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Background: Patient handover (handoff in America) is the transfer of information and accountability among nurses assigned to patient care. Introduction, Situation, Background, Assessment, and Recommendation (ISBAR) is currently the most popular framework for framing handovers. However, research shows that incomplete handovers and information transfers among healthcare providers and nurses exist and are responsible for adverse patient events. Materials and Methods: The current systematic review aims to view contemporary literature on handover, especially but not exclusively in psychiatric settings, and to extract current conditions from Electronic Patient Records (EPRs) using the ISBAR framework. A total of fifty-five scientific papers were selected to support the scoping review. Eligibility criteria included structured research to analyze outcomes, completed by reviewing policy papers and professional organization guidelines on I/SBAR handovers. Results: Our systematic review shows that the application of ISBAR increases interprofessional communication skills and confidence and the quality of the transfer of clinical information about patients, resulting in increased patient safety and quality of care. Conclusions: Implementing the knowledge and application of structured patient handover will respond to current recommendations for service improvement and quality of care. Furthermore, nurses who use ISBAR also reported its benefits as they feel they can deliver what is required for patient care information in a structured, fast, and efficient way. A further increase in the efficacy of handovers is reported by using EPR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Researchers, practitioners, and policymakers call for updated valid evidence to monitor, prevent, and control of alarming trends of health problems. To respond to these needs, health researches provide the vast multidisciplinary scientific fields. We quantify the national trends of health research outputs and its contribution in total science products. Methods: We systematically searched Scopus database with the most coverage in health and biomedicine discipline as the only sources for multidisciplinary citation reports, for all total and health-related publications, from 2000 to 2014. These scientometrics analyses covered the trends of main index of scientific products, citations, and collaborative papers. We also provided information on top institutions, journals, and collaborative research centers in the fields of health researches. Results: In Iran, over a 15-year period, 237,056 scientific papers have been published, of which 81,867 (34.53%) were assigned to health-related fields. Pearson's Chi-square test showed significant time trends between published papers and their citations. Tehran University of Medical Sciences was responsible for 21.87% of knowledge productions share. The second and the third ranks with 11.15% and 7.28% belonged to Azad University and Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, respectively. In total fields, Iran had the most collaborative papers with the USA (4.17%), the UK (2.41%), and Canada (0.02%). In health-related papers, similar patterns of collaboration followed by 4.75%, 2.77%, and 1.93% of papers. Conclusions: Despite the ascending trends in health research outputs, more efforts required for the promotion of collaborative outputs that cause synergy of resources and the use of practical results. These analyses also could be useful for better planning and management of planning and conducting studies in these fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extensive research in the past decades has evidenced differences in the psychomotor ability of individuals resulting from varying levels of experience, age, gender, response precision, compatibility, performance, and ability. Many studies have called for the need to identify psychomotor ability and appropriate tests that can assess it. This review article surveys the definition, categorization, and tests of psychomotor ability as well as training based on psychomotor ability in medical sciences. We searched the literature with no time limit, using the ProQuest, PubMed, and Eric databases, as well as the Google Scholar search engine. The keywords for the search involved psychomotor, psychomotor performance, assessment, psychomotor ability, motor learning, education, training, psychomotor ability testing, and psychomotor skills. Other relevant papers found through hand searching and snowballing were also included in the review. The EndNote X8 was employed as a reference manager tool. Only abstracts of the papers whose full texts were accessible