A questionnaire based institutional assessment of ‘knowledge’, ‘attitude’ and ‘practice’ about bio-ethics in clinical research among postgraduate residents

Background: Research ethics govern the standards of conduct for scientific researchers. Post graduate residents are one of the key stakeholders in clinical research. Therefore, the present study is designed to assess the Knowledge, Attitude and Practice about bio-ethics in clinical research among post-graduate residents.Methods: A self-administered pretested questionnaire was given to 40 students selected on the basis of convenience sampling. The questionnaire consists of questions related to knowledge and attitude toward principles and practice of bioethics in clinical research, informed consent, and role of the ethics committee in the institution. Descriptive statistics was used to analyse the results.Results: 70% of the students have formally taken Hippocratic Oath. Knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding Institutional Ethics Committee, and informed consent were more among final year students when compared to their juniors. Source of knowledge of bioethics were multiple. Department lectures were not a preferred mode of learning.Conclusions: There is an urgent need to include practical education of ethics to bridge the gap in the knowledge, attitude, and practices regarding ethics in clinical practice and research

A case report of life threatening Dapsone Hypersensitivity Syndrome

Dapsone is widely used for a variety of infections, immune and hypersensitivity disorders. However, the use of Dapsone may be associated with a plethora of adverse effects, the most serious being Dapsone Hypersensitivity Syndrome (DHS) wherein the patient typically presents with a triad of fever, skin eruption and internal organ involvement, that occurs during first 2 to 8 weeks of initiating the treatment. The incidence of DHS ranges from 0.5% to 3%.  Here we report a case of severe life threatening Dapsone induced hypersensitivity reaction in a 21year old female who presented with high grade fever, generalized lymphadenopathy, skin rash and hepato-splenomegaly. This condition is best approached with immediate discontinuation of offending drug and prompt administration of oral or IV glucocorticoids. The case is being reported to emphasize the need for timely diagnosis and prompt treatment for successful outcome as it can cause irreversible organ damage or death if untreated early

A case report of ofloxacin induced fixed drug eruptions and hypersensitivity reaction

Ofloxacin is the most commonly used first generation fluoroquinolones. Its activity against gram negative organisms lie between Norfloxacin and Ciprofloxacin. It is used for treating infections like UTI, gastroenteritis etc. It is generally well tolerated, gastric upset is the most common adverse effect. However very few cases of Fixed Drug Eruptions have been reported. Here we report a case of a 16year old female patient who developed redness and rashes all over body along with nausea, vomiting, dizziness, palpitations, blurring of vision, headache and loss of consciousness after receiving Tab ofloxacin 200mg for gastroenteritis. Signs and symptoms subsided within 24 hrs after the drug was stopped and supportive treatment like IV fluids along with dexamethasone was given. Ofloxacin was strongly suspected as the causal drug for the hypersensitivity reaction as the subject had a history of allergic reaction to the same in the past. Early detection of cutaneous lesions and immediate withdrawal of the offending drug can prevent progression of such reactions to their severe variants as well as morbidity and mortality

Synergistic effect of nanostructured CdO/Ag3PO4 composite for excellent electrochemical and photocatalytic applications

In this study, nanostructured cadmium oxide and silver phosphate (CdO/Ag3PO4) nanocomposites are synthesized and studied for their electrochemical properties as well as photocatalytic potential of these composites is also investigated. The specific capacitance of pristine CdO is found to be 416.52 F/g and the enhanced capacitance up to 1012.06 F/g is obtained for the composite material with weight ratio of 80/20 for CdO/Ag3PO4 nanocomposite. The Galvanic charge–discharge (GCD) study highlights the excellent charging and discharging performance and we conclude that our material is highly stable during the 5000 cycles so could be an appealing candidate for commercial devices. The photocatalysis study is used for the degradation of methyl blue dye. The sample with weight ratio 80/20 has the best photocatalytic activity and degraded the 99.9% of the dye in 120 min. Experimental results suggest that CdO/Ag3PO4 has an outstanding potential for use in energy storage devices as an electrode material for supercapacitors and simultaneously could also be a potential candidate for waste water treatment technologies as compared to pristine counterparts