Journal Issue: Volume: 43, No. 3 (2021)
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Volume
Number
Issue Date
2021
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
ISSN (Print) : 1993-2979 | ISSN (Online) : 1993-2987
Journal Volume
Articles
Academic Reading, Writing, and Publishing in Nepal: Initiation from Institute of Medicine
(Institute of Medicine, 2021) Singh, Yogendra P
NA
Researcher’s Personal Profile on Academic Social Network Sites: Connection, Visibility, and Impact of Academic Work
(Institute of Medicine, 2021) Shah, Jay
ABSTRACTA
A researcher's personal profile helps communicate and increase the visibility for academic work. Online personal profiles greatly enhance sharing of information and interaction with the academic community. This interaction and visibility further benefit in career advancement, funding, citation score, and many more. Academic Social Network Sites provide facilities for the creation of a personal profile that links the research and publications which can be verified easily and helps generate author-level metrics, unlike the traditional biodata.
Keywords: Academic social network sites, impact, researcher’s personal profile, visibility
Low Estimated GFR Predicts Hemorrhagic Complication in Acute Ischemic Stroke: A Meta-analysis
(Institute of Medicine, 2021) Nepal, Gaurav, Gaurav; Shrestha, Gentle S; Yadav, Jayant K; Pathak, Santosh; Ojha, Rajeev
ABSTRACT
Introduction: Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) can occur in patients following acute ischemic stroke (AIS) and results in significant long-term morbidity and mortality. Patients with renal impairment have a higher risk of bleeding. Therefore, AIS patients with renal impairment may have a higher risk of such complications. We performed a meta-analysis of observational studies to determine the relationship between renal impairment and hemorrhagic complications in patients with AIS.
Methods: This meta-analysis was conducted following the guidance of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement. PubMed, Google Scholar, Web of Science and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) were searched to identify studies published between 1995 and 2020. Relative risk estimates of all the included studies were pooled to calculate pooled OR and 95% confidence intervals.
Results: Fourteen studies involving 10,033 AIS patients from Asia, Europe, and North America were included. We found that patients with renal impairment as indicated by low eGFR had a higher odds of developing any ICH (OR: 1.7; 95% CI: 1.13 to 2.57; p=0.011; I2=87.2%) following AIS. Similarly, we found that patients with renal impairment had a higher odds of developing symptomatic ICH (SICH) (OR: 1.7; 95% CI: 1.32 to 2.17; p<0.001; I2=37.3%) following AIS.
Conclusion: There is an increased odds of developing any ICH and SICH in AIS patients with renal impairment.
Keywords: Acute ischemic stroke, glomerular filtration rate, hemorrhagic transformation
Knowledge and Practice Regarding Topical Corticosteroids Among Dispensers in Community Pharmacies of Kathmandu Valley: A Cross-Sectional Survey
(Institute of Medicine, 2021) Shrestha, Shristi; Joshi, Smita; Tamang, Ram K
ABSTRACT
Introduction: Topical corticosteroids (TCS) abuse and misuse are constantly rising in an alarming proportion, the main reason for this being free availability of such drugs over the counter (OTC) and pharmacists are one of the major prescribers of TCS. The present study was thus conducted to address the gap in information regarding the knowledge and practice of using corticosteroids among dispensers in community pharmacies.
Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional survey was carried out among the dispensers in community pharmacies inside Kathmandu valley from March 2020 to March 2021. A survey was conducted with a questionnaire which included questions to assess the knowledge and practice regarding TCS among dispensers in community pharmacies. Microsoft Excel 2010 and Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) 16 were used for data analysis.
Results: Among 209 participants, 83.73% of the participants had education related to pharmacy. They had good knowledge about brand names, generic names, and side effects of steroids. Maximum number (40.19%) of the participants responded that while coming to buy steroid creams, the patients come without prescription but with the name or cover of medicine. Majority of participants (66.51%) responded that they encounter 1-5 patients per day with recurrence of skin problems after stopping the application of creams.
Conclusion: The dispensers at community pharmacies reported having good knowledge about TCS. However, there is a need to strengthen the knowledge regarding indications of TCs including ethical and rational use of TCs among the dispensers in community pharmacies.
Keywords: Knowledge, pharmacies, practice, topical corticosteroids
Fasting Serum Magnesium Level and its Association with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and its Chronic Complications
(Institute of Medicine, 2021) Lamsal, Manoj; Thapaliya, Sabin; Thapa, Pradeep; Bhandari, Roshan; Sangroula, Raj K; Sayami, Matina; Shrestha, Pradeep K
ABSTRACT
Introduction: Diabetes mellitus is one of the most common metabolic disorders. Hypomagnesemia is a common feature in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). This study aims to assess the serum magnesium level and its association with chronic complications in patients with T2DM.
Methods: A total of 173 T2DM patients at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital were evaluated from July 2016 to August 2017. Patients were investigated for fasting serum magnesium level, fasting plasma glucose (FPG), postprandial plasma glucose (PPG), Glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c) and also target organ evaluation for diabetes. Data was analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20.
Results: Hypomagnesemia was found in 86 patients out of the 173 enrolled patients. Observations revealed significant association between hypomagnesemia and various microvascular complications viz. retinopathy (p=0.001), neuropathy (p<0.001) and nephropathy (p<0.001). There was also a significant association between hypomagnesemia and FPG (p=0.008) and HbA1c (p=0.009). The overall prevalence of hypomagnesemia among T2DM patients was 49.7% and the prevalence of hypomagnesemia was significantly higher (74%) among diabetic patients with microvascular complications (p=0.001) compared to diabetics with no microvascular complications.
Conclusion: There was a high prevalence of hypomagnesemia among T2DM patients. A significant association was seen between hypomagnesemia and various microvascular complications like retinopathy, neuropathy and nephropathy. Routine surveillance and timely treatment of hypomagnesemia is advisable for patients with T2DM.
Keywords: Diabetic retinopathy; glycosylated haemoglobin; hypomagnesemia; type 2 diabetes mellitus