetuses, eight had a spinal cord termination at the L2 level, six at the L3 level, and five at the L4 level.
ConclusionThe spinal cord length and level of conus medullaris depend on the age of the fetuses. In prenatal diagnosis for different spinal cord pathology, these values can be used as reference values in future studies.
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