Medical education has adopted various e‐learning technologies to its aid. Addition of Google Classroom, introduced in 2014, as a Learning Management System (LMS) has provided a basic, easy to use platform. This study tested its efficacy in teaching a biochemistry module to first year MBBS students in an Indian medical school. Better access to learning material and supplementary teaching resources, helpfulness of immediate feedback, and learning outside of class environment were reported by students. Preference of mobile phone over laptop to access this LMS was reported. Use of this free to use LMS can be made, and especially in resource limited low and middle income countries, to encourage greater access to e‐learning. © 2019 International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 47(4):404–407, 2019.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, a countrywide lockdown of nearly twelve weeks in India reduced access to regular healthcare services. As a policy response, the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare which exercises jurisdiction over telemedicine in India, rapidly issued India’s first guidelines for use of telemedicine. The authors argue that: guidelines must be expanded to address ethical concerns about the use of privacy, patient data and its storage; limited access to the internet and weaknesses in the telecom infrastructure challenge widespread adoption of telemedicine; only by simultaneously improving both will use of telemedicine become equitable; Indian medical education curricula should include telemedicine and India should rapidly extend training to practitioner. They determine that for low- and middle-income countries (LMIC), including India, positive externalities of investing in telemedicine are ample, thus use of this option can render healthcare more accessible and equitable in future.

Presence of oxidative stress in type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) is well proved. Current study was undertaken to know the relation between fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and copper along with antioxidants like total thiols and ceruloplasmin, and antioxidant enzyme glutathione S transferase (GST). The study group consisted of a total of 201 subjects which included nondiabetic healthy control subjects (n = 78) and diabetic patients (n = 123). Plasma total thiols, GST, copper and ceruloplasmin levels were measured all the subjects using spectrophotometric methods and FPG levels were determined in clinical chemistry analyzer Hitachi 912. There was significant increase in FPG (P<0.001) and copper (P<0.001) and decrease in ceruloplasmin (P<0.001) and protein thiols (P<0.001) in type 2 DM cases compared to healthy controls. There was no significant change in GST between type 2 DM cases and controls. There was significant negative correlation of FPG with antioxidants like ceruloplasmin (r = -0.420, P<0.001) and total thiols (r = -0.565, P<0.001). Protein thiols correlated positively with ceruloplasmin (r = 0.364, P<0.001). Our study indicates possible increase in copper mediated generation of ROS leading to increased consumption of available antioxidants in the body.