Educational reform initiative an undergraduate intervention study

Al-Azhar Faculty of Medicine for Girls [FMG], microbiology department designed and implemented a Model Training Program [MTP] throughout the academic year [2006/2007] using some methods and new approaches to promote students courseand maximize their activities. Assess the effect of the MTP in microbiology teaching course on student's self motivation. satisfaction. and on the results of the final examination. During the time of laboratory section each day the students were divided into two groups [60 students in each]. One group attends the laboratory section as usual and the other joins the tutorial class and then they exchanged after one hour. They were subdivided into two groups as a tutorial class teaching. The tutor had divided the group into four subgroups to work as a team. A self administered questionnaire was conducted to assess the students view and attitude towards the MTP. Also, assessment was by comparing the results of the final exam of the intervention year with the previous academic year to evaluate the impact of intervention for MTP reform. The students' satisfaction by the staff was 57.4%, 54.9% by the curriculum and educational program and 48.5% by the way of their assessment. Results of the final exam in both intervention and the previous academic years showed improvement indicators. Failure rate was reduced from 20.8% in the previous academic year to 12.6% in the intervention year. The results obtained indicated that MTP achieved better results and addressed student's need to such intervention. Still there is a chance for improvements in undergraduate medical education and to help students to acquire a self directed style of studying

Assessment of knowledge and practice of women toward minor discomforts during the period of pregnancy

Aim of the study was to asses the knowledge and practice of women toward minor discomforts during the period of pregnancy. was descriptive study. Ante-natal out patient clinic at Benha University Hospital Research question What are knowledge and practices of women toward minor discomforts during the period of pregnancy? simple random sample, was collected randomly from I in a period of six months, three days per week and started from July 2006 until December 2006, the total number was 150 pregnant women for three trimesters, 50 pregnant women for each trimester. Tool for data collection was structured interviewing questionnaire sheet. The present study indicated that 64% of subjects were housewives, 52.6% had moderate education. The present study also indicated the highest level of minor discomforts during first trimesters were fatigue 92% and nausea and vomiting 88%, during second trimester were hemorrhoids 84%, backache 76%, and faintness and dizziness 70%, during 3rd trimester were backache 84%, hemorrhoids and heart burn 76%, leg cramp and dyspnea 74%, concerning knowledge as reported by women about minor discomforts 24%. The study indicated that 40% of sample had poor knowledge at 1st trimester while 42% of sample had good knowledge at 2nd trimester followed by 3rd trimester. This study also indicated that the highest level of practices 59% to relieve minor discomforts during 2nd trimester followed by 3rd trimester 56.9% and 1st trimester 55% practices that performed to relieve fatigue was assistance of husband in house working. The practice to relieve hemorrhoids was to increase vegetables rich with fiber and the practice to relieve backache was to use proper body mechanics. There are significant differences among three trimesters as regarding level of minor discomforts. The mean level of minor discomforts during first trimester [63.6 +/- 16.8] is higher than 2nd and 3rd trimester and the highest level during first trimester is fatigue [92%]. Teaching mothers about minor discomforts and self care measures to cope with it and differentiate between them. Future studies of common complain of pregnancy and its management

Complications of cataract surgery in diabetics

In retrospective study, eighty diabetic patients underwent extracapsular cataract extraction [ECCE] and intraocular lens [IOL] implantation. Fifty of them with retinopathy and the other thirty without retinopathy. The age of the patient at the time of surgery ranged from 40-60 years [mean 49]. Forty four patients had insulin dependent and thirty six patients had non insulin depedent. Follow-up examination were performed one day, three days, one week, four weeks and then every two months. The postoperative data included best visual acuity, any change in the state of retinopathy, cystoid macular oedema, opacification of the posterior capsule and additional surgical procedure including yag laser capsulotomy

Does the use of topical dorzolamide hydrochloride limit the role of glaucoma surgery

This study was designed to evaluate the efficacy of the recently introduced topical carbonic anhydrase inhibitor. [Dorzolamide Hydrochloride 2% [Trusopt 2%]] as an additional therapeutic agent in selected patients suffering from chronic open angle glaucoma. Forty eight eyes [48] in twenty eight [28] patients were included in this study, that was held at Al-Zahraa University Hospital, 12 males and 16 females, mean age was [46.14 years] [Range from 31-68 years]. They were diagnosed as chronic simple glaucoma, non of them was subjected to previous glaucoma surgery. These patients were divided into three groups, first group [11 eyes] previously using pilocarpine eye drops only, second group [21 eyes], using Beta-blockers and third group [16 eyes], using combination of both pilocarpine and beta blockers. All patients were submitted to complete eye examination. Then topical 2% dorzolamide hydrochloride was given to all patients every 8 hours in addition to their original treatment, and the patients were followed-up for 6 months. The LO.P. reduction, were recorded. In the first group, the mean reduction was 4.04, in the second group was 3.99, in the third group it was 3.45 which is statistically significant in three groups. So we concluded that Dorzolamide Hydrochloride 2% was a useful as adjunctive therapy in control the elevated intraocular pressure, deviation and in stabilizing otherwise inadequately controlled cases

