bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Activities Reducing the Stress among Undergraduate Medical Students: The Students' Perception
Authors: Hassan Zakir , Ahmed Ashraf Uddin , Talukder Humayun Kabir , Salmeen Aliva , Alam Kazi Khairul , Westerhoff Hans V , Hassan Zahid 
Published: December 2019

Most attention has been focused in recent years with respect to the issues of the medical students suffering from excess of stress during their studies, which may constrain their extent of learning, acquisition of knowledge, and consequently their academic performance. A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted between July 2016 and June 2017 to explore the activities which helped to reduce the burden of stress among the undergraduate medical students of four government and two private medical colleges in Bangladesh. A self-administered semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect the data on the students' perception. A total of 1145 students included in this study of which 63 % were female. The study revealed that the students' perceptions of stress were highest with respect to the existing policy concerning vacation/holiday (87%), common room facilities (78%), counselling service (64%) and accommodation facilities (60%). The most common coping strategies adopted by the students were discussing problems with family members and friends, gossiping with friends and using social media. Neither alcohol nor drug consumption was mentioned by the students as an effective stress reduction strategy. To generalize the findings, a further longitudinal study including prospective and multi-center focus group discussions along with quantitative research is recommended.
Bangladesh Journal of Medical Education Vol.10(1) 2019: 20-24
Evaluation of Goal-Oriented Learning as a model of curriculum delivery in teaching Public Health among dental undergraduate students
Authors: Chowdhury Mohammad Tawfique Hossain , Nath Sujan Kanti , Noor Ashek Elahi , Podder Clopa Pina , Mahbuba Sabiha , Raihan Md Mahfuzur 
Published: December 2019

Background: Goal-Oriented Learning (GOL) pedagogy might increase dental students' skill to achieve desired public health goal.
Purpose: The objective of this study is to assess the effectiveness of GOL system in terms of increasing knowledge retention as method of curriculum delivery in comparison to traditional lecture method and to explore the perceptions and experiences of students and tutors in regards to GOL system.
Method: The study was conducted among all the 2nd year BDS, Sapporo Dental College using Quasi-Experimental design. Intervention and control group were taught using GOL and lecture based method, respectively. SAQ type questions were used to assess the level of knowledge before and after intervention in both groups. Students and tutors perceptions and experiences were evaluated using modified course experience questionnaire and tutor response questionnaire.
Result: Level of good score and mean knowledge score differences between pre-test and post-test were more observed in GOL group. These differences found are statistically significant. Though most of the students of GOL system perceived that it contributes in developing their generic skill like improving problem solving, analytic and expression skill, majority of them reported that workload was heavy on them. Most of students were satisfied relating to tutor role, facilities available and evaluation system in GOL group. Overall satisfactions were superior in GOL groups in comparison to lecture group among both students and tutors.
Conclusion: The study showed that GOL system significantly improves knowledge retention in comparison to traditional lecture system. Moreover, majority of students and tutors gave more positive feedback regarding GOL experience and consider it superior than lecture-based system.
Bangladesh Journal of Medical Education Vol.10(1) 2019: 25-29
Outcome Based Medical Curriculum: Features, Standards and Challenges
Authors: P Youhasan , M Sivanjali , T Sathaananthan 
Published: December 2019

Outcome based education has become vital in Medical curriculum worldwide. It's practiced successfully in many countries. After evidencing the practice worldwide, Eastern University, Sri Lanka (EUSL) developed its curriculum to outcome based. Identifying educational programme outcome is crucial process in outcome based educational practice. The educational outcomes of MBBS programme of EUSL have been matched with international standards. The graduate profile reflects the attributes of graduates, which is physician's potentials at the end of the course. Constructive alignment of curriculum is exhibited in accordance with the Sri Lanka Medical Council (SLMC) guidelines, MBBS programme outcome, the organization of learning contents, teaching learning experiences to achieve the intended learning outcomes and assessments for learning. Assessments for learning (formative assessments) are conducted at the end of the modules and feedbacks are expected to be given to drive the learning. Educational outcomes involve several competencies such as Knowledge, Skills and Attitude. There are several assessment methods have been followed to assess various attributes in EUSL. Teacher takes part in facilitating learning or mentoring students. Assessing the team work skills, critical thinking, problem solving are also the salient features as this outcome based medical curriculum has been implemented to foresee the graduates treating patients in a holistic manner.
Bangladesh Journal of Medical Education Vol.10(1) 2019: 34-38
Dietary habits and body weight status of Undergraduate Medical Students of Bangladesh and their Influence on Academic Performance
Authors: Sikder Md Aminul Islam , Alam Kazi Khairul , Talukder Md Humayun Kabir 
Published: December 2019

