Sinonasal teratocarcinosarcoma

Teratocarcinosarcoma is a rare, morphologically heterogeneous and highly malignant neoplasm. It is characterized by the presence of benign and malignant epithelial, mesenchymal and neural components. The carcinoma may be either squamous or adenocarcinoma and the mesenchymal component may manifest spindle, smooth, skeletal muscle, cartilage and bone features. Because of their infrequency, these lesions are often misdiagnosed, leading to management difficulties. In this case report we have shared our experience with sinonasal teratocarcinosarcoma in a 23 year old female and performed a brief review of literature

Spectrum of Head Trauma at Tertiary Care Military Hospital CMH Quetta, Pakistan

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the etiological spectrum, injury patterns and outcome of head injured patients at tertiary care military hospital CMH Quetta.Materials and Methods: This descriptive study includes all patients of head trauma coming to trauma centre at CMH Quetta, Pakistan. Patients with associated injuries of other organs were excluded from the study. We noted the detailed clinical history and examination, demographics, mechanism of injury, treatment offered (operative / non operative) and analyzed the details of operative procedure (craniotomy, craniectomy, elevation of compound depressed fracture, scalp suturing), morbidity and outcome (according to Glasgow outcome scale). Data was analyzed using SPSS version 16.Results: There were 1026 patients (856 males and 170 females) eligible to be included in the study. The mean age of the patient was 28.9 ± 19.2 years SD. Majority of the patients belonged to the age group 21 – 40 years. The commonest cause of head injury was Road traffic accident 507 (49.41%), fall 273 (26.6%), gunshot wound 97 (9.45%), bomb blast injury 76 (7.41%), sports related 35 (3.41%), mine blast 25 (2.44%) and splinter injury 13 (1.27%) of patients. CT Brain findings were contusions in 116 (11.3%), isolated fractures in 45 (4.38%), SDH in 44 (4.28%), EDH in 43 (4.19%), DAI (diffuse axonal injury) in 36 (3.51%), compound depressed fractures in 16 (1.55%), frontal sinus fractures in 14 (1.36%), combined EDH / SDH in 6 (0.58%) and normal CT brain findings in 706 (68.81%) patients. 662 (64.52%%) patients were managed conservatively and 364 (35.47%) underwent operative management. Major operations (craniotomy / craniectomy / elevation of compound depressed skull fracture) were performed in 138 (13.45%) and minor operations (suturing of scalp laceration) were performed in 226 (22.03%). Good recovery was seen in 894 (87.13%), moderate disability in 26 (2.53%) and severe disability in 12 (1.16%) whereas 16 (1.56 %) patients remained vegetative. The mortality was 78 (7.6%).Conclusion: In Pakistan, head injury contributes significantly to mortality and morbidity. Road traffic accident, history of fall and gunshot are the commonest causes of head injury. Appropriate medical care facilities needs to be established at district and tehsil level to provide prompt and adequate care to head injured patients

Medicinal plants with gastroprotective potential

Peptic ulcer disease (PUD) is a main source of morbidity and mortality worldwide. It is characterized by erosions in mucosal linings of stomach and duodenum. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and Helicobacter pylori are mainly responsible for peptic ulcer disease. Histamine receptor blockers and proton pump inhibitors are most prominent therapies in the treatment of peptic ulcer. However, severe adverse effects of NSAIDs have been reported. Therefore, focus is now diverted towards herbal formulations of medicinal plants for the treatment of ulcer. Plants contain different phytoconstituents which are responsible for increasing defensive mechanisms of body against peptic ulcer. The current review focuses on the commonly used gastroprotective plants as antiulcer agents.

Planar SIW leaky wave antenna with electronically reconfigurable E-and H-plane scanning

This paper reports on a novel technique of switching radiation characteristics electronically between E-and H-planes of planar Substrate Integrated Waveguide Leaky Wave Antennas (SIW-LWAs). The leaky wave mode is achieved through increasing the pitch of bounding metallic via posts on one side of SIW transmission section. The radiation switching is achieved by extending the top and bottom metallic planes to a distance of 1 mm along the leakage side. The extended section acts as a parallel plate section which is conveniently connected or disconnected from the leaking side of SIW through PIN diodes. The ‘ON’ state of PIN diodes extends the metal guides and results in the H-plane leakage whereas ‘OFF’ state of PIN diodes truncates the extended metal earlier and alter the leakage line boundary condition towards E-plane. The whole concept is validated by series of simulations followed by the realization and testing of the SIW-LWA. The measured radiation pattern scans about 54° in the E-plane between 10.0 GHz to 11.7 GHz, and 58° in the H-plane from 9 GHz to 10.6 GHz. The proposed topology is a suitable candidate for remote sensing and airborne applications

Vitamin D deficiency associates with susceptibility to tuberculosis in Pakistan, but polymorphisms in VDR, DBP and CYP2R1 do not

