Phasing out the general nursing diploma programme at Aga khan university school of nursing Karachi, Pakistan

Aga Khan University was established as medical complex in 1980 and in 1983 received charter as first private university in Pakistan. Thus nursing education moved under the umbrella of a university which allowed starting under graduate and graduate degree education and in light of global trends in nursing profession and staffing and financial impact of nursing education, 2010 was the last intake of university\u27s founding programme; general nursing diploma. Concerns; male vs female nurses and taking nursing education as an easy route to enter in higher education resulting in unattained staffing require deliberations by stake holder including Pakistan Nursing Council

ANALISIS PERUBAHAN PENGGUNAAN LAHAN TERHADAP KEBERLANGSUNGAN FUNGSI KAWASAN HUTAN SUAKA MARGASATWA BAKIRIANG

Suaka Margasatwa Bakiriang (SM Bakiriang) merupakan salah satu kawasan hutan lindung yang memiliki keanekaragaman hayati di Provinsi Sulawesi Tengah.Berbagai aktivitas pemanfaatan lahan di dalam kawasan menyebabkan tidak berfungsinya kawasan sesuai arah peruntukannya. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis perubahan penggunaan lahan periode 1997-2012 dan faktor-faktor yang mempengaruhinya. Penelitian dilaksanakan dengan mengunakan metode ALUCT (Analysis of Land-Use and Land-Cover Changes and Trajectories)untuk memahami dinamika penggunaan lahan pada suatu bentang lahan dalam periode waktu tertentu melalui interpretasi data penginderaan jauh. Hasil penelitian menunjukan bahwa selama periode 1997-2012 luas penggunaan lahan pada kawasan SM Bakiriang mengalami perubahan yang cukup signifikan yakni 20,52% untuk kategori Kelompok Non-Suaka dan 79,48% yang masih dapat dikategorikan sebagai Kelompok Suaka. Faktor-faktor yang mempengaruhi perubahan penggunaan lahan antara lain minimnya informasi tentang kawasan, ketidakjelasan batas deliniasi, lemahnya monitoring dan evaluasi serta pertumbuhan penduduk yang relatif cepat

Genomic characterization of antibiotic resistant Escherichia coli isolated from domestic chickens in Pakistan

Poultry husbandry is important for the economic health of Pakistan, but the Pakistani poultry industry is negatively impacted by infections fro

Sequence and phylogenetic analysis of virulent Newcastle disease virus isolates from Pakistan during 2009–2013 reveals circulation of new sub genotype

AbstractDespite observing the standard bio-security measures at commercial poultry farms and extensive use of Newcastle disease vaccines, a new genotype VII-f of Newcastle disease virus (NDV) got introduced in Pakistan during 2011. In this regard 300 ND outbreaks recorded so far have resulted into huge losses of approximately USD 200 million during 2011–2013. A total of 33 NDV isolates recovered during 2009–2013 throughout Pakistan were characterized biologically and phylogenetically. The phylogenetic analysis revealed a new velogenic sub genotype VII-f circulating in commercial and domestic poultry along with the earlier reported sub genotype VII-b. Partial sequencing of Fusion gene revealed two types of cleavage site motifs; lentogenic 112GRQGRL117 and velogenic 112RRQKRF117 along with some point mutations indicative of genetic diversity. We report here a new sub genotype of virulent NDV circulating in commercial and backyard poultry in Pakistan and provide evidence for the possible genetic diversity which may be causing new NDV out breaks

Association between perioperative hypothermia and surgical site infection after elective abdominal surgery: A prospective cohort study

Introduction: Surgical site infections (SSIs) account for 14-16% of nosocomial infections and are one of the major causes of increased morbidity, hospital stay, cost of care, and even mortality. Hypothermia as a risk factor for SSI is debated but there is lack of conclusive evidence. The present study explores the association of hypothermia with SSI.Methodology: This is a prospective cohort study conducted on adult patients who underwent elective laparotomy. Patients were divided into two cohorts, the Hypothermia Cohort and the Normothermia Cohort, based upon episodes of hypothermia of \u3c360C in the perioperative period. SSI was diagnosed based upon criteria defined by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Postoperative follow-up to detect SSI was done until 30 days after the operation.Results: A total of 183 patients met the selection criteria and were included in the study. Ninety patients (49%) had perioperative hypothermia and were followed in the Hypothermia Cohort, while 93 patients (51%) who remained normothermic in the perioperative period were followed in the Normothermia Cohort. Mean age of the patients was 49.77 +/- 14.82 years. Almost two-thirds of the participants were females (63.9%). Patients who developed hypothermia were significantly older and had lower BMI. Also the proportion of female patients was significantly higher in the Normothermic Cohort.Rate of SSI was similar in both groups (10% versus 10.8%) with p-value of 0.867. Multivariable regression analysis also failed to show any significant association between hypothermia and SSI.Conclusion: Our study failed to show any statistically significant association between hypothermia and surgical site infection

A pH-responsive bi-MIL-88B MOF coated with folic acid-conjugated chitosan as a promising nanocarrier for targeted drug delivery of 5-Fluorouracil

