Musculoskeletal problems in frequent computer and internet users.

AIM: This study was carried out to see the frequency of musculoskeletal problems in frequent Computer and Internet Users. METHODS: This was a Cross Sectional Study performed in the community and we chose Office workers and students aged 18 to 50 years using Computers and Internet for not less than 3 hours per day. After a verbal consent, they were given a questionnaire in English. People having prior diagnosed musculoskeletal problems were excluded. RESULTS: Total number of participants were 150, out of which 80% were males, and 67 (44.7%) suffered from musculoskeletal problems, affecting at least one of the four anatomical sites (low back, neck, shoulder, wrist/hand). Common symptoms were Headache, which was seen in 46% and neck pain in 41.3% of subjects. Whereas wrist pain was least commonly seen in 16% of subjects. Independent t test was used to compare the musculoskeletal problems with duration of computer use which has a significant value i.e. less than 0.05. CONCLUSION: Musculoskeletal symptoms are quite common, headache and back pain being most common symptoms. These symptoms are associated with prolonged use of computer and internet and often left unreported and unrelated.

Collaborative global health E-learning: A Massive Open Online Course experience of young family doctors.

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are unlimited web-based courses accessed through computers, smartphones, or other digital devices. Although they have multiple advantages, a common challenge is the low course completion rates. Young family doctors of the World Organization of Family Doctors (WONCA) from more than 20 countries recently completed an initiative that combined social media platforms with a MOOC offered by Harvard University. This resulted in a completion rate five times greater than the baseline rate. We propose perfecting and expanding this method to augment continued medical education, collaboration, and best practice exchange among WONCA's members and participating organizations worldwide.

Use of liquid nitrogen and albendazole in successfully treating cutaneous larva migrans.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the efficacy of combination treatment of Albendazole along with liquid nitrogen in cutaneous larva migrans. STUDY DESIGN: Quasi-experimental study. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY: Abbasi Shaheed Hospital and The Aga Khan Hospital, Karachi, from December 2008 to December 2010. METHODOLOGY: Eighteen cases of cutaneous larva migrans were collected and divided into two groups. Group-A was administered oral Albendazole 400 mg once per day along with topical steroid and oral cetrizine 10 mg once at night for 7 days. Group-B also received oral Albendazole 400 mg once per day along with cetrizine 10 mg once at night but they also received single application of liquid nitrogen to freeze the larva. RESULTS: It was found that in Group-A only 2 out of 9 (22%) showed improvement whereas 78% had to be given liquid nitrogen cryotherapy 3 - 7 days after Albendazole to prevent migration of larva. In Group-B, the improvement was 100% and all 9 patients were successfully treated. CONCLUSION: Use of liquid nitrogen along with oral anti-helminths is very effective in treating cutaneous larva migrans than Albendazole alone.

Metabolic syndrome: frequency and gender differences at an out - patient clinic.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the frequency of metabolic syndrome among patients attending an out-patient clinic of a teaching hospital and to compare the clinical features regarding metabolic syndrome among males and females. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. PLACE AND DURATION: Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH), Executive and Family Medicine Clinics, from December 2004 to April 2005. PATIENTS AND METHODS: All adults, above 25 years, attending the clinics for an executive check-up and giving informed consent were included in the study. Data was collected through a structured questionnaire administered to those eligible to participate. Metabolic syndrome was defined according to ATP-III guidelines. RESULTS: There were 250 participants in this study. Mean age of study participants was 48.94 (SD10.62) years, while approximately two-thirds, 157 (62.8%), were male. Metabolic syndrome (those who had 3 or more risk factors) was present in 35.2% of adults. Fasting blood sugar level was raised in 36.4% of study participants while significant number of participants (78.8%) had a body mass index (BMI) >or= 25 (p = 0.02). CONCLUSION: Frequency of metabolic syndrome was significantly high in this study with preponderance of males and prevalence similar to that observed in developed countries. Majority of patients had obesity and high fasting blood sugar levels. Males demonstrated higher levels of triglycerides and low levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) compared to females while blood pressure reading was observed to be the same in both males and females.