A Cross-Sectional Study to Evaluate Work-Life Balance Among Indian Medical Students.

Introduction The concept of work-life balance is a complex, multidimensional intertwinement of the roles an individual plays in their professional and personal life. Work-life balance is crucial for every profession, and doctors have no exemption not exempted from it. Medical students and young graduates face numerous challenges that potentially impact their work (study)-life balance. Objectives of the study The aim is to assess the hours spent in study and the hours spent in non-study activities by medical students and graduates in India and to assess the study-life balance among them. Methodology A cross-sectional observational study employing a predefined web-based survey to investigate the study-life balance among medical students and graduates across India. A predesigned questionnaire was designed and made accessible through Google Forms, which was distributed among doctors across India via popular social media platforms. Data management was conducted using Microsoft Excel and Data analysis was done using SPSS (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY). Results A total of 416 responses were included in the study. The study participants were predominantly female (64.2%). Most of the study participants were from the State of Telangana (63.9%). The time spent studying was < 10 hours/week for 43.8% students and 10-25 hours/week for 27.2% students. Around 24% students reported spending 10-25 hours/week in hospital. While 47.4% reported spending less than one to two hours per day with their family, 26% of the participants answered "yes" to the question "Do you feel that your study-life is stressful?." Conclusions Self-care and study-life balance is a multi-factorial focal area that is based on balancing stress and happiness, with completing the tasks of the medical school. Medical students need to receive proper guidelines to transition into medical school for better study-life balance.

Obesity: An Instagram Analysis.

Introduction Although the pathophysiology of obesity is widely recognized, its psychological and social aspects have received more attention in treatment and prevention. Social media technological advancements offer a quicker, more accessible, and broader platform for the dissemination of information. Hence, social media may significantly impact eating habits and body image development in children and adolescents, potentially turning into a risk factor for obesity if the behaviors being pushed are not consistent with a healthy lifestyle. Aim This study aims to evaluate the quality and reliability of content being circulated on Instagram related to the disease "obesity." Methods A cross-sectional observational study was conducted virtually over a period of ten days. Six hashtags related to the disease "obesity" were screened. Posts in the languages "English" or "Hindi" containing information about the disease "obesity" were included in the study. A questionnaire was made to assess these posts based on various pre-determined categories: type of post, type of information circulated, quality, reliability, and correctness. Results After applying the inclusion criteria, 420 posts were included in our study. 84% of the relevant posts were images/posts, and 15% were videos. Only 17% were posted by doctors, while the health and wellness industry posted around 54.52%. Survivors/persons suffering from the disease contributed to 13.81%, while that from dietitians was 6.43%, and that from new agencies was only 1.19%. The number of correct posts by doctors, nurses, and hospitals was 54.93%, and others were 37.7%. The posts by doctors, nurses, and hospitals were more reliable compared to others (statistically significant p<0.05). Conclusion This study highlights the need for continued monitoring and evaluation of the social media platform Instagram for the spread of healthcare information.

The Effect of Oral Propranolol versus Oral Corticosteroids in Management of Pediatric Hemangiomas.

BACKGROUND: Hemangiomas are the most common benign tumors of infancy. This study evaluated the efficacy of oral propranolol comparing to oral steroids in management of pediatric hemangiomas. METHODS: In North India from January 2012 to January 2015, sixty children <6 years old with superficial hemangiomas were divided into 2 groups; oral propranolol vs. oral prednisolone. All participants were assessed for electrocardiogram, heart rate, blood pressure and sugar and initial therapy was started using 1 mg/kg and in absence of adverse effects, 2 mg/kg was administered after 2 weeks. The hemangioma Activity Score (HAS) was used for scoring and patients were followed up for 6 months. RESULTS: The propranolol group mostly showed early response to the drug and needed the drug for less time compared to corticosteroid group. In propranolol group, 16.5%, 23% and 59% needed the drug to be continued for 8-12, 4-8 and 4 months. In corticosteroid group, the therapy was continued for 8-12, and 4-8 months in 76.8% and 16.5% and in 6.6% was stopped within 4 months. In propranolol group, the response was 70% compared to 40% in other group. The mean HAS decreased significantly in propranolol group when compared to steroid group. Three patients on prednisolone developed Cushingoid features, while 1 patient in propranolol group had mild flue like symptoms. CONCLUSION: Two mg/kg of oral propranolol significantly decreased HAS, when compared to oral prednisolone, with good parent satisfaction, minimal adverse effects and no recurrence/relapse of hemangiomas after a follow up period of 6 months.

