Drug prescribing pattern in ulcerative colitis in a tertiary care hospital: an observational study

Background: Ulcerative colitis (UC) is an inflammatory disease of colon and rectum of uncertain etiology. The clinical course of UC is marked by exacerbations and remissions. Furthermore there is limited data available on the management of ulcerative colitis from India. Hence, the present study was undertaken to study the drug prescribing pattern in ulcerative colitis.Methods: A retrospective case record based observational study was done at Kasturba Hospital, Manipal, India from 1st January 2009 to 31st December 2010. Patients diagnosed to have UC during our study period based on clinical, endoscopic and histopathological evidence were included in the study. SPSS 17 software package was used for statistical calculations. Descriptive statistics was used to analyze the data.Results: The total number of patients diagnosed to have UC during our study period was 83.The peak incidence of disease was in the age group of 30-39 years and it was more common in males. The prescription rate of aminosalicylates, glucocorticoids and immunosuppressants were 96.3, 54.3, and 18.5% respectively. Mesalamine, prednisolone, and azathioprine were the commonly prescribed drugs in each class. The commonly prescribed treatment regimen was combination of aminosalicylates with glucocorticoids (43.2%).Conclusions: Ulcerative colitis was more common in males. Aminosalicylates were the commonly prescribed drugs and a combination of aminosalicylate and steroid was frequently used regimen in our study

Students’ attitude toward didactic lecture versus problem-based learning in pharmacology: a questionnaire based study

Background: The study was conducted to assess student attitude toward learning by didactic lectures versus problem-based learning (PBL).Methods: A questionnaire containing 11 statements was distributed to the students. Statements ranged from general information on lectures and PBL to benefits of lecture-based learning (LBL) over PBL and vice versa. The students were asked to score each individual statement. The median total scores and median with inter-quartile range of individual statements was calculated. A comparison between questions that support LBL or PBL was performed. Student t-test was employed to compare the mean scores of different groups.Results: Two hundred and seven students participated in this questionnaire study. The individual median total score was 42 when compared with possible total score of 55. There was a statistically significant (p<0.05) difference between the total score (mean±standard deviation) for the questions related to LBL (3.2391±0.05120) and those related to PBL (4.0640±0.05688).Conclusion: The score for PBL was significantly higher than LBL showing that students liked PBL more than LBL

Keyhole craniectomy in the surgical management of spontaneous intracerebral hematoma

Background and Objective: Although the surgical management of spontaneous intracerebral hematoma (SICH) is a controversial issue, it can be life saving in a deteriorating patient. Surgical techniques have varied from the open large craniotomy, burr hole and aspiration to the minimally invasive techniques like stereotactic aspiration of the SICH, endoscopic evacuation and stereotactic catheter drainage. The authors report their experience with a keyhole craniectomy for the surgical evacuation of SICH. Methods: Ninety-six cases of SICH were treated using the keyhole craniectomy technique. A small craniectomy of 2-2.5 cm diameter was made using a vertical incision over a relatively ‘silent area’ of the cortex closest to the clot. Using a small cortical incision the hematoma was evacuated and decompression was achieved. Hemostasis was achieved using standard microneurosurgical techniques. Results: Good to excellent outcome was achieved in 55 cases. Mortality was noted in 23 patients. Blood loss was minimal during the procedure. Good evacuation of the clot was seen in all but 5 cases as judged by the postoperative CT scan. Conclusion: The keyhole craniectomy technique is minimally invasive, safe and can achieve good clot evacuation with excellent hemostasis. It can be combined with microscopic or endoscopic assistance to achieve the desired result