Background: Pharmacogenomics (PGx) is essential for optimizing drug therapy and reducing unwanted drug side effects. Our aim was to determine the knowledge, attitude and practice of senior pharmacy students in Punjab, Pakistan towards PGx. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 511 undergraduate pharmacy students from different universities in Punjab, Pakistan. A validated and pilot-tested structured questionnaire was administered to respondents to assess their knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding PGx. Descriptive statistics and multivariate logistic regression model were used to describe the results of the study. A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: A total of 511 students (58.9% females and 41.1% males) responded to the survey. Most (87.7%) of the students knew that the drug response could be affected by genetic variations. Mean knowledge score of the students was 12.6. Good basic knowledge positively and significantly (p=0.01) affected students' PGx test knowledge and attitudes. Most (>70%) of students believed that human genetics affected the drug response due to interindividual variation and ethnic variation. Mean attitude score of the students was 5.23. The majority of students (>92%) wanted to learn more about PGx and thought it could help them choose the right drug. Students' knowledge was positively and significantly (p=0.01) affected by a good attitude. Mean practice score of the students was 11.95. When trying to solve a drug-related case study question, about 31.5% of students implemented the idea of human genetic variation. Only 28.8% of students attended a lecture related to the effects of genetic variations on drug therapy. Good practice positively and significantly (p=0.01) affected students' knowledge of PGx tests. Conclusion:The senior pharmacy students had good knowledge and attitudes towards PGx. However, the practice of PGx needs to be improved to facilitate the application of PGx in clinical practice in Pakistan.

Patient satisfaction can be used to assess the quality of services provided at pharmacies. Our aim was to determine the level of patient satisfaction with pharmacy services and related factors at community pharmacies located in Punjab, Pakistan. Methods: A questionnaire-based cross-sectional study was conducted from May 2021 to July 2021 by administering the questionnaire to the patients using stratified random sampling method. Survey instrument comprised 4 sections including demographics, satisfaction towards provision of facilities, the provision of information, their accessibility to patients, the relationship between pharmacists and patients and the continuity of care provided. Categorical data were represented by percentages. Descriptive statistics were calculated for satisfaction scores. Simple and multiple logistic regression models were used to find the odds ratios. A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Response rate of the survey was 92%. Only 30% of patients agreed that the pharmacist was available for counseling on their visit. About 52% agreed that the counseling time provided by pharmacist was enough. Most of the pharmacy patients (61%) trusted the pharmacist regarding any query about medicine and were satisfied with the way the pharmacist resolved issues. Mean satisfaction score of the pharmacy patients was 45.75 with a range of 25 (highly satisfied) to 66 (highly dissatisfied). Conclusion:The provision of community pharmacy services to patients was not satisfactory. Furthermore, the absence of pharmacist in the pharmacy and the lack of provision for counseling time raised concerns.

The present research was conducted to check the clinical effects of ketamine, diazepam and a ketamine and a combination of diazepam in the general anaesthesia of doves. 32 doves of both sexes with body weights ranging from 280 gm to 300 gm were divided randomly to 4 groups having 8 birds each. Group A received a 0.5 mL mixture of diazepam (0.2 mg/kg) and normal saline, group B a 0.5 mL mixture of ketamine 5% (30 mg/kg) and normal saline, group C a 0.5 mL mixture of ketamine 5% (10 mg/kg), diazepam (0.2 mg/kg) and normal saline, while group D (control) received 0.5 mL of normal saline only. Each mixture was administered intramuscularly. Under standard operating room conditions, general anaesthesia was not observed in group D (normal saline alone). In group A, sedation and muscle relaxation without complete loss of consciousness was observed. Induction time of anaesthesia in group C (doves treated with ketamine and diazepam combination was significantly quicker than group B (p < 0.05) that were treated with ketamine alone. Duration of anaesthesia in group C was significantly longer than group B (p < 0.05). Recovery took longer in group C in comparison with group K, but the difference was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). The birds in group C were calm and sedated, with good muscle relaxation, whilst in group B the birds were excited and showed a drop in body temperature. According to the results of this study, the combination of low dose ketamine hydrochloride (HCL) and diazepam overcame the adverse effects of ketamine alone. This combination produced a more rapid induction of anaesthesia, as well as an increase in anaesthesia duration, with good muscle relaxation and a smooth and slow recovery. Use of a combination of ketamine HCL given at 10 mg/kg and diazepam given at 0.2 mg/kg for anaesthesia in doves is therefore recommended.

No abstract

Abstract Objective: To compare the efficacy of intravenous midazolam and diazepam in the management of status epilepticus seizures in children. Method: The comparative study was conducted in the paediatric neurological emergency unit of The Children’s Hospital and the Institute Of Child Health, Multan, Pakistan, from December 15, 2018, to May 14, 2019, and comprised paediatric patients of status epilepticus seizures whi were divided into Diazepam and Midazolam groups.  Data was analysed using Graph-Pad Prism 5. Results: Of the 164 patients, 82(50%) were in each of the two groups. There was no significant difference between the groups in terms of weight, age, residence area of patients and mean duration of seizures (p>0.05). Status epilepticus seizures subsided after intravenous midazolam administration in 77(93.90%) cases, while success in the diazepam group 64(78.05%) (p<0.05). Mean time taken by midazolam to halt seizures was significantly shorter than diazepam (p<0.05) and less cases of treatment failure were observed with intravenous midazolam (p<0.05). Somnolence was observed after diazepam administration in 47(57.3%) cases (p=0.0001). Conclusion: Intravenous midazolam was found to be superior in efficacy than intravenous diazepam in controlling status epilepticus seizures. Key Words: Diazepam, Midazolam, Status epilepticus, Seizures