The impact of safety culture towards safety performance with mediator of ISO9001 and OSH Administration

Manufacturing industries plays a significant role in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country. However, great number of accidents occur due to the lack of safety culture implementation in the manufacturing industries. Accidents at workplace are uncontrollable but preventable. It was reported by Malaysia Department of Occupational Safety and Health that that from 2012 to 2016, 25% of death accidents, 75% of permanent disability accidents, and 64% of non-permanent disability accidents occurring in all sectors of the country occurred in manufacturing industry alone. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a framework to reduce health and safety risks in Johor manufacturing industries as to create safe and healthy environment for the employees. Subsequently, safety performance (SP) and safety culture (SC) are the essential parameters for the development of safe environment within the manufacturing industries. Therefore, this study aims to examine ISO9001 and occupational safety and health administration as a mediator between safety culture (SC) and safety performance (SP) in manufacturing industries in Johor, Malaysia. This study used Statistical Package for Social Science i.e. SPSS for demographic analysis, data screening and exploratory factor analysis whereas Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) with Partial Least Square (PLS) Version 3.0 was used to evaluate the measurement and structural relationship. Data was collected through questionnaires, distributed to senior managers, safety managers, safety operators and safety subordinators. Total 412 questionnaires were distributed and 255 were received. It was found that SC has positive and significant effect on SP inline with ISO and OSHA. It was statistically observed that OSHA has strong mediating effect between SC and SP. In contrast ISO9001 has weak mediator effect between SC and SP. Hence, it was found through PLS that SC and SP have satisfactory influence on OSHA with t-value 3.386. Therefore, this research can positively be beneficial and act as a guide for the Johor manufacturing industries to enhance the safety performance through safety culture implementation

In silico prediction of housekeeping long intergenic non-coding RNAs reveals HKlincR1 as an essential player in lung cancer cell survival

Prioritising long intergenic noncoding RNAs (lincRNAs) for functional characterisation is a significant challenge. Here we applied computational approaches to discover lincRNAs expected to play a critical housekeeping (HK) role within the cell. Using the Illumina Human BodyMap RNA sequencing dataset as a starting point, we first identified lincRNAs ubiquitously expressed across a panel of human tissues. This list was then further refined by reference to conservation score, secondary structure and promoter DNA methylation status. Finally, we used tumour expression and copy number data to identify lincRNAs rarely downregulated or deleted in multiple tumour types. The resulting list of candidate essential lincRNAs was then subjected to co-expression analyses using independent data from ENCODE and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). This identified a substantial subset with a predicted role in DNA replication and cell cycle regulation. One of these, HKlincR1, was selected for further characterisation. Depletion of HKlincR1 affected cell growth in multiple lung cancer cell lines, and led to disruption of genes involved in cell growth and viability. In addition, HKlincR1 expression was correlated with overall survival in lung adenocarcinoma patients. Our in silico studies therefore reveal a set of housekeeping noncoding RNAs of interest both in terms of their role in normal homeostasis, and their relevance in tumour growth and maintenance

Distribution of surface sediments off Indus delta on the continental shelf of Pakistan

Surface sediments from the continental shelf area off Indus delta were analysed for their textural characteristics and carbonate content. The sediments are largely silt, silty clay and clayey silty sand. Sandy fraction is dominant in the outer region with relatively high carbonate content. The study shows that distribution of carbonate in sediments off Indus delta continental shelf is controlled by the dilution of terrigenous material and its distance from source area

Spectrum of celiac disease in paediatric population: experience of tertiary care center from Pakistan

Objective: To determine clinical features and relevant laboratory investigations of patient with celiac disease (CD) and comparing classical celiac disease (CCD) with Non-diarrheal celiac disease (NDCD).Methods: This is a five years retrospective study conducted at The Aga Khan University Hospital Karachi, Pakistan from January 2010 to December 2015, enrolling children from one year to 15 years of either gender diagnosed as celiac disease in accordance with revised ESPGHAN criteria. Biopsy samples with grade 2 or more on Modified Marsh Classification were considered as consistent with celiac disease. Celiac patients were categorized into Classical celiac disease (with Chronic Diarrhea) and non-diarrheal celiac disease (Atypical celiac) and their clinical features and relevant laboratory investigations were documented.Results: Total 66 patients were selected with celiac disease according to inclusion criteria, 39 (59.09%) patients were labeled as CCD and 27 (40.91%) patients were labeled as NDCD. Marsh grading 3a and above were more marked in CCD as compared to NDCD. Mean titer for Tissue transglutaminase antibodies (TTG) were higher in CCD group in comparison to NDCD group. In CCD, the most common clinical presentations were abdominal distension whereas in NDCD, the most remarkable features were recurrent abdominal pain (62.9%). Frequency of failure to thrive is significantly high in CCD (82.05%) but patients merely with short stature were more common in NDCD (33.3%). Refractory anemia was present in 66.6% patients in NDCD group and 41.1% patients in CCD group. 74.3% patients in CCD group were vitamin D deficient whereas 85% patient had vitamin D deficiency in NDCD group (p= 0.03). Conclusion: NDCD is not uncommon in our population. Recurrent abdominal pain, failure to thrive or patients only with short stature and refractory anemia are prominent features in NCDC group whereas abdominal distension, failure to thrive and recurrent abdominal pain were noticeable features in CCD. High grade histopathology and raised antibodies titer is hallmark of CCD. Vitamin D deficiency is almost equally present in both groups

