Energy Crisis and Performance of Industry of Pakistan: An Empirical Study of KSE Listed Companies

This study investigates the impact of Energy crisis on the financial performance of the different industries in Pakistan. In the study Performance has been measured by Return on Assets ratio (ROA).Performance of all the KSE listed companies from five major industries of Pakistan has been observed for the period of six years (2004 to 2009). For Descriptive and paired sample mean comparison, sample has divided into two, pre and post energy crisis. Results of the study suggested that performance of the companies have decreased significantly because of energy crisis in Pakistan. Industry wise analysis revealed that Textile, Cement and Engineering Industries badly affected by energy crisis. However impact of these crises on Sugar and Chemical industry is insignificant. Keywords: Energy Crisis, Performance of Industry, Karachi Stock Exchange, Pakista

Smart Phones and Personal Listening Devices - Tinnitus & Hearing Impairment in Adolescent and Young Adult Earphone Users

OBJECTIVES To determine the frequency of tinnitus & hearing impairment in adolescent and young adult earphone users with smartphones and other personal listening devices.METHODOLOGY This prospective & descriptive study involving children with glue ears was conducted in the ENT Department of Medical Teaching Institute, Hayatabad Medical Complex, Peshawar, from Jan 1, 2022, to Sep 30, 2022. Personal listening device (PLD) users aged 12-25 years with complaints of tinnitus and hearing impairment were examined. Conductive hearing loss was excluded by audiological testing. The frequency of resultant hearing loss and tinnitus was calculated. The information obtained was analyzed using SPSS v 26.0 for windows. A Chi square test was performed to determine the significance of tinnitus & hearing impairment in earphones and other PLD users.RESULTS A total of 163 patients were included in the study. The patient’s age range was 12-25 years, with a mean age of 18.03 years and a standard deviation of ± 3.575. There were 117 males and 46 females. The male: female ratio was of 2.54:1.Tinnitus was present in 73% and Hearing impairment in 54.4% of the patients. The chi-square test and p-values determined showed that both tinnitus and hearing loss occurred in many patients using personal listening devices.CONCLUSION Tinnitus and hearing impairment occurs in a significant number of those who use personal listening devices. Their inappropriate use can lead to auditory system damage. It is recommended that PLD users undergo periodic audiological testing to detect early hearing loss and tinnitus to minimize damage to the ear

The Accuracy of Pre-Operative Ultrasonography in Localizing Parathyroid Adenoma for Minimally Invasive Parathyroidectomy (MIP)

OBJECTIVES To determine the sensitivity of pre-op ultrasonography in localizing parathyroid adenoma for minimally invasive parathyroidectomy (MIP) technique. METHODOLOGY The study was conducted at the department of ENT and Head & Neck Surgery, MTI Hayatabad Medical Complex Peshawar. It included a retrospective analysis of records of patients who underwent MIP from Jan 1, 2019, to July 31, 2022.  All patients had pre-operative meta-iodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) scans, and serum PTH, Serum calcium levels were determined. A pre-op ultrasound scan was acquired to mark the site of the parathyroid adenoma. MIP was carried out using a 3.5 to 4 cm transverse skin incision over the marked site to expose the thyroid gland. If the marked parathyroid gland was identified without using any other aids, the result was labelled as "True positive". The sensitivity of pre-op ultrasonography was calculated using SPSS v 26.0. RESULTS A total of 53 cases were included in the study. The male: female ratio was 1:1.8. The ages of patients ranged from 23-70 years with a mean age of 48.49 years with a standard deviation of +_ 10.818. Pre-op ultrasonography accurately localizes the site of parathyroid adenoma in 49 patients. Statistical analysis showed this to be a significant finding. CONCLUSION Pre-op ultrasonography is significantly helpful in localizing the parathyroid adenoma. Therefore its routine use is recommended to help localize the adenoma in minimally invasive parathyroidectomy

Combined experimental and theoretical study of poly(aniline-co-pyrrole) oligomer

Quantum mechanical calculations are performed to establish the structure of an oligomer of aniline and pyrrole [Poly(Ani-co-Py)], through comparison of experimental and theoretically calculated properties, including conductivity. The copolymer was synthesized through chemical oxidative polymerization and then confirmed from the experimental IR, UV-vis, mass spectra, elemental, XRD, TGA, and SEM analysis. Quantum mechanical calculations are performed at Density Functional Theory (DFT) and Time dependent DFT (TD-DFT) methods for the electronic and spectroscopic properties of the oligomer. A very nice correlation is found between the theory and experiment which consequences the structure of Poly(Ani-co-Py). Poly(Ani-co-Py) is not explored like other conducting polymers; however, by tuning this molecular structure, the electro-active nature of this material can be enhanced adequately

The Frequency of Otogenic Intracranial Complications in Chronic Suppurative Otitis Media with Cholesteatoma

