Measurement of Food Insecurity in Selected Districts of Kabul City

Food Insecurity has significantly increased in both developed and developing countries, causing suffering for people due to lack of food. Food Insecurity has been mostly observed during major crises, such as the global economic crisis in 2008 and the Covid-19 outbreak in 2019. Despite fundamental efforts in fighting poverty, Afghanistan continues to struggle with food insecurity with a large proportion of its population living below the poverty line. Four districts of Kabul city were measured for Food Insecurity in which people were unable to obtain the necessary calories within 24 hours. At the present time, the social problem of Food Insecurity in Afghanistan is becoming more serious as people’s lives depend on humanitarian aid and donations. The Foster Greer Thorbecke method of measuring Food Insecurity was utilized in this paper to measure Food Insecurity in four selected districts of Kabul city. Household opinions have been collected via questionnaires and in-person interviewing. The results of this research show that District 13 has the highest level of Food Insecurity, with 70% of residents unable to have sufficient food. Subsequently, district 1 has 65% of people unable to have sufficient calories, district 16 has 62 %and district 8 has 61 %. This paper aims to highlight the efforts of Afghanistan in alleviating food insecurity with a focus on the impact of COVID-19, unfair government policies, bad security, weak infrastructure, low literacy level, medical services shortage, high unemployment rate and lack of modern technology that hinder Afghanistan from accessing enough food. We conclude that Afghanistan would need to develop update policies to mitigate food insecurity

Poor Quality of Sleep and its Relationship with Depression in First Year Medical Students.

Introduction: High incidence of depression has been reported in undergraduate medical students. Sleep disturbance has been associated with depressive symptoms and higher body mass index (BMI). This study evaluated the relationship between sleep disturbance measured by Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index ( PSQI) and Epworth sleepiness scale (ESS) with BMI and depression measured by Beck Depression Inventory (BDI)  in 1st year  medical students. Method: Following Institutional Ethics Committee approval, 1st year medical students who volunteered for study and gave written informed consent (n=73) were administered PSQI, ESS & BDI questionnaires after seven months of admission. Height and weight were measured by standard method. Scores of PSQI, BDI and BMI were calculated and their interrelationship was measured statically.  Results: Poor quality of sleep (PSQI score greater or equal to five) and depression (BDI score eleven or greater) was seen in majority of students (64 and 60 % respectively). BMI was not significantly correlated with PSQI, ESS or BDI scores .There was significant positive correlation between PSQI and BDI (Pearson correlation, r = 0.410, P < 0.001), higher the BDI scores higher the PSQI scores. Conclusions: Poor sleep quality and depressive symptoms were observed in majority of 1st year medical students. Sleep quality and depressive symptoms were interrelated. Prevention and treatment strategies should target sleep as a factor that can potentially influence the development and course of Depression leading to poor academic performance. There is an urgent need to address this issue. Keywords: PSQI, BDI, Medical students, college students, adolescent health, freshman, freshers

Efforts to improve diagnosis of bacteraemia by reducing blood culture contamination in an emergency department: Strategies and outcome

Objective: To assess the strategies and outcome for reducing blood culture contamination in order to improve the diagnosis of bacteraemia.Methods: The interventional study was conducted at a tertiary care hospital in Karachi from January 1, 2013, to December 31, 2016. The blood culture contamination data related to the first year of the study was taken as the baseline pre-intervention data. Strategies were planned as intervention for improvement by consolidating training and education in the form of dedicated lectures, practising on mannequins and developing in-house video, replacing povidone with 2% chlorhexidine preparation spray plus 70% isopropyl alcohol swabs and inducting dedicated phlebotomy team whose only responsibility was blood sample collection and minimising the probability of error.Results: In 2013, there were 8868 samples; 7402 in 2014; 6897 in 2015; and 9756 samples in 2016. The contamination rate in 2013 was 8% which went down to 7.75% in 2014, 4.25% in 2015 and 3.9% in 2016. The decline became statistically significant (p\u3c0.001) after implementing a dedicated phlebotomy team in the emergency department.Conclusions: Apart from teaching and training, the concept of blood culture collection kit with checklist and dedicated blood collection team was found to be vital in reducing blood culture contamination

