The two surveys on ‘Gambling Addiction’ published in this issue of the Internet Journal of Medical Update recommend that there is a need to improve training of psychiatrists in India as regards identification, assessment and treatment of gambling addicts. I think the findings will inform the development and implementation of any future training program for medical professionals who deal with such cases.
Sheykhhasan et al., the authors of ‘The assessment of natural scaffolds ability in chondrogenic differentiation of human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells’ make an interesting observation that alginate scaffold can provide a suitable environment for chondrogenic differentiation of adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells and can enhance the growth and proliferation of these cells, which could have significant effects on tissue engineering approaches.
Singh et al. in studying the ‘Metabolic effects of Olanzapine versus Iloperidone’ examine 62 newly diagnosed patients of psychosis on group treatment and summarize that Iloperidone causes lesser increase in body weight and BMI, and fewer metabolic adverse effects as compared to olanzapine.
In a prospective descriptive autopsy study of ‘Pattern of gunshot deaths’ in University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, Nigeria, Eze et al. observe gunshot deaths as the commonest form of homicide and conclude that young males and victims of armed robbery attacks are most susceptible.
In a letter to the editor on ‘Poor Collimation in Digital Radiology’ Zabihzadeh and Karami highlight that the importance of proper collimation should not be underestimated. In spite of many advantages, implementation of digital radiology is associated with some concerns such as unnecessarily large collimation resulting in high radiation doses to patients. The authors firmly believe that the key to get adequate collimation is formation of a radiation protection team comprised of radiologists, radiographers and health physics authorities with focus on practical training programs.
To sum up, challenges ahead are many, and we are looking forward to more research in future, based on our own training and experience.
Arun Kumar Agnihotri
Editor in Chief
Email: agnihotri_arun@hotmail.com