A Comparative Study of Periodontal Disease Index (PDI) Scores in Type-2 Diabetics and Non-Diabetics

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to compare the Type 2 diabetes mellitus patients and Non-Diabetics in terms of Periodontal Disease Index (PDI). METHODOLOGY: This comparative cross-sectional study recruited 105 subjects, 56 participants of Type 2 diabetes mellitus with periodontal disease and 49 non-diabetics (comparison group) having periodontal disease. Non-probability purposive sampling method was used for selecting the participants. This study was conducted at Peshawar Dental hospital, Prime Teaching hospital, and Sardar Begum Dental hospital. Determination of   HbA1c to diagnose diabetes and periodontal examination was conducted for both the groups to compare Type 2 diabetics and non-diabetics in terms of Periodontal Disease Index (PDI) score that is one of the clinical parameters of periodontal disease. Data analysis was performed by using SPSS version 23. RESULTS: Out of 105 total participants, 33 (31.4 %) were males and 72 (68.6%) were females. The mean age of subjects was 51.48±7.92. The mean PDI scores of the two groups were compared. Mean Periodontal Disease Index (PDI) was recorded, score was 2.58 (±0.67) in diabetics and 1.11 (±0.41) in non-diabetic (comparison group). P-value was measured by Chi-square test and was found to be significant. CONCLUSION: We concluded that significant difference exists between the mean PDI scores of Type 2 diabetics and non-diabetics

Factors Affecting Performance of Primary Schools Teachers in Terrorism Affected Areas: A Case of District Swat

The purpose of this study was to identify the factors that affect the performance of primary school teachers in terrorism affected areas. The main objective of the study was to measure and summarize the perceptions of teachers themselves about the factors that affect teachers’ performance in terrorism affected areas. The study was descriptive in nature. All the primary school teachers in district Swat constituted the population of the study. Hundred teachers, fifty male and fifty female were randomly selected. In this study five factors were identified. The first factor focuses on the financial position of teachers in terrorism affected areas. The second factor focuses on the environment of schools. The third factor discusses the parents’ cooperation during the terrorism. The fourth factor focuses on the security of schools and teachers and the fifth factor focuses on the psychological effect of terrorism on the performance of teachers. A self-developed closed ended questionnaire on five point rating scale was developed, and collected data regarding the five factors, financial resources of teachers, physical environment of school, security, parents involvement in teaching and learning process, psychological effects of terrorism on teachers. The collected data were tabulated, analyzed and interpreted by using statistical techniques as percentage of the responses .The main findings of the study were that mostly teachers faced the economic challenges in terrorism affected areas. Financial resources of teachers were destroyed. Salaries were delaed. Side businesses were destroyed. Continuous attacks on school affected the learning ability of students that affected the performance of teachers. Mostly parents became IDPs and the remaining did not take interest in the education of children. Teachers were not safe in school neither security was provided to teachers. Due to fear of attacks on school the teachers gave less time to teaching. Anxiety and emotional complained of teachers increased. There was no significant differences in the opinion of male and female teachers. It was recommended that the government should provide security to teachers, parents and schools. So that to reduce the depression and anxiety of teachers. The government should support the teachers financially.&nbsp

Effect of early tranexamic acid administration on mortality, hysterectomy, and other morbidities in women with post-partum haemorrhage (WOMAN): an international, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

