A KAP study of pharmacovigilance among junior residents and interns of a tertiary care hospital

Background: Pharmacovigilance is the science and activities relating to the detection, assessment, understanding and prevention of adverse effects or any other possible drug-related problems. An “adverse drug reaction” is any noxious, unintended and undesired effect of a drug, which occurs at a dose used in humans for prophylaxis, diagnosis, therapy or modification of physiological functions. Reporting of adverse events and adverse drug reactions is the commonest method utilized for generating safety data. Lack of awareness about Pharmacovigilance is one of the most important causes of such under-reporting. Spontaneous reporting system is considered the main mechanism of pharmacovigilance study for gathering information about ADRs. Hence this study was undertaken to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice regarding Pharmacovigilance among junior residents and interns in a tertiary care hospital.Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out in 134 doctors using pre-validated 20 item questionnaire with details of participant’s information followed by questions regarding knowledge, attitude and prescribing practice of pharmacovigilance was used as a tool, administrated to all the resident doctors and the collected data was analysed.Results: Our study revealed that knowledge about pharmacovigilance was not adequate to JRs and INTs. Survey results revealed that the knowledge of pharmacovigilance among doctors 63 (88.73%) JR and 49 (77.78%) INTs had a knowledge score of less than 50%. This shows that only few doctors are aware about the pharmacovigilance programme. The assessment of questionnaire based on attitude regarding pharmacovigilance shows that 21 (29.58%) JR and 17 (26.98%) of INTs had attitude score of 70% and above. The attitude score was less compared to the knowledge score of JRs and INTs. 52 JR and 58 INTs stated that they have not been trained on how to report ADRs and basic orientation about pharmacovigilance which hinders the process of practicing pharmacovigilance. Conclusions: For the success of Pharmacovigilance programmes only knowledge and attitude regarding Pharmacovigilance is not enough as is evident from our study. Success of Pharmacovigilance programmes depend also upon the effective practice of Pharmacovigilance by healthcare professionals

Survey of Diesease Prediction on Plants with the Helps of IOT

overall climate change is a diversity in the long-term weather patterns that indicates the regions of the world. The term "weather" refers to the short-term (daily) changes in temperature, wind, and precipitation of a region.With the up-gradation in data mining and its applications, data mining is extensively used to make smarter decisions in farming.Agricultural forecasting is the science that employ knowledge in weather data relating to atmospheric environment observed by instruments on the ground and by remote sensing. Most of the data need to be processed for generating various decisions such as cropping and scheduling of irrigation.Various meteorological data like- temperature, humidity, leaf wetness duration (LWD) plays the vital roles in the growth of microorganism responsible for disease.Effective forecasting of such diseases on the basis of climate data can help the farmers to take timely actions to restrain the diseases. This can also justify the use of pesticides, which are one of the source behind land pollution. This paper illustrate the study which is useful for farmers in order to make decision if there is change occur in environment. In this study we are going to implement application which give the notification to farmers, if there is change in environment so based on that changes which disease should be affected to plant such type of notification will be generated on farmers mobile.Weather based forecasting system can be treated as a part of the Agricultural Decision Support System (ADSS) which is Knowledge Based System (KBS). IoT device that collects data regarding physical parameters, using a sophisticated microcontroller platform, from various types of sensors, through different modes of communication and then uploads the data to the Internet

Clinical profile and prognosis of patients with posterior circulation stroke

Background: Posterior circulation stroke is less common than stroke involving the anterior circulation. An understanding of the Posterior circulation stroke phenomenology and mechanisms requires knowledge of neurovascular anatomy and of the structure-function relationships of this region of the brain. Identifying mechanisms of stroke is essential so that appropriate preventive therapies may be instituted.Methods: A prospective study was conducted over a period of 1 year after obtaining permission from institutional ethics committee. Recently diagnosed cases of posterior circulation stroke from medicine and neurology wards were enrolled, who fulfilled inclusion criteria.Results: Most common age for posterior circulation stroke in this study was 41-70 years of age with median age of 56.5 years. It is more common in males (55%) than females (45%). Ischemic posterior circulation stroke is more common (63.15%) than haemorrhagic posterior circulation stroke (36.85%). Most common presenting feature of posterior circulation was ataxia (77.3%). Most common risk factor for posterior circulation stroke was hypertension (60.5%) followed by dyslipidemia (55.26%). Most common site of involvement in ischemic posterior circulation stroke was cerebellum (37.5%) followed by occipital lobe (24%). Commonest site of bleed found was cerebellum (64.4%) followed by pons (35.6%). Mortality in posterior circulation stroke in present study was 15.78%.Conclusions: Posterior circulation stroke present with a wide variety of symptoms. Episodes are often staggering and more protracted than those of anterior circulation stroke. Further studies are needed to determine the safest and most effective treatment modalities for the various types of posterior circulation stroke

