Southern Illinois University School of Medicine

About: Southern Illinois University School of Medicine is a education organization based out in Springfield, Illinois, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Cancer. The organization has 3747 authors who have published 5977 publications receiving 209115 citations. The organization is also known as: SIU School of Medicine.

Immediate thumb extension following extensor indicis proprius-to-extensor pollicis longus tendon transfer using the wide-awake approach

Abstract: Background The elective use of low-dose epinephrine in hand surgery has allowed for the performance of simple operative procedures with tourniquet-free pure local anesthesia (the wide-awake approach). The absence of general anesthesia or sedation has, in turn, allowed for the observation of how quickly the sensorimotor cortex adapts following procedures such as tendon transfer. Methods Seven patients underwent a wide-awake transfer of the extensor indicis proprius to the extensor pollicis longus between February of 2002 and May of 2005 for restoration of thumb extension using local lidocaine with epinephrine alone. One of the seven patients experienced rupture of the initial transfer, necessitating transfer of the extensor carpi radialis longus to the extensor pollicis longus using the wide-awake approach. Results All seven patients were able to extend their thumbs fully by means of extensor indicis proprius intraoperatively immediately following transfer suture placement. Restoration of function was not ablated by loss of proprioception or visual feedback. At a mean follow-up of 15 months, thumb extension was restored to within normal limits in the affected thumb, with a slight decrease in grip and tripod pinch strength. Conclusions The wide-awake approach has allowed the authors to adjust tendon transfer tension with active movement before skin closure without the risks associated with general or regional anesthesia. In addition, it has allowed them to observe immediate cortical adaptation in the context of a simple tendon transfer. The authors hypothesize that the brain's ability to immediately use extensor indicis proprius for thumb extension stems from the activation of preexisting synergistic cortical finger movement programs.

The development of a trial making test in young children: the TRAILS-P.

Abstract: Preschool children have a more limited verbal repertoire, less proficient manual skills, and more variable attention spans relative to those of school age, with comparatively few neuropsychological tasks available for use in this age range. A prototypic neuropsychological test, the Trail Making Test, was adapted for use with young children, the TRAILS-P, using a developmentally salient storybook format with colorful stimuli in differing conditions with varying executive demands. The TRAILS-P was administered to 103 normally developing preschoolers between 2 and 6 years of age; 30 of these children were retested within one month to determine test reliability. Correlations among latencies to complete each condition and condition errors generally were moderate to high, suggesting coherence in test content. There also was evidence for good test–retest reliability. Latency to complete the TRAILS-P conditions differed as a function of the interaction of condition type and age group. Although the youngest childr...

Ileal Interposition Improves Glucose Tolerance in Low Dose Streptozotocin-treated Diabetic and Euglycemic Rats

Abstract: Background The surgical treatment for obesity promotes massive weight loss and early improvement in co-morbid conditions such as type-2 diabetes. Because surgically mediated glycemic improvements are immediate, the mechanisms involved appear to be weight loss independent. Ileal interposition has been used to gain understanding of the relative role that the lower intestine plays in mediating metabolic improvement. Here, we report that ileal interposition is sufficient for improving glucose tolerance in a low-dose streptozotocin-treated diabetic rat model as well as in normal rats with no effect on body weight.

The Flipped Classroom in Medical Education: Engaging Students to Build Competency

Abstract: The flipped classroom represents an essential component in curricular reform Technological advances enabling asynchronous and distributed learning are facilitating the movement to a competency-based paradigm in healthcare education At its most basic level, flipping the classroom is the practice of assigning students didactic material, traditionally covered in lectures, to be learned before class while using face-to-face time for more engaging and active learning strategies The development of more complex learning systems is creating new opportunities for learning across the continuum of medical education as well as interprofessional education As medical educators engage in the process of successfully flipping a lecture, they gain new teaching perspectives, which are foundational to effectively engage in curricular reform The purpose of this article is to build a pedagogical and technological understanding of the flipped classroom framework and to articulate strategies for implementing it in medical education to build competency