Collection of online pharmacology lectures, videos, animations, questions, and pharmacology news

Pharmamotion offers a collection of online lectures, videos, animations, questions, and pharmacology news intended to serve as a resource for the current and future physician.

This amazingly detailed resource is put together by Flavio Guzman, MD, working as teaching assistant at the Department of Pharmacology, University of Mendoza, Argentina. He also calls for others to contribute to online medical education resources.

The aim of this website is to gather educational resources targeted to health professionals that are freely available on the web, for a better understanding of pharmacology. These resources include:

• Animations and videos that illustrate mechanism of action of drugs (some of them developed by me).
• Definitions and concepts from reliable sources about the general principles of pharmacology.
• Press releases and drug reviews from official agencies (FDA, EMEA, NHS, and many others).

Treatment of Swine flu Influenza

Antiviral Treatment:

• Should be considered for confirmed, probable, or suspected cases of swine flu virus infection.
• Oseltamivir and zanamivir should be initiated as soon as possible after the onset of symptoms.
• Recommended duration of treatment is five days.
• Doses recommended for treatment are the same as those recommended for seasonal influenza.
• Oseltamivir use in children <1 year old was recently approved by the FDA under an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA).
  

Antiviral Chemoprophylaxis:

• Chemoprophylaxis is recommended for:
  • Household close contacts who are at high-risk for complications of influenza (eg, certain medical conditions, persons ≥65 years old, children <5>
  • School children who are at high-risk for complications of influenza and who had close contact with a confirmed, probable, or suspected case.
  • Travelers to Mexico who are at high-risk for complications of influenza.
  • Healthcare workers and public health workers who were not using appropriate protective equipment during close contact with an ill confirmed, probable, or suspected case during the infectious period.
• Chemoprophylaxis (pre-exposure) may be considered for:
  • Healthcare workers at high-risk for complications of influenza and who are working in areas that contain patients with confirmed illness or who are caring for patients with acute febrile respiratory illness.
  • Non-high risk persons who are travelers to Mexico, first responders, or border workers who are in areas with confirmed cases.
• Oseltamivir or zanamivir may be used.
• Post-exposure: duration of chemoprophylaxis is 10 days after last known exposure to ill confirmed case.
• Pre-exposure: chemoprophylaxis should be given during potential exposure period and for 10 days after last known exposure.
• Oseltamivir may be used for chemoprophylaxis in children <1>

level of swine influenza pandemic alert raised from phase 3 to phase 4

Human cases of swine influenza A/H1N1 virus infection also have been confirmed internationally: US has reported 40, Canada has reported 6 confirmed human cases of infection; Spain has reported 1 case; Scotland has reported 2 cases. Mexico has reported 26 cases of infection, including 7 deaths.

On the advice of the Emergency Committee of the World Health Organization, the Director-General has raised the level of influenza pandemic alert from phase 3 to phase 4. The change to a higher phase of pandemic alert indicates that the likelihood of a pandemic has increased, but not that a pandemic is inevitable.

The Emergency Committee's recommendation is based on the available data on confirmed outbreaks of A/H1N1 swine influenza in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. The Committee also considered reports of possible spread to additional countries.

The decision was based primarily on epidemiological data demonstrating human-to-human transmission and the ability of the virus to cause community-level outbreaks.

Given the widespread presence of the virus, the Director-General considered that containment of the outbreak is not feasible. The current focus should be on mitigation measures.

In Mexico, the suspected number of cases is reportedly as high as 1,600, and the suspected number of deaths in Mexico is up to 80. Potential new cases also have been reported in France, Hong Kong, and New Zealand. These numbers and reports are not yet confirmed.

Laboratory testing has found the swine influenza A/H1N1 virus is susceptible to the prescription antiviral drugs oseltamivir and zanamivir.

New subtype of influenza virus - Swine influenza

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report laboratory-confirmed human cases of swine influenza A/H1N1. Human cases of swine influenza A/H1N1 virus infection also have been identified internationally.

Based on preliminary testing, the virus is being described as a new subtype of A/H1N1 not previously detected in swine or humans.

