Obesity: a Preliminary Report of an Introductory Service- Learning Course on the Role of Pharmacy Sudents in Health Promotion

Lifestyle diseases such as obesity have been neglected in developing countries partly due to a more urgent focus on infectious diseases in these countries. The incidence of obesity is on the increase in developing countries; with a marked rise in childhood obesity. The present health-promotion activity employed service-learning principles by which final year pharmacy students prepared a piloted computer-based quiz using a pre- and post- test design along with other learning material; for participants who attended the 2007 Sasol National Festival of Science and Technology (SciFest). Interactive models; posters and information leaflets were used in explaining the prevention and control of obesity to learners. The results showed that the pre-existing knowledge of the participants was good. There was a further improvement after the educational intervention. Activities such as this are important in heightening awareness of obesity in learners as it is likely to reduce the incidence of obesity later in life. Furthermore; the activity also served to increase awareness of the role of pharmacists in the prevention of lifestyle diseases such as obesity

NAT2 gene polymorphism in bladder cancer: a study from North India

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to examine: 1) whether the NAT2 genotypes are risk factors for bladder cancer, 2) to study possible association of tobacco usage with NAT2 genotype of these patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This case control study was undertaken over a period of 19 months and included 101 bladder cancer patients and 110 controls. The NAT2 genotypes were identified by PCR-RFLP method in peripheral blood DNA samples. Genotypes frequencies and the association of the genotypes among patients and controls group were assessed by chi2 test and Fisher exact test. RESULTS: The NAT2 fast acetylator genotype frequency of slow or fast acetylator genotypes was not significant in bladder cancer patients alone (OR = 1.18, 95 percent CI: 0.69 - 2.03, p value = 0.583) or combination with tobacco users (OR = 0.84, 95 percent CI: 0.328 - 2.125, p value = 0.813) when compared with controls. CONCLUSION: These data demonstrate that the NAT2 fast or slow acetylators genotype did not associated with the risk of developing bladder cancer in North Indian population when compared with controls.