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Objective: The objective of the study was to assess the pill burden (PB), drug class distribution and financial burden for buying medicines in different treatment modalities of chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients.Methods: A prospective, cross-sectional study was performed in 244 CKD patients and they were divided into 4 groups as follows: pre-dialysis patients (stages 1-5) as group 1, hemodialysis (HD) patients as group 2, peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients as group 3 and renal transplant recipient (RTR) patients as group 4. Data was collected in pre-designed form through direct patient interaction.

Background: Self-directed learning (SDL) is an essential teaching-learning method for transforming medical students into lifelong learners. In SDL, learners are responsible for undergoing their learning process and gradually shifting learning control from teacher to themselves. However, First-year MBBS students are in need of receiving training and support to become self-directed learners. Hence, the present study aimed to evaluate the outcomes of adopting SDL alone as well as supplementing SDL with a lecture for first-year MBBS students in biochemistry. Objectives: Implementation of self-directed learning activity in Biochemistry and evaluation of its outcome for first-year MBBS students. Methods: A Cohort study was carried out to investigate first-year MBBS students in the Department of Biochemistry at SVIMS, Tirupati. The study was conducted in two sessions. In session one, Lecture cum SDL was implemented; whereas in session two, only SDL was employed. A pre-and post-test was performed before and after completion of both sessions. Pre- and post-test answer sheets were evaluated, and students’ perception forms were analysed. Results: There was a statistically significant increase in post-test scores compared to pre-test scores. Moreover, there was a statistically significant increase in post-test scores of Lecture cum SDL session compared to post-test scores of SDL session alone. Conclusions: Overall performance of the students was improved when a topic was taken as a didactic lecture followed by an SDL session; this may have been indicative of an improvement in learning outcomes when adopting SDL module.

Objective: Diabetes mellitus, a chronic metabolic disorder, is associated with the risk of cardiovascular disease in developing countries. Certain nontraditional cardiovascular risk factors have been associated with diabetes mellitus. The increased level of lipoprotein (a) [Lp (a)] is a genetically determined, independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. The elevated levels of high-sensitive C-reactive protein frequently correlate with wellestablished risk factors of Type 2 diabetes mellitus. However, the association between Lp (a), high-sensitive C-reactive protein levels, and Type 2 diabetes mellitus remain uncertain. The aim of this study was to measure the nontraditional biochemical markers of cardiovascular risk regarding the level of fasting glycemia in patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus compared with nondiabetic persons. Material and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in four groups (n=50 each group) considering the current levels of fasting plasma glucose. The groups were as follows: group 1 included nondiabetic healthy controls with the current fasting plasma glucose level of less than 100 mg/dL, group 2 included patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus with fasting plasma glucose level in the range of 100-130 mg/dL, group 3 included patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus with fasting plasma glucose level of greater than 130 mg/dL but less than 200 mg/dL, and group 4 included patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus with fasting plasma glucose level of greater than 200 mg/dL. Results: Lp (a) levels were significantly elevated in the patients with various glycemic levels compared with nondiabetic persons (p<0.001). Conclusion: The results of this study conclude that Lp (a) and high-sensitive C-reactive protein levels are elevated in patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus compared with that in healthy controls. The elevated levels of nontraditional cardiovascular risk factors reflect the glycemic status by showing an association between fasting plasma glucose, Lp (a), and cardiovascular disease.