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Objective: To evaluate the 2010 "Anatomy by whole body dissection" course, a 7-week elective course offered to senior medical students at the University of Sydney at the end of their third year.Design, Setting and Participants: In the 2010 course, 29 students divided into eight groups carried out whole-body dissections on eight cadavers over a 34-day period. Surgical trainees acted as demonstrators, and surgeons and anatomists as supervisors. The students were assessed by practical tests involving the identification of 20 tagged structures in four wet specimens before, during, at the end of, and 1 month after the course. In addition, students were asked to complete an anonymous feedback questionnaire about the course.Main Outcome Measure: Acquisition of topographical anatomical knowledge, and student feedback on the usefulness of the course.Results: A significant increase in topographical clinical anatomical knowledge was demonstrated among the participants and was maintained in the short term. The median pre-course assessment score was 8/20 (interquartile range [IQR], 4) and the median post-course assessment score was 19/20 (IQR, 1). This difference was statistically significant (P<0.001). All students rated the course as "very good", and unanimously recommended that the course be available to all students as part of the medical curriculum.Conclusion: Students' knowledge of anatomy improved significantly between the pre-course and post-course assessments, and all students rated the course very favourably. This supports our view that dissection anatomy should be an integral component of medical education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Preterm premature rupture of membranes is the rupture of membranes during pregnancy before 37 weeks' gestation. It occurs in 3 percent of pregnancies and is the cause of approximately one third of preterm deliveries. It can lead to significant perinatal morbidity, including respiratory distress syndrome, neonatal sepsis, umbilical cord prolapse, placental abruption, and fetal death. Appropriate evaluation and management are important for improving neonatal outcomes. Speculum examination to determine cervical dilation is preferred because digital examination is associated with a decreased latent period and with the potential for adverse sequelae. Treatment varies depending on gestational age and includes consideration of delivery when rupture of membranes occurs at or after 34 weeks' gestation. Corticosteroids can reduce many neonatal complications, particularly intraventricular hemorrhage and respiratory distress syndrome, and antibiotics are effective for increasing the latency period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors examined the association between pesticide use and breast cancer incidence among farmers' wives in a large prospective cohort study in Iowa and North Carolina. Participants were 30,454 women with no history of breast cancer prior to cohort enrollment in 1993-1997. Information on pesticide use and other information was obtained by self-administered questionnaire at enrollment from the women and their husbands. Through 2000, 309 incident breast cancer cases were identified via population-based cancer registries. Rate ratios were calculated for individual pesticides using Poisson regression, controlling for confounding factors. Breast cancer standardized incidence ratios were 0.87 (95% confidence interval: 0.74, 1.02) for women who reported ever applying pesticides and 1.05 (95% confidence interval: 0.89, 1.24) for women who reported never applying pesticides. There was some evidence of increased risk associated with use of 2,4,5-trichloro-phenoxypropionic acid (2,4,5-TP) and possibly use of dieldrin, captan, and 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4,5-TP), but small numbers of cases among those who had personally used the pesticides precluded firm conclusions. The authors found no clear association of breast cancer risk with farm size or washing of clothes worn during pesticide application, but risk was modestly elevated among women whose homes were closest to areas of pesticide application. Further follow-up of this cohort should help clarify the relation between pesticide exposure and breast cancer risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CONTEXT: The perinatal mortality rate (PMR) in Macedonia is among the highest in Europe. The World Bank supported a consultant (HEJ) to collaborate with a Macedonian team to develop a national perinatal strategy with the goal of reducing the PMR. Education was given priority in the form of a hospital-based initiative to develop the capacity of health professionals to introduce evidence-based perinatal practice into 16 participating hospitals. A 'train the teachers' approach was used, with trainees introduced to modern education and clinical practice in Sydney and subsequently supported to train their colleagues in Skopje. OBJECTIVES: To describe the development, implementation and evaluation of the educational intervention. METHODS: A curriculum, based on specific Macedonian needs, was developed in order to integrate teaching in the knowledge, skills and attitudinal domains of learning, using small group, interactive techniques. Twenty-five Macedonian doctors and nurses participated in 4-month (phase 1a) and 6-month (phase 1b) teaching programmes at a tertiary perinatal unit in Sydney. Australian staff