Always, better and control - vital, essential, desirable matrix analysis of the drug store of a tertiary care teaching hospital of North India

Background: Substantial improvement can be brought about in the hospital inventory and drug expenditure by inventory control techniques. These include ABC (always, better and control), VED (vital, essential and desirable) and ABC-VED matrix analysis. The objective of the study was to categorize the drugs based on cost and criticality and identify those which require stringent managerial control.Methods: ABC analysis according to drug expenditure, VED analysis according to criticality of the drugs,  ABC-VED matrix analysis to classify drugs into category I, II and III was done for drug store of a tertiary care teaching hospital of North India for the period of April, 2018 to March, 2019.Results: The total number of the drug items used by the drug store was 315. The total drug expenditure was Rs. 9,61,29,859. By ABC analysis, it was found that 15.24%, 22.54% and 62.22% items belonged to A, B and C category respectively, accounting for 70%, 20% and 10% of Annual Drug Expenditure (ADE). VED analysis showed that 31.11%, 60.32% and 8.57% were V, E, and D category items respectively, accounting for 30.44%, 57.12% and 12.44% of ADE. By ABC-VED matrix analysis, 42.86%, 52.38% and 4.76% items were category I, II and III items respectively, accounting for 78.91%, 20.15% and 0.94% of ADE.Conclusions: The study depicted the items belonging to category I which requires top managerial control, also the items belonging to categories II and III which require control by middle and lower managerial level respectively

A questionnaire-based comparison of conventional teaching methods to computer assisted learning in experimental pharmacology for undergraduate medical students

Background: Computer Assisted Learning (CAL) for teaching experimental pharmacology is now widely accepted as alternative to animal experiments. The objective of this study was to compare the performance of undergraduate medical students by conventional teaching methods (lecture and discussion) and CAL.Methods: This was a questionnaire based observational study involving 109 MBBS students of fifth semester. The students were taught experimental pharmacology practical by both conventional methods (lecture with discussion) and computer assisted learning (CAL). Questionnaire and their filled responses by these students were taken at the end of lecture-discussion (pre-CAL) and after the CAL experiments (post-CAL), covering the same topics of experimental pharmacology. Pre-CAL and post-CAL data were assessed statistically.Results: In the pre-CAL session, only 53.39%, 47.56%, 53.39% and 49.5% of the students were having the scores above 40% in the rabbit eye, DRC and potentiation, frog heart and dog BP experiment respectively, which was increased to 77.44%, 75.48%, 75.47% and 75.48% of the students respectively in the post-CAL assessment. A statistically significant difference (p <0.05) in the performance was observed among the students in the pre-CAL and post-CAL assessment.Conclusions: CAL is a good alternative to animal experimentation. Lecture with discussion, followed by CAL experiments on the same topics, enhanced the performance of students as shown by improvement in post-CAL scores

Gastroprotective Effect of Symplocos Racemosa Whole Plant Methanolic Extract Against Experimentally Induced Gastric Ulcer in Rat

Peptic ulcer is a condition which results from an imbalance between offensive and defensive factors of gastrointestinal system. The investigation was designed to evaluate the antiulcer activity of Symplocos racemosa whole plant methanol extract (MESR) in rat model of indomethacininduced gastric ulceration. The total acidity, gastric volume, pH and free acidity were measured to determine the anti-ulcer activity of MESR. Pretreatment with MESR (125-500 mg/kg) markedly reduced the indomethacin-induced increase in gastric ulcer index and score. These results revealed that antisecretory effects MESR were responsible for antiulcer activity of MESR

Multi-objective optimization of venturi scrubbers using a three-dimensional model for collection efficiency

Multi-objective optimization of a venturi scrubber was carried out using a three-dimensional model for collection efficiency and non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm (NSGA). Two objective functions, namely (a) maximization of the overall collection efficiency, and (b) minimization of the pressure drop were used in this study. Three decision variables including two operating parameters, viz liquid-gas ratio and gas velocity in the throat, and the nozzle configuration, which takes into account the three-dimensional nature of the problem, were used in the optimization. Optimal design curves (non-dominated Pareto sets) and the values of the decision variables corresponding to optimum conditions on the Pareto set for a pilot-scale scrubber were obtained. The liquid to gas (L/G) ratio, which is a key decision variable that determines the uniformity of liquid distribution, and a staggered nozzle configuration can produce uniform liquid distribution in the scrubber. Multiple penetration using nozzles of two different sizes in a triangular staggered arrangement can reduce liquid loading by as much as 50%, consequently reducing the pressure drop in the scrubber