Assessment of stress and coping mechanisms in the 1st year MBBS students from English and Vernacular medium – An experience from a new All India Institute of Medical Sciences

Background: The stress levels among the 1st year MBBS students are high due to multiple factors. In this setting, an objective assessment of stress and coping strategies among medical students may provide a foundation to adopting specific measures to help them. Aims and Objectives: The specific objectives of the study were to compare stress levels and coping strategies among medical students from different backgrounds and mediums of instructions and to ategorize the stress level of students depending on Class X, XII marks, number of attempts, and annual family income. Materials and Methods: Forty-eight 1st year MBBS students were recruited for the study. Participants were divided into two groups, that is, Group 1 – English medium schools and Group 2 – Hindi medium schools and informed consent was taken. In a preferable time slot, the participants were given two questionnaires (Zung’s SDS and Way of Coping Revised scale) and a table of personal information to fill. Results: There were significantly higher stress scores among English medium students as compared to vernacular medium. There was no correlation between Class 10th and 12th marks with the stress. Proportion of students having high stress had AFI <1 lakh and proportion having low stress had AFI more than 5 lakh. Students having more than 3 attempts in medical qualifying examination had the least stress scores. Conclusion: Stress among medical students was found to more in students from English medium schools due to the urban background of these students. High family income acts a psychological security for the students, hence the low stress among them. Students with more than 3 attempts in qualifying examination were more mature, hence the low stress score among them.

Diverse aminoglycoside phosphotransferase types conferring aminoglycoside resistance in Enterobacteriaceae: A single-centre study from Northeast India

The present study investigates the molecular basis of aph-mediated aminoglycoside resistance and their transmission dynamics in a tertiary care hospital of Northeast India. Two hundred forty one isolates (230 Escherichia coli and 11 Klebsiella pneumoniae) were collected and screened for aminoglycoside resistance genes. Various aph types were amplified using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay. Plasmid incompatibilty, horizontal transferability and ERIC-PCR based typing were carried out for all the positive isolates. Among them, 67 isolates showed the presence of aph gene. Aph (3“)-IIIa and aph (3')-Via were predominant and horizontally transferable. All the plasmids were of incompatibility I1 group. Twenty-eight different haplotypes of E. coli were found harbouring aph gene types. This study was able to identify diverse aph types in a single centre and their corresponding phenotypic trait.

Level of Mercury Manometer With Respect to Heart: Does it Affect Blood Pressure Measurement.

Measurement of blood pressure is an integral part of clinical examination. Over the years various types of instruments have been used to measure blood pressure but till date the mercury sphygmomanometer is regarded as the gold standard. However, there is a myth prevalent among health professionals regarding the level of the manometer in relation to heart at the time of measuring of blood pressure. Many professionals insist that it has to be placed at the level of the heart. We argue that the limb from which pressure is measured must be at the heart level rather than the manometer. We conducted a study in which we measured the blood pressure in adults by placing the manometer at three different levels with respect to the heart. The values of blood pressure obtained at all levels were similar and did not show any statistically significant difference. We therefore conclude that the level of sphygmomanometer per se does not affect blood pressure measurement.

Role of temporalis muscle over activity in chronic tension type headache: effect of yoga based management.

The role of central versus peripheral mechanisms has always been questioned while explaining the etiopathogenesis of chronic tension type headache (CTTH). The following study was done to study the role of muscle spasm in CTTH. 15 patients of CTTH and 7 age matched controls were included in the study and their m. temporalis EMG was recorded for one minute each during rest, mental activity and maximal voluntary contraction and subjective pain scoring was done by visual analogue scale. The results revealed significant overactivity of m.temporalis in CTTH patients at rest when compared with control subjects (P = 0.01 and 0.03 left and right side respectively). After respective interventions namely non steroidal anti inflammatory drugs, botulinum toxin injections and yogic life style course, the EMG records revealed decrease in the mean EMG amplitude of m. temporalis during rest and mental activity more significantly after yoga based interventions (P = 0.03) and subjective pain scores decreased from 7.00 +/- 2.10 to 2.00 +/- 1.26 (P = 0.02) supporting the beneficial effect of such non invasive techniques.

Study of neonatal status after use of vecuronium as a muscle relaxant in caesarean section.

To define the effect of vecuronium on neonate, 25 elective caesarean sections were performed under general anaesthesia using vecuronium bromide as a muscle relaxant. No clinically appreciable depression was found in neonates following the use of this muscle relaxant.