Cancer has remained one of the leading causes of death worldwide, with a lack of effective treatment. The intrinsic shortcomings of conventional therapeutics regarding tumor specificity and non-specific toxicity prompt us to look for alternative therapeutics to mitigate these limitations. In this regard, we developed multifunctional bimetallic (FeCo) bi-MIL-88B-FC MOFs modified with folic acid—conjugated chitosan (FC) as drug delivery systems (DDS) for targeted delivery of 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU). The bi-MIL-88B nanocarriers were characterized through various techniques, including powder X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray, thermogravimetric analysis, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Interestingly, 5-FU@bi-MIL-88B-FC showed slower release of 5-FU due to a gated effect phenomenon endowed by FC surface coating compared to un-modified 5-FU@bi-MIL-88B. The pH-responsive drug release was observed, with 58% of the loaded 5-FU released in cancer cells mimicking pH (5.2) compared to only 24.9% released under physiological pH (5.4). The in vitro cytotoxicity and cellular internalization experiments revealed the superiority of 5-FU@bi-MIL-88B-FC as a highly potent targeted DDS against folate receptor (FR) positive SW480 cancer cells. Moreover, due to the presence of Fe and Co in the structure, bi-MIL-88B exhibited peroxidase-like activity for chemodynamic therapy. Based on the results, 5-FU@bi-MIL-88B-FC could serve as promising candidate for smart DDS by sustained drug release and selective targeting

Determination of expression profile of p53 gene in different grades of breast cancer tissues by real time PCR

Background: Pakistan has a high incidence of breast cancer in Asia, where annually 16,232 deaths are reported. There are many exogenous and endogenous risk factors that affect the tumor suppressor genes and oncogenes. The p53 gene is a tumor suppressor gene and it has a role to protect the whole genome from external and internal stresses, which causes damages to the genome. Objective: The aim of the current study was to investigate the p53 gene expression by using the real-time PCR technique in different grades of breast cancer as compared to the normal tissue. Methods: Fresh Modified Radical Mastectomy (MRM) samples (grade1-grade3) were collected from different hospitals of the Lahore. The project was approved by an ethical review committee of Jinnah Hospital, Lahore. And before sampling an informed consent was obtained from patients and clinicians. RNA from fresh biopsies was extracted by Qiagen extraction kit and cDNA was formed. Real time PCR performed by using SYBR green master mix (ABI) and the data was evaluated by using Livak method. Statistical analysis was done by using Microsoft Excel. Results: There was an abnormal gene expression of p53 in all grades of the breast tumors. Non-significant (p>0.05) difference of down and up regulation of p53 in different grades of breast tumor was found. However, as a whole up-regulation was more than down-regulation with significant difference (p<0.0011). Conclusion: The abnormal expression of p53 shows that there are some genetic and epigenetic factors which are the primal cause of an abnormal gene expression. It is recommended that perform next generation sequencing (NGS) of the gene to find out the mutations causing the abnormal behavior of p53 gene

Finite element analysis of non-Newtonian magnetohemodynamic flow conveying nanoparticles through a stenosed coronary artery

The present study considers two-dimensional mathematical modelling of non-Newtonian nanofluid hemodynamics with heat and mass transfer in a stenosed coronary artery in the presence of a radial magnetic field. The second-grade differential viscoelastic constitutive model is adopted for blood to mimic non-Newtonian characteristics and blood is considered to contain a homogenous suspension of nanoparticles. Vogel’s model is employed to simulate the variation of blood viscosity as a function of temperature. The governing equations are an extension of the Navier-Stokes equations with linear Boussinesq’s approximation and Buongiorno’s nanoscale model (which simulates both heat and mass transfer). The conservation equations are normalized by employing appropriate non-dimensional variables. It is assumed that the maximum height of the stenosis is small in comparison with the radius of the artery and furthermore that the radius of the artery and length of the stenotic region are of comparable magnitude. To study the influence of vessel geometry on blood flow and nano-particle transport, variation in the design and size of the stenosis is considered in the domain. The transformed equations are solved numerically by means of the finite element method based on the variational approach and simulated using the FreeFEM++ code. A detailed grid-independence study is included. Blood flow, heat and mass transfer characteristics are examined for the effects of selected geometric, nanoscale, rheological, viscosity and magnetic parameters i.e. stenotic diameter (d), viscoelastic parameter (), thermophoresis parameter (Ni), Brownian motion parameter (Nb) and magnetic body force parameter (M) at the throat of the stenosis and throughout the arterial domain. The velocity, temperature and nanoparticle concentration fields are also visualized through instantaneous patterns of contours. An increase in magnetic and thermophoresis parameters is found to enhance the temperature, nanoparticle concentration and skin-friction coefficient. Increasing Brownian motion parameter is observed to accelerate the blood flow. Narrower stenosis significantly alters the temperature and nano-particle distributions and magnitudes. The novelty of the study relates to the combination of geometric complexity, multi-physical nanoscale and thermomagnetic behaviour and also the simultaneous presence of bio-rheological behaviour (all of which arise in actual cardiovascular heat transfer phenomena) in a single work with extensive visualization of the flow, heat and mass transfer characteristics. The simulations are relevant to diffusion of nanodrugs in magnetic targeted treatment of stenosed arterial disease