were reviewed after repetitious papers were excluded. The documents were categorized into five groups: definition of psychomotor skills and ability, psychomotor ability components, psychomotor ability tests, identification of psychomotor ability (task analysis), and training. This review article revealed that there is not a single definition for psychomotor ability and its components. However, it can be said that motor abilities are the foundation for the rapid acquisition of skills and according to the neuroplasticity process are learned through training and practice. Given psychomotor abilities vary among individuals, training courses should also provide different levels of psychomotor training for learners. The literature introduces psychomotor tests as a selection tool, a predictor of future professional behavior, and a means to evaluate progress in performance, academic guidance (ability-oriented medical specialty), and curriculum implementation tailored to the needs of learners of varying graduate disciplines. The tests should be profession-specific because each profession entails its peculiar characteristics and abilities. On the other hand, the major problem in studying and analyzing underlying psychomotor skills and abilities is that the components are being investigated by researchers from varying, and usually unrelated, scientific fields. Therefore, it is necessary to have a holistic view through close interaction between the researchers of different sciences to better understand this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As one of the most common malignant tumors in the world, colorectal cancer (CRC) is accompanied by a variety of symptoms in the process of disease development and treatment, which seriously affect the functional state and quality of life of patients. In China, comprehensive intervention measures of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) play an indispensable role in the treatment and rehabilitation of CRC. In order to further standardize and improve the treatment and management of CRC by medical staff, the Chinese Association of Integrative Medicine issued the “Expert Consensus for Diagnosis and Treatment of Colorectal Cancer with Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine” in August 2021. This paper interprets this consensus in detail from the perspective of nursing, focusing on the common understanding of the pathogenesis of CRC, TCM diagnosis and syndrome differentiation, integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine nursing, TCM characteristic therapies, etc., with a view to deepening the understanding and practical application of the consensus among clinical doctors and nurses and improving the level of diagnosis, treatment, and nursing of CRC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Cognitive errors are believed to be responsible for the majority of medical errors in clinical practice. We set to identify the prevalence and the types of cognitive errors among cases reviewed by the Morbidity and Mortality (M and M) Committee at King Khalid University Hospital (KKUH). Methods: A cross-sectional, descriptive study conducted at KKUH, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from January 2017 to December 2019. All consecutive cases of adult patients that have had a full review by the M and M committee were included. We applied the adapted (aviation risk management criteria to medicine) to detect any cognitive error among our cases. The cases were classified into three classes based on the number of present errors (A; 3 or more errors, B; 2 errors, and C; 1 error). Descriptive statistics (frequencies and percentages) were used to describe the categorical study variables. Results: A total of 16 cases were included in this analysis. Eight cases (50%) fulfilled the criteria for category "A" (3 or more cognitive errors). Cases categorized as "B" with 2 errors was seen in 43.8% and cases categorized as "C" with 1 error was seen in 6.2% of cases. The most commonly observed errors were diagnostic flaws such as diagnostic errors in the face of patients' symptoms. Conclusion: We used the aviation risk management approach to identify cognitive errors in medical cases. We observed that =3 errors were more prevalent in the reviewed cases, and the majority of these errors were due to diagnostic flaws. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the variability in the standards and settings of medical education in India. Topics discussed include the quality of scientific and medical writing across medical schools, failure to empower young physicians, and impact of the absence of a strong academic environment and lack of formal training in medical writing in the country.

