Birth defect trends within Texas Public Health Region 11, 2000-2019: an analysis of Texas Department of State Health Services public data.

South Texas is a predominantly Hispanic region with high rates of chronic illness, poor healthcare access, and a history of birth defect clusters. Between 1986 and 1991, 47 cases of anencephaly in Cameron County were linked to elevated fumonisins in the region’s corn-based diet, prompting a series of ongoing public health efforts. This paper aims to identify changes in prevalence for CNS defects, in addition to cardiac, circulatory, gastrointestinal, and genitourinary defects in South Texas within the last two decades. Public data on 20 birth defects from the Texas Department of State Health Services were obtained for decades 2000-2010 and 2010-2019 in Texas Public Health Region 11 and the remaining regions of Texas. We report that Region 11 saw larger birth defect prevalences compared to the remainder of Texas in both decades studied. When looking at single regions between decades, there was an increase in the prevalences of microcephaly, ASD, pulmonary valve atresia or stenosis, PDA, and hypospadias within Region 11 in 2010-2019; the prevalences of these defects also increased in the remaining regions of Texas in 2010-2019, with the addition of 8 more: hydrocephaly, double outlet right ventricle, tetralogy of Fallot, VSD, tricuspid valve atresia or stenosis, coarctation of the aorta, stenosis or atresia of the small intestine, and renal agenesis/dysgenesis. Pyloric stenosis alone saw a significant decrease in prevalence in 2010-2019 for both regions in this study. Furthermore, it was found that the prevalences of anencephaly and spina bifida without anencephaly were unchanged in both regions

Birth defect trends within Texas Public Health Region 11, 2000-2019: an analysis of Texas Department of State Health Services public data.

South Texas is a majority Hispanic, historically medically underserved area with pockets of low socioeconomic status and poor access to healthcare, including prenatal care. This paper aims to monitor the changes in prevalence for cardiac and circulatory, gastrointestinal, genitourinary, and neural tube birth defects in this region in the last two decades to shed light on the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of current public health efforts. Public data on 20 birth defects from the Texas Department of State Health Services were obtained for decades 2000-2010 and 2010-2019 in Texas Public Health Region 11 and the remainder of Texas. It was found that the prevalence of anencephaly and spina bifida without anencephaly have not significantly changed between 2000-2009 and 2010-2019 in either Texas Public Health Region 11, and the remainder of Texas. Other significant findings were the increase in prevalence of microcephaly, ASD, pulmonary valve atresia or stenosis, PDA, and hypospadias in Texas Public Health Region 11 in the last decade. All of theses defects, in addition to hydrocephaly, double outlet right ventricle, tetralogy of Fallot, VSD, tricuspid valve atresia or stenosis, coarctation of the aorta, stenosis or atresia of the small intestine, and renal agenesis/dysgenesis saw a higher prevalence in the rest of Texas in 2010-2019 compared to the previous decade. Pyloric stenosis alone saw a significant decrease in prevalence in the latter decade for both regions in this study. Furthermore, it was found that Texas Public Health Region 11 had a larger prevalence of birth defects compared to the remainder of Texas in 2000-2009; and, while this trend remained true in the latter decade, there were fewer birth defects overall

Mitochondrial dysmorphology in the neuroepithelium of rat embryos following a single dose of maternal hyperthermia during gestation

Hyperthermia is teratogenic to human and animal embryos and induces mainly anomalies of the nervous system. However, the teratogenic mechanism is poorly understood. Mammalian embryos are known to switch from anaerobic to aerobic metabolism around the time of neural tube closure. This critical event might be sensitive to hyperthermia. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the ultrastructural changes of the mitochondria of the neuroepithelium (NE) of rat embryos following maternal exposure to hyperthermia. Pregnant rats were heat stressed for an hour on gestation day (GD) 9 and embryos were examined by electron microscopy on GD 10. NE presented extensive apoptosis. Intercellular junctions were weakened and copious cellular debris projected into the ventricle. The mitochondria were of diverse size and shape. Most of them were swollen and had short cristae and electron dense matrix. Hydropic changes were also observed in numerous mitochondria. Lipid-laden mitochondria were found in the apical portions of neuroblasts. The mesenchyme (ME) of heat-treated embryos showed paucity of cells and only as frequent apoptosis as the controls. Their mitochondria also showed changes similar to those of the NE. Additionally extensive lipid accumulation was observed in and in the vicinity of mitochondria, often surrounded by short strands of endoplasmic reticulum. Whereas mitochondrial pathology was associated with profound apoptosis in the NE, growth restriction and lipid accumulation accompanied mitochondrial changes in the ME. The results of this study indicate that the embryonic response to maternal heat shock is tissue-specific and morphologically distinct in this species

A Guide to Competencies, Educational Goals, and Learning Objectives for Teaching Medical Histology in an Undergraduate Medical Education Setting

Horizontal and vertical integration within medical school curricula, truncated contact hours available to teach basic biomedical sciences, and diverse assessment methods have left histology educators searching for an answer to a fundamental question—what ensures competency for medical students in histology upon completion of medical school? The Liaison Committee for Medical Education (LCME) and the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA) advocate faculty to provide medical students with a list of learning objectives prior to any educational activities, regardless of pedagogy. It is encouraged that the learning objectives are constructed using higher-order and measurable action verbs to ensure student-centered learning and assessment. A survey of the literature indicates that there is paucity of knowledge about competencies, goals, and learning objectives appropriate for histology education in preclinical years. To address this challenge, an interactive online taskforce, comprising faculty from across the United States, was assembled. The outcome of this project was a desired set of competencies for medical students in histology with educational goals and learning objectives to achieve them

A Guide to Competencies, Educational Goals, and Learning Objectives for Teaching Human Embryology in an Undergraduate Medical Education Setting

With the rapidly changing course of medical education and ever-increasing time restrictions on basic biomedical science instruction, most educators have one question in common—what is the most relevant information for the next generation of physicians? The Liaison Committee for Medical Education (LCME) and the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA) support a list of learning objectives for medical students defined by faculty prior to any educational activities, regardless of pedagogy. The question remains—what ensures competency for medical students in a given subject area upon completion of the course? To accomplish the task to ensure competency in human clinical embryology, a 6-month interactive online collaboration was formed. The outcome is a set of competencies in human embryology that should be required of all medical students, with the goals and learning objectives required to achieve these competencies

A Guide to Competencies, Educational Goals, and Learning Objectives for Teaching Human Embryology in an Undergraduate Medical Education Setting

With the rapidly changing course of medical education and ever-increasing time restrictions on basic biomedical science instruction, most educators have one question in common—what is the most relevant information for the next generation of physicians? The Liaison Committee for Medical Education (LCME) and the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA) support a list of learning objectives for medical students defined by faculty prior to any educational activities, regardless of pedagogy. The question remains—what ensures competency for medical students in a given subject area upon completion of the course? To accomplish the task to ensure competency in human clinical embryology, a 6-month interactive online collaboration was formed. The outcome is a set of competencies in human embryology that should be required of all medical students, with the goals and learning objectives required to achieve these competencies