Prevalence of thyroid dysfunction in pregnancy and its impact on maternal and fetal outcome: a prospective study in a tertiary care hospital in Maharashtra, India

Background: Thyroid dysfunction is the commonest endocrinological disorder in pregnancy. A broad spectrum of adverse outcomes in pregnant women and the fetus have been reported which can be prevented by early diagnosis and treatment of thyroid dysfunction. Thyroid dysfunction in pregnancy has not yet been extensively studied in India. Hence, this study was conducted for assessment of the prevalence of thyroid dysfunction in pregnancy and effect on the mother and her fetus.Methods: This study is a prospective study conducted in the department of obstetrics and gynecology, MIMER Medical College and Hospital, Talegaon Dabhade, Maharashtra. A 3 years study. Antenatal women attending the outpatient and inpatient department of the hospital. The total sample population comprised of 698 pregnant women with uncomplicated singleton intra-uterine pregnancy. All participants were screened by estimation for serum TSH in first trimester. Immediately after delivery the cord blood sample was collected and cord blood TSH levels were estimated. Babies, whose cord blood TSH levels were elevated, were called for follow-up on day 5 of neonatal life and TSH, free T3 and free T4 levels were estimated. Among these babies, those diagnosed with congenital hypothyroidism were started on appropriate treatment.Results: The prevalence of thyroid dysfunction in pregnancy in present study was 17.90% whereas 82.1% patients were euthyroid (control group). Among the 17.9% patients with thyroid dysfunction, 14.6% had subclinical hypothyroidism, 1.9% had overt hypothyroidism and 1.4% had hyperthyroidism.Conclusions: With this study, we can come to the conclusion that there is high prevalence of thyroid dysfunction in pregnancy. Thus, an early diagnosis and prevention of the aftermaths of thyroid dysfunction in pregnancy is of utmost importance

Prevalence of thyroid dysfunctions in pregnant women: a prospective study in a tertiary care hospital in Maharashtra, India

Background: Thyroid dysfunction is known to be the commonest endocrinological disorder in pregnancy. A range of adverse outcomes in pregnant women and the fetus have been reported. These can be prevented if the thyroid dysfunction is diagnosed and treated as early as possible. There are limited studies conducted on the prevalence of thyroid dysfunction in pregnancy in India. Hence, this study was conducted for assessment of the prevalence of thyroid dysfunction in pregnancy.Methods: The present study is a prospective study conducted in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, MIMER Medical College and Hospital, Talegaon, Dabhade, Maharashtra. The total sample population comprised of 705 pregnant women with uncomplicated singleton intra-uterine pregnancy. All participants were screened by estimation for serum TSH in first trimester.Results: The prevalence of thyroid dysfunction in the present study is 13.9%. Of this, prevalence of hypothyroidism is 12.76% and that of hyperthyroidism is 1.13%.Conclusions: With this study, we conclude that there is high prevalence of thyroid dysfunction in pregnancy even in rural population. Thus, a universal screening helps in early diagnosis and preventing the aftermaths of thyroid dysfunction in pregnancy

Comparative study about knowledge, attitude and practice study of fixed dose combination among junior residents and interns of a tertiary care hospital

Background: Fixed Dose Combinations (FDCs) are defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as combination of two or more active ingredients in a fixed ratio of doses. According to the FDA, “two or more drugs may be combined in a single dose when each component makes a contribution to the claimed effects, and the dosage of each component (i.e., amount, frequency, and duration) is such that the combination is safe and effective for significant patient population requiring such concurrent therapy. However, certain disadvantages like incompatible pharmacokinetics, inflexible dose ratio, increased toxicity and cost, contraindication of one component of the FDC decreased their utility. Adverse effect of any one component also limits their use. The aim of the study is to compare and evaluate the knowledge, attitude and practices about prescribing fixed dose combinations among junior resident doctors (JRs) and interns (INTs) at SDM College of Medical Sciences and Hospital Dharwad.Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out in 134 doctors using pre-validated 10 item questionnaire with details of participant’s information followed by questions regarding knowledge, attitude and prescribing practice of fixed dose combinations was used as a tool, administrated to all the resident doctors and the collected data was analysed.Results: Our study revealed that knowledge about FDCs was lacking in JRs and INTs. They were not able to point out the actual advantages and disadvantages of FDCs. Knowledge about rational/irrational, banned FDCs and availability of WHO EML was also lacking.Conclusions: There is need to improve knowledge about rationality, essential medicine list, usage and banned FDCs in undergraduate medical students to promote the rational use of drugs

