Would you donate your body? Attitudes of students of nursing and physiotherapy towards body donation for educational and scientific purposes.

BACKGROUND: Human body is the most perfect atlas of human anatomy. Body donation after death is, next to donation of organs for the purpose of transplantation, another most altruistic act, which significantly influences the future of medicine, as regards teaching of anatomy and clinical disciplines. Because students are mainly the beneficiaries of corpse donations, it appears important to learn about their attitudes to this altruistic act. The purpose was to assess the awareness and attitudes of students of nursing and physiotherapy towards body donation for educational and scientific purposes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 128 Polish students (110 women and 18 men) from the faculties of nursing and physiotherapy of the Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, Poland took part in the questionnaire study. The average age in respective groups was 19.94 ± 0.34 years of age in case of nursing and 19.93 ± 0.25 years of age in case of physiotherapy. The first part of the proprietary questionnaire concerned classes in body dissection conducted in prosectorium and their significance for teaching anatomy. The second part applied to the programme of Conscious Body Donation, attitudes towards the body in prosectorium and the approach to body donation for educational and scientific purposes. RESULTS: The results of the study indicate that students from both faculties are in favour of body donation after death for educational and scientific purposes. Unfortunately, only a small percentage of them expressed the willingness to become body donators. The main reasons for the reluctance to do so included psychological barrier and concern for the family. CONCLUSIONS: Most of students who responded to the questionnaire support the idea of body donation for educational and scientific purposes after death, yet they appear to be more willing to donate their organs for transplantation than their bodies for educational or scientific purposes after death. There are numerous factors which influence students' attitude to body donation. More emphasis should be put on educating students, which could contribute to changing their attitude toward that altruistic act, and in consequence may increase the number of donors in the future.

Foramen magnum morphometry in children based on computed tomography examination.

BACKGROUND: The foramen magnum is the largest opening at the base of the skull. The dimensions of the foramen magnum are of significant clinical importance because of the vital structures that pass through it. The aim of the study was the morphometric analysis of the foramen magnum in children based on head computed tomography (CT). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was carried out on 84 CTs of the head of children aged 0-18 years; seven age groups were distinguished. The sagittal and transverse dimensions were measured to determine the growth rate, changes between groups, and differences in the foramen size by sex. Statistical analysis of changes was performed. RESULTS: The entire group's mean transverse and sagittal dimensions were 29.08 mm (standard deviation [SD] 3.4 mm) and 35.63 (SD 4.23) mm. By sex, the mean transverse dimension in girls was 28.53 (SD 3.25) mm, and in boys, 29.6 (SD 3.49) mm. The mean sagittal dimension was 35.15 (SD 3.76) mm in girls and 36.09 (SD 4.64) mm in boys. Both dimensions were higher for the male sex. A statistically significant increase in the foramen magnum size was demonstrated up to the age of 36 months in the following age groups; above that age, the increase was statistically insignificant. CONCLUSIONS: The dimensions were similar to those described in adults a moderate dependence of the foramen magnum size on age was found.

Correlations between selected parameters of nasal cavity in neonates and young infants - computed tomography study.

BACKGROUND: Correlations between selected metric parameters of the nasal cavity and nasopharynx in children without atresia may be useful for anticipating probable dimensions of this region in living subjects, in terms of changes with age. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred and eighty children, age range 0-3 years, were divided into five age groups, and measurements of 18 distances between structures of nasal cavity and nosopharynx were performed on computed tomography scans. Correlation coefficients and relations between parameters have been determined. RESULTS: Our study confirmed the existence of statistically significant correlations between linear dimensions within nasal cavity in children. The analysis demon-strated that for the values of following indexes: nasal septum length/piriform aperture width, and maximum length of the nasal septum/posterior nares width no statistically significant differences have been noted between age groups of children. All correlations have been positive. No statistically significant differences have been noted between the maximum width of the vomer and osseous parameters measured, both in the anterior and posterior part of the nasal cavity, and nasal septum length. CONCLUSIONS: The size of posterior nares changed with age in children by a constant value. So far, no such an analysis has been carried out assessing potential correlations between linear dimensions for the entire nasal cavity, nasopharynx, length of the nasal septum in children, as well as proportions of individual linear dimensions of the anatomical structures analysed, in various age groups.