Radiological and clinical outcomes in patients undergoing anterior cervical discectomy and fusion: Comparing titanium and PEEK (polyetheretherketone) cages

Objectives: To study clinical and radiological outcomes in patients who had undergone the procedure of anterior cervical discectomy and fusion with titanium or PEEK (polyetheretherketone) cages for cervical disc prolapse.Methods: This is a retrospective/non-randomized study which was conducted at the Combined Military Hospital Peshawar. Study interval was four years from 1st October, 2010 to 31st September, 2014. Total number of included patients were 149. All of the patients had undergone the procedure of anterior cervical discectomy and fusion with titanium or PEEK (polyetheretherketone) cages. All of the patients had plain MRI cervical spine done for diagnosis of anterior cervical disc prolapse.Results: Most of the patients had stenosis at the C5 / C6 (PEEK cage group 63% and titanium cage group 47.6%) and C6 / C7 (PEEK cage group 15.38% and titanium cage group 19.04%) cervical level. Bi-level involvement was also seen. In the patients who complained of brachialgia, total resolution of symptoms was seen after the operation. Three (2.01%) of the patients in titanium cage group, who presented with axial neck pain, continued to complain of pain after the operation. Four (2.6%) of the patients in PEEK (polyetheretherketone) cage group and 2 (1.3%) in titanium cage group complained of pain at the donor site (iliac crest). Fusion rate was 100% with both titanium and PEEK (polyetheretherketone) cages at one year.Conclusion: Results with titanium and PEEK (polyetheretherketone) cages are excellent. There was no significant difference in clinical and radiological outcome between two groups of patients (p \u3e 0.05). Fusion rate was 100% at one year with both cages

Cytopenias With Traditional Therapy of Hepatitis C in Pakistani Population

Objective: To find out the frequency of blood cytopenias among the relapsers, non-responders and responders to traditional therapy of Hepatitis C in a tertiary care hospital of Rawalpindi, Pakistan.Study Design:Cross sectional descriptive study.Place and Duration of Study: Hematology and Gastroenterology departments of Military Hospital, Rawalpindi, for a period of one year, from August 2014 to July 2015.Methodology:After six months of treatment with conventional interferons and ribavirin 5mL blood was obtained in EDTA bottles from responders, relapsers and non-responders in laboratory, and was analyzed using Hematology Analyzer sysmex KX-21. The hemoglobin levels, total leukocyte counts and platelet counts were measured. The results were entered into SPSS 16 and the analysis for descriptive statistics was applied for finding out the frequencies.Results: A total of 380 patients were studied, out of which 204 were non-responders, 52 were responders and 121 were relapsers. Ninety eight patients [25.9%] had anemia, 12 [3.2%] had leukopenia and 48 [12.7%] had thrombocytopenia. Among non-responders, 56 [27.5%] had anemia, 7 [3.4%] had leukopoenia and 31 [15.2%] had thrombocytopenia. Among responders, 16 [30.8%] had anemia, 2 [3.8%] had leukopoenia and 4 [7.7%] had thrombocytopenia. Among relapsers, 26 [21.5%] had anemia, 3[2.5%] had leukopoenia and 13 [10.7%] had thrombocytopenia.Conclusions:Anemia is most common among relapsers, non-responders and responders, while leukopenia is least commonly seen.  Thrombocytopoenia occurs more commonly among non-responders and least commonly among responders

Impact of Foreign Direct Investment on Economic Growth: Empirical Results from Pakistan

The study analysed the effect of foreign direct investment (FDI) on economic growth of Pakistan. Time series data for 35 years from 1979-2013 is utilized in this study. Impact of inflation (CPI) on GDP is also examined. Data of FDI, GDP and inflation is collected from world data bank. Multiple linear regression model is used to find out the impact of FDI and inflation on economic growth of Pakistan. Unit root test is used for stationarity of data. Results of the study show that FDI and inflation significantly affect economic growth of Pakistan. FDI has positive relationship with GDP while inflation has negative relationship with GDP. Keywords: ECONOMIC GROWTH, FDI, GDP, INFLATION

Did We find Alternate to GDP to measure National Progress? Analysis of Harvard University’s Social Progress Index

