PURPOSE: In Pakistan, courses in pharmacy practice, which are an essential component of the PharmD curriculum, were launched with the aim of strengthening pharmacy practice overall and enabling pharmacy students to cope with the challenges involved in meeting real-world healthcare needs. Since very little research has assessed the efficacy of such courses, we aimed to evaluate students' perceptions of pharmacy practice courses and their opinions about whether their current knowledge of the topics covered in pharmacy practice courses is adequate for future practice. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted over two months among the senior pharmacy students of two pharmacy colleges. A content- and face-validated questionnaire was used to collect data, which were then analysed using SPSS version 20. Descriptive analysis and logistic regression were performed. RESULTS: Research in pharmacy practice (30.2%), applied drug information (34.4%), health policy (38.1%), public health and epidemiology (39.5%), pharmacovigilance (45.6%), and pharmacoeconomics (47.9%) were the major courses that were covered to the least extent in the PharmD curriculum. However, hospital pharmacy practice (94.4%), pharmacotherapeutics (88.8%), and community pharmacy practice (82.8%) were covered well. Although 94% of students considered these courses important, only 37.2% considered themselves to be competent in the corresponding topics. Of the participants, 87.9% agreed that the pharmacy courses in the present curriculum should be redesigned. CONCLUSION: Our results showed that the pharmacy practice courses in the current PharmD curriculum do not encompass some important core subjects. A nationwide study is warranted to further establish the necessity for remodelling pharmacy practice courses in Pakistan.
Cross-Sectional Studies ; Curriculum ; Delivery of Health Care ; Economics, Pharmaceutical ; Education, Pharmacy ; Epidemiology ; Health Policy ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Pakistan* ; Pharmacies ; Pharmacovigilance ; Pharmacy* ; Public Health ; Students, Pharmacy*

BACKGROUND: In Iran, an iodine deficiency control program was initiated in 1989 by iodizing salt. Despite this program, goiters have remained an endemic condition in most parts of Iran. Thus, it is possible that other factors aside from iodine deficiency may contribute to endemic goiter. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between cobalt deficiency and endemic goiter in a region of Iran with a high prevalence of goiter. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among school children aged 9 to 11 years in the city of Kerman, Iran. In the first phase of the study, a multistage, proportional-to-size, cluster sampling method was used to screen 5,380 out of 29,787 students. After the screening phase, 170 students (130 goitrous and 40 nongoitrous) were randomly selected, and serum and urine specimens were obtained. We measured thyroid function, serum cobalt level, and urinary iodine excretion. Univariate and multiple logistic regression analyses were performed. RESULTS: The prevalence of grade 2 goiters was 34.8% (95% confidence interval [CI], 31.5 to 42.5), with both sexes being equally affected. The weight and body mass index of goitrous subjects was significantly lower (P<0.001) than those of nongoitrous subjects. The serum cobalt levels were lower in goitrous subjects than in nongoitrous subjects (4.4+/-2.9 microg/L vs. 6.4+/-2.7 microg/L). The urinary iodine levels were also lower in goitrous subjects than in nongoitrous subjects (198.3+/-108.3 microg/L vs. 270.2+/-91.1 microg/L). Multiple regression analysis showed that only cobalt deficiency, not iodine deficiency, significantly contributed to the presence of goiter (odds ratio, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.61 to 0.99; P=0.042). CONCLUSION: Cobalt deficiency may be an important independent predicator for goiter in endemic regions, especially areas in which goiters persist despite salt iodization programs.
Body Mass Index ; Child* ; Cobalt* ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Goiter ; Goiter, Endemic* ; Humans ; Iodine ; Iran ; Logistic Models ; Mass Screening ; Prevalence ; Thyroid Gland

Objective:To determine the chemical composition, total phenolic and total flavonoid contents of the crude extracts from leaves and stems of a Lebanese plant Euphorbia macroclada schyzoceras (E. macroclada), and to evaluate their antioxidant potential using DPPH, H2O2, and chelating of ferrous ions tests. Methods:Quantification of the total phenolic and total flavonoid contents of the crude extracts from leaves and stems and the antioxidant activities were evaluated using spectrophotometric analyses. The chemical composition has been estimated using different techniques such as IR, LC/MS and NMR. Results:Ethanolic extract from leaves of E. macroclada was better than aqueous extract and showed higher content in total phenolic and total flavonoid than found in the stems. On the other hand, using DPPH and H2O2 tests, this extract from leaves showed higher antioxidant capacity than aqueous extract. However, using the chelating of ferrous ions test, the antioxidant activity of the aqueous extract of both stems and leaves was stronger than that of ethanolic once. The chemical composition of the whole plant showed the presence of some aromatic compounds and fatty acids. Conclusions:Both ethanolic and water extracts from both parts of this plant are effective and have good antioxidant power. So, this plant can be used in the prevention of a number of diseases related to oxidative stress.

