Perception of peer teaching on learning anatomy: A qualitative study.

The aim of this study was to identify the effectiveness of peer-assisted learning while giving presentation on assigned anatomy topics in class by medical students for enhancement of their learning and communication skills. Sixty top performing students were selected for the study. They were given assigned topics related to anatomy to be presented in the class after taking their consent. The duration of the study was 32 weeks. At the completion of the projects by the students, each of them was interviewed for three to five minutes; the questions were very precise and few in number and were then analysed. Focus group discussions were conducted from the rest of the class who were the audience and enjoyed the activity. The study showed that by conducting such an activity among medical students their knowledge about the subject, communication and teaching skills and confidence are enhanced. It is a fun activity for them and can be added in the routine timetable for its beneficial outcomes.

Platelet-rich Plasma-induced Inhibition of Chondrocyte Apoptosis Directly Affects Cartilage Thickness in Osteoarthritis.

The search for minimally invasive treatment of osteoarthritis has led to the development of biological options such as platelet-rich plasma (PRP), mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), and bone marrow aspirate concentrates. This research was conducted to study the outcomes of PRP administration in the chemical-induced model of osteoarthritis in rat knee. Methods and results Two milligrams of monoiodoacetate (MIA) was used for the induction of arthritis in the right knee of 16 rats. Autologous PRP was prepared by double centrifugation, which was then administered in the arthritic knee of eight rats. This group was labeled as the treated group (A) while the rest were counted as the non-treated group (B). Chondrocyte count and uncalcified cartilage thickness were morphometrically assessed on hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) stained slides, and it was noted that treated group A had a higher chondrocyte count and more cartilage height as compared to non-treated group B. Intergroup comparison was done between the treated group (A) and non-treated group (B) using the independent t-test. P-values were found to be statistically significant for these parameters. Conclusion This study thus concluded that PRP had induced an inhibitory effect on the apoptosis of chondrocytes, which, in turn, prevented the loss of cartilage height by inhibiting matrix loss.

Effect of Autologous Platelet-rich Plasma on Appearance of Tenocytes at Injured Achilles Tendon Entheses in Rabbits.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effects of autologous platelet-rich plasma on appearance of tenocytes at injured Achilles tendon entheses in rabbits. STUDY DESIGN: Laboratory-based experimental study. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY: Department of Anatomy and Pathology, Army Medical College, Rawalpindi, in collaboration with National Institute of Health, Islamabad, from March to May, 2018. METHODOLOGY: Forty healthy male, 4-6 months old New Zealand white rabbits, weighing 2000-2500 gm, were randomly divided into four equal groups A, B, C and D. Group A served as control, while B, C and D were experimental groups. Injury was surgically induced at left Achilles tendon entheses of experimental groups, which were treated with injections of autologous platelet-rich plasma, at the time of induction of injury in group C and two weeks after injury in group D, while no treatment was given in group B. Animals were euthanised at the end of 12 weeks. Specimens were taken and processed for histological observations. Bonar's modified score was used to assess the appearance of tenocytes. SPSS version 21 was used for statistical analysis. Chi-square test was applied and p-value of <0.05 was taken as significant. RESULTS: Experimental group B showed marked deterioration in Bonar's score as compared to the control group A. The scores were significantly improved in treatment groups C and D as compared to group B. CONCLUSION: Injection of autologous platelet-rich plasma effectively improved the Bonar's modified score for appearance of tenocytes at injured entheses, 12 weeks after injury.

Effect of Platelet-rich Plasma on Mankin Scoring in Chemically-induced Animal Model of Osteoarthritis.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of platelet-rich plasma injection on histological changes of osteoarthritis using the modified Mankin score in monoiodoacetate-induced rat knee model. STUDY DESIGN: Laboratory-based experimental study. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY: Department of Anatomy, Army Medical College, Rawalpindi and National Institute of Health (NIH), Islamabad from March to May 2018. METHODOLOGY: Thirty-two pathogen-free male rats aged 3-4 months were selected and divided into two groups with 8 and 24 animals, respectively. Groups A was used as control. Experimental group B was further subgrouped as B1, B2 and B3 with 8 animals, in each subgroup. Monoiodoacetate solution was injected into the articular cavity of the right knee joint of all the animals in group B. Both the control (A) and experimental group B1 were sacrificed after 2 weeks of MIA injection, for observing the histological changes in the articular cartilage. Group B2 received a single injection of platelet rich plasma (PRP) while group B3 was reared as such. Both groups were sacrificed after 4 weeks of intra-articular administration of PRP. Articular cartilage was collected, processed and stained with hematoxylin and eosin (H and E) and toludine blue (T.B). Routine histological study was done and Mankin score was calculated to determine the grade of arthritis. SPSS Version 21 was used for the statistical analysis and p-value was considered significant at the cut-off value of 0.05. RESULTS: The mean Mankin score of group B3 (9.37) was significantly higher than that of group B2 (7.37, p=0.003). CONCLUSION: Platelet-rich plasma treatment controls the histological changes of chemically-induced osteoarthritis in rat knee.