Continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) associated peritonitis in a child: a rare case of peritonitis caused by sphingomonous paucimobilis

First identified in 1977, Sphingomonous Paucimobilis has emerged as an opportunistic human pathogen. It is primarily known to cause a range of mostly nosocomial, non-life-threatening infections that typically are easily treated by antibiotic therapy. Sources of its isolation linked to clinical disease include blood, spinal fluid and leg ulcers. It has also been reported as a rare cause of peritonitis in patients on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis. We present a case of a child with peritonitis due to this organism. Clinical features, bacteriology and treatment option and response have been discussed

The Impact of IEEE 802.11 Contention Window on The Performance of Transmission Control Protocol in Mobile Ad-Hoc Network

A Mobile Ad-hoc Network (MANET) is a group of nodes connected via ad-hoc fashion for communicating with each other through wireless interface. The communication among the nodes in such network take place by using multi-hop in the absence of fixed infrastructure. TCP faces some hurdles and complexities in multi-hop ad-hoc networks particularly congestion and route failures. The incompatibility between the MAC and TCP are previously noticed by the research community. This research study focuses on the impact of MAC layer contention window on TCP in MANET by using variation in network density and velocity of nodes respectively. Simulation has been carried out to quantify and analyze the impact of Contention Window (CW) sizes that affects the performance of TCP by using NS-2 simulator. The impact of CW is investigated on TCP in multi-hop networks by means of performance evaluation parameters i.e. average delay, average packet drops and average throughput

Impact of Sparse and Dense Deployment of Nodes Under Different Propagation Models in Manets

Mobile Ad-hoc Network (MANET) is the most emerging and fast-expanding technology in the last two decades. One of the major issues and challenging areas in MANET is the process of routing due to dynamic topologies and high mobility of mobile nodes. The efficiency and accuracy of a protocol depend on many parameters in these networks. In addition to other parameters node velocity and propagation models are among them. Calculating signal strength at the receiver is the responsibility of a propagation model while the mobility of nodes is responsible for the topology of the network. A huge amount of loss in performance is occurred due to the variation of signal strength at the receiver and obstacles between transmissions. In this paper,it has been analyzed to check the impact of different propagation models on the performance of Optimized Link State Routing (OLSR) in Sparse and Dense scenarios in MANET. The simulation has been carried out in NS-2 by using performance metrics as average packet drop average latency and average Throughput. The results predicted that propagation models and mobility have a strong impact on the performance of OLSR in considered scenarios

Frequency and early complications of late preterm infants: A descriptive analysis from two secondary-care hospitals of Karachi

Introduction: Globally, prematurity accounts for 12.7% of all live births while late preterm accounts for around three-fourth (73%) of these premature births. In Pakistan, the prevalence of prematurity is approximately 18.89%. Late preterm infants often have weight and size similar to some term infants, but they are still metabolically and physiologically immature. Hence, these infants, as compared to term infants, are at a higher risk of developing medical complications, which results in higher morbidity and mortality during the birth hospitalization. We aim to determine the frequency of early complications in late preterm infants during their stay at Aga Khan Secondary-care Hospitals, Karachi. Methods: A prospective descriptive study was conducted via the nonprobability sampling technique from March 22, 2016, to March 22, 2017, at secondary-care hospitals of The Aga Khan University Hospital; The Aga Khan Hospital for Women, Karimabad, and The Aga Khan Hospital for Women and Children, Garden. All late-preterm infants, i.e. those born between the 34 0/7 through 36 6/7 weeks gestation were included in this study and observed for 72 hours after birth for early complications, including hypothermia, sepsis, hypoglycemia, respiratory distress, and hyperbilirubinemia. Descriptive analysis was done using SPSS Version 19.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, US) and frequency and percentages were calculated. Results: Throughout the period of study, a total of 1696 infants were born in secondary-care hospitals, of which 86.67% (n=1470) were term and 13.3% (n=226) were preterm. Late preterm infants constituted 95.5% (n=217) of preterm births and 12.7% of all newborns delivered at study sites. Among them, respiratory distress was diagnosed in 23.5%, hyperbilirubinemia in 17.5%, hypoglycemia in 13.8%, sepsis in 9.2%, and hypothermia in 6%. Conclusion: Late preterm neonates form the major subgroup of preterm infants delivered at secondary-care hospitals. They have a significant risk of morbidity and birth hospitalizations. We propose that late preterm infants, regardless of their physical dimensions, be given medical attention similar to all preterms