This cross sectional descriptive study was conducted to explore the dietary habits and body weight status of undergraduate medical students of Bangladesh and their influence on academic performance. The study period was from July 2017 to June 2018. The sample size was 907. Medical colleges were selected purposively and convenience sampling technique was adopted for data collection. The study was carried out among the students of 3rd and 4th phase MBBS course of five public and three non-government medical colleges of Dhaka and outside Dhaka. Academic performance was determined by the results of professional examinations and class attendance. A self-administered structured questionnaire was used. Among the respondents medical students 330 (36.5%) were males and 575 (63.5%) were females. Descriptive statistics were used to identify the dietary practices of the students. Chi squared test and unpaired t test were done to examine the influence of diets and BMI on academic performance. The study revealed that 535 (59.9%) students took three main meals regularly. Breakfast was the commonest meal skipped among 230 (24%) students altogether. Among the respondents students, 652 (73.2%) took first class proteins daily, 398 (44.8%) vegetables daily and only 85 ((9.6%) students took fruits daily. 661 (74.4%) of the students belonged to healthy BMI group and 73 (8.2%) students were underweight, 12 (1.4%) students were obese and 3 (0.3%) were morbidly obese. Gender wise there was no significant difference of BMI. The study further revealed that students who took first class protein daily had better performance in the professional examinations. Skipping of breakfast and consumption of vegetable and fruits did not affect students' academic performance. The students with healthy BMI had higher percentage in class attendance than the overweight students. The study recommended that steps to be taken to implement healthy dietary practices among the medical students for positive influence on academic performance.
Bangladesh Journal of Medical Education Vol.10(2) 2019: 6-11
Study on the Pattern of Antibiotic Use Including the Resistance Episodes in Bangladesh
Authors: Islam M Shazzadul , Sikdar KM Yasif Kayes , Hossain ASM Monjur AL , Faroque ABM 
Published: December 2019

Antibiotic resistance is currently one of the biggest challenges faced by the health professionals worldwide. Bacteria are becoming resistant to commonly used antibiotics and various factors have been identified that are responsible for the resistance. Factors like poor quality of antibiotic products, unethical marketing practices by pharmaceutical companies, irrational use of antibiotics by the physicians and patient incompliance are also common in Bangladesh. To carry out this study, firstly the extent of antibiotic resistance was evaluated by collecting clinical isolates from various diagnostic centers of Dhaka City and conducting antibiotic susceptibility test against commonly used antibiotics. The product quality was evaluated by collecting antibiotic products of different generics from various locations around Bangladesh and then performing drug content assay by HPLC method. Finally, to evaluate patient incompliance, a questionnaire-based survey was conducted on patients who took or had taken antibiotics recently and the collected data was analyzed statistically. The result of the investigation reveals that more than 80% of the collected Escherichia coli (E. coli) isolates were resistant to currently used antibiotics like, azithromycin, ciprofloxacin, amoxicillin, cefixime, cefuroxime, and moxifloxacin. Similar holds true for the collected Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) isolates. The product quality in terms of drug content and dissolution was good for most products irrespective of whether the manufacturer had a high market value or not. Patients survey revealed that 82% discontinued antibiotic therapy was due to carelessness (49%), a false sense of cure (36%) and high cost (15%).
Dhaka Univ. J. Pharm. Sci. 18(2): 135-143, 2019 (December)
2,2’-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl and 2,2′-azinobis-(3-ethyl-benzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) scavenging assay of Extract and Fractions of Rambutan (Nephelium Lappaceum L.) Seed
Authors: Budikafa MJ , Rumiyati - , Riyanto S , Rohman A 
Published: December 2019

