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Friday 18 December 2015

10 easy ways, say goodbye to menstrual cramps

21:15:00 0
18/DECEMBER/2015

Get respite from the monthly menstrual cramps by using a hot water bag on your lower abdomen and lower back, and by avoiding dairy products, meats and legumes as these can cause bloating and worsen the pain, says an expert.

Indira Ganeshan, director of capital-based Irene IVF Centre, has shared how to ease the pain.

1. Hot water bag on your lower abdomen and lower back, and taking a hot shower offers instant pain relief.


2. Drinking teas like ginger tea, jasmine tea and chamomile is not only anti-inflammatory, but also keeps you well hydrated to tackle the blood loss. Girls who have water retention can try dandelion tea.


3. Take supplements like vitamin B, E, C and Folates, which help in relieving the menstrual pain.


4. Consume a diet rich in fibre like fruits and green leafy vegetables which has high content of vitamins and anti-oxidants. An intake of Aloe Vera juice and papaya is very helpful for the cramps.

5. Avoid coffee, as caffeine increases gastritis and causes anxiety and may increase cramping as it constricts the blood vessels.

6. Avoid alcohol and smoking.

7. Light exercise and soft yogic posture and stretching will provide relief from body pain associated with cramps.


8. Indulging in massages can be very relaxing and relieve cramps. Lavender oil application in lower abdomen is also very helpful.

9. Acupressure is said to help girls tide over the rough time, and provide relief from cramps.



10. Painkillers like Acetaminophen (paracetamol), Mefanemic acid can help the girls in relieving cramps and also decrease the amount of blood that is lost.



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Wednesday 16 December 2015

Indian-American Professor's Design a New Super Condom Could Help in Global Fight Against HIV

20:26:00 2

16/December/2015

Super Condoms containing antioxidants that kill the HIV virus designed by an Indian-American professor


Texas A&M Professor Mahua Choudhury (center) is proposing the idea of a hydrogel condom that will fight HIV infection. She is seen here with other scientists of her lab. (pharmacy.tamhsc.edu photo)

Aiming to increase global use of condoms as a way to prevent the spread of HIV and AIDS, researchers including an Indian-American professor have developed a new non-latex condom which contains antioxidants and can kill the deadly virus even after breaking.

Mahua Choudhury, assistant professor at the Texas A&M Health Science Center’s Irma Lerma Rangel College of Pharmacy, is the principal investigator behind the proposal that would change the condom from rubber to the strong, elastic polymer that is hydrogel.

Additionally, the new condom will include quercetin, a plant-based antioxidant that has shown to have anti-HIV properties.

“Some people are allergic to latex, and others are just not comfortable with it,” Choudhury said in a statement. “Therefore, we wanted to create a novel material.”

Choudhury and her team were previously chosen by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to receive a Grand Challenge in Global Health grant for their research and creation of a low-cost, latex-free condom.

In addition to the protection against STDs and pregnancy, the quercetin-infused hydrogel condom protects against HIV infection. And even if the condom were to break, the antioxidant would be released for additional protection.

Scientists also claim that quercetin can enhance the sexual experience because it promotes smooth muscle relaxation, arterial blood flow and can help to stimulate and maintain erections.

“If we succeed, it will revolutionize the HIV prevention initiative,” Choudhury added. “We are not only making a novel material for condoms to prevent the HIV infection, but we are also aiming to eradicate this infection if possible.”

The condom has already been created and now the only thing keeping it from going to market is an approval on their patent application. The researchers hope to test the condom sometime within the next six months.

Once released, Choudhury hopes the new condom will eventually be made available to everyone, including those in rural areas, where these types of resources are limited.

“Super condom could help fight against HIV infection and may as well prevent unwanted pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases and If we succeed, it will revolutionize the HIV prevention initiative,” added the lead researcher.

In 2014, there were about 36.9 million people living with HIV and about 2 million were infected, the statement reported. The virus, which causes AIDS, is commonly spread through sexual activity, and although anti-retroviral therapy has turned the once-universally fatal condition into a chronic one, still 1.2 million people died as a result of AIDS-related diseases last year, it added.

“We are not only making a novel material for condoms to prevent the HIV infection, but we are also aiming to eradicate this infection if possible,” Choudhury said.




