Analysing the Effect of Incorporating Images While Framing MCQs For Online Clinical Anatomy Assessment Among First Year Medical Students

The disruptions caused by COVID-19 pandemic has significantly affected the assessment component of the undergraduate medical curriculum. The lack of physical ascertainment of the learning outcomes has forced the medical educators across the world to adopt online modes of assessment. Though multiple options like true / false, short answers and viva were available, the most common tool for many was multiple choice questions as they could be arranged according to the cognitive hierarchy of Miller’s pyramid. The present study was undertaken to analyze the effect of incorporating images while framing MCQs for online anatomy assessment among first year medical students. The study was planned in a quasi-controlled design where a batch of 150 students were subjected to a set of 40 multiple choice questions (20 text based and 20 image based MCQs). The questions were designed following Ebel and Frisbie guidelines of MCQs and validated by three investigators independently. Three cycles of assessments were conducted, and the scores were analyzed. At the end of 3 cycles of assessment feedback was taken from the students regarding this method of assessment. The performance of students was better in image based MCQs compared to traditional MCQs in all regions. Upon documenting the percipience, students had felt that image based MCQs were interesting, improved their clinical reasoning skills, lateral thinking abilities and quest for learning applied anatomy. Thus, we postulate that image based MCQs could be considered as better assessment tool in the era of online learning

Micronucleus assay on buccal cells: an indicator of DNA damage due to formaldehyde exposure in anatomy dissection labs.

Background: The occupational exposure to formaldehyde (FA) can lead to various hazards ranging from allergic reactions to genetic damage. Workers of Anatomy lab are at a higher risk of having the hazardous effects of FA. Micronuclei (MN) appear in the cells due to chromosome breakage and dysfunction of the mitotic apparatus which are the indicators for the DNA damage. The present study was carried out to detect the DNA damage in people exposed to FA using buccal cell MN Assay by measuring the MN frequency in buccal cells with respect to the duration of exposure. Methods: Thirty male workers of Anatomy labs of different medial colleges in Bangalore were included in the study. Thirty people with no FA exposure were considered as comparison group. Buccal cells were scraped from the cheek and slides were prepared. A total of 1000 cells were counted for the presence of MN after staining with Geimsa solution. Results: There was a significant increase in the frequency of MN in both buccal cells (p<0.001). A positive correlation was found between the years of exposure and frequency of MN in buccal cells (r=0.5, p=0.03). Conclusion: This study highlights that there is a significant DNA damage in people exposed to formaldehyde which is proportional to the duration of exposure.

Bilateral variability of the quadriceps angle [Q angle] in an adult Indian population

The objective of this study was to document and explain bilateral differences in the Q angle. Two hundred limbs of healthy adult Indian volunteers were studied. The Q angle was measured using a goniometric method with the subjects supine, quadriceps relaxed and lower limbs in neutral rotation. The relative lateral placement of the tibial tuberosity with respect to the centre of the patella was measured. Appropriate statistical tests were used to determine the bilateral variability in the Q angle and the lateral placement of the tibial tuberosity. Inter-observer variation of the above mentioned parameters were studied in twenty limbs. The average Q angle value of all the 200 limbs was 12.73 °C; the mean value on the right was 12.86 °C and 12.60 °C on the left. When the Q angle and the lateral placement of the tibial tuberosity were considered in pairs a significant difference was noted in males. The Q angle value on the right side was more often greater than the left. The relative lateral placement of the tibial tuberosity showed a significant positive correlation with the Q angle. The intra-class correlation coefficient was 0.66 for the Q angle and 0.8 for the lateral placement of the tibial tuberosity. The present study shows that bilateral variability in the Q angle could be attributed to an alteration of the relative placement of the tibial tuberosity with respect to the centre of the patella

Incidence of morphological variants of mandibular lingula.

The ligual of mandible is a tongue shaped bony projection on the medical surface of the ramus close to the posterior margin of the mandibular foramen. Since the inferior alveolar nerve enters the mandibular foramen to supply the strctures of the lower jaw, the relationship of lingula to the inferior alveolar nerve is of clinical significance to dental surgeons. It becomes a necessety to know the morphology of linguls so as to preserve the important structures during surgical interference of mandible around the lingula region. The present study was undertaken mainly to establish the frequency of various morphological types of lingula in adult human mandibles of South Indian background. The material for this study comprised of a collection of 147 (294 sides) dry adult human mandibles. In each mandible, the lingula was scored using the classification proposed by Tuli et al (2000). More frequently observed bilaterally were the Truncated and Nodular types. These two types occurred more frequently unilaterally as well. The assimilated type, whether unilateral or bilateral was more or lesws similar in frequency along with other non metric variants of the skull, morphological types of lingula can also be useful as anthropological marker to assess population and recial distances.