Availability of antidotes and key emergency drugs in tertiary care hospitals of Punjab and assessment of the knowledge of health care professionals in the management of poisoning cases

This study was conducted to evaluate the availability of antidotes / key emergency drugs in tertiary care hospitals of the Punjab province, and to assess the knowledge of health care professionals in the stocking and administration of antidotes in the proper management of poisoning cases. Seventeen [n=17] tertiary care hospitals of Punjab Pakistan were selected. Two performas [A and B] were designed for 26 antidotes / key emergency drugs and given to the hospital pharmacists and physicians respectively. It was observed that Activated Charcoal, being the universal antidote was found only in 6 hospitals [41%]. Digoxin Immune Fab, Edentate Calcium disodium and Glucagon were not available in emergency department of any hospital and even not included in the formulary of any hospital. About 80% pharmacists were aware of the method of preparation of Activated Charcoal and 85% physicians were familiar with its route of administration. Data showed that tertiary care hospitals of Punjab do not stock antidotes according to national drug policy. Moreover the study strongly suggests the development of health care centers and professional by organizing antidote awareness programs, continuous education and record keeping of poisonous cases and availability of emergency drugs around the clock

Modeling of CO and NO[x] produced by vehicles in Mashhad, 2012

Background: In large cities, the share of vehicles in air pollutants emissions is nearly 70% that is mainly due to use of fossil fuels. Environmental simulation has many advantages such as accuracy and speed of modeling. Present study was conducted to create a model of air pollution [Carbon Monoxide [CO] and Nitrogen Oxides [NO[x]]] from vehicles in fifty following years, in Mashhad

Methods: According to the collected data from license plate, traffic and transportation organizations, modeling of CO and NO[x] was performed by STELLA software. Hence, five strategies, including reduction in the number of imported vehicles and the proportion of distance traveled by vehicles, increase in the number of junked vehicles, application of Euro 4 standards instead of Euro 3 and a combination of their application, were applied in the model

Results: In the current condition, CO and NO[x] concentrations are 27,894 and 2,121, and after 50 years they would be 26,227,930 and 2,070,011 ton/year, respectively. Applying the aforementioned strategies, their concentrations were declined approximately [35% and 35%], [50% and 50%], [16% and 16%], [7% and 47%] and [75% and 85%], correspondingly

Conclusion: Developed model showed that if the present condition remains stable, air quality will be more and more undesirable in the 50 following years. However, application of the second method, reduction of the distance traveled, was the most effective strategy in reducing the amounts of ones, so it will be better that this strategy is considered in the administrative policies. Nevertheless, as far as possible all of them ought to be taken advantage of

Significance of noninvasive investigations in diagnosis of peripheral vascular disease and management

Peripheral vascular disease [PVD] is a condition characterized by atheroscerotic occlusive vascular disorder of tile lower extremities and functionally it is defined as arterial narrowing causing a mismatch between the oxygen supply and demand resulting in symptoms of claudication, exercise limitations or tissue loss. To observe the prevalence and presentation and to review tile noninvasive approaches for the evaluation and treatment of patients presenting with peripheral vascular diseases. Department of Surgery. Bahawal Victoria Hospital, Bahawalpur. Twenty patients were in included in this prospective randomized study during tile period from July 2003 to June 2005. The relative frequency of PVD at BVH Bahawalpur was 1.2%. The majority of patients [60%] were in the 4[th] decade of life and male [90%]. The smoking was exclusively the major predisposing risk factor [90%]. The common [90%] presentation of patients was intermittent claudication with 60%, gangrenous disease with an average duration of 4 years. The lower limbs were involved in 90% cases with 70% bilateral disease. Majority [90%] of the patients was diagnosed clinically and the objective severity of the disease was assessed with Doppler sonography in all the patients. The ABI was <0.5 in 85% cases. The duplex scanning was needed only in 10% patients. Smoking remains exclusively the only major risk factor. Much time and money can be saved by evaluating and treating these patients by noninvasive approaches but prevention is the best therapeutic strategy achieving by abstinence from the smoking