Alpha-tocopherol ameliorates nephrotoxicity associated with the use of colistin in rabbits

The alarming rise in the rate of multi drug resistant, life threatening gram negative infections has brought renaissance in the use of Colistin for last two decades. The major constraint in its utilization is its nephrotoxicity. Therefore it is being underused which is favoring the development of resistance. This study assesses the prevention of nephrotoxicity associated with high and low toxic doses of Colistin by alpha-tocopherol. Thirty rabbits were randomly divided into five groups. Baseline serum urea, creatinine and electrolytes were estimated. A loading dose of colistin was given in the form of infusion followed by I.M injections for six days. In the preventive groups alpha-tocopherol was additionally given orally for two weeks. Rabbits were sacrificed 24 hours after the last dose. The kidney slides graded and statistically analyzed using [chi square]. The results of serum analysis were compared using one way analysis of variance followed by post hoc tukey test. There was marked nephrotoxicity in high toxic group where as in low toxic group mild nephrotoxicity was evident. Alpha-tocopherol attenuated the renal insult in both the toxic groups. As damage induced by colistin is oxidative in nature, thus it was concluded that the protection offered by alpha- tocopherol is due to its antioxidant activity

Effect of concept maps on knowledge retention in dental students

To determine the effect of Concept Maps on Knowledge Retention in Dental students. Randomized study. study was conducted at the Jinnah Medical and Dental College, Karachi. A randomized controlled trial was conducted on fifty students of BDS first year at the Jinnah Medical and Dental College, Karachi. The students were randomly divided into two groups. Initially the whole class was taught thefirst unit of Biochemistry [Carbohydrates] by the conventional method. It was followed by a Multiple Choice Questions test which established the equivalence in the mean scores of the two groups. The Intervention group now attended a workshop on [Concept Maps]. In the next two units [Proteins and Lipids], the Intervention group made Concept Maps while the Control group continued with the conventional method. Each unit ended with an MCQ test. The score of the Unit test was taken as an indicator of short term retention of knowledge. Two months later, an unscheduled Retest was given consisting of all the MCQ given in the three Unit tests. The difference between the scores of the Unit tests and Retest was taken as an indicator of long term retention of knowledge. The mean scores of the two groups were compared using Independent samples t-test. No significant difference was found in the mean scores of the Intervention and Control groups in the Unit tests. But in the Retest the Intervention group performed significantly better [p < 0.01] than the Control group. Learning through Concept Maps improves long term retention of knowledge

Use of concept mapping as a facilitative tool to promote learning in pharmacology

To assess whether students find concept mapping a useful learning methodology to conceptualize and organize topics studied in CNS module of Pharmacology; and to evaluate whether addition of concept mapping assignment could help to improve examination scores. An analytical study. College of Dentistry, Jinnah Medical and Dental College, Karachi, Pakistan, from March to May 2009. A class of 50 BDS students was recruited for the study. Two randomly selected groups of 12 students each, prepared concept maps in topics from CNS pharmacology which were displayed and discussed during tutorial sessions. The other two groups [n=25] following the traditional teaching methodology, served as controls. Scores from best choice questions and short essay questions were compared between the investigational and control groups using the student's t-test with significance at p < 0.05. Feedback obtained after completion of the study was evaluated as percent response. One-best-choice test of the control group showed a mean grade of 57.1 + 16.7 vs. test group mean of 58.8 + 13. For the short essay questions, control group obtained a mean of 52.3 + 18.8 vs. test group mean grade of 53.8 + 22.5. Both results were not significantly different [p > 0.05]. However, feedback about concept mapping showed that the technique helped the students to conceptualize difficult topics in CNS pharmacology [86.36%]. Concept mapping was particularly beneficial in preparing for exams as it provided a quick overview of the entire subject [68.68%]. Students found concept mapping as a useful pedagogical tool which could potentially be used to acquire meaningful learning in Pharmacology as a supplement to traditional teaching techniques. It was not found beneficial in improving examination grades probably because standard examinations and concept mapping measure different cognitive domains

