Book Review

An Introduction to Medical Teachingby Kathryn N Huggett and William B JeffriesPublisher: Springer International Publishing, Year 2014, 271 pagesFormat: PDF and EPUB, HardcoverISBN 978-94-017-9065-

Book Review 29 Copyrighted © by Dr. Arun Kumar Agnihotri. All rights reserved Charles-Edouard Brown-Séquard: The Biography of a Tormented Genius by Louis-Cyril Celestin

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Metabolic Homeostasis, Biomarkers and Medical Education Assessment

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Rethinking conventional approaches to the detection, management and amelioration of disease

The linear-leafed water primrose (Ludwigia hyssopifolia), with its distinctive yellow flowers and matted undergrowth, is easily recognized along paddy fields and tropical wetlands especially in South and South-East Asia. Also known as the seedbox because of its distinctive dimorphic seeds, it has the potential of being an invasive pest and is classed a ‘serious’ or ‘principal’ weed in many countries. It is used locally for composting and in the concoction of traditional remedies in an unscientific and informal manner. In common with other plants of the willow herb or evening primrose family, this weed could turn out to have immense and economically viable pharmaceutical potential. Das et al have reported moderate anti-tumor and antibacterial activities in extracts and in an alkaloid piperine from L. hyssopifolia and Mohammad et al demonstrated anti-­‐diarrheal properties in a methanol extract. It is noteworthy along the same line that the work by Luximon‐Ramma, et al on Mauritian Exotic fruits strongly advocated the use of the red and yellow Psidium cattleianum Sabine ‘Chinese guava’, in nutritional programs due to their exceptionally high antioxidant potencies attributed to their rich vitamin C and phytophenolic profiles. These plants are also generally considered as invasive causing havoc amidst the protected endemics of the island and sing an ecological conservation approach, indeed legitimate, to safeguard threatened plants from extinction, the systematic removal of Chinese Guava trees may deprive us of important sources of active nutritional biofactors. In a study that features in this issue of the Archives Of Medical And Biomedical Research, Scientists at the University Of Dhaka have further formalized the pharmacotherapeutic potential that this much-­‐derided weed may hold. They studied the effects of hexane, ethyl acetate and methanol extracts of whole plant parts of Ludwigia hyssopifolia on carrageenan-induced paw edema, acetic acid‐induced writhing, and diuresis in mice. The Hexane extract and ethyl acetate extract showed significant inhibition of experimental paw edema. All three fractions significantly inhibited writhing and, in comparison to furosemide, exhibited good diuretic activity

Cytokines in the interface of metabolomics based cancer and type-2 diabetes

Changes in the normal intermediate metabolites of glycolysis and the tricarboxylic acid cycle due to constitutive expression of myokines/cytokines in tumor cells and tissues can provide a prognosis for the future cure and prevention of deadly diseases such as cancer. The current review covers the role of immune mediators called cytokines that are produced by inflammatory cells and other related cells such as adipocytes in the genesis of organ specific cancer such as liver and lung cancer. It has been found that in over-nutrition or starving conditions, metabolic processes change, leading to many abnormalities such as obesity and metabolic inflammation giving rise to metabolic disorder based diseases including cancer. The subsequent macro-environments and micro-environments play a crucial role in the genesis as well as progression of the tumor metabolism disorder, chondrosarcoma, and could be future therapeutic targets to prevent and cure abnormal intermediate metabolite and cytokine based diseases particularly type-2 diabetes, liver cancer and lung cancer.Key words: Tumor biology; Metabolomics; Myokines; Cytokines; Cance

Book Review: Robotic Surgery by G Watanabe

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Book Review: "Fundamentals of Operative Surgery"

Fundamentals of Operative Surgery, 1st edition, by Vipul Yagnik, 2007,BI Publications Ltd., New Delhi 110001, India, 204 pages, Rs. 295.00, Soft cover, ISBN-10: 81-7225-300-1, ISBN-13: 978-81-7225-300-4(Official site of publisher: http://www.bipgroup.com

Metabolic Disorders: From Principles to Practice

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Quiz gaming competitions for undergraduate medical students: Questioning the MediQuiz

Many medical schools worldwide incorporate a quiz competition centered around medical subjects as part of their extracurricular activities. This ‘MediQuiz’ is distinct from scheduled formal curricular quiz assessments, and is usually characterized by festive informality, as a quizmaster conducts it on stage before an audience Studies have shown that such quiz games promote active learning, and provide motivational impetus. They also enhance meaningful knowledge retention by igniting interest and placing theoretical subjects in a real-world perspective. Questions about medical subjects can be either ‘interesting’ (general knowledge or ‘trivia’), or ‘useful’ (suitable for a viva voce assessment). For the purposes of this study (and to avoid cognitive bias) these have been classed as extracurricular and curricular questions. This study polled students at five such quizzes and attempts to find out the optimal balance of education and entertainment that quizmasters should aim for. It also assessed students’ perceptions of stress, bias, equity, usefulness and relevance of such ‘edutainment’ exercises. That game-styled quiz competitions based on curricular subjects can be an effective tool to increase interest and motivation and enhance learning is established beyond doubt. Students overall preferred a predominance of questions from outside their textbooks over examination-type questions. This preference for extracurricular questions was slightly stronger among the audience, in students with prior quiz experience, and among foreign students and male students. Participants reported that stress levels were very high on stage, but felt it to be character building as they also learnt to deal with anxiety, to work as a team and to develop a healthy competitive spirit. Most of the audience felt that the mediquiz showed that learning could be fun.Key words: Mediquiz; Medical school; Mauritius; Questionnaire; Medical quiz game; Extracurricular questio