Exploring the Link between Poverty-Pollution-Population (3Ps) in Pakistan: Time Series Evidence

The relationship between poverty, population growth and environment has been widely debated inside the academic circles. There is a general consensus that poverty is a major cause of population growth and environmental degradation and reversely population growth is the major cause of poverty and environmental degradation. The present study examines the impact of poverty on environment (air pollution) and population and reversely the impact of population on environment (air pollution) and poverty in the specific context of Pakistan during a period of 1975-2009. Data is analyzed using Ordinary Least Square (OLS) regression method and Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL)-bounds testing approach to examine the linkage. The results of the OLS test show that rapid population and air pollution has a significant contributor to poverty in Pakistan. However, the results nullify the conventional view that poverty is a major cause of environmental degradation (or air pollution), while the result supports the hypothesis that population have a deleterious impact on increasing poverty. The results of bounds test show that there is a stable long-run relationship between population, poverty and pollution in Pakistan. On the other hand, results of the causality test show that there is a unidirectional causal flow from population to carbon dioxide emission. The post reform period is observed with the estimated coefficient of the poverty dummy variable (POVDUM) which shows that poverty in Pakistan has increased due to deprived performance of federal policies on pro-poor reforms in Pakistan. The post reform period is observed with the population dummy variable (POPDUM) reflecting that population growth has increased significantly during the said reform period. Keywords: Population, Air Pollution, Poverty, Headcount Ratio, Population Dynamics, Carbon Dioxide Emission, Time Series, Bounds Test, Pakistan

Screening for G6PD deficiency among neonates with neonatal jaundice admitted to tertiary care center: a need in disguise

This study was conducted to determine the association of Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase (G-6-PD) deficiency among neonates admitted with jaundice at the neonatal intensive care unit, well baby nursery and neonatal step down nursery of the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan, from January to June 2010. A total of 205 neonates following the selection criteria were included. All selected neonates have their venous blood drawn, saved in EDTA bottle and sent to laboratory of The Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH). The laboratory results of whether G-6-PD deficiency was present or not was recorded in the proforma. G-6-PD was deficient in 19 neonates (9.3%). All neonates were male

Soil Quality Variation under Different Land Use Types in Haramosh Valley, Gilgit, Pakistan

Soil quality is a fundamental component of environmental quality and impact of land use is also a keydetrimental factor in today’s rapid urbanization era. The study aims to evaluate the effects of different land-use type on selected soil quality indicators. Sixty soil samples were collected from various land use types, i.e, pasture, forest and agriculture from a depth of 0-15cm. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed that the land use type significantly affected the soil’s physical and chemical properties. The moisture content was significantly higher (p<0.001) in the pasture (41.7%) than the forest (26.2%) and lowest in agricultural land (14.4%). The soil pH was significantly higher or slightly alkaline for agriculture (7.8), while for pasture (6.5) and forest (6.1), it was found to be slightly acidic. Electric conductivity (EC) and bulk density (BD) did not vary significantly with land use type, but the EC followed the decreasing order: forest (203.7μS/cm) < pasture (235μS/cm) < agriculture (328.7μS/cm). The soil organic matter (SOM) and soil organic carbon (SOC) significantly (p<0.05) differed with land use type and found in the order: forest (3.0%, 1.3 %) > pasture land (2.9%, 1.2%) > arable land (2.5%, 1.1%). NO3-N, available P and exchangeable K did not vary significantly across land use types. However, mean values were higher for agriculture (10.2mg/kg, 4.5mg/kg, 66mg/kg) than forest (10mg/kg,3.5mg/kg, 60mg/kg) and pasture (9.8mg/kg, 4.3, 60.2mg/kg). Alpine soils are good ecological indicators because of vulnerability to environmental change, therefore, regular monitoring of soil properties along with carbon stocks is essential to maintain soil health, enhance agricultural productivity and sustain agroecosystems

