RESUMO
Objective: To determine the learning approaches of medical students in their pre-clinical years in a case based learning curriculum
Study Design: Descriptive [Quantitative] study
Place and Duration of Study: Army Medical College Rawalpindi Pakistan, from Jan 2017 to Jul 2017
Materials and Methods: Two hundred students from 2nd year MBBS participated in the study by filling a 52 items questionnaire-Approach and study skills inventory for students. Students' scores were measured separately for surface, deep and strategic approaches. Gender difference regarding the preferred approach of students was also found out. Analysis was carried out by using student t-test on Microsoft Excel Sheet
Results: There is a significant difference [p-value <0.05] between the number of surface learners when compared with number of deep and strategic learners. A preference for the deep or strategic approaches has been noticed in both female and male students
Conclusion: The study provided evidence that even in very initial years of medical studies where case based learning has been introduced as a student-centered strategy, it is promoting a deep or strategic learning approach in medical students. These approaches have been considered helpful in making students lifelong learners. It also helps in identifying the surface learners at the same time. Their identification will help and guide teaching faculty and the curriculum planners about the scope of different teaching modalities to be used in the best interest of the students
RESUMO
Objective: To evaluate the expression of STAT-1 [Signal Transducers and Activators of Transcription-1] in HCV patients non responder to interferon treatment
Study Design: Case control study
Place and Duration of Study: The research was carried out at Army Medical College Rawalpindi from January to July, 2012
Patients and Methods: The study after approved by institute's ethics committee was conducted on 15 HCV infected patients who were non responder to interferon therapy and 5 controls responder to interferon therapy. Their age, sex, body mass index [BMI] and marital status was noted. PCR based detection of STAT-1 mRNA was carried out in blood of HCV infected patients resistant to interferon therapy as well as controls. Data was presented in the form of frequencies and percentages and p values were calculated using Fisher exact test and student t-test
Results: Results showed that more males were resistant to interferon therapy as compared to females. The mean age was less in responders as compared to non responders. Forty percent of the HCV infected patients non responder to interferon therapy were positive for STAT-1 expression
Conclusion: STAT-1 blood expression can predict treatment response in HCV patients undergoing interferon treatment
RESUMO
To find the prevalence of Hepatitis C in patients on maintenance haemodialysis. Design: A case control study. Place and Duration of Study: Haemodialysis unit at Sheikh Zayed Postgraduate Medical Institute, Lahore, Pakistan in December 1999. Patients and Fifty patients who were on maintenance haemodialysis were screened for anti HCV antibody. Fifty normal individuals who did not have any identifiable risk factors were also screened for anti HCV antibody. The relative risk and prevalence was calculated for the patients on maintenance haemodialysis. Sixty-eight% of the patients on maintenance haemodialysis were found to be positive for anti HCV antibody. Prevalence in normal individuals was 10% and relative risk for the patients on maintenance haemodialysis was 6.8. Hepatitis-C is endemic among patients on maintenance haemodialysis and prevalence is much higher in developing countries as compared to developed world