Publisher Correction: In silico prediction of housekeeping long intergenic non-coding RNAs reveals HKlincR1 as an essential player in lung cancer cell survival

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper

Mutation pattern analysis reveals polygenic mini-drivers associated with relapse after surgery in lung adenocarcinoma

The genomic lesions found in malignant tumours exhibit a striking degree of heterogeneity. Many tumours lack a known driver mutation, and their genetic basis is unclear. By mapping the somatic mutations identified in primary lung adenocarcinomas onto an independent coexpression network derived from normal tissue, we identify a critical gene network enriched for metastasis-associated genes. While individual genes within this module were rarely mutated, a significant accumulation of mutations within this geneset was predictive of relapse in lung cancer patients that have undergone surgery. Since it is the density of mutations within this module that is informative, rather than the status of any individual gene, these data are in keeping with a ‘mini-driver’ model of tumorigenesis in which multiple mutations, each with a weak effect, combine to form a polygenic driver with sufficient power to significantly alter cell behaviour and ultimately patient outcome. These polygenic mini-drivers therefore provide a means by which heterogeneous mutation patterns can generate the consistent hallmark changes in phenotype observed across tumours

The relation of ABO blood group to the severity of coronavirus disease: A cross-sectional study from a tertiary care hospital in Karachi

Background: Blood groups are considered to have an impact on the occurrence and severity of coronavirus disease. While among Chinese and Caucasian, blood group O individuals were less and group A were more likely to have severe disease and mortality, data on South Asians aren’t available. Objective: This study aimed to find out the association of disease severity with blood group among coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients.Materials and methodology: Data were collected on a predesigned questionnaire containing details of patient demographics, medical comorbidities, clinical presentation, and laboratory parameters. Multiple logistic regression was used to determine the association of the blood group with the severity of coronavirus disease.Result: Among the study participants, blood group B has the highest distribution (39.8%), followed by O (30.0), A (21.9%), and AB (8.1%). About three-fourths (69.9%) had mild to moderate disease while 30.0% had severe disease. Age, gender, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and hemoglobin level were all associated with disease severity among COVID-19 patients in univariate analysis on P-value for selection (Conclusion: Blood groups don’t have any role in forecasting the severity of coronavirus disease. However, the male gender and diabetics are prone to have severe disease

Milligan Morgan Haemorrhoidectomy vs LigaSure Haemorrhoidectomy : Comparative Postoperative Outcomes

Objective: To compare the traditional Milligan Morgan haemorrhoidectomy with haemorrhoidectomy using LigaSure in terms of postoperative complications, patient satisfaction and hospital stay. Methodology: This is a randomized controlled trial carried out at the Department of Surgery Liaquat university hospital Jamshoro from July 2017 to June 2019. A total of 88 patients were admitted with the diagnoses of 3rd and 4th degree haemorrhoid were included in the study. Patients were randomly divided into two groups by lottery method. Group A underwent Milligan Morgan Haemorrhoidectomy and group B underwent Haemorrhoidectomy by Ligasure after the informed consent. Outcomes of both procedures were also compared by complications, patient satisfaction and hospital stay. Results: Out of 88 patients 35 were male (39.78%) and 53 were female (60.22%). The most common group of age involved was between 35–55 years. Third degree Haemorrhoids were present in 40 (45.45%) of patients while the remaining 48 (54.55%) had fourth degree Haemorrhoids. Group A included 44(50%) cases while Group B included 44 (50%) cases. The mean operating time of Group A was 50.5 (minutes) with a standard deviation of 11.5 while it was 35.5 ± 9.4 in B group. The mean blood loss in group A was 65.30 ml with a standard deviation of 14.58 while it was 45.45 ml ± 20.49 in group B. Conclusion: The Haemorrhoidectomy done by Ligasure is comparatively better than the Milligan Morgan Heamorrhoidectomy, in terms of operative time, less bleeding, less pain, less hospital stays and early return to work

Easy Movement Facilities for Users' Comfort in Shopping Malls in Clifton, Karachi, Pakistan

peer reviewedIn society, shopping plays a part in outdoor activity. With the passage of time, different societies develop different modes of shopping by following particular societal values and norms. Modern shopping is a modified activity that is widely adopted by shopping malls. In this new set of shopping activities, users of shopping malls are not interested only in shopping but also in allied facilities like a ramp, main entrance of the mall, wheelchair, information desk/ reception, informal seating, signage system/wayfinding, emergency exit, central circulation, horizontal circulation, wide walkways/corridors, staircase, elevator/lift, escalators and cargo lift. Some basic facilities are unavoidable while designing a shopping mall, but these facilities may differ in different shopping malls. One of the specialities of the specific mall is a user-based facility which is the main attribute of shopping malls. This study emphasises selected attributes of a shopping mall, i.e., easy movement facilities. Emerald Mall in the city of Karachi, Pakistan, was selected as a case study building. A quantitative and qualitative research methodology has been adopted; the collected data was then presented statistically. An analysis of the findings has been carried out according to the standard attributes of the shopping mall. The conclusion of the study includes that some of the areas of Emerald Mall are well established, but there is still a need for improvements in many areas, such as the ramp, main entrance of the mall, wheelchair, information desk/reception, informal seating, signage system/wayfinding, emergency exit, central circulation, horizontal circulation, wide walkways/corridors, staircase, elevator/lift, escalators, and cargo lift. The research establishes its contribution as the provision of framework and modular analysis of selected study for a contextual approach to architectural design development. This study recommends innovation for the future in the design of the selected mall in order to address the discrepancies identified.8. Decent work and economic growt