Drug utilization study of antihypertensive drugs in hypertensive diabetic patients in a tertiary care hospital

Background: Diabetes along with hypertension is a very common ailment afflicting millions of people worldwide. The socio-economic stress caused by the morbidity and mortality associated with it is mind boggling. Hence, this study was undertaken to study the utilization of antihypertensive drugs in hypertensive diabetic patients.Methods: A prospective study was conducted on 100 hypertensive diabetic patients aged between 18 and 90 years of either gender attending Basaveshwar Teaching and General Hospital, Kalaburagi. The data collected were statistically analyzed and presented as counts and percentages.Results: In our study, we found that majority (63%) were male patients and majority belonged to 51-70 years age group. The majority of the patients were prescribed angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) alone (19%), followed by a combination of ACEIs and calcium channel blockers (9%). The generic prescribing was only 23%, and patient’s knowledge of correct dosage was 64%.Conclusion: In this study, it has been observed that the antihypertensives drugs were prescribed rationally, but the generic prescribing was only 23% which is inappropriate prescribing behavior. Hence, physicians should be educated to prescribe drugs in the generic name so that the cost of drugs is reduced

Prescription pattern of cardiovascular drugs in intensive cardiac care unit patients in a tertiary care hospital

Background: Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) account for high morbidity and mortality all over the world. A study of prescription pattern ensures rational pharmacotherapy and assures quality medical care to the patients. The aim was to observe the prescribing pattern of cardiovascular drugs among the patients admitted to intensive cardiac care unit (ICCU).Methods: Prior permission from the Institutional Ethics Committee was obtained, and a prospective study of cardiovascular drugs was conducted on 100 consecutive patients admitted in ICCU of the Basaveshwar Teaching and General Hospital, Gulbarga. The duration of the study will be of 12 months from June 2012 to May 2013. The prescriptions of the patient who are treated during the course of the study will be audited prospectively using a specially designed form to record the required information. The data were statistically analyzed and presented as counts and percentages.Results: Majority of the patients were male (59%), and most of the patients belonged to age group of 51-60 years. Most common drug class was antianginal drugs with aspirin and clopidogrel being the mostly used combination drug. Most of the drugs were prescribed rationally.Conclusion: The present study concluded that most of the drugs were prescribed rationally according to current guidelines. In addition to prescribing drugs, patients should be educated about the risk factors of CVD and how they can be prevented

Mapping of forests based on biological diversity to identify conservation sites: A case study from Udupi and South Canara districts of Karnataka

Forest classification is traditionally based on the structure and composition of vegetation, which in tum is strongly linked with the climatic profile of the area. Forest maps thus prepared cannot appropriately meet the needs of the managers whose renewed mandate is to conserve the biological richness of the forests. The emerging need for protecting the forests is to understand the spatial distribution of the conservation value of the forests besides knowing their vegetation types. In other words, we need maps that depict the spatial distribution of biological diversity of the forests. In this paper, we rep011 on our attempt to develop such biodiversity maps for the forest ranges of Udupi and South Canara districts of Ka.rnataka state. Utilizing the data from the vegetation sampling of the Forest Survey of India, we developed a terrain view of the density and diversity of tree species and have attempted to identify the sites with the highest conservation value. We propose that such maps be developed for the entire country and discuss the potentialities and problems associated with this protocol

ASSESSMENT, EVALUATION AND ANALYSIS OF THE MEDICATION ERRORS OF THE PATIENTS ADMITTED AT THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT OF A TERTIARY CARE TEACHING HOSPITAL OF A SOUTH INDIAN CITY

OBJECTIVE: The study was to assess, evaluate and analyze the medication errors of the patients admitted at the Emergency Department of a tertiary care teaching hospital.METHODS: The study was conducted for 6 months. Data was collected from the patients  admitted in the Emergency Department. The collected data was analyzed to identify medication errors and prescription errors in emergency unit in hospital by using drug information tools like Micromedex, Drug interaction checker, Stockley drug interaction text, BNF, Journals with good impact factor etc.RESULTS: A total of 200 patients were enrolled in the study according to the inclusion criteria and exclusion criteria in which 108 were males and 92 were females. 340 medication errors were obtained in 122 patients and 78 patients did not have any error. Medication errors were more commonly in the age group of 61-70 years (49%). In 340 medication errors, DDIs were the most (63.3%), followed by drug duplication (13.53%) and drugs given without indication (8.5%). In DDIs moderate interactions were the mostly seen error. On prescription analysis, drugs prescribed without strength (67.6%), omission error (16.4%), drugs prescribed without frequency (16%) was the most commonly seen. The most common pharmacological classification of drugs associated with medication errors were Antibiotics (25.6%), Anti-hypertensive drugs (13.65%) and Anti-platelet drugs (12.9%).CONCLUSION: Incidence of medication errors was mainly due to the use of Antibiotics. Due to the fast paced nature and overcrowding in ED, more number of prescription errors were obtained.   Â

Analysis of adverse drug reactions of antimicrobial agents reported to ADR monitoring centre of a rural tertiary care teaching hospital

Background: ADRs are iatrogenic diseases, escalates the burden of health care system by increasing the morbidity and mortality and also additional cost of ADRs management to patients.Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted over 1 year from January 2015 to December 2015. The yellow forms dropped in the red ADR boxes are collected and ADRs due to antimicrobials were analyzed for demographic data, causality, severity, drugs implicated, and organ system affected. The data were presented as counts and percentages.Results: Cephalosporins were the most common antimicrobial class implicated in ADRs, and the dermatological system was the most common system affected by ADRs. All the reactions either belonged to the probable or possible category. Majority of reactions were non-serious.Conclusions: Regular prescription auditing and awareness about polypharmacy will further reduce ADRs due to antimicrobials

