Psychology university students’ mental health status during COVID-19 pandemic in Karachi, Pakistan

Purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic has brought challenges in various domains of life but for low and middle-income country university students very demanding situations have emerged. University students’ psychological well-being has always been an area of concern worldwide and higher rates of anxiety and depression have been extensively reported among this cohort. Objective: To determine the frequency of depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and quality of sleep and the association of sleep quality and personality traits with anxiety and depressive symptoms among university students in Karachi, Pakistan in the context of the pandemic COVID-19. Method: This web-based cross-sectional study was conducted among the students of a renowned, private, and HEC-recognized university during March 2020 to April 2020. Google forms were used to disseminate the online questionnaire to screen for depression-Patient Health Questionnaire—PHQ-9, anxiety-Generalized Anxiety Disorder—GAD-7, sleep-quality-Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index Scale— PSQI and personality traits-Short Term Big Five Inventory—BFI-S. Results: Among the total sample size of 227 students, a considerable proportion of student participants had symptoms of mild anxiety [34.8%], moderate anxiety [15.9%], severe anxiety [18%], mild depression [19.8%], moderate depression [21.5%], moderately severe depression [13.3%] and severe depression [12%]. The majority of them were poor sleepers [77.5%]. Poor sleep quality was also associated with the level of depression and anxiety with a p-value of \u3c0.001. Those with Conscientiousness, Extroversion & Neuroticism were comparatively more vulnerable to anxiety and depression than people with other traits. Conclusion: This study gives strong evidence that a large percentage of university students have been suffering from depressive and anxiety symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic accompanied by poor sleep quality. Protecting students’ mental health is an inevitable target during health crises by developing preventive strategies and interventions to address the psychological well-being of university students. The findings also highlight the significance of personality traits as a relevant component of individual differences to respond to various health-related emergencies

Impact of Microfinance on Poverty Reduction: A Case Study of District Faisalabad

The micro - finance program extends small loans to very poor people for self-employment projects that generate income, allowing them to care for themselves and for their families. Micro-finance enables an entrepreneur to build a business or expand the existing business and create a better change in their lives. The micro-financing institutions (MFIs) provide the opportunity for the people who are living under the poverty lines by investing the affordable funds/capital and somehow by providing their management expertise. This study shows the effect of micro-financing of small business and the implications for poverty reduction. The respondents are the clients of Khushhali Bank Ltd, District Faisalabad. The data were collected with the help of well-designed and structured questionnaire, which will be analyzed by applying FGT techniques. The results showed that the poverty has been reduced by financing the peoples. Keywords:Micro finance, poverty, FG

Prevalence of needle stick injury and its associated factors among nursing staff working at a tertiary care hospital of North India

Background: Needle stick injury is a serious concern for healthcare workers as it poses a major risk for HIV, Hepatitis and other diseases transmission. The study aimed to determine the prevalence of NSI and its associated factors among nursing staff working at SKIMS, a tertiary care hospital of Kashmir, India. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 200 nurses working in different departments of SKIMS. Data regarding socio-demographic, various organizational and behavioral factors that may contribute to NSI, was collected using self-structured questionnaire and analysed using IBM statistical package for social sciences (SPSS), version 23. Results: The overall prevalence of NSI among nurses of SKIMS was 61% and it was 43.5% in the last 1 year. The nurses working for >40 hrs per week were found more at risk of NSI and it was more prevalent in young nurses with ≤5 years of experience. The nurses working in emergency unit were found more prone to NSI than the other units and recapping was found as the most common practice responsible for NSI. Post exposure to NSI, only 21.5% were found to wash the injury site with soap, water and applied antiseptics and most of them (75%) had not reported NSI to the concerned body. Conclusions: The magnitude of needlestick injury among nurses was high. Awareness generation regarding occupational health hazards of NSI, protective measures, the importance of reporting of incident and sharp management is the need of hour

Deploying blockchains to simplify AI algorithm auditing

Artificial Intelligence has largely occupied various sectors in the world. A huge number of business companies have incorporated several machine learning algorithms for day-to-day decision making. With increasing applications of AI algorithms, the concerns regarding its outcomes have also increased due to bias. In AI algorithms, bias occurs due to multiple reasons including incomplete data, skewed data, human error and so on. These algorithms have the tendency to amplify partially and discrimination in the results instead of benefiting them. This makes it compulsory for the algorithms to be audited. Currently, AI algorithm auditing processes have several challenges including tendency of biases to be deeply ingrained into the system, making these difficult to mitigate; lack of transparency in decision making and many more. This study presents the emerging technology of blockchains to be a viable solution to the existing problem. It comprehensively discusses the suitability of blockchains for transparency in the process of algorithm auditing which is bound to easily capture the issue and the layer consisting it. Consequently, the process of algorithm auditing will be more convenient and more productive. Moreover, this review also discusses some potential challenges that need to be addressed and some future recommendations for this integration

