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Health professional students often struggle with anatomy coursework despite undergraduate coursework in anatomy. Educators must identify early on whether students may struggle in order to target remediation. The purpose of the study was to elucidate whether an assessment tool administered before the start of a professional anatomy course correlated with allied health students' course performance. Students over four years were given a quiz covering anatomy knowledge they were expected to know upon matriculation to their professional program. A supplemental data form was administered at the course's conclusion to identify prior anatomy experience and topics in which students felt deficient. Pre-quiz scores significantly correlated with examination performance throughout the course. Students reported feeling most deficient in neurobiology (54.9%) and anatomy terminology (39.1%). Videos were created to target these deficient knowledge areas; students who watched the videos did better in course assessments than those who did not. Most respondents (98.0%) recommended students take an undergraduate anatomy course prior to starting a health professional program. These results indicate that a quiz assessing anatomy knowledge among matriculating students may identify students with the potential to struggle in a professional anatomy course early on. Responses outlined areas in which students felt deficient, which allows educators to target topics early with intervention tools such as the review videos in this study. Finally, most respondents strongly recommended undergraduate coursework in anatomy prior to starting a professional health program, which outlines students' recognition that a solid foundation in anatomical knowledge is important to success in professional programs.

Metacognition, the ability to self-regulate one's learning and performance, has been shown to improve student outcomes. Anatomy is recognized as one of the toughest courses in allied health curricula, and students could benefit from metacognitive activities. The purpose of this study was to explore the changes in metacognition of allied health students in an anatomy course and identify which groups need support with this skill. First-year physician assistant (MPAS), physical therapy (DPT), and occupational therapy (OTD) students (n = 129) were invited to participate. At the beginning and end of the course, students completed a questionnaire including the metacognitive awareness inventory (MAI) that assesses metacognition. Students were also asked to reflect on their examination performances using a modified Likert scale and participated in reflective discussion boards to encourage development of metacognitive skills, which were thematically analyzed. Paired metacognition scores had increased significantly by the end of the course. However, middle-performers anticipated high grades and were less satisfied with their grade, indicating a disconnect in their metacognition compared to high- and low-performers. Students' receptiveness to modifying study strategies to improve performance declined throughout the course; by mid-way through, they relied more on existing strategies. Increasing time constraints were frequently cited as a major factor when considering study strategies and modification of such strategies. To maximize the effectiveness of metacognitive activities, they should be positioned early in the course when students are most receptive. In addition, middle performers may benefit from additional support to improve metacognition.

Despite human (HUM) and veterinary (VET) medical institutions sharing the goal of educating future clinicians, there is little collaboration between them regarding curricular and pedagogical practices during the preclinical/basic science training years. This may be, at least in part, due to a lack of understanding of each type of curriculum. This study presents data about curricula, student populations, pedagogical methodologies applied, and anatomy educators' training at both HUM and VET institutions. Preclinical curricula, admissions criteria, and student demographics were analyzed for 21 institutions in the United States having both HUM and VET schools. This dataset was augmented by a questionnaire sent to anatomists internationally, detailing anatomy curricula, pedagogies applied, and anatomy educators' training. Many curricular similarities between both training programs were identified, including anatomy education experiences. However, VET programs were found to include more preclinical coursework than HUM programs. Students who matriculate to VET or HUM schools have similar academic records, including prerequisite coursework and grade point average. Median HUM class size was significantly larger, and the percentage of women enrolled in VET institutions was significantly higher. Training of anatomy educators was identical with one exception: VET educators are far more likely to hold a clinical degree. This study elucidates the substantial similarities between VET and HUM programs, particularly in anatomy education, underscoring the potential for collaboration between both types of programs in areas such as interprofessional education, bioethics, zoonotic disease management, and postgraduate training.

Sandhoff disease (SD) is caused by decreased function of the enzyme β-N-acetylhexosaminidase, resulting in accumulation of GM2 ganglioside in tissues. Neural tissue is primarily affected and individuals with the infantile form of the disease generally do not survive beyond 4 years of age. Current treatments address neurometabolic deficits to improve lifespan, however, this extended lifespan allows clinical disease to become manifest in other tissues, including the musculoskeletal system. The impact of SD on bone and joint tissues has yet to be fully determined. In a feline model of infantile SD, animals were treated by intracranial injection of adeno-associated virus vectors to supply the central nervous system with corrective levels of hexosaminidase, resulting in a twofold to threefold increase in lifespan. As treated animals aged, signs of musculoskeletal disease were identified. The present study characterized bone and joint lesions from affected cats using micro-computed tomography and histology. All affected cats had similar lesions, whether or not they were treated. SD cats displayed a significant reduction in metaphyseal trabecular bone and markedly abnormal size and shape of epiphyses. Abnormalities increased in severity with age and appear to be due to alteration in the function of chondrocytes within epiphyseal cartilage, particularly the articular-epiphyseal complex. Older cats developed secondary osteoarthritic changes. The changes identified are similar to those seen in humans with mucopolysaccharidoses. Statement of clinical significance: the lesions identified will have significant implications on the quality of life of individuals whose lifespans are extended due to treatments for the primary neurological effects of SD.

Mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD) become obese and develop osteoarthritis (OA)-like lesions, including chondrocyte apoptosis, in the knee joints. However, the mechanism by which HFD/obesity induces chondrocyte apoptosis is not clearly understood. In the present study, male mice were fed a low-fat diet (LFD, 10% kcal), HFD (45% kcal), or a HFD administered with 0.5 g/kg bodyweight of 4-phenyl butyric acid (PBA, a small chaperone known to ease endoplasmic reticulum [ER] stress), via the drinking water. At the end of the 18-week study, stifle (knee) joints from all animals were collected, fixed, paraffin embedded, and sectioned. Immunostaining of joints from the HFD group showed increased expression of ER stress and apoptotic markers and increased expression of nuclear protein 1 and tribbles related protein-3 compared to the LFD group. Mice on HFD also showed higher percentage of chondrocyte death, lower chondrocyte numbers per cartilage area, and thickening of subchondral bone. Administration of PBA alleviated all of the HFD-induced symptoms. Our study demonstrated that HFD induces ER stress to promote chondrocyte death and subchondral bone thickening, which could be relieved by alleviating ER stress via PBA administration, suggesting that ER stress could play an important role in obesity-linked OA and could be targeted for OA therapeutics.

Introduction: Accurate evaluation of one's knowledge and performance is a key metacognitive skill critical to success in the classroom. Students who lack this skill may over-estimate their knowledge and under-prepare for exams, resulting in poor academic performance. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess the ability of allied health students to evaluate their exam performance in an anatomy course to identify which groups, if any, need support with this skill. Methods In an IRB-approved study, first-year physician assistant (PA), physical therapy (PT), and occupational therapy (OT) students (n=129) participated in a doctoral-level anatomy course. This course covered human anatomy through asynchronous lectures and synchronous virtual labs (due to COVID). Students? anatomical knowledge was assessed via four exams throughout the course. Prior to the start of the course and again at the end, students were invited to complete a de-identified pre-survey including the Metacognitive Awareness Inventory (MAI), a 52-item survey that assesses metacognition. Throughout the course, students were asked to reflect on their exam performances (anticipated grade, actual grade, and satisfaction) using a modified Likert scale. For analyses, students were divided into terciles based on their mean combined exam performance. Reflections and MAI scores were then compared across terciles in SPSS using Kruskal-Wallis H test. Results Average exam scores of high (93%±2.0), middle (86%±2.7), and low-performers (74%±4.6) were significantly different from each other (p

Objective Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is a proinflammatory cytokine that is elevated in the serum and synovial fluid of patients with osteoarthritis (OA). This study was undertaken to investigate the potential role of MIF in OA in human joint tissues and in vivo in mice with age-related and surgically induced OA. Methods MIF in conditioned media from human chondrocytes and meniscal cells and from cartilage explants was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The severity of OA was analyzed histologically in male wild-type and MIF−/− mice at 12 and 22 months of age and following destabilization of the medial meniscus (DMM) surgery in 12-week-old MIF−/− mice as well as in wild-type mice treated with a neutralizing MIF antibody. Synovial hyperplasia was graded in S100A8-immunostained histologic sections. Bone morphometric parameters were measured by micro–computed tomography. Results Human OA chondrocytes secreted 3-fold higher levels of MIF than normal chondrocytes, while normal and OA meniscal cells produced equivalent amounts. Compared to age- and strain-matched controls, the cartilage, bone, and synovium in older adult mice with MIF deletion were protected against changes of naturally occurring age-related OA. No protection against DMM-induced OA was seen in young adult MIF−/− mice or in wild-type mice treated with anti-MIF. Increased bone density in 8-week-old mice with MIF deletion was not maintained at 12 months. Conclusion These results demonstrate a differential mechanism in the pathogenesis of naturally occurring age-related OA compared to injury-induced OA. The inhibition of MIF may represent a novel therapeutic target in the reduction of the severity of age-related OA.

