Dissection: a positive experience.

First-year medical students were surveyed by questionnaire to assess levels of stress and physical symptoms resulting from their experience of the anatomy room. There was a 100% response rate from the 188 students. Most students (95%) found the prospect of their first visit to the anatomy room exciting. A small number initially experienced physical symptoms, but these had improved significantly 10 weeks later. Most students suffered very little or no stress (80%) on their first visit with only 2% of respondents rating their stress levels as high. Ten weeks later, 87% experienced little or no stress with only 1% stating that they had high stress levels. The anatomy room was rated to be less stressful than workload and assessments. Students reported that the anatomy room provoked thoughts of mortality, and 27% suggested that there should be more preparation before the first visit to the anatomy room. Our findings support previous studies suggesting that American/Canadian students in particular find anatomy stressful. However, the wisdom of interpreting adverse reactions as symptomatic of post-traumatic stress disorder is questioned. This study shows the anatomy room to be a positive learning experience for the students of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland.

Helical CT evaluation of the perirenal space and its boundaries: a cadaveric study.

PURPOSE: To determine whether the perirenal spaces communicate across the midline and with the pelvic extraperitoneal spaces. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Helical CT was used to guide the sequential injection of 100-mL intravenous boluses of dilute contrast medium, up to 300 mL, into the perirenal space of eight embalmed cadavers (three male, five female; mean age at death, 82 years; range, 72-93 years), with four left-sided and four right-sided injections. All images were acquired after the final injection (300 mL total) to facilitate coronal and sagittal reconstruction of relevant images. All images were reviewed to assess the flow pathways of contrast medium from the perirenal space to other retroperitoneal spaces. RESULTS: In three cadavers that received left perirenal space injections and in two cadavers that received right perirenal space injections, communication was seen with the contralateral perirenal space through an area anterior to the aorta and inferior vena cava. In three cadavers that received right perirenal space injections, contrast material flowed from the right perirenal space to outline the bare area of the liver. Communication between the perirenal and pelvic extraperitoneal spaces was seen in all eight cadavers; contrast material extended into the pelvic extraperitoneal and presacral spaces. CONCLUSION: These findings show that the perirenal spaces communicate with each other across the midline and with the pelvic extraperitoneal spaces. Clinical implications are that perinephric collections can potentially flow into the pelvis or across the midline.

Spontaneous immortalisation of ensheathing cells from adult rat olfactory nerve.

In this report, we describe the isolation of a cell line, Rolf B1.T, from cultures of adult rat olfactory nerve cells. Rolf B1.T cells have an antigenic phenotype which closely resembles that of olfactory ensheathing cells. In routine culture conditions, Rolf B1.T cells constitutively express glial fibrillary acidic protein, S1OO, the low-affinity neurotrophin receptor p75 NGF, laminin, tenascin, and the neural cell adhesion molecule (N-CAM); a variable proportion of the cells also express cadherin, which is regulated by local culture conditions and is associated positively with cell proliferation status. We provide evidence that the association may be indirect and linked to a related parameter such as local cell density. Rolf B1.T cells arose from a population of less well-differentiated cells after a spontaneous immortalisation event. The cells retain many characteristics of normal cells, are dependent on serum growth factors for their proliferation, and fail to grow in semi-solid agar. Rolf B1.T cells support the regrowth of neurites from adult retinal ganglion cells in vitro in a heterologous co-culture system and will have potential value in investigations into the mechanisms of glial support for axonal regeneration from adult mammalian central neurons.

An outbreak of acute conjunctivitis caused by coxsackievirus A24 in Kuala-Lumpur, Malaysia, 1978.

An investigation of an outbreak of acute conjunctivitis in Kuala Lumpur from May to August 1978 was made. A total of 2,133 cases was involved, most of whom were adult Malay males of low income status from the surrounding villages and low-cost flats. The majority of cases had bilateral conjunctivitis with clear discharge. Pain and subconjunctival haemorrhage were not common and recovery, mostly without complications, occurred within 1 week. Eye scrapings and paired sera specimens were examined and the causal agent was found to be Coxsackievirus A24 (CA24).