E. Robert Burns

“Anatomizing” reversed: Use of examination questions that foster use of higher order learning skills by students

“Anatomizing” is a new verb some use to describe the breaking apart of a complex entity such as the human body, into isolated tidbits of information for study, which can never equal the complex, integrated whole. Although popular with first‐year medical students, this practice of “tidbitting” anatomical information into easy to memorize facts or tables of facts does not prepare medical students for the inevitable task of dealing with the integrated structure–function of the human body, both normal and diseased, as patient managers. Examination questions drive the cognitive methods students will use to learn content. Asking students on examinations for recall of previously memorized tidbits fosters the cognitive learning behavior of only memorization. Examination questions, however, can be constructed that assess student understanding and integration of the content, that is, student use of cognitive and metacognitive methods of higher order learning that will foster high‐quality learning producing better practitioners and lifelong learners. This kind of efficient student learning needs to begin in the first year of medical school.Learning more efficiently and at deeper levels of understanding is especially pertinent as the contact hours in anatomy courses continue to decrease. Anat Sci Educ.

Synergistic effects of endothelin-1 (ET-1) and transforming growth factor alpha (TGF-α) or epidermal growth factor (EGF) on DNA replication and G1 to S phase transition

The cooperative cell kinetic actions of ET-1 with TGF-α or EGF in normal rat kidney fibroblasts (NRK-49F) and KNRK cells (Kirsten MSV transformed) were analyzed by [3H]-thymidine incorporation assay and flow cytometry. A marked synergistic effect of TGF-α and ET-1 (or EGF and ET-1) on DNA synthesis and G1 to S transition was observed in NRK cells; 15–20% S for TGF-α and 12% S for ET-1 alone but 45–50% S in combination. There was no detectable effect on cell cycle kinetics by TGF-α (1 ng/ml) or EGF (1 ng/ml) plus ET-1 (1 ng/ml) in KNRK cells treated for 22 hours. Insulin, insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I), fibroblast growth factor (FGF), platelet derived growth factor (PDGF), and transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) were also tested and found to have no significant synergistic effects on ET-1 actions. Our findings suggest that the combination of TGF-α (EGF) and ET-1 is an important part of an intricate network which coordinates progression of G1 to S phase in normal cells.

Anatomy of a successful K-12 educational outreach program in the health sciences: eleven years experience at one medical sciences campus.

The Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, College of Medicine, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) is the administrative home of a nationally recognized educational outreach program in the health sciences for K–12 teachers (includes school nurses, counselors, etc.) and students. This program is called the Partners in Health Sciences (PIHS) program. It began in the summer of 1991 and is based on an annual needs assessment of the states teachers. PIHS is a program available to all teachers and students in the state. It has several different components: (1) a cafeteria of 21 days of mini‐courses offered in the summer to meet the professional development needs of K–12 biology/health teachers and other school personnel; (2) weekly, interactive telecommunication broadcasts for students during the academic year; (3) intensive, 5‐day workshops that train five selected teachers at a time (10 per year) to use an authoring software program to develop grade‐appropriate interactive, computer‐assisted, instructional (CAI) modules for Internet (http://k14education.uams.edu) use by teachers and students; (4) a monthly science night for students and their parents at a local science magnet high school; (5) field trips to the UAMS campus for teachers and their students; (6) community‐requested presentations by program faculty; and (7) availability of earning undergraduate and graduate credit for science education majors in the College of Education, University of Arkansas at Little Rock. The data presented in this report span the period from 1991 through 2001. For all program activities, 14,084 different participants have consumed a total of 50,029 hours of education. Anat Rec (New Anat) 269:181–193, 2002.

Biological time and in vivo research: a field guide to pitfalls.