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Tuesday 15 December 2015

Natco, Hetero Generic Pharma makers Get DCGI Nod to Sell Hepatitis-C (HCV) Drug

07:42:00 0
15 DECEMBER 2015


Hepatitis C virus (HCV) causes both acute and chronic infection. Acute HCV infection is usually asymptomatic, and is only very rarely associated with life-threatening disease. About 15–45% of infected persons spontaneously clear the virus within 6 months of infection without any treatment.
The remaining 55–85% of persons will develop chronic HCV infection. Of those with chronic HCV infection, the risk of cirrhosis of the liver is 15–30% within 20 years.

Daclatasvir is the first-in-class NS5A inhibitor used in combination with Sofosbuvir for the treatment of patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 3 infection.

Two city-based drug makers Natco Pharma and Hetero said they received approval from the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) to sell generic version of Daclatasvir, used for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C.

“It is the first company in India to get approval for generic Daclatasvir Dihydrochloride (Daclatasvir) tablets, 30 mg & 60 mg, from the Drugs Controller General (India),” Natco said in a disclosure with the bourses.

“The company has received the approval from Drug Controller General of India for the generic version of Daclatasvir tablets in the strengths of 30 mg and 60 mg,” Hetero said.

Natco said it will launch immediately in India at `6,000 and `4,000 for the 60 mg and 30 mg strengths, respectively, for a bottle of 28 tablets.

“Compared with other treatment options, this combination not only increases the cure rate, but is also regarded as a valuable treatment option in some of the difficult-to-treat HCV patients subsets,” Natco said adding that it will market generic Daclatasvir under its own brand ‘NATDAC,’ and through its strategic partners in India.

This product is a generic version of Bristol-Myers Squibb's brand 'Daklinza' - approved by US FDA in July 2015. Daclatasvir is one of the direct-acting antivirals for hepatitis C treatment. A research study indicates that the drug enables the rapid decline of Hepatitis C virus. 
Daclatasvir is included the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines.



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Thursday 10 December 2015

Hetero’s ‘First Indian Company’ to Receive DCGI Nod to Treat Hepatitis C

08:17:00 0
Hetero, one of India’s leading generic pharmaceutical companies and one of the world’s largest producer of anti-retroviral drugs, announced that it is the first company in India to receive the approval for the fixed-dose combination ledipasvir-sofosbuvir (90mg/400mg) from Drug Controller General of India (DCGI). Following the non-exclusive licensing agreement signed with Gilead Sciences in September last year, to manufacture and market chronic hepatitis C medicines, Hetero is all set to launch the fixed-dose combination therapy ‘ledipasvir-sofosbuvir’ for the Indian patients. The product will be available under the brand name ‘Ledisof’ in India.

Hetero is the first company in India to receive the approval for the fixed-dose combination Ledipasvir-Sofosbuvir (90mg/400mg) from Drug Controller General of India (DCGI), the company said in a statement.

The drug, Ledisof, is a generic version of Gilead Sciences’ brand Harvoni which is approved by the US FDA.

The Hyderabad based Hetero had singed a non-exclusive licensing agreement with Gilead in September last year to manufacture and market the drug indicated for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C and is the first company to receive DCGI approval for this category of drug.

Sofosbuvir in combination with ledipasvir has shown to have high cure rates of around 90 per cent.

Hepatitis C is a growing public health concern, particularly in developing countries. In India alone, it is estimated that 12-18 million patients are infected with hepatitis C which is several fold greater than those with HIV/AIDS.

Untreated chronic hepatitis C increases the risk of cirrhosis of liver, liver failure and hepatocellular carcinoma.

Dr. BPS Reddy, CMD, Hetero group of companies commented, “We have been the front-runners in launching the generic sofosbuvir in several countries. We are now happy to extend the fixed-dose combination therapy ‘ledipasvir-sofosbuvir (Ledisof) to Indian patients, which is much more effective than sofosbuvir. With the launch of Ledisof, we look forward in bringing a paradigm shift in hepatitis C management in the country.”




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Thursday 3 December 2015

GPAT-2016 Tips and Tricks

19:28:00 2
GRADUATE PHARMACY APTITUDE TEST (GPAT) is a national level entrance exam conducted by All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) every year as per the directions of Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), Government of India. This test facilitates institutions to select suitable Pharmacy graduates for admission into the Master’s (M.Pharm) program. The GPAT is a three hour computer based online test which is conducted in a single session. The GPAT score is accepted by all AICTE-Approved Institutions/University Departments/Constituent Colleges/Affiliated Colleges. A few scholarships and other financial assistance in the field of Pharmacy are also given on the basis of the GPAT score. The GPAT 2016 will be conducted on 17th January 2016.