Objective To describe a biopsy technique in standing horses with minimal morbidity that consistently provides a substantial bone biopsy with intact, undamaged architecture. Study Design Experimental, prospective study. Animals Ten Thoroughbred horses. Methods Biopsies were obtained from the tuber coxae of 10 sedated, standing horses using an oscillating saw. Bilateral biopsies, separated by 60 days, were evaluated with micro-computed tomography (microCT). The first biopsy was prepared for decalcified histology; the second for undecalcified histology. Both biopsies were evaluated qualitatively for histologic quality. Results The biopsy technique did not result in any significant complications, was well tolerated and all biopsies were of good histologic quality. Conclusion Cortical and trabecular bone biopsies can be successfully collected from the tuber coxa using a simple technique that creates minimal morbidity and allows sequential samples to be collected. The biopsies were larger than those described previously, provided adequate bone for multiple histologic sections, and had intact, undamaged architecture on examination with microCT and light microscopy.

Rodent models are used for a variety of orthopedic research applications; however, anatomy references include mostly artistic representations. Advanced imaging techniques, including micro-computed tomography (microCT), can provide more accurate representations of subtle anatomical characteristics. A recent microCT atlas of laboratory mouse (Mus musculus) anatomy depicts the central and tarsal bone III (T3) as a single bone, differing from previous references. Fusion of tarsal bones is generally characterized as pathological secondary to mutations associated with growth factors, and normal variation has not been documented in the mouse tarsus. Therefore, it is unclear if this fusion is a normal or a pathological characteristic. The aim of this study is to characterize the tarsus of the laboratory mouse and compare it to the rat and selected outgroup species (i.e., white-footed mouse) via microCT and histology to determine if the central and T3 are separate or fused into a single bone. Laboratory mice (C57/Bl6 [n = 17] and BalbC [n = 2]) and rats (n = 5) were scanned with microCT. A representative laboratory mouse from each strain was evaluated histologically via serial sagittal sections through the mid-tarsus. General pedal anatomy was similar between all species; however, the central and T3 bones were fused in all laboratory mice but not the rat or white-footed mouse. A band of hyaline cartilage was identified within the fused bone of the laboratory mice. We conclude that the fusion found is a normal characteristic in laboratory mice, but timing of the fusion remains ambiguous. Anat Rec, 300:450-459, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Current descriptions of the anatomy of the blood supply to the canine middle ear are either incomplete or inconsistent, particularly in regards to the vascular branches in close proximity to the temporomandibular articulation (TMJ). To further investigate this blood supply, dissections (n = 9), corrosion casts (n = 4), and computed tomography (n = 8) of canine temporal regions/ears were performed. The goal of this study was to identify and describe branches of the external carotid and maxillary arteries in close proximity to the TMJ that supply the middle ear of the dog. Specific focus was placed on the constancy and origin of the canine rostral tympanic artery since this artery was anticipated to arise from the maxillary artery and enter a foramen at the medial aspect of the mandibular fossa adjacent to the TMJ. New anatomical variations of three canine arteries are described in this study. (1) The rostral tympanic artery is a branch of the temporomandibular ramus and is accommodated by a small foramen located within a depression medial to the temporomandibular joint. (2) A pharyngeal branch of the caudal deep temporal artery was identified. (3) The origin of the caudal auricular artery occurred opposite the lingual artery in 25.8% of dissected specimens, contrary to published descriptions. Anat Rec, 299:907-917, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Veterinary anatomy is often a source of trepidation for many students. Currently professional veterinary programs, similar to medical curricula, within the United States have no admission requirements for anatomy as a prerequisite course. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the impact of a week-long precourse in veterinary anatomy on both objective student performance and subjective student perceptions of the precourse educational methods. Incoming first year veterinary students in the Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine professional curriculum were asked to participate in a free precourse before the start of the semester, covering the musculoskeletal structures of the canine thoracic limb. Students learned the material either via dissection only, instructor-led demonstrations only, or a combination of both techniques. Outcome measures included student performance on examinations throughout the first anatomy course of the professional curriculum as compared with those who did not participate in the precourse. This study found that those who participated in the precourse did significantly better on examinations within the professional anatomy course compared with those who did not participate. Notably, this significant improvement was also identified on the examination where both groups were exposed to the material for the first time together, indicating that exposure to a small portion of veterinary anatomy can impact learning of anatomical structures beyond the immediate scope of the material previously learned. Subjective data evaluation indicated that the precourse was well received and students preferred guided learning via demonstrations in addition to dissection as opposed to either method alone. Anat Sci Educ 9: 344-356. © 2015 American Association of Anatomists.