Background: The impact of artificial intelligence (AI) has been compared to that of the Internet and printing, evoking both apprehension and anticipation in an uncertain world. Objective: This study aimed to explore the perceptions of medical students and faculty members from ten universities across Nigeria regarding AI. Methods: Using Google Forms and WhatsApp, a cross-sectional online survey was administered to clinical year medical students and their lecturers from ten medical schools representing all the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria. Results: The survey received 1003 responses, of which 708 (70.7%) were from students and 294 (29.3%) were from lecturers. Both groups displayed an average level of knowledge, with students (Median:4, range −5 to 12) significantly outperforming lecturers (Median:3, range −5 to 15). Social media (61.2%) was the most common form of first contact with AI. Participants demonstrated a favourable attitude towards AI, with a median score of 6.8 out of 10. Grammar checkers (62.3%) were the most commonly reported AI tool used, while ChatGPT (43.6%) was the most frequently mentioned dedicated AI tool. Students were significantly more likely than lecturers to have used AI tools in the past but <5% of both groups had received prior AI training. Excitement about the potential of AI slightly outweighed concerns regarding future risks. A significantly higher proportion of students compared to lecturers believed that AI could dehumanise health care (70.6% vs. 60.8%), render physicians redundant (57.6% vs. 34.7%), diminish physicians’ skills(79.3% vs. 71.3%) and ultimately harm patients(28.6% vs. 20.6%). Conclusion: The simultaneous fascination and apprehension with AI observed among both lecturers and students in our study mirrors the global trend. This finding was particularly evident in students who, despite possessing greater knowledge of AI compared to their lecturers, did not exhibit a corresponding reduction in their fear of AI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Singlo tea was not only highly sought after in China but also gained substantial popularity in Europe during the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. From European primary sources spanning the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the popularity of Singlo tea in Europe may have been attributed to the fascination with exotic fashions and products, as well as its medicinal properties. As a result of its popularity, Singlo became known as standard green tea. This kind of tea was eventually replaced by green and black teas of other varieties. Based on the case study of Singlo , this essay indicated that Europeans showed more interest in green tea than in black tea in the early period of Sino-European tea trade. However, Singlo was eventually replaced by other kinds of green and black tea. Its decline in European markets also marked the beginning of black tea's gradual dominance in the Sino-European tea trade. The spread history of Singlo tea in Europe showed how medicine and commerce interacted. It provided an opportunity to learn about Chinese medicine and culture from a foreign perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: The aim of this study was to analyze the induction effect of a combination of N. sativa and bovine bone graft on the expression and ratio of receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B ligand expression (RANKL) and osteoprotegerin (OPG) on alveolar bone socket preservation on days 7 and 14. Settings and Design: The research incorporated a posttest-only control group design. A total of 56 Cavia cobaya were divided into four groups: a control group, an N. sativa group, a bovine bone graft group, and a combined N. sativa and bovine bone graft group. Materials and Methods: The lower incisors of the C. cobaya were extracted with material subsequently being applied to the resulting socket. After the 7th and 14th days, the experimental animals were terminated to enable observation of the socket. Following processing, the tissue was subjected to immunohistochemistry staining consisting of RANKL and OPG antibodies before being observed under a light microscope at × 400. Statistical Analysis Used: Statistical analysis was carried out using the one-way ANOVA and Tukey's honestly significant difference tests. Results: A combination of N. sativa and bovine bone graft reduced both RANKL expression and the RANKL/OPG ratio while increasing OPG expression in comparison to the other groups. In all the results obtained, the N. sativa and bovine bone graft combination was significant (P < 0.05) when compared to the control group on both the 7th and 14th days. Conclusion: A combination of N. sativa and bovine bone graft reduced both RANKL expression and the RANKL/OPG ratio while increasing OPG expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Nontimber forest products (NTFPs) have been used for a wide range of things, even as they are linkable to numerous conventional ideologies and cultures. Information on the diversity and value of NTFPs in an environment is beneficial to the community, scientists, and decision-makers. Unfortunately, such vital information about the study area is unavailable in literature. Methods: This study identified the various types of NTFPs, determined the economic significance of NTFPs, and evaluated the role of NTFPs in the study area. Based on their origins, 24 NTFPs in the study area were divided into different categories. The amount of money which households made through the marketing of NTFPs was minuscule, and a large portion of it was being