Student engagement is known to have several positive effects on learning outcomes and can impact a student's university experience. High levels of engagement in content‐heavy subjects can be difficult to attain. Due to a major institutional restructure, the anatomy prosection laboratory time per subject was dramatically reduced. In response, the authors set out to redesign their anatomy units with a focus on engaging the learning activities that would increase time‐on‐task both within and outside of the classroom. One of these curriculum changes was the implementation of a suite of anatomy learning activities centered on sets of three‐dimensional printed upper limb skeleton models. A two‐part mixed‐method sequential exploratory design was used to evaluate these activities. Part one was a questionnaire that evaluated the students' engagement with and perceptions of the models. Part two involved focus groups interviews, which were an extension of the survey questions in part one. The results of the study indicated that the majority of students found the models to be an engaging resource that helped improve their study habits. As a result, students strongly felt that the use of the models inspired greater academic confidence and overall better performance in their assessments. Overall, the models were an effective way of increasing the engagement and deep learning, and reinforced previous findings from the medical education research. Future research should investigate the effects of these models on student's grades within osteopathy and other allied health courses.
Photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT) is a widely adopted form of phototherapy used to treat many chronic conditions that effect the population at large. The exact physiological mechanisms of PBMT remain unsolved; however, the prevailing theory centres on changes in mitochondrial function. There are many irradiation parameters to consider when investigating PBMT, one of which is the state of polarization. There is some evidence to show that polarization of red and nearinfrared light may promote different and/or increased biological activity when compared to otherwise identical non-polarized light. These enhanced cellular effects may also be present when the polarized light is applied linear to the tissue direction. Herein, we synthesize the current experimental and clinical evidence pertaining to polarized photobiomodulation therapy; ultimately, to better inform future research into this area of phototherapy.
This study investigates the immunomodulatory effects of polychromatic polarized light therapy (PLT) on human monocyte cells. While there is some evidence demonstrating a clinical effect in the treatment of certain conditions, there is little research into its mechanism of action. Herein, U937 monocyte cells were cultured and exposed to PLT. The cells were then analyzed for change in expression of genes and cell surface markers relating to inflammation. It was noted that 6 hours of PLT reduced the expression of the CD14, MHC I and CD11b receptors, and increased the expression of CD86. It was also shown that PLT caused downregulation of the genes IL1B, CCL2, NLRP3 and NOD1, and upregulation of NFKBIA and TLR9. These findings imply that PLT has the capacity for immunomodulation in human immune cells, possibly exerting an anti‐inflammatory effect.
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