Assessment of perception for objectively structured viva voce amongst undergraduate medical students and teaching faculties in a medical college of central India

Background: Oral examinations are used as a mode of assessment of medical students. There are many deficiencies and biases in traditional viva voce. In view of minimizing deficiencies and biases this study was conducted with the objective of obtaining the perceptions of students and teachers about objectively structured viva voce (OSVV).Methods: OSVV was conducted during formative assessment in Microbiology. 56 participants (50 students+6 faculties) were included. Feedback in the form of questionnaire (based on Likert scale and open ended questions) was obtained from all the participants. All faculties felt that the overall process was better than traditional viva voce.Results: Students response to statements suggested a more positive than negative reception to this form of assessment. However there was variation in the response to different statements. 80-90% students agreed that time allotted was adequate and questions were easy to understand. 60-80% felt that this method a well-organized system that cover most of topics from the syllabus and will be helpful in enhancing performance in final examination.68% students agreed that OSVV is an effective tool but they were not confident whether OSVV is better than traditional viva voce. 42% agreed and 38% were neutral in their opinion whether OSVV is better than traditional viva voce.Conclusions: There is need of extensive ground work, training of teachers, orientation of students, practice to students by mock exams etc. A large sample than used here would be needed to substantiate this trend. OSVV should be tried in all other medical subjects and in large number of medical colleges.

Maternal COVID-19 infection, clinical characteristics, pregnancy and neonatal outcome: a prospective cohort study at a tertiary care center in Central India

Background: COVID-19 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 is a global public health emergency as declared by WHO. Currently how it affects pregnancy very little is known. To identify maternal and neonatal risks associated with COVID-19 in pregnancy and to describe outcome a prospective cohort study was done. Associations were evaluated for all COVID-19 patients and for disease classified as mild versus moderate/severe disease.Methods: In this study COVID RT-PCR positive women who were admitted from 1 May to 31 August were included. Cases were classified according to their severity, investigations done and treated according to MOHFW (ministry of health and family welfare), India guidelines. Data was collected, analysed in terms of maternal and neonatal outcome.Results: Total 221 COVID-19 cases were admitted and 181 delivered during study period. There were 215 (97.28%) mild, 5 (2.71%) moderate and 1 (0.45%) severe cases. 210 (95.02%) were diagnosed in third trimester. Mean gestational age was 36.79±5.24 weeks and 3 out of 4 in moderate/severe category delivered preterm. 132 (59.73%) were asymptomatic. There was 1 ICU admission and 1 maternal death. Mean birth weight was 2.7±0.59 kg. There were 7 stillbirths, 14 NICU admission and 1 neonatal death.Conclusions: Majority of the covid infected women are asymptomatic are in mild category and there is no adverse maternal and neonatal outcome due to disease. Adversity of maternal and neonatal outcome depends on severity of disease and severity of disease is dependent on presence of co-morbidities

CME Model of DMIMS (DU) Wardha: The 10 Point Action Program for Learning and Quality as the Outcome.

Tremendous advances are taking place in the field of medical sciences, continuously changing the concept, approach to management and the outcome of several diseases. Maintenance of professional competence remains an exercise of lifelong learning and an essential requirement for evidence - based medical practice. This is in essence the concept of Continuing Medical Education (CME). Datta Meghe Institute of Medical Sciences (DMIMS) is established as Deemed University (DU) in 2005.  Since then CME has been a regular experience. To augment the efficacy of these activities University Center named “Center for Health Professionals Education and Research” (CHPER) identified 10 areas to attain the desirable outcome of CME activities held at DMIMS (DU). It offers a simplified and more rational approach to credit based CMEs and accordingly recommendations and actionable strategies are planned. Keywords: Continuing Medical Education, Accreditation, Deemed Universit

Typhoid fever and paratyphoid fever: Systematic review to estimate global morbidity and mortality for 2010

Typhoid and paratyphoid fever remain important causes of morbidity worldwide. Accurate disease burden estimates are needed to guide policy decisions and prevention and control strategies