Various intact and post-injury bone phenotypes are heritable traits. In this study, we sought to determine if intramembranous bone regeneration following marrow ablation differed among common inbred mouse strains and to identify how early the differences appear. We found a ∼four-fold difference in the regenerated bone volume 21 days after marrow ablation in females from four inbred mouse strains: FVB/N (15.7 ± 8.1%, mean and standard deviation), C3H/He (15.5 ± 4.2%), C57BL/6 (12.2 ± 5.2%), and BALB/c (4.0 ± 4.4%); with BALB/c different from FVB/N (p = 0.007) and C3H/He (p = 0.002). A second experiment showed that FVB/N compared to BALB/c mice had more regenerated bone 7 and 14 days after ablation (p

To examine bone remodeling following implant placement, 88 female Sprague–Dawley rats underwent either sham ovariectomy (sham-ovx) or ovariectomy (ovx) at 4.5 months. At 11 months, 17 baseline control animals were euthanized, while 71 rats received bilateral intramedullary femoral implants. Implanted rats were randomized to 4-, 8-, or 12-week follow-up times. Microcomputed tomography was used to assess cortical area and trabecular architecture in all rats. Dynamic and static histomorphometry were performed in a subset to examine the trabecular and endocortical bone in the distal femoral metaphysis adjacent to the implant and the periosteal surface at the midshaft superior to the implant (n = 59). Implantation did not affect bone volume in either sham-ovx or ovx rats compared to baseline controls. Implant placement significantly increased mineralizing surface, mineral apposition rate, and bone formation rate in both sham-ovx and ovx rats at the trabecular and endocortical surfaces at four and sometimes 8 weeks, with a return to baseline values by 12 weeks. At the periosteal surface, implant placement increased bone formation at 4 weeks with a return to baseline levels by 8 weeks. Thus, implant placement increases bone remodeling transiently without affecting bone volume in sham-ovx and ovx rats. © 2012 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 31: 800–806, 2013

Objective To better understand the contribution of age to the development of osteoarthritis (OA). Methods Surgical destabilization of the medial meniscus (DMM) was used to model OA in 12-week-old and 12-month-old male C57BL/6 mice. OA severity was evaluated histologically. RNA used for microarray and real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis was isolated from joint tissue collected from the medial side of the joint, including cartilage, meniscus, subchondral bone, and the joint capsule with synovium. Computational analysis was used to identify patterns of gene expression, and immunohistochemistry was used to evaluate tissue distribution of selected proteins. Results OA was more severe in older mice than in young mice. Only 55 genes showed a similar expression with DMM-induced OA in the 2 age groups, while 493 genes showed differential expression, the majority having increased expression in older mice. Functional categories for similarly expressed genes included extracellular matrix– and cell adhesion–related genes; differentially expressed genes included those related to muscle structure and development and immune response genes. Comparison of expression in sham-operated control joints revealed an age-related decrease in matrix gene expression and an increase in immune and defense response gene expression. Interleukin-33 was present in multiple joint tissue cells, while CCL21 was more localized to chondrocytes and meniscal cells. Periostin was found in the extracellular matrix of cartilage and meniscus. Conclusion Age affects both the basal pattern of gene expression in joint tissues and the response to surgically induced OA. Examining tissue from the joint beyond only cartilage revealed novel genes and proteins that would be important to consider in OA.

Dietary modifications, including protein restriction, affect multiple organs. Previous work shows that protein restriction induces adaptive changes in food intake, growth, and metabolism, and that these effects are lost in FGF21 deficient mice. This indicates FGF21 is required for this response. While previous work has shown FGF21 affects growth plate cartilage, no work has yet been done to identify the impact of these combined conditions on bone growth and remodeling, despite changes in overall size and weight in previous studies. The purpose of the current study was to identify whether dietary protein restriction in wild-type (WT) or FGF21-deficient (KO) mice impacts bone. WT or KO mice were placed on a control (NP, 20% casein) or low-protein (LP, 5% casein) diet (n=39, 9-10/group) starting at 17.5 weeks of age for 27 weeks. Following sacrifice, cortical and trabecular bone morphology within the femur was evaluated with micro-CT. No significant differences were identified in bone length, however signifi...

Owners spend millions of US dollars to alleviate pain from stifle osteoarthritis (OA) pain in pet dogs each year. Neurectomy of the saphenous nerve has been shown to effectively alleviate symptoms ...

Micro-computerized tomography (micro-CT) is utilized to image tissues that can attenuate x-rays (e.g. bone), however it also has the ability to image soft tissue with application of a contrast agen...

Currently, no veterinary school in the US requires anatomy as a pre-requisite for admission into the professional program. As curricular changes devote less time to anatomy, instructors have begun ...