Biological rhythmicity is a fundamental characteristic of all life forms, from primitive bacteria to man. The molecular biology, genetics, and the neurobiology of the biological clock(s) are being elucidated. Daily (circadian) statistically significant fluctuations occur in all of the normal biological variables studied in the experimental animal and the human. Many researchers, however, are not aware of the negative impact biological rhythmicity can have on experimental design and/or data interpretation. This article serves not as a review, but as a “field guide” to the pitfalls that can occur when research is performed in the absence of an understanding of biological rhythmicity. The major topics discussed are: 1) data transfer from the diurnally in‐active/resting/sleeping lab animal to the diurnally active human, 2) frequency of sampling, 3) free‐running vs. synchronization, 4) alternating periods of resistance and susceptibility, 5) phase shifting of a rhythm, 6) the assumption that one mean ± S.E. from control animals can be “stretched” across an experimental time span, and 7) plotting data on an “hours after treatment” format vs. a “time of day” format. The hope is that by avoiding the pitfalls, biological time will become an ally in the endeavor to understand human biology. Anat Rec (New Anat) 261:141–152, 2000.

Learning syndromes afflicting beginning medical students: identification and treatment--reflections after forty years of teaching.

During 40 years experience teaching beginning medical students primarily microscopic anatomy (cell biology, histology and embryology), but also occasionally neuroanatomy and gross anatomy and while serving as the course director for Microscopic Anatomy for 18 years and counseling students with academic performance problems, a set of syndromes were identified that impact on student learning. Each of these syndromes were given names reflective of the underlying problem, i.e. ‘Oh Yeah’, ‘Too Many Books’, ‘Six Chambered Heart’, ‘Old Test Question’, ‘Slip and Slide’, etc. syndromes. In this paper each syndrome is presented and discussed and specific treatments for each syndrome are presented. In addition, advice for beginning medical students on how to study (‘The Split Brain’ method), developed in association with the treatments for the syndromes, is presented.

Induction by 5-fluorouracil of a major phase difference in the circadian profiles of DNA synthesis between the Ehrlich ascites carcinoma and five normal organs

DNA synthetic activity (DNA-SA) was measured by the incorporation of tritiated thymidine (TDR) into chemically isolated DNA. DNA-SA was monitored every 3 h over a 60-h period in the Ehrlich ascites carcinoma (EAC), tongue, bone marrow, ileum, stomach and rectum in mice which had received 50 mg/kg 5-fluorouracil (FU) at 17:00 h. FU was given in an attempt to induce major phase differences in the circadian profiles of DNA-SA between the EAC and the normal organs. Subsequent to the FU treatment, a time period 15 h in duration, was identified when DNA-SA in the EAC was at or near a maximal level (125-190 cpm/micrograms DNA) whereas DNA-SA in all 5 normal organs was at or near a minimal level (less than 60 cpm/micrograms DNA). Induction of such quantitative (actual levels of DNA-SA) and qualitative (180 degrees circadian phase change) differences between the normal and neoplastic cells in the same host should be useful in designing a more effective chemotherapeutic protocol for this tumor-host situation.

Partners in Research: Benefits of a Summer Research Program

BACKGROUND The Partners in Research program provides first-hand research experiences for medical, pharmacy, and African-American undergraduate students. METHODS During ten weeks, students participate in on-going cancer research, weekly educational sessions, two observational clinic sessions, and at least one patient support-community outreach clinic. RESULTS Over the past six years the program has enrolled 155 students. Surveys indicate that most students give the course high ratings and would recommend the course to their peers. Follow-up shows their continued interest in research. CONCLUSIONS The program will encourage students to pursue careers in cancer research and provide a solid base of knowledge to future health care professionals.

Circadian rhythm in mitotic index of corneal epithelium: presence of ehrlich ascites carcinoma and treatment with saline or hydroxyurea.