Background: Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the genes encoding the vitamin D receptor (VDR) and the vitamin D binding protein (DBP) have been reported to modify the influence of vitamin D deficiency on susceptibility to active tuberculosis (TB) in the UK, but this phenomenon has not been investigated in settings with a high TB burden. SNPs in CYP2R1, which encodes a vitamin D 25-hydroxylase enzyme, are known to influence vitamin D status, but their potential role in determining susceptibility to TB has not previously been investigated in any setting. Method: We conducted a case–control study in 260 pulmonary TB patients and 112 controls recruited in Lahore, Pakistan. Analyses were conducted to test for main effects of vitamin D status and SNPs in VDR (rs731236, rs2228570 and rs1544410), DBP (rs7041 and rs4588) and CYP2R1 (rs2060793, rs10500804 and rs10766197) on susceptibility to TB, and to investigate whether these SNPs modify the association between vitamin D status and disease susceptibility. Results: Profound vitamin D deficiency (serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration ≤ 20 nmol/L) was common among TB patients (118/260, 45 %), and was independently associated with susceptibility to TB (adjusted odds ratio 1.87, 95 % CI 1.15 to 3.04, P = 0.01). However, none of the SNPs investigated associated with susceptibility to TB, either in main effects analysis, or in interaction with vitamin D status. Conclusion: Profound vitamin D deficiency was common among TB patients in this high-burden setting, and was independently associated with disease susceptibility. However, no statistically significant associations between SNPs in the vitamin D pathway and disease susceptibility was demonstrated.Higher Education Commission of Pakistan grant number BM7-139

Synthesis of cephradine metal complexes and its anti-bacterial evaluation

Cephradine belongs to the first generation cephalosporin having a broad range of anti-bacterial activities. In the present work, Cephradine wasreacted with different metal salts. These metal salts were Iron, Copper, Cobalt and Nickel salts. All the complexes of Cephradine metals were synthesized at room temperature using a mechanical vibrator. The reactions yielded the coordinated complexes within 5-10 min with improved product yield. The synthesized complexes were analyzed for their antibacterial power using disc diffused assay. All the Cephradine complexes showed powerful antibacterial activity. The Co, Cu, Ni and Sn complexes showed good antibacterial activities 18.5 mm by Cu complexes against S. typhi, 17 mm against B. subtillus 16.5 mm against S. aureus, 16 mm against S. coccus. Similarly Sn complexes exhibited 17 mm zone of inhibition against S. coccus and 15.5 mm against B. subtillus. Cobalt and Ni complexes also shed significant inhibition activities against bacterial pathogenic bacterial strains. The study is of particular importance and new, using mechanical vibrator for the first time. The product yield is also comparatively good with short reaction time

The effects of demographics and relations in children’s video and computer game selection

For the last three decades, many things have changed around us. New businesses have grown up and new fields have emerged. One such field is video games which are liked by children. There is already research, which proves that children often like to play violent games which affect their personality and make their behavior violent (Rathus, 2004; Anderson & Dill, 2000; Crawford, 2003; Walsh, 2001) rather than playing educational and IQ games which increase their learning abilities. Our work is about what are the factors which affect the game selection in children. Main parameters for the research were demographic factors and relations. These two parameters are part of their whole environment and have different impact on the game preference; we have explored affect of these parameters in our paper. Under these two parameters we have focused relations with sibling and friends. Children demographics of age, gender and ethnicity were studied. To collect data, detailed interviews were conducted with children from three different ethnicities (Danish, Pakistani and Arabic) to see the relations between demographic factors and relations to game preferences. The collected interview data is then analyzed to draw conclusions. Gender influences the game preferences. Tendency to play fight games was more in boys then girls. Being not the dominant in sibling rivalry was a factor in behavior towards violence games in Pakistani and Arabic children. Danish children were influenced by friends rather than siblings. Ethnicity also affects the game selection. As the child age increases he tends to play more strategy oriented games

Green - Lean Practices and Reverse Logistics:Evidence from Manufacturing Industry of a Developing Economy

The past literature has seen considerable growth in lean and green concepts in the context of developed countries. However, despite the increasing interdependencies between developing and developed economies, little is known in the context of developing economies. This study investigates the impact of green and lean practices, and reverse logistics on organizational performance in the context of a developing economy. We employ a quantitative research design, where a sample of 170 responses was generated from senior managers of manufacturing firms in Pakistan – a developing economy. The analysis uncovers those green practices have a significant positive nexus with organizational performance in a developing economy like Pakistan. Further, we find that lean practices and reverse logistics serially mediate the relationship between green practices and organizational performance. We thus suggest green practices, lean practices, and reverse logistics as key levers to enhance performance and gain a competitive advantage for the firms in the developing economy like Pakistan. This is among the few studies testing serial mediation of lean practices and reverse logistics between green practices and organizational performance. The findings offer numerous contributions to both theory and practice

Bidirectional Exact Pattern Matching Algorithm

Abstract -In this research we introduce a new idea to solve the problem of exact pattern matching algorithm by using two pointers, simultaneously