BackgroundThe amount of time spent living with disease greatly influences elderly people’s wellbeing, disability and healthcare costs, but differs by disease, age and sex.MethodsWe assessed how various single and combined diseases differentially affect life years spent living with disease in Dutch elderly men and women (65+) over their remaining life course. Multistate life table calculations were applied to age and sex-specific disease prevalence, incidence and death rates for the Netherlands in 2007. We distinguished congestive heart failure, coronary heart disease (CHD), breast and prostate cancer, colon cancer, lung cancer, diabetes, COPD, stroke, dementia and osteoarthritis.ResultsAcross ages 65, 70, 75, 80 and 85, CHD caused the most time spent living with disease for Dutch men (from 7.6 years at age 65 to 3.7 years at age 85) and osteoarthritis for Dutch women (from 11.7 years at age 65 to 4.8 years at age 85). Of the various co-occurrences of disease, the combination of diabetes and osteoarthritis led to the most time spent living with disease, for both men (from 11.2 years at age 65 to 4.9 -years at age 85) and women (from 14.2 years at age 65 to 6.0 years at age 85).ConclusionsSpecific single and multi-morbid diseases affect men and women differently at different phases in the life course in terms of the time spent living with disease, and consequently, their potential disability. Timely sex and age-specific interventions targeting prevention of the single and combined diseases identified could reduce healthcare costs and increase wellbeing in elderly people.

Anatomy and mortuary technical staff faces an ever existing risk of contracting an infectious disease, such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB), when exposed to human remains. The transfer and handling of a corpse expels air from the lungs of the diseased and this aerosolizes the bacilli. It is for this reason that personal protective equipment and work space precautions such as ultraviolet germicidal irradiation is a necessity. In this study, the authors explore the viability of MTB before and after embalming. Briefly, lung tissue samples, both apical and hilar, were obtained from 20 cadavers whose death certificate indicated MTB as cause of death. The first sample was taken before embalming and second set 3 weeks after embalming. Tissue was deposited into sterile specimen containers and transported for analysis which included Mycobacterium growth indicator tube cultures and polymerase chain reaction. Results demonstrated that both the apical and the perihilar sample tested positive prior to embalming, 36 days after death. After three weeks post-embalming none tested positive. The results demonstrated that MTB can remain viable after death for up to 36 days. This viability extends beyond the documented cases and highlights the need for precautionary measures and standard operating procedures in accordance with occupational health and safety guidelines.

The COVID-19 pandemic forced changes to online teaching worldwide. The Clinical Anatomy journal club (JC) is key in the Bachelor of Science Honours (BScHons) programme and aims to improve scientific appraisal and communication abilities in anatomical research. An online JC through synchronous contact between members was deemed fitting as it could bridge the newly enforced geographical limitations due to the national lockdown in South Africa. Although common in clinical specialties, there are no published reports of anatomy themed online JCs. This project aimed to develop, implement, and appraise a synchronous virtual JC for Clinical Anatomy during the COVID-19 South African lockdown. A qualitative exploratory study design within an interpretive/constructivist paradigm was followed and aimed to explore students’ perceptions of a virtual anatomy JC during the lockdown. The study was conducted at a South African institution, within the BScHons programme, and all enrolled students were invited to participate. Upon receipt of informed consent, an anonymous questionnaire was administered via Moodle for the BScHons students. The responses were analysed by thematic analysis, codes were developed, and themes were generated. Two main themes were generated from the results: the first related to the virtual format of the JC and the second focused on the content and topics covered during the JC sessions. The Clinical Anatomy staff and students adapted rapidly to the virtual JC and formed a community of practice. The benefits of teaching and learning within JC were maintained during the virtual format. It is envisioned that the JC will continue in a hybrid format (face-to-face and virtual) in future academic years. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40670-021-01325-8.

With the emergence of the Covid‐19 pandemic in 2020, it was difficult to predict if the “cadaveric‐based (golden) standard” of teaching anatomy would be possible in the unforeseeable future. This forced traditional anatomical teaching and learning practices to be transitioned to remote online platforms. This study explored the opinions of anatomy students (n = 51), on their online learning experience of anatomy during the Covid‐19 pandemic. A mixed methods approach using a descriptive, exploratory study design was conducted, by use of an online survey. The survey consisted of a six‐point Likert scale and was assembled into four sub‐categories. Likert scale options ranged from; strongly disagree, to strongly agree, and not applicable. Results obtained seem to tally with expectations, indicating an adequate theoretical course component with room to improve practical online teaching. Most participants had a positive perception of the theoretical course content, duration, and platforms of communication. Virtual classes were simple to navigate with few technical difficulties experienced by the participants. Students also noted having access to sufficient study material, videos, and additional online material. Overall, more than half of all participants reported adapting well to the remote learning environment, however, the greatest challenge experienced highlighted a sense of deprivation from the lack of cadaver exposure and hands‐on instruction. This research highlighted the effects of the pandemic on the modality of anatomy education and how it affected students. Although anatomy is multi‐modal, it can be concluded that it is possible to achieve academic success by using online learning methods.

Traditional resources used to teach anatomy include didactic lectures and interactive cadaver dissections (Turney, 2007;Papa & Vaccarezza, 2013). However, literature debates over the efficacy of traditional resources, as more clinically relevant pedagogies are on the rise. In Africa, the efficacy of shifts in anatomical curricula is under reported, although it has been medical schools around the continent are adopting these modern and clinically relevant anatom-