Teaching with Disruptive Technology: The Use of Augmented, Virtual, and Mixed Reality (HoloLens) for Disease Education

Modern technologies are often utilised in schools or universities with a variety of educational goals in mind. Of particular interest is the enhanced interactivity and engagement offered by mixed reality devices such as the HoloLens, as well as the ability to explore anatomical models of disease using augmented and virtual realities. As the students are required to learn an ever-increasing number of diseases within a university health science or medical degree, it is crucial to consider which technologies provide value to educators and students. This chapter explores the opportunities for using modern disruptive technologies to teach a curriculum surrounding disease. For relevant examples, a focus will be placed on asthma as a respiratory disease which is increasing in prevalence, and stroke as a neurological and cardiovascular disease. The complexities of creating effective educational curricula around these diseases will be explored, along with the benefits of using augmented reality and mixed reality as viable teaching technologies in a range of use cases.

Virtual and Augmented Reality Enhancements to Medical and Science Student Physiology and Anatomy Test Performance: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Virtual and augmented reality have seen increasing employment for teaching within medical and health sciences programs. For disciplines such as physiology and anatomy, these technologies may disrupt the traditional modes of teaching and content delivery. The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to evaluate the impact of virtual reality or augmented reality on knowledge acquisition for students studying preclinical physiology and anatomy. The protocol was submitted to Prospero and literature search undertaken in PubMed, Embase, ERIC, and other databases. Citations were reviewed and articles published in full assessing learning or knowledge acquisition in preclinical physiology and anatomy from virtual or augmented reality were included. Of the 919 records found, 58 eligible articles were reviewed in full-text, with 8 studies meeting full eligibility requirements. There was no significant difference in knowledge scores from combining the eight studies (626 participants), with the pooled difference being a non-significant increase of 2.9 percentage points (95% CI [-2.9; 8.6]). For the four studies comparing virtual reality to traditional teaching, the pooled treatment effect difference was 5.8 percentage points (95% CI [-4.1; 15.7]). For the five studies comparing augmented reality to traditional teaching, the pooled treatment effect difference was 0.07 (95% CI [-7.0; 7.2]). Upon review of the literature, it is apparent that educators could benefit from adopting assessment processes that evaluate three-dimensional spatial understanding as a priority in physiology and anatomy. The overall evidence suggests that although test performance is not significantly enhanced with either mode, both virtual and augmented reality are viable alternatives to traditional methods of education in health sciences and medical courses.

Using Holograms to Enhance Learning in Health Sciences and Medicine

With the increasing volume of information for students to learn in a health sciences and medicine degree, tertiary educators need teaching resources that can maintain up-to-date information and educate effectively across a range of diseases and illnesses. Holograms may be the disruptive technology that can assist in this goal.

Enhancing Teaching in Biomedical, Health and Exercise Science with Real-Time Physiological Visualisations

Muscle physiology constitutes a core curriculum for students and researchers within biomedical, health and exercise science disciplines. The variations between skeletal and smooth muscle, mechanisms underlying excitation-contraction coupling, as well as the relationships between muscle anatomy and physiology are commonly taught from illustrations, static models or textbooks. However, this does not necessarily provide students with the required comprehension surrounding the dynamic nature of muscle contractions or neuromuscular activities. This chapter will explore alternative methods of visualising skeletal and smooth muscle physiology in real-time. Various recording hardware, isolated tissues bath experiments, neurophysiological applications and computer-based software will be discussed to provide an overview of the evidence-based successes and case studies for using these techniques when assisting students with their understanding of the complex mechanisms underlying muscle contractions.

Prostaglandin E2 and F2alpha Modulate Urinary Bladder Urothelium, Lamina Propria and Detrusor Contractility via the FP Receptor

Current pharmacological treatment options for many bladder contractile dysfunctions are not suitable for all patients, thereby bringing interest to the investigation of therapies that target a combination of receptors. This study aimed to compare responses of PGE₂ on the urinary bladder urothelium with lamina propria (U&LP, also called the bladder mucosa) or detrusor smooth muscle and attempt to identify the receptor subtypes mediating PGE₂ contractile responses in these tissues. In the presence of selective EP1 – 4 receptor antagonists, varying concentrations of PGE₂ were applied to isolated strips of porcine U&LP and detrusor that were mounted in organ baths filled with Krebs-bicarbonate solution and gassed with carbogen. The addition of PGE₂ (1 and 10 μM) and PGF_2α (10 μM) to U&LP preparations caused significant increases in the baseline tension and in the spontaneous phasic contractile frequency. In detrusor preparations, significant increases in the baseline tension were observed in response to PGE₂ (1 and 10 μM) and PGF_α (10 μM), and spontaneous phasic contractions were initiated in 83% of preparations. None of the selective PGE₂ receptor antagonists inhibited the increases in baseline tension in both U&LP and detrusor. However, the antagonism of PGF_2α receptor showed significantly inhibited contractile responses in both layers of the bladder. This study presents prostaglandin receptor systems as a potential regulator of urinary bladder contractility. The main contractile effects of PGE₂ in both U&LP and detrusor are mediated via the FP receptor with no observed contribution from any of the four EP receptors.

The five primary prostaglandins stimulate contractions and phasic activity of the urinary bladder urothelium, lamina propria and detrusor

Background

Inflammation is often associated with several bladder dysfunctions, including overactive bladder (OAB) and interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/PBS). As such, inflammation of the bladder and the actions of inflammatory mediators may contribute to the development of urinary symptoms. This study assessed the actions of PGE₂, PGF₂, PGD₂, TXA₂, and PGI₂ on urinary bladder urothelium with lamina propria (U&LP), and detrusor smooth muscle.

Methods

Studies were carried out using isolated tissue baths, where strips of porcine bladder U&LP or detrusor were exposed to varying concentrations of prostaglandin agonists (1 μM and 10 μM).

Results

All assessed prostaglandin agonists contracted both the U&LP and detrusor smooth muscle, with the rank order of contractile response effectiveness as: PGE₂ > PGF_2α > TXA₂ > PGD₂ > PGI₂. In U&LP, treatment with PGE₂ (10 μM) increased tonic contractions by 1.36 ± 0.09 g (n = 42, p < 0.001) and phasic contractions by 40.4 ± 9.6% (n = 42, p < 0.001). In response to PGF_2α (10 μM), U&LP tonic contractions increased by 0.79 ± 0.06 g (n = 14, p < 0.001) and phasic activity by 13.3% ± 5.3% (n = 15, p < 0.05). In detrusor preparations, PGE₂ (10 μM) increased tonic contractions by 1.32 ± 0.13 g (n = 38, p < 0.001) and PGF_2α (10 μM) by 0.97 ± 0.14 g (n = 12, p < 0.001). Only 34% (n = 48) of all detrusor preparations exhibited spontaneous activity prior to the addition of any agonist at a frequency of 2.03 ± 0.12 cpm. In preparations that did not exhibit initial phasic activity, all of the prostaglandin agonists were capable of commencing phasic activity.

Conclusions

The urinary bladder U&LP and detrusor respond to a variety of prostaglandin agonists, with their activation resulting in direct contractions, as well as increases to spontaneous contractile activity. This study presents the prostaglandin receptor system as a potential therapeutic target for lower urinary tract dysfunction.