Comparative study of patient-based versus case-based teaching in prescription writing skills of second year MBBS students

Background: Prescription writing errors can lead to deficiencies in healthcare. Although prescription writing is a part of the medical students' curriculum with traditional methods, their prescribing skills are still poor due to inadequate training. To fulfil the need for new educational interventions this study aims to compare patient-based teaching with case-based teaching in improving prescription writing skills of second year MBBS students.Methods: This prospective comparative study was carried out after orientation of participants to prescription writing as per WHO prescribing guidelines (n=71). Group A (n=37) and group B (n=34) were given patient-based teaching and case-based teaching respectively of prescription writing for the same five common clinical conditions. The prescription writing skill was assessed by evaluating the prescriptions written by both the groups and scored by 19-point scoring system. Feedback from the group A students was also taken.Results: Statistical analysis of mean scores of group A (15.90) and group B (13.14) was done by Mann-Whitney U test (p<0.001). Comparison of both the groups for the individual parameters was done by Chi-square test which found significant difference in writing some important parameters like doctor’s registration no., contacts of prescriber, name of the medicine, strength of drug, dosage form, dosing instructions, total quantity of medicine and duration of medication etc. Group A students’ feedback brought out the fact that patient-based teaching is a good tool for teaching and learning.Conclusions: Patient-based teaching for prescription writing improves students’ prescription writing skills in an effective way in comparison with traditional case-based teaching.

Hepatic Amyloidosis – A Clinicoradiological Dido

Amyloidosis is a wide spectrum of disease characterized by extracellular deposition of misfolded protein which has common morphological, structural, and staining properties but differs in their protein composition. Hepatic amyloidosis can present as clinicoradiological dido and requires liver biopsy and ancillary histopathological techniques not only to attest the diagnosis but also for typing of amyloidosis. Here, we report a case of hepatic amyloidosis with preserved liver function test despite having massive hepatomegaly.

Monsters Egg: The Mystery Behind

Mature cystic teratomas (MCTs) (dermoid cyst) make up almost 20% of all ovarian neoplasms and 88% are unilateral. They constitute the most common ovarian tumor in childhood. However, it is sparsely seen in postmenopausal woman. Malignant transformation is seen in approximately

Water, sanitation and hygiene survey – Use of hydrogen sulfide strip at field level as a point-of-care test: A pilot study

Safe drinking water is a basic element of primary health care. The government of India in its Indian Public Health Standards recommends the hydrogen sulfide (H2S) strip test as a desirable component at primary health centers for screening water for fecal coliforms. The objective of the present study was to conduct a water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) survey followed by a H2S strip test of drinking water in a village with ninety households. The test was positive in 88% at the source and the point of consumption, with 100% concordance between both the points of test. A subsample of water samples was subjected to testing in microbiology laboratory, and fecal contamination was confirmed in all of them. To conclude, H2S strip test can be conveniently used at field level, and its ease of use and visual nature of results make it a useful point-of-care test of environmental and public health.

Transdermal drug delivery: An overview

Much attention has been given in recent years with regard to the transdermal delivery devices. Broadly this system can be considered as single layer and multilayer. Flicks’ first law of diffusion is the principle of drug kinetics. As a substitute for the oral route Transdermal drug delivery enables the avoidance of gastrointestinal absorption, with its associated pit falls of enzymatic and pH associated deactivation. Transdermal delivery has many advantages over conventional modes of drug administrations, it thus avoids hepatic first pass metabolism and improves patient compliance. Its main advantages includes controlled drug release with minimum side effects, improved bioavailability, bypass first pass metabolism and many more. There are factors such as physiochemical as well as biological which affect the bioavailability of transdermal medicament. During the past decade, number of drugs formulated in the patches is hardly increased; there has been little change in the composition of the patch system. Modifications have been mostly limited to refinements of the materials used. The present review article explores the overall study on transdermal drug delivery system (TDDS) which leads to novel drug delivery system (NDDS).

Endodontic Treatment in a Patient with Hemophilia A: Case Report with Literature Review.