Diabetes Prevalence Survey of Pakistan (DPS-PAK): prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus and prediabetes using HbA1c: a population-based survey from Pakistan

Objectives: We conducted a Pakistan-wide community-based survey on the prevalence of type 2 diabetes using glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) as the screening test. The aim was to estimate diabetes prevalence across different demographic groups as well as all regions of Pakistan. Design, settings and participants: Multistaged stratified cluster sampling was used for the representative selection of people aged ≥20 years, residing in 378 sampled clusters of 16 randomly selected districts, in this cross-sectional study. Eligible participants had blood drawn for HbA1c analyses at field clinics near to their homes. The oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was conducted on a subsample of the participants. Overall and stratified prevalence of type 2 diabetes and its association with risk factors were estimated using logistic regression models. Main outcome measures: Prevalence of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes. Results: Of 18 856 eligible participants the prevalence of prediabetes was 10.91% (95% CI 10.46 to 11.36, n=2057) and type 2 diabetes was 16.98% (95% CI 16.44 to 17.51, n=3201). Overall, the mean HbA1c level was 5.62% (SD 1.96), and among newly diagnosed was 8.56% (SD 2.08). The prevalence was highest in age 51–60 years (26.03%, p\u3c0.001), no formal education (17.66%, p\u3c0.001), class III obese (35.09%, p\u3c0.001), family history (31.29%, p\u3c0.001) and female (17.80%, p=0.009). On multivariate analysis, there was a significant association between type 2 diabetes and older age, increase in body mass index and central obesity, positive family history, and having hypertension and an inverse relation with education as a categorical variable. On a subsample (n=1027), summary statistics for diagnosis of diabetes on HbA1c showed a sensitivity of 84.7%, specificity of 87.2% and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve 0.86, compared with OGTT. Conclusions: The prevalence of type 2 diabetes and prediabetes is much higher than previously thought in Pakistan. Comprehensive strategies need to be developed to incorporate screening, prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetes at a community level

Diabetes Prevalence Survey of Pakistan (DPS-PAK): prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus and prediabetes using HbA1c: a population-based survey from Pakistan

Objectives: We conducted a Pakistan-wide community-based survey on the prevalence of type 2 diabetes using glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) as the screening test. The aim was to estimate diabetes prevalence across different demographic groups as well as all regions of Pakistan. Design, settings and participants: Multistaged stratified cluster sampling was used for the representative selection of people aged ≥20 years, residing in 378 sampled clusters of 16 randomly selected districts, in this cross-sectional study. Eligible participants had blood drawn for HbA1c analyses at field clinics near to their homes. The oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was conducted on a subsample of the participants. Overall and stratified prevalence of type 2 diabetes and its association with risk factors were estimated using logistic regression models. Main outcome measures: Prevalence of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes. Results: Of 18 856 eligible participants the prevalence of prediabetes was 10.91% (95% CI 10.46 to 11.36, n=2057) and type 2 diabetes was 16.98% (95% CI 16.44 to 17.51, n=3201). Overall, the mean HbA1c level was 5.62% (SD 1.96), and among newly diagnosed was 8.56% (SD 2.08). The prevalence was highest in age 51–60 years (26.03%, p<0.001), no formal education (17.66%, p<0.001), class III obese (35.09%, p<0.001), family history (31.29%, p<0.001) and female (17.80%, p=0.009). On multivariate analysis, there was a significant association between type 2 diabetes and older age, increase in body mass index and central obesity, positive family history, and having hypertension and an inverse relation with education as a categorical variable. On a subsample (n=1027), summary statistics for diagnosis of diabetes on HbA1c showed a sensitivity of 84.7%, specificity of 87.2% and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve 0.86, compared with OGTT. Conclusions: The prevalence of type 2 diabetes and prediabetes is much higher than previously thought in Pakistan. Comprehensive strategies need to be developed to incorporate screening, prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetes at a community level

Burden of cancer in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, 2005-2015: findings from the Global Burden of Disease 2015 Study