Laboratory testing has found the swine influenza A/H1N1 virus is susceptible to the prescription antiviral drugs oseltamivir and zanamivir. According to Anne Schuchat, MD, the CDC's Interim Deputy Director for Science and Public Health Program, treatment should begin within 48 hours of onset. Vaccine development is in process, but it will take several months to prepare a vaccine.

CDC has issued interim recommendations for diagnostic testing and antiviral use, but local and state circumstances may vary and individual protocols may be put in place.

The CDC also has prepared interim guidance on how to care for people who are sick and interim guidance on the use of face masks in a community setting where spread of this swine flu virus has been detected. This is a rapidly evolving situation and CDC will provide new information as it becomes available.

The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that the government of Mexico also has reported several laboratory-confirmed cases of swine influenza A/H1N1. In a media briefing today, the CDC confirmed several swine influenza-related deaths as well. Investigation is continuing to clarify the spread and severity of the disease in Mexico. Suspect clinical cases have been reported in 19 of the country's 32 states.

Investigations are ongoing to determine the source of the infection and whether additional people have been infected with swine influenza viruses.

CDC is working very closely with officials in states where human cases of swine influenza A/H1N1 have been identified, as well as with health officials in Mexico, Canada, and WHO. This includes deploying staff domestically and internationally to provide guidance and technical support. CDC has activated its Emergency Operations Center to coordinate this investigation.

WHO and the Global Alert and Response Network (GOARN) are sending experts to Mexico to work with health authorities. WHO and its partners are actively investigating reports of suspect cases in other Member States as they occur and are supporting field epidemiology activities, laboratory diagnosis and clinical management.

Effective teaching: Make your teaching more interesting and enjoyable

Students usually learn best when they're motivated. Although you can't make someone learn, you can create an environment that supports and encourages learning success. Use an effective teaching style that allows people to participate in their learning. Find ways to emphasize the benefits of learning new skills, and make learning relevant to people's jobs. Encourage them to take control of their own learning, and allow them to set their own objectives. The more you develop motivation to learn, the more successful you'll probably be. Start today to recognize the value of learning, and see the many learning opportunities around you!

As well as increasing the motivation to learn, there are many ways to make your teaching sessions more interesting and enjoyable. These ideas can be used for formal lessons, or for spontaneous learning opportunities that present themselves.

You can help the learning process by doing the following:

• Use pre-instruction questions - These can get students to think about why they should be learning this new skill, as well as to appreciate the benefits of learning.
  

• Use conceptual models - These are often a useful way for helping students to store and retrieve information. Mental models (which can be in the form of diagrams and charts) are often helpful for learning the details of a lesson.
  

• Vary the learning material - This will help you deal with the different ways in which people learn. You can vary your material for different learning styles as follows:
  
  

  • Visual Learners - Charts, graphs, or images are useful for representing the information being conveyed, as well as information in books or reports.
    

  • Auditory Learners - Lectures, presentations, and group discussions help auditory learners 'talk through' what's being presented.
    

  • Kinesthetic Learners - These learners like hands-on practice that's either real or simulated.
    

  We all have our own preferred learning styles. If you provide as many different learning experiences as sensibly possible, you'll be more likely to connect with each learner.

• Group students together - Encourage learning and understanding by having students work together while learning the same skills. By helping one another, they can all reinforce what they're learning. Everyone in the group will then benefit from the strengths of the individual members.
  

• Provide opportunities for reflection and thinking - Learning journals are a popular and effective way for people to write down their thoughts about how the learning process itself has been helpful to their overall development.
  

• Actively review the lesson at the end - What progress did the students make, and what difficulties did they encounter? By revisiting the lesson, you have an opportunity to learn from the experience yourself - and hopefully figure out how to improve the content or approach next time. Reviews also give students opportunities to analyze their performance, and increase their commitment to continuous learning.
  

• Use all of your emotional intelligence and communication skills - This means establishing a connection with students, listening actively, using empathy where appropriate, being patient, and showing genuine interest in the students and in your teaching. Your attitude toward learning has a huge impact on the learners' attitudes, so make sure you're a good role model for continuous, active learning.

