Design, Implementation, and Evaluation of an Online Systemic Human Anatomy Course with Laboratory

Systemic Human Anatomy is a full credit, upper year undergraduate course with a prosection laboratory demonstration at Western University Canada. To meet enrolment demands beyond the physical space of the laboratory facility, a fully online section was developed to run concurrently with the traditional face-to-face (F2F) course in 2012-13. Lectures for F2F students were broadcast in live and archived format to online students using Blackboard Collaborate virtual classroom. Online laboratories were delivered in the virtual classroom by teaching assistants (TAs) with three dimensional (3D) anatomical models (Netter’s 3D Interactive Anatomy). Student performance outcomes and student and instructor perceptions of the experience were studied over a two year period to determine the strengths and weaknesses of the new format. Data comparing the online and F2F student grades suggest that previous academic achievement, and not delivery format, predicts performance in anatomy. Students valued pace control, schedule and location flexibility of learning from archived materials. In the online laboratory, they had difficulty using the 3D models and preferred the unique and hands-on experiences of cadaveric specimens. The F2F environment was conducive to learning in both lecture and lab because students felt more engaged by instructors in person and were less distracted by their surroundings. The course was modified in its second year with the addition of virtual breakout laboratory rooms, which allowed students to learn in smaller groups and interact with 3 TAs per lesson. The new laboratory format encouraged the majority of online students to use the 3D models. Virtual breakout rooms engaged online students in learning and the students were satisfied with their interactions with TAs and peers, though online laboratories did not adequately replace the F2F learning environment for all students. The biggest concern of the instructors was their inability to see coverbal student behaviour and use it to assess class engagement and their teaching effectiveness. The design and evaluation of the course will guide anatomy educators in accommodating large student populations when faced with limited laboratory facilities and/or cadaveric specimens. The instructional methods will also be of interest to science, engineering, and mathematics educators who teach 3D concepts

Transmembrane protein PERP is a component of tessellate junctions and of other junctional and non-junctional plasma membrane regions in diverse epithelial and epithelium-derived cells

Protein PERP (p53 apoptosis effector related to PMP-22) is a small (21.4 kDa) transmembrane polypeptide with an amino acid sequence indicative of a tetraspanin character. It is enriched in the plasma membrane and apparently contributes to cell-cell contacts. Hitherto, it has been reported to be exclusively a component of desmosomes of some stratified epithelia. However, by using a series of newly generated mono- and polyclonal antibodies, we show that protein PERP is not only present in all kinds of stratified epithelia but also occurs in simple, columnar, complex and transitional epithelia, in various types of squamous metaplasia and epithelium-derived tumors, in diverse epithelium-derived cell cultures and in myocardial tissue. Immunofluorescence and immunoelectron microscopy allow us to localize PERP predominantly in small intradesmosomal locations and in variously sized, junction-like peri- and interdesmosomal regions (“tessellate junctions”), mostly in mosaic or amalgamated combinations with other molecules believed, to date, to be exclusive components of tight and adherens junctions. In the heart, PERP is a major component of the composite junctions of the intercalated disks connecting cardiomyocytes. Finally, protein PERP is a cobblestone-like general component of special plasma membrane regions such as the bile canaliculi of liver and subapical-to-lateral zones of diverse columnar epithelia and upper urothelial cell layers. We discuss possible organizational and architectonic functions of protein PERP and its potential value as an immunohistochemical diagnostic marker

Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (3rd edition)

In 2008 we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, research on this topic has continued to accelerate, and many new scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Accordingly, it is important to update these guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Various reviews have described the range of assays that have been used for this purpose. Nevertheless, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to measure autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. For example, a key point that needs to be emphasized is that there is a difference between measurements that monitor the numbers or volume of autophagic elements (e.g., autophagosomes or autolysosomes) at any stage of the autophagic process versus those that measure fl ux through the autophagy pathway (i.e., the complete process including the amount and rate of cargo sequestered and degraded). In particular, a block in macroautophagy that results in autophagosome accumulation must be differentiated from stimuli that increase autophagic activity, defi ned as increased autophagy induction coupled with increased delivery to, and degradation within, lysosomes (inmost higher eukaryotes and some protists such as Dictyostelium ) or the vacuole (in plants and fungi). In other words, it is especially important that investigators new to the fi eld understand that the appearance of more autophagosomes does not necessarily equate with more autophagy. In fact, in many cases, autophagosomes accumulate because of a block in trafficking to lysosomes without a concomitant change in autophagosome biogenesis, whereas an increase in autolysosomes may reflect a reduction in degradative activity. It is worth emphasizing here that lysosomal digestion is a stage of autophagy and evaluating its competence is a crucial part of the evaluation of autophagic flux, or complete autophagy. Here, we present a set of guidelines for the selection and interpretation of methods for use by investigators who aim to examine macroautophagy and related processes, as well as for reviewers who need to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of papers that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a formulaic set of rules, because the appropriate assays depend in part on the question being asked and the system being used. In addition, we emphasize that no individual assay is guaranteed to be the most appropriate one in every situation, and we strongly recommend the use of multiple assays to monitor autophagy. Along these lines, because of the potential for pleiotropic effects due to blocking autophagy through genetic manipulation it is imperative to delete or knock down more than one autophagy-related gene. In addition, some individual Atg proteins, or groups of proteins, are involved in other cellular pathways so not all Atg proteins can be used as a specific marker for an autophagic process. In these guidelines, we consider these various methods of assessing autophagy and what information can, or cannot, be obtained from them. Finally, by discussing the merits and limits of particular autophagy assays, we hope to encourage technical innovation in the field

