Study of drug utilization pattern in emergency medicine ward at a tertiary care teaching hospital

Background: The emergency department represents an important platform for conducting drug utilization studies as patients present with a wide spectrum of diseases in acute form. An irrational prescription adversely affects the prognosis and recovery of patients. Hence, the objective of our study was to evaluate the drug utilization pattern and to determine the rationality of prescription using WHO prescribing indicators in emergency medicine ward.Methods: After obtaining Institutional Ethical Committee approval, a prospective observational study was conducted over 2 months. The case records of 150 patients admitted to the emergency medicine ward, with a hospital stay of more than 24hrs were reviewed to analyze the prescription pattern during the initial 48hrs of admission. Case records of patients irrespective of age, sex and diagnosis were included in the study. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the results (SPSS version 20).Results: A total of 1014 drugs were prescribed from 150 case records with a mean age of 47±18 years. An average of 6.76 drugs was prescribed per prescription; percentage of encounters with at least an antimicrobial was 115 (76.66%). Injections were prescribed in all patients (100%) and only 416 (41.02%) drugs were prescribed by generic name and 657 (64.79%) drugs abided to the WHO essential drug list. Majority of patients received anti-ulcerogenic drugs followed by antimicrobials.Conclusions: There was a tendency of polypharmacy with overuse of PPIs and antimicrobials. There is need to rationalize the drug therapy in terms of increasing prescription of drugs from essential drug list by generic name

Effect of Chemicals and Growth Regulators on Post-Harvest Shelf-Life and Quality in Papaya (Carica papaya L.) Cv. Red Lady

The present investigation on papaya (Carica papaya L.) cv. Red Lady was carried out at Horticultural College and Research Institute, Venkataramannagudem, West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh, during the year 2010-11. The study was carried out using 9 different treatments involving two chemicals calcium nitrate and calcium chloride at 1, 2, 3 and 4% concentration and two growth regulators, viz., GA3 at 75, 100, 150 and 200mg/l, and BA at 100, 125, 150 and 175mg/l concentration conducted separately in a factorial concept of completely randomized design (CRD), with three replications, under laboratory conditions. Physical parameters studied were per cent fruit ripening, physiological loss in weight (PLW), fruit firmness, shelf-life, and, physic-chemical properties studied were: total soluble solids (TSS), total sugars, reducing sugars, acidity, ascorbic acid and Brix:acid ratio. Fruits treated with CaCl2 @ 4% showed significantly low PLW, per cent fruit ripening, and the highest fruit-firmness, shelf-life, lowest total soluble solids, total sugars, reducing sugars, Brix:acid ratio, and highest acidity and ascorbic acid content, which were on par with CaCl2 @ 2% application. Fruits treated with GA3 @ 100mg/l also exhibited similar results for these parameters. It was concluded that CaCl2 @ 4 % had a beneficial impact on shelf-life of papaya fruits upto 10.67 days without any loss in either physical or physic-chemical properties. Similarly, application of growth regulators such as GA3 and BA @100mg/l significantly increased shelf-life of papaya fruits upto 12 days and 11 days, respectively, while showing the best physical and physico-chemical properties

Discovering Closely Related Peers of a Person in Social Networks

In social networks, finding a group of similar people of a specified person is meaningful task in many areas like substitution/alternate recommendation system. For a given person, considering hobbies, interests etc., as base forming a group of peers from social networks. Here we propose mutual unique identification group(MUID) algorithm for identifying closely related peers

Study - Comparison of two systems of classification of leprosy based on number of skin lesions and number of body areas involved - A clinicopathological concordance study

