Basic life support: Awareness, attitude, and knowledge among junior doctors, physiotherapists, and nursing staffs in a tertiary care center of Sikkim

Background: Basic life support (BLS) is a lifesaving skill which every health-care personnel must know. It has been added to the curriculum but still studies have shown poor knowledge and skill among them in India. Aims and Objectives: The aim of our study was to assess attitude and knowledge of BLS among healthcare personnel in a tertiary care center of Sikkim and to recommend training of BLS according to the finding of our study. Materials and Methods: A questionnaire based cross-sectional study was done among junior doctors, physiotherapists, and nursing staffs, who were willing to participate. The questionnaire collected data under the heading of demographics, attitude, awareness, and knowledge about various domains of BLS. Analysis was done with standard statistical software. Results: Among 208 completed surveys, 24 (11.5%) were males and 184 (88.5%) were females, majority of them (76.4%) were nursing staff and belonged to 20�-year age group (76%). Mean score of the participants were 13.43 � 3.725 with a range from 2 to 21. The necessity of BLS training and the requirement of mandatory renewal was strongly agreed by 77.4% and 33.2% participants respectively. Conclusion: We conclude that they all need the trainings at frequent interval to know about the importance of BLS, to gain confidence and to improve their skill which will help them in timely saving of many lives in as well as outside the hospital. This can be achieved if institutes help in conducting the BLS session regularly despite being already in curriculum.

Potency dependent activity of homeopathic nanomedicine- classical and quantum electrodynamical approach

The effect of homeopathic medicine on biological and physical system is directly related to its potency [1]. However, from physico-chemical point of view it is difficult to explain this effect at such high dilution, as then the existence of even trace amount of particle is questionable. It has been reported that during the process of potentization, a large amount of mechanical energy gets transferred to the medium due to succussion [2]. This energy in all probability reduces the size of the drug aggregates. The drug then penetrates easily through the membrane barrier, and thereby gives rise to enhanced activity of the medicine. It has been experimentally proved by us and supported by others that indeed a reduction of size of the aggregates takes place with increase in potency [3]. Using five different homeopathic medicines, their sizes at three different potencies have been estimated and a general mathematical expression relating the size of the particle (Y) and the corresponding potency (X) has been derived as follows Y = a X -n. (AU)

Body iodine status in school children and availability of iodised salt in Calcutta.

Success of Universal Salt Iodization (USI) programme depends on availability of iodised salt to consumers, which should be reflected in their body iodine status. From a monitoring study in Calcutta, it was found that all packed salts were iodised and most of them (98.1% at household level and 93.6% at retailers' outlets) had iodine at a level of > or = 15 ppm. Of the loose salts, 34.6% at household level and 19.9% at retailers' outlet had iodine level < 15 ppm. A few number (0.5% at household level and 1.0% at retailers' outlets) of salts had no iodine. To ascertain the impact of consumption of iodised salt iodine excreted in urine (UIE) was measured in school children of age between 8-12 years of south, east, west, north and central parts of Calcutta. 22.95% of male children and 31.81% of female children had urinary iodine level less than 50 micrograms/l, which is cut off figure of public health concern. Children from poor slum areas were found to be at greater risk.

Role of nicotinic acid as modulator of liposomal microviscosity.

Using the fluorescent probe 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5 hexatriene, we have investigated the effect of nicotinic acid, a derivative of the toxic alkaloid nicotine, on the fluidity profile and activation energy of diffusion in the liposomal system of several lipids. We have also studied how the fluidizing property of nicotinic acid affects the intermediate fluid condition induced by cholesterol in these liposomal systems.

Effect of sealing on the incorporation of pyrene in goat erythrocyte ghosts – Α fluorescence study.

The incorporation of pyrene within the membrane interior of goat erythrocyte ghost has been estimated from its fluorescence spectrum. The excimer to monomer fluorescence intensity ratio of embedded pyrene is a function of the fluidity of its environment and the magnitude of its incorporation. Our study shows that this ratio is considerably less (30%) in a pre-sealed ghost than in the non-sealed ghost revealing that the site of incorporation of the probe is indeed the hydrophobic interior of the membrane; as in the later case, the probe has access to the membrane interior from both sides of the membrane. Our study on kinetics of molecular exchange indicates a very fast (of the order of seconds) transfer rate of pyrene from probed to unprobed erythrocyte ghosts through the aqueous phase rather than actual fusion of the membranes.