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Impacts of Maternal Obesity on Placental Development and Mid-Gestation Lipid Storage; Effects of Quiz Administration on Knowledge Retention and Study Habits in Veterinary Medicine Students
Abstract
Obesity is associated with reduced female fertility which can be due to abnormal placenta function. Thermoneutral housing (30 °C vs. 22 °C) of mice induces an obese phenotype without dietary changes. At mid-gestation thermoneutral mice had decreased pregnancy rates compared to control. There were no differences in embryo development rate or size, but thermoneutral mice had decreased trophectoderm outgrowth, which will become the placenta, and decreased circulating estrogen, which is important for uterine receptivity. We also examined mid-gestation placental lipid composition and metabolism in mice fed high fat/high sugar diet to induce obesity. Obese mice had increased placental lipid droplet number compared to lean. Further, the abundance of lysophosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylcholine species were altered. There were no differences in lipid metabolism, however there was increased expression of apolipoproteins which are important for lipid handling. Together, these data suggest that the cumulative effect of poor implantation and placentation as well as increased lipid storage may contribute to fetal loss due to obesity. In the classroom, a variety of methods are used to help students learn and retain information. However, some methods can be difficult to implement or may be burdensome for students. We utilized weekly quizzes as a method to improve knowledge retention and regulate study time in veterinary medicine students. In units where quizzes were given, we saw little difference in academic performance compared to when quizzes were not given; however, quizzes were associated with greater knowledge retention in year 2 of the study. Study time was strongly correlated with number of exams per week, but no relationship existed with quiz number. Students studied more during non-exam weeks when quizzes were given but study time was reduced during weeks with exams, suggesting that quizzes helped reduce cramming before exams. Regardless of a weekly increase in study time, students found quizzes beneficial and would prefer use of quizzes in future classes.
Subject Area
Physiology|Pedagogy|Animal sciences|Veterinary services|Health education
Recommended Citation
Bidne, Katie, "Impacts of Maternal Obesity on Placental Development and Mid-Gestation Lipid Storage; Effects of Quiz Administration on Knowledge Retention and Study Habits in Veterinary Medicine Students" (2021). ETD collection for University of Nebraska-Lincoln. AAI28490410.
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAI28490410