Enrichment, geo-accumulation and risk surveillance of toxic metals for different environmental compartments from Mehmood Booti dumping site, Lahore city, Pakistan.

The present study was designed to probe the levels of heavy metals (Cd, Pb, Cr, Mn, Cu, Ni, Zn and Fe) for different environmental matrices (ground water, wastewater, sediment, soil, dust and leachates). Impact of solid waste dumping site on nearby human population has also been assessed. The results revealed that concentration of Pb, Fe, Cd, Mn and Cu surpassed the permissible limits of World Health Organization (WHO) and US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) in water, soil, sediments, while aforesaid metals in wastewater were above the National Environmental Quality Standards (NEQS). Our results for enrichment factor (EF) and geo-accumulation (I(geo)) values revealed that soils and sediments were contaminated with Cd, Pb, Ni and Mn. The Cd content caused a considerably high potential ecological risk (E(r)(i) ≥ 320) in soil and sediments. Pb and Cd caused high health risk (HR > 1) to local residents via dust and drinking water intake. Potential cancer risk for Pb was higher than USEPA standard values (1.0E-06-1.0E-04) through water intake. The Mehmood Booti dumping site is a potential source of toxic pollutants contamination to the surrounding population. It is recommended to take proper actions for its management to resolve this issue.

Standard of reporting animal-based experimental research in Indian Journal of Pharmacology.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of present study was to survey and determine the reporting standards of animal studies published during three years from 2012 to 2014 in the Indian Journal of Pharmacology (IJP). MATERIAL AND METHODS: All issues of IJP published in the year 2012, 2013 and 2014 were reviewed to identify animal studies. Each animal study was searched for 15 parameters specifically designed to review standards of animal experimentation and research methodology. OBSERVATION: All published studies had clearly defined aims and objectives while a statement on ethical clearance about the study protocol was provided in 97% of papers. Information about animal strain and sex was given in 91.8% and 90% of papers respectively. Age of experimental animals was mentioned by 44.4% papers while source of animals was given in 50.8% papers. Randomization was reported by 37.4% while 9.9% studies reported blinding. Only 3.5% studies mentioned any limitations of their work. CONCLUSION: Present study demonstrates relatively good reporting standards in animal studies published in IJP. The items which need to be improved are randomization, blinding, sample size calculation, stating the limitations of study, sources of support and conflict of interest. The knowledge shared in the present paper could be used for better reporting of animal based experiments.

Statin induced diabetes and its clinical implications.

Statins are one of the most commonly used drugs in the world based on their potential to prevent adverse cardiovascular events. These cholesterol-lowering drugs received a US Food and Drug Administration warning, in February 2012, regarding increased risk of incident diabetes and impaired glycemic control in patients who already have diabetes. The possible association of diabetes with statin therapy has started a wave of discussion in the medical community. A number of meta-analyses conducted in recent years have demonstrated that the association is real although causality has not been proved yet. Individual statins differ with respect to their diabetogenic property; women and elderly persons appear to be at increased risk. Various aspects of statin's adverse effect on glycemic control remain to be explored. As further research in this area continues, physicians might still take some precautions to make risk benefit ratio more favorable for the patients.

Gynecomastia: An ADR due to drug interaction.

Gynecomastia results from conditions that cause an imbalance of estrogenic and androgenic effects on the breast, resulting in an increased or unopposed estrogen action on breast tissue. Approximately 4 to 10% cases of gynecomastia are due to drugs. Both Digoxin and Furosemide are also reported to cause the same condition. Although, chances of gynecomastia could be more if these two drugs are coadministered, but no case report of this adverse effect is ever reported when both are prescribed concurrently. Here we report a case of gynecomastia suspected to have resulted from the coadministation of both the drugs. Probability of the adverse effect due to drug interaction was evaluated by DIPS, which suggests that the adverse drug reaction (ADR) due to DI is "Possible."