Background Post-partum haemorrhage is the leading cause of maternal death worldwide. Early administration of tranexamic acid reduces deaths due to bleeding in trauma patients. We aimed to assess the effects of early administration of tranexamic acid on death, hysterectomy, and other relevant outcomes in women with post-partum haemorrhage. Methods In this randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, we recruited women aged 16 years and older with a clinical diagnosis of post-partum haemorrhage after a vaginal birth or caesarean section from 193 hospitals in 21 countries. We randomly assigned women to receive either 1 g intravenous tranexamic acid or matching placebo in addition to usual care. If bleeding continued after 30 min, or stopped and restarted within 24 h of the first dose, a second dose of 1 g of tranexamic acid or placebo could be given. Patients were assigned by selection of a numbered treatment pack from a box containing eight numbered packs that were identical apart from the pack number. Participants, care givers, and those assessing outcomes were masked to allocation. We originally planned to enrol 15 000 women with a composite primary endpoint of death from all-causes or hysterectomy within 42 days of giving birth. However, during the trial it became apparent that the decision to conduct a hysterectomy was often made at the same time as randomisation. Although tranexamic acid could influence the risk of death in these cases, it could not affect the risk of hysterectomy. We therefore increased the sample size from 15 000 to 20 000 women in order to estimate the effect of tranexamic acid on the risk of death from post-partum haemorrhage. All analyses were done on an intention-to-treat basis. This trial is registered with ISRCTN76912190 (Dec 8, 2008); ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00872469; and PACTR201007000192283. Findings Between March, 2010, and April, 2016, 20 060 women were enrolled and randomly assigned to receive tranexamic acid (n=10 051) or placebo (n=10 009), of whom 10 036 and 9985, respectively, were included in the analysis. Death due to bleeding was significantly reduced in women given tranexamic acid (155 [1·5%] of 10 036 patients vs 191 [1·9%] of 9985 in the placebo group, risk ratio [RR] 0·81, 95% CI 0·65–1·00; p=0·045), especially in women given treatment within 3 h of giving birth (89 [1·2%] in the tranexamic acid group vs 127 [1·7%] in the placebo group, RR 0·69, 95% CI 0·52–0·91; p=0·008). All other causes of death did not differ significantly by group. Hysterectomy was not reduced with tranexamic acid (358 [3·6%] patients in the tranexamic acid group vs 351 [3·5%] in the placebo group, RR 1·02, 95% CI 0·88–1·07; p=0·84). The composite primary endpoint of death from all causes or hysterectomy was not reduced with tranexamic acid (534 [5·3%] deaths or hysterectomies in the tranexamic acid group vs 546 [5·5%] in the placebo group, RR 0·97, 95% CI 0·87-1·09; p=0·65). Adverse events (including thromboembolic events) did not differ significantly in the tranexamic acid versus placebo group. Interpretation Tranexamic acid reduces death due to bleeding in women with post-partum haemorrhage with no adverse effects. When used as a treatment for postpartum haemorrhage, tranexamic acid should be given as soon as possible after bleeding onset. Funding London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Pfizer, UK Department of Health, Wellcome Trust, and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Histological and Microscopic Analysis of Fats in Heart, Liver Tissue, and Blood Parameters in Experimental Mice

The intake of various types and amounts of dietary fats influences metabolic and cardiovascular health. Hence, this study evaluated the impact of routinely consumed Pakistani dietary fats on their cardiometabolic impact. For this, we made four groups of mice, each comprising 5 animals: (1) C-ND: Control mice on a normal diet, (2) HFD-DG: High-fat diet mice on a normal diet plus 10% (w/w) desi ghee, (3) HFD-O: Mice on normal diet plus 10% (w/w) plant oil (4) HFD-BG: Mice on normal diet plus 10% (w/w) banaspati ghee. Mice were fed for 16 weeks, and blood, liver, and heart samples were collected for biochemical, histological, and electron microscopic analysis. The physical factors indicated that mice fed on HFD gained more body weight than the C-ND group. Blood parameters do not show significant differences, but overall, the glucose and cholesterol concentrations were raised in the mice fed with a fat-rich diet, with the highest concentrations in the HFD-BG group. The mice fed with HFD-BG and HFD-O had more lipid droplets in the liver, compared to HFD-DG and C-ND

Association between proton pump inhibitor use and extended-spectrum beta-lactamase urinary tract infection in adults: A retrospective study

Purpose: To study the association between proton pump inhibitor (PPI) use and the risk of urinary tract infection (UTI) caused by extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (ESBL). Patients and Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted between October 2018 and September 2019. Adults with ESBL-UTIs were compared to adults with UTIs caused by gram-negative bacteria (GNB) and those with UTIs caused by miscellaneous organisms. The association between ESBL infection and PPI use was assessed. Results: A total of 117 of 277 ESBL cases, 229 of 679 non-ESBL GNB controls, and 57 of 144 non-ESBL miscellaneous controls were exposed to PPIs within 3 months prior to admission. The univariate analysis indicated unadjusted odds ratio for PPI exposure with ESBL infection versus the GNB controls was 1.43 (95% CI 1.07-1.90, P = 0.015) while the odds ratio for PPI exposure with ESBL infection versus miscellaneous organisms was 1.10 (95% CI 0.73-1.67, P = 0.633) indicating positive association (PPI exposure increases risk of ESBL infection). Multivariate analysis revealed a positive association between ESBL infection and PPI use versus the GNB controls with an odds ratio of 1.74 (95% CI 0.91-3.31). While Esomeprazole was positively associated with ESBL infection, particularly compared with the miscellaneous group (adjusted OR 1.35, 95% CI 0.47-3.88), Lansoprazole was inversely associated (adjusted OR 0.48, 95% CI 0.18-1.24 and adjusted OR 0.40, 95% CI 0.11-1.41 for ESBL versus GNB controls and ESBL versus miscellaneous organisms, respectively). Conclusion: Exposure to PPIs in the preceding 3 months showed an association with increased risk of ESBL-UTI. While Esomeprazole showed a positive association, Lansoprazole had an inverse association for ESBL-UTI. Restricting the use of PPIs may be beneficial in the fight against antimicrobial resistance.Scopu