For major part of the preceding century, Economic Measures such as GDP, GNI etc were considered to measure economic as well as social and human progress of a country. However, scholars have raised concerns over the sufficiency of these economic measures. This propelled scholars to develop alternate measures for social improvement and human capability development. Consequently, indices such as Social Progress Imperative (SPI) and Human Development Index (HDI) were developed by renowned authors. However, little work is done to check effect of social progress on susceptibility against human trafficking and modern slavery, and business opportunities in the nation. Further, there is almost no empirical evidence which suggest that SPI is better scale than GDP or HDI in predicating different social measure. Therefore, data of 124 countries regarding SPI, HDI, GDP, Vulnerability to Enslavement, and Distance to Frontier score was collected for Year 2014. Secondary data analysis was performed and Simple Regression analysis was carried out on data for hypothesis testing. As proposed, a positive relationship of SPI and Ease of Doing Business was observed whereas negative relation was found between SPI and Vulnerability of Enslavement. In addition, SPI explain variation in both Vulnerability of Enslavement and Ease of Doing Business better than GDP and HDI, thereby providing evidence of its superior representation of social measures

Did We find Alternate to GDP to measure National Progress? Analysis of Harvard University’s Social Progress Index

For major part of the preceding century, Economic Measures such as GDP, GNI etc were considered to measure economic as well as social and human progress of a country. However, scholars have raised concerns over the sufficiency of these economic measures. This propelled scholars to develop alternate measures for social improvement and human capability development. Consequently, indices such as Social Progress Imperative (SPI) and Human Development Index (HDI) were developed by renowned authors. However, little work is done to check effect of social progress on susceptibility against human trafficking and modern slavery, and business opportunities in the nation. Further, there is almost no empirical evidence which suggest that SPI is better scale than GDP or HDI in predicating different social measure. Therefore, data of 124 countries regarding SPI, HDI, GDP, Vulnerability to Enslavement, and Distance to Frontier score was collected for Year 2014. Secondary data analysis was performed and Simple Regression analysis was carried out on data for hypothesis testing. As proposed, a positive relationship of SPI and Ease of Doing Business was observed whereas negative relation was found between SPI and Vulnerability of Enslavement. In addition, SPI explain variation in both Vulnerability of Enslavement and Ease of Doing Business better than GDP and HDI, thereby providing evidence of its superior representation of social measures

Dynamic system linear models and Bayes classifier for time series classification in promoting sustainabilitys

Research purpose: The current work introduces a novel method for time series discriminant analysis (DA). Proposing a version for the Bayes classifier employing Dynamic Linear Models, which we denote by BCDLM This article explores the application of DLMs and the Bayes Classifier in time series classification to promote application in sustainability across diverse sectors. Method: This paper presents some computer simulation studies in which we generate four different scenarios corresponding to time series observations from various Dynamic Linear Models (DLMs). In Discriminant Analysis, we investigated strategies for estimating variance in models and compared the performance of the BCDLM with other common classifiers. Such datasets are composed of real-time series (data from SONY AIBO Robot and spectrometry of coffee types) and pseudo-time series (data from Swedish leaves adapted for time series). We also point out that algorithm was used to determine training and test sets in real-world applications. Results: Considering the real-time series examined in this paper, The results obtained indicate that the parametric approach developed represents a promising alternative for this class of DA problems, with observations of time series in a situation that is quite difficult in practice when we have series with large sizes with respect to the number of observations in the classes, even though more thorough studies are required. Conclusions: It concludes that the BCDLM performed comparably to the results of the classifiers 1NN, RDA, NBND and NBK and superior to the methods LDA and QDA. This offers a powerful combination for time series classification, enabling accurate predictions and informed decision-making in areas such as energy consumption, waste management, and resource allocation

MORPHOLOGIC SPECTRUM AND CLINICO-PATHOLOGICAL CORRELATION OF GASTROINTESTINAL STROMAL TUMOURS: AN EXPERIENCE OF SIX YEARS AT A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL.