An analysis of anatomy education before and during Covid-19: August-December 2020

Coronavirus disease-2019 (Covid-19) disrupted the in-person teaching format of anatomy. To study changes in gross anatomy education that occurred during August-December, 2020 compared to before the pandemic, an online survey was distributed to anatomy educators. The 191 responses received were analyzed in total and by academic program, geographic region, and institution type. Cadaver use decreased overall (before: 74.1 ± 34.1%, during: 50.3 ± 43.0%, P \u3c 0.0001), as well as across allopathic and osteopathic medicine, therapy, undergraduate, and veterinary programs (P \u3c 0.05), but remained unchanged for other programs (P \u3e 0.05). Cadaver use decreased internationally and in the US (P \u3c 0.0001), at public and private (P \u3c 0.0001) institutions, and among allopathic medical programs in Northeastern, Central, and Southern (P \u3c 0.05), but not Western, US geographical regions. Laboratories during Covid-19 were delivered through synchronous (59%), asynchronous (4%), or mixed (37%) formats (P \u3c 0.0001) and utilized digital resources (47%), dissection (32%), and/or prosection (21%) (P \u3c 0.0001). The practical laboratory examination persisted during Covid-19 (P = 0.419); however, the setting and materials shifted to computer-based (P \u3c 0.0001) and image-based (P \u3c 0.0001), respectively. In-person lecture decreased during Covid-19 (before: 88%, during: 24%, P = 0.003). When anatomy digital resources were categorized, dissection media, interactive software, and open-access content increased (P ≤ 0.008), with specific increases in BlueLink, Acland\u27s Videos, and Complete Anatomy (P \u3c 0.05). This study provided evidence of how gross anatomy educators continued to adapt their courses past the early stages of the pandemic

An Analysis of Anatomy Education Before and During Covid-19: May-August 2020.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) created unparalleled challenges to anatomy education. Gross anatomy education has been particularly impacted given the traditional in-person format of didactic instruction and/or laboratory component(s). To assess the changes in gross anatomy lecture and laboratory instruction, assessment, and teaching resources utilized as a result of Covid-19, a survey was distributed to gross anatomy educators through professional associations and listservs. Of the 67 survey responses received for the May-August 2020 academic period, 84% were from United States (US) institutions, while 16% were internationally based. Respondents indicated that in-person lecture decreased during Covid-19 (before: 76%, during: 8%, P \u3c 0.001) and use of cadaver materials declined (before: 76 ± 33%, during: 34 ± 43%, P \u3c 0.001). The use of cadaver materials in laboratories decreased during Covid-19 across academic programs, stand-alone and integrated anatomy courses, and private and public institutions (P ≤ 0.004). Before Covid-19, cadaveric materials used in laboratories were greater among professional health programs relative to medical and undergraduate programs (P ≤ 0.03) and among stand-alone relative to integrated anatomy courses (P ≤ 0.03). Furthermore, computer-based assessment increased (P \u3c 0.001) and assessment materials changed from cadaveric material to images (P \u3c 0.03) during Covid-19, even though assessment structure was not different (P \u3e 0.05). The use of digital teaching resources increased during Covid-19 (P \u3c 0.001), with reports of increased use of in-house created content, BlueLink, and Complete Anatomy software (P \u3c 0.05). While primarily representing US institutions, this study provided evidence of how anatomy educators adapted their courses, largely through virtual mediums, and modified laboratory protocols during the initial emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic

Erratum to: Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (3rd edition) (Autophagy, 12, 1, 1-222, 10.1080/15548627.2015.1100356

non present