Integrated curriculum: a contemporary innovation strategy in medical education

In its traditional form, medical education begins with learning basic science disciplines, with subsequent transition to clinical training. The basic sciences are taught as a series of separate academic courses, with no coordination applied at the inter-disciplinary level. During past decades, the integrated curriculum has become increasingly popular as a novel instructional strategy that promotes contextual learning in medical practice. The curriculum breaks down the barriers between basic and clinical sciences (vertical integration), interconnects teaching of various basic science disciplines (horizontal integration) and facilitates the acquisition of critical thinking, problem-solving and team-working skills through collaborative learning. The vertical integration is encouraged with training in clinical and communication skills starting in the first semester, teaching basic sciences at the interface with medical problems and involving clinicians in giving lectures on applied anatomy and clinical physiology. In order to facilitate the horizontal integration, basic science disciplines are taught concurrently within interdisciplinary units aligned around the body organ systems. This contributes to a better understanding of complex interrelations between structure and function and stimulates wider insights into mechanisms of the disease. The integrated curriculum supports conceptual learning rather than simple memorisation of fragmented factual knowledge. As such, it relieves the information overload imposed on students due to a rapid growth of medical knowledge in the contemporary world. With the integrated curriculum, the main emphasis is placed on problem-oriented learning guided by an experienced tutor in a small group of students. In this setting, a realistic medical case is used as a trigger for discussion aimed at linking basic science concepts with the clinical problem. Through collaborative problem-solving, students develop a clinical reasoning and team-working skills. Overall, problem-based learning puts forward a student-centred approach in a sense that students themselves are primarily responsible for identifying relevant learning objectives and self-guided acquisition of medical knowledge. This raises their motivation in learning basic sciences and markedly improves the perception of learning environment. In summary, the integrated curriculum offers a number of benefits to medical students and appears to provide an effective instrument in developing professional competencies required in clinical work

Современные возможности лапароскопической пластики мочепузырно-прямокишечного свища

Современные возможности лапароскопической пластики мочепузырно-прямокишечного свищ

What is the Difference between Online Learning and Traditional Teaching in Medical Education?

The online learning, which is now widely implemented owing to the constraints imposed by COVID-19 pandemic, offers many advantages when compared to the traditional teaching. The online teaching course is available to student any time and can be accessed from any location, providing there is a connection to the Internet, which allows remote learning at home using a fl exible and convenient study schedule that does not disturb other daily activities. The online course contains more informative learning materials, because the multimedia software enables to combine a variety of diverse elements within a given teaching unit, such as texts, PowerPoint presentations, computer animations, video clips, and audio fi les. The amount of time needed to go through the topics of the online course can be variable for different students, depending on their basic knowledge and motivation for learning, thus supporting more personalized learning experience. In contrast to the traditional teaching, that applies a teacher-centered approach, with online teaching the students become independent learners taking the main responsibility for the knowledge acquisition. Therefore, the students’ ability to succeed with online learning is critically determined by the self-discipline, rational time management skills, and monitoring the individual progress. While traditional teaching is largely based on passive learning through memorization of information by student, the online course offers multiple opportunities for self-directed, active learning, including questions for self-assessment, the web links to the relevant learning resources, and the interaction with peers using text messengers, discussion forums and web chats. The weak points of the online learning approach are that the self-studies are easy to procrastinate when the student is not strongly motivated to learn, and that it limits social contacts, leading to the feeling of isolation. Importantly, when developing the online learning course, the computer technology is supposed to be just a technical instrument, whereas the main emphasis is placed on the quality of teaching materials and their relevance to the objectives of the medical curriculum

The Synthesis of Crystals of Chalcogenides of K, Zr, Hf, Hg, and Some Other Elements in Halide Melts under Conditions of Stationary Temperature Gradient

© 2019, Pleiades Publishing, Inc. Abstract: The growth of crystals of metals, alloys, chalcogenides, and pnictides in melts of alkali metal halides under conditions of stationary temperature gradient has been studied. The formation of crystals with participation of elements that were not considered in previous studies (mercury, zirconium, hafnium, germanium, sodium, potassium, rhenium, and osmium) is described. Mechanisms of element transport in salt melts are proposed. It is shown that most of crystals are obtained from ions in which necessary elements exist in most conventional oxidation states

The Synthesis of Crystals of Chalcogenides of K, Zr, Hf, Hg, and Some Other Elements in Halide Melts under Conditions of Stationary Temperature Gradient

© 2019, Pleiades Publishing, Inc. Abstract: The growth of crystals of metals, alloys, chalcogenides, and pnictides in melts of alkali metal halides under conditions of stationary temperature gradient has been studied. The formation of crystals with participation of elements that were not considered in previous studies (mercury, zirconium, hafnium, germanium, sodium, potassium, rhenium, and osmium) is described. Mechanisms of element transport in salt melts are proposed. It is shown that most of crystals are obtained from ions in which necessary elements exist in most conventional oxidation states

Morphological study of telocytes in the left atrium in patients with long-term persistent atrial fibrillation

The telocytes were found in the human atria in 2005. Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common heart rhythm disorder, accompanied by inflammation and fibrosis, however, the morphological analysis of telocytes in this pathology has not yet been performed.Aim. To make morphological analysis of left atrial telocytes in patients with longterm persistent AF.Material and methods. The study was based on the left atrial (LA) wall of 10 patients with AF, 10 without AF (autopsy material) and LP fragments of 2 patients with AF (surgical material). A histological, immunohistochemical, and ultrastructural study, telocyte culture isolation, and confocal laser microscopy were performed.Results. The presence of telocytes in the LA was confirmed. Morphometric analysis revealed that the average number of telocytes in the LP was significantly less by 3 times in patients with AF than without it (2,7±1,1 vs 8,2±3,0 with x400). Correlation analysis revealed significant negative associations of the number of telocytes with AF, fibrosis, lipomatosis, and inflammation.Conclusion. The development of inflammation and fibrosis in AF is accompanied by the loss of telocytes

Modern possibilities of urorectal fistula laparoscopic fistuloplasty

The aim was to study the laparoscopic fistuloplasty possibility of the urorectal fistula (URF) that has occured after the rectal resectionin patient with colon cancer and to determine the ways to improve the results of the treatment for this complication. Patient N., 60 y. o., underwent the successful laparoscopic fistuloplasty of the URF that has occurred after surgical treatment for colon cancer and adjuvant polychemotherapy. The minimally invasive fistuloplasty is possible and has a good tolerability even in patients with oncopathology after extended pelvic surgical treatment and chemotherapy. Due to the operation specific this kind of surgery should be performed only in center with high laparoscopic and pelvic surgery experience