utilized in paying children's school fees, supplies, clothing, food, and medicine. The study demonstrated that residents of the study area often used NTFPs as key alternatives to pharmaceutical, contemporary medicines in the treatment of ailments, while a smaller percentage of residents of the chiefdom utilized the stems, seeds, and flowers and other parts acquired from NTFPs in the treatment of diseases, leaves, and roots were the most commonly utilized parts. Results: As a result of the findings, it is advised that NTFPs be developed into value-added products that are capable of attracting high market values and serving as alternative livelihood options. Conclusions: Community stakeholders involved in NTFP-related activities should be trained in the use of NTFP extraction, processing, storage, and conservation facilities, so as to maximize profit and ultimately ensure the sustainability of such products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Person-centered medicine is dedicated to the promotion of health as a state of physical, mental, socio-cultural and spiritual wellbeing as well as to the reduction of disease, and founded on mutual respect for the dignity and responsibility of each individual person. The concept of person centered care has evolved over the years and the main focus has been on moving further away from biological reductionism that has plagued western medicine. In the recent years, a critical evaluation of the current practices in psychiatry and the emerging lived experience research has helped garner momentum to the narratives around person centered care. In times of psycho-social adversity, and especially when health resources are inadequate, Person Centered Medicine offers a ray of hope. The article will look into some of the emerging perspectives in person centered care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: The concept of listing essential medicines can lead to improved supply and access, more rational prescribing, and lower costs of drugs. However, these benefits hinge on the prescription of drugs from an Essential Medicines List (EML). Several studies have highlighted the problem of underutilization of EMLs by prescribers. Therefore, as part of prescription research by the Indian Council of Medical Research-Rational Use of Medicines Centres Network, we evaluated the extent of prescription of drugs not listed in the National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Prescriptions of outpatients from participating centers were included after obtaining verbal/written informed consent as approved by the Ethics Committee, and evaluated for prescription of drugs from the NLEM 2015. RESULTS: Analysis of 4838 prescriptions from 13 tertiary health-care institutes revealed that 2677 (55.33%) prescriptions had at least one non-NLEM drug prescribed. In all, 5215 (31.12%) of the total 16,758 drugs prescribed were not in NLEM. Of these, 2722 (16.24%) were single drugs and 2493 (14.88%) were fixed-dose combinations (FDCs). These comprised 700 different drug products – 346 single drugs and 354 FDCs. The average number of non-NLEM drugs prescribed per prescription was 1.08, while the average number of all drugs prescribed was 3.35 per prescription. It was also found that some of the non-NLEM drugs prescribed had the potential to result in increased cost (for example, levocetirizine), increased adverse effects (dextromethorphan), and less effectiveness (losartan) when compared to their NLEM counterparts. Nonavailability of an essential drug (oral hydroxocobalamin) was another important finding of our study. CONCLUSION: This study highlights the extent and pattern of drugs prescribed from outside the NLEM at the tertiary health-care level and the need for training and enhanced awareness among prescribers for greater utilization of the NLEM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents author's comments on the evaluation period established by the Literature Selection Technical Review Committee from the National Library of Medicine (LSTRC) to be included in PubMed/MedLine.

Introduction: Structured undergraduate research, whether mandatory or elective, provides undergraduate students with a unique opportunity to develop their research skills. However, the majority of the students undertake individual research projects rather than working in a group. This study explores the perceived benefits and challenges of fostering research focused communities of practice at a specialised health sciences university in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at the College of Medicine, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences (KSAU-HS) Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The study was approved by the Ethics Committee at the King Abdullah International Medical Research Center (KAIMRC). A self-administered questionnaire was developed that assessed the perceived benefits and challenges of doing research in groups. Data were collected using a mixture of a dichotomous and a 5-point Likert scale and were analysed using Statistical Program for Social Scientists (SPSS). Results: Of the 380 medical students invited to participate in this study, 307 completed the questionnaire, with a response rate of 80.7%. The majority of the medical students (87%) agreed on the importance of teamwork in conducting medical research. Almost all medical students (96%) believed patience and tolerance were required to make the team successful. Significant differences were found between junior and senior medical students regarding their perceived benefits (P-value = 0.0001) and challenges (P-value = 0.0007). Conclusion: Although most of the students believed that doing research in groups is essential and that working within such groups enhances their research knowledge, forming these research groups was not without problems. The need for patience and tolerance to keep the group together, the issue of free-riders and the difficulties related to which research group to join were some of the challenges students encountered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores American patients' understanding of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in the late 19th century by referring to letters from American patients recorded in The Science of Oriental Medicine, written by Tan Fuyuan (谭富园), a Chinese medicine doctor working in the United States in the late Qing dynasty. Identifying a focus on significant effects, pulse diagnosis, herbal teas, dietary control, and long-term treatment, the results also discussed the differences between TCM and Western medicine in simple terms to show that the "ideological" spread of TCM was based on its curative effect. However, the "theoretical" spread of TCM requires more of intercultural exchanges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a medical journal during the republican period, Zhong Xi Yi Xue Bao (《中西医学报》 The International Medical Journal) was characterized by rich and popular content, wide range of knowledge, and better popularization. It had played an important role in spreading modern Western medicine and popularizing medical knowledge in China, promoted the development of modern Chinese medicine and its integration with Western medicine, thus provided essential research value and far-reaching influence for medical science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Trauma is the leading cause of mortality and one of the main causes of disability among the active populations in the battlefields. Therefore, trauma education is an important need for asymmetric warfare, which is met through training based on existing needs and possibilities. Methods: In this qualitative study, validated using Delphi technique in Tehran in 2019, the participants were selected from the experts and activities in the field of trauma in asymmetric warfare. Inclusion criteria included willingness to participate in the research, history of treatment activity, and trauma training in asymmetric warfare. This study is based on the two axes: (1) Investigating existing upstream documents and resources on trauma in asymmetric warfare. (2) Conducting structured interviews (based on training elements and trauma experiences in asymmetric warfare) with trauma experts and professors in asymmetric warfare. Results: The results obtained from the above resources, are defined and classified as 10 element training model (Akker). These results and related tables have also been reviewed and validated by trauma experts. Conclusion: The achievements of the present research explained the dimensions and indicators of trauma needs based training in asymmetric warfare that is an effective approach to increase the effectiveness of trauma learning and training in asymmetric warfare and increase the cost effectiveness. It is also an effective approach to organize trauma preparedness for all troops present in asymmetric warfare and can be presented as an operational protocol in terms of methodology and roadmap. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: The purpose of the present qualitative study was to investigate strategies of preventing induced demand for medicine prescription through in-depth interviews with various stakeholders (physicians, pharmacists, faculty members, and patients). Materials and Methods: For data gathering, we used in-depth interviews with a purposive sample of 20 participants who were selected according to their experience. Interviews were transcribed, analyzed, and identified, and the key themes were named and coded with a sample of quotation. We used content analysis to analyze the interviews. All authors participated in the analysis process to avoid bias and receive an agreement. Results: In the process of data analysis, all the strategies of preventing induced demand for prescription of medicine were elicited from the data analysis and were classified into two themes: Health education program and stewardship in the health system with 12 categories and 37 subcategories. Some strategies include promoting pharmaceutics' health literacy; developing, implementing, and evaluating policies to prevent induced demand for prescription of medicine; reforming the education system and medical research; development of health information; reforming the health system structure; reforming the monitor and control system in the health system; observing patients' rights charter; and reforming the insurance companies. Conclusion: The present study provides evidence that confirms the induced demand is preventable. Hence, we recommend that stockholders consider the strategies to preventing induced demand for the prescription to prevent unnecessary prescriptions of medicines and the consequences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Advances in Machine Learning and availability of state-of-the-art computational resources, along with digitized healthcare data, have set the stage for extensive application of artificial intelligence in the realm of diagnosis, prognosis, clinical decision support, personalized treatment options, drug development, and the field of biomedicine. Here, we discuss the application of Machine Learning algorithms in patient healthcare and dermatological domains along with