Objectives:1. To determine the frequency of otogenic intracranial complications in chronic suppurative otitis media with cholesteatoma.2. To discuss the diagnosis and management of patients presenting with otogenic intracranial complications.Study Design: It was a prospective, descriptive and cross – sectional study using convenience sampling technique.Materials and Methods: This was a combined study conducted in the ENT Department of Postgraduate Medical Institute, Hayatabad Medical Complex, Peshawar and the ENT Department of Mardan Medical Complex, Mardan over a period of 3 years from January 1, 2007 to December 31, 2009. Cases presenting with chronic suppurative otitis media with cholesteatoma were studied and the frequency of otogenic intracranial complications occurring in these cases was calculated.Results: A total of 85 cases were studied. The ages of the patients ranged from 8 to 40 years. All the patients had chronic suppurative otitis media with cholesteatoma. The commonest complaint in cases with suspected intra-cranial complications was deep seated earache followed by persistent headache. Meningitis and extradural abscesses were the commonest intracranial complications. The frequency of intracranial complications in our study was found to be 11.76%.Conclusion: Otogenic intracranial complications due to cholesteatoma continue to pose a significant risk to the patients. High index of suspicion is essential for diagnosis and skilful management of otogenic intracranial comp-lications. Early recognition is possible and these cases should be managed in close collaboration with a neuro-surgeon

Predictors of Mortality in Pulmonary Haemorrhage during SLE: A Single Centre Study Over Eleven Years

BACKGROUND: Pulmonary haemorrhage (PH) is a serious complication during Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE). AIM: The aim was to present data on 12 patients of SLE with classic symptoms and signs of PH admitted throughout eleven years. METHODS: This retrospective study was carried out at King Abdul Aziz Specialist hospital in Taif-a tertiary care hospital in the western region of Saudi Arabia. The data was analysed from the case files of SLE patients who had episodes of PH throughout 11 years (January 2007 to December 2017). RESULTS: Twelve patients (10 females and 2 males) were found to have diffuse pulmonary haemorrhage during their SLE in the study period. Of 12 patients with confirmed pulmonary haemorrhage (hemoptysis, hypoxemia, new infiltrates on chest radiography, fall in haemoglobin and hemorrhagic returns of bronchoalveolar lavage with hemosiderin-laden macrophages) 4 patients had PH as the first presentation of SLE and 8 patients developed this complication during the disease. All patients presented with shortness of breath and hemoptysis. The most common extra-pulmonary involvement in the study cohort was renal (83%), which ranged from clinical nephritis, nephrotic syndrome to acute renal failure. All patients were managed in intensive care of the hospital, and of 12 patients, 9 (75%) required mechanical ventilation. All patients were uniformly treated with pulse Methylprednisolone; 9 received Cyclophosphamide, 6 received IVIG, and 4 received Plasmapheresis. Only 3 patients (25%) survived despite maximum possible support during their mean hospital stay of 18 ± 5 days. CONCLUSION: The requirement of mechanical ventilation and the association of renal and neuropsychiatric complications predicted mortality in patients with pulmonary haemorrhage

BUILDING PRIOR DENSITIES FOR MAXIMUM ENTROPY REFINEMENT OF X-RAY DATA FOR TOPOLOGICAL ANALYSIS

The aim of this research work is to develop a method to provide a reasonable “prior” electron density that can be used in the so-called “Maximum Entropy Method” (MEM) refinement of X-ray diffraction (XRD) data in order to reconstruct experimental electron density at a resolution allowing its accurate topological analysis. A program was developed which build electron density on a regular grid in the “Independent Atom Model” (IAM) approach, more precisely from the knowledge of individual “spherical” atomic scattering factors of the atoms constituting the unit cell of the studied compounds. IAM X-ray structure factors of bismuth and its prior density on a grid has been generated to be tested with the MEM “Enigma” software. Preliminary accuracy and performances have been compared when such reasonable “prior” density is used instead of starting with “flat” density. &nbsp

Two Years Audit of Parkinsonism Patients at Royal Commission Hospital Yanbu, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Introduction: Parkinson`s disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative condition affecting patients. It is broadly classified as `movement disorder’ with a variety of clinical features, including bradykinesia, rigidity and tremor. PD is better defined as multisystem neurodengerative disorder causing a large number of motor and non-motor complications. In this study we described our experience regarding follow up parkinsonism patients.Objectives: To determine clinical outcome in patients of Parkinsonism in our setup.Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective as well as follow up of new patients of Parkinson`s disease in the department of neurology at Royal Commission hospital Yanbu – one of the biggest industrial city of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Duration of study was two years; from January 2011 to December 2012. This study included 50 patients with diagnosed case of Parkinsonism and newly diagnosed cases.Results: The age range was 40 – 110 years; there were 4 patients (8%) of age range 40 – 41 years, 2 patients (4%) of age range 46 – 50 years, one patient (2%), 7 patients (14%) of age range 61 – 65 years, 11 patients (22%) of age range 66 – 70 years, 2 patients (4%) of age range 86 – 90 years and one patient (2%) was of 110 years. The last patient mentioned has a daughter who was 80 years of age and was included in the study. Around 45 patients were diagnosed for the first time as case of Parkinsonism and these were started on management / treatment with good clinical improvement.Conclusions: Not all the patients need to commence treatment at time of diagnosis, but drugs should be started when symptoms begin to interfere with daily life. We found that all such patients when prescribed treatments sho-wed excellent improvement in terms of activities of daily life