Discussing a new drug and proud tradition
The first instalment of Pecha Kucha for 2017 saw two academics present topics from their individual fields within a limited time frame. Professor Sunil Lal from the School of Science moderated the session.
Kicking things off was Dr Tahir Mehmood Khan from the School of Pharmacy. According to Dr Khan, uremic pruritus (UP) is one of the most common skin complications among patients suffering from end-stage renal disease (ESRD).
“Recently, the use of a neuroleptic agent, pregabalin (PG), has been found to be effective and tolerated well in the management of treatment-resistant UP,” Dr Khan said. Though there are side effects associated with the administration of the drug, results from a recent randomised clinical trial favours the use of 75mg of PG twice a week among patients suffering from UP. In conclusion, Dr Khan stated that upon administration of the tested dosage, a significant reduction in the UP score was seen at day 28.
Instead of presenting his findings in the usual fast paced manner, Dr Yeoh Seng Guan from the School of Arts and Social Sciences decided to play a video titled ‘The Journey in Search of Southeast Asia’ within the allocated duration. When asked about the outcomes of journeys experienced by students, Dr Yeoh said: “I was first asked to organise this in 2003 which was set as an extracurricular activity. No outcomes were expected then. Throughout the years, it has become a proud tradition and instead of expecting outcomes, I set quantitative targets for the students i.e. more stories have to be added into the blog (all stories are archived into a blog)”.
He explained that when students are on a particular study trip, they tend to immerse themselves in the local culture to learn more about another Southeast Asian society. They have to utilise and apply their journalistic skills such as writing, photography and videography to report on their experiences.