Attitude toward organ donation: a survey in Pakistan

This study was conducted to get an insight into the knowledge, attitude, and practices of the people of Pakistan regarding organ donation (OD), and to understand the various factors that influence these. Systematic sampling was used to generate a sample size of 357. Data collection was carried out via a questionnaire in the outpatient units of our hospital. All kinds of medical and surgical patients were interviewed. Knowledge of ODs that occur in Pakistan and the rest of the world was found to be 65.5 and 72.8%, respectively. The percentage of those willing to donate their organ/s was 59.9%. Knowledge of OD was significantly associated with education and socioeconomic status. Willingness to donate had a significant association with gender. It also had a moderate association with education and socioeconomic status. Awareness of OD and the knowledge that OD can save lives was also significantly associated with the willingness to donate

Dynamic role of organic matter and bioagent for the management of Meloidogyne incognita–Rhizoctonia solani disease complex on tomato in relation to some growth attributes

A disease complex involving Meloidogyne incognita–Rhizoctonia solani was studied on tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum var. Pusa Ruby) under glasshouse conditions to determine their concomitant effect on plant growth variables. Biofertilizers Nerium indicum and Trichoderma harzianum were tested against both pathogens individually as well as concomitantly and found its role in minimizing disease severity. Inoculation of M. incognita and R. solani resulted a significant reduction in plant growth variables over control. The plant growth variables reduction was more pronounced by M. incognita as compared to R. solani. However, T. harzianum exhibited their potential against the disease complex but was less effective than N. indicum. A manifold improvement in plant growth parameters was observed when plants were treated with biofertilizers, N. indicum and T. harzianum simultaneously. The present work has revealed that the combined application of N. indicum and T. harzianum may be a better option for the management of disease complex M. incognita–R. solani on tomato. Application of these biofertilizers after field trials may be suitable module of organic farming

Empower Generations: Longitudinal Study for National Capacities in Life Sciences and Healthcare

Background: The decrease in the number of adolescents showing genuine interest in the fields of healthcare has been one of the recent concerns worldwide. A plethora of studies have discussed the factors that influence career choices of high school students, including science educational pedagogies, gender, environment, the student’s cognitive capabilities, and social perceptions of occupations being gender-based. As reported in 2012, a majority of the Qatari high-school students have shown a greater interest in business, technological, and administrative careers and a lower interest in healthcare. Comprehensive national and institutional strategies have since been utilized to direct the interest of Qatari generation toward healthcare careers. Objective: The primary objective of this case-control study is to assess the effect of schooling type on the enrollment in the Empower Generations (EG) career training in healthcare at the Qatar University. The secondary objectives are: (1) to describe the effect of initial career interest on the EG and healthcare majors composite’s enrollments and (2) assess the association between the history of enrollment in EG and university GPAs. Method: This is a case-control study that utilized the Qatar University’s enrollment databases for the health professions majors, that is, Health Sciences, Medicine, Pharmacy, and Dentistry. The datasets were collected from the registration records between 2013 and 2020. The statistical analysis was performed on the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 26; the study used Chi-Square Test and Independence and logistic regression to assess the effect of schooling type and initial career interest on the enrollment in the EG training at the Qatar University. All statistics were tested for p = 0.05 and 95% CI. Results: Total QU-Health records of admissions from 2013 to 2020 involve 562 eligible students. A total of 180 students (32%) attended EG training before they were admitted to QU-Health, whereas a total of 382 (68%) were enrolled to QU-Health without attending EG training. The study revealed significant findings regarding the association between EG training and international schools (p < 0.001). Among the group who attended EG training, there were 63 students (75%) who reported that they did not have an initial career interest before they joined the EG training compared to 21 students (25%) reported that they did not have an initial career interest but enrolled immediately to healthcare majors. The findings indicate insignificant association between the history of EG training and the high school percentage p = 0.397. However, the association between a history of EG training and the university’s GPA is significant, with a p < 0.001, OR 5.016 (2.954–8.518). Conclusion: The study has shown significant association between the EG training enrollment and the type of school and the initial career interest of high school students. The EG training is perceived to direct the interest of high school students toward the careers of healthcare and is thought to enhance the performance of college students through their university’s GPAs