The Impact of Online Teaching during the Coronavirus Pandemic on the Lives of Teachers and Parents

To assess the degree of stress among teachers and parents of children taking online classes during the coronavirus pandemic. This was a cross-sectional study conducted in October 2020. An online questionnaire developed on Google Forms was circulated using convenience sampling technique with a sample size of 384. The target population included teachers and parents of children taking online classes. An informed consent was taken prior to the survey. The Perceived Stress Scale was used to evaluate the stress related to online teaching. Chi square test was applied to identify associations and a p-value of less than 0.05 was taken as significant. Our sample included 414 participants with n=359 (86.7%) females and n=55 (13.3%) males. N=156 (37.7%) participants were parents and n=258 (62.3%) were teachers. Majority of the participants had moderate perceived stress with n=193 (74.8%) teachers and n=127 (81.4%) parents. Teachers felt more comfortable going back to school right now n=176 (80.7%), whereas, only n=42 (19.3%) parents felt comfortable sending their children back to school. (p-value=0.000) After the pandemic resolves, parents preferred classroom learning n=111 (44.6%) while n=113 (75.3%) teachers preferred a hybrid system with both online and classroom learning. (p-value=0.001). Majority of the teachers and parents were found to be in moderate perceived stress. An increase in working hours for teachers and increase in the required supervision time for parents were among the most common causes

X-linked agammaglobulinemia - first case with bruton tyrosine kinase mutation from Pakistan

X-linked agammaglobulinemia (XLA) is a primary immunodeficiency with more than 600 mutations in Bruton tyrosine kinase (Bkt) gene which are responsible for early-onset agammaglobulinemia and repeated infections. Herein we present a case of a 3-year-old boy with history of repeated diarrhoea and an episode of meningoencephalitis with hemiplegia. The workup showed extremely low levels of immunoglobulin with low CD+19 cells. Genetic analysis showed Btk mutation 18 c.1883delCp.T628fs. To the best of our knowledge this is the first report of a case of XLA confirmed by molecular technique from Pakistan

The impact of political skill towards organizational commitment: a case study on Petronas / Farah Amira Mohammad Zaidi

This study was conducted to study the impact of the positive relationship of political skills towards organizational commitment among Petroliam Nasional Berhad employees. It used a survey questionnaire to obtain information from the employees through judgement method. The theoretical framework of this study was based on the organizational commitment and political skills theories throughout various studies of different author. This findings of the study shows that only social astuteness and apparent sincerity did not have positive relationship with organizational commitment while interpersonal influence and networking ability do have positive relationship with organizational commitment

MUSLIM CONSUMERS’ PERCEPTIONS ON COUNTERFEIT COSMETICS

In conjunction with the rise of the Muslim population and beauty awareness, the halal cosmetic industry is expected to grow significantly. This growth serves as an opportunity for the cosmetic industry in Malaysia to bring out a lot of new cosmetic products into the industry. However, it can lead to strengthen the market competition which then resulting in the emergence of counterfeit and unlicensed cosmetic and beauty products into the local market. Despite the growing potential of halal cosmetic industry, consumers are not being exposed sufficiently to the importance of halalan tayyiban in a cosmetic product. This study will analyze the influence of religiosity, brand consciousness and demographic background towards perception of Muslim consumers on counterfeit cosmetic products. Data for this study are extracted from existing literatures in the research area of Halal cosmetic industry in local and outside Malaysia. This study will give the opportunity for future researchers to expand the area of research of halal cosmetics and will be essential for future developments in the halal cosmetics industry itself

Community-based management and outcome of omphalitis in newborns in Karachi, Pakistan

