Coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid‐19) created unparalleled challenges to anatomy education. Gross anatomy education has been particularly impacted given the traditional in‐person format of didactic instruction and/or laboratory component(s). To assess the changes in gross anatomy lecture and laboratory instruction, assessment, and teaching resources utilized as a result of Covid‐19, a survey was distributed to gross anatomy educators through professional associations and listservs. Of the 67 survey responses received for the May–August 2020 academic period, 84% were from United States (US) institutions, while 16% were internationally based. Respondents indicated that in‐person lecture decreased during Covid‐19 (before: 76%, during: 8%, P < 0.001) and use of cadaver materials declined (before: 76 ± 33%, during: 34 ± 43%, P < 0.001). The use of cadaver materials in laboratories decreased during Covid‐19 across academic programs, stand‐alone and integrated anatomy courses, and private and public institutions (P ≤ 0.004). Before Covid‐19, cadaveric materials used in laboratories were greater among professional health programs relative to medical and undergraduate programs (P ≤ 0.03) and among stand‐alone relative to integrated anatomy courses (P ≤ 0.03). Furthermore, computer‐based assessment increased (P < 0.001) and assessment materials changed from cadaveric material to images (P < 0.03) during Covid‐19, even though assessment structure was not different (P > 0.05). The use of digital teaching resources increased during Covid‐19 (P < 0.001), with reports of increased use of in‐house created content, BlueLink, and Complete Anatomy software (P < 0.05). While primarily representing US institutions, this study provided evidence of how anatomy educators adapted their courses, largely through virtual mediums, and modified laboratory protocols during the initial emergence of the Covid‐19 pandemic.

Covid‐19 disrupted the in‐person teaching format of anatomy. To study changes in gross anatomy education that occurred August‐December, 2020 compared to before the pandemic, an online survey was distributed to anatomy educators. The 191 responses received were analyzed in total and by academic program, geographic region, and institution type. Cadaver use decreased overall (before: 74.1 ± 34.1%, during: 50.3 ± 43.0%, P < 0.0001), as well as across allopathic and osteopathic medicine, therapy, undergraduate, and veterinary programs ( P < 0.05), but remained unchanged for other programs ( P > 0.05). Cadaver use decreased internationally and in the US ( P < 0.0001), at public and private ( P < 0.0001) institutions, and among allopathic medical programs in Northeastern, Central, and Southern ( P < 0.05), but not Western, US geographical regions. Laboratories during Covid‐19 were delivered through synchronous (59%), asynchronous (4%), or mixed (37%) formats ( P < 0.0001) and utilized digital resources (47%), dissection (32%), and/or prosection (21%) ( P < 0.0001). The practical laboratory examination persisted during Covid‐19 ( P = 0.419); however, the setting and materials shifted to computer‐based ( P < 0.0001) and image‐based ( P < 0.0001), respectively. In‐person lecture decreased during Covid‐19 (before: 88%, during: 24%, P = 0.003). When anatomy digital resources were categorized, dissection media, interactive software, and open‐access content increased (P ≤ 0.008), with specific increases in BlueLink, Acland’s Videos, and Complete Anatomy ( P < 0.05). This study provided evidence of how gross anatomy educators continued to adapt their courses past the early stages of the pandemic.

BackgroundThe risk of developing cardiovascular disease can be directly correlated to one’s resting blood pressure (BP), age, and biological sex. Resting BP may be successfully reduced using handgrip exercise training, although the impact of age and sex on training effectiveness has yet to be systematically evaluated. The objective of this systematic review is to determine this impact of age and sex on handgrip-induced changes to resting BP.MethodsData sources included MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Reviews, CINAHL, SPORTDiscus, Web of Science, AMED, PubMed, and Scopus through May 2018. Eligibility criteria were those with prospective handgrip exercise training of ≥ 4 weeks with reported impact on resting systolic BP (SBP). Screening of articles, data extraction, and quality appraisal were completed in duplicate. When necessary, the corresponding authors were contacted to provide segregated data based on age (younger, 18–54 years; aged, > 55 years) and sex (men, women) categories. SBP was primarily explored with numerous secondary outcomes of interest summarized as a narrative synthesis.ResultsAfter screening 1789 articles, 26 full texts were reviewed. Eight studies reported data in a way that facilitated age and sex comparisons of primary outcomes, while 7 of 18 studies reporting pooled data (men and women) provided segregated results. Research spans 1992–2018 and represents 466 participants; at least 43.1% of whom are women. Although weighted mean differences reveal that handgrip training-induced SBP reductions are similar when merely comparing sexes (women; − 5.6 mmHg, men; − 4.4 mmHg) or ages (younger; − 5.7 mmHg, aged; − 4.4 mmHg), when the impact of sex and age is simultaneously evaluated, aged women experience the largest reduction in SBP (− 6.5 mmHg). Many factors were explored for their impact on resting BP reductions and have been summarized in the corresponding narrative synthesis.ConclusionsHandgrip exercise is an effective modality for resting BP reduction resulting in clinically significant reductions for men and women of all ages.Systematic review registrationPROSPERO CRD42015019792

This pilot study successfully shows the potential utility of high-intensity intermittent handgrip exercise for improvements in cardiovascular health among postmenopausal women, with additional research required to further explore the underlying physiological mechanisms driving such improvements.

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