Estimation of Export Supply Function for Citrus Fruit in Pakistan

There is strong evidence in the literature that export and economic growth have a positive relationship. In Pakistan, with an agrarian economy, earnings from primary agricultural exports are vital for the overall growth process. Fruits are the traditional export commodities, which contribute more than half of total export earnings from primary agricultural commodities. The persistent instability in world market prices for primary commodities has depressed the export earnings from these commodities over time. This poses great challenges to a country like Pakistan. The present study aims at examining changes in the volume of export of citrus fruit from Pakistan caused by such factors as changes in domestic and export prices, national product, foreign exchange rate, etc. The study uses time series data for the period 1975–2004 for citrus exports and related domestic price, export price, GDP, and foreign exchange rate, employing the co-integration and error correction techniques for analysis purposes.

Pendidik kreatif sebagai teras transformasi literasi kreatif di Malaysia

Kreativiti merupakan mauduk dan agenda penting dalam mana-mana orientasi pendidikan di dunia. Institusi pendidikan merupakan tempat terpenting untuk menyuburkan bakat dan kebolehan kreatif pelajar. Hal ini diakui oleh pakar-pakar sains pemikiran kreatif seperti Amabile (1992), Swartz (1989), Buzan (2002), de Bono (1971), Leong (1998) dan ramai yang lain. Amabile (1992) misalnya menyifatkan institusi sekolah merupakan tempat paling penting untuk memupuk alam kreativiti di kalangan kanak-kanak, khususnya dalam konteks prasekolah. Selanjutnya, Cropley (2001), menegaskan bahawa universiti adalah persekitaran yang amat signifikan bagi merealisasikan bakat dan kemahiran kreativiti mahasiswa. Namun begitu, menurut de Bono (19700, tanpa prime mover (dibaca sebagai pendidik) yang menggerakkan persekitaran yang kondusif untuk berkreativiti maka sukar untuk para pelajar untuk berkreasi dengan selesa dan selamat. Sungguhpun begitu, prime mover yang dimaksudkan oleh de Bono itu ialah pendidik yang dibekali dengan pengetahuan dan kemahiran kreativiti. Pendidik yang tidak memiliki kemahiran dan pengetahuan kreativiti sukar untuk merealisasikan suasana, ruang dan pengalaman kreatif dalam pengajaran dan pembelajarannya. Oleh yang demikian, kertas kerja ini akan menghuraikan konsep asas apa yang dimaksudkan sebagai pendidik kreatif. Selanjutnya, kertas kerja ini akan memperjelaskan bagaimana pendidik kreatif ini mampu membawa perubahan ke arah memupuk satu suasana kreativiti dalam pengajaran dan pembelajarannya. Selain itu, kertas kerja ini turut menghuraikan apa yang dikatakan sebagai konsep literasi kreatif dan bagaimana dinamisme literasi kreatif boleh dicapai di Malaysia. Selain itu, kertas kerja ini akan memberikan justifikasi mengapa perlunya literasi kreatif ini diberi perhatian oleh pelbagai pihak khususnya dalam sistem pendidikan Malaysia dan akhirnya apakah kesan literasi kreatif terhadap pembangunan dan masa depan negara dalam dunia globalisasi ini

Assessment of depression and anxiety in hematological cancer patients and their relationship with quality of life.

OBJECTIVES:To determine the relationship between major depressive disorder, anxiety disorders and the quality of life of haematological cancer patients. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted at Ampang Hospital Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, a tertiary referral centre hospital for haematological cancer. The Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview was used for the diagnosis of major depressive disorder and anxiety disorders. The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire was utilised to measure patients' quality of life. RESULTS: A total of 105 haematological cancer patients were included in the study with response rate of 100%. Major depressive disorder correlated with almost all domains of the quality of life, except the pain scores. Logistic regression showed that insomnia and financial difficulties were related to major depressive disorder. Different anxiety disorders also correlated with quality of life in specific domains. The leading anxiety disorders that correlated mostly with quality-of-life scales were generalised anxiety disorder, followed by obsessive-compulsive disorder, social anxiety disorder, as well as post-traumatic stress disorder and panic disorder with agoraphobia (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Psychological treatment along with medication and intervention should be implemented to improve the overall quality of life and psychiatric disorder symptoms among the haematological cancer patients

Attributable causes of chronic kidney disease in adults: a five-year retrospective study in a tertiary-care hospital in the northeast of the Malaysian Peninsula

CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is an escalating medical and socioeconomic problem worldwide. Information concerning the causes of CKD, which is a prerequisite for reducing the disease burden, is sparse in Malaysia. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the attributable causes of CKD in an adult population at a tertiary referral hospital. DESIGN AND SETTING: Retrospective study at Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (HUSM). METHODS: This was an analysis based on medical records of adult patients at HUSM. Data regarding demographics, laboratory investigations, attributable causes and CKD stage were gathered. RESULTS: A total of 851 eligible cases were included. The patients’ mean age was 61.18 ± 13.37 years. CKD stage V was found in 333 cases (39.1%) whereas stages IV, IIIb, IIIa, and II were seen in 240 (28.2%), 186 (21.9%), 74 (8.7%) and 18 (2.1%), respectively. The percentage of CKD stage V patients receiving renal replacement therapy was 15.6%. The foremost attributable causes of CKD were diabetic nephropathy (DN) (44.9%), hypertension (HPT) (24.2%) and obstructive uropathy (9.2%). The difference in the prevalence of CKD due to DN, HPT and glomerulonephritis between patients ≤ 50 and > 50 years old was statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that DN and HPT are the major attributable causes of CKD among patients at a Malaysian tertiary-care hospital. Furthermore, the results draw attention to the possibility that greater emphasis on primary prevention of diabetes and hypertension will have a great impact on reduction of hospital admissions due to CKD in Malaysia

Depression and quality of life among patients with hematological cancer in a Malaysian hospital

Objective: To determine the prevalence of major depressive disorder (MDD) in hematological cancer patients and to investigate MDD with quality of life. Methods: The research, which uses a cross sectional design, has been carried out at Ampang Hospital, Kuala Lumpur. The hospital is a tertiary referral center for cancer cases that include non-Hodgkin lymphoma, acute myelogenous leukemia, acute lymphoblastic leukemia, Hodgkin lymphoma and other hematological cancers. In total, 105 patients with hematological malignancies were included in the study. This study employed the MINI International Neuropsychiatric Interview for diagnosis of MDD, the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) for symptom severity of depression and the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality Of Life questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30) to assess the quality of life of the respondents. Result: The response rate was 83.3%. The prevalence of MDD was 24.8% (n=26) with the majority of cases classified as moderately severe depression (38.5%). About 92.3% (n=24) of depressed hematological cancer patients were diagnosed with a current episode of MDD. The depressed patients also had significantly reduced quality of life in physical, role, emotional, cognitive and social domains (p<0.05). They also had significantly more symptoms of fatigue, nausea and vomiting, dyspnea, insomnia, appetite loss, constipation and diarrhea in addition to having financial difficulties and poor global health statuses (p<0.05). Conclusion: The prevalence of depression among the hematological cancer patients was high and the depressed patients had reduced qualities of life. Special attention in psychotherapy would help to improve both depression level and the quality of life in these patients

Effect of Calcium Channel Blockers on Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms: A Systematic Review

Background. Numerous medications are known to be associated with the development of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). One such medication group is calcium channel blockers (CCB). Objective. To critically examine the literature regarding the involvement of CCB in manifestation of LUTS in humans. Methods. A systematic literature search was conducted on PubMed, SciELO, Scopus, and OpenGrey databases to find all potentially relevant research studies before August 2016. Results. Five studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in this review. Three out of five studies stated that CCB were involved in either precipitation or exacerbation of LUTS. As for the remaining two studies, one study found out that only the monotherapy of CCB was associated with increased prevalence of nocturia and voiding symptoms in young females, whereas the other study reported an inverse association of CCB with LUTS. The methodological quality of studies was considered high for four studies and low for one study. Conclusion. Healthcare providers should make efforts for an earlier identification of the individuals at risk of LUTS prior to the commencement of CCB therapy. Moreover, patients should be counselled to notify their healthcare provider if they notice urinary symptoms after the initiation of CCB

The socio-demographic and clinical factors associated with quality of life among patients with haematological cancer in a large government hospital in Malaysia.

