Instituting an undergraduate core clerkship in radiology: initial experiences in Pakistan

Utilization of radiology as an educational resource carries great potential. Accreditation bodies, physicians and medical students deem it important for a well rounded medical curriculum. Unfortunately this resource is yet to be developed and implemented to an optimal extent. We share the experiences from the first radiology core clerkship in Pakistan at the undergraduate level. An overview of clerkship objectives and structure is followed by discussion on lessons learnt during the initial three years of institution. Development of assessable objectives, integration of radiology with other specialties, and supervised andragogical learning tailored for undergraduate students are emphasized

Faculty and patient evaluations of radiology residents\u27 communication and interpersonal skills

Objective: To assess communication and interpersonal skills (CIS) of radiology residents through faculty and standardised patients (SP). Methods: In this day-long objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) in January 2009, 42 radiology residents took part at six stations in Karachi, each with a standardised patient and a faculty evaluator. Each encounter lasted 15 minutes followed by independent assessments of the residents by both the evaluators. Results: Based on rating-scale evaluations, all cases had satisfactory internal consistency (Cronbach\\u27s alpha 0.6 to 0.9). The alpha values were comparatively diminutive against the checklist scores. Correlation among faculty was 0.6 (p Conclusion: Both checklists and rating scales can serve as satisfactory assessment tools for communication and interpersonal skills using objective structured and clinical examination with the assistance of faculty and standardised patients

Pharmacognostic Studies of Some Indigenous Medicinal Plants of Pakistan

Medicinal plants constitute an effective source of traditional and modern medicines. The plant is a biosynthetic laboratory, not only for chemical compounds but also a multitude of the compounds. The present research work was confined to study the macro, microscopic features and analysis of powdered drug of Acacia modesta Wall., Acacia nilotica (L.) Delile, Berberis lycium Royle and Zanthoxylum alatum D. C. Prod. These studies were carried out in Botany laboratory of University of Arid Agriculture, Rawalpindi during 2004. These species are used as miswak (tooth brush) by local people of Pakistan in different areas. Anatomical features such as, fibres, parenchyma cells, vessels and pith were identified during microscopic studies. Powdered miswak of Acacia modesta Wall., Berberis lycium Royle and Zanthoxylum alatum D. C. Prod. were soluble in sulphuric acid only while insoluble in other solvents i.e., hydrochloric acid, acetic acid, benzene and water. Powdered miswak of Acacia nilotica was insoluble in these solvents. Powdered drug of these species did not retain their original colour in cold and hot tests and on dry filter paper, when mixed in various solvents

Clinico- haematological spectrum of females with inherited Bleeding Disorders

Background: Inherited bleeding disorders in females are under-diagnosed, eventually leading to multiple problems. This situation is further worsened by the inadequate information , non – availability of diagnostic facilities and low awareness on the clinical side Methods: In this non – interventional descriptive study , females with inherited bleeding disorders were assessed. Clinical presentations, demographic data and management received was recorded. Complete blood counts, prothrombin time, activated partial thromboplastin time, thrombin time and platelet function studies were performed, where required.. Results: In all the patients with inherited bleeding disorders , females constituted 16.85%. von Willebrand disease was the commonest (50.84%) out of all inherited bleeding disorders in females. In rest of the females autosomal recessive coagulation defects and platelet function defects constituted 25.42% and 23.72%, respectively. Majority of the females (83.04%) were below 17 years of age. Menorrhagia (46.87%) was the commonest clinical episode. Spontaneous bleed was seen in 95% episodes. Majority of the episodes (94.14%) were soft tissue bleeding episodes and joint bleeds were minimal (5.68%). Tranexamic acid was the most commonly used therapeutic agent . Surgical intervention was employed in 18 episodes. Conclusion: Females with inherited bleeding disorders have severely impaired quality of life , fail to get proper management and go through unwanted surgeries ( D&C; Hysterectomies)

Solitary infantile myofibromatosis of the skull

This is the report of a 6 months old boy presenting with a firm, solitary mass on the temporal region, associated with lysis of local bone. Investigations lead to a diagnosis of infantile myofibromatosis (IM). Wide local excision was performed. At one year follow-up, no recurrence was noted

Cerebral deep venous thrombosis: case report and literature review

The case of a 28 years old woman presenting with headache, drowsiness and vomiting of a short duration, is presented. She was diagnosed as deep cerebral venous thrombosis on the basis of MRI findings. Treatment with heparin gave completed recovery

Barriers in surgical research: A perspective from the developing world

Research in surgery has led to significant advances over the last century in terms of how medicine is practised in and outside the operating rooms today. Surgical research in the developed countries is responsible for most of this advancement, but it is often inapplicable in resource-limited settings in the developing world. Lower- and middle-income countries are in a unique position to take this work further, but they are limited by certain barriers. These barriers could broadly be classified under social and cultural, infrastructure, financial, ethical, and personal categories. These barriers are often not fully realised, but can potentially be addressed with concerted efforts to continue the advancement of medicine for everyone