IMPACT OF ACNE VULGARIS ON A PERSON’S QUALITY OF LIFE AND IT’S CORRELATION WITH THE CLINICAL SEVERITY PRE AND POST-DRUG THERAPY

Objective: The aim of the study is to assess the therapeutic efficacy of drugs used in acne vulgaris by measuring the severity of acne using the Global Acne Grading System score (GAGS) and Cardiff Acne Disability Index (CADI) questionnaire score pre and post-drug therapy. Methods: The present study was conducted in the Department of Dermatology after getting approval from the Institutional Ethics Committee (No MC/190/2007/Pt1/MAR-2019/PG/123) dated 10/04/2019. It was an observational study for a period of 1 y. 172 patients were enrolled in the study. Patients were divided into 4 grades depending on their clinical manifestation. The severity of acne vulgaris and the quality of life were measured using the GAGS scale and the CADI questionnaire, respectively at the first visit and at the follow-up visit in all the grades of acne vulgaris. A correlation was done between the GAGS and the CADI score at the follow-up visit in all grades of acne. Results: It was observed that the GAGS score and the CADI score was significantly improved at the F/U visit (p<0.05) as compared to baseline in all the 4 grades of acne. A correlation between GAGS score and QoL using CADI scale was done using Pearson Parametric Correlation Test. In none of the groups, the correlation was significant (p>0.05). Conclusion: We can conclude from our study that following treatment with drugs, the clinical severity of acne decreased and there was also a significant improvement in the quality of life of patients.

An observational study on patient compliance and adverse drug reactions of antihypertensives drugs in a tertiary care center of Bihar

Hypertension is among the most common non-communicable and lifestyle disease in our country that affects adult population of both the genders from all socio-economic backgrounds and urban and rural population. In-spite of this, early diagnosis and appropriate treatment are suboptimal. Adherence of prescribed treatment has been studied in patients of hypertension in this study. : An observational and cross-sectional study was conducted in the Department of Pharmacology, Jawahar Lal Nehru Medical College and Hospital, Bhagalpur, Bihar. Prior to the initiation of the study, clearance was obtained from the Institutional Ethics Committee. Study period was between January 2021 and June 2021.A predesigned pretested interview schedule was used to collect the data from the 247 study participants. This schedule contained information related to socio-demographic variables, comorbidity, a format to assess the compliance to antihypertensive drugs prescribed and any adverse event. : A significant improvement in maintain optimal in blood pressure was observed in patients treated with one pill per day as compared to patients prescribed with two and three pills per day. Compliance was significantly better in patients in combination therapy as compared to monotherapy. : Low dose combination therapy has been stated to be more effective than high dose monotherapy in controlling blood pressure. It shows better compliance and lesser incidence of side-effects.

An observational and cross-sectional study on drug utilization pattern in the ophthalmology out-patient department of a tertiary care center of Bihar

Making affordable drugs accessible to all strata of society is an inevitable part of health care. This situation makes Drug Utilization Study inevitable. With this background, the current study was planned to obtain knowledge on the prescribing pattern and drug utilization trend in ophthalmology department at a tertiary care teaching hospital with ultimate goal to promote rational use of drugs among prescribers. An observational cross-sectional study was conducted in the Department of Pharmacology, Jawahar Lal Nehru Medical College and Hospital, Bhagalpur, Bihar. Prior to the initiation of the study, clearance was obtained from the Institutional Ethics Committee. Study period was between March 2021 and August 2021. Prescriptions of 550 patients who were treated during the course of the study were surveyed prospectively by using a specially designed form. The WHO drug use indicators like prescribing indicators and patient care indicators were determinedThe average number of drugs per prescription was 2.6, ranging from 0-7 drugs. The dosage forms, the frequency of administration and duration of treatment of the drugs were recorded for 99.9% of the prescriptions given. This analysis of the prescriptions showed that 93.8% of the prescriptions were written in the form of various trade names. Antibiotics were prescribed in 52.5% of the prescriptions. The present study revealed certain lacunae in the prescribing practices of the Ophthalmologists at the selected institute and this is evident by the low generic prescribing in many prescriptions.

