Objective: To evaluate medication use pattern and adverse drug reactions (ADRs) among stroke patients admitted in Neurology department of a multi-speciality hospital.Methods: A prospective observational study was carried out for a period of 6 mo, in a 750 bedded multi-speciality hospital in Bangalore. The clinical pharmacist analysed the medication use pattern and occurrence of ADRs in stroke patients.

The aim of this study was to assess the effects of alpha-interferon and alpha-tocopherol (vitamin E), or a combination of both, in reversing hepatic fibrosis following the induction of cirrhosis using thioacetamide by histological and biochemical analysis. Fifty male Wistar rats were used in this study. The animals were divided equally into five groups. Animals in group I were used as controls. The remaining animals (groups II-V) were provided with 0.5 g/L of thioacetamide in order to induce liver cirrhosis. Group II animals were used as the cirrhotic control. Animals of groups III, IV and V were given alpha-interferon, alpha-tocopherol and interferon together with alpha-tocopherol, respectively, for 30 days. After 30 days the animals were killed and following gross morphological examination of the liver, the hepatic tissues were processed for histological analysis and the serum was used for liver function tests. Morphological analysis showed a decrease in the number of nodules on the surface of the liver in both interferon- as well as vitamin E-treated cirrhotic rats. Histopathological analysis showed that the abnormalities of the cirrhotic liver were partially reversed and liver function tests showed an overall improvement following treatment of animals of groups III, IV and V. Combination therapy using both interferon and alpha-tocopherol did not have any substantial effect on the rats compared with that when they were given separately. These findings suggest that alpha-interferon and alpha-tocopherol may have therapeutic value in reversing liver cirrhosis.

Febrile thrombocytopenia is a common clinical condition encountered in medical wards especially so during Dengue fever epidemics. Hepatic dysfunction is a well-recognized feature of dengue infection manifested by mild to moderate increases in transaminase levels, although jaundice and acute liver failure are generally uncommon. We undertook this cross sectional clinical study to find out the pattern of liver function test abnormalities in patients with febrile thrombocytopenia and to know whether it has any adverse clinical outcome. One hundred patients aged 18 years and above with established fever and a platelet count of <1,00,000 who were admitted to medical wards of Victoria hospital, Bangalore during the dengue epidemic between May 2013 and August 2013 were enrolled into this study. Relevant laboratory tests were done including dengue serology to establish the cause of fever and to rule out liver disorders, ITP and other hematological disorders. There were 71 male patients and 29 females with majority in the age group 21 to 40 years. 65 patients tested positive on dengue serology (IgM antibody, NS1 antigen or both), and in 24 patients no cause of fever could be established. Liver function tests were normal in 54(54%) patients. Among 46 patients who had LFT abnormalities, raised SGOT and raised ALP were the most common abnormalities present in 30% each of the patients. Raised total bilirubin was present in only 4% patients. There was no statistically significant difference in severity of thrombocytopenia in patients with LFT abnormalities as well as duration of hospital stay and requirement for platelet transfusions, when compared to patients with normal liver function. Derangement of LFT could be one manifestation of a systemic infective/ inflammatory process without any serious adverse clinical outcomes in patients with febrile thrombocytopenia.