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Many postgraduate family medicine training programmes have been developed to meet the worldwide dire need for practicing family physicians. This study was conducted in Gezira state of Sudan in a “before-and-after” design in the period of 2010–2012 with the aim to assess improvements in candidates’ confidence in performing certain clinical skills. A self-evaluation questionnaire was used with a five-grade scale (1–5) to assess candidates’ confidence in performing 46 clinical skills. A group of 108 participants responded for both the “before” and the “after” questionnaire: the response rate was 91% (before) and 90% (after). In general, a positive progress trend was detected. The mean skill value for all skills was 3.23 (before) and 3.93 (after) with a mean increase of 21.7% (P<0.001). Male students scored constantly higher than females both before and after completing the master’s programme, while females showed a higher percentage in progress. Scores in certain medical disciplines were higher than others. However, disciplines with low scores in the beginning, such as psychiatry and ophthalmology, showed the highest progress percentage. The results show a significant increase in confidence in performing procedural skills designed in the curriculum of the GFMP master’s programme.

Various diazotized aryl amines were coupled with N-(4-nitrophenyl)-2-[(4-phenyl-1,3-thiazol-2-yl)amino]acetamide to give the corresponding various azo disperse dyes (D1-D13). These dyes were applied to polyester fiber by HTHP method and their fastness properties were evaluated. Dyes were characterized by IR, elemental analysis, and NMR spectral studies. These dyes showed very good antibacterial and antifungal activities.

Objective This study aimed to find out prevalence of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) in peptic ulcer disease (PUD) which is highly endemic disease in Kashmir.

The present study is a comprehensive retrospective analysis of 1341 gastric neoplasms out of 10 733 individuals subjected to upper gastrointestinal endoscopy at the main teaching cum referral hospital in the Kashmir Valley. Of these 78% were males and 22% females, majority being in the age group of 41–60 years with 60% of the patients being smokers. On endoscopy, the commonest site of cancer was the body of stomach 40.7%, followed by the antrum 35.5% and the cardiac region 23.8%. Endoscopic features revealed nodular masses 39%, polypoid masses 21%, malignant ulcers 11%, infiltrative masses 12%, rounded tumor masses 9%, linitus plastica 5% and early gastric carcinoma 3%. Histology revealed adenocarcinoma 91%, (including mucoid carcinoma 9%, and schirrous carcinoma 7%), leiomyosarcoma 7%, and reticulum cell sarcoma 2%. No significant association between Helicobacter pylori infection and gastric cancer was observed in a short study out of these patients. The peculiar geography and some special dietary habits with a possible familial predisposition may have a bearing on the high risk of gastric cancer in the valley.

Aims and objectives The present study was undertaken to compare the diagnostic yield of three available test procedures for detecting Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection in endoscopic biopsies.

Gastrointestinal complaints may be the presenting symptoms of trichophytobezoar. We report a patient, who had an epigastric lump and enlarged lymph nodes on the left side of the neck, but without any gastrointestinal complaint. The clinical diagnosis suggested lymphoma or gastric cancer with secondary masses in the cervical lymph nodes. The diagnosis ultimately proved to be tubercular lymphadenitis on biopsy and gastric trichophytobezoar on endoscopy and laparotomy.

Aim: This study was carried out to assess the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection in various ABO blood groups of people of Kashmir.

Objective: The aim of the present study was to assess the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection in Kashmiri patients with gastric cancer and to compare this with a matched control population.

Aim: To study the association of Helicobacter pylori infection with chronic antral gastritis in peptic ulcer disease patients and healthy population of Kashmir.

The impact of intravenous (I/V) diazepam sedation on arterial oxygen saturation (SaO2) and patient tolerance was studied in 100 patients in the age group of (27–60) years, who were subjected to esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) for different indications. Equal number of patients in the same age group, who did not receive the sedation acted as controls. It was observed that SaO2 showed a transient fall during the first few minutes of the endoscopic procedure even without sedation and diazepam administration did not significantly (p > 0.05) aggravate this oxygen desaturation. It was also observed that diazepam sedation increased the procedure tolerance of the patients when compared with controls (p < 0.01). In conclusion, it was inferred that I/V diazepam may act as a safe and favourable sedative for EGD.

The effects of fasting on peptic ulcer disease were evaluated in a prospective study, involving 23 fasting patients who underwent endoscopy before and after Ramadan. Eighteen patients took an H2-blocker (ranitidine, 150 mg twice daily) regularly at “Suhur” and “Iftar” as prescribed, while 5 were drug defaulters. On the first endoscopy the diagnosis in 4 patients was active acute duodenal ulcer (AADU), in 8 patients was active chronic duodenal ulcer (ACDU) in 8 patients was healed duodenal ulcer (HDU), in 2 patients was erosive duodenitis (ED), and in 1 patient was chronic gastric ulcer (CGU). All of the patients with AADU showed signs of healing on repeat endoscopy. None of the ACDU patients showed signs of healing on repeat endoscopy. Instead, 7 patients in this group bled during fasting. All of the 5 drug defaulters belonged to the ACDU group. One patient in the HDU group had developed an active ulcer near the previous scar, as which was seen on repeat endoscopy. The 2 patients with ED showed signs of healing, while the only patient with CGU had bled from the same ulcer as seen on repeat endoscopy. The results were compared with those of 15 nonfasting control subjects (6 patients with ACDU, 3 with HDU, and 6 with ED as diagnosed on the first endoscopy), who took an H2-blocker regularly. The repeat endoscopy did not show any change in these patients. In conclusion, we inferred that Ramadan fasting may prove hazardous in patients with peptic ulcer disease in general and with active chronic ulcers in particular, although the fact that only 23 patients volunteered for this study, of whom 5 were drug defaulters, is a limitation.