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the morphologic spectrum and risk category of gastrointestinal stromal tumour (GIST) and compare with overall patient survival.Materials and Methods: It is a descriptive observational study. The study was carried at Shifa International Hospital, Islamabad. Duration of the study was from January 2009 to January 2015. A total of 31 patients with the diagnosis of GIST were included, irrespective of age and gender. Data were retrieved from laboratory information system. Results were analysed by statistical software, Statistical Package of the Social Sciences. Morphologic type, site of tumour, risk category and overall survival were determined and mean, standard deviation, frequencies and percentages were calculated for age site and risk category. Results: Of 31 patients, 21 (67.7%) were male and 10 (32.3%) were female. Site of tumour was as follows: Gastric 13 (41.9%), extra visceral 6 (19.4%), small intestine 9 (29.0%), rectum 2 (6.5%) and pancreas 1 (3.2%). According to risk categorisation, one was categorised as (3.2%) very low risk, 3 (9.7%) low risk, 5 (16.1%) intermediate risk and 22 (71%) high risk. Follow-up was available in 21 patients. 7 patients (22.5%) lost to follow-up. 8 (25%) had recurrence and 4 (12.9%) died. Conclusion: Majority of cases diagnosed at our centre were gastric in origin followed by small intestine, and as per risk categorisation, most were high risk. Patient survival with high-risk tumours was dismal. Key words: Gastrointestinal stromal tumour, immunohistochemistry, risk categorisation

Lessons Drawn From Pakistan-Sri Lanka FTA

There has been an increase in bilateral trade between Sri Lanka and Pakistan in the post – FTA milieu. Today Pakistan is the second largest trading partner of Sri Lanka amongst South Asian economies. There have been some concerns about the negative trade balance for Sri Lanka however the lower prices have resulted in an increase in welfare for both countries. The negative trade balance for Sri Lanka can also be justified on the account that a significant proportion of Sri Lankan imports from Pakistan constitute raw material and related intermediate inputs that in turn lead to efficiency gains. Most noticeable are the over 30 percent imports from Pakistan, currently being used as raw material in Sri Lankan apparel sector. This industry making use of cheaper imports from Pakistan, in turn exports apparel to destinations that include US and EU

Lessons Drawn From Pakistan-Sri Lanka FTA

There has been an increase in bilateral trade between Sri Lanka and Pakistan in the post – FTA milieu. Today Pakistan is the second largest trading partner of Sri Lanka amongst South Asian economies. There have been some concerns about the negative trade balance for Sri Lanka however the lower prices have resulted in an increase in welfare for both countries. The negative trade balance for Sri Lanka can also be justified on the account that a significant proportion of Sri Lankan imports from Pakistan constitute raw material and related intermediate inputs that in turn lead to efficiency gains. Most noticeable are the over 30 percent imports from Pakistan, currently being used as raw material in Sri Lankan apparel sector. This industry making use of cheaper imports from Pakistan, in turn exports apparel to destinations that include US and EU

COVID-19 Mixed Impact on Hospital Antimicrobial Stewardship Activities: A Qualitative Study in UK-Based Hospitals

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a well-known global threat due to the subsequent increase in antimicrobial usage. Several antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) strategies have been implemented to curb irrational prescribing and reduce the AMR burden. However, since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, it has enormously impacted the healthcare system and jeopardized public health, causing millions of deaths globally. Our semi-structured qualitative study aimed to explore the impact of COVID-19 on AMS activities in the UK hospitals. Seventeen interviews were conducted with health care professionals who were part of AMS teams (consultant medical microbiologists, infectious disease consultants, antimicrobial pharmacists). Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed. An inductive thematic framework was adopted to analyse and create the themes. After agreement of the hierarchical framework definition, all transcripts were coded accordingly. Four main themes and 15 sub-themes were identified. These main themes were: (1) AMS activities or strategies before and during the pandemic; (2) challenges to implementing AMS activities before and during the pandemic; (3) information from public authorities on AMS during the pandemic; and (4) new AMS activities/strategies adopted during the pandemic. Staff vacancies, redeploying of AMS staff to other duties and meeting the burden related to the COVID-19 and lack of resources were the most frequently identified contributing factors to withheld AMS activities during the pandemic. However, modifications to the hybrid working environment, i.e., remote or flexible working, allowed for resumption of AMS activities including virtual ward rounds, virtual meetings and other activities. Further research needs to assess the impact of the hybrid delivery system on AMS activities