GPAT 2016 – Online examination tips and practice for success:

GPAT 2016 is an online examination. This is computer based online test which is conducted in a single session and hence you might feel anxious about the exam. Here are some tips to help you succeed in the online GPAT exam.

Practise, Practise and Practise for GPAT 2016
You cannot have a clear understanding of the level of your preparation, unless and until you test yourself. By giving as many tests as possible, more so in the last one month before the exam will definitely help you in improving your final score.

The actual GPAT exam (Dated: 17/01/2016)

You need to be smart when you are actually attempting the exam. All the hard work you have put in will go in vain, if you fail to finish the exam on a positive note. You cannot afford to lose at the last moment. The pain and agony associated with failure after thorough preparation is unbearable. Therefore, you must bear the following points in your mind while you are taking the exam.

1.       You have 180 minutes to complete the test. Use each and every second of this time.
2.      Do not waste your time on questions which confuse you. You have the option of marking the questions for REVIEW which you can visit later.
3.       Keep navigating through the questions and answer those questions first, which are easy and have direct answers.
4.       Follow the deletion method wherever possible. If you are fortunate enough, you may come across at least 10-15 questions where you can find the correct answer by omitting the wrong answers if you are sure of them.
5.       Try to solve questions which have mathematical calculations in the first two hours. This will give you enough time to avoid calculation mistakes.
6.       Remember that there is NEGATIVE MARKING. You must avoid answering questions which are too difficult or from the topics you have not covered. It does not matter how many questions you attempt. All that matters is how many questions you have answered CORRECTLY. So try to avoid the tendency to answer all questions and rely on luck!
7.       Lastly, allot at least 10 min time to review all the unanswered questions and mathematical questions. This will ensure that you check these questions twice and reduce the scope of mistakes.

 We would be glad to help you if you have any queries. Keep watching this space for more updates about GPAT 2016 preparation.

PLANNING FOR SUCCESS – GPAT 2016 SUCCESS MANTRA
With the date of GPAT 2016 (Jan 17 th) fast approaching, there is a feeling of anxiety among the final year students about clearing the exam. Since last year, GPAT has gone online and the level of difficulty has also been increased considerably. It is astonishing as well as disappointing to know that there are a number of students who do not even know the importance of GPAT. Those who understand the importance are plagued by the tension of clearing the exam in the first attempt. The burden of project work in final semester, lack of time to prepare and no proper guidance provided in colleges adds to the agony of many GPAT aspirants. This discussion throws some light on how one can plan their approach to clear GPAT in the first attempt with a good score. This in fact, applies to all other competitive exams like MANIPAL-ENAT, NIPER-JEE, and BITSAT.
So the important ingredients for success in GPAT 2016 and your subsequent admission to NIPER or University Colleges is planning and smart work.

STUDY PLAN FOR GPAT 2016:

Organizing your study time and planning what to study when is a very important aspect for GPAT preparation. Most of the students find it difficult to manage their time and end up feeling tensed and worried at the last moment. It is to be remembered that proper planning and allocation of time for studies is very crucial in deciding your performance in the main exam.
Let us look at some important points which should be addressed while preparing a plan of action for GPAT preparation.

SYLLABUS SORTING: 

Finishing the entire syllabus of four years in 2-4 months is foolish and impossible to accomplish. Instead of wasting your time on topics and subjects which are least likely to be asked in the exam, you must try to complete as many topics as you can, from subjects which are given more importance and weightage in the main exam. Even in these subjects, you need not go through the entire syllabus that is prescribed as in case of Pharmacology, Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Analysis. These subjects are very vast and it is practically impossible to cover all the topics that are mentioned in the GPAT syllabus in such a short time of 2 months. Therefore, you must try to sort the topics that are more important and cover them first. To do this, you can do the following:
Compare the syllabus of your university with the official GPAT syllabus and underline the common topics. These are the topics which will require more concentration while you study.
Refer books which have papers from previous exams and try to get the idea about the general tendency of questioning from a particular subject/topic. This will help you not only to identify important topics but also acquaint you with different types of questions that can be asked from the same topic.
Once you have prepared a list of topics for a given subject, start studying your favorite subject first to get into the groove. Start making your own notes, preferably point-wise so that you can easily refer it in the last week before the exam.

