Understanding of pharmacy students towards antibiotic use, antibiotic resistance and antibiotic stewardship programs: A cross-sectional study from punjab, pakistan

Antibiotic resistance (ABR) is a significant issue for public health globally. An adequate understanding of ABR and the approaches used to tackle ABR, including antibiotic stewardship programs, are vital. This study aimed to get an insight into antibiotic use, ABR, and antibiotic stewardship programs among pharmacy students of Punjab, Pakistan. This multicenter study was undertaken among final (fifth) year undergraduate pharmacy students of 7 universities of Punjab, Pakistan. A paper-based self-administered questionnaire comprising 48-items was utilized for data collection. Descriptive and inferential statistics were employed for data analysis. This study included a total of 296 respondents with a response rate of 85.8%. Most of the students had an average understanding of antibiotic use (59.8%), ABR (42.6%), ABR mechanisms (48.0%), and factors of ABR (51.7%). Only 21.6% of students have heard about antibiotic stewardship programs. More than half of the students believed that educating and training healthcare professionals (53.4%) and medical students (57.8%) about the prescribing and judicial usage of antibiotics could reduce the ABR burden. The awareness of most of the pharmacy students about certain aspects of antibiotic use, ABR, and stewardship programs was suboptimal

Incidence of Gastro Esophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) Related Manifestations of Pulmonary Symptoms

Abstract:Objective: The main aim of this study was to find the incidence of GERD related manifestations of pulmonary symptoms.Study Design: It is a cross sectional study.Place and Duration: This study was carried out in a period of 8 months from March 2018 to October 2018 in OPD and emergency of Mayo Hospital Lahore.Materials and Methods: Patients between the ages of 21-70 years who had burning sensations in the esophagus were included in this study and both males and females were included in this study without any gender discrimination. A carefully designed proforma was used to collect the data of the patients which included age, sex, address and physical symptoms like cough and heart burn. Patients confidentiality was maintained as a top priority. Only those patients were included who were willing to take part in this study. Informed consent was taken from all the patients.Results: Among the 150 patients included in this study respiratory symptoms like dry cough was seen in 15 (10%) of the patients, hoarseness of voice was seen in 12 (8%) of the patients with acidic reflux. Asthma symptoms were seen in 51 (34%) of the patients. Less incidence of nasal symptoms around 2% was seen. No respiratory symptoms were seen in 54 (36%) of the patients.Keywords: GERD, Pulmonary symptom

Clinical Manifestation of Brain Abscess

Objective: To determine the clinical presentations of brain abscess.Study design: Descriptive study.Place and Duration of Study: Hayatabad Medical Complex Hospital Peshawar Khyber Pakhtoonkhawa from 1st February 2001 to 31st July 2011.Material and Methods: A total 31 patients with symptomatic brain abscess confirmed on CT scan were included in this study. Both gender (male and female) and patients in the age range of 01 – 70 years were included in this study. The patients’ demographic details and clinical manifestation were entered into a semi structured proforma. Data was analyzed through statistical program SPSS version 11.Results: Out of 31 patients, there were 17 (54.8%) males and 14 (45.2%) females. The age of patients ranged from 01 to 70 years. In this study the overall mean age was 32.38 years. Majority of patients 13 (41.9%) were in the age range of 31 – 40 years. Most common clinical presentation of patient were headache in 29 (93.5%) vomiting 22 (71%) and fever 13 (42%) patients.Conclusions: Brain abscess commonly occurred in the third decade of life. Headache vomiting and fever were the most common clinical presentation of brain abscess

A cross sectional assessment of health related quality of life among patients with Hepatitis-B in Pakistan

OBJECTIVE: The study aims to assess Health Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) among Hepatitis B (HB) patients and to identify significant predictors of the HRQoL in HB patients of Quetta, Pakistan. METHODS: A cross sectional study by adopting European Quality of Life scale (EQ-5D) for the assessment of HRQoL was conducted. All registered HB patients attending two public hospitals in Quetta, Pakistan were approached for study. Descriptive statistics were used to describe demographic and disease related characteristics of the patients. HRQoL was scored using values adapted from the United Kingdom general population survey. EQ-5D scale scores were compared with Mann–Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis test. Standard multiple regression analysis was performed to identify predictors of HRQoL. All analyses were performed using SPSS v 16.0. RESULTS: Three hundred and ninety HB patients were enrolled in the study. Majority of the participants (n = 126, 32.3%) were categorized in the age group of 18-27 years (36.07 ± 9.23). HRQoL was measured as poor in the current study patients (0.3498 ± 0.31785). The multivariate analysis revealed a significant model (F(10, 380) = 40.04, P < 0.001, adjusted r(2) = 0.401). Educational level (β = 0.399, p = 0.025) emerged as a positive predictor of HRQoL. Age, gender, occupation, income and locality were not predictive of better quality of life in HB patients. CONCLUSIONS: Hepatitis B has an adverse affect on patients’ well-being and over all HRQoL. The study findings implicate the need of health promotion among HB patients. Improving the educational status and imparting disease related information for the local population can results in better control and management of HB

Tracking graduates of AKU-IED’s MEd programme: The classes of 1999, 2000 and 2002

In each of the years 1997, 1998 and 2000 a new cohort of course participants joined the two-year MEd programme at the Aga Khan University’s Institute for Educational Development in Karachi, Pakistan (AKU-IED). Some two years later 87 or 92% of the entrants graduated from the programme and returned to their respective employers or systems. This paper focuses on the employment of and roles played by these 87 ‘completing’ course participants before they entered and then after they exited from the AKU-IED MEd programme. The paper is based on interviews with the 87 graduates carried out some one year and some two years after programme completion for two of the cohorts and some eight/nine months after completion for the most recently graduated cohort. The paper charts changes in numbers in such categories as School-based educators (e.g. teachers; head teachers) and Non-school-based educators (e.g. teacher educators; university teachers) and asks whether these numbers appear to be affected by the regional and system background of graduates; their roles at entry to the programme and length of time since programme graduation. Discussion is focused on issues related to ‘flight from the classroom’ and on the need to acknowledge complexity in the design and execution of studies of programme impact

