Psychological morbidity in medical students after entering into clinical training Psychological morbidity among medical students

Psychological morbidity is emerging as animportant issue for medical students after entering clinical training due to extensiveworking hours. Students find themselves unable to balance competing demands on their time and cannot allocate appropriate time to family, spouses and even to themselves; this leads to complaints about exhaustion and lack of efficiency in their profession. Objective: To assess Psychological morbidity in interns, medical officers and residents Methods: a cross sectional study was conducted. A google form was designed with questions adopting from the three scales of the Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey (MBI-GS). Question from all three categories of MBI-GS such as emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and personal accomplishment were considered. The form was distributed via email and Whatsapp to 87 house officers, medical officers and residents of six public healthcare facilities in Lahore. Responses were captured from 73 participants who completed the General Health questionnaire. Seven of these forms were filled by nurses, so in the present study only the response ofthose 66 participants who conformed to the study cross-section were considered. The results were analyzedusing SPSS version 22 for descriptive statistics and chi-square association. Results: A significant association was found between long working hours and emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and personal accomplishment questions in particular. The findings suggests long working hours ruin the mental health of medical professionals, which ultimately produce psychological health impacts. Conclusions: It was concluded that these factors should be considered to reduce psychological morbidity in health professionals.  

Characterization of Honey Bee by Product Propolis As an Antimicrobial and Nutraceutical Agent in Food Applications

In present study, locally available honey bee propolis was characterized for its various physicochemical, antimicrobial properties and nutraceutical behaviour using animal modelling system for food applications. The compositional analysis depicted a higher content of ether extract along with mineral elements (K, Mg, Na, Ca, Fe, Zn, Cu, Mn) in variable amounts. Propolis extract using ethanol and methanol (65%, 80% & 95%) and water quantified for total phenolic contents (TPC) and characterized using HPLC. Antioxidant (DPPH activity, Beta-carotene assay) potential of the extracts was also evaluated. Ethanol extract (65%) propolis exhibited higher total polyphenols (327.30±14.89mg/gGAE) and better antioxidant potential (60.59±4.38%) and indicated maximum zone of inhibition against Escherichia coli (22.19±0.61mm) followed by Bacillus subtilis (26.37±0.31mm) and Staphylococcus aureus (29.18±1.13mm) followed by methanol extract (65%) for the same parameters. Functional propolis based drinks remained acceptable for two months of storage period when subjected to compositional analyses and sensory evaluation. Bio-evaluation based on the composition of diets given to rats: [study-I (normal diet), study-II (high sucrose diet), study-III (high cholesterol diet)] exhibited considerable increase in feed, drink intake and weight gain whereas, decreased hypercholesterolemia and hyperglycaemia. A pronounced decrease (p≤0.05) in serum glucose concentration and increase (p≤0.05) in insulin level was noticed in the ethanol extract drink while keeping liver and kidney functioning tests within normal values. It is deduced from the present exploration that locally available propolis possess significant antimicrobial properties against foodborne pathogens, antioxidant potential and hence may be considered for food applications during food product development to encourage diet based therapies ultimately promoting health management.