Objectives: To describe the clinical profile and outcome in newborns with omphalitis managed with home or clinic-based therapy.Methods: The descriptive study was conducted from September 2004 to August 2007 in three low-income communities in Karachi, Pakistan. Newborns with omphalitis detected by community health workers through active surveillance were referred to local clinics. Those with physician-confirmed omphalitis were treated for 7 days with topical gentian violet or oral cephalexin (as monotherapy) or topical gentian violet and oral cephalexin (combination therapy) at physician discretion, or injectable therapy (procaine penicillin and gentamicin) if clinical signs of sepsis were also present and family refused hospital referral. Follow-up was at 48-72 hours and 7 days. SPSS 16 was used for statistical analysis.Results: Among 1083 newborns with omphalitis, 578 (53.4%) had peri-umbilical cellulitis without purulent discharge; 365 (33.7%) had purulent discharge (with or without cellulitis); and 140 (13%) had omphalitis with sepsis Review of outcome data at one week showed that among 943 newborns without signs of sepsis, 938 (99.5%) had improved; 2 (0.2%) died, and 2 (0.2%) were lost to follow-up. There were 5 (3.6%) therapy failures, among 140 newborns with omphalitis and sepsis managed with parenteral antibiotics at 48 hours, but 139 (99.2%) had improved by one week, while 1 (0.8%) died.Conclusion: In resource-constrained environments, omphalitis can be managed in the community with minimal need for hospital referral. Further research to define optimal therapeutic regimens is needed

Systematic review of the global epidemiology, clinical and laboratory profile of enteric fever

Background: Children suffer the highest burden of enteric fever among populations in South Asian countries. The clinical features are non-specific, vary in populations, and are often difficult to distinguish clinically from other febrile illnesses, leading to delayed or inappropriate diagnosis and treatment. We undertook a systematic review to assess the clinical profile and laboratory features of enteric fever across age groups, economic regions, level of care and antibiotic susceptibility patterns.Methods: We searched PubMed (January 1964-December 2013) for studies describing clinical features in defined cohorts of patients over varying time periods. Studies with all culture-confirmed cases or those with at least 50% culture-confirmed cases were included. 242 reports were screened out of 4398 relevant articles and 180 reports were included for final review.Results: 96% of studies were from an urban location, 96% were hospital-based studies, with 41% of studies were from South Asia. Common clinical features in hospitalized children include high-grade fever, coated tongue, anaemia, nausea/vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, hepatomegaly, splenomegaly neutrophilia, abdominal distension and GI bleeding. In adults\u27 nausea/vomiting, thrombocytopenia and GI perforation predominate. The case-fatality rate in children under 5 years is higher than school aged children and adolescents, and is highest in Sub Saharan Africa and North Africa/Middle East regions. Multi-drug resistant enteric fever has higher rates of complications than drug sensitive enteric fever, but case fatality rates were comparable in both.CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate variability in disease presentation in adults compared to children, in different regions and in resistant vs sensitive cases. Majority of studies are from hospitalized cases, and are not disaggregated by age. Despite higher complications in MDR enteric fever, case fatality rate is comparable to sensitive cases, with an overall hospital based CFR of 2%, which is similar to recent global estimates. This review underscores the importance of further epidemiological studies in community settings among children and adults, and the need for further preventable measures to curtail the burden of disease

Assessment of Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices towards Nutrition amongst Adolescents in Karachi

Background: The association between health and nutrition are eminent. Quality nutrition is acknowledged as one of the most important determinants of optimal development, good health, and wellbeing. Therefore, the study aimed to determine the knowledge, attitudes, and practices amongst adolescents regarding nutrition. Methods: It was a cross-sectional study conducted between 2016 to 2017 in Karachi. The sample size was 384; the purposive sampling technique was applied with a target population of adolescents between 14 and 19 years of age. Informed consent was taken before the questionnaire submission. Data were collected via self-administered questionnaires from students of various schools in Karachi. The Chi square test was applied for associations and a p-value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The mean age of 394 adolescents was (mean±SD) 17.08 ± 1.63 years and found female predominance 282(71.6%). The average weight of the participants was 58.60 ± 18.58. Protein 305(77.4%) was the most widely consumed food. Breakfast was seen as the most important meal of the day among 213(54.1%) all participants. There was a significant association between healthy dietary habits and the frequency of exercise per week (p-value=0.001). Only 57(14.5%) followed a specific meal plan and the mostly 151(38.3%) not following a meal plan was due to lack of time. Conclusion: Most of the adolescents 87(22.2%) understand the importance of various food nutrients. However, appropriate nutritional practices were not found in the majority of the adolescents, possibly due to the lack of time and sedentary lifestyle. Keywords: Nutritional Quality; Adolescent Medicine; Non-Communicable Diseases