Seedling growth of Adenanthera pavonina L. in polluted soils of Karachi railway track

The seedling growth performance of Adenanthera pavonina L. in polluted soils of different railway tracks viz. Karachi Cantt. Station, Malir Halt, Malir 15, Landhi Junction and University Campus (control) was studied under in pots under natural field conditions. The results showed that the root, shoot and seedling size, number of leaves, plant cover, leaf weight ratio of A. pavonina seedlings were significantly (p<0.05) reduced in Karachi Cantt. Station soil as compared to University Campus soil. Similarly, shoot, root and seedling size, plant cover, seedling dry weight of A. pavonina were significantly (p<0.05) increased in soils of Landhi Junction as compared to soil of University Campus. A better seedling growth of A. pavonina was also found in soil of Malir 15 followed by Malir Halt. A significant variation in the the physico-chemical characteristics of the railway tract soil sample was observed. The soil of Malir Halt, Malir 15 and Landhi Junction railway tracks was sandy clay loam while the Karachi Cantt. Station and University Campus had clay loam textured soil. A significant variation in chemical characteristics of railway track soil such as maximum water holding capacity, bulk density, chloride contents, available sulfur, and exchangeable sodium as compared to University Campus soil observed. Whereas, porosity, calcium carbonate, organic matter, electrical conductivity, total dissolved salts and exchangeable potassium were low in railway tracks soil. The present study demonstrated that the growth of A. pavonina was significantly (p<0.05) reduced in Karachi Cantt. Station soil as compared to soils of other sites.Keywords: Adenanthera pavonina, railway track, pollution, seedling growth, soi

Tree size comparison of some important street trees growing at different sites of Karachi City, Pakistan

The importance of trees in urban environment is now widely recognized as they cleanse the particulate air pollution and help to make cities and towns more agreeable places to dwell upon. A detailed survey was conducted to study the size of Alstonia scholaris, Azadirachta indica, Bombax ceiba, Cassia fistula, Eucalyptus sp., Ficus benghalensis, Ficus religiosa and Guaiacum officinale trees in the urban environment of Karachi, Pakistan. Results showed a wide range of variation in tree diameter breast height (17.12-65.50 cm) at M. A. Jinnah Road, University Road (near Hassan Square), North Nazimabad and Karachi University Campus, respectively. A. indica, Eucalyptus sp., and F. benghalensis showed less dbh (tree diameter breast height) at M. A. Jinnah Road as compared to University Road (near Hassan Square), North Nazimabad and Karachi University Campus, respectively. G. officinale growing at University Road (near Hassan Square) showed  ess tree dbh as compared to M. A. Jinnah Road and Karachi University campus. Similarly, the tree size of B. ceiba and A. scholaris was recorded less at Nazimabad as compared to M. A. Jinnah Road, University Road (near Hassan Square) and Karachi University Campus, respectively. C. fistula growing at North Nazimabad site showed low tree dbh as compared to University Road (near Hassan Square) site. A. scholaris growing at Karachi University Campus site showed highest dbh value as compared to all studied sites. The tree size of G. officinale was recorded highest at M. A. Jinnah Road as compared to North Nazimabad, University Road (near Hassan Square) and Karachi University Campus, respectively. Whereas, Eucalyptus sp. and F. benghalensis recorded highest dbh at North Nazimabad site as compared to M. A. Jinnah Road, University Road (near Hassan Square) and Karachi University Campus, respectively. More research is needed on these trees for healthy environment of city. The present study recommends for the complete documentation of tree species growing in city. Such information will be useful to identify characteristics that can be used to select tree species that are better suited for planting on other areas of the city. These findings can be helpful for arboriculturists, environmental scientists and town planners when working on plantation in the selected area.Keywords: Circumference, diameter at breast height, size, roadside tree, urban environment, Pakista

Reporting of mycetoma cases from skin and soft tissue biopsies over a period of ten years: A single center report and literature review from Pakistan