Quality of Service for Differentiated Traffic Using Multipath in Wireless Sensor Networks

Providing Quality of Service in wireless sensor networks refers to a set of service requirements to be satisfied when transmitting a packet from source to destination. The main challenge involved in quality of service based data transmission is to select the efficient path from source to destination. Quality of service in wireless sensor networks is an important factor. The two most important parameters that hinder the goal of guaranteed event perception are time-sensitive and reliable delivery of gathered information, while minimum energy consumption is desired. In this paper, a multi-traffic, multi-path and energy aware data transmission mechanism is proposed for improving Quality of Service in Wireless Sensor Networks. The simulation results demonstrate that, the algorithms efficiently improve quality of reception ratio, satisfying the required quality of service metrics

Understanding Aquaporin Transport System in Eelgrass (Zostera marina L.), an Aquatic Plant Species

Aquaporins (AQPs) are a class of integral membrane proteins involved in the transport of water and many other small solutes. The AQPs have been extensively studied in many land species obtaining water and nutrients from the soil, but their distribution and evolution have never been investigated in aquatic plant species, where solute assimilation is mostly through the leaves. In this regard, identification of AQPs in the genome of Zostera marina L. (eelgrass), an aquatic ecological model species could reveal important differences underlying solute uptake between land and aquatic species. In the present study, genome-wide analysis led to the identification of 25 AQPs belonging to four subfamilies, plasma membrane intrinsic proteins (PIPs), tonoplast intrinsic proteins (TIPs), nodulin 26-like intrinsic proteins (NIPs), small basic intrinsic proteins (SIPs) in eelgrass. As in other monocots, the XIP subfamily was found to be absent from the eelgrass genome. Further classification of subfamilies revealed a unique distribution pattern, namely the loss of the NIP2 (NIP-III) subgroup, which is known for silicon (Si) transport activity and ubiquitously present in monocot species. This finding has great importance, since the eelgrass population stability in natural niche is reported to be associated with Si concentrations in water. In addition, analysis of available RNA-seq data showed evidence of expression in 24 out of the 25 AQPs across four different tissues such as root, vegetative tissue, male flower and female flower. In contrast to land plants, higher expression of PIPs was observed in shoot compared to root tissues. This is likely explained by the unique plant architecture of eelgrass where most of the nutrients and water are absorbed by shoot rather than root tissues. Similarly, higher expression of the TIP1 and TIP5 families was observed specifically in male flowers suggesting a role in pollen maturation. This genome-wide analysis of AQP distribution, evolution and expression dynamics can find relevance in understanding the adaptation of aquatic and land species to their respective environments

Characterization of callase (β-1,3-d-glucanase) activity during microsporogenesis in the sterile anthers of Allium sativum L. and the fertile anthers of A. atropurpureum

We examined callase activity in anthers of sterile Allium sativum (garlic) and fertile Allium atropurpureum. In A. sativum, a species that produces sterile pollen and propagates only vegetatively, callase was extracted from the thick walls of A. sativum microspore tetrads exhibited maximum activity at pH 4.8, and the corresponding in vivo values ranged from 4.5 to 5.0. Once microspores were released, in vitro callase activity peaked at three distinct pH values, reflecting the presence of three callase isoforms. One isoform, which was previously identified in the tetrad stage, displayed maximum activity at pH 4.8, and the remaining two isoforms, which were novel, were most active at pH 6.0 and 7.3. The corresponding in vivo values ranged from pH 4.75 to 6.0. In contrast, in A. atropurpureum, a sexually propagating species, three callase isoforms, active at pH 4.8–5.2, 6.1, and 7.3, were identified in samples of microsporangia that had released their microspores. The corresponding in vivo value for this plant was 5.9. The callose wall persists around A. sativum meiotic cells, whereas only one callase isoform, with an optimum activity of pH 4.8, is active in the acidic environment of the microsporangium. However, this isoform is degraded when the pH rises to 6.0 and two other callase isoforms, maximally active at pH 6.0 and 7.3, appear. Thus, factors that alter the pH of the microsporangium may indirectly affect the male gametophyte development by modulating the activity of callase and thereby regulating the degradation of the callose wall

Ceteris Paribus in Agricultural Marketing: Need for Focus on Functional Aspects Case of Tomato Marketing in Kolar Mandi of Karnataka State, India

Despite over 60 years of history, the problems of agricultural marketing in India are either persisting since independence or mutated into newer forms, while newer problems have crept in. Majority of farmers still subscribe to the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) as their most accessible channel to sell their produce. The present study was undertaken in Kolar APMC market of Karnataka state, India and used both primary and secondary data. The present study empirically prove that tomato arrival in market is underreported, which could give false signals to policy makers and thus lead to over production, market inefficiency and welfare loss to farmers, market and state as well. Recording detailed data by quality or grade would make it more useful and relevant. The causes and repercussions of underreporting and some of the functional aspects of market are discussed. Prioritization of market development activities, use of qualified manpower, automation, etc. are some of the issues to be addressed. There is a need to study the repurcussions of simultaneous auction, rate of market fee, modalities of financing by market intermediaries to create win-win situation for all stakeholders. Acknowledgement : Authors acknowledge the final year bachelor degree students of the College of Horticulture, Kolar (2015-16) for providing their assistance in data collection. We deeply acknowledge the support extended by the officers of the Agricultural Produce Market Committee, Kolar. The support given by the University of Horticultural Sciences, Bagalkot for carrying out the study, is acknowledged