The need for alternative and more productive teaching methods and materials that supplement the traditional lecture format is increasingly being emphasized in medical education. The new teaching tools should encourage students to interact with each other and also with the teachers and should enhance critical thinking. To help students understand and realize the importance of proper prescription writing and the magnitude of this problem, we developed this simple PowerPoint game based on the TV game show, 'Jeopardy'. At the end of the activity the students rated the activity highly and mentioned that they would like to have similar activities for other topics as well.
While it is generally believed that the teaching assistants (TAs) who work under the direction of faculty strengthens the organization of gross anatomy course, the contribution of TAs in the overall teaching‐learning outcome of gross anatomy courses in Caribbean medical schools is unknown. A structured questionnaire was given to first semester students who recently received the help from TAs in gross anatomy laboratory in St. Matthews University, Grand Cayman. Approximately 80 percent of students preferred TAs on each station during small group discussion to help comprehend the objectives as well wanted to continue to have TAs to pursue further study.
The traditional format for the transmission of knowledge in the class room has been the delivery of the teaching material in a didactic lecture format. With the Medical education growing tremendously, there are numerous alternatives in order to provide opportunities for students to engage actively in the construction of knowledge. In Medical Pharmacology course, we have embarked on teaching a part of the course using the case based teaching format allowing short discussions among students in between the lectures. This alternative was expected to help the students to evoke critical thinking that is central to understanding the discipline.This study is not an argument to support the superiority of this kind of teaching, but just to learn about the student's perception on two different teaching methodologies in the Medical Pharmacology course.Students enrolled in the Medical Pharmacology took part in this study. This study involved the students answering a questionnaire rating specific components (on a 5 point scale) in each teaching methodology.A total of 119 responses were received. The analysis of results is shown in the table below.One item in the questionnaire asked about the duration of time students spend on an average understanding the topics following these two teaching methodologies. The results showed that on an average the students spent 4.5 hours and 2.5 hours following the traditional didactic teaching and the new case based teaching format respectively.Overall results clearly show that the students' preferred case based teaching case based teaching format allowing short discussions among students in between the lectures This in their perception had:• Reduced the time required for further studying and understanding of the topic• Enhanced their communication skills• Helped in integration of pharmacology and medicine• Created an interest in learning• Evoked parallel thinking
Psoriasis is one of the most common immune‐mediated skin disorders. In allopathic medicine the first‐line therapy for patients with moderate to severe psoriasis is the application of topical agents, followed by phototherapy for more extensive disease. Second‐line agents include PUVA, acitretin, methotrexate, cyclosporine or other immunosuppressive agents. New biologics like infliximab, etanercept, alefacept, ustekinumab have revolutionized the management of severe psoriasis. These agents act by blocking the action of T cell, TNF‐alpha or IL‐ 12 and 23. These medical approaches do not offer a complete cure for this disorder especially when initiated long after the occurrence of lesions. These treatment options are associated with moderate to serious adverse drug reactions. With strict dietary and life style modifications Ayurvedic and Siddha medicine treatment approaches, both of which are practiced in India for hundreds of years, offer an alternative approach in the management of psoriasis. Compounds derived from herbs such Wrightia tinctoria, Cynadon dactylon, Melia azadirachta, Aregemone Mexicana, Chirattai thailam, curcumin and almond oil have proved to be beneficial and offer complete cure. Further research to investigate the possible mechanism of action of these drugs and long term case controlled studies are warranted to assess the effectiveness of these treatment methodologies.
Viral meningitis, also known as aseptic meningitis, is the most common cause of meningitis and is responsible for between 26,000 and 42,000 hospitalizations yearly in the United States. Bacterial meningitis affects about 4,000 people each year, while viral meningitis affects about 10 people in every 100,000. The most commonly identified pathogens are enterovirus, herpes simplex virus and human immunodeficiency virus. Varicella, rabies and influenza are other viruses that are rarely responsible for viral meningitis. Varicella Zoster is a relatively common disorder in immunocompromised patients characterized by radicular pain and grouped vesicular eruptions. The typical findings in reported cases of VZV meningitis involve skin manifestations and classical signs of meningitis such as neck stiffness. However, only a few cases of meningitis caused by Varicella Zoster Virus (VZV) have been reported. The incidence of VZV meningitis in immunocompetent patients has been reported to be as low as 0.5%. We report an atypical presentation of VZV meningitis in an immunocompetent patient with headache, dizziness, sequalae of seizures without fever and skin manifestations. Our patient is a 59‐year‐ old African American male who presented with worsening dizziness, confusion, ataxia, lethargy and left‐sided frontal headache. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed mild to moderate burden of white matter abnormality, nonspecific but most likely due to chronic microvascular ischemic disease. No acute stroke. The next day sedation was weaned off and patient remained seizure free on continuous EEG and was extubated 3 days later the CSF came back positive for an elevated Varicella PCR of 42016. Patient was seen by infectious diseases consultant and was advised a course of acyclovir 10mg/kg intravenous every 8 hours for 14 days. All other antibiotics were stopped. Upon discharge, the patient had fully recovered from his symptoms with no neurologic sequalae. This unique case illustrates an atypical presentation of VZV meningoencephalitis in an immunocompetent patient that lacks many of the obvious features that usually distinguish the disease. Our patient lacked the vesicular rash, as well as other typical features of aseptic meningitis including nuchal rigidity, headache, photophobia, etc. Additionally, the patient's course was complicated by seizure, another relatively uncommon feature of VZV meningoencephalitis. VZV infection or reactivation is, rightfully, most commonly associated with the vesicular rash and prodromal pain that usually accompanies it. This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.
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