SANKHAHOLI (( Evolvulus alsinoides Linn.)): A REVIEW

ABSTRACT: The Sankhaholi (Evolvulus alsinoides Linn.) of family  Convolvulaceae which is commonly known as sankhpushpi, in traditional system of medicine including Unani Medicine. It is a perennial herb with a small woody branched root stock which contains alkaloids: shankhapushpine and evolvine. Fresh plant of sankhholi contains volatile oil. It also contains a yellow neutral fat, an organic acid and saline substances. Therapeutic uses of Sankhaholi Evolvulus alsinoides Linn, mentioned in the Unani Medicine are Alexiteric (Mufarreh), Cardiac  tonic  (Muqawwi-e Qalb), Brain tonic  (Muqawwi-e Dimag), Digestive (Hazim)  Musaffi-e- Khoon (Blood purifier),General tonic (Muqawwi-e-am), Diuretic (Mudirr-e-Baul), Anti Inflammatory (Muhallil-e-waram), Hypoglycemic (Dafa-e-Ziabitus), Antihypertensive (Dafye Imtella). It is also used in headache, asthma, hyperlipidemia etc. The present article reviews the pharmacological actions and therapeutic uses of Sankhaholi ( Evolvulus alsinoides Linn.) present in Unani literature supported with the available clinical and animal studies.Keywords: Sankhaholi Evolvulus alsinoides Linn. Sankhpushpi, Unani Medicin

Beyond the Quick Fix Model – Evidence from Telecommunication Giant of Pakistan “PTCL”

This research study was done to examine that using “Beyond the quick fix model” how we will identify the challenges of PTCL and suggestion as OD consultant will be given for the development of this organization. The research emphasis on the facts that Organizations are aware of their holistic nature and the way their stakeholders are affected with such changes. These changes therefore encourage organizations to develop their organizations and increase their effectiveness for competitiveness and sustainability in the longer run through planned changed efforts. As PTCL privatization took placed in 2005 and having up to 65000 employees, it was the most challenging task for Etisalat who took over the 100% charge of management to offer VSS to employees. The first VSS was offered in 2008 in which approximately 30000 employees acquired VSS and second was offered in 2012 which did not attract to number of employees and only up to 7000 employees were benefited by it. It was one of the biggest challenges for Etisalat to right size the number of employees in order to tackle the further issues. We have decided to apply Ralph Kilmann Model for PTCL because it’s a long process that is beyond the quick-fix and it is divided into proper steps or tracks for every problem. Also PTCL is having different problems regarding top management behavior, employee’s behavior, status quo issues, competitors are increasing, network failure issue and bribery culture. As an OD consultant, it is concluded that PTCL is very huge company, and had been having status, 74% public and 26% private. It was one of the giant companies which were privatized in the history of Pakistan. Keywords: Organization Development, Beyond Quick Fix Model, PTC

Successful pregnancies with thiopurine-allopurinol co-therapy for inflammatory bowel disease

Background: Thiopurines are an effective treatment for moderate to severe inflammatory bowel disease [IBD] and can be used safely in pregnancy. Combining allopurinol with a lower dose of thiopurine can improve clinical efficacy and bypass some adverse reactions associated with thiopurine monotherapy. Data on allopurinol in pregnancy are scarce. We report on a total of 13 cases where thiopurine and allopurinol co-therapy was used successfully to manage IBD during pregnancy without attributable adverse fetal effects. Methods: Patients were retrospectively identified at our two hospitals, one in the UK and one in Australia, using local IBD databases. Data regarding pregnancy and fetal outcomes including in utero fetal ultrasound scans, APGAR scores, fetal birthweights and neonate checks were collected from patient notes. Results: We identified 12 women with a total of 13 pregnancies treated with co-therapy before conception and for the duration of pregnancy. There were no miscarriages or spontaneous pre-term deliveries. There were 14 live births [seven vaginal deliveries; six caesarean sections]. Except for a primagravid twin pregnancy complicated by pre-eclampsia and twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome requiring caesarean section at 25 weeks, there were no low birthweight [< 2.5 kg] babies born and the APGAR scores of all babies were normal. No congenital malformations were identified. Conclusions: Adverse pregnancy outcomes attributable to thiopurine and allopurinol co-therapy were not detected in our case series. Our study provides reassurance for clinicians and patients who wish to continue the thiopurine-allopurinol co-therapy combination before conception and during pregnancy to maintain remission of IBD

Kinetic and equilibrium modeling of Cu(II) and Ni(II) sorption onto physically pretreated Rosa centifolia distillation waste biomass

The removal of Cu(II) and Ni(II) from aqueous solution by physically pretreated (boiled, heated and autoclaved) Rosa centifolia distillation waste biomass was conducted in batch conditions. The obtained results revealed that initial metal ion concentration, kinetics, and temperature affected the adsorption capacity of the physically pretreated R. centifolia distillation waste biomass. The Cu(II) and Ni(II) equilibrium sorption data agreed well to Langmuir isotherm model and the sorption kinetics were accurately described by pseudo second order kinetic model. The Cu(II) and Ni(II) uptake capacities (mg g-1) of physical pretreated R. centifolia distillation waste biomass were in following order: boiled (66.91) &gt; heated (52.51) &gt; autoclaved (49.82) &gt; native (42.68) and boiled (67.55) &gt; heated (65.19) &gt; autoclaved (58.09) &gt; native (45.19), respectively. The nature of R. centifolia distillation waste biomass surface functionalities was analyzed by FTIR spectroscopy.Keywords: Cu(II), Ni(II), isotherms, kinetics, pretreatment, Rosa centifolia

