Background: Self-medication is a very common practice which is gradually spreading all over the world. Analgesics are the most commonly available over the counter (OTC) drugs. They are used for pain relief in many diseases. Use of these analgesics has become a serious ailment because self- medication practices of analgesic drugs are increasing among general population as well as medical students. Being future medical practitioners, self-medication has a special impact in medical students. Various data are available regarding usage of OTC analgesic drugs but still data in Jharkhand are lacking. So, the present study aims to provide an insight into the practice of OTC analgesics among 3rd and 4th year medical students in RIMS, Ranchi, Jharkhand.Methods: It was a cross-sectional study conducted among medical students in RIMS, Ranchi, Jharkhand in November-December 2018. Data were collected through  questionnaire filled by the students and results were expressed as percentage frequency.Results: Questionnaire were filled completely by 253 students out of 287 students. 85.8% of males and 90.41% of females were practicing self-medication. Advice from seniors and books were the major source of information about the drugs. Paracetamol was the most common drug used (54.87%) and headache (27.43%) was the most common indication. Mild nature of illness (30.34%) and quick relief (29.10%) were the most common reason of self-medication. About 83.39% of them were using these drugs according to need.50.98% had not felt any side effects. 51.38% students were of  the view that self-medication practices are not always acceptable.Conclusions: Medical students use OTC analgesics for various kinds of pain like headache, muscle pain, menstrual pain etc. They generally use different non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) among which paracetamol is the most common. But self-medication practices are always associated with some risks. So, the students must be educated properly regarding their rational use and advantages and disadvantages of OTC drugs.

Objective: We conducted a meta-analysis in which the blood pressure (BP)-reducing effect of telmisartan was compared to losartan among hypertensive subjects and its association with ethnicity, age, and gender was investigated. Materials and Methods: PubMed, Google Scholar, and the Cochrane library were searched from inception to April 2021 to obtain relevant articles. Cochrane risk of bias assessment tool was used for assessment of bias risk. GRADE analysis was done for determining the certainty of evidence. Data was analyzed using Revman 5.4.2 software. The pooled mean difference with 95% confidence interval (CI) was computed using random-effects model. Heterogeneity was also assessed using meta-regression and subgroup analysis. This study has been registered in PROSPERO with registration no. CRD42021245122. Results: Fifteen randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with 1926 subjects were selected from various countries. Both systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) were found to be significantly reduced among telmisartan-treated groups (weighted mean difference [WMD] = 2.69, 95% CI: 1.38–4.00 and WMD = 1.26, 95% CI: 0.45–2.08 respectively). One subgroup analysis noted better reduction in both SBP and DBP among Asian population compared to Caucasians. Conclusion: Telmisartan was found to be a better hypertensive drug compared to losartan in patients with mild to moderate hypertension. Its efficacy was higher in Asian population compared to Caucasian population.

Background Dementia is an age-related gradual loss of memory that is progressive in nature. Presently, the most common cause of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease (AD), which is treated with donepezil, an anticholinesterase. But it only provides short-term symptomatic improvement. Liraglutide, which is an anti-diabetic drug, stimulates the anti-apoptotic pathway of nerve damage, which helps in regenerating nerve cells; so, it may help in dementia cases. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the effect of liraglutide on learning and memory and to compare its effect with donepezil in diazepam-induced amnesic albino rats. Methodology Twenty healthy male Albino rats weighing 150-200 grams were taken and divided into four groups: A, B, C, and D. Group A rats were normal rats, whereas the rats in groups B, C, and D were made amnesic by the intraperitoneal (i.p.) administration of 0.1 mg per kg of diazepam. Immediately after producing amnesia, group B rats received normal saline, group C received liraglutide, and group D received donepezil through the intraperitoneal route as test drugs. Group A rats received only normal saline. The amnesic effect was measured by the escape latency period, which was measured by using a Morris Water Maize (MWM) instrument. Escape latency is the time (in seconds) to locate the platform from the starting point. The amnesic effect is shown by an increase in escape latency and the anti-amnesic effect by a decrease in escape latency. Escape latency was recorded at 0 hr, 1 hr, 2 hr, 3 hr, and 4 hr after test drug administration. Results Group B rats showed an increase in escape latency, which shows the amnesic effect of diazepam. When group C and group D amnesic rats were treated with liraglutide and donepezil, respectively, a one-hour after-treatment increase in escape latency was seen but after two hours, both groups showed a decrease in escape latency, which indicates the anti-amnesic effect of both drugs. When groups C and D were compared, and the post-hoc highly significant difference (HSD) test was used, there was no significant difference between the two drugs, although the liraglutide-treated group (C) showed a lower anti-amnesic effect. However, group C showed a significant effect as compared to group B rats (p-value <0.05), which indicates the anti-amnesic property of liraglutide as compared to normal saline. Conclusion Liraglutide shows an anti-amnesic property. Since it works by a mechanism different from donepezil, it can be used as add-on therapy with donepezil in dementia patients.

Background: Self-medication is a widely practiced trend in the general Indian population. Among the medical students, self- medication is popular because of awareness about the disease and their treatment. Analgesics are one of the most common drugs used for self-medication. Very few studies are available in Jharkhand regarding this subject. So, the present study aims to delve into the pattern of self-medication practices of analgesics among the 1st and 3rd semester medical students of RIMS, Ranchi, Jharkhand.Methods: A questionnaire based cross sectional study was done in RIMS, Ranchi, Jharkhand, India in March-April 2019 among the undergraduate medical students. The results were expressed as percentage and frequency.Results: Out of total 150 and 142 students in the 1st and 3rd semester respectively, 140 and 130 students practiced self- medication.  Advice from seniors was the biggest source of information in both the groups followed by internet and books. Paracetamol was the most common drug (75%; 60%) and headache was the most common indication (55%; 68%). Quick relief of symptoms was the most common reason for self-medication in both the groups (44%; 48%).Conclusions: In both the groups, the students continued the drug even after experiencing side effects (77%; 60%). Most students were of the view that such practice is not acceptable at all times (75%; 72%).