Hemophilia comprises a group of hereditary disorders caused due to the defi ciency of one or more clotting factors leading to prolonged clotting time and excessive bleeding tendencies. It is broadly divided into Hemophilia A, B and C which occur due to defi ciency of factors VIII, IX or XI (F VIII, F IX, F XI) respectively. Hemophilia A is an X linked recessive hereditary disorder and is the most common of the three, accounting for 80-85% of the cases. Understanding this complex entity is very important for a dentist to provide appropriate dental treatment and to avoid undesirable consequences. Th e aim of this article is to report a case of Hemophilia A with literature review highlighting the importance of restorative treatment in salvaging the teeth and preventing complications anticipated from the surgical procedures.

Adverse drug reaction monitoring in psychiatric outpatient department of a Tertiary Care Hospital.

Background:Pharmacovigilance in psychiatry units can play vital role in detecting adverse drug reactions (ADRs) and alerting physician to such events, thereby protecting the user population from avoidable harm. Objective: To assess the suspected ADRs profile of psychotropic drugs in psychiatry OPD of a tertiary care hospital and its comparison with available literature data as well as to create awareness among the consultant psychiatrists to these ADRs profile. Materials and Methods: A prospective study was conducted in the psychiatry OPD. Thirty five consecutive patients per day were screened irrespective of their psychiatric diagnosis for suspected ADRs on 3 fixed days in a week from January 2011 to December 2011. CDSCO form was used to record the ADRs. Causality was assessed by WHO causality assessment scale while severity was assessed using Hartwig and Siegel scale. Results: Out of 4410 patients were screened, 383 patients were suspected of having at least one ADR. Thus, 8.68 % of our study population reported ADRs. Of 407 events recorded, 369(90.60%) were “probable” and rest “possible” according to WHO-UMC causality assessment scale. According to Hartwig and Siegel scale, 268 ADRs (65.85%) were “moderate” category. Twenty one different kinds of ADRs were noted. Conclusion: This study enables to obtain information on the incidence and frequency of ADRs in the local population that allows opportunity for education to the physicians to improve the patient’s quality of life.

Incidence and multiplex PCR based detection of trichothecene chemotypes of Fusarium culmorum isolates collected from freshly harvested Maize kernels in Southern India

Hundred Fusarium culmorum strains, isolated from freshly harvested maize grain samples from Southern parts of India, were incubated in czapek-dox medium and analyzed for trichothecene (DON/NIV) production. The mPCR assay was standardized targeting trichothecene metabolic pathway genes viz., Tri6, Tri7, Tri13 for detection of trichothecene (DON/NIV) chemotypes and rDNA gene for specific detection of F. culmorum species. Primers for targeted genes were designed and used to predict whether these isolates could produce deoxynivalenol/nivalenol, 94 isolates were able to produce DON/NIV by mPCR assay. Chemical analysis of DON/NIV was carried out for mPCR positive isolates by high performance-thin layer chromatography (HPTLC). To check the practical usefulness of developed mPCR assay, 150 field samples of maize were evaluated and results were compared with conventional HPTLC method. Out of 150 samples, 34% samples stayed as a positive for NIV contamination whereas 44% were found to have deoxynivalenol contamination. Moreover, mPCR results are equivocally matched with the HPTLC chemical analysis for field samples. Chemotyping of F. culmorum isolates were reported for the first time from India, and highlights the important potential of F. culmorum to contaminate maize with DON/NIV.

Antibacterial and antidiarrhoeal effects of alkaloids of Holarrhena antidysenterica WALL.

The alkaloids from the ethanolic extract of H. antidysenterica seeds were evaluated for their antibacterial activity against clinical isolates of enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) in vitro, and their antidiarrhoeal activity on castor oil-induced diarrhoea in rats, in vivo. The plasmid DNA, whole cell lysate and outer membrane protein profile of a clinical isolate of EPEC was determined in presence of alkaloids of H. antidysenterica. The disc diffusion and agar well diffusion methods were used to evaluate the antibacterial efficacy. The alkaloids showed strong antibacterial activity against EPEC strains. In castor oil-induced diarrhoea, alkaloids reduced the diarrhoea with decrease in the number of wet faeces in pretreated rats at a dose of 200-800 mg/kg. The loss of plasmid DNA and suppression of high molecular weight proteins were observed on alkaloids treatment. Taking into account the multiple antibiotic resistance of EPEC, the results suggest usefulness of alkaloids of H. antidysenterica seeds as antibacterial and antidiarrhoeal agents.