ABSTRACT
Background: To evaluate analgesic activity of pioglitazone and rosiglitazone by tail flick method in rats and acetic acid induced writhing method in mice. Methods: Albino wistar rats of either sex weighing 180-200 g and Swiss mice weighing 25-30 g were used. Study was conducted after approval from the Institutional Animal Ethics Committee. The tail flick method in rats described by D’Amour and Smith (1941) and acetic acid induced writhing in mice were used. The dose of pioglitazone and rosiglitazone were 20 mg/kg and 10 mg/kg respectively. Results: In tail flick method of analgesia, both, pioglitazone and rosiglitazone have analgesic activity which was statistically comparable to aspirin. In acetic acid induced writhing model of analgesia, the action of pioglitazone and rosiglitazone was significantly greater than the control group but it was less when compared to aspirin. Conclusions: Analgesic activity of pioglitazone and rosiglitazone was comparable to aspirin in tail flick model of analgesia in rats while it was significantly less when compared to tramadol. Analgesic activity of pioglitazone and rosiglitazone was significantly less than aspirin in acetic acid induced writhing method.
ABSTRACT
Background: Injections are probably the most common of all medical procedures. The combination of injection overuse and unsafe practices creates a major route of transmission of blood borne pathogenic infections. Unnecessary use of injections can also lead to unnecessary burden on the institution in terms of efficiency, infrastructure, staff requirement and poor utilization of resources. Monitoring and analysis of prescribing practices can help to achieve rational use of injections. The present study was carried out to study the injection prescription patterns in outpatients of a rural tertiary care teaching hospital, Ambajogai, Maharashtra, India. Methods: A cross sectional descriptive study was conducted for duration of two months and 744 prescriptions were randomly collected and analyzed. Results: The total number of injections prescribed in 744 prescriptions was 205. Most (71.70%) of the patients receiving them were above 35 years of age. The most common complaint for which the injections were prescribed was musculoskeletal pain (45.36%) followed by fever. About 155 (75.60%) prescriptions contained injection diclofenac which was the most commonly used drug followed by injection paracetamol (11.21%). There was a high tendency of using brand names in prescriptions (89.30%). Conclusion: The study revealed high proportion of use of injectable drugs. There was overuse of analgesic injections like diclofenac, most of which were unnecessary and irrational. This leads to unnecessary burden on the institution in terms of efficiency, infrastructure, staff requirement and poor utilization of resources. There is a need to develop local guidelines for injection usage along with educational sessions for prescribing doctors.
ABSTRACT
Background: 1. To evaluate the attitudes of undergraduate medical students towards objectively structured practical examination (OSPE) component of Pharmacology practical examination. 2. To investigate any gender differences and any influence of medium of instruction in school on these attitudes. Methods: The scores of 40 undergraduate medical students were analysed at S R T R Government Medical College, Ambajogai, Maharashtra, India. A Likert scale containing 9 items was used to assess the attitudes of students towards OSPE in Pharmacology. Student perspectives regarding the OSPE were obtained by asking them to respond to a questionnaire. Results: The study revealed that the OSPE was an acceptable tool in Pharmacology practical examination. The overall mean attitude score was 3.99. The response of male students towards OSPE (4.2) was more favourable as compared to that of female students (3.9) Students strongly agreed that OPSE covers wide range of skills and it is a good form of examination and learning experience. Majority of students were in favour of continuing OSPE as a method for examination in Pharmacology. Conclusions: OSPE was found to be a valuable tool to check the depth of understanding of undergraduate students. OSPE can be used as an index of the learning attitude of students. The present study is a small step in a direction of changing the traditional patterns of practical examination to a more objective and reliable way of evaluation in Pharmacology. It will help in modifying teaching-learning strategies so that both, the teachers as well as the students can gain maximum advantage.