Thrombin antithrombin III [TAT] in patients with acute myocardial infarction

This study was conducted on 20 patients with acute myocardial infarction [AMI] and 20 healthy persons, as a control group, they were clinically free from any systemic disease. It was found that the mean TAT level was highly significantly increased in patients with AMI when compared to healthy persons and can be used as an additional criteria for diagnosis of AMI. There was a positive correlation between the mean level of TAT and the extent of infarction. After administration of thrombolytic therapy there was another elevation in the mean TAT level which may indicate reperfusion of the infarct area. Also, after administration of heparin, here was another elevation which may be due to the fact that heparin accelerate the reaction between thrombin and antithrombin III

Outcome of autologous bone marrow transplantation

A total of 17 patients [14 males and 3 females], with age range from 18 to 40 years with a mean of 29 years, were subjected to autologs bone marrow transplantation in Maadi Armed Forces Hospital. The cause of transplantation was due to AML, CR1, CR2 in 3 patients, refractory non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in 7 patients, refractory Hodgkin's lymphoma in 5 patients and 2 patients were suffering from ALL. Pretransplantation routine blood investigation and chemotherapy regimen for conditioning were performed according to the Royal Free Hospital [U.K.] protocol, [personal communication]. The final outcome of these patients was as follows: 12 patients had complete remission [70.6%], 1 patient had initial disease relapse [5.9%] and 4 [23.5%] deaths. Major complications and causes of death were septicemia in 2 patients, hepatic failure in 1 patient and renal failure in another one. Veno- occlusive disease was a complication in one patient. No failure of engraftment was detected. In conclusion, preliminary study on bone marrow transplantation outcome demonstrated a high success rate. However, better selection of cases and more experience will improve the outcome to that reported in specialized centers abroad

simple integrated battery of tests for assessing the behavioral effects of drugs in rats

A program is under construction at present time in NODCAR for building up a neurobehavioral check-list of experiments, which can be easily and integratedly used in toxicological evaluations of drugs and chemicals. The present work is a part of this program. Its objective has been to evaluate the use of the open field test, the swimming test and the conditioned avoidance and escape behavior testing as an integrated battery for assessing the behavioral effects of drugs. The used animals were Sprague-Dawley rats. Two reference behaviorally action drugs were utilized, Chlorpromazine [1.5 and 3.0 mg/kg i.p.] and Amphetamine [1.0 and 2.0 mg/kg i.p.]. The evaluated parameters were latency, ambulation, rearing and grooming in the open field, swimming latency, swimming time direction in the swimming test, in addition to the avoidance behavior. The above mentioned methodologies were able to demonstrate the dose-dependent potential interference of Chlorpromazine and Amphetamine with emotionality, memory learning, motor activity and muscular coordination

Influence of protein malnutrition on behavioral response to drugs in rats

The aim of the present work was to study the effect of PM on susceptibility of rats to the behavioral response of drugs. Chlorpromazine [CPZ] and Amphetamine [AMP] were utilized as reference drugs. PM was started from birth. The performed tests were the swimming test, the open-field test and the test for escape and conditioned avoidance response. They were performed when rats were in the ages of 50-60 days, 92-102 days, and 134-144 days, respectively. Chlorpromazine [1.5 and 3.0 mg/kg] and Amphetamine [1 and 2 mg/kg] were given intraperitoneally. The obtained results showed that PM and normally fed [NF] animals behave differently. PM decreased the swimming latency time but did not affect the swimming time or direction. It decreased the latency time and increased the ambulation frequency in the open-field tests. In the escape and conditioned avoidance experiments, no effects were produced by PM, however, the number of trials for learning were significantly higher in PM animals. On administering CPZ or AMP, the obtained neurobehavioral responses in protein malnourished animals were similar to those obtained in NF animals with the following exceptions: Longer swimming latency time after CPZ and shorter one after AMP, shorter swimming time following low dose of CPZ and AMP, higher degree of ambulation following the high dose of CPZ, shorter exploration latency time following low dose of AMP [Open Field], lower degree of interference with avoidance response following CPZ administration. The obtained results will be discussed in view of the neurobehavioral properties of PM, CPZ and AMP