Method: A quasi-experimental study was conducted using 254 first-year medical students with no prior exposure to the lecture topic during the 2016/17 and 2017/18 academic sessions. The students from each batch were divided into two groups and exposed to different video material. Group A watched an action movie, while Group B watched an educational video related to the lecture topic. After 15 min, both groups attended a lecture on the gross anatomy of the heart, which was delivered by a qualified anatomist. At the end of the lecture, their understanding of the material was measured through a post-lecture test using ten vetted multiple choice true/false questions.
Results: Group B's test scores were found to be significantly higher than Group A's (p > 0.001, t-stats [df] = -4.21 [252]).
Conclusion: This study concluded that the pre-lecture activity had successfully provided the students with some prior knowledge of the subject before they attended the lecture sessions. This finding was aligned with cognitive load theory, which describes a reduction in learners' cognitive load when prior knowledge is stimulated.
METHODS: This was a qualitative phenomenology study conducted on 116 second-year medical students from two Malaysian public universities via teleconferencing applications that allowed synchronous small-group activities. Each group was given a different link to 10 GJ slides that featured plain anatomy diagrams and instructions for the group task. Upon completion of the tasks, the students presented their tasks to the whole class. An online feedback form was distributed at the end of the practical session to explore the experience of the students when using the tool.
RESULTS: Thematic analysis of student responses generated seven themes that reflected perceived learning benefits, challenges faced by the students, and suggestions for future improvement.
CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that GJ is a useful tool for promoting collaborative learning in virtual anatomy education. Nevertheless, the impact of this tool on the attainment of learning outcomes remains unknown. Hence, more widescale research is needed to confirm our findings.
OBJECTIVES: To estimate the global, regional, and national burden of ischemic heart disease and ischemic stroke attributable to elevated LDL-C (relative to 35-54 mg/dL) from 1990 to 2023 and to quantify the contributions of population growth, aging, risk-deleted burden, and exposure changes to burden trends.
DESIGN, SETTING, AND POPULATION: This comparative risk assessment, part of the Global Burden of Disease Study 2023, estimated population-level LDL-C exposure and associated health loss in 204 countries and territories. Mean LDL-C levels were estimated using spatiotemporal gaussian process regression based on 806 studies across 161 countries. Relative risks were derived from meta-analyses of 38 randomized clinical trials. Population-attributable fractions for deaths and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) were estimated by age and sex for adults aged 25 years or older from 1990 to 2023, with 95% uncertainty intervals.
EXPOSURE: Population-level LDL-C concentrations.
MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Population-attributable fractions, counts, and rates (all ages and age standardized per 100 000) of LDL-C-attributable deaths and DALYs from ischemic heart disease and ischemic stroke, with uncertainty intervals.
RESULTS: In 2023, elevated LDL-C accounted for 3.6 million deaths (95% uncertainty interval, 2.2-5.4 million; 6.0% of global mortality) and 90.7 million DALYs (95% uncertainty interval, 58.9-123.3 million; 3.2% of DALYs). Although global all-ages rates remained stable, age-standardized death and DALY rates decreased by 45.6% and 39.5%, respectively, since 1990. In 2023, age-standardized LDL-C-attributable DALY rates were highest in Eastern Europe and lowest in high-income Asia-Pacific. One-third of the global LDL-C burden occurred in India and China. Population growth and aging drove the increasing burden, with notable regional disparities in LDL-C exposure and risk-deleted DALY rates shifting toward middle-sociodemographic settings.
CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Despite declining age-standardized rates, the absolute LDL-C burden has increased since 1990 due to demographic changes and has shifted toward middle-sociodemographic countries. Measurement and surveillance gaps persist. Strengthened prevention, diagnosis, and treatment access strategies are essential to mitigate the health burden of LDL-C.