Using text messaging in an undergraduate nursing course.

Text messaging is a popular means of communication among young adults. Consequently, this mode of communication may be used to positively influence students in their academic studies. In this study, students were given the opportunity to receive text or e-mail messages regarding lecture content. Short message reminders, in the form of texts or e-mails, were used to send bite-sized course content to undergraduate nursing students. Messages included questions that would be answered in the next day's lecture or reiterated a main point presented in the previous day's lecture. Following a survey at the end of the course, text users responded positively toward this pedagogical approach and felt the use of text messaging enhanced their learning experience. E-mail users reported a short message reminder was moderately useful to their study of anatomy. These results suggest text messaging may be a valuable tool for educators as they seek to incorporate technology into the classroom.

A "Second Life" for gross anatomy: applications for multiuser virtual environments in teaching the anatomical sciences.

This article describes the emerging role of educational multiuser virtual environments, specifically Second Life™, in anatomical sciences education. Virtual worlds promote inquiry-based learning and conceptual understanding, potentially making them applicable for teaching and learning gross anatomy. A short introduction to Second Life as an anatomical educational tool is provided, along with description of existing anatomy applications and future directions for this innovative teaching modality.

Dopamine neuron stimulating actions of a GDNF propeptide.

BACKGROUND: Neurotrophic factors, such as glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), have shown great promise for protection and restoration of damaged or dying dopamine neurons in animal models and in some Parkinson's disease (PD) clinical trials. However, the delivery of neurotrophic factors to the brain is difficult due to their large size and poor bio-distribution. In addition, developing more efficacious trophic factors is hampered by the difficulty of synthesis and structural modification. Small molecules with neurotrophic actions that are easy to synthesize and modify to improve bioavailability are needed. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Here we present the neurobiological actions of dopamine neuron stimulating peptide-11 (DNSP-11), an 11-mer peptide from the proGDNF domain. In vitro, DNSP-11 supports the survival of fetal mesencephalic neurons, increasing both the number of surviving cells and neuritic outgrowth. In MN9D cells, DNSP-11 protects against dopaminergic neurotoxin 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)-induced cell death, significantly decreasing TUNEL-positive cells and levels of caspase-3 activity. In vivo, a single injection of DNSP-11 into the normal adult rat substantia nigra is taken up rapidly into neurons and increases resting levels of dopamine and its metabolites for up to 28 days. Of particular note, DNSP-11 significantly improves apomorphine-induced rotational behavior, and increases dopamine and dopamine metabolite tissue levels in the substantia nigra in a rat model of PD. Unlike GDNF, DNSP-11 was found to block staurosporine- and gramicidin-induced cytotoxicity in nutrient-deprived dopaminergic B65 cells, and its neuroprotective effects included preventing the release of cytochrome c from mitochondria. CONCLUSIONS: Collectively, these data support that DNSP-11 exhibits potent neurotrophic actions analogous to GDNF, making it a viable candidate for a PD therapeutic. However, it likely signals through pathways that do not directly involve the GFRalpha1 receptor.

The anatomy of self-defense.

The following study describes a creative application of anatomical principles in the instruction of self-defense. Undergraduates at the University of Kentucky were invited to a special lecture that featured a series of self-defense moves introduced by a local police officer. Following a demonstration of each self-defense tactic, the students were briefed on the anatomy of both the victim and the assailant that contributed to the overall effectiveness of each move. This approach was unique in that students learned critical knowledge of self-defense while reinforcing anatomical principles previously introduced in class. Moreover, this integration of topics prompted students to think about their response to potentially dangerous situations on campus.