Determination of Credit Programme Participation and Socioeconomic Characteristics of Beneficiaries:Evidence from Sargodha

In Pakistan about 65 percent population live in rural areas. The rural credit markets are segmented and imperfect. Micro -credit is considered as a valuable technique to deal with imperfections of credit markets. In this study, we analysed rural credit market of District Sargodha, Pakistan to study the socio economic characteristics of the beneficiaries and identify the determinants of participation in credit programme in the year 2004-2005. To analyse characteristic the descriptive analysis was used. For identifying the factors affecting household access to credit and participation in programme, a binary Logistic regression model was employed. Results of both analyses showed that at household level, participation in credit programme was significantly related to household characteristics, where participants were indifferent to increase in rate of interest. More than 80 percent loan came from informal sector but the probability of participation significantly increased if there existed any formal financial institution.

Association of oxidative stress with female infertility - a case control study

Objective: To compare stress markers and reproductive hormones in fertile and infertile females, and to relate the markers with age, duration and cause of infertility, and body mass index..Methods: The case-control study was conducted at Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, from March 2017 to February 2018. Females aged 16-50 years regardless of ethnic background were recruited from the Australian Concept Infertility Medical Centre, Karachi, and were equally divided into infertile cases group A, and fertile controls group B. Serum follicular stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, estradiol, glutathione reductase and cortisol were measured using enzyme-linked innmunosorbent assay. SPSS 19 was used for statistical analysis..Results: There were 328 female subjects divided into two equal groups of 164(50%). Serum luteinizing hormone and cortisol was higher in the group A than in group B (p\u3c0.001). Serum glutathione reductase was low in group A compared to group B (p\u3c0.001). Duration of infertility, serum levels of glutathione reductase and cortisol were also significantly different among infertile females when distributed on the basis of cause of infertility (p\u3c0.05). Serum cortisol had negative correlation with glutathione reductase (p\u3c0.001). Age and body mass index had a positive correlation with serum cortisol (p=0.035; p=0.63), while there was a negative correlation with glutathione reductase (p = -0.732)..Conclusions: Prolonged duration of infertility, age of females and body mass index enhanced the production of stress hormones and decreased antioxidant activity which augmented the risk of infertility

Relationship between smoking habit and sperm parameters among patients attending an infertility clinic

Background: This study aimed to estimate stress markers, oxidative stress (OS), reproductive hormones and sperm parameters in male smokers and non-smokers and observe the impact of oxidative stress markers and smoking on sperm count, motility and morphology in a selected population of Karachi, Pakistan.Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted from July 2017 to July 2018 at Aga Khan University (AKU), in Karachi, Pakistan. The subjects were recruited from the Sindh Institute of Reproductive Medicine (SIRM), Karachi based on defined inclusion criteria. The subjects were categorized into fertile and infertile based on cut off values of sperm parameters as recommended by the WHO i.e., sperm count/ejaculate of 39 × 106/ml, sperm motility 40% and normal morphology 4%. Two hundred eleven fertile and 165 infertile male subjects were included in the study. Serum cortisol, adrenaline, superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) were analyzed by ELISA kits. Data was analyzed on SPSS-22. A p-value of \u3c0.05 was considered statistically significant.Results: Age, Body Mass Index (BMI), and body fat were similar among smokers and non-smokers. Age was significantly lower, while mean BMI and body fat were significantly higher among infertile smokers vs. fertile smokers (p-value \u3c 0.05). The testosterone levels were significantly reduced among smokers as compared to non- smokers (p-value \u3c 0.05). The median cortisol levels were increased as well as GPX, and steroid hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) were significantly reduced among smokers as compared to non-smokers. Additionally, the same findings with a significant difference have also been observed among infertile smokers as compared to fertile smokers (p-value \u3c 0.05). This study has shown that the semen parameters (total count, motility, and morphology) are decreased in infertile smokers as compared to infertile non-smokers. Furthermore, the multivariate analysis showed that smoking causes a significant decrease in sperm count and morphology but it did not have any significant effect on motility.Conclusion: Smoking has a significant effect on fertility, specifically sperm count and normal morphology of sperm. This might be due to OS produced by smoking, which has devastating effects on semen parameters, thus reducing male fertility. Infertility specialist should counsel their patients about the ill effects of smoking on their fertility status and should advise maintaining a healthy lifestyle, including normal weight and avoiding smoking, to prevent future health problems. Hence smokers should quit smoking for their next generation

Determination of Credit Programme Participation and Socioeconomic Characteristics of Beneficiaries: Evidence from Sargodha

