Murali Dhar

Is Video Podcast Supplementation as a Learning Aid Beneficial to Dental Students

INTRODUCTION Podcasting has recently emerged as an important information technology tool for health professionals. Podcasts can be viewed online or downloaded to a user computer or a handheld multimedia device like a portable MP3 player, smart phone and tablet device. The principal advantage of the podcast is that the presentation of information need not be linked with any particular time or location. Since students are familiar with newer technology tools and may be using it on a regular basis, video podcast could serve as a convenient tool for students to help remember both conceptual and factual information. AIM The purpose of this study was to assess the attitude of first year dental students towards video podcast supplementation and to assess the efficacy of video podcast as a teaching aid in comparison to text book reading. MATERIALS AND METHODS First year dental students were recruited for this study. A didactic lecture class was conducted for the students (n=100). The students were then randomly divided into two groups. Students present in group A (n=46) underwent a video podcast session followed by a multiple choice question test. This was followed by student feedback to assess the usefulness of video podcast. Students belonging to group B (n=54) had a study session for 20 minutes followed by the MCQ test. Students then underwent the video podcast session followed by feedback to assess the utility of video podcast. Mann-Whitney U test was applied to compare the difference in the median MCQ score between the two groups. RESULTS The findings revealed a significant gain in the median MCQ score in the intervention group (group A) when compared to control group (Group B). In the feedback form, 89% of students agreed that the video podcast might be useful as it would enable them to view slides and hear the lectures repeatedly. CONCLUSION Students who underwent the video podcast session performed significantly better in the MCQ test compared to students who underwent text book reading alone. This demonstrates an advantage of video podcasts over text book reading. Majority of students accepted the benefits of video podcast supplementation.

Difficulties with self instillation of eye drops and its impact on intraocular pressure in glaucoma patients

Aims: Prevalence of glaucoma increases with age and this potentially blinding condition requires regular instillation of eye drops. But with aging itself and accompanying co-morbidities, self instillation of eye drops gets affected. This study was designed to study the subjective difficulties associated with self instillation of eye drops in glaucoma patients and to quantitatively assess their impact on intraocular pressure (IOP). Settings and Design: Prospective interventional study at primary eye care center. Materials and Methods: A total of 69 persons diagnosed with glaucoma or ocular hypertension (OHT), who were self instilling their eye drops, were included in this study. Patients were interviewed for subjective difficulties being faced during self instillation using a formatted questionnaire. The patients were then subjected to assisted eye drop instillation for 4 weeks. The change IOP and consumption of eye drop bottles were compared between self installation and assisted instillation periods. Statistical Analysis: Paired t-test was applied at 5% significance level to compare pre and post interventional change of parameters. Results: Fifty three percent of patients reported subjective difficulties while self instilling their eye drops. Non-compliance was self-reported in 18% of the patients. The IOP dropped by 10-13% (P-value < 0.0001) and consumption of eye drop bottles was 14% (P-value < 0.0001) higher during self instillation. Conclusion: Assisted eye drop instillation may be beneficial to achieve better IOP control.

Introducing Physiology Practical Demonstration in Course Curriculum for the First Year Nursing Students

INTRODUCTION Combination of didactic lecture, practical demonstration and performing experiments by students is followed in medicine, dentistry and bachelor of pharmaceutical sciences. The purpose of this study was to assess the attitudes of nursing students towards practical demonstration in physiology. MATERIAL AND METHODS Seventy three nursing students of the first year underwent practical demonstration of Physiology experiments. Students indicated their agreement or disagreement with the 8 items by ticking one of the five alternative responses. Mean attitude scores were calculated for each item and for the total scale. RESULTS The overall mean attitude score of 3.76 was towards the favourable side. Eighty seven percent of students agreed that practical demonstration reinforces concepts. Eighty nine percent of students found practical demonstration is a good form of learning experience. CONCLUSION The introduction of practical demonstration in addition to didactic lectures may help the students in understanding concepts in Physiology.

Risk of cancers associated with tobacco use in India: a systematic review and meta-analysis

* Hadeer A Abbassy 1 , Reham A Aboelwafa 1 and Omar M Ghallab 2 . 1. Clinical pathology department, Faculty of Medicine, Alexandria University, Egypt. 2. Clinical hematology department, Faculty of Medicine, Alexandria University, Egypt. ...................................................................................................................... Manuscript Info Abstract ......................... ........................................................................ Manuscript History

PEM in Relation to Birth Order and Birth Interval in Children Aged 1–6 Years in Urban Slums of Mysore City

An indirect source of disease transmission is contaminated dental casts. To disinfect dental cast number of methods are employed. Spraying a disinfectant looks more handy and convenient method of disinfecting the cast. However in the process some mechanical properties of the material of the cast may be affected that are not desired. In this study three commercially available spray disinfectant namely-Iodophor, Unidex and Lysol were used to see their effect on the compressive strength of Type III (dental stone) gypsum product. The results were compared and statistically analyzed by one way analysis of Variance and Bonferroni test. It was found that Unidex (2.09% Acid glutarladehyde) affected the compressive strength of the Type III (dental stone) gypsum product in terms of significantly decreasing the strength. Though other two spray disinfectants also affected the compressive strength but Iodophor (1.64% available iodine) caused statistically non significant decrease and Lysol (cresol with soap solution) caused non significant increase in the compressive strength.

Socio-Demographic Characteristics of Life Term Prisoners in a Central Jail and its Association with Reasons for Crime

Background: For planning any prevention and control strategies, the knowledge of socio-demographic factors and criminal activities is necessary. There are many studies conducted on this issue, however only few of them pertain to Indian population. Moreover, India has diverse socio-demographic and cultural practices that may influence the quantity and quality of crime. Objectives: To study the socio-demographic characteristics of life term prisoners and its association with the reasons for committing crime. Materials and method: A cross sectional study was conducted on 300 life term prisoners of central prison of Gulbarga. Data was collected using pre-designed and pre-tested proforma. Chi-square test was applied to test the association at 5% level of significance using statistical package SYSTAT 13. Results: It was found that rural people, unmarried, illiterates, lower socio-economic status people were more likely to have committed the crime resulting in the conviction for life. Property dispute was the leading reason for committing crime in men and dowry in women. Gender, place of residence, education and socio-economic status were significantly associated with reasons for committing crime. Conclusion: A further multi-centric study at larger level is recommended to identify the independent predictors of crimes leading to life imprisonment. There is an urgent need for a focussed primary prevention strategies utilizing the information on independent predictors to control the population of our overcrowded prisons.