the ethical complexities that are involved. In scientific studies, ethical challenges were initially not addressed proportionally (as assessed by keyword counts in PubMed) and just more recently (since 2016) this has started to improve. Few pioneering countries have created regulatory guidelines around how to respect matters of (1) privacy, (2) fairness, (3) accountability, (4) transparency and (5) conflict of interest when developing novel medical Machine Learning applications. While there is a strong promise of emerging medical applications to ultimately benefit both the patients and the medical practitioners, it is important to raise awareness on the five key ethical issues and incorporate them into medical practice in the near future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artificially intelligent computer systems are used extensively in medical sciences. Common applications include diagnosing patients, end-to-end drug discovery and development, improving communication between physician and patient, transcribing medical documents, such as prescriptions, and remotely treating patients. While computer systems often execute tasks more efficiently than humans, more recently, state-of-the-art computer algorithms have achieved accuracies which are at par with human experts in the field of medical sciences. Some speculate that it is only a matter of time before humans are completely replaced in certain roles within the medical sciences. The motivation of this article is to discuss the ways in which artificial intelligence is changing the landscape of medical science and to separate hype from reality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The temperament is a basic concept of maintaining health in Traditional Persian Medicine. The two main grouping of temperament is hot/cold and wet/dry. Many female disorders include infertilities are diagnosed and treated based on the dystemperament therapies. This report describes design of a questionnaire for uterine temperament detection and its use to evaluate the uterine temperament of a population of infertile women. Methods: The uterine temperament parameters derived from main textbooks were used to design a questionnaire which its validity and reliability was proven by statistical methods. The questionnaire was then used to detect the uterine temperament of 54 infertile females. Also full history and physical exam and vaginal sonography was performed in the 3rd day of the menstrual cycle for all study participants. Results: The mean age was 30.92 ± 5.53 years old. Mean uterine temperament score was 3.21 ± 0.53 for hotness and 4.28 ± 1 for wetness. Mean general body temperament was 138.88 ± 17.61. The general body temperament hotness/coldness was significantly correlated with the uterus hotness/coldness (r = 0.0842); while the wetness/dryness temperament of the body and uterus were not correlated. Moreover, uterus temperament was not correlated with the size of the uterus and ovaries in sonography, but pelvic width was correlated with hot uterine temperament (r = 0.354, P = 0.0145). Conclusions: In the present study, the most prevalent achieved temperament was cold and wet in patients with infertility complaint. Moreover, the hot/cold temperament of body and pelvic width were correlated with uterus temperament. This may propose new prevention and also treatment methods in the field of infertility, which needs to be further evaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modern medicine encompasses a holistic approach toward patient care that seeks to integrate the social, psychological, and pathological aspects of a disease. In line with this, the traditional model of improving treatment outcomes through improved compliance or adherence has given way to the concept of "concordance" that respects the integrity of the patient, autonomy, and self-determination. A self-conscious patient actively and equally participating in her or his comprehensive healthcare can bring a paradigm shift in the perceptions and functioning of the healthcare sector. Medication concordance can be expected to play a key role in improving patient well-being, clinical outcomes, and healthcare delivery. However, it is fraught with numerous questions to be addressed ranging from lack of clarity or standard protocol, medicolegal intricacies, cultural–linguistic barriers, illiteracy, shortage of time, infrastructure, and manpower. There are major challenges in the effective implementation of this initiative which has definite potential to prove beneficial in Indian healthcare settings. The success of this novel approach can only be accomplished by coordinated, inclusive, and persistent efforts from all participants of healthcare with fostering of a milieu of trust, belief, and communication. A systematic literature search was conducted using key words from relevant articles and MeSh terms on Google Scholar and PubMed. Data were abstracted according to their relevance to subheadings of the review and synthesis of concepts was done through multiple reviews by atleast two reviewers for any subsection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Sida L. is a medicinally important genus widely used in conventional systems of medicine in India. Aim: The present study aims toward simultaneous determination of two bioactive compounds vasicine and vasicinone in root extracts of eight Sida spp. from Western Ghats, India. Materials and Methods: Determination of vasicine and vasicinone was undertaken in methanolic root extracts (10% w/v) of Sida acuta, Sida cordata, Sida cordifolia, Sida rhombifolia, Sida spinosa, Sida