This research was intended to evaluate the antiradical activity of extracts and fractions of rambutan seed using 2,2’- diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2′-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS•+). The powder of rambutan seed was subjected to maceration with methanol. The methanolic extract obtained was then fractionated using petroleum ether (PE), dichloromethane (DCM) and ethyl acetate (EA) to obtain PE, DCM and EA fractions, respectively. The methanol extract and fractions were then assayed for antiradical activities and phenolics and flavonoid contents.The results showed that EA fraction has lowest IC50 values among extract and fractions evaluated, i.e. 244.6 ± 2.1 μg/ml using DPPH radical. Using ABTS radical, EA fraction (0.1%) also revealed the highest antiradical activity of 643.4 ± 34.9 μM trolox equivalent. However, these antiradical activities were lower than those in positive controls used (vitamin C and vitamin E). The antiradical activities of extract and fractions correlated with total phenolics and flavonoid contents. The seed of rambutan fruit could be exploited as natural antioxidants to be used in food supplements.
Dhaka Univ. J. Pharm. Sci. 18(2): 145-152, 2019 (December)
Severe Hypoalbuminemia Increases the Risk of Thrombocytopenia in Critically Ill Adult Patients Receiving Teicoplanin
Authors: Hasan Md Jahidul , Rabbani Raihan , Bachar Sitesh C 
Published: December 2019

Teicoplanin is a drug of choice for treating infections by gram positive microorganisms. Teicoplanininduced thrombocytopenia is an adverse drug reaction found in critically ill patients receiving teicoplanin. The aim of this observational study was to analyze the increased risk of occurring teicoplanin-induced thrombocytopenia in patients with severe hypoalbuminemia than the patients having normal blood-albumin level. A 5-month long study was conducted in an adult-ICU department on 42 critically ill adult patients. In this study, 17 (40.48%, n=42) patients developed teicoplanin-induced thrombocytopenia and among them, 14 patients (60.87%, n=23) were suffering from severe hypoalbuminemia during the initiation of teicoplanin therapy. All the events were normalized within 48 hours after discontinuing the teicoplanin. In this study, we found that teicoplanin-induced thrombocytopenia is one of the most common adverse drug reaction developed in critically ill adult patients and concurrent severe hypoalbuminemia may enormously increase the risk of this adverse drug reaction.
Dhaka Univ. J. Pharm. Sci. 18(2): 153-157, 2019 (December)
Method Development and Validation of Pitavastatin Calcium and its Degradation Behavior under varied Stress Conditions by UV Spectrophotometric methods
Authors: Niranjani S , Venkatachalam K 
Published: December 2019

UV spectrophotometric methods for the determination of pitavastatin calcium in pure and pharmaceutical dosage forms were developed and validated as per ICH guidelines. The standard pitavastatin calcium solutions were scanned between the ranges of 200-400 nm. The maximum absorbance of pitavastatin calcium in DMF (method A), HCl (method B) and NaOH (method C) was recorded at 266 nm. They obeyed Beers law concentration in the range of 10-45 μg/ml (method A), 0.25-2.0 μg/ml (method B) and 0.25-2.0 μg/ml (method C) with correlation coefficients 0.9996, 0.9998 and 0.9998 respectively. Stability study showed high stability of pitavastatin calcium in acidic, alkaline medium and at high temperature, but undergone degradation in oxidative stress condition. The developed methods were validated for linearity, precision, accuracy, LOD, LOQ, ruggedness, robustness and recovery studies. The proposed methods can be successfully used for the routine quality control analysis of pitavastatin calcium in bulk and commercial pharmaceutical formulations.
Dhaka Univ. J. Pharm. Sci. 18(2): 159-169, 2019 (December)
Design and Optimization of Thermo-reversible Nasal in situ Gel of Atomoxetine Hydrochloride Using Taguchi Orthogonal Array Design
Authors: Lakshmi PK , Harini K 
Published: December 2019