Evaluation of Android anti-malware resistance against transformation attacks

Android being most popular and user-friendly is targeted by most of the malware authors. The malware authors use various transformation techniques to create different variants of malwares. Different transformation techniques such as obfuscation, repackaging, renaming are used mostly. Many anti-malwares are developed to secure the Android devices. Android does not offer file access permissions to all the applications installed. Thus anti-malwares may not provide complete security to the Android devices. In this paper, many such different techniques are presented that can be used to evaluate different anti-malwares

A Survey of Evaluation Techniques for Android Anti-Malware using Transformation Attacks

Android an open-source operating system mainly used for mobile phones have become increasingly popular. Studies suggest that mobile malware threats have recently become a real concern and the impact of malware is getting worse. 2014 saw an astounding 75 percent increase in the Android mobile malware. It is therefore imperative to evaluate the resistance and robustness of anti-malware products for android against various malware. To evaluate existing anti-malware, a systematic framework called DroidChameleon is developed with several common transformation techniques. This survey examines the effectiveness and robustness of popular antimalware tools and compare them against one another aiding in the decision making process involved with developing a secure system

Occurrence of testicular microlithiasis in androgen insensitive hypogonadal mice

<b>Background</b>: Testicular microliths are calcifications found within the seminiferous tubules. In humans, testicular microlithiasis (TM) has an unknown etiology but may be significantly associated with testicular germ cell tumors. Factors inducing microlith development may also, therefore, act as susceptibility factors for malignant testicular conditions. Studies to identify the mechanisms of microlith development have been hampered by the lack of suitable animal models for TM.<BR/> <b>Methods</b>: This was an observational study of the testicular phenotype of different mouse models. The mouse models were: cryptorchid mice, mice lacking androgen receptors (ARs) on the Sertoli cells (SCARKO), mice with a ubiquitous loss of androgen ARs (ARKO), hypogonadal (hpg) mice which lack circulating gonadotrophins, and hpg mice crossed with SCARKO (hpg.SCARKO) and ARKO (hpg.ARKO) mice.<BR/> <b>Results</b>: Microscopic TM was seen in 94% of hpg.ARKO mice (n=16) and the mean number of microliths per testis was 81 +/- 54. Occasional small microliths were seen in 36% (n=11) of hpg testes (mean 2 +/- 0.5 per testis) and 30% (n=10) of hpg.SCARKO testes (mean 8 +/- 6 per testis). No microliths were seen in cryptorchid, ARKO or SCARKO mice. There was no significant effect of FSH or androgen on TM in hpg.ARKO mice.<BR/> <b>Conclusions</b>: We have identified a mouse model of TM and show that lack of endocrine stimulation is a cause of TM. Importantly, this model will provide a means with which to identify the mechanisms of TM development and the underlying changes in protein and gene expression

Hospitalizations and Costs Incurred at the Facility Level After Scale-Up of Malaria Control: Pre-Post Comparisons From Two Hospitals in Zambia

There is little evidence on the impact of malaria control on the health system, particularly at the facility level. Using retrospective, longitudinal facility-level and patient record data from two hospitals in Zambia, we report a pre-post comparison of hospital admissions and outpatient visits for malaria and estimated costs incurred for malaria admissions before and after malaria control scale-up. The results show a substantial reduction in inpatient admissions and outpatient visits for malaria at both hospitals after the scale-up, and malaria cases accounted for a smaller proportion of total hospital visits over time. Hospital spending on malaria admissions also decreased. In one hospital, malaria accounted for 11% of total hospital spending before large-scale malaria control compared with \u3c 1% after malaria control. The findings demonstrate that facility-level resources are freed up as malaria is controlled, potentially making these resources available for other diseases and conditions