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Diet-induced obesity (DIO) mice models are commonly used to investigate obesity-related health problems. Until now, only sparse data exist on the influence of DIO on behavior and stress hormones in mice. The present study investigates high-fat DIO with two different feeding regimes on behavioral parameters in mice. Various behavioral tests (open field, elevated plus maze, social interaction, hotplate) were performed with female BALB/c and male C57BL/6 mice after a feeding period of twelve weeks (restrictive vs. ad libitum and normal-fat diet vs. high-fat diet) to investigate levels of anxiety and aggression. BALB/c mice were DIO-resistant and therefore the prerequisite for the behavior analyses was not attained. C57BL/6 mice fed a high-fat diet had a significantly higher body weight and fat mass compared to C57BL/6 mice fed a control diet. Interestingly, the DIO C57BL/6 mice showed no changes in their aggression- or anxiety-related behavior but showed a significant change in the anxiety index. This was probably due to a lower activity level, as other ethological parameters did not show an altered anxiety-related behavior. In the ad libitum-fed DIO group, the highest corticosterone level was detected. Changes due to the feeding regime (restrictive vs. ad libitum) were not observed. These results provide a possible hint to a bias in the investigation of DIO-related health problems in laboratory animal experiments, which may be influenced by the lower activity level.

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, in-person cadaveric dissection laboratories for teaching anatomy were omitted by many schools around the world. While knowledge domains can be easily evaluated via remote exams, non-traditional discipline-independent skills such as those encouraged through reflection on the topic of death are often overlooked. This study investigated how different anatomy course formats played a role in initiating students’ reflections on death during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: In fall 2020, 217 medical, dental, premedical, and health sciences students from 13 international universities discussed differences in their anatomy courses online. Formats of anatomy courses ranged from dissection-based, prosection-based, hybrid (combination of dissection and prosection) to no laboratory exposure at all. Students’ responses to the question, “Did/does your anatomy course initiate your thinking about life's passing?” were collected, and they self-reported themes that were present in their reflections on death using a multiple-choice prompt. Statistical analyses to detect differences between students with and without exposure to cadavers were performed using the chi-squared test. Results: When comparing students who had exposure to human anatomical specimens to those who had no exposure, the majority of students with exposure thought that the course did initiate thoughts about life’s passing, compared to students without exposure (P < 0.05). Reflection themes were consistent across groups. Discussion: These findings indicate that anatomy dissection courses are important for the initiation of students’ feelings about the topic of death. Omission of cadaveric dissection- or prosection-based laboratories will decrease the likelihood that students initiate reflection on this topic and gain important transferable skills.

Hands-on cadaveric dissection is often considered an important factor in shaping the emotional identity of medical and dental students as healthcare providers. This study explores how demographic and/or experiential factors affect the empathy of students in their pre-clinical year(s) of medical or dental school. In the Summer of 2021 and Fall of 2021, a total of 530 students from 21 universities around the world participating in the International Collaboration and Exchange (ICE) Program, completed a validated questionnaire containing the Santa Clara Brief Compassion (SCBC) Scale and the Toronto Empathy Questionnaire (TEQ). Responses to the SCBC and TEQ were tested for variance and covariance against age group, sex, clinical experience, year of health professional school, format of anatomy education, hours of study on prosections and/or hours of hands-on cadaveric dissection in their respective curricula; and whether their school provides an opportunity for reflection, information about the body donors, a memorial service, and/or addresses empathy in their curricula. Results show that having 40-90 hours of hands-on cadaveric dissection vs 0 hours yielded higher SCBC averages (p = 0.0206) and TEQ scores (p = 0.0031); and having 20-40 hours of hands-on cadaveric dissection vs 0 hours also resulted in higher TEQ scores (p = 0.0105). Comparisons of hours of study on prosections, format of anatomy education, clinical experience, and year of health professional school yielded no significant results in relation to empathy scores. Our study found that across different regions of the world, curricula emphasizing dissection are best at preparing students to become more empathetic healthcare providers. While none of the other curricular factors proved significant, this study confirms the merit of hands-on cadaveric dissection in the emotional development of medical and dental students.

INTRODUCTION: Training in cultural competency skills of medical and health professionals has become an important element of school curricula. Evaluation is often performed via self-assessment among student cohorts within one country. Only a few studies utilize any standardized and validated tests. Little is known about global comparisons of baseline levels of cultural competency preparedness among students in various health professions. The aim of the study is to assess the baseline level of cultural competency preparedness in junior medical and health professions students at 20 universities from around the world, utilizing a previously validated and standardized testing tool. Results from this study will aid medical educators in the assessment of the extent of cultural competency required to be included internationally in health education curricula. METHODS: 436 medical and students from various health professions students from 20 universities world-wide participated via an anatomy-based student exchange program (80% preclinical medical students). The students were given a validated questionnaire (1) to assess their preparedness in reference to cultural competency prior to the start of the program. The students were also asked to self-evaluate their cultural competency skills on a 5-point Likert-type scale ("none" to "a lot") encompassing different areas of competency (e.g., knowledge, intrapersonal and interpersonal skills, internal and external outcomes, attitudes). Data were analyzed in Excel for statistical analysis stratified by global region - North America (NA), Europe (EUR), United Kingdom (UK), East Asia (EA), and Australia (AUS) RESULTS: Data are presented as means (M) and their standard deviation. The highest self-assessment mean was for attitudes toward different cultures (4.4 ± 0.7) and lowest for knowledge about other cultures (3.4 ± 0.8). Regarding the question of general preparedness, the average score was 2.93 (± 1.0) in the validated tool (5-po