International literature asserts that “micro-finance” began alleviating poverty several decades ago when organisation in Latin America, Bangladesh, and other developing nations started testing the notions of lending small amounts to impoverished people (mostly women). Professor Mohammad Younis1 of Bangladesh and his Grameen Bank brought it on to the world stage and showed how effectively it could be used to change lives. Giving loans of as little as five dollars, Grameen brought millions in to the micro credit net and in doing so lifted people, particularly the rural poor, out of abject poverty [Ayesha (2007)]. By 1980, the success of such institutions prompted many NGO’s and International Organisations to provide micro-finance services

Oxidative stress and male infertility: A cross sectional study

Objective: To compare stress markers and antioxidants in fertile and infertile males, and to explore their effects on reproductive hormones and fertility.Methods: The cross-sectional case-control study was conducted from July 2017 to July 2018 at the Islamabad Clinic Serving Infertile Couples, Islamabad, Pakistan, and comprised male subjects aged 25-55 years. Infertile subjects were the cases, while healthy fertile males acted as the controls. Stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline and antioxidants glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Data was analysed using SPSS 22.Results: Of the 376 subjects, 241(64%) were cases and 135(36%) were controls. Median cortisol, adrenaline, superoxide dismutase and glutathione levels were significantly higher among the cases compared to te controls (p\u3c0.05). Follicle stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone levels were higher in cases compared to the controls (p=0.05). Mean testosterone level was higher among the controls than the cases (p\u3c0.001). After adjusting for other covariates, every increase of 7 units in cortisol increased the prevalence of infertility by 3% (p=0.001). There was significant interaction between luteinizing hormone and testosterone in the final model (p\u3c0.05).Conclusion: Stress together with decrease in antioxidants was found to play a significant role in reducing the fertilising potential of male infertile subjects

Interplay between oxidative stress, SIRT1, reproductive and metabolic functions

Silent information Regulators (SIRT1) gene stimulates antioxidants\u27 expression, repairs cells damaged by oxidative stress (OS), and prevents the cells\u27 dysfunction. In particular, the role of different Sirtuins, particularly SIRT1 in reproduction, has been widely studied over the past decade. Decreased SIRT 1 causes mitochondrial dysfunction by increasing Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS), lipid peroxidation, and DNA damage in both male and female gametes (Sperms and Oocytes), leading to infertility. In the female reproductive system, SIRT1 regulates proliferation and apoptosis in granulosa cells (GCs), and its down-regulation is associated with a reduced ovarian reserve. SIRT1 also modulates the stress response to OS in GCs by targeting a transcription factor vital for ovarian functions and maintenance. ROS-mediated damage to spermatozoa\u27s motility and morphology is responsible for 30-80% of men\u27s infertility cases. High levels of ROS can cause damage to deoxyribo nucleic acid (DNA) in the nucleus and mitochondria, lipid peroxidation, apoptosis, inactivation of enzymes, and oxidation of proteins in spermatozoa. SIRT 1 is a cardioprotective molecule that prevents atherosclerosis by modulating various mechanisms such as endothelial injury due to impaired nitric oxide (NO) production, inflammation, OS, and regulation of autophagy. SIRT 1 is abundantly expressed in tubular cells and podocytes. It is also found to be highly expressed in aquaporin 2 positive cells in the distal nephron suggesting its involvement in sodium and water handling. SIRT1 improves insulin resistance by reducing OS and regulating mitochondrial biogenesis and function. It also decreases adiposity and lipogenesis and increases fatty acid oxidation. So, its involvement in the multiple pathways ensures its unique role in reproductive and metabolic derangement mechanisms

Effects of globalization, foreign direct investment and economic growth on renewable electricity consumption

Renewable energy has been seen as a viable solution to the problems of environmental degradation and the energy crisis. This study examines the long – and short–run linkages between economic globalization, foreign direct investment (FDI), economic growth, and renewable electricity consumption in China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) countries. Therefore, this study uses the Pooled Mean Group (PMG) autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) technique to measure the relationship between constructs based on data collected from 2000 to 2020. The overall results show the collaborative integration of Belt and Road (BRI) countries in terms of globalization, economic growth, and renewable electricity utilization. The results show that there is a long-term positive relationship between FDI and renewable electricity consumption, but a negative relationship in the short term. Furthermore, economic growth is positively correlated with renewable electricity consumption in the long run and negatively correlated in the short run. This study suggests that the governments of BRI countries should encourage globalization by improving technology and knowledge related to renewable electricity consumption in all areas.Huaping SUN was supported by the National Social Science Fund of China [21AZD067], and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (72243005). Unai Fernandez-Gamiz was supported by the government of the Basque Country [ELKARTEK21/10 KK-2021/00014 & ELKARTEK22/85 KK-2022/00043]