The present investigation was aimed to develop a thermo-reversible nasal in situ gel of atomoxetine hydrochloride (AH) with reduced nasal muco-ciliary clearance in order to improve residence time and targeting the brain through nasal mucosa for the treatment of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In situ gel formulations were prepared using different concentrations of the thermo-gelling poloxamer 407 and mucoadhesive polymers. Temperature-triggered ionic gelation is the mechanism involved. Taguchi L9 OA experimental design was employed for the optimization of the effect of independent variables (Poloxamer 407 and Carbopol 934P) on the response (gelation temperature). In situ gel formulation F4 having 20% poloxamer 407 and 0.3% carbopol 934P and formulation F6 having 20% poloxamer 407 and 0.2% HPMC K100 were optimized based on evaluation parameters. The gelation temperature of F4 and F6 was found to be 37°C ± 0.4 and 37°C ± 0.2, drug content 98.34 and 98.33% and drug release was 83.18, 82.4% in 4 hrs with a flux of 436.9 and 428.1 μg.cm2/hr, respectively. The release pattern of drug followed first-order kinetics with Higuchi release mechanism. The value of ‘n’ from Korsemeyer equation indicated the anomalous diffusional drug release. This study concluded that in situ gel enhanced the nasal residence time and thus may improve the bioavailability of the drug through nasal route by avoiding first pass metabolism
Dhaka Univ. J. Pharm. Sci. 18(2): 183-193, 2019 (December)
Evaluation of the Therapeutic Effectiveness of Polymyxin B Versus Colistin in Carbapenem-resistanct Klebsiella pneumoniae-Associated Bacteremia
Authors: Hasan Md Jahidul , Rabbani Raihan , Bachar Sitesh C 
Published: December 2019

Polymyxins are the last resort antibiotics for treating carbapenem-resistance Klebsiella pneumoniae (CR-Kp)-associated bacteremia. The main aim of this study was to demonstrate the therapeutic effectiveness of polymyxin B versus colistin in the treatment of CR-Kp-associated Bacteremia. This 12-month long cross-sectional study was conducted on 54 and 47 patients suffering from CR-Kp-associated Bacteremia, and residing into two separate groups, they were treated with polymyxin B and colistin, respectively. After 5 day-treatment, the microbiological eradication rate was found 96.30% (52; n=54) in polymyxin B group and 87.23% (41; n=47) in colistin group. In the 30-day mortality rate-comparison, 51.03% more death was found in colistin group (34.04 %, n= 47) than the polymyxin B group (16.67 %, n= 54). In this study, Polymyxin B showed superior therapeutic potentiality with less number of secondary infections and 30-day mortality rate in CR-Kp-associated bacteremia than colistin.
Dhaka Univ. J. Pharm. Sci. 18(2): 209-215, 2019 (December)
Evaluation of Antioxidant and Cytotoxic Activities of Aerial Parts of Adiantum capillus-veneris L. Growing in Bangladesh
Authors: Roy Suvash Chandra , Sajeeb BK , Muhit Md Abdul , Bachar Sitesh C 
Published: December 2019

The present study evaluated the antioxidant and cytotoxic activities of methanolic extract of aerial parts of Adiantum capillus-veneris L. and its different solvent fractions. The in vitro antioxidant activity was assessed by using 2,2’-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radicals. The analysis revealed that ethyl acetate soluble fraction had the highest DPPH radicals scavenging property with IC50 value of 1.05 μg/ml as compared to positive control ascorbic acid (IC50 = 1.34 μg/ml). In addition, ex vivo cytotoxicity assay of A. capillus-veneris L. extract and its different fractions were performed against HELA cells line where 5-Fluorouracil was used as positive control. The result demonstrated that ethyl acetate and n-hexane soluble fractions showed prominent cytotoxicity with IC50 value of 5.68 μg/ml and 17.15 μg/ml, respectively. The study affirmed that superior antioxidant and cytotoxic activities were shown by ethyl acetate soluble fraction of methanolic extract of aerial parts of A. capillus-veneris L. growing in Bangladesh which indicate the presence of bioactive phytoconstituents in the extractives.
Dhaka Univ. J. Pharm. Sci. 18(2): 217-222, 2019 (December)
HPLC-UV Determination of Catechins and Gallic Acid in Aerial Parts of Astragalus glycyphyllos L.
Authors: Roman Lysiuk , Solomiia Kozachok 
Published: December 2019

