The Typology and Topography of Child Abuse and Neglect:The Experience of a Tertiary Children's Centre

Effective child protection systems and processes require reliable and accurate data. The aim of this study was to determine what data could be extracted from hospital records in a single site that reflected a child’s journey from admission with suspected abuse to the decisions regarding substantiation made by the multidisciplinary child protection team. A retrospective study of the case records of 452 children referred to a major UK children’s tertiary centre for suspected child maltreatment was undertaken. Child maltreatment was substantiated in 65% of referred cases, with the majority of referrals coming from children living in the most deprived neighbourhoods in the country. Domestic violence and abuse and the child’s previous involvement with statutory bodies were associated with case substantiation. Physical abuse predominated, with soft tissue injuries, including dog bites and burns, most frequent. Burns were related almost exclusively to supervisory neglect. There were also cases of medical neglect. Emotional abuse was associated with exposure to domestic violence and abuse and to self-harm. The strengths and limitations for single-centre data systems were explored, concluding with a recommendation to establish an agreed national and international minimum data set to protect children from maltreatment

Stress related changes due to valsalva maneuver in healthy young individuals of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Background: Effect of stress application on the body in particular, one that raises the intrathoracic pressure, like the Valsalva Maneuver needed to be gauged in the population of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The aim of this research was to assess the changes induced by Valsalva manoeuvre on the body depicted via an ECG. Methods: It was a cross sectional study conducted on healthy young adults in the research laboratory of the physiology department, Khyber Medical College over a period of seven months. A total of 119 subjects were included in research, those with morbidities were excluded. The rest were made to perform the Valsalva manoeuvre for 15 seconds at maintaining pressure of 40 mmHg. The blood pressure, ECG and heart rate were measured during and after the procedure. The data was then analysed using SPSS version 26.0. Results: The significantly affected parameters by stress were blood pressure PR, RR, QT intervals and T wave. The changes in the parameters, at rest, were either insignificant or were differentially significant in both the genders. Conclusion: Valsalva manoeuvre has a direct effect on blood pressure and ECG and in turn on pumping of the heart via effecting the ventricular contraction and repolarization

Evaluation of some essential traditional medicinal plants for their potential free scavenging and antioxidant properties

Objectives: In this study, extracts from different parts of traditionally used medicinal plants were evaluated for their antioxidant activities in vitro. Methods: The free radical hunting or scavenging activity was measured by sample absorbance at 517 nm using spectrophotometer. Methanol and DPPH were used as a blank and negative control, respectively. Results: Medicinal plants showed high values of total phenolic (expressed as gallic acid equivalent, GAE) and flavonoid (expressed as quercetin equivalent, QE) contents of ethanolic extracts of Euphrasiae stricta (E. stricta, 58.19 GAE μg/mg) and (42.44 QE μg/mg), Euphorbia platyphyllos L. (E. platyphyllos L., 46.05 GAE μg/mg) and (43.39 QE μg/mg), Epimedium brevicomum Maxim. (E. brevicomum Maxim., 51.93 GAE μg/mg), and (39.21 QE μg/mg), respectively. Plants have been found to be rich in phenolic and flavonoid compounds, and their hydroxyl groups are responsible for scavenging free radicals. Highest radical scavenging activity was observed in the E. stricta (IC50 = 38.972 μg/mL), E. platyphyllos L. (IC50 = 40.817 μg/mL), and E. brevicomum Maxim (IC50 = 46.265 μg/mL), medicinal plants for both of their ethanolic and methanolic extracts as compared to the ascorbic acid scavenging activity (IC50 = 37.337 μg/mL). Conclusions: It was found that the studied plants are capable of acting as important antioxidants that can be used to treat and inhibit extensive degenerative diseases caused by oxidative stress., including cancer, cardiovascular and inflammation diseases, atherosclerosis, dementia, diabetes, asthma, and eye degenerative diseases