Impact of Socio-Demographic Characteristics on the Pattern of Skin Diseases Attending Different Dermatology Department of Public Hospitals Quetta, Pakistan

Abstract Objective: The study was conducted to determine the pattern of skin diseases affecting by the socio-demographic characteristics of the patients visiting the dermatology department of public hospitals in Quetta, Pakistan. Methodology: The prospective cross-sectional study was undertaken using a self prepapred proforma to compile the data while interviewing the patients attending the Dermatology Department of two public hospitals of Quetta, Pakistan, in order to determine the relationship between the demographic characteristics of patients and pattern of skin diseases. &nbsp;&nbsp; Results: A total of 503 patients were enrolled in the study. Majority of the participants (33.8%) were categorized in the age group of 21-30 years. The most common patterns of skin diseases seen in outpatient department were eczema (21.5%), scabies (19.7%) and bacterial infections (12.7%). Inferential statistics revealed a significant relationship (p=0.001) between pattern of skin diseases and age, education, house occupancy, location and living standards of the study participants. Most of the patients were found to be living in a combined family system (65.6%), with poor living standards (81.7%) and uneducated (51.1%). Conclusion The current study presented that eczema and infectious diseases were the most common pattern of skin diseases in Quetta and they are significantly related&nbsp; with socio-demographics of the patients so it can be concluded that better health education, maintaining personal hygiene, and improvement in the standard of living may aid a lot in managing and preventing the common skin diseases

Pharmacists’ Perception of the Sale of Non-Clinically Proven Health Supplements in Penang, Malaysia

Purpose: To explore community pharmacists’ perception of the sale of non-clinically proven health supplements and over-the-counter (OTC) products available in Penang, Malaysia.Methods: A cross-sectional survey using a self-completed postal questionnaire was conducted in July 2010 among 200 community pharmacists practicing in Penang Island.Results: Fifty six pharmacists participated in the study (response rate, 28.0 %). A total of 10.7 % respondents indicated that the sale of non-clinically proven products result in high profit. Only 25.0 % of the pharmacists believed that non-clinically proven OTC products are effective, while 35.7 % thought that it is not ethical to sell these products. A majority of the respondents (94.7 %) agreed that manufacturers’ advertisement have a huge effect on positive consumers’ behaviour towards such products. Most respondents agreed that manufacturers of these products claim that their products are effective (57.1 %) and have fewor no side effects (60.7 %).Conclusions: Pharmacists who participated in the study have mixed  opinions on the efficacy and effectiveness of non-clinically proven products. There is a need for pharmacists to be well educated on the  evidence-based use of these products in order to be able to offerappropriate advice to those who come to them to purchase the items.Keywords: Perception, Health promotion, Urban poor, Health supplements

Outcome of Endoscopic Third Ventriculostomy (ETV)

Objective: To know the surgical outcome of endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV) in non communicating hydrocephalous.Materials and Methods: This cross sectional descriptive study was done in the department of neurosurgery PGMI / Hayatabad Medical Complex, Peshawar, from 2nd February 2011 to 1st march 2012. A total of 35 patients with non-communicating hydrocephalous, irrespective of gender discrimination were included in this study. Patients below two years of age and hydrocephalus with infected CSF or hemorrhage were excluded. Hydro-cephalous was diagnosed on CT scan brain. The information regarding patient demographical details, causes of hydrocephalus and complications of procedure were documented in patient’s Performa. The data was analyzed by SPSS version 17. Frequency and percentage was calculated for categorical variables. Mean ± SD was calcu-lated for age. Results were presented as tables.Results: A total of 35 patients with non-communicating hydrocephalous were included in the study. Out of 35 patients, there were 22 (62.8%) males and 13 (37.21%) females. The mean age was 21 years. Etiologically tuber-culous meningitis was the commonest cause of non communicating hydrocephalous. Post-operatively CSF leak-age was present in 3 (8.6%) patients, pseudomeningocele in 2 (5.7%) patients, transient memory loss in 1 (2.8%) and pneumo-cephalous in 1 (2.8%).Conclusion: The complications of endoscopic third ventriculostomy are transient. Those patients who meet the criteria, endoscopic third ventriculostomy offers the possibility of freedom from shunt dependency

FORMULATION PREPARATION AND PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF CR DILTIAZEM HCL WITH DIFFERENT POLYMER COMBINATIONS

The drug delivery system (DDS) changes the formulation techniques and have made a great break-through progress. Started a simplest pill formulation and gradually improve the techniques regarding the new symptoms and indications and breakthrough in the developments of formulation to more sophisticated controlled release formulations. Polymers are the major components for the development of controlled release formulations. Chemicals included the magnesium stearate, Diltiazem HCl, lactose, polymers (Cabapol and Eudragit derivative) monobasic potassium phosphate, starch, CMC, and other of analytical grade. Friabilator, Disintegration Apparatus, Syringes, Beakers, Dissolution Apparatus, Balance, UV-Visible Spectrophotometer, PH-meter, Hardness tester, volumetric flasks, Test tubes, Single Punch Machine, Verniar caliper and pre-formulation studies done. This study concluded that he different types of polymers were used in different combination which showed its physical characteristics according to the specifications mentioned in standards