Pharmacy Disciplines Research Articles

Ce needs in geriatrics and gerontology for selected health professionals

In 1978 the System-wide Office for University Extension of the University of California conducted (through the University of California, San Francisco Division of Continuing Education in Health Sciences) a survey to determine needs for continuing education in geriatrics or gerontology, and to identify the specific content areas of most interest to health professionals. To assess the continuing education needs of various health professionals, 52 health professional “consultants” representing the disciplines of dentistry, medicine, nursing, pharmacy, and psychiatry were interviewed. Several community health care coordinators and members of three community-based aging organizations also were asked what they expected from health professionals. From these interviews, 15 continuing education content areas of potential interest were identified and a total of 500 questionnaires were sent to a random sample of 100 individuals from each of the 5 aforementioned health professions. Respondents to the questionnaire were asked to check areas (1) which they felt should be of special concern to health professionals, and (2) in which they personally would take continuing education; 143 completed questionnaires were returned—31 from dentists, 23 from nurses, 26 from pharmacists, 38 from physicians, and 25 from psychiatrists. Responses indicated interest in the health and health-related problems of the aged but most respondents had never taken continuing education courses in geriatrics or gerontology. Among the five health professions surveyed, physicians were the only group to indicate lack of interest in continuing education courses focused specifically on aging. The favorable response among dentists indicated they may be a particularly neglected group for developing aging course content. Interest in specific content areas, as well as topics of concern within content areas, varied by discipline. Because interest corresponded with demand for continuing education programs, outreach might well be the topic for future investigations.

Antinociceptive Effect of the Crude Ethanolic Extract of <i>Crataeva nurvala</i>. Buch. on Mice

In order to scientifically appraise some of the anecdotal, folkloric, ethnomedical uses of (Bengali name - borun), the present study was undertaken to investigate the antinociceptive properties of the ethanolic extracts of Crataeva nurvala on mice in the Phytochemistry and Pharmacology Laboratory, Pharmacy Discipline, Khulna University, Khulna, during the period from December 2003 to February 2004. The antinociceptive effect of crude ethanolic extracts was evaluated by ‘acetic acid' analgesic test method in mice. Crude ethanolic extracts of Crataeva nurvala (250-500 mg/kg PO) produced dose-dependent, significant (p < 0.05-0.001) antinociceptive effect against chemically induced nociceptive pain stimuli in mice. The results obtained in this study suggest that the antinociceptive effect of the extracts of Crataeva nurvala are peripherally and centrally-mediated. The findings of this experimental animal study indicate that crude ethanolic extracts of Crataeva nurvala possesses antinociceptive properties and thus lend pharmacological support to folkloric, anecdotal uses of ‘borun' in the treatment and/or management of painful, arthritic inflammatory conditions. Key Words: Antinociceptive, Crataeva nurvala, diclofenac sodium, writhing  doi:10.3329/bjvm.v4i1.1528 Bangl. J. Vet. Med. (2006). 4 (1): 65-68