ROLE OF GINKGO BILOBA IN TINNITUS BASED ON TINNITUS HANDICAP INVENTORY

ABSTRACT AIMS AND OBJECTIVES To evaluate whether there is role of Ginkgo biloba in treatment of tinnitus or not, using Tinnitus Handicap Inventory MATERIAL METHODS: The present prospective study, after approval by Institutional Ethics Committee, was conducted in Department of ENT, GMC Jammu from January 2019 to January 2020 on 90 patients with primary complaint of tinnitus. Inclusion criteria- Age: 20 years or above, Duration of tinnitus > 3 months. Informed consent was taken and all patients were asked to complete the THI-Tinnitus Handicap Inventory. All patients were given 50mg of Ginkgo biloba standardized extract LI 1370 (containing 25% flavonoids, 3% ginkgolides and 5% bilobalides). Patients were advised to take three tablets daily for 12 weeks. RESULTS The mean pre-treatment THI score was 43.6 and mean post-treatment THI score (at 12 weeks) was 39.4; the mean change in THI score was 4.2, the result being statistically insignificant (p-value= 0.43). Out of 90 patients, 51 reported unchanged severity of tinnitus, 27 patients reported improvement in severity of tinnitus and 12 patients reported worsening of condition. CONCLUSION According to our study, Ginkgo biloba has no significant therapeutic role in tinnitus. However, the aetiology of tinnitus is multifactorial and Ginkgo biloba could benefit patients with ischemic aetiology. KEYWORDS Ginkgo, biloba, handicap, inventory, tinnitus

EFFICACY OF SUPPLEMENTATION OF PROBIOTICS ALONG WITH ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS IN VULVOVAGINAL INFECTIONS IN A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL

Objectives: The objectives of the study were to ascertain the efficacy of probiotics along with antimicrobials in the treatment of vulvovaginitis and to evaluate the rate of recurrence. Methods: The study was done on 60 patients who were randomly selected and divided into two groups of 30 each. Prior permission from the Institutional Ethics Committee and higher authorities was obtained before conducting the study. One group received standard treatment including antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal as per the gynecologist discretion and in other group along with standard treatment, probiotic capsules containing combination of Saccharomyces boulardii, Lactobacillus sporogenes (50 million), Streptococcus faecalis (30 million), Clostridium butyricum (2 million), and Bacillus mesentericus (1 million) given orally twice daily and followed up for a period of 3 months. The drugs were started on the 5th day after menstruation taking starting of the bleeding as day 1. Results: The parameters compared were symptoms and signs (significantly reduced – p-value), clue cells (significantly reduced in number), and recurrence rates (significantly reduced), in 80% of patients smears which were not consistent with BV. Maximum number of patients showed negative KOH mount (71.5%), saline wet mount was negative in 80% of patients in antimicrobial agents + probiotics group. Conclusion: From the present interventional study, probiotics along with antimicrobial agents showed better improvement than antimicrobial agents alone. Hence, supplementation of probiotics along with antimicrobial agents provides better efficacy than antimicrobial agents alone in treating vulvovaginal infections.

A study on substance abuse among young people (10-24 years) in urban slums of Jorhat, Assam

Objective: To find out the substances abused by the people in urban slums and also find factors contributing to it. Also to recommend suggestions based on the study Material and Methods: It was a community based cross sectional study and data was collected using Interviewers Performa after getting approved by the Institutional Ethics Committee. A sample size of 174 was calculated . Young People (10 to 24yrs) who were willing to participate were included and whose not ready to take part were opted out. Results: It was found that males usually 22 to 24yrs used abusive substances than females. Tobacco was the most common substance abused followed by alcohol and majority had been introduced to the substances by their peers between 17 to 24 yrs. Most people consumed the drug multiple times daily followed by weekly and had procured the drug from local retailers. These substances gave them a sense of hallucination and euphoria on consumption. Among the side effects oral problems like ulcers and malignancy topped the list. Respiratory and gastrointestinal issues along with inability to concentrate on work were other side effects. Conclusions: Based on the results several recommendations were made especially awareness workshops and camps. These programs mainly stressed upon the necessity to create social awareness among the people and their families about the ill effects of substance abuse. All the results were tabulated.