TIME ALLOCATION FOR GPAT PREPARATION

It is really a tough task to squeeze out time to prepare for a competitive exam, especially when you have to attend college regularly. However, it is not that difficult, provided you are ready to forego some luxuries and are determined to follow a schedule.
Assuming that you attend college every day for 8 hours (9 to 5) and it takes 2 hours for your journey to college and back home. You are still left with 14 hours every day! Make the most of this time. Make it a habit to wake up early in the morning instead of staying up late night. The ideal time to study for such important exams is from 5-8 a.m in the morning. After you are back from college, take a break for an hour and get back to studies. You can wrap up your day by 11 p.m which means that you study at least 7 hrs (3 hrs morning + 4 hours evening) a day initially. As the exam date nears, you can increase your study time by a couple of which is more than sufficient in the last 15 days.
For those interested in admission to post-graduate Pharmacy courses such as M Pharm, it’s time to study for the Graduate Pharmacy Aptitude Test (GPAT) 2014, conducted by All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE).
When competing for admissions at national-level, studying may become more stressful, here are some tips and tricks to help you prepare!
PAPER PATTERN:

The computer based GPAT 2016 exam consists of 125 multiple choice questions to be completed in 3 hours. Correct answers are worth 4 marks each and negative marking of -1 mark for each incorrect answer is applicable.
The exam is broadly based on 4 topics:
1. PHARMACEUTICS

Important topics include: Introduction to Physical pharmacy, Importance of microbiology in pharmacy, Introduction to pharmaceutical jurisprudence & ethics, Introduction to dispensing and community pharmacy, Importance of unit operations in manufacturing, Dosages Forms, designing & evaluation, Biopharmaceutics & Pharmacokinetics.
2. PHARMACEUTICAL CHEMISTRY
Important topics include: Inorganic pharmaceutical & medicinal chemistry, Physical Chemistry and its importance in pharmacy, Organic Chemistry and its importance in pharmacy, Biochemistry, Medicinal Chemistry, Pharmaceutical Analysis.
3. PHARMACOLOGY
Important topics include: Immunopathophysiology, Pathophysiology of Common Diseases, Fundamentals of general pharmacology, Pharmacology of Peripheral Nervous System, Drugs Acting on the Hemopoietic System, Autacoids, Drugs Acting on the Respiratory System, Gastrointestinal Tract, Pharmacology of Endocrine System, Chemotherapy, Principles of Toxicology, Basic Concepts of Pharmacotherapy.
4. PHARMACOGNOSY
Important topics include: Sources of Drugs, Crude Drugs, Systematic Pharmacognostical study, Steroidal, Purines, Studies of Traditional Drugs, morphology, chemical nature of chief constituents, pharmacology, categories and common uses and marketed formulations of indigenous drugs, General Techniques of Biosynthetic Studies and Basic Metabolic Pathways/Biogenesis, Glycosides, Role of plant-based drugs on National economy.


Tips:
1.     Clear your basic concepts from your B Pharm text books before you use additional study material.
2.      Study ALL topics given in detailed syllabus apart from important topics.
3.     Use topic-area charts for quick revision.
4.      Pay attention to details as most often questions are based on specific points.
5.     Remember names of drugs, ingredients etc by using mnemonics.
6.     Practice sketching molecular structures, it will help you remember them easily.
7.      Group study is helpful for GPAT preparation; you can quiz each other with Multiple Choice Questions.
8.     Although the GPAT examination is based on Multiple Choice Questions practice writing answers in your own words. This will help you check your understanding of the topic.
9.     Practice numerical, although there are not many numerical problems in exam paper, regular practice will score you easy marks on the 3-4 numerical questions that do come in the question paper.
10.  The most effective way to prepare is by practicing sample papers/previous year papers.
11.  Attempt all the questions when you practice sample papers/previous year papers and correct them after you complete the entire paper. This will help you identify your weak areas and you can study those areas thoroughly.
12. During the exam skip any question you are not sure of to avoid negative marking.

We hope that this discussion will help you in making a proper plan to prepare for GPAT.


Detailed syllabus is available at:  http://www.aicte-gpat.in

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