indica, Sida retusa and Sida mysorensis by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method. The standards were prepared with the concentration of mg/mL. Data were expressed as mean values of three reading and relative standard deviations. The separation was achieved on a Waters, Nova-Pack, C18 (250 mm × 4.6 mm, 5 μ) column, with acetonitrile - 0.1 M phosphate buffer-glacial acetic acid (15: 85:1, v/v/v) as solvent system at a flow-rate of 1.0 mL/min. The effluent was monitored using ultraviolet detection at a wavelength of 300 nm. Results: Both calibration curves of standard showed good linear regression (R2 > 0.994). The limit of detection and the limit of quantification for vasicine was 0.110 and 0.333 μg/mL and for vasicinone was 0.059 and 0.179 μg/mL respectively. The vasicine content was highest in S. cordifolia (9.891 ± 0.495 μg/100 mg) and vasicinone content was rich in S. cordata (33.013 ± 1.651 μg/100 mg.) The content of vasicinone was higher than vasicine. Conclusion: HPLC method provides simple, accurate, and reproducible quantitative analysis for simultaneous determination of vasicine and vasicinone. Among the selected Sida species, S. cordifolia and S. cordata were found to be rich in the vasicine and vasicinone contents, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Despite the great emphasis on teaching professionalism in universities, creating changes in one's professional behavior is a serious challenge in medical education. In this regard, one cannot ignore the role of faculty members. The present study was set to investigate the opinions of medical education experts about the expected results of faculty development programs regarding PH teaching and learning professionalism. Materials and Methods: The study was carried out in two phases including content analysis study and Delphi. In the first phase, 10 medical education experts participated in the study. Data gathering was carried out using semi-structured interviews. Codes were analyzed using classic content analysis method. In the second phase, a six-member focus group and Delphi with 23 experts from across the country participated, and themes from the previous phase were confirmed and finalized. Results: Analysis of the content of the interviews in the first phase and discussing in the focus group and Delphi showed two main themes: 1) direct results and 2) indirect results with six subthemes. Direct results included three subthemes of creating role model faculty members, scientific improvement, improving professionalism, and inspiring the students; indirect results included three subthemes of change in educational environment of the university, change in the university system, and effects on the society's culture. Conclusion: Faculty development in professionalism can contribute to university faculty members to become better role models and inspire their students, peers, and even the society. Therefore, improving professional behavior in university faculty members can have direct and indirect effects on improving the society due to their crucial role. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate awareness regarding interdental aids in medical population. Materials and Methods: This study included 337 medical professionals living in Davangere district, Karnataka, India. A dental health questionnaire was distributed to all subjects consisting of 18questions. Results: Total 337 people with 187 females and 150 males who were of mean age 27.6±9.0 years participated in the study. The significant positive response (<0.05) in females as compared to males was observed for two items (4 and 7). Conclusions: The low positive response towards interdental aids should focus to conduct mass educative programs providing information regarding different interdental aids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biologic products are being developed over the past three decades. The expiry of patent protection for many biological medicines has led to the development of biosimilars in UK or follow on biologics in USA. This article reviews the literature on biosimilar drugs that covers the therapeutic status and regulatory guidelines. Appraisal of published articles from peer reviewed journals for English language publications, search from PubMed, and guidelines from European Medicines Agency, US Food Drug Administration (FDA) and India were used to identify data for review. Literature suggest that biosimilars are similar biological products, i.e., comparable but not identical to the reference product, are not generic version of innovator product and do not ensure therapeutic equivalence. Biosimilars present more challenges than conventional generics and marketing approval is also more complicated. To improve access, US Congress passed the Biologics Price Competition and Innovation act 2009 and US FDA allowed "abbreviated pathway" for their approval. U.S law has defined new standards and terms and EMA scientific guidelines have also set detailed approval standards. India being one of the most preferred manufacturing destinations of biosimilars, there is a need for stringent safety and regulatory guidelines. The New India Guidelines "Draft Guidelines on Similar Biologics were announced in June 2012, by Department of Biotechnology at Boston bio and available online. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A timeline is presented of historical events in the field of medicine.

A letter to the editor is presented in response to the article "Time to sensitize medical graduates to the Indian Systems of Medicine and Homeopathy," by V. Roy in the January 2015 issue.