Orbital aspergillus infection mimicking a tumour: A case report

A 14-year-old male presented to the neurosurgical clinic with swelling just above the right eye which had been growing slowly for the last eight years. The swelling first appeared following a non-penetrating trauma eight years ago. On examination it was a non-tender, non-erythematous, firm, round swelling causing marked proptosis and diplopia on downward gaze only. The visual acuity was intact. MRI showed an intraorbital, extraconal mass isointense on T1 and hypointense on T2 imaging. A diagnosis of orbital tumor was made. A white, friable mass consistent with meningioma was resected. However histopathology report later showed it to be an Aspergilloma. The Patient was successfully treated with anti-fungal medicine and was disease-free at one year follow-up

Radical Chemistry in a Femtosecond Laser Plasma: Photochemical Reduction of Ag+ in Liquid Ammonia Solution

Plasmas with dense concentrations of reactive species such as hydrated electrons and hydroxyl radicals are generated from focusing intense femtosecond laser pulses into aqueous media. These radical species can reduce metal ions such as Au3+ to form metal nanoparticles (NPs). However, the formation of H2O2 by the recombination of hydroxyl radicals inhibits the reduction of Ag+ through back-oxidation. This work has explored the control of hydroxyl radical chemistry in a femtosecond laser-generated plasma through the addition of liquid ammonia. The irradiation of liquid ammonia solutions resulted in a reaction between NH3 and OH·, forming peroxynitrite and ONOO−, and significantly reducing the amount of H2O2 generated. Varying the liquid ammonia concentration controlled the Ag+ reduction rate, forming 12.7 ± 4.9 nm silver nanoparticles at the optimal ammonia concentration. The photochemical mechanisms underlying peroxynitrite formation and Ag+ reduction are discussed

Causes of Stress and Burnout among Working Mothers in Pakistan

Review of literature revealed that there is lack of empirical studies on the job burnout particularly among working mothers in Pakistan. The present study therefore examined the main causes and reasons of job burnout among working mothers in Pakistan. In this study, the lived experiences of working mothers in twin cities Islamabad and Rawalpindi towards stress and burnout were examined. This qualitative study interviewed 12 Pakistani working mothers. By using phenomenological method several themes and sub themes emerged which provided a description of the experience. Four themes work health factor, work overload, work environment, work family conflict and six sub themes emerged from the data. This work explores the reasons of the burnout among working mothers and provides recommendations for further examination. Interview results show that participants are going through the same level of stress at the certain stage

Orbital aspergillus infection mimicking a tumour: a case report

A 14-year-old male presented to the neurosurgical clinic with swelling just above the right eye which had been growing slowly for the last eight years. The swelling first appeared following a non-penetrating trauma eight years ago. On examination it was a non-tender, non-erythematous, firm, round swelling causing marked proptosis and diplopia on downward gaze only. The visual acuity was intact. MRI showed an intraorbital, extraconal mass isointense on T1 and hypointense on T2 imaging. A diagnosis of orbital tumor was made. A white, friable mass consistent with meningioma was resected. However histopathology report later showed it to be an Aspergilloma. The patient was successfully treated with anti-fungal medicine and was disease-free at one year follow-up

Does lipocalin-2 affect metabolic syndrome in hepatic infections?

Background and objective: Lipocalin-2 (LCN-2) is an adipokine that plays a protective role in various inflammatory disorders and regulates innate immune response to acute and chronic infections. However, scant information is available regarding the relationship between serum LCN-2 levels and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) occurring concurrently with chronic hepatic infections. The present study sought to investigate the association of LCN-2 with T2DM patients with hepatic infections.Methods: The association of LCN-2 with T2DM, hepatic steatosis, and inflammation was tested in 37 non-T2DM noninfectious individuals (group A, control group) and 55 age-matched patients with T2DM and chronic infection (group B). Anthropometric data were measured and the body-fat percentage was calculated using bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA). Hemoglobin (Hb), fasting plasma glucose (FPG), hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), liver function enzymes (LFEs), lipid profile, and total leukocyte count (TLC) were measured. Serum LCN-2 levels were measured using a commercially available sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method.Results: Levels of LCN-2 were significantly elevated in group B (1896.90 ± 73.13 ng/ml) versus control group A (263.58 ± 15.66 ng/mL; p\u3c0.001). LCN-2 correlated moderately with alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (r=0.369), alkaline phosphatase ALP (r=0.419), and HbA1c (r=0.341) (p\u3c0.01). All correlations were lost when adjusted for the presence of hepatitis, indicating that liver infection exacerbates insulin resistance.Conclusion: Based on our findings, circulating LCN-2 is elevated in T2DM subjects with hepatitis B co-infection and may contribute towards deranged inflammatory response

Comparative study between breast conservative surgery and modified radical mastectomy in early stage of breast carcinoma in a tertiary care hospital

Background: Breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer in women globally, with two million new cases and more than half a million deaths each year. Surgery is the key component of treating breast cancer and there are two primary types of breast surgery available: breast conservative surgery and modified radical mastectomy. The aim of this study was to compare BCS and MRM in the treatment of early-stage breast carcinoma. Methods: This was a prospective observational study that involved 74 patients and was carried out in the Department of Surgery at Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College & Hospital and Enam Medical College & Hospital with an 18-months minimum follow-up. The time frame for inclusion was from July 2018 through July 2020. There were two patient groups, 37 patients in Group A who underwent breast conservative surgery and Group B was made up of 37 individuals who had MRM for early-stage breast carcinoma. Results: With a mean age of 47.65 years in the BCS group and 48.19 years in the MRM group, the operative time for BCS was 1.04±0.25 hours, whereas 3.20±0.48 hours for MRM. Statistically significant higher amount of post-operative drainage volume in MRM group compared to BCS group (p value=0.000). With an excellent aesthetic outcome rate in BCS group (p value<0.0001) as well as better quality of life than MRM group. Conclusions: Breast conservative surgery and modified radical mastectomy are both oncologically safe treatments for early-stage breast cancer with multidisciplinary approach. BCS offers less trauma, infection and hospital stay; better aesthetic outcome and quality of life than MRM, making it more deserving of being promoted clinically in the treatment of early-stage breast cancer

