Introduction:The incidence of Acute respiratory infections (ARI) is high among under-five children, especially in developing countries. However, the data on ARI from rural and urban areas in India are scarce.Objective:To estimate the prevalence of ARI and selected associated factors among under-five children.Materials and Methods:A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in urban and rural areas of Puducherry, India. Data were collected from 509 parents of under-five children regarding ARI incidence along with socio-demographic and selected associated factors.Results:Overall prevalence of ARI was observed to be 59.1%, with prevalence in urban and rural areas being 63.7% and 53.7%, respectively. Bivariate analysis indicated that overcrowding, place of residence, and mother's education were significantly associated with ARI. Multiple logistic regression analysis suggested that presence of overcrowding (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.492), urban residence (AOR = 2.329), and second birth order (AOR = 0.371) were significant predictors of ARI.Conclusion:The prevalence of ARI is high, particularly in urban areas. Improvement of living conditions may help in reduction of burden of ARI in the community.

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COVID-19 pandemic has posed a new challenge for medical schools across the world regarding the acceptance of donated and unclaimed dead bodies for academic purpose. Uncertainty of the COVID-19 status among the donated bodies poses a health risk for embalming personnel and medical students who handle the embalmed cadavers. There is a paucity of literature delineating the criteria for accepting or rejecting the bodies during COVID-19 pandemic. Similarly, there is no recommended standard operating procedure for anatomical embalming during COVID-19. We propose certain criteria for accepting and rejecting the human dead bodies for anatomical embalming. And we propose some technical modifications to the conventional procedure of formalin-based anatomical embalming. A guarded approach and diligent screening of donated bodies is the way forward during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Background: Human cadaver is ideal for learning and acquiring new surgical skills. While cadavers preserved using Thiel’s embalming method are commonly used for training in laparoscopic surgery, it is a cumbersome technique. We report our experience of using Genelyn ® -embalmed cadavers for training in advanced laparoscopic gastrointestinal procedures. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional satisfaction survey corresponding to level 1 of the Kirkpatrick model for training evaluation was performed among 19 participants of advanced laparoscopy surgical skills training workshop, in December 2019, using Genelyn ® -embalmed cadavers. Visual, haptic and tactile characteristics of the organs and tissues were assessed along with overall satisfaction of the workshop using Likert scale. Results: Five Genelyn ® -embalmed cadavers were used for the workshop. All the 19 participants perceived that the cadavers were odourless and allowed adequate insufflation for laparoscopic procedures. Most of the participants( n =16, 84%) agreed that the appearance and tactile fidelity of the solid organs, luminal structures and tissues in Genelyn ® -embalmed cadavers were similar to that of a live patient. There was a strong agreement among participants that the workshop will help improve the laparoscopic skills(median Likert score–4). Conclusion: The participants of the surgical skill training workshop felt that the Genelyn ® -embalmed cadavers were ideal for use in practicing advanced laparoscopic procedures.

Introduction Anatomy is considered as the cornerstone of medical education and its teaching methodologies are undergoing metamorphosis. Anatomy education is often debated as over teaching of body facts and undertaught clinical facts by modern and traditional anatomy mentors respectively. Equilibrium between this episteme of anatomy education could be achieved after considering the perceptions of anatomy stakeholders. The present study was an initiative of the same. Methodology A quantitative survey was administered among 60 medical students (4th semester), 60 interns, and 30 clinicians (both medical and surgical fields). The completed questionnaires were analyzed and the results were tabulated. Results Though anatomy education is suffocating due to reduction in teaching hours, all the study groups have strongly agreed that cadaver contact is crucial for better understanding of the human body. The perception regarding the importance of anatomy education in clinical practice was statistically significant (p = 0.04) among the study groups. The insight of role of anatomy education in enabling lifelong self-directed learning and inculcating professional skills and ethics of medicine showed significant p value (p = 0.00 and 0.01). Discussion The present study has echoed the perception of anatomy stakeholders. Studies emphasize that revamping of anatomy curricula is needed for the time and that can be made with the inputs from the academic anatomists and clinicians. Clinicians expressed the lag between anatomy teaching and clinical practice. Medical students felt that anatomy education kindled them to develop inquiry-based learning, helped to master radiological images, and improved their teamwork and communication skills.

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