Effective teaching: Motivating students to learn

A useful model for motivating students is ARCS, which stands for 'Attention, Relevance, Confidence, and Satisfaction.' This was developed by John Keller in 1983, and it's been used and validated by teachers and trainers across a wide range of learning environments - from universities to the military.

Here are the basic components of the ARCS model:

• Attention - Capture learners' attention at the start of the session, and maintain it throughout.
  
  

  • Ask learners questions to make them think about why they should learn the skill.
    

  • Use role-playing or other activities to show the importance of learning the skill.
    

  • Use specific examples, and ask learners to offer their own solutions, to stimulate their interest further.
    

• Relevance - Explain to learners how important the lesson is, and how it could benefit them.
  
  

  • Describe the benefits.
    

  • Relate the lesson to their current jobs and experiences. The learning materials, assignments, and projects should be applicable to their work, and to specific situations they face in their daily jobs.
    

  • Develop a connection between learning the skill and developing their careers. Discuss issues like increased satisfaction, better job, and increased patient satisfaction.
    

• Confidence - Tell learners what is expected of them.
  
  

  • Set clear objectives for the session, and check in regularly with learners to make sure they're not falling behind.
    

  • Design projects and lessons so that learners experience small successes along the way, before they completely master the skill.
    

  • Give learners enough time to practice skills, so that they'll be successful when they apply these skills to the job.
    

  • Make sure you're teaching at the right level. Learners can lack motivation if something is too difficult - or too easy.
    

  • Allow learners to have input into their learning by helping them create their own learning goals.
    

• Satisfaction - Reinforce successes and motivation.
  
  

  • Give lots of feedback. Make sure it's specific, timely, and relates to how learners can put the skill into practice on the job.
    

  • Recognize learners' successes. Appreciate often, and find ways to reward achievements.
    

  • Look at ways to increase motivation. Find out what learners are interested in and passionate about. And find ways to get learners to motivate one another as well.

  Source: MindTools
  

Drug Prescribing Pattern in Dental Teaching Hospital

MT Salman, FA Khan, SZ Rahman, M Makhdoom. JK Science, Vol. 11 No. 2. 107, April-June 2009

Objective: To study drug prescribing pattern in the Dental OPD.
Methods: 50 prescriptions were collected from Ziauddin Ahmad Dental College, AMU, Aligarh, and analyzed for percentage of drugs prescribed as per VEN Method. We also looked into the percentage of drugs prescribed with generic name, groups of drugs commonly prescribed, antibiotics’ prescription pattern, number of injections and cost per prescription as per WHO basic drug indicators.
Results: The percentage of drugs from Essential Medicines List (EML) was 25%, while percentage of drugs prescribed by Generic Name was only 4%. Most common groups of drugs prescribed by Dental Physicians were Antiseptics (40%), NSAIDs (34%), Antibiotics (30%) and Vitamins (4%). The most extensively prescribed drug from each group was Betadine Gargle, Tablets Voveron, Novaclox and Basiton Forte respectively. The average number of drugs prescribed, number antibiotics prescribed and cost per day per prescription were 3, 1 and Rs. 24.2 respectively.. Average number of antibiotics prescribed per prescription was 1.0. No injection was prescribed to any patient.
Discussion: After reviewing the above prescriptions, the pattern of drug prescribing is not based on WHO criteria for rational use of drugs. The system is not at all evidence based. It is thus necessary to make physicians of Dental College aware about the use of drugs from EMLs, importance of prescribing drugs with generic names and, for patients’ point of view, the factor of cost-effectiveness. There is need of CMEs based on GCP and Standard Treatment Guidelines. Every institution must have Drugs and Therapeutic Committees.

Conclusion: For rational prescribing of drugs, there is a need of mass awareness amongst surgeons about good prescribing habit by following five steps of WHO Program on Rational Use of Drugs (RUD).

Free full text

Low Sodium Cooking

Low Sodium Cooking lists a number of Recipies which are low on sodium. It includes:

Appetizers
Meat and Main Dishes
Breakfast
Side Dishes and Salads
Sauces, Marinades and Dressings
Condiments, Spice Mixes and Mixes
Breads
Desserts, Snacks and Sweets

you can access the site at http://www.lowsodiumcooking.com/free/Archive.htm