A study of the circadian rhythm in the mitotic index (MI) of the corneal epithelium was completed in non‐tumor‐bearing mice and in mice bearing the Ehrlich ascites carcinoma (EAC). All mice were standardized to a light‐dark cycle with 12 hours of light from 0600 to 1800 CST alternating with 12 hours of darkness from 1800 to 0600 CST. Treatments included injection with saline (SAL) or hydroxyurea (HU) at different circadian times. This investigation demonstrated that: (1) Data from untouched animals cannot serve as proper controls because treatment with SAL altered the level of the MI, but only during the diurnal, not the nocturnal, phase of the circadian cycle; (2) the presence of the EAC depressed the level of the MI, but this inhibition was only detected during the diurnal period; (3) treatment with 500 mg/kg HU injected at 0500 caused more perturbation in this rhythm than did treatment with 500 mg/kg HU at 1700; (4) when 500 mg/kg HU was given at 2000 and 0100 and 0500, the perturbation of the rhythm was greater than when 500 mg/kg HU was given at 0900 and 1400 and 1700; (5) when 3000 mg/kg HU was given at 1700 and compared to 500 mg/kg HU at 1700, little difference in the overall circadian profiles of these rhythms was observed, indicating that the circadian control mechanisms operating on the MI exerted a greater influence than did a dosage change from 500 to 3000 mg/kg HU; and (6) a comparison of the practice of plotting experimental and control data as “hours after treatment” versus using a “time of day” plot for the same data demonstrated that the “hours after treatment” plot is very misleading because it fails to account for the significant circadian oscillation in this in vivo system.

Functional anatomy of the cardiovascular system: professional development for PreK-3 teachers using a "train and equip" method results in learning opportunities for students.

Preadolescent students are interested in learning the structure and function of the human body. However, their teachers are not trained in this content. The purpose of this project was to expand a successful outreach effort in the health sciences for grade 7–12 teachers to include PreK‐3 teachers. A “Healthy Hearts” workshop was offered to train the teachers in relevant content and also to give them a resource kit of supplies and equipment to facilitate the transference of the training into educational opportunities for their students. The workshop included many role‐playing activities and use of all items in the resource kit. A total of 25 workshops were conducted in 14 different community locations with 716 PreK‐3 teachers attending from 169 communities representing 59 (79%) of the states 75 counties. African American (AA) teacher participation was 35%, twice the state AA population rate and 3.5× the AA public school teacher rate. Pre to Posttest scores increased an average of 15%. The results of the evaluation measures regarding the workshop and the transference of the training and use of resource kit items into learning opportunities for students were excellent. Universities have the capability, perhaps the responsibility, to provide the much‐needed professional development training to PreK‐12 teachers. Anatomists in medical and nonmedical school settings are well positioned to participate in this process and help close the gap between the interest young children have in learning about the human body and the lack of teacher training in this content. Anat Sci Ed 1:119–125, 2008.

Student failures on first-year medical basic science courses and the USMLE step 1: a retrospective study over a 20-year period.

Correlates of achievement in the basic science years in medical school and on the Step 1 of the United States Medical Licensing Examination® (USMLE®), (Step 1) in relation to preadmission variables have been the subject of considerable study. Preadmissions variables such as the undergraduate grade point average (uGPA) and Medical College Admission Test® (MCAT®) scores, solely or in combination, have previously been found to be predictors of achievement in the basic science years and/or on the Step 1. The purposes of this retrospective study were to: (1) determine if our statistical analysis confirmed previously published relationships between preadmission variables (MCAT, uGPA, and applicant pool size), and (2) study correlates of the number of failures in five M1 courses with those preadmission variables and failures on Step 1. Statistical analysis confirmed previously published relationships between all preadmission variables. Only one course, Microscopic Anatomy, demonstrated significant correlations with all variables studied including the Step 1 failures. Physiology correlated with three of the four variables studied, but not with the Step 1 failures. Analyses such as these provide a tool by which administrators will be able to identify what courses are or are not responding in appropriate ways to changes in the preadmissions variables that signal student performance on the Step 1. Anat Sci Educ 8: 120–125.