Comparison of Traditional Lecture-Based Learning versus Interactive Electronic Book Learning in Veterinary Student Comprehension of Inhalant Anesthetic Administration, Uptake, and Elimination

The administration, uptake, and elimination of inhalant anesthetics is a challenging topic in the veterinary curriculum, and lecture-based learning is often insufficient to ensure that students understand these concepts. We hypothesized that the use of an interactive electronic book (e-book) would enhance student comprehension of the material. Two sequential Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine student cohorts participated in a prospective controlled study. The first cohort received traditional lecture-based learning while the second cohort was taught the topic using an interactive e-book. Student comprehension of the material was assessed twice during the course via multiple-choice questions: five questions in a midcourse quiz and seven within the final exam. At the end of the course, students also completed a Likert survey assessing their confidence regarding the topic. Averaged across assessment types, students taught using the interactive e-book scored higher than those taught via the traditional method (p < .001). Final exam scores were significantly higher in the e-book cohort compared with the lecture-based cohort (p < .001). However, there was no difference in quiz scores between groups (p = .109). No significant difference was found between groups in responses to the Likert survey. In conclusion, students using the interactive e-book had better comprehension of the material than students in the traditional lecture group as measured by their scores on multiple-choice question assessments. Future studies are needed to determine whether this advantage persists later in the curriculum when students apply these concepts in the clinical year.

Protective effects of sevoflurane in cerebral ischemia reperfusion injury: a narrative review

Ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury is a phenomenon that the reperfusion of ischemic organs or tissues aggravates their damage, which poses a serious health threat and economic burden to the world. I/R gives rise to a series of physiological and pathological world, including inflammatory response, oxidative stress, brain edema, blood-brain barrier destruction, and neuronal death. Therefore, finding effective treatment measures is extremely important to the recovery of I/R patients and the improvement of long-term quality of life. Sevoflurane is an important volatile anesthetic which has been reported to reduce myocardial I/R damage and infarct size. Sevoflurane also has anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects. As reported sevoflurane treatment could reduce nerve function injury, cerebral infarction volume and the level of inflammatory factors. At the same time, there is evidence that sevoflurane can reduce neuron apoptosis and antioxidant stress. The protective effect of sevoflurane in brain injury has been proved to be existed in several aspects, so that a comprehensive understanding of its neuroprotective effect is helpful to exploit new treatment paths for I/R, provide clinicians with new clinical treatment decisions, contribute to the effective treatment of I/R patients and the improvement of quality of life after I/R healing.