Fitzmaurice C, Alsharif U, El Bcheraoui C, et al. Burden of cancer in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, 2005-2015: findings from the Global Burden of Disease 2015 Study. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH. 2018;63(Suppl. 1):151-164.To estimate incidence, mortality, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) caused by cancer in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) between 2005 and 2015. Vital registration system and cancer registry data from the EMR region were analyzed for 29 cancer groups in 22 EMR countries using the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015 methodology. In 2015, cancer was responsible for 9.4% of all deaths and 5.1% of all DALYs. It accounted for 722,646 new cases, 379,093 deaths, and 11.7 million DALYs. Between 2005 and 2015, incident cases increased by 46%, deaths by 33%, and DALYs by 31%. The increase in cancer incidence was largely driven by population growth and population aging. Breast cancer, lung cancer, and leukemia were the most common cancers, while lung, breast, and stomach cancers caused most cancer deaths. Cancer is responsible for a substantial disease burden in the EMR, which is increasing. There is an urgent need to expand cancer prevention, screening, and awareness programs in EMR countries as well as to improve diagnosis, treatment, and palliative care services

Trends in HIV/AIDS morbidity and mortality in Eastern 3 Mediterranean countries, 1990–2015: findings from the Global 4 Burden of Disease 2015 study

Objectives We used the results of the Global Burden of Disease 2015 study to estimate trends of HIV/AIDS burden in Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) countries between 1990 and 2015. Methods Tailored estimation methods were used to produce final estimates of mortality. Years of life lost (YLLs) were calculated by multiplying the mortality rate by population by age-specific life expectancy. Years lived with disability (YLDs) were computed as the prevalence of a sequela multiplied by its disability weight. Results In 2015, the rate of HIV/AIDS deaths in the EMR was 1.8 (1.4–2.5) per 100,000 population, a 43% increase from 1990 (0.3; 0.2–0.8). Consequently, the rate of YLLs due to HIV/AIDS increased from 15.3 (7.6–36.2) per 100,000 in 1990 to 81.9 (65.3–114.4) in 2015. The rate of YLDs increased from 1.3 (0.6–3.1) in 1990 to 4.4 (2.7–6.6) in 2015. Conclusions HIV/AIDS morbidity and mortality increased in the EMR since 1990. To reverse this trend and achieve epidemic control, EMR countries should strengthen HIV surveillance,and scale up HIV antiretroviral therapy and comprehensive prevention services

Burden of cardiovascular diseases in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, 1990-2015 : findings from the Global Burden of Disease 2015 study

To report the burden of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) during 1990-2015. We used the 2015 Global Burden of Disease study for estimates of mortality and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) of different CVD in 22 countries of EMR. A total of 1.4 million CVD deaths (95% UI: 1.3-1.5) occurred in 2015 in the EMR, with the highest number of deaths in Pakistan (465,116) and the lowest number of deaths in Qatar (723). The age-standardized DALY rate per 100,000 decreased from 10,080 in 1990 to 8606 in 2015 (14.6% decrease). Afghanistan had the highest age-standardized DALY rate of CVD in both 1990 and 2015. Kuwait and Qatar had the lowest age-standardized DALY rates of CVD in 1990 and 2015, respectively. High blood pressure, high total cholesterol, and high body mass index were the leading risk factors for CVD. The age-standardized DALY rates in the EMR are considerably higher than the global average. These findings call for a comprehensive approach to prevent and control the burden of CVD in the region.Peer reviewe

Transport injuries and deaths in the Eastern Mediterranean Region : findings from the Global Burden of Disease 2015 Study

Transport injuries (TI) are ranked as one of the leading causes of death, disability, and property loss worldwide. This paper provides an overview of the burden of TI in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) by age and sex from 1990 to 2015. Transport injuries mortality in the EMR was estimated using the Global Burden of Disease mortality database, with corrections for ill-defined causes of death, using the cause of death ensemble modeling tool. Morbidity estimation was based on inpatient and outpatient datasets, 26 cause-of-injury and 47 nature-of-injury categories. In 2015, 152,855 (95% uncertainty interval: 137,900-168,100) people died from TI in the EMR countries. Between 1990 and 2015, the years of life lost (YLL) rate per 100,000 due to TI decreased by 15.5%, while the years lived with disability (YLD) rate decreased by 10%, and the age-standardized disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) rate decreased by 16%. Although the burden of TI mortality and morbidity decreased over the last two decades, there is still a considerable burden that needs to be addressed by increasing awareness, enforcing laws, and improving road conditions.Peer reviewe