Background: Mycetoma is an important neglected tropical disease associated with debilitation, disfigurement and death if not diagnosed and treated adequately. In Pakistan, mycetoma cases have frequently been diagnosed in histopathology and microbiology laboratories. However, there is scarcity of published data from this country. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to evaluate the frequency and type of mycetoma reported in skin and soft tissue biopsies from a single center over 10 years and review of published literature from Pakistan.Method: This descriptive observational retrospective study was conducted at the Aga Khan University Hospital laboratory, Karachi, Pakistan. Laboratory data from 2009-2018 of skin and soft tissue biopsies with positive findings of mycetoma were retrieved from hospital information system. The variables for statistical analysis were age and gender of patient, anatomical site of lesion, residence of patient (geographical location) in the country, etiologic agents of mycetoma and significant gross and microscopic histopathological findings. The data was entered, and descriptive epidemiologic assessment was carried out using MS excel 2013. Geographical information system was used for mapping the location. Literature review of mycetoma cases reported from Pakistan was done on PubMed, Google search and PakMediNet from 1980 till April 2019.Result: During ten years of study period, 89 skin and soft tissue biopsies were reported as mycetoma, majority were eumycetoma [n = 66/89 (74%)] followed by actinomycetoma [n = 23/89 (26%)]. Involvement of lower limb was predominantly observed [n = 74/89 (83%)] in which foot had significant contribution [n = 65/74 (88%)]. Only 18 specimens were submitted for microbiological assessment and six grew agents of mycetoma, with Madurella mycetomatis reported in only three. Well-formed granuloma formation was observed in only 26%[n = 23/89] of cases. Specific geographical location was not identified, and cases were reported from across the country. From Pakistan, only two original papers and 7 case reports were available in published literature.Conclusion: This single center study reports a handful of cases of mycetoma from Pakistan. We conclude that the index of suspicion should remain high among treating surgeons and physicians and clinical laboratories should improve their diagnostic capacity and skills. This will have a great impact on disease outcome and patient\u27s life

Oleuropein and Cancer Chemoprevention: the Link is Hot

Cancer comprises a collection of related diseases characterized by the existence of altered cellular pathways resulting in an abnormal tendency for uncontrolled growth. A broad spectrum, coordinated, and personalized approach focused on targeting diverse oncogenic pathways with low toxicity and economic natural compounds can provide a real benefit as a chemopreventive and/or treatment of this complex disease. Oleuropein, a bioactive phenolic compound mainly present in olive oil and other natural sources, has been reported to modulate several oncogenic signalling pathways. This review presents and critically discusses the available literature about the anticancer and onco-suppressive activity of oleuropein and the underlying molecular mechanisms implicated in the anticarcinogenic and therapeutic effects. The existence of limitations and the promising perspectives of research on this phenolic compound are also critically analyzed and discussed.This article is the outcome of an in-house financially non-supported study. A. Sureda was partially supported by the Spanish Ministry of Health, Social Services and Equality (CIBEROBN-B12/03/30038). A. Mocan acknowledges funding from UEFISCDI, Romania, project no. PNII-RU-TE-2014-4-1247.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Tanscriptomic Study of the Soybean-Fusarium virguliforme Interaction Revealed a Novel Ankyrin-Repeat Containing Defense Gene, Expression of Whose during Infection Led to Enhanced Resistance to the Fungal Pathogen in Transgenic Soybean Plants

Fusarium virguliforme causes the serious disease sudden death syndrome (SDS) in soybean. Host resistance to this pathogen is partial and is encoded by a large number of quantitative trait loci, each conditioning small effects. Breeding SDS resistance is therefore challenging and identification of single-gene encoded novel resistance mechanisms is becoming a priority to fight this devastating this fungal pathogen. In this transcriptomic study we identified a few putative soybean defense genes, expression of which is suppressed during F. virguliformeinfection. The F. virguliforme infection-suppressed genes were broadly classified into four major classes. The steady state transcript levels of many of these genes were suppressed to undetectable levels immediately following F. virguliforme infection. One of these classes contains two novel genes encoding ankyrin repeat-containing proteins. Expression of one of these genes, GmARP1, during F. virguliforme infection enhances SDS resistance among the transgenic soybean plants. Our data suggest that GmARP1 is a novel defense gene and the pathogen presumably suppress its expression to establish compatible interaction