Research
Comparative Analysis of Adverse Drug Reactions in Directly Observed Treatment Short Course (DOTS) in TB Patients
This study describes the occurrences of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) caused by anti tubercular (TB) drugs employed in Directly Observed Treatment Short Course (DOTS) from ten years of ADR data (from 2002 to 2012) reported in various articles. The frequency of each type of ADR was analyzed and compared. A total of 10,219 patients were studied. Among them, 8,047 (78.75%) patients demonstrated positive responses to at least one type of ADR. Dermatological reactions predominated among the ADRs which occurred in 4389 (42.95%) patients followed by hepatotoxicity in 1634 (15.99%) cases. Female patients were more prone to ADRs as compared to the male patients. The occurrence of ADRs is mainly attributed to the combination therapy along with the prolonged medication period. A colossal amount of ADRs were observed during the study which must be monitored and managed properly throughout the DOTS therapy in order to prevent life-threatening harmful effects.
A Survey on Traditional Medicinal Plants used for the Treatment of Diabetes in Urban Areas of Dhaka and Khulna, Bangladesh
Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is a metabolic disorder which is greatly prevalent in Bangladesh and the use of traditional medicinal plants for its treatment is also very popular. In this study, a survey to identify the medicinal plants used for the treatment of DM in the urban areas of Dhaka and Khulna, Bangladesh was conducted. In this survey, 100 randomly chosen individuals of both Dhaka and Khulna, 50 each, were interviewed in a structured manner, regarding the use of anti-diabetic medicinal plants. A total of 30 medicinal plants belonging to 18 families were accounted for the treatment of DM in Bangladesh. The most widely mentioned plants were, Coccinia indica (Telachuka), Azadirachta indica (Neem), Trigonella foenum-graecum (Methi), Syzygium cumini (Jam), Terminalia chebula (Horituki), Ficus racemosa (Joiggi dumur), Momordica charantia (Korolla), Swietenia mahagoni (Mahogany)., Phyllanthus emblica (Amloki), Terminalia bellirica (Bohera), Tinospora cordifolia (Gulancha lota), Lagerstroemia speciosa (Jarul), Withania somnifera (Aswagandha). Although a large number of traditional medicinal plants are being used for the treatment of DM in Bangladesh, extensive clinical intervention studies are essential prior to recommend their use to ensure proper public health outcomes.
