Perception of competence achievement and students' satisfaction using virtual laboratories in Medical Biochemistry course: Lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic.

After the COVID-19 pandemic, there was an increasing demand for remote learning and an expansion in the substitution of traditional practical sessions with lab-based virtual tools. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of virtual labs in practicing biochemical experiments and to examine the student's feedback regarding this tool. Virtual and traditional labs training were compared in teaching qualitative analysis of proteins and carbohydrates experiments for first-year medical students. Students' achievements were assessed, and their satisfaction regarding virtual labs was estimated using a questionnaire. A total of 633 students were enrolled in the study. There was a significant increase in the average scores of students performing the virtual lab of protein analysis compared with those trained in a real lab and those who watched videos explaining the experiment (p < 0.001). The opposite was noticed in the qualitative analysis of carbohydrates with significantly high grades of students trained conventionally compared with those who practiced with virtual labs (p < 0.001). Students' feedback rates on the virtual labs were high (>70% satisfaction rate). Most students believed virtual labs were supported with a clear explanation, yet they thought it did not give a realistic experience. Students accepted virtual labs, but they still prefer using them as preparatory to classic labs. In conclusion, virtual labs can offer good laboratory practice in the Medical Biochemistry course. Their impact on students' learning might be increased if selected cautiously and implemented properly in the curriculum.

Failure of the vascular hypothesis of multiple sclerosis in a rat model of chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency.

Chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI) is a series of stenotic malformations in the cerebrospinal venous outflow routes, which is postulated to cause multiple sclerosis (MS). The hypotheses assumed that CCSVI leads to iron deposition which triggers inflammation and demyelination in MS. Invasive endovascular treatment of CCSVI was initiated based on the previous theory. The present study was designed to validate this hypothesis using a rat model of CCSVI. Bilateral jugular vein ligation (JVL) was performed on female albino rats (n = 15), and sham-operated rats (n = 15) were used as a control group. The rats were followed clinically for eight months and neurological examination detected no weakness or paralysis in the operated rats. At the end of the experiment, the rats were sacrificed and the brains were processed for histopathological examination of tissue sections stained by hematoxylin and eosin, myelin stain, silver impregnation, iron stain and immunohistochemical preparations for GFAP, CD68 and CD45. Semithin sections stained with toluidine blue were also examined. In the JVL group, increased iron deposition in the white matter was detected. An increase in the size and number of astrocytes along with increased GFAP immunoreactivity denoting reactive gliosis was also noted in the JVL group. However, no signs of demyelination, inflammation or axonopathy were detected. This study revealed that iron deposition in the JVL group as a model for CCSVI was not associated with cardinal histopathological findings of MS. It is therefore recommended that the invasive endovascular treatment of CCSVI should be reconsidered and further controlled clinical studies be carried out to provide a better understanding of the pathogeneses of MS..