Virulence Characteristics and Genetic Affinities of Multiple Drug Resistant Uropathogenic Escherichia coli from a Semi Urban Locality in India

Extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli (ExPEC) are of significant health concern. The emergence of drug resistant E. coli with high virulence potential is alarming. Lack of sufficient data on transmission dynamics, virulence spectrum and antimicrobial resistance of certain pathogens such as the uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC) from countries with high infection burden, such as India, hinders the infection control and management efforts. In this study, we extensively genotyped and phenotyped a collection of 150 UPEC obtained from patients belonging to a semi-urban, industrialized setting near Pune, India. The isolates representing different clinical categories were analyzed in comparison with 50 commensal E. coli isolates from India as well as 50 ExPEC strains from Germany. Virulent strains were identified based on hemolysis, haemagglutination, cell surface hydrophobicity, serum bactericidal activity as well as with the help of O serotyping. We generated antimicrobial resistance profiles for all the clinical isolates and carried out phylogenetic analysis based on repetitive extragenic palindromic (rep)-PCR. E. coli from urinary tract infection cases expressed higher percentages of type I (45%) and P fimbriae (40%) when compared to fecal isolates (25% and 8% respectively). Hemolytic group comprised of 60% of UPEC and only 2% of E. coli from feces. Additionally, we found that serum resistance and cell surface hydrophobicity were not significantly (p = 0.16/p = 0.51) associated with UPEC from clinical cases. Moreover, clinical isolates exhibited highest resistance against amoxicillin (67.3%) and least against nitrofurantoin (57.3%). We also observed that 31.3% of UPEC were extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) producers belonging to serotype O25, of which four were also positive for O25b subgroup that is linked to B2-O25b-ST131-CTX-M-15 virulent/multiresistant type. Furthermore, isolates from India and Germany (as well as global sources) were found to be genetically distinct with no evidence to espouse expansion of E. coli from India to the west or vice-versa

The Business Model: Recent Developments and Future Research

This article provides a broad and multifaceted review of the received literature on business models in which the authors examine the business model concept through multiple subject-matter lenses. The review reveals that scholars do not agree on what a business model is and that the literature is developing largely in silos, according to the phenomena of interest of the respective researchers. However, the authors also found emerging common themes among scholars of business models. Specifically, (1) the business model is emerging as a new unit of analysis; (2) business models emphasize a system-level, holistic approach to explaining how firms “do business”; (3) firm activities play an important role in the various conceptualizations of business models that have been proposed; and (4) business models seek to explain how value is created, not just how it is captured. These emerging themes could serve as catalysts for a more unified study of business models

Risk factors and microbial colonization of soft contact lens storage cases and conjunctiva of asymptomatic lens users

Microbial colonization of contact lens users are more than non-contact lens users due to many factors affecting natural defense mechanism. The presence of a contact lens on the cornea represents a foreign body that can alter tear flow, prevent oxygen and ionic diffusion and cause superficial alterations to the integrity of the epithelial layer. This in turn may render the cornea susceptible to microbial attachment and infection. This work was carried out to study the microbial flora (other than viruses) and factors affecting the microbial colonization of conjunctiva and contact lens storage cases. The study group comprised of randomly selected 93 asymptomatic soft contact lens users attending Medicine OPD for complaints other than eye diseases. One hundred age-and sex-matched healthy non-lens users were included as control. Two swabs each from contact lens storage cases and conjunctiva from study group and one from conjunctiva of control group were taken and inoculated for bacterial, fungal and Acanthamoeba culture. Detailed history regarding change of contact lens solution, duration of use of contact lenses per day and change of contact lens set were taken to study these factors in relation with microbial colonization of contact lens and conjunctiva. Microbial colonization was seen in 32/93 (34.41%) in both samples of the same patient. Microbial colonization was more in persons using contact lens more than 8 h and using the same contact lens for more than one year. A higher value (34.41%) of microbial colonization was recorded in asymptomatic contact lens users when compared with the Control group (4%). Culture positivity showed statistically significant correlation with factors such as duration of use of contact lenses/day and change of lenses. Use of the same contact lens for more than one year increases the microbial colonization