Perceptions Regarding Covid-19 Vaccine Among Undergraduate Medical Students In Karachi, Pakistan

Background Studies have shown that physician's advice is among the most important predictors of whether or not a person will take immunizations. The impressions of new COVID-19 vaccinations among medical students in Karachi, Pakistan, and the factors which influence their judgments were investigated in this study. Methods A 6-item validated questionnaire was administered to 2500 undergraduate medical students of MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery) studying in seven different medical colleges of Karachi between December 2020 to May 2021. Results 2500 students received the survey and 1464 responded (58.56%). About 60% of those responded said there was no link between vaccines and chronic illnesses. To control COVID-19, all participants said it was critical to vaccinate the broader population. Besides a large number of participants (almost 72%) were optimistic about the safety issue of vaccination. Almost all of the respondents (99.66%) think that it is of top most importance to vaccinate the population in order to control infection spread whereas 75.48% believed that COVID-19 vaccine is safe to use. A large majority (97.20%) were willing to get vaccinated. Conclusions Our findings indicate that MBBS learners have a favourable attitude towards to the COVID-19 vaccine, with the majority of them willing to promote it to others. Almost two-thirds of them indicated that they would be willing to be vaccinated. It may raise the general public's acceptance rate and better immunization rates which shall help in eradication of Covid-19 from Pakistan.</jats:p

Enhancing the Academic Performance of Students: A Real-Life Application of Quality Function Deployment

Quality Function Deployment (QFD) is a fastidious method to acclimatize what the customers wish to achieve and how their desiderata should be incorporated into final technical solutions. QFD as a structured approach is widely acknowledged; and has been adopted successfully in almost every field of knowledge and services like engineering, service quality, education quality, planning, decision making, etc. Students, through Education, internalize high level qualities of social and cultural importance, intellectual well-beings, emotionally stable and physically improved skills. Quality education refers to the level of accomplishment of these qualities.&nbsp; This paper&nbsp;&nbsp; addresses the Voices of Students (VOSs) (student’s needs and demands) regarding their educational requirements at secondary school level. The objective is accomplished by recognizing significant VOSs; and then determining their Technical Solution called Solution of VOSs, (SVOSs) to resolve VOSs. Finally, the guideline for the SVOSs is provided addressing which SVOSs is most important and which one is least. The recommended methodology also provides a guideline for secondary schools to identify problems and their solution for improved standard and improved quality of education

Impact of Covid-19 Pandemic on Mental Health of Medical Students of Rawalpindi Medical University: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Medical personnel has been greatly affected in the face of the catastrophic health emergency owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, which, according to WHO, caused about 1,397,139 deaths worldwide. The objective of this study was to determine the percentage of medical students screened positive for mental health problems at Rawalpindi Medical University during the COVID-19 pandemic and the association of positive screening with gender, year of study, and family income.Materials and Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted on medical students of Rawalpindi Medical University for two months, i.e. May-June, 2020. Data were collected through an online questionnaire containing demographic details and a self-reporting questionnaire (SRQ-20). Statistical analyses were carried out using SPSS v.23.0, and a p-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.Results: Overall, 87(33.7%) students were screened positive for mental health problems as per individual SRQ-20 score. Positive screening was found to be higher among female students (34.9% vs 31.4%). Mental health was significantly associated with the year of study (p-value=0.046) but not with family income (p-value=0.119). Multivariate binary logistic regression analysis revealed an adjusted odds ratio of 1.161 (95% CI, P=0.608), 0.841 (95% CI, P=0.032), 0.662 (95% CI, P=0.208) for gender, year of study, and family income respectively. Conclusions: About one-third of medical students are screened positive for mental health problems. Female students are relatively more prone to develop mental health issues.Students with low family income and those studying in the first and second year of MBBS have a high propensity towards mental health problems during the COVID-19 pandemic.</jats:p

Health Risk Assessment and Seasonal Trend of Metals in Arid-Soil-Forage Crops and Animals

Abstract Background: The aim of study was accessing the cobalt (Co) and lead (Pb) contamination in soil, forages and animals. The heavy metal ions bioaccumulation and escalating transfer to food chain has become main concern for mankind. Nevertheless, they play crucial role in organismal metabolism, however exceeding threshold level causes toxicity or even system failure. Since the plants are the main source of nutrition supply and carbohydrates for animal metabolism, therefore mankind exposure risk to food chain heavy metal toxicity increases significantly. Method: To highlight toxicity levels and exposure risk we designed this field study in the nearby areas of district Mianwali, Punjab, Pakistan during different seasons. and carried out samplings of soil, native flora. While following research ethics we collected samples of blood, hair and feces from domestic herbivore animals. Traditional wet digestion was carried out in available laboratory facilities, Pb and Co heavy metal concentrations were analyzed with atomic absorption spectrum. With emphasis on health risk index (HRI) and bio-concentration factor (BCF), we also draw attention to pollution load index (PLI), daily intake of metal (DIM), Health Risk Index (HRI) and Enrichment factor (EF). Results: Our findings revealed high Pb concentration (5.29-9.84 mg/kg) in forage during season 1. While our findings indicate concentrations of metal in different seasons. When the Co concentration in forages was 0.238 to 0.492 mg/kg and Pb was found in the range of 5.29-9.84 mg/kg). Soil samples showed higher level of (PLI) Pollution load index. Bio-concentration of cobalt and lead was (0.447- 1.106 and 0.717- 1.152 mg/kg) respectively. Conclusions: Bio-concentration factor and pollution load index for Co and Pb was noticed significantly higher than 1. Whereas enrichment factor (EF) was under permissible limit for both metals, daily intake metal (DIM) and no harmful health risk concentration was found. Therefore, wide-scale regular monitoring for heavy metal risk assessment on seasonal basis are highly recommended to avoid or minimize further contamination.</jats:p