Study on Morphometry of Adrenal Glands in live fetuses by Ultrasonography

Introduction: Development of adrenal gland is always peculiar as it involves the complex process. It has an intriguing role in the harmonious development of fetus. Ultrasonographic Studies on fetal supra renal glands help in understanding the embryology of Suprarenal glands and are also useful in obstetrics, perinatology and fetopathology. Risk factors associated in the pregnancy like maternal diabetes and hypertension could impair the growth of adrenal glands. The nomograms of adrenal glands observed by ultrasonography are of clinical importance and help us in planning prevention and management of a fetus in high-risk pregnancies. This requires a feasible and repeatable screening test. Objective: To estimate various suprarenal gland measurements such as length, width, thickness, volume, surface area, circumference, thickness of cortex and medulla Materials and methods: Present study conducted with62 live normal human fetuses of different gestational ages ranging from 20 – 40 weeks, through ultrasonographic study using real time 4D and B mode Ge Voluson 730 pro ultra sound macine. Probes used were AB-2-7 Convex 2d abdominal Probe and RABA 4-8 Convex 4D abdominal probe. After obtaining the prior permission from the institutional ethics committee, consent from pregnant woman. Sex of the fetus was not revealed during ultrasonographic study. Fetal parameters of supra-renal gland were recorded and documented. Results: Suprarenal gland length, width, thickness, cortico-medullary thickness, surface area and circumference of both right and left side revealed significant difference (p<0.01). the detailed data analysis was presented in the subsequent headings. Conclusion: The data obtained from this study, may useful to understand the suprarenal morphometry in live fetuses thus the database useful in obstetrics, perinatology and fetopathology.

Prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection among COVID-19 RT-PCR laboratory workers in Bangladesh

BackgroundHealth care workers (HCWs) at the frontline are confronting a substantial risk of infection during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This emerging virus created specific hazards to researchers and laboratory staff in a clinical setting, underlined by rapid and extensive worldwide transmission. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection among COVID-19 RT-PCR laboratory health workers in Bangladesh.Materials & MethodsThis retrospective study was conducted between October 2 to December 2, 2020. A total of 508 participants, including doctors, scientific officers, medical technologists, and cleaners working in several COVID-19 RT-PCR laboratories, were included in this study. Data were collected from each participant using a semi-structured questionnaire prepared in the format of an anonymous Google form. All participants provided informed consent. The Ethical clearance was obtained from the Institutional Ethics Review Committee of Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College, Dhaka, Bangladesh. All statistical analyses were performed using SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) version 25.0 software (SPSS, Inc).ResultsOut of the 508 participants, 295 tested positive for SARS CoV-2 RT-PCR. Among the positive cases, 202 were men, 93 were women, with the median age of 30 years. The most positive cases were medical technologists (53.22%) followed by doctors (28.8%). Out of the 271 symptomatic positive cases, the most typical symptoms were fever (78.5%), fatigue (70%), loss of smell and taste (65%), cough (64%), and others. Hypertension, obesity, and diabetes were found in 8.8%, 8.8%, and 7.1% positive cases. A + blood group was present in 37% of the positive cases, followed by the B+ blood group (27%) and O+ blood group (25%). Inadequate supply of personal protection equipment (PPE), absence of negative pressure ventilation, laboratory contamination, and no training on molecular test methods were found in 13.8%, 67.8%, 44.7%, and 40.6% of positive cases, respectively.ConclusionEvaluating the infection status of laboratory health workers is crucial for drawing attention from the public, providing practical suggestions for government agencies, and increasing protective measures for laboratory health workers.

Introduction to case-based learning: An attempt to integrate topics in biochemistry

Objectives: Biochemistry is one of the foundation sciences in the medical curriculum, which has immense importance in understanding the future clinical sciences, but it is generally considered to be a subject of just countless biochemical structures, pathways, and reactions. Conventionally, it was taught by means of didactic lectures, tutorials, and practical classes. These days, the education system is changing to a student-centered teaching–learning process with the use of various innovative teaching methods. Case-based learning (CBL) is one such approach which can make learning more effective and interesting. To generate interest of students in Biochemistry by correlating topics and their clinical application. Materials and Methods: After taking permission from the Institutional ethics committee, the students were given didactic lecture on the integration of carbohydrates and lipid metabolisms followed by a test (pre-test). They were then divided into small groups and given case histories which they were to discuss amongst themselves and arrive at a conclusion. These case histories were then discussed one to one with the facilitator. The students were again given a test (post-test). Results: There was a significant difference in the marks obtained in pre and post-test. Majority of the students felt it was an enjoyable and effective way of studying Biochemistry. Faculty also gave an encouraging response. Conclusion: CBL can be an important way of stimulating the students for self-directed learning and integrating topics of Biochemistry so that they are easily conceptualized.