Multiple novel prostate cancer susceptibility signals identified by fine-mapping of known risk loci among Europeans

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified numerous common prostate cancer (PrCa) susceptibility loci. We have fine-mapped 64 GWAS regions known at the conclusion of the iCOGS study using large-scale genotyping and imputation in 25 723 PrCa cases and 26 274 controls of European ancestry. We detected evidence for multiple independent signals at 16 regions, 12 of which contained additional newly identified significant associations. A single signal comprising a spectrum of correlated variation was observed at 39 regions; 35 of which are now described by a novel more significantly associated lead SNP, while the originally reported variant remained as the lead SNP only in 4 regions. We also confirmed two association signals in Europeans that had been previously reported only in East-Asian GWAS. Based on statistical evidence and linkage disequilibrium (LD) structure, we have curated and narrowed down the list of the most likely candidate causal variants for each region. Functional annotation using data from ENCODE filtered for PrCa cell lines and eQTL analysis demonstrated significant enrichment for overlap with bio-features within this set. By incorporating the novel risk variants identified here alongside the refined data for existing association signals, we estimate that these loci now explain ∼38.9% of the familial relative risk of PrCa, an 8.9% improvement over the previously reported GWAS tag SNPs. This suggests that a significant fraction of the heritability of PrCa may have been hidden during the discovery phase of GWAS, in particular due to the presence of multiple independent signals within the same regio

Mortality and pulmonary complications in patients undergoing surgery with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection: an international cohort study

Background: The impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on postoperative recovery needs to be understood to inform clinical decision making during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. This study reports 30-day mortality and pulmonary complication rates in patients with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection. Methods: This international, multicentre, cohort study at 235 hospitals in 24 countries included all patients undergoing surgery who had SARS-CoV-2 infection confirmed within 7 days before or 30 days after surgery. The primary outcome measure was 30-day postoperative mortality and was assessed in all enrolled patients. The main secondary outcome measure was pulmonary complications, defined as pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, or unexpected postoperative ventilation. Findings: This analysis includes 1128 patients who had surgery between Jan 1 and March 31, 2020, of whom 835 (74·0%) had emergency surgery and 280 (24·8%) had elective surgery. SARS-CoV-2 infection was confirmed preoperatively in 294 (26·1%) patients. 30-day mortality was 23·8% (268 of 1128). Pulmonary complications occurred in 577 (51·2%) of 1128 patients; 30-day mortality in these patients was 38·0% (219 of 577), accounting for 81·7% (219 of 268) of all deaths. In adjusted analyses, 30-day mortality was associated with male sex (odds ratio 1·75 [95% CI 1·28–2·40], p\textless0·0001), age 70 years or older versus younger than 70 years (2·30 [1·65–3·22], p\textless0·0001), American Society of Anesthesiologists grades 3–5 versus grades 1–2 (2·35 [1·57–3·53], p\textless0·0001), malignant versus benign or obstetric diagnosis (1·55 [1·01–2·39], p=0·046), emergency versus elective surgery (1·67 [1·06–2·63], p=0·026), and major versus minor surgery (1·52 [1·01–2·31], p=0·047). Interpretation: Postoperative pulmonary complications occur in half of patients with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection and are associated with high mortality. Thresholds for surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic should be higher than during normal practice, particularly in men aged 70 years and older. Consideration should be given for postponing non-urgent procedures and promoting non-operative treatment to delay or avoid the need for surgery. Funding: National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland, Bowel and Cancer Research, Bowel Disease Research Foundation, Association of Upper Gastrointestinal Surgeons, British Association of Surgical Oncology, British Gynaecological Cancer Society, European Society of Coloproctology, NIHR Academy, Sarcoma UK, Vascular Society for Great Britain and Ireland, and Yorkshire Cancer Research

Affective interpersonal touch in close relationships: a cross-cultural perspective

Interpersonal touch behavior differs across cultures, yet no study to date has systematically tested for cultural variation in affective touch, nor examined the factors that might account for this variability. Here, over 14,000 individuals from 45 countries were asked whether they embraced, stroked, kissed, or hugged their partner, friends, and youngest child during the week preceding the study. We then examined a range of hypothesized individual-level factors (sex, age, parasitic history, conservatism, religiosity, and preferred interpersonal distance) and cultural-level factors (regional temperature, parasite stress, regional conservatism, collectivism, and religiosity) in predicting these affective-touching behaviors. Our results indicate that affective touch was most prevalent in relationships with partners and children, and its diversity was relatively higher in warmer, less conservative, and religious countries, and among younger, female, and liberal people. This research allows for a broad and integrated view of the bases of cross-cultural variability in affective touch