Prevalence and risk factors of Appendicitis at Surgery Department of a Tertiary Care Hospital in Pakistan

Background: Appendicitis needs immediate surgical intervention based on indication in the pediatric age group. Among high-risk young children, the prevalence of pre-existing perforation ranges from 30% to 75%. Aim: To investigate the prevalence and risk factors for appendicitis in the inpatient surgical department. Place and Duration: Study was conducted at surgical department of Combined Military Hospital, Rawalakot for the period of six months from October 2020 to March 2021. Materials and Methods: A single-center cross-sectional study was conducted on 102 patients with acute appendicitis diagnosed and confirmed by Ultrasonography among the patients admitted to the surgical department during October 2020 to March 2021. Pretested questionnaire were used to collect and record the necessary information. Results: The sample size of 102 patients had 61 (60%) males and 41 (40%) were females. Appendicitis patients were divided into four age groups: 10-19 years 16 (15.7%), 20-29 years 19 (32.35%), 30-39 years 15 (14.7%), 40-49 years 14 (13.7%), and 50-59 years 7 (.6.8 %). The male-to-female ratio was 3:2. (60 %, 40 %). The most common complaints are abdominal pain (100%), vomiting (55.12%), and fever (87.21%). Based on histopathological diagnosis, the categorical distributions of appendicitis were Acute Appendicitis (48.10%), Lymphoid Hyperplasia (25.50%), and Resolving Appendicitis (47.05%). Conclusion: The prevalence of acute appendicitis is more common in males especially in the age group of 20-29 years based on histological diagnosis. Keywords: Appendicitis, Cross-sectional Study</jats:p

Genetic Polymorphisms of FOXO3a Gene in Colorectal Cancer among North Indian Population

Abstract Background Colorectal cancer (CRC) heritability is determined by the composite relations between inherited variants and environmental factors. In developing countries like India CRC incidence rates have been increasing specially. In the present study, we focused on the distribution of FOXO3a gene polymorphisms in North Indian colorectal cancer patients. Methods A case–control study was conducted on 900 samples including 450 colorectal cancer patients and 450 age matched controls. We genotyped the SNPs rs2253310 and rs4946936 via Polymerase Chain Reaction-Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis and Polymerase Chain Reaction- single stranded conformation polymorphism (SSCP) procedure followed by sequence detection. Results A significantly increased risk of CRC was observed with rs4946936 genotype (P= 0.0393; OR= 1.405 CI=1.051-1.879). GT haplotype although not reaching statistical significance appeared to be at higher “risk” haplotype (OR- 1.164, 95%CI= 0.967~1.401), while as other haplotypes CC (OR- 0.893, 95% CI=0.665~1.200]), CT (OR- 0.806, 95%CI= 0.616~1.055) and GC (OR- 0.994, 95%CI= 0.809~1.221) were found to be “protective” for developing colorectal cancer. Conclusion This study lends support for an increased risk of CRC associated with the rs4946936 polymorphism. Nevertheless, statistically significant association between rs2253310 genotypes and CRC risk was not observed.</jats:p

High Prevalence of Gastroesophageal Reflux Symptoms in Patients with both Acute and Nonacute Cough

Background and Aim: Gastro esophageal reflux disease (GERD) affects more than 30% of the Asian population, and its symptoms are common. The high prevalence of atrophic gastritis in the Pakistani population is exacerbated by gastro esophageal reflux disease. The present study aims was to assess the high prevalence of gastro esophageal reflux symptoms in patients with both acute and no acute cough. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 426 consecutive patients who attended the General Medicine and Emergency department of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Hospital Rawalakot and Avicenna Hospital, Lahore from February 2021 to July 2021. Informed consent in written form was taken from all the patients. Patients with partial gastrectomy previous history and user of antagonist H2-receptor, steroids, proton pump inhibitor (PPI), and other inflammatory drugs two months prior to the investigation were excluded. Helsinki Declaration was utilized for this study with ethical approval taken from the hospital ethics committee. SPSS version 24 was used for data analysis. Results: Of the total 426 patients, GERD diagnosed patients were 248 (58.2%) and 178 (41.8%) had respiratory symptoms. The prevalence of GERD symptoms was higher in respiratory symptoms patients compared to without respiratory symptoms patients (p-value=0.05). Out of 178respiratory symptoms patients, GERD symptoms were present in 71 (39.9%) of acute cough while 107 (60.1%) of non-acute cough while 86 (34.7%) of 248 had no respiratory symptoms. The GERD development has no significant association with respiratory symptoms duration, however, patients having respiratory symptoms are at substantially elevated risk for GERD development. Conclusion: Our study found that respiratory symptoms patients are considerably more likely to develop GERD. GERD prevalence was similar in both acute and non-acute cough patients, implying that the presence of respiratory diseases is associated with the development of GERD regardless of the duration of respiratory symptoms. Keywords: Gastro esophageal reflux; Acute cough; Respiratory symptoms</jats:p