conducted 4 2-week modules for 36 trainees in Macedonia (phase 2). The phase 1 trainees conducted 8 modules for 57 colleagues in Skopje (phase 3). The intervention was evaluated by trainee questionnaires, assessments of competence, changes in hospital practice and pre- (1997-99) and post-intervention (2000-01) comparisons of PMR. RESULTS: A total of 115 doctors and nurses graduated from the programme. Positive responses to the education programme exceeded 80%. Evidence-based practice in 16 participating hospitals (covering 91% of all Macedonian births) was verified in 6 key areas of neonatology. The PMR fell significantly from 27.4 to 21.5 per 1000 births (RR 0.79, 95% CI 0.73, 0.85). The early neonatal death rate in babies weighing over 1000 g fell by 36%. CONCLUSIONS: The intervention has increased the capacity of Macedonians to practise best-evidence perinatal medicine and improve outcomes. Sustainability is predicted by the 'train the teachers' approach, with concurrent strengthening of the infrastructure and organisational framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nausea and vomiting of pregnancy, commonly known as 'morning sickness,' affects approximately 80 percent of pregnant women. Although several theories have been proposed, the exact cause remains unclear. Recent research has implicated Helicobacter pylori as one possible cause. Nausea and vomiting of pregnancy is generally a mild, self-limited condition that may be controlled with conservative measures. A small percentage of pregnant women have a more profound course, with the most severe form being hyperemesis gravidarum. Unlike morning sickness, hyperemesis gravidarum may have negative implications for maternal and fetal health. Physicians should carefully evaluate patients with nonresolving or worsening symptoms to rule out the most common pregnancy-related and nonpregnancy-related causes of severe vomiting. Once pathologic causes have been ruled out, treatment is individualized. Initial treatment should be conservative and should involve dietary changes, emotional support, and perhaps alternative therapy such as ginger or acupressure. Women with more complicated nausea and vomiting of pregnancy also may need pharmacologic therapy. Several medications, including pyridoxine and doxylamine, have been shown to be safe and effective treatments. Pregnant women who have severe vomiting may require hospitalization, orally or intravenously administered corticosteroid therapy, and total parenteral nutrition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pregnant women commonly use over-the-counter medications. Although most over-the-counter drugs have an excellent safety profile, some have unproven safety or are known to adversely affect the fetus. The safety profile of some medications may change according to the gestational age of the fetus. Because an estimated 10 percent or more of birth defects result from maternal drug exposure, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has assigned a risk category to each drug. Many drugs have not been evaluated in controlled trials and probably will not be because of ethical considerations. Of the commonly used over-the-counter medications, acetaminophen, chlorpheniramine, kaolin and pectin preparations, and most antacids have a good safety record. Other drugs, such as histamine H2-receptor blockers, pseudoephedrine, and atropine/diphenoxylate should be used with caution. If use of smoking cessation products is desired, the intermediate-release preparations minimize the amount of nicotine while maintaining efficacy. With all over-the-counter medications used during pregnancy, the benefit of the drug should outweigh the risk to the fetus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maternal illness during pregnancy is not uncommon and sometimes requires radiographic imaging for proper diagnosis and treatment. The patient and her physician may be concerned about potential harm to the fetus from radiation exposure. In reality, however, the risks to the developing fetus are quite small. The accepted cumulative dose of ionizing radiation during pregnancy is 5 rad, and no single diagnostic study exceeds this maximum. For example, the amount of exposure to the fetus from a two-view chest x-ray of the mother is only 0.00007 rad. The most sensitive time period for central nervous system teratogenesis is between 10 and 17 weeks of gestation. Nonurgent radiologic testing should be avoided during this time. Rare consequences of prenatal radiation exposure include a slight increase in the incidence of childhood leukemia and, possibly, a very small change in the frequency of genetic mutations. Such exposure is not an indication for pregnancy termination. Appropriate counseling of patients before radiologic studies are performed is critical. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bartholin gland cysts and abscesses are common problems in women of reproductive age. Although the cysts are usually asymptomatic, they may become enlarged or infected and cause significant pain. Often the clinician is tempted simply to lance the cyst or abscess, since this technique can be effective for other common abscesses. However, simple lancing of a Bartholin gland cyst or abscess may result in recurrence. More effective treatment methods include use of a Word catheter and marsupialization, both of which can be performed in the office. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]