The spectrum of primary immunodeficiencies at a tertiary care hospital in Pakistan

Background: Primary Immunodeficiency Disorders (PIDs) are well-known disorders in the West. but the recognition and diagnosis of these disorders is challenging in developing countries. We present the spectrum of PIDs seen at a tertiary care center in Pakistan, identified using clinical case definitions and molecular methods.Methods: A retrospective chart review of children suspected to have PID was conducted at the Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH) Karachi, Pakistan from 2010 to 2016. Data on demographics, clinical features, family history of consanguinity, sibling death, details of laboratory workup done for PID and molecular tests targeted panel next generation sequencing (NGS) or whole exome sequencing (WES) performed at the Geha laboratory at Boston Children\u27s Hospital, USA was collected. The study was exempted from the Ethical Review Committee of AKUH.Results: A total of 43 children visited the hospital with suspected PID during the study period. Genetic testing was performed in 31/43 (72.1%) children. A confirmed diagnosis of PID was established in 20/43 (46.5%) children. A pathogenic gene variant was identified in 17(85%) of the 20 confirmed cases (Table 1). Twelve (60%) of the confirmed cases of PID were male. The most common presenting symptom was recurrent diarrhea 11/20 (55%). The mean (±S.D) age of the cases at the time of diagnosis was 4.2 (±4.1) years. Chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) was the most common 6/20 (30%) disorder, followed by severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) 3/20 (15%), leukocyte adhesion deficiency (LAD) 3/20 (15%), agammaglobulinemia/hypogammaglobulinemia 3/20 (15%), and Hermansky-Pudlak Syndrome (HPS) 2/20 (10%). Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome, Immunodeficiency Centromeric Instability and Facial Anomalies Syndrome (ICF 2), Trichohepatoenteric syndrome (TRES), and C3 deficiency were each diagnosed once {1/20 (4.3%) each} (Table 1). Of these 20 confirmed cases, almost all 19/20 (95%) had a family history of consanguinity. Sibling death was reported in 5/20 (25%) of these cases. Five out of the 20 (25%) children died over the 7-year period for various reasons.Conclusion: PIDs are not uncommon in Pakistan; their diagnosis may be missed or delayed due to the overlapping of clinical features of PID with other diseases and a lack of diagnostic facilities. There is a need to build capacity for early recognition and diagnosis of PIDs to decrease morbidity and mortality

Leveraging Generative Artificial Intelligence Models in Patient Education on Inferior Vena Cava Filters

Background: Inferior Vena Cava (IVC) filters have become an advantageous treatment modality for patients with venous thromboembolism. As the use of these filters continues to grow, it is imperative for providers to appropriately educate patients in a comprehensive yet understandable manner. Likewise, generative artificial intelligence models are a growing tool in patient education, but there is little understanding of the readability of these tools on IVC filters. Methods: This study aimed to determine the Flesch Reading Ease (FRE), Flesch–Kincaid, and Gunning Fog readability of IVC Filter patient educational materials generated by these artificial intelligence models. Results: The ChatGPT cohort had the highest mean Gunning Fog score at 17.76 ± 1.62 and the lowest at 11.58 ± 1.55 among the Copilot cohort. The difference between groups for Flesch Reading Ease scores (p = 8.70408 × 10−8) was found to be statistically significant albeit with priori power found to be low at 0.392. Conclusions: The results of this study indicate that the answers generated by the Microsoft Copilot cohort offers a greater degree of readability compared to ChatGPT cohort regarding IVC filters. Nevertheless, the mean Flesch–Kincaid readability for both cohorts does not meet the recommended U.S. grade reading levels