The aerial part of Astragalus glycyphyllos L. (Astragali glycyphylli herba), a promising nephroprotective agent in folk medicine, has been investigated by HPLC-UV for occurrence of catechins, which are known in individual state as renoprotective substances and gallic acid. The following six compounds were detected and quantitatively determined in the analyzed plant material: (-)-gallocatechin, (-)-epigallocatechin, (+)-catechin, (-)-epicatechin, (-)-epicatechin gallate and gallic acid. The highest yield amongst the flavan-3-ols was found for (-)-gallocatechin (3.7 mg/g) and (-)-epigallocatechin (1.7 mg/g). The determined content of gallic acid was 0.4 mg/g. The investigated material should be subjected for further studies to substantiate the recommendation for its wider employment in current phytotherapeutic practice.
Dhaka Univ. J. Pharm. Sci. 18(2): 241-247, 2019 (December)
Human Uptake of Eggshell Powder as an Alternate Source of Calcium
Authors: Islam Md Kobirul , Tusty Tahrima Arman , Akhand Anwarul Azim , Ahsan Nazmul 
Published: December 2019

Calcium (Ca) plays important structural and physiological roles in our body. Usually, our body meets up its Ca need from dietary sources. In developing countries like Bangladesh, most of the people cannot afford Carich foods. So, Ca supplements are generally prescribed to deficient individual that usually costs high. It is, therefore, necessary to find out an alternative and cheap source of Ca supplement especially in Bangladesh. Considering the above facts, the main focus of this study was to explore the possibility of using the egg shell as a source of Ca. In his study, discarded eggshells were collected, washed, decontaminated properly and ground to a fine powder. Washing with tap water followed by 10 min boiling completely decontaminated the eggshells. On an average 3.45, 5.91, 4.5 and 4.55 g of eggshell powder (ESP) per shell were obtained from a domesticated fowl, domestic duck, white leghorn, and rhode island red, respectively. Particle size was measured using scanning electron microscope and the size ranged between 3.47-5.94 μm. The Ca contents were found as 38.65, 35.0, 24.85 and 35.73 g in domesticated fowl, domestic duck, white leghorn, and rhode island red, respectively per 100 g of ESP. Taking daily Ca requirements into account, we observed that powder from almost half of an eggshell is sufficient to fulfill the daily Ca need. The amount of magnesium (Mg) in 100 g ESPs was found to be 45.37, 32.48, 45.17 and 45.27 mg and that of iron (Fe) was 35.07, 33.47, 31.91 and 33.06 mg in domesticated fowl, domestic duck, white leghorn, and rhode island red, respectively. Various toxic heavy metals such as chromium (Cr), lead (Pb) and arsenic (As) contents remained below the detection level in ESP samples. Organoleptic tests revealed that the ESP does not have any objectionable effects on the texture and flavor of ESP-fortified foods and juice. These results suggested that the ESP can be used as an alternative and important cheap source of Ca and other beneficial micronutrients for human being. However, it is necessary to create the awareness and public perception regarding the use of EPS
Dhaka Univ. J. Pharm. Sci. 18(2): 249-255, 2019 (December)
Study of Drug-Drug and Drug-Food Interactions of Mesalazine Through FTIR and DSC
Authors: Alam Md Mahbubul , Tasneem Faria , Kabir AK Lutful , Rouf Abu Shara Shamsur 
Published: December 2019

A well-established drug used in the management of inflammatory bowel disease is 5-aminosalicylic acid (e.g. Mesalazine or Mesalamine). For the treatment of mild to moderate flares of ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, Mesalazine has been used as the first line drug in both western and Asian countries due to its superiority over other drugs in terms of side effects and toxicities. Besides, some other drugs are also prescribed for total resolution of different symptoms of ulcerative colitis and associated diseases, which include Acetaminophen, Metronidazole and Vitamin D3. Moreover, physicians instruct that Mesalazine should be taken at least one hour before meal. So, there are enough scopes of studying the drug-food interaction of Mesalazine to assess if there is any incompatibility present with food. Thus, in the present study, Mesalazine and physical mixtures of Mesalazine (1:1) in solid form along with the aforementioned drugs were prepared and analyzed to evaluate the compatibility among them using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC). In addition, interactions of Mesalazine with food stocks such as chicken and vegetable broth, fruit juice, milk and soybean oil were studied using FTIR, considering these as the common sources of protein, vitamin, fiber, minerals and fat. From this study, it was interpreted that, major interactions of Mesalazine were present with food samples. Besides, FTIR and DSC data revealed subtle clues of incompatibilities between Mesalazine and the other two drugs except Vitamin D3. So, the results may prove to be useful for related research works in future
Dhaka Univ. J. Pharm. Sci. 18(2): 257-269, 2019 (December)