Attitude, behavioural improvement and preferences; in medical students as they move up to the next higher class

Present study endeavoured to assess medical student's ethical behaviour, preferences and improvements one year later. Cross-sectional, questionnaire-based. Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences Jamshoro. Sindh. Pakistan. October 2013 - Jan 2014. First year [FY] and second year [SY] MBBS students [n = 122 each year] of both genders, were randomly selected and a questionnaire administered. Fifty six percent male and 40% female students of FY marked proxy attendance; 72% males and 65% female would mark proxy attendance if given a chance. Percentages increased in SY. Significant co-relation existed between gender and proxy attendance [p = 0.01]; self-financed or hostlers showed no association with marking proxy attendance. Sense of responsibility in females and courteous behavior in both genders improved in SY. Teacher's behaviour affected student's conduct; and improvement in understanding English was noted in both genders in both years, however, the small% of students finding English as a barrier were prone to mark proxy attendance [p = 0.05]. Males preferred physiology whereas female preferred anatomy in both years. In FY, subject of choice was anatomy, substituted for Physiology in SY. Majority students preferred chalk and black board vs. multimedia based teaching. Cheating behaviour and sense of responsibility, but civilised behaviour, did not improve after one year education

Shisha-smoking; popularity and familiarity among university students of Jamshoro and Hyderabad, Sindh, Pakistan

Worldwide, annual rate of 4.9 million deaths have been reported due to the tobacco abuse and this rate might rise to 10 million in the next 20-30 years. Seventy percent of these deaths take place in developing countries. To determine the prevalence and knowledge of shisha-smoking among the university students of Jamshoro and Hyderabad Sindh, Pakistan. A Questionnaire-based cross-sectional study was conducted from December 2013 to August 2014. A convenient sampling of 400 participants was done from three universities at Jamshoro and one at Hyderabad i.e., Liaquat University of Medical and Health Science [LUMHS], University of Sindh and Mehran University of Engineering and Technology [MUET] Jamshoro and Isra University, Hyderabad. Undergraduate male students, age ranging between 18-23 years, were included whereas females, postgraduate students and house officers were excluded. Data were analyzed using SPSS [Statistical Package for the Social Sciences] version 16. Ninety-two percent students were aware of shishasmoking whereas 8% had no knowledge. Thirty-six percent have ever smoked shisha while 64% of students never smoked it. Of the smoking students, 45% mentioned smoking shisha rarely, 25% of students smoked sometimes, 13% smoked always, 6% smoked it often and 10% smoked just once. Most of the students [92%] knew the hazards associated with shisha smoking. According to 48% participants, shisha-smoking is far more dangerous than cigarette -smoking. Prevalence of shisha-smoking in the educated youth is high; however, only half were aware of its harmful effects

Flow-mediated vasodilatation; effect on cardiovascular function with and without fructose and sucralose in healthy, white European males

To assess whether flow-mediated dilatation [FMD] affected cardiovascular [CV] parameters after consuming fructose or sucralose. Data source: Finometer. Design of study: Randomized, cross-over, single-blind design. School of biomedical sciences, University of Nottingham, UK. July, 2009. Materials and Ten healthy, white European males were studied twice. A Finometer continuously recorded CV parameters. Following 30 min baseline, a BP cuff, around mid-point of right arm was inflated 50 mmHg above Systolic BP for 5 min. Upon deflation, FMD measurements were made. Volunteers then consumed 500 ml of fructose or sucralose containing drink. Forty min later, 2nd FMD was done. Pre-fructose FMD: SBP increased in late-occlusion and post-occlusion period [POP]. HR and CO decreased and SV and TPR increased during POP [P < 0.01 and 0.001]. Post-fructose: DBP rose [2 mmHg; P = 0.04] during occlusion; HR [P = 0.02] and CO [P < 0.05] increased whereas TPR decreased [0.023; P < 0.04] in recovery period. Pre-sucralose: SBP, DBP and MAP increased in POP and thereafter. Decreased HR and CO and increased TPR and SV were noted [P < 0.01 and 0.001]. Post-sucralose: SBP rose in POP and thereafter [5 mmHg; P < 0.01]; MAP [3 mmHg; P = 0.04] and SV [P = 0.05] increased in POP. Attenuated BP and TPR, after fructose, indicate fructose's possible vascular effects

fructose mystery: how bad or good is it?

This review article endeavoured to ascertain the facts about fructose, a mono-saccharide sugar being increasingly used in daily diet. Human and animal studies suggest that fructose ingestion produces deleterious effects on the cardiovascular system, such as increase in blood pressure and also has adverse metabolic effects, for example insulin resistance and hypertriglyceridaemia. On the other hand it has also been determined that fructose, especially that is contained in natural sources as apples, dates and honey may produce beneficial effects on human health; smaller amounts of fructose may even help improve diabetic control and that adequate seminal fructose concentrations help promote male fertility. In conclusion, fructose appears to be not all that bad; is essential for male fertility, small amounts of fructose, specifically which comes from dietary sources appears to be beneficial for health

Assessment of diurnal and ethnic influences on the systemic cardiovascular response to forearm occlusion in healthy white European and Pakistani males

To determine haemodynamic effects of inflation of a blood pressure cuff on right forearm of healthy, non-smoking, white European and Pakistani males and to identify ethnic differences in response. Twenty healthy white Europeans [WEU] and Pakistanis [PAK] were studied twice. During the experiment, volunteer rested in bed with a Finometer's finger cuff attached around middle phalanx of left hand's middle finger and brachial arterial cuff around ipsilateral upper arm, another cuff was placed around middle part of contralateral forearm. Following baseline recording for 15 min, right arm cuff inflated to 50 mmHg above systolic BP for 5 min, while recordings continued throughout this period and for 15 min thereafter, non-invasively. Lower baseline cardiac output [5.8 vs 6.5 l/min; P=0.04; [PAK]] and higher stroke volume [102 vs 96 ml; P=0.04; WEU]] were noted in afternoon compared to the morning. WEU had higher SV [102 ml] than PAK [90 ml] [P=0.03] in afternoon. During morning experiments, inflation of occlusion cuff resulted in 5% increase in TPR [0.054 units; P<0.001] and 2% decrease in SV [3 ml; P<0.01] from the baseline in PAK; WEU had an increase in DBP [2 mmHg; 3%; P<0.001] MAP [3 mmHg; 3%; P<0.001] and TPR [0.063 units; 3%; P<0.001]. Increases in DBP [2 mmHg; 3%; P<0.001] MAP [2 mmHg; 2%; P<0.001] [both groups] and TPR 0.046 units [4%; P<0.001[WEU]]; [0.041 units; 3%; P<0.01 [PAK]] and decreases in CI [283ml; 4%; P<0.001[WEU]] and SV [2.2ml; 2%; P< 0.001[WEU];2.6 ml; 2%;P<0.001 [PAK]] during occlusion were noted in the afternoon. There is no difference in baseline BP, CO, HR and TPR of WEU and PAK except for higher WEU SV in the afternoon. Inflation of the forearm occlusion cuff resulted in significant increase in BP, TPR and decrease in SV in both groups. Time of the day had no effect