Viterbi Accelerator for Embedded Processor Datapaths

We present a novel architecture for a lightweight Viterbi accelerator that can be tightly integrated inside an embedded processor. We investigate the accelerator’s impact on processor performance by using the EEMBC Viterbi benchmark and the in-house Viterbi Branch Metric kernel. Our evaluation based on the EEMBC benchmark shows that an accelerated 65-nm 2.7-ns processor datapath is 20% larger but 90% more cycle efficient than a datapath lacking the Viterbi accelerator, leading to an 87% overall energy reduction and a data throughput of 3.52 Mbit/s

Post-auricular leech therapy reduced headache & migraine days in chronic migraine

Background: Migraine is an exceedingly common disorder that causes substantial pain, disability and societal burden. Unfortunately, conventional treatments are insufficient, inadequate, or associated with significant risks, such as overuse, abuse or addiction. The Unani system of Medicine has been treating migraine since centuries. Leech therapy (Irsale Alaq) has been employed successfully in severe persistent headache, mania and insomnia since decades. Aim: The purpose of our study was to evaluate the impact of post auricular leech therapy in migraine and to collect data to warrant further clinical trials. Methods: We conducted a case series on 7 patients who had failed conventional oral treatments for the migraine. After informed consent, post auricular leech therapy was done. &nbsp;Patients were asked to keep detailed headache calendars, documenting the number of headache days, migraine days, the intensity of headaches/ migraines and analgesic usage. We compared these parameters before and after 2 months of therapy. Results: We observed a reduction in the number of headache &amp; migraine days and amount of painkillers used without any adverse effects. (P≤ 0.01) Improvement in quality of life was also observed. Discussion: We reviewed the literature related to the medicinal leeches (Hirudo medicinalis), used for the treatment in these cases. Leech saliva contains certain potent anesthetic, anti-inflammatory and vasodilator substances, suggesting plausible mechanisms of action in these cases. Conclusion: The preliminary findings indicate the safe and potential therapeutic role of leech therapy. So further trials should be carried out to explore the therapeutic potential of this therapy in chronic migraine. Keywords: Chronic Migraine, leech therapy, hirudo medicinalis, headache, Unani Medicine, complementary Medicine

Assessment of Parents’ Perceptions of Childhood Immunization: a Cross-Sectional Study from Pakistan

Immunization is one of the most cost-effective public health interventions, with considerable impacts on people’s health. Parents’ perception of their knowledge, attitude, and satisfaction is an important factor, as they may be targeted by interventions for better immunization coverage. Therefore, this study aimed to assess parents’ perceptions in terms of their knowledge, attitude, and satisfaction of the immunization of their children aged less than two years of age, in two cities of Pakistan. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in the vicinity of Rawalpindi and Islamabad from March to August 2019. A semi-structured questionnaire was used for the data collection on a convenient sample of parents. The questionnaire was hand-delivered to the parents by data collectors. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used for data analysis via SPSS version 22. A total of n = 382 respondents were included in the data analysis. Statistically significant differences were found between the parents’ knowledge scores and their education levels and monthly incomes (p < 0.05). Parents with master’s education degrees and low monthly incomes had significantly better knowledge (p < 0.05). Additionally, 96.85% of the respondents believed that child immunization was important. In addition, more than half of the respondents (57.58%) thought that the affordability of vaccines was a principal factor for delays in immunization. Although the parents’ knowledge regarding the immunization of their children was not adequate, they had positive perceptions toward it

Experiences, awareness, perceptions and attitudes of women and girls towards menstrual hygiene management and safe menstrual products in Pakistan

BackgroundThe taboo of menstruation, lack of discussion on puberty, misinformation and poor awareness on menstrual hygiene management and limited access to safe menstrual products can negatively impact the physical and mental health of women and girls residing in low middle income countries.AimThe aim of the study was to explore the experiences, awareness, perceptions and attitudes of women and girls towards menstrual hygiene management in Pakistan. Moreover, the study also assessed consumer satisfaction towards locally manufactured organic menstrual products.MethodsA descriptive cross-sectional study design was used with a sample of 400 women and girls selected through convenience sampling from high schools, universities, outpatient department and gynaecological clinics located in 2 cities, i.e., Islamabad and Rawalpindi, Pakistan. A pre-structured questionnaire was used to explore experiences, awareness, perceptions and attitudes of women and girls towards menstrual hygiene management. Moreover, each respondent was provided with sample of locally designed and manufactured organic menstrual hygiene &amp; wellness kit by a group of women researchers named “FemPure” including organic sanitary pads, feminine wellness mist and feminine wellness wash. The respondents were asked to use the products and a telephonic follow-up was conducted to assess consumer satisfaction for the products after a period of 1 month. Data was analyzed statistically using SPSS 21.ResultsThe results of the study reported that 86.2% (n = 345) of the respondents had normal periods. Out of 400 respondents, 58.5% (n = 234) knew about any health conditions related to abnormal menstrual cycle while 88.3% (n = 353) were aware of female menstrual hygiene. Majority of the respondents 78.7% (n = 315) felt ashamed while buying sanitary pads. Out of 400 respondents, 5.4% (n = 22) were interested in getting awareness regarding menstrual hygiene. The results of the study showed that all the respondents (100%, n = 400) were satisfied with FemPure organic menstrual products.ConclusionThe study concluded that majority of women and girls faced menstrual hygiene issues during and after the cycle and were eager to receive information on MHM and use organic rash free menstrual wellness products which could be ordered via mobile app. The respondents were satisfied after the use of FemPure organic menstrual products