The present study revealed that all the groups of students perceived their learning environment positively. However, a few problematic areas of learning environment were perceived such as: students were stressed more often; they felt that the course organizers were authoritarian and emphasized factual learning. Implementing more problem-based learning, student counseling and workshops on teaching-learning for educators might enable us to remedy and enrich our learning environment.

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Background:Drugs used in the palliative care unit for managing symptoms are major contributors toward the expenditure occurring in palliative care. This study was conducted to understand the prescription pattern of analgesic drugs in the patients who are receiving palliative care in a teaching hospital in India by a retrospective study of case records.Methods:Case record based, retrospective, descriptive study was conducted at the Pain and Palliative Care Department of St. John's Medical College Hospital, Bengaluru. Case record files of all patients referred to Pain and Palliative Care Department for the treatment of pain in the year of 2012 were studied. Patients’ age, gender, diagnoses, numerical pain rating scale (0–10), drugs prescribed, dosage, frequency, route of administration were recorded. The difference in drug utilization between the genders was done using Chi-square test. Data were collected from 502 patients of which 280 (56%) were males and 222 (44%) were females. Twelve percent of patients had mild pain (1–3), 34% had moderate pain (4–6), and 54% had severe pain (7–10). The most commonly used analgesic drugs were opioids (47%), followed by nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (36%). The opioids used were tramadol (56%), and morphine (38%). Ninety percent of patients with numerical pain scale more than 6 received morphine. There was no difference in analgesic drug utilization with regards to gender. Prescription pattern differed depending on the severity of pain. Opioids were the most commonly used drugs for pain management.Conclusion:The study shows that prescription pattern in palliative care unit of this hospital was in accordance with WHO pain management guidelines. The study showed the current trend in prescription of analgesic drugs in the teaching hospital where the study was conducted.

Mucormycosis is a group of destructive opportunistic mycosis caused by filamentous fungi of order mucorales. Mucormycosis is the 3 rd most common invasive mycosis in order of importance after candidiasis and aspergillosis in hematological and Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation (ASCT) patients. 1 These fungi will cause lethal infections in immunecompromised patients especially those with uncontrolled diabetes accompanied with keto-acidosis. 2 Invasive mucormycosis is characterized by the rapid development of tissue necrosis due to vascular invasion and subsequent thrombosis. Disease may manifest as rhino-orbital-cerebral, pulmonary, cutaneous, gastrointestinal, or disseminated forms. 3 In this retrospective study we evaluated the clinical characteristics and treatment outcome for mucormycosis cases. METHODS Charts of 60 patients with histopathologically confirmed diagnosis of mucormycosis treated at St. John's medical ABSTRACT Background: Mucormycosis is an invasive fungal infection seen in immunocompromised patients. Most common presentation is face or orbital pain, headache, lethargy, visual loss, proptosis, or palatal ulcer. Because of its angioinvasive properties, it can rapidly spread to intracranial tissues and orbit. It can lead to fatal complications such as blindness, intracranial infections, convulsions and even death. Aim of current study was to diagnose this condition; a high index of suspicion is required. Blackish crusts are characteristically seen and Potassium hydroxide (KOH) staining of these crusts can give a rapid diagnosis. Methods: Study Design was retrospective review of the charts. We reviewed the charts between January 2001 and December 2010 and compiled together 60 cases of mucormycosis. Results: The most common presentation was orbital cellulitis. Some patients presented with features of acute sinusitis. The most common cause of immunosuppression was diabetes mellitus. Patients were started on amphotericin. The prognosis was bad in 7 patients who lost vision and 8 patients died. Conclusion: Diagnosis in the early stage needs a high degree of suspicion. The underlying illness, the time between the onset of the disease and the establishment of treatment, and the occurrence of cerebral ischemic events play a role in worse survival rates.