Lallemantia royleana Benth. (Balangu): A Compendious Review on Phytochemistry, Pharmacology and Ethnomedicinal Uses

Lallemantia royleana Benth. is an annual, biennial or perennial herb, belonging to the family Lamiaceae, commonly known as Balangu. It is cultivated throughout Western Asia, India, Pakistan and Northern of Iraq. In Unani system of medicine it act as a Mudire Baul  (Diuretic), Muqawwi Qalb (Cardiotonic), Musakkin (Sedative) etc and used for treatment of  Nazla wa Zukam (Common cold) , Humma (Fever), Dard Mafasil (Joint pain), Hudar (Rheumatism), Amraze Gurda (Renal disorder), Zofe Qalb (Weakness of heart) etc. Traditional observation reports that this plant retains potential to cure infectious diseases. Nowadays, it is receiving substantial consideration by scientist and pharmaceutical research industries with the aim to explore for more effective substitute. The seeds contain linoleic, oleic, betasitosterol, palmitic and stearic acids, its gums are composed of L-rhamnose, L-arabinose, D-galactose, protein, uronic anhydride and are generally used for the treatment of abscesses, inflammation and respiratory problems, also used in drinks due to its sedative effects. This plant seems to possess many undiscovered pharmacological properties which have to be explored. Keywords: Lallemantia royleana Benth, Unani medicine, Traditionl medicine

Therapeutic efficacy of l-ornithine l-aspartate in patients with hepatic encephalopathy

To determine the efficacy of ornithine-aspartate in reducing blood ammonia levels and clinical improvement, as a part of treatment in hepatic encephalopathy. Material & method: A randomized placebo controlled trial was conducted in 2013 in Jinnah medical and dental college hospital Korangi Karachi. One hundred patients with hepatic encephalopathy due to underlying chronic liver disease were randomly assigned into two groups with 50 patients each. One group received three days of ornithine-aspartate infusions (trial-treatment group) and the other group received three days of infusion of placebo (placebo group). Serum ammonia was measured in both groups on day 1 and day 3. Clinical improvement was assessed by West Haven’s grading of hepatic encephalopathy. Result: The patients in trial group showed statistically significant improvement in serum ammonia levels and grading of hepatic encephalopathy as compared to placebo. Conclusion: L -Ornithinie L-Aspartate (LOLA) is effective in decreasing serum ammonia as well as results in clinical improvement in patients with hepatic encephalopathy and may be recommended for use in hepatic encephalopathy

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL STUDIES OF Polypodium vulgare Linn. : A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW

Polypodium vulgare Linn. commonly called as Bisfaij is a medicinal plant which is used in various ailments. It is one of the most archaic and essential plant, belonging to the family Polypodiaceae. It contains organic substances such as resin, tannins, steroids, flavonoids, alkaloids, glycosides, protein, reducing sugar and inorganic substances like calcium, magnesium, potassium, sulphur, iron and chloride. It is used in Unani system of medicine for the treatment of sorethroat, stomach-aches, leprosy, melancholia, spleenomegaly, haemorrhoids, rheumatic swelling of the joints etc. Besides this, it has other pharmacological activities too such as antiepileptic, neuro-psychopharmacological, antipyretic, antibiotic, antiviral etc. This review paper discuses the medicinal values of Polypodium vulgare Linn. in Unani medicine as well as its modern pharmacology and gives a new impetus to utilize Bisfaij in various disorders. Keywords: Bisfaij, Polypodium vulgare Linn, Phytopharmacology, Unani Medicine

Muslim American Zakat Report 2022

Zakat and sadaqa are key Islamic philanthropic traditions. Zakat, the third of five pillars of Islam, is an obligatory act of giving. Sadaqa is voluntary giving beyond the minimum threshold of zakat. Sadaqa can take the form of money, action or abstention; the intention is what defines the act as charitable. This report details the findings on zakat from a self-administered web survey conducted by SSRS for the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. The larger study, of which these findings are a part, surveys the opinions of Muslims and the general population regarding faith customs, donation practices and attitudes, volunteer work, remittances, tolerance, and diversity. SSRS conducted its survey from January 25 through February 15, 2022 with 2,010 adult respondents (age 18 and over), including 1,006 Muslim and 1,004 general population respondents. SSRS reached eligible respondents via a nonprobability web panel sample. We restricted questions about zakat to the Muslim sample.Islamic Relief USA; Mirza Family Foundatio