An Investigation of the Major Wheat Weeds in Different Zones of Dera Ismail Khan

On account of huge yield losses, weed infestation is a serious threat in wheat crops throughout the country. A comprehensive survey to find out the major weeds in wheat in Dera Ismail Khan was carried out during the crop season of 2012-13. Wheat fields at seed farms of Rakhmanghan, RakhZandani, Rata Kulachi and adjacent farmer’s fields to each seed farm were investigated. Data was collected at the peak growth stage of weeds and the quadratic method was used to record relative density (RD), relative frequency (RF), relative crowding coefficient (RCC) and importance value index (IVI). The results revealed that the major and most problematic weed of wheat at all the locations was Avena fatua (wild oat) on account of having maximum IVI at Rakh Manghan (78.51 & 77.44), Rata Kulachi (77.82 & 77.54) and Rakh Zandani (77.51 & 77.53) seed Farms and Farmer’s fields respectively. Rumex dentatus (dock) and Convolvulus arvensis (Lehli) were the second and third abundantly occurring weeds at almost all the seed farms and farmer fields on account of having the second and third highest IVI values at all the locations. Therefore Avena fatua (wildoat), Rumex dentatus (dock) and Convolvulus arvensis (lehli) seed were collected to find out the yield losses through further experimentation

Confirmation of root-knot nematode resistant gene Rmi1 using SSR markers

Background: The Root Knot Nematode (RKN) is a serious economic threat to various cultivated crops worldwide. It is a devastating pest of soybean and responsible to cause severe yield loss in Pakistan. The cultivation of resistant soybean varieties against this pest is the sustainable strategy to manage the heavy loss and increase yield. There is an utmost need to identify RKN resistant varieties of soybean against cultivated in Pakistan. The presented study is an attempt to identify and confirm the presence of resistant gene Rmi1 in soybean. Method: Molecular studies have been done using Simple Sequence Repeat (SSR) marker system to identify resistant soybean varieties against Root Knot Nematode (RKN) using fifteen (15) indigenous cultivars and four (4) US cultivars. DNA was isolated, purified, quantified and then used to employ various SSR markers. The amplified product is observed using gel documentation system after electrophoresis.  Results: Diagnostic SSR markers Satt-358 and Satt-492 have shown the presence of Rmi1 gene in all resistance carrying genotypes. Satt-358 amplified the fragment of 200 bp and Satt-492 generated 232 bp bands in all resistant genotypes. This study confirmed the Rmi gene locus (G248A-1) in all internationally confirmed resistant including six (6) native varieties.Conclusion: These investigations have identified six (6) resistant cultivars revealing the effective and informative sources that can be utilized in breeding programs for the selection of RKN resistance soybean genotypes in Pakistan.

Frequency of retinopathy of prematurity in premature neonates with a birth weight below 1500 grams and a gestational age less than 32 weeks: a study from a tertiary care hospital in a lower-middle income country

Introduction: Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a treatable cause of blindness in neonates. In Pakistan, ROP is often not recognized early because screening and treatment programs are not yet in place in most neonatal units, even in tertiary care hospitals. It is hoped that this report will help inform medical professionals of the magnitude of the problem and help to design appropriate management strategies. Objectives: The aim was to determine the frequency of ROP in premature and very low birth weight (BW) neonates (BW(GA)weeks). Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Study Setting : Neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of a tertiary care hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. Study Duration : From June 2009 to May 2010. Subjects and Methods : Neonates with a Birth weight (BW)(GA)examination, or were referred for a ROP eye examination as an outpatient, were included in the study. GA was estimated from intrauterine ultrasound findings. Neonates with major congenital malformations, syndromes or congenital cataracts or tumors of the eyes, and those that died before the eye examination or did not attend the out patients department for an eye examination, were excluded. The neonatal eye examination was performed by a trained ophthalmologist at 4 or 6 weeks of age. Results : Out of 86 neonates, ROP was identified in nine neonates (10.5%) at the first eye examination. ROP was significantly associated with BW (P = 0.037), GA (P = 0.033), and chronological age (P\u3c0.001). Conclusions : we identified ROP in 10.5% of neonates at first eye examination. Significant associations between ROP and a GABWdiagnosis