Genomic landscape of prominent XDR Acinetobacter clonal complexes from Dhaka, Bangladesh

Background: Acinetobacter calcoaceticus-A. baumannii (ACB) complex pathogens are known for their prevalence in nosocomial infections and extensive antimicrobial resistance (AMR) capabilities. While genomic studies worldwide have elucidated the genetic context of antibiotic resistance in major international clones (ICs) of clinical Acinetobacter spp., not much information is available from Bangladesh. In this study, we analysed the AMR profiles of 63 ACB complex strains collected from Dhaka, Bangladesh. Following this, we generated draft genomes of 15 of these strains to understand the prevalence and genomic environments of AMR, virulence and mobilization associated genes in different Acinetobacter clones. Results: Around 84% (n = 53) of the strains were extensively drug resistant (XDR) with two showing pan-drug resistance. Draft genomes generated for 15 strains confirmed 14 to be A. baumannii while one was A. nosocomialis. Most A. baumannii genomes fell under three clonal complexes (CCs): the globally dominant CC1 and CC2, and CC10; one strain had a novel sequence type (ST). AMR phenotype-genotype agreement was observed and the genomes contained various beta-lactamase genes including blaOXA-23 (n = 12), blaOXA-66 (n = 6), and blaNDM-1 (n = 3). All genomes displayed roughly similar virulomes, however some virulence genes such as the Acinetobactin bauA and the type IV pilus gene pilA displayed high genetic variability. CC2 strains carried highest levels of plasmidic gene content and possessed conjugative elements carrying AMR genes, virulence factors and insertion sequences. Conclusion: This study presents the first comparative genomic analysis of XDR clinical Acinetobacter spp. from Bangladesh. It highlights the prevalence of different classes of beta-lactamases, mobilome-derived heterogeneity in genetic architecture and virulence gene variability in prominent Acinetobacter clonal complexes in the country. The findings of this study would be valuable in understanding the genomic epidemiology of A. baumannii clones and their association with closely related pathogenic species like A. nosocomialis in Bangladesh. 2022, The Author(s).This work was funded by North South University Conference Travel and Research Grants (NSU CTRG) Committee under the grant number: NSU-RP-18-042.Scopu

International Conference on Information Management & Libraries (ICIML): An Overview

The centennial celebrations under the theme “Looking Back, Moving Forward” took place under the leadership of the Chair, Professor Dr. Kanwal Ameen throughout the year 2015. A number of events were planned in this regard. However, the highlight of the centenary celebrations was the International Conference on Information Management and Libraries (ICIML), held from November 10-13th, 2015.Professor Kanwal Ameen, served as the Conference Chair, Professor (Honorary) Mumtaz Ali Anwar, as the Honorary Chair and Dr. Muhammad Rafiq, Associate Professor, as the Secretary of the Conference. To organize this mega event, six committees were formulated, i.e. Program Advisory; Organizing; Promotion; Sponsorship; Finance and Registration convened by Dr. Nosheen Fatima, Dr. Shafiq-ur-Rehman, Syeda Hina Batool, Haseeb Ahmed Piracha, Alia Arshad and Amara Malik respectively. In addition to these committees, a number of volunteers did a lot of work for making this event successful.More than 500 participants from Asia, Middle East, Africa, Europe and USA attended the conference. Eighty authors contributed 57 presentations including 3 key note speeches, 13 invited papers, 15 full papers, 9 short papers, 7 best practices and 10 short presentations (PechaKuchas) during four days of conference. The contributors presented their papers on education, information seeking, information literacy, management, ICT, Big data, Scientometrics, Makerspaces in libraries, E-books, digital libraries, disaster management, library services and other areas. Each session included questions-answer by the audience after the papers’ presentations, and concluding remarks by the Chairs. At the end of session, presenters, secretaries and chairs were presented souvenirs by the Conference Chair. The conference was exemplary in time management from the very beginning to the last event and applauded for this aspect by all

Negative coping styles among individuals with cannabis use disorder and non-users

Objectives: To investigate the differences in negative coping styles used by individuals with cannabis use disorder and non-users. Methods: The quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted from November, 2016 to August 2017 at Foundation University, Rawalpindi, Pakistan, and comprised individuals aged 15-34 years. Data was collected from drug rehabilitation and university students of Rawalpindi and Islamabad. The sample was divided into groups of cannabis users and non-users. Data was collected using the brief version of the Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced inventory and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders version 5. Data was analysed using SPSS 21. Results: Of the 204 participants, 104(51%) were users with a mean age of 27±5.37 years and 100(49%) were non-users with a mean age of 25±5.65 years. The users scored higher at active avoidance coping compared to the non-users (p0.05). Active avoidance coping differed across individuals with mild, moderate and severe cannabis use disorder (p0.05). Conclusion: Active avoidance coping was found to be an important characteristic in relation Continuous..