ABSTRACT
Background: The computer and internet are used widely by the education community. A number of studies carried out in different parts of the world including India, have clearly shown that medical students use this technology freely and frequently. However, the situation with regard to medical teachers is not very clear as little information is available. The present study was conducted to determine the extent of the use of computers and internet by teachers in medical education. Methods: A questionnaire based study was conducted among all available teachers working at S.R.M.S. Institute of Medical Sciences, Bareilly (U.P.), India between March and June, 2012. Total of 142 medical teachers participated. Results and Conclusion: The majority (83.09%) use computers and internet for teaching. These teachers use computers for PowerPoint presentations while teaching, a vast majority of them (88.13%) use the internet to prepare their teaching materials. A significant statistical correlation was observed between computer and internet use and the younger age of teachers (p<0.001). Similarly, a significant correlation (p<0.001) was noted with the rank of teachers; non-users are predominantly professors, while users belonged to lower ranks (assistant professor or associate professor).
ABSTRACT
CONTEXT: β-thalassemia is one of the most common heterogeneous inherited single gene disorders. The disease results from one or more of 380 different mutations in the β-globin gene. Uttar Pradesh (U.P.) is the most populous state of India, comprising various ethnic groups and Bareilly is one of the largest cities situated in Western U.P. AIMS: To examine the prevalence of five common β-thalassemian mutations: Intervening Sequence IVS 1-5 (c. 92 + 5 G > C), codon 8/9 (c. 27_28insG), codon 41/42 (c. 124_127delTTCT), IVS 1-1 (c. 92 + 1 G > T) and codon 26 G-A (c. 79G > A) in Western U.P. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: Patients attending camps organized by the Thalassemia Society, Bareilly were selected for the study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 48 blood samples were collected from the patients of transfusion dependent β-thalassemia from July 2011 to May 2012. All the samples were analyzed for five common mutations by using the Amplification Refractory Mutation System (ARMS)-hot start-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique. RESULTS: Among the five common mutations prevalent in India, we were able to detect all except codon 26 G-A (c. 79G > A), which is prevalent in northeast India. These four mutations accounted for 58% of the total number of our patients. The IVS 1-5 (G-C) was found to be the most common mutation with a frequency of 46% and the 2 ndmost common mutation was Fr8/9 (+G) with a frequency of 21%. The frequency of other mutations was IVS1-1 (12%) and Cd 41/42 (4%). CONCLUSION: This study provides evidence that the pattern of mutations in Western U.P. is different from the rest of India and even from the neighboring states (Delhi and Punjab). To the best of our knowledge, mutation Fr8/9, the 2ndmost common mutation in our study has never been reported to be so common from anywhere in India. Some mutations, which are prevalent in other regions are absent in our region (mutation for ε-globin). Hence, these findings can be called unique to Western U.P.