Background: The paper examined the quality of life of haematological cancer patients according to their socio-demographic profiles and clinical diagnoses. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at the tertiary referral centre of Ampang Hospital, Kuala Lumpur, involving 105 patients. The European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life (EORTC QLQ-C30) questionnaire was used to measure their quality of life. Results: The study involved patients diagnosed with all types of haematological cancer, including non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), acute myelogenous leukaemia (AML), acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL), Hodgkin lymphoma (HL), and multiple myeloma (MM), with a response rate of 83.3%. The patients with ALL, HL, without NHL, and without MM were younger than other patients. There were significant differences in quality of life scores in different socio-demographic groups and types of cancer diagnosis. The global quality of life of the female patients was much better than that of the male patients. Patients who were 40 years old or younger had a better global quality of life and physical functioning, as well as fewer symptoms of constipation, nausea, and vomiting. Employed patients were in less pain but showed greater impairments of cognitive function than did unemployed patients. Patients who earned a monthly wage of RM1000 or less had reduced physical function, more symptoms of pain, and more financial difficulties compared with patients who earned more. Patients with AML tended to have better physical functioning than did patients with MM, whose physical functioning was impaired. Comparatively, more symptoms of dyspnoea were found in ALL and HL patients than in other types of lymphoma. Compared with other patients, those with ALL had a greater loss of appetite, and other lymphoma patients had fewer symptoms of pain. Patients with NHL had impaired role functioning and more constipation compared with other patients. The results were all statistically significant (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The quality of life of haematological cancer patients is affected by sociodemographic factors and clinical diagnoses. Efforts should be made to improve the overall quality of life of these patients

Protocol of Pakistan randomized and observational trial to evaluate coronavirus treatment among newly diagnosed patients with COVID-19: Azithromycin, Oseltamivir, and Hydroxychloquine

Background & Objective: This study aimed to assess the clinical effectiveness of Hydroxychloroquine Sulfate (200 mg orally 8 hourlies thrice a day for 5 days), oseltamivir (75 mg orally twice a day for 5 days), and Azithromycin (500 mg orally daily on day 1, followed by 250 mg orally twice a day on days 2-5) alone and in combination (in seven groups). Methods & Analysis: An adaptive design is deployed, set within a comprehensive cohort study, to permit flexibility in fast-changing clinical and public health scenario. Primary outcomes include turning the test negative for coronavirus nucliec acid and in bringing about clinical improvement on day 7 of follow-up on a seven-point ordinal scale. The randomized study will recruit participants of either gender above 18 years of age who will test positive for SARS-CoV-2 on Quantitative Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). Pregnant or lactating females, and those with severe respiratory distress, or with serious comorbidities will be excluded. Randomization will be done maintaining concealment of allocation sequence using a computer-generated random number list. The sample size will be subjected to periodic reviews by National Data Safety and Monitoring Board. Ethics and Dissemination: The trial is approved by the National Bioethics Committee (No.4-87/NBC- 471-COVID-19-05/20/) and institutional Ethical Review Committee. This clinical trial conducted under Good Clinical Practice is expected to inform patients clinical guidelines for the use of these drugs in newly diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2.Spanish Governmen

Dampak Covid-19 Terhadap Pedagang Kecil : Tinjauan Tentang Kesejahteraan Mayarakat Di Kabupaten Asahan

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis Dampak Covid-19 Terhadap Pedagang Kecil : Tinjauan Tentang Kesejahteraan Keluarga Pedagang Kecil Mayarakat Di Kabupaten Asahan, Metode penelitian yang digunakan pada penelitian ini adalah dengan menggunakan Pendekatan penelitian kualitiatif, Metode penelitian kualitatif adalah sebagai metode ilmiah sering digunakan dan dilaksanakan oleh sekelompok peneliti dalam bidang ilmu sosial, antropologi, dan sejumlah penelitian perilaku lainnya, termasuk ilmu pendidikan. Penelitian kualitatif di bidang pendidikan tidak dilaksanakan di laboratorium tetapi di lapangan tempat peristiwa berlangsung secara natural-alami. hasil penelitian menunjukkan fenomena covid-19 ini maka tinjauan terhadap pedagang kecil dan interaksi dengan sekitar menjadi terbatasi. Adanya bentuk bentuk faktor yang berdampak akibat pandei ini yakni ekonomim pendidikan, kebiasaan, kecemasan dan budaya. Masyarakat yang tertuju pada pedagang kecil karena adanya pandemi korona setiap orang tidak mampu memahami apa maksud di balik peristiwa yang terjadi pada akhir-akhir ini. Meskipun pemerintah sudah membuat kebijakan tentang Pembatasan Sosial Berskala Besar (PSBB), masih ada banyak pelanggar yang kemudian menularkan Covid-19 ke beberapa orang, seperti kasus penutupan beberapa warung dan tempat ramai lainnya karena ada pekerja yang dinyatakan positif Covid-19