Trainee doctors in medicine prefer case-based learning compared to didactic teaching.

Background: Sustaining interest and promoting deep learning is a challenge in any teaching method. The purpose of the study is to find the perception of trainee doctors in Internal Medicine and teaching faculty on the usefulness of case-based learning (CBL) and to compare assessment knowledge outcome with didactic seminars.

Methods And Materials: We developed and conducted a CBL teaching program on eight topics in infectious diseases.

Curriculum development for a module on noncommunicable diseases for the master of public health program.

Background: As the burden of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) has been rising globally, various educational programs have introduced chronic disease epidemiology teaching, which is now a component of most of the Master of Public Health (MPH) programs. However, the process of curriculum development for these courses has not been adequately documented for use by educators planning such courses.

Methods: A detailed process of curriculum development based on David Kern's six-step approach was undertaken for a 2-week course on NCDs, as part of the MPH program of a tertiary institution in South India.

Project-based faculty development for e-learning.

Background: The Christian Medical College, Vellore, in collaboration with Tufts University, Boston, conducted an advanced workshop in e-learning for medical faculty members in India.

Context: E-learning can enhance educational reforms for today's computer-literate generation, and keep faculty members up to speed in a rapidly changing world. The purpose of this paper is to report on the design and evaluation of a project-based faculty member development programme focused on developing faculty members as educators and as peer trainers who can use e-learning for educational reforms.

An assessment of standardisation of HbA1c testing across clinical laboratories in India and its impact on diabetes management.

Objectives: This study is aimed at evaluating the degree of standardisation of HbA1c and glucose testing across accredited laboratories in India.

Methods: The information declared on the scope of testing by 147 medical laboratories accredited by the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) across India was used by the authors for this study (http://www.nabl-india.

A preclinical study on the protective effect of melatonin against methotrexate-induced small intestinal damage: effect mediated by attenuation of nitrosative stress, protein tyrosine nitration, and PARP activation.

Purpose: One of the major toxic side effects of methotrexate (MTX) is enterocolitis. To date, there is no efficient standard treatment for this side effect. Nitrosative stress is reported to play a critical role in MTX-induced mucositis.

Impact of e-resources on learning in biochemistry: first-year medical students' perceptions.

Background: E-learning resources (e-resources) have been widely used to facilitate self-directed learning among medical students. The Department of Biochemistry at Christian Medical College (CMC), Vellore, India, has made available e-resources to first-year medical students to supplement conventional lecture-based teaching in the subject. This study was designed to assess students' perceptions of the impact of these e-resources on various aspects of their learning in biochemistry.

Zinc prevents indomethacin-induced renal damage in rats by ameliorating oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction.

The clinical utility of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) is limited by their gastrointestinal and renal toxicities. Indomethacin (an NSAID commonly used in toxicity studies) has been shown to induce significant oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction in the rat kidney. The current study was designed to assess the potential of zinc, a known antioxidant, to protect the kidney against these drug-induced effects.

How reliable an indicator of inflammation is myeloperoxidase activity?

Background: Myeloperoxidase (MPO) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) are often used as markers of inflammation. The aim of this study was to ascertain whether MPO activity is as reliable as IL-6 as an indicator of inflammation.

Methods: Inflammation was induced in mice, using either turpentine or indomethacin.

Curcumin reduces indomethacin-induced damage in the rat small intestine.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are commonly used in clinical medicine. Their utility is, however, often limited by the adverse effects they produce in the gastrointestinal tract. Oxidative stress has been shown to occur in the small intestine in response to the oral administration of indomethacin, an NSAID commonly used in toxicity studies.

Serum biotinidase is a sensitive and specific biochemical marker of hepatic dysfunction: A preliminary report.

Biotinidase is an enzyme synthesized predominantly by the liver. Serum activity of this enzyme has been shown to be low in chronic liver disease. In this study, we endeavored to assess the diagnostic value of serum biotinidase as a marker of hepatic biosynthetic function in acute and chronic liver dysfunction.