The Impact of Sequencing Human Genome on Drug Design to Treat Oral Cancer

Of all the known cancers, oral cancer is the most preventable and it is the second most deadly cancer after the breast cancer. Out of 609,640 deaths of overall cancers, 13,500 died of oral cancer. In spite of this enormous increase in loss of life, there are no useful drugs to treat oral cancer. Sequencing human genome identifies with precision and accuracy the specific mutations responsible for causing oral cancer. In this chapter, a novel approach to design drugs to attack mutated genes in squamous cell carcinoma responsible for causing oral cancer is proposed. Alkylating aziridines attack single-stranded DNA shutting off genes. Using dinitrobenzamide dye as a carrier for aziridine, we successfully made a novel class of drugs (CB 1954) which shuts off gene of a solid tumor, Walker Carcinoma 256, in rats. We translated the animal work in humans by using quinone as a carrier for aziridines making AZQ (US Patent 4,146,622) for attacking glioblastoma for treating brain cancer in humans. We propose to search for a carrier for aziridines to attack squamous cell carcinomas to treat oral cancer. Ethical issues are discussed. Since tobacco smoking causes oral cancer, it is the most preventable disease

Acute lung injury/acute respiratory distress syndrome

Reports of pulmonary physiopathological insults following severe trauma resulting in respiratory failure are not new in medical literature1,2. In 1967 Ashbaugh and colleagues described a syndrome of acute respiratory distress following a variety of precipitating conditions3. Severe hypoxemia, diffuse pulmonary infiltrates, poor lung compliance and absence of left heart failure characterize this condition. Ashbaugh et al4 subsequently named it as adult respiratory distress syndrome to differentiate it from infant respiratory distress syndrome. It was proposed at that time that both conditions manifest similar physiopathological changes. It was also referred to as “traumatic wet lung”, “congestive atelectasis”, or “Da Nang lung” and had a high mortality rate. Since these initial reports, researchers focused their attention towards ARDS in order to find out the precipitating factors and therapeutic measures one can take to treat it. From these observations emerged this concept that different systemic conditions and variety of insults to the lung are associated with ARDS clinical syndrome5 and that it should be regarded as an extreme manifestation of a process called Acute Lung Injury (ALL). Murray quantified the severity of ARDS for determination of prognosis of patients suffering from this clinical syndrome. In 1988, he proposed an AL! score6 based on four components i.e., the extent of infiltration on patients chest x-ray, degree of hypoxemia, amount of positive end expiratory pressure (PEEP) used to oxygenate the patient and the patients respiratory system compliance when available

Making People Employable: Reforming Secondary Education in Pakistan.

Pakistan’s education system has been the focus of various reforms every few years, and a new exercise has been initiated recently through the National Education Policy, 2009. While the problems are generally well documented and stress on universal primary education fully justified, the role of economic relevance of education and training as a factor discouraging completion is not sufficiently emphasised. Studies from developing and developed countries highlight the strong linkage between education and training and employment, and the economic and social returns of employability of trained workers. It is argued that if one or more career based occupational tracks (vocationalisation of upper-secondary education) is offered at the upper secondary level (Class 8-10) as supplements to general education, dropout can be reduced. This will result in increased employability, productivity and competitiveness in the work environment. Co-financing with the private sector of a Rs 48 billion programme for practical on-the-job training is examined in the light of international experiences. JEL classification: J24, O33, H52 Keywords: Human Capital, Skill Bias, Labour Productivity, Education Expenditure

Pulmonary hypertensive crisis and its efficient management. a case report and literature review

Perioperative anaesthetic management of patients with pulmonary hypertensive crisis is complex and challenging because of limited window period and treatment options. This case report describes the successful management of a patient with severe valvular heart disease superimposed by severe pulmonary hypertension, who developed pulmonary hypertensive crisis soon after induction of general anaesthesia for cardiac surgery. Pulmonary hypertensive crisis is not a usual phenomenon in these patients, but if it occurs it can be fatal. Anticipatory care of the patient to prevent crisis is the mainstay of treatment, otherwise it adds additional morbidity to such patients. Fortunately our patient survived the crisis without causing any additional morbidity during his hospital stay

Impact of public debt on growth in Belt & Road countries –Pre and Post Analysis of Financial Crisis 2007-2008

The study seeks to investigate the role of external debt on the growth performance of Belt & Road countries for the pre & post financial crisis period. Using panel data methodologies like fixed effect model and GMM, the study finds a significant negative relationship between external debt and economic growth. Similarly, various specifications are estimated for robustness check like dividing the period into sub-periods, dividing the countries according to continent basis, and applying the generalized method of moment’s techniques. The robustness checks confirm the negative relationship between debt and economic growth. Keywords: External debt, BRI, growth JEL Classification: C33; H63; O43 DOI: 10.7176/RJFA/10-18-18 Publication date:September 30th 201

A room of her own : romance, resistance, and feminist thought in modern Urdu poetry

This dissertation examines the ways in which the female figure has emerged, and the ways in which women’s issues have been addressed in Urdu poetry in various ways during the twentieth century. In order to track these changes and shifts in the Urdu poetic landscape I examine five poets: Muhammad Iqbal (1877-1938), Akhtar Shirani (1905-1948), Kaifi Azmi (1919-2002), Parveen Shakir (1952-1994), and Ishrat Afreen (b. 1956). I argue that each of these poets represents a distinct trend in the way women are discussed in Urdu poetry. While looking at these five poets I will consider the social context in which they were writing and how their poetry engages the canonical aesthetics of the past, along with the socio-political agendas of the present. By analyzing their poetry we can trace how through romance and resistance feminist thought developed in increments throughout the twentieth century. This poetry is a reflection of the social and cultural milieus in which it was written; it can help us understand how these poets understood their roles within their culture, as well as how they tried to push the boundaries of accepted cultural norms. Through these poets we can observe how the subject of Woman, women’s issues, and gender ideology evolved in twentieth century Urdu poetry. Furthermore, studying these poets shows us how the space created by earlier poets eventually led to women using the Urdu poetry landscape for overt feminist poetry, lending authentic women’s voices to women’s issues and movements in South Asia.Asian Studie

A review of critical care management of maternal sepsis

Sepsis is a leading cause of preventable maternal mortality in developing countries due to poverty, home deliveries by untrained persons in unhygienic conditions, limited access to healthcare facilities and lack of availability of antibiotics. Recent confidential enquiries into maternal deaths from the developed nations have revealed an increase in maternal mortality secondary to genital tract sepsis and provision of suboptimal critical care. Early recognition of critical illness in obstetric patients, involvement of intensive care teams earlier and provision of same standard of critical care to pregnant women as non-pregnant patients while being mindful of the altered maternal physiology and fetal wellbeing is necessary to improve outcome of this vulnerable population. This article reviews the definitions and risk factors of maternal sepsis and describes the standards recommended for efficient delivery of maternal critical care and sepsis management