Perceptions of students and faculty about conventional learning and community-oriented medical education

To compare the perceptions of the students and faculty to the conventional lecture and practical-based learning [LPBL] with community-oriented-Medical Education [COME]. Design: Descriptive longitudinal study based on evaluations of two different methods. Place and Duration of Study: Dow Medical College, Karachi, March to June 2001. Subjects and All the 364 students who were admitted to Dow Medical College in the year 2001, were taught for eight weeks by the conventional lecture and practical-based learning [LPBL] method. The perceptions of students and 63 faculty members to LPBL was found by a 14-item questionnaire [containing 11 questions on the Likert Scale and 3 open-ended questions]. A four-week field trial of COME was carried out during which all other teaching was suspended. Similar questionnaires about COME were repeated for the 301 students [now present] and 63 faculty members. The responses for each question for the LPBL and COME questionnaires were compared by the Wilcoxon Signed-Rank test. Students and Faculty found COME significantly better [p<0.05] than LPBL in promoting community awareness, empathy, group interaction, life-long self-study skills, clinical relevance and not solely exam-oriented. The students also found it promotional for interest, retention of information, problem solving and communication skills. The faculty felt that clinical skills and research methodologies were learnt better by COME. Both, the students and the faculty found no significant difference by either method in understanding the topic or in the importance of the tutor's expertise. COME was perceived as more resource-intensive in terms of time, teachers and space. It was suggested that core lectures should continue side by side with COME. Both, students and faculty found COME a more clinically and socially relevant way of studying medicine than LPBL

Multiple choice questions as a single tool for assessing retention of knowledge in problem-based learning

To test if traditional multiple-choice-questions [MCQ] can be used in evaluating the retention of knowledge by two methods, problem-based learning [PBL] and lecture-based learning [LBL]. Design: An observational study. Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted at the Dow Medical College over a period of eight months. Subjects and All 249 second year medical students attending classes were included and taught a topic of biochemistry by the LBL method. Among these students 141 were then taught another topic of biochemistry by a PBL method. A traditional MCQ test was conducted at the conclusion of each topic. Five months later, they were given a specially-designed questionnaire to find their own retention of knowledge by each method. The same two MCQ tests were repeated. Students' self-assessment was compared for both the methods by the Wilcoxon Signed-Rank test for matched samples. Paired t-test for mean MCQ scores was done to compare their scores at 0 and 5 months. No significant difference was found between their mean scores at 0 months by the PBL or LBL methods but after five months, the retest score showed that the material taught by LBL was retained more [though not significantly] than that taught by PBL, although by the students own assessment, retention by PBL was thought to be significantly higher than by LBL [p = 0.001]. There was a discrepancy between the students self-assessment of retention of knowledge and that elicited by the traditional MCQs. Thus, traditional MCQs cannot be used as a sole evaluation tool for retention of knowledge by PBL

Hematologic effect of vitamin A supplementation in anemic Pakistani children

To assess the prevalence of vitamin A deficiency in anemic Pakistani children and investigate the hematologic response to vitamin A supplementation, 4-8 year old primary school children from the slum areas of Karachi were surveyed for anemia. Of 101 anemic children selected, 16% had low level of vitamin A [<20 micro g/dl] and an additional 2% had deficient level [<10 micro g/dl]. Serum Retinol level showed positive associated with serum iron, ferritin, hemoglobin, hematocrit and Mean cell hemoglobin concentration. A non-randomized control trial was then carried out. Oral vitamin A capsules were given to 42 children and 53 children served as controls. After 6 weeks, there were significant differences between the two groups for Retinol, Retinol-Binding-Protein and Hematocrit. However, no significant difference could be found for Hemoglobin, RBC count, Mean Corpuscular Volume, Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin, Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin Concentration, Serum iron, ferritin or transferrin. A single vitamin A supplement improved the hematocrit in 6 weeks. Long-term studies are needed to find if the WHO recommended periodic massive doses of vitamin A besides improving the morbidity and mortality will also improve the overall picture of anemia in children