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: WHO guidelines classify leprosy patients for therapeutic purposes into paucibacillary (PB) and multibacillary (MB) leprosy based on the number of skin lesions. An alternative system of classification has been in practice in Nepal from 1985 onwards, based on the number of body areas involved in patients of leprosy. We attempted a clinicopathological approach for comparison of these two systems of classification in leprosy patients for their ability to demarcate patients into groups of PB and MB leprosy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study included 108 leprosy patients (80 males and 28 females). Complete clinical examination and body charting was carried out in each patient noting the count of skin lesions and the number of body areas involved. Slit skin smears and skin biopsies were taken from an active skin lesion in all patients. RESULTS: On analysis, it was observed that there was good clinicopathological correlation between patients with 5 or <5 skin lesions and 2 or <2 body areas involved. (Clinical 95% and histological 96%) A similar correlation was also observed in the other group of patients with > 5 skin lesions and > 2 body areas involved, (Clinical 94% and histological 96%). There were almost identical numbers of patients represented in these two groups of classification. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that patients with involvement of 2 or less body areas can be classified as PB leprosy and those with more than 2 body areas involved can be classified as MB leprosy for the purposes of therapy. The study of areas of involvement in leprosy patients not only provides additional patient information but also adds another parameter as a basis for the study of leprosy patients

Evaluation of nutrient management for better growth, yield and economics of fenugreek

A field experiment was conducted to study the effect of nutrient management combinations in fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum). Growth as well as seed and straw yields of fenugreek were significantly influenced by different treatments. Application of recommended dose through inorganic form (50%) + neem cake @ 638 kg ha-1 + Rhizobium melilotii + phosphate solubilising bacteria (PSB) recorded the highest plant height of 34.98 cm, leaves of 82.35 and branches of 5.5 at the final harvest stage. This treatment also recorded significantly highest straw yields. The maximum seed yield, net returns and benefit cost ratio were obtained in the combination of 50% recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF) + poultry manure (PM) @1000 kg ha-1 + Rhizobium melilotii + phosphate solubilising bacteria (PSB). &nbsp

Insilico and Invitro anthelmintic properties of phytocompounds in Rostellularia quinquangularis (J. Koenig ex Roxb.) Nees

The present study aimed to evaluate the anthelmintic activity of various extracts of Rostellularia quinquangularis (R. quinquangularis) against adult Indian earthworms (Pheretima posthuma). Petroleum ether extract (PERQ), ethyl acetate extract (RQEA), and ethanol extract (RQEE) of R. quinquangularis were tested at different concentrations (10, 20, 50, and 100 mg/mL), along with the positive control (albendazole) and negative control (normal saline). Anthelmintic activity was assessed based on the duration of paralysis and mortality. The RQEE extract showed significant anthelmintic activity, with the highest activity observed at a concentration of 100 mg/mL, exhibiting paralysis time of 1.62 min and death times of 19.9 min, compared to the standard albendazole. Further, HR LC-MS analysis of the RQEE extract revealed the presence of various phytoconstituents based on m/z signals. Molecular docking analysis using AutoDock Vina indicated that Columbianetin, Dunnione, Cryptochlorogenic acid, Gaylussacin, Luvangetin, and Albendazole showed docking scores of -8.1, -7.9, -7.4, -7.3, -7.2, and -6.8 Kcal/mol, respectively. These results suggest that R. quinquangularis possesses potent anthelmintic activity, supporting its traditional use in medicinal practices.

Purchase trends of processed foods and beverages in urban India

•Unique dataset allows analysis of urban Indian shopping habits of processed foods.•Beyond staples, purchases of processed foods and beverages for home use are low.•Fastest rate of growth seen in sweet and salty snacks, and edible oil purchases.•Highest volume of processed foods and beverages purchased by Delhi population.•Large variations across states in level and trends of purchases over time

Cytokine and Protein Markers of Leprosy Reactions in Skin and Nerves: Baseline Results for the North Indian INFIR Cohort

Leprosy affects skin and peripheral nerves. Although we have effective antibiotics to treat the mycobacterial infection, a key part of the disease process is the accompanying inflammation. This can worsen after starting antibacterial treatment with episodes of immune mediated inflammation, so called ‘reactions’. These reactions are associated with worsening of the nerve damage. We recruited a cohort of 303 newly diagnosed leprosy patients in North India with the aim of understanding and defining the pathological processes better. We took skin and nerve biopsies from patients and examined them to define which molecules and mediators of inflammation were present. We found high levels of the cytokines Tumour Necrosis Factor alpha, Transforming Growth Factor beta and inducible Nitric Oxide Synthase in biopsies from patients with reactions. We also found high levels of bacteria and inflammation in the nerves. These experiments tell us that we need to determine which other molecules are present and to explore ways of switching off the production of these pro-inflammatory molecules