Understanding Nonprofit Governance and DEI Practices Among Marginalized Communities for a More Just & Inclusive Society

Community-engaged practice and participatory research provide important feedback loops. In this project, the legal clinic relies on partnerships to build trust across communities. For example, legal colleagues, nonprofit colleagues, and former clients - who understand the benefits of legal screenings - are critical to relationship building. Ongoing, deep community engagement offers faculty ample opportunities to observe and learn firsthand about issues that are important to community members and helps guide the research. Ultimately, community perspectives and interests that translate into research findings offer opportunities for community reflection, action, and improvement. Empirical assessments of an organization’s financial policies, audits, and procedures are crucial to its success and efficient service delivery. It not only helps ensure that the organization’s financial activities are transparent and accountable but also helps build trust with internal and external stakeholders. Strong governance, the role of the board, and smooth relationships between the nonprofit’s management and its board members are equally important for an effective decision-making process. This coalition leads to strong fiscal policy implementation and measurement of its outcome. Many dilemmas are associated with Muslim organizations. One is the lack of equity and inclusion at different levels. Incorporating strong diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies and practices helps ensure that Muslim nonprofits are aligned with their goals and values. A diverse and inclusive workplace can lead to better decision-making and outcomes while attracting and retaining a diverse and talented workforce. It is equally necessary to involve everyone in developing and implementing DEI policies.Muslim Legal Fund of America (MLFA

Post-operative pain management modalities employed in clinical trials for adult patients in LMIC; a systematic review

Background: Unrelieved postoperative pain afflicts millions each year in low and middle income countries (LMIC). Despite substantial advances in the study of pain, this area remains neglected. Current systematic review was designed to ascertain the types of clinical trials conducted in LMIC on postoperative pain management modalities over the last decade.Methods: A comprehensive search was performed in June 2019 on PubMed, Cochrane Library, CINAHL Plus, and Web of Science databases to identify relevant trials on the management of postoperative pain in LMIC. Out of 1450 RCTs, 108 studies were reviewed for quality evidence using structured form of critical appraisal skill program. Total of 51 clinical trials were included after applying inclusion/exclusion criteria.Results: Results are charted according to the type of surgery. Eleven trials on laparoscopic cholecystectomy used multimodal analgesia including some form of regional analgesia. Different analgesic modalities were studied in 4 trials on thoracotomy, but none used multimodal approach. In 11 trials on laparotomy, multimodal analgesia was employed along with the studied modalities. In 2 trials on hysterectomy, preemptive pregabalin or gabapentin were used for reduction in rescue analgesia. In 13 trials on breast surgical procedures and 10 on orthopaedic surgery, multimodal analgesia was used with some form of regional analgesia.Conclusion: We found that over the past 10 years, clinical trials for postoperative pain modalities have evolved in LMIC according to the current postoperative pain management guidelines i.e. multi-modal approach with some form of regional analgesia. The current review shows that clinical trials were conducted using multimodal analgesia including but not limited to some form of regional analgesia for postoperative pain in LMIC however this research snapshot (of only three countries) may not exactly reflect the clinical practices in all 47 countries. Post Operative Pain Management Modalities Employed in Clinical Trials for Adult Patients in LMIC; A Systematic Review

Pluralism in Muslim American Philanthropy Report 2022

The Pluralism in Muslim American Philanthropy 2022 Report shows that, on average, U.S. Muslims surveyed perceived themselves to have higher levels of characteristics such as tolerance, valuing diversity and racial inclusivity, religiosity, and motivation to donate to causes benefitting people with marginalized identities (described in the study as “donation motivation”) than U.S. non-Muslims perceived themselves to have. This report details the findings on pluralism and tolerance perception from a self-administered web survey conducted by SSRS for the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. The larger study, of which these findings are a part, surveys the opinions of Muslims and the general population regarding faith customs, donation practices and attitudes, volunteer work, remittances, and zakat. SSRS conducted its survey from January 25 through February 15, 2022 with 2,010 adult respondents (age 18 and over), including 1,024 Muslim and 960 general population respondents. SSRS reached eligible respondents via a nonprobability web panel sample.Islamic Relief USA; International Strategy and Policy Institut

"Caught In Each Other's Traps": Factors Perpetuating Incentive-Linked Prescribing Deals Between Physicians and the Pharmaceutical Industry.

