IntroductionAcne is one of the most common skin conditions worldwide. Self-medication for acne is a fairly common practice among medical students. The objective of our study was to identify the prevalence of self-medication and to assess its knowledge, attitude, and practices among medical students.Materials and methodsThis descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at Rawalpindi Medical University, Rawalpindi, Pakistan, from January 2019 to June 2019. Data were collected by using the convenient sampling technique. Students were asked to fill a semi-structured questionnaire. Students of all the medical years studying in our university were included in the study. Data were entered and analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, US).ResultsOut of 349 students, 244 (69.9%) suffered from acne and self-medication was practiced by 123 (50.4%) acne sufferers. The practice of self-medication was significantly higher in students having acne lesions on the face (52.2%). The most common source of information was reported to be acquaintances (55.8%). Most of the students had knowledge of the dosage of drugs (46.3%) and precautions for their use (41.5%). Sixty-three percent of the students were of the opinion that self-medication is part of self-care. Most of the students read the expiration date on the drug label (88.6%).ConclusionAcne is a highly prevalent condition among medical students and the practice of self-medication among acne sufferers is high. The practice of self-medication and visits to dermatologists were both significantly more common in the students with lesions on the face. The knowledge of students regarding self-medication of acne was not adequate.

Background Respiratory infections are associated with high morbidity and mortality, especially in critically ill patients. The excessive use of broad-spectrum antibiotics has led to the development of drug resistance, thus resulting in the emergence of pathogens which are difficult to treat. The aim of this study was to identify common pathogens in tracheal secretions and to study the patterns of their sensitivity and resistance to various antibiotics. Materials and methods This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in the Department of Pathology and Microbiology, Holy Family Hospital, Rawalpindi, Pakistan, from August 2017 to December 2017, using the convenient sampling technique. Tracheal secretions from patients in the intensive care unit (ICU), tested in the Pathology and Microbiology Department of Holy Family Hospital, were included in the study. The culture was done on blood and MacConkey agar and the sensitivity pattern was performed on Muller Hinton agar. Data were analyzed using SPSS v.23.0. Results Out of the bacteria isolated from positive growth cultures, Acinetobacter (45; 53.6%) was the most common isolate followed by Klebsiella (11; 13.1%). Acinetobacter was most sensitive to tigecycline (94.7%), and gram-negative bacteria such as Acinetobacter , Klebsiella, and Pseudomonas showed resistance to higher generation cephalosporins. Conclusion Acinetobacter was the most common gram-negative bacilli isolated. Tigecycline was found to be effective against Acinetobacter .

Pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) is highly prevalent in Pakistan, and immunosuppressed individuals (including those on long-term corticosteroid therapy) are at an especially high risk of infection. Owing to the limited number of effective antituberculous drugs, treating resistant cases or patients who develop unfavorable side effects from the first-line agents becomes a daunting task. We discuss a patient with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) suffering from pulmonary TB who developed drug-induced hepatitis after being started on recommended first-line anti-TB drugs.

Background: Wound infection is one of the most common causes of mortality and prolonged hospital stay worldwide. The emergence of resistant strains of bacteria poses a serious threat to the eradication of hospital-acquired infections. The objective of this study is to find the most common bacterial isolates in the pus samples and to assess their antibiotic sensitivity patterns.Material and Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in the Department of Pathology and Microbiology, Holy Family Hospital, Rawalpindi from August 2017 to December 2017 by using convenient sampling. The pus samples of all the patients, tested in the department, were included in the study. Sampling was done using blood and MacConkey agar and antibiotic sensitivity were done on Muller Hinton agar. Data was analyzed using SPSS v-23.0.Results: The most common bacterial isolate was Staphylococcus aureus (29.6%) followed by Escherichia coli (23.8%) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (14.7%). S. aureus was most sensitive to vancomycin (100%) whereas E. coli and P. aeruginosa showed the highest sensitivity to imipenem (90.7%) and tazocin (80%), respectively.Conclusion: The most common bacterial isolate in pus cultures is S. aureus. Vancomycin is highly effective against S. aureus.

IntroductionCardiovascular diseases are an important cause of mortality in Pakistan. Developing nations like Pakistan with poor literacy rates and the majority of the population living in rural areas seem to be insufficient in their knowledge of symptoms. A study indicated that about half of the cardiac deaths occur within one hour of onset of symptoms, thus it is necessary to have adequate knowledge of symptoms to identify the sufferer and to pursue medical services as early as possible. The aim of our study was to assess the knowledge of ischemic heart disease (IHD) symptoms in the population and to investigate the relationship of age, gender, socio-economic status, education, and occupation with knowledge.Materials and MethodsThis was a descriptive cross-sectional study carried out in the Holy Family Hospital, Rawalpindi, Pakistan over a period of four months from May 2018 to August 2018. The study population comprised of people visiting the hospital. Individuals aged 18 and above were included while medical professionals were excluded. An interviewer-assisted semi-structured questionnaire was used as the data collection tool. After taking consent, 225 participants were asked about their demographic profile and to enlist as many symptoms of IHD as possible. Reference was made to the seven typical symptoms of IHD as recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO). Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), v23.0 (IBM SPSS Statistics, Armonk, NY) was used for the analysis. Independent samples t-test and one-way ANOVA test were applied; p ≤ 0.05 was considered significant. ResultsOut of the seven symptoms endorsed by WHO, chest pain was most frequently identified (42%), followed by pain in the arm (23%), diaphoresis (19%), weakness and fainting (16%), dyspnea (15%), paleness (8%), and sickness and vomiting (5%). Mean score, out of seven symptoms, was 1.28 ± 1.19. Among the total participants, 34% could not enlist any symptom. Participants with higher education, skilled workers, and those having relatives who suffered from IHD showed significantly higher knowledge about IHD symptoms.ConclusionsThe study showed a paucity of knowledge about IHD symptoms among the participants. Hence it provides grounds for future awareness campaigns to educate the masses.