PURPOSE: The goal of this study was to compare the knowledge and attitudes of pharmacy and medical students regarding adverse drug reactions (ADRs), as well as their perceptions of barriers to ADR reporting, in a Higher Education Commission-recognised Pakistani university. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among final-year pharmacy (n=91) and medical (n=108) students in Pakistan from June 1 to July 31, 2014. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect the data. The responses of pharmacy students were compared to those of medical students. RESULTS: Pharmacy students had a significantly better knowledge of ADRs than medical students (mean+/-SD, 5.61+/-1.78 vs. 3.23+/-1.60; P<0.001). Gender showed a significant relationship to knowledge about ADRs, and male participants were apparently more knowledgeable than their female counterparts (P<0.001). The attitudes of pharmacy students regarding their capability to handle and report ADRs were significantly more positive than those of medical students (P<0.05). In comparison to pharmacy students, a lack of knowledge of where and how to report ADRs was the main barrier that medical students perceived to ADR reporting (P=0.001). CONCLUSION: Final-year pharmacy students exhibited more knowledge about ADRs and showed more positive attitudes regarding their capacity to handle and report ADRs than final-year medical students.
Cross-Sectional Studies ; Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions* ; Education ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Pakistan* ; Pharmacovigilance ; Pharmacy* ; Students, Medical* ; Students, Pharmacy

Osteoma is the most common benign tumor of the paranasal sinuses. Turbinate osteomas are very rare and only four middle turbinate, one superior turbinate and one inferior turbinate osteoma cases have been reported. We present a rare case of osteoma of the left middle turbinate in a patient presented with unilateral nasal obstruction and epiphora that was removed endoscopically, and conduct a literature review on turbinate osteomas arising from different turbinates, their symptoms and management.
Humans ; Lacrimal Apparatus Diseases ; Nasal Obstruction ; Osteoma ; Paranasal Sinuses ; Turbinates

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: In clinical masking, the plateau is a state in which the non-test ear (NTE) is completely masked by the noise and tone is heard only by the test ear (TE). At least 15 to 20 dB of plateau width is needed to obtain valid threshold. In the study, a part of plateau after initial masking level known as the minimum plateau width (mPW) was determined and compared by a new formula and the plateau searching method. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Minimum plateau widths of air conduction were obtained in 29 participants with unilateral and 30 participants with bilateral conductive hearing loss (CHL) aged 20 to 45 years old by using step by step plateau method and mPW estimation by the formula between two points of masking diagram [mPW=(N2-N1)-(T2-T1)] and then the mPW of two methods was compared for each frequency. RESULTS: There was no significant difference between the minimum plateau width obtained by the plateau and formula methods for two given point of masking diagram in people with unilateral and bilateral CHL at octave frequencies from 500 Hz to 4,000 Hz. CONCLUSIONS: Threshold obtaining of TE by two tones for two noise levels delivered to the NTE is enough to estimate the mPW between these two noise points and it is not necessary that for clinicians to know the actual values of masking diagram components.
Ear ; Hearing Loss, Conductive ; Masks ; Methods ; Noise

Introduction: Urinary incontinence (UI) is a condition which is common and is closely linked to vaginal delivery. Pelvic floor muscle exercise (PFME) are considered the first line management of UI and regular practice of PFME is a key factor in its effectiveness. This study was designed to investigate the effectiveness of theory-based intervention using social media to reduce UI among postpartum women. Methods: This is a randomized controlled trial with the final number of recruited participants of 104. The participants were assigned randomly either to control or intervention groups and were followed up at three and six months. The primary outcome of this study was severity of UI. Adherence to exercises was the secondary outcome. Results: After the intervention, at three months and six months follow-up, there were significant differences between the two groups regarding the practice of PFMEs (p≤ 0.05). Friedman’s analysis of variance showed that there was a significant difference in respect of the exercise adherence rating scale among the intervention group at baseline, at three months and post six months (p≤ 0.05). In the intervention group at baseline the mean (standard deviation, sd) of the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire Short Form was 3.00 (1.94) whereas at three months it decreased to 1.96 (1.69), which decreased further to 1.04 (0.51) at six months. Conclusion: theory-based education delivered through social media is a feasible and effective way of increasing the practice of PFMEs, and can lead to decrease of severity UI.