Perceptions of Teachers about the Role of Parents in Developing Reading Habits of Children to Improve their Academic Performance in Schools

 This study aimed to explore teachers’ perceptions about parental role in developing reading habits of children to improve their academic achievement. The study was conducted in one of the private schools of Gilgit city situated in the Northern part of Pakistan. Using a case study approach to research within the qualitative design, semi-structured interviews were used for data collection, which enabled the researchers in capturing qualitative experiences, opinions, beliefs and perceptions of purposefully selected research participants. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis approach and emerging themes were represented in the form of figures to provide a clear understanding. The study confirmed that reading habits, for example, out of school reading and reading for pleasure, have influenced academic performance and parental role is pivotal in developing children’s interest in reading because healthy reading activities can help them to develop critical thinking and analytic skills. This could also develop their vocabulary to a great extent. Consequently, children exhibit improvement in their overall academic performance. The findings confirmed that if parents focused on reading improvement of their children in early ages, they could better develop reading as a routine activity. The study recommended that parents should play an active role in developing attitude towards reading by providing reading materials and creating a reading friendly environment at home

Discordant interpretation of serial bone mineral density measurements by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry using vendor\u27s and institutional least significant changes: Serious impact on decision-making

Meaningful change in bone mineral density (BMD) should be equal or higher than institutional least significant change (LSC). But some facilities use vendor\u27s LSC which is discouraged by International Society for Clinical Densitometry (ISCD). The aim of this study was to find the impact of scan interpretation upon interval BMD changes using vendors and institutional LSCs. This prospective study was conducted at Joint Commission International-accredited facility of Pakistan from April-June 2017 using Hologic Discovery-A scanner. As per ISCD recommendations, precision error and LSC of two technologists were measured. Serial BMD changes such as deterioration or improvement interpreted based on vendor\u27s and institutional LSCs were compared. Serial BMD changes in 102 patients were included, having a mean age, male:female ratio, and mean body mass index of 63 years, 94%:06%, and 29.274 kg/m2, respectively. Mean menopausal age was 47 years and mean duration between two dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) studies was 3 years. BMD changes over hip were found significant in 55% and 53% cases against vendor\u27s and institutional LSCs, respectively (nonsignificant discordance in 2%). BMD changes using vendor\u27s and institutional LSCs were found significant over L1-4 (62% vs. 46%; discordance: 14%) and distal forearm (77% vs. 35%; discordance: 41%), respectively. Interpretations based on vendor\u27s LSCs revealed significantly overestimated deterioration over forearm and improvement over L1-4 BMD values. We conclude that vendor\u27s provided LSC for interpretation of serial DXA is misleading and has a significant negative impact upon patients\u27 management. Every DXA facility must use its own LSC as per ISCD guidelines. Furthermore, ISCD must consider publishing cutoff values for LSC for distal forearm measurement

Relationship of Family Members’ Support with Practice of Community Midwives in Rural Sindh, Pakistan

Background: Pakistan has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world. Community Midwives (CMWs) were introduced in 2006 as a new cadre of birth attendants who would bring midwifery services to rural areas by being based in designated communities. The CMWs face many obstacles and retaining them in practice is a challenge. This study aimed to examine whether there was a relationship between family support and CMWs retention in midwifery practice. We hoped to learn about influences on retention that might improve the Maternal Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) programme. Methods: This was a cross-sectional survey conducted in five districts of rural Sindh, a province in Pakistan. A list of all CMWs who graduated between 2007 and 2012 was obtained from the MNCH programme Sindh. The CMWs were tracked by MCHIP (Maternal Child Health Integrated Program) clinical supervisors posted in the respective districts to gather information about families’ support of CMWs. Findings: Of the 148 CMWs in the MNCH list, 112 (76%) were tracked. Of 112, 44 (39%) CMWs were in active practice while 69 (61%) had completed their training but had not started a practice. Of the 44 practising CMWs, 82% had family members who worked in a health-related field or previously were traditional birth attendants (TBAs). Only 18% of those who established a practice had a family without this profile. Conclusion: These preliminary findings indicate a strong relationship between family engagement in health care work and the capacity of CMWs to establish a midwifery practice. A further comparative analysis of practising and non-practising CMWs is warranted

Whole-genome sequencing reveals host factors underlying critical COVID-19

Altres ajuts: Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC); Illumina; LifeArc; Medical Research Council (MRC); UKRI; Sepsis Research (the Fiona Elizabeth Agnew Trust); the Intensive Care Society, Wellcome Trust Senior Research Fellowship (223164/Z/21/Z); BBSRC Institute Program Support Grant to the Roslin Institute (BBS/E/D/20002172, BBS/E/D/10002070, BBS/E/D/30002275); UKRI grants (MC_PC_20004, MC_PC_19025, MC_PC_1905, MRNO2995X/1); UK Research and Innovation (MC_PC_20029); the Wellcome PhD training fellowship for clinicians (204979/Z/16/Z); the Edinburgh Clinical Academic Track (ECAT) programme; the National Institute for Health Research, the Wellcome Trust; the MRC; Cancer Research UK; the DHSC; NHS England; the Smilow family; the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences of the National Institutes of Health (CTSA award number UL1TR001878); the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania; National Institute on Aging (NIA U01AG009740); the National Institute on Aging (RC2 AG036495, RC4 AG039029); the Common Fund of the Office of the Director of the National Institutes of Health; NCI; NHGRI; NHLBI; NIDA; NIMH; NINDS.Critical COVID-19 is caused by immune-mediated inflammatory lung injury. Host genetic variation influences the development of illness requiring critical care or hospitalization after infection with SARS-CoV-2. The GenOMICC (Genetics of Mortality in Critical Care) study enables the comparison of genomes from individuals who are critically ill with those of population controls to find underlying disease mechanisms. Here we use whole-genome sequencing in 7,491 critically ill individuals compared with 48,400 controls to discover and replicate 23 independent variants that significantly predispose to critical COVID-19. We identify 16 new independent associations, including variants within genes that are involved in interferon signalling (IL10RB and PLSCR1), leucocyte differentiation (BCL11A) and blood-type antigen secretor status (FUT2). Using transcriptome-wide association and colocalization to infer the effect of gene expression on disease severity, we find evidence that implicates multiple genes-including reduced expression of a membrane flippase (ATP11A), and increased expression of a mucin (MUC1)-in critical disease. Mendelian randomization provides evidence in support of causal roles for myeloid cell adhesion molecules (SELE, ICAM5 and CD209) and the coagulation factor F8, all of which are potentially druggable targets. Our results are broadly consistent with a multi-component model of COVID-19 pathophysiology, in which at least two distinct mechanisms can predispose to life-threatening disease: failure to control viral replication; or an enhanced tendency towards pulmonary inflammation and intravascular coagulation. We show that comparison between cases of critical illness and population controls is highly efficient for the detection of therapeutically relevant mechanisms of disease