BACKGROUND: Despite known adverse impacts on patients and health systems, 'incentive-linked prescribing', which describes the prescribing of medicines that result in personal benefits for the prescriber, remains a widespread and hidden impediment to quality of healthcare. We investigated factors perpetuating incentive-linked prescribing among primary care physicians in for-profit practices (referred to as private doctors), using Pakistan as a case study. METHODS: Our mixed-methods study synthesised insights from a survey of 419 systematically samples private doctors and 68 semi-structured interviews with private doctors (n=28), pharmaceutical sales representatives (n=12), and provincial and national policy actors (n=28). For the survey, we built a verified database of all registered private doctors within Karachi, Pakistan's most populous city, administered an electronic questionnaire in-person and descriptively analysed the data. Semi-structured interviews incorporated a vignette-based exercise and data was analysed using an interpretive approach. RESULTS: Our survey showed that 90% of private doctors met pharmaceutical sales representatives weekly. Three interlinked factors perpetuating incentive-linked prescribing we identified were: gaps in understanding of conflicts of interest and loss of values among doctors; financial pressures on doctors operating in a (largely) privately financed health-system, exacerbated by competition with unqualified healthcare providers; and aggressive incentivisation by pharmaceutical companies, linked to low political will to regulate and an over-saturated pharmaceutical market. CONCLUSION: Regular interactions between pharmaceutical companies and private doctors are normalised in our study setting, and progress on regulating these is hindered by the substantial role of incentive-linked prescribing in the financial success of physicians and the pharmaceutical industry employees. A first step towards addressing the entrenchment of incentive-linked prescribing may be to reduce opposition to restrictions on incentivisation of physicians from stakeholders within the pharmaceutical industry, physicians themselves, and policymakers concerned about curtailing growth of the pharmaceutical industry

Sustainable Materials for Engineering Applications

The fastest growing thread of climate change has roused the world to take some pragmatic actions to protect natural world heritage. United Nations take a significant step to address this serious issue and establish the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development for people, planet and prosperity, and set 17 goals which all countries have to act upon for sustainable development. One of the goals is sustainable consumption and production. In the current situation, it is crucial to take it into account in all fields of engineering for existing and new developments. All engineering products need to be designed in a way that they can be recycled and lead to zero waste to minimise their environmental impact and truly assist the cradle-to-cradle approach. In this paper, the potential use of sustainable materials for industries that can be processed and recycled to convert into the value-added products are discussed. This discussion is facilitated by overviewing the published papers related to sustainable material selections for different engineering applications

Pain assessment in intensive care units of a low-middle income country: Impact of the basic educational course

Background: Patients admitted to ICU usually have moderate-to-severe pain at rest and during care-related activities. The Critical Care Pain Observation Tool (CPOT) is a reliable and validated objective assessment tool for those patients who cannot self-report pain in ICU. The objectives of the educational course were to assess the baseline knowledge, and practice of pain assessment in critically ill patients and reassess the same in all participants of the course by comparing the results of pre and post-test. Methods: The educational course of six hours of contact time on the use of CPOT for pain assessment in ICU patients was designed and conducted by the authors after approval from the Ethics Review Committee, Aga Khan University. This educational course was delivered at five different tertiary care hospitals in the Sindh province of Pakistan. A pre-test consisting of 25 true/false multiple-choice questions was conducted at the beginning of the course to assess the baseline knowledge, and practice of participants regarding pain assessment in critically ill patients and the same test was taken at the end of the course. Results: A total of 205 critical care physicians and nursing staff attended the courses. Both pre-test and post-test were completed by 149 (72.6%) participants, of which 53 (35.6%) were female and 96 (64.4%) were male. The mean pre-test score of participants was 57.83 ± 11.86 and the mean post-test score of participants was 67.43 ± 12.96 and this was statistically significant (p = \u3c 0.01). In univariate analysis, the effect of training was significantly higher in the female gender (p = 0.0005) and in those participants, who belong to the metropolitan city (p = 0.010). In multivariate analysis, participants from non-metropolitan cities showed less improvement in post-test scores compared to those who come from the metropolitan city (p = 0.038). Conclusions: The participating physicians and nurses showed a positive impact on the knowledge and clinical skills regarding pain assessment in CIPs. The participants from hospitals in metropolitan cities showed a significant improvement over those who were from non-metropolitan citie