Relationship between empathy and personality traits in students of a Public Sector Medical University

Introduction: Empathy among medical students and doctors, is rather unexplored part of medical flora and fauna which may vary with each personality. Objective: to determine the correlation between empathy and personality traits of final year medical students. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at Rawalpindi Medical University, Pakistan. A total of 144 medical students were included in the study. For personality traits assessment and empathy assessment, Big Five Inventory and Interpersonal Reactivity Index were used. All the data was analyzed using SPSS version 20. Results: The mean score for empathy scale was found to be 61.25 ± 10.0. Females were more empathetic than males in all subscales but pointedly so in empathetic concern scale. Overall empathy scale was strongly correlated with Agreeableness and Neuroticism (P<0.001). Perspective taking scale was positively related with Agreeableness and openness, Empathy concern scale was positively related with Agreeableness, and Personal Distress was positively related with Conscientiousness and Neuroticism. The demographic factors of age and gender explained only 1.7%, 6.8%, 2.4% and 2.0% of the variance in the four scales of empathy. After adjustment for age and gender, perspective taking was positively associated with Agreeableness and Openness and Personal distress was associated with Agreeableness, Neuroticism and Openness. Conclusion: We conclude that personality traits have a substantial correlation with empathy and its subscales. So we need to evaluate the personality of a medical student and tailor a set of rules for each individual consistent with their persona to develop empathy in them. Keywords: Big Five; Personality; Empathy; Medical students; Pakista

Relationship between empathy and personality traits in students of a Public Sector Medical University

Introduction: Empathy among medical students and doctors, is rather unexplored part of medical flora and fauna which may vary with each personality. Objective: to determine the correlation between empathy and personality traits of final year medical students. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at Rawalpindi Medical University, Pakistan. A total of 144 medical students were included in the study. For personality traits assessment and empathy assessment, Big Five Inventory and Interpersonal Reactivity Index were used. All the data was analyzed using SPSS version 20. Results: The mean score for empathy scale was found to be 61.25 ± 10.0. Females were more empathetic than males in all subscales but pointedly so in empathetic concern scale. Overall empathy scale was strongly correlated with Agreeableness and Neuroticism (P<0.001). Perspective taking scale was positively related with Agreeableness and openness, Empathy concern scale was positively related with Agreeableness, and Personal Distress was positively related with Conscientiousness and Neuroticism. The demographic factors of age and gender explained only 1.7%, 6.8%, 2.4% and 2.0% of the variance in the four scales of empathy. After adjustment for age and gender, perspective taking was positively associated with Agreeableness and Openness and Personal distress was associated with Agreeableness, Neuroticism and Openness. Conclusion: We conclude that personality traits have a substantial correlation with empathy and its subscales. So we need to evaluate the personality of a medical student and tailor a set of rules for each individual consistent with their persona to develop empathy in them. Keywords: Big Five; Personality; Empathy; Medical students; Pakista

Pleochaeta indica, a new record of powdery mildew from Pakistan

A comprehensive study of a powdery mildew observed on leaves of Celtis tetrandra Roxb. was carried out by the authors. The symptoms appeared as white mycelium on leaves with embedded small black to brown spherical ascomata. Infected plants were collected from Thandiani (District Abbottabad, Division Hazara) of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan, during a phytopathogenic survey in 2019. The causal agent was observed and identified on the basis of morphological and molecular analyses, which reveals that this fungus belongs to genus Pleochaeta. Further investigation identified it as Pleochaeta indica. This is the first report of a powdery mildew infection caused by this pathogen in Pakistan. A complete description and illustrations of the fungus are presented

Ameliorative effects of alpha lipoic acid, quercetin and ascorbic acid against zinc oxide nanoparticles induced hepatic damage : in vivo

The current study envisioned to evaluate time related protective effect of quercetin, alpha lipoic acid and ascorbic acid on liver of mice against sub-acute exposure of zinc oxide (ZnO-NP) nanoparticle. Male Swiss albino mice (n=72) were randomly divided into eight groups (n=9, each group). G1 received saline solution 0.9%; G2 received quercetin (100 mg/kg b.w); G3 received alpha lipoic acid (100 mg/kg b.w); G4 received ascorbic acid (100 mg/kg b.w); G5 received ZnO-NPs (50 mg/kg b.w); G6 received ZnO-NPs with quercetin; G7 received ZnO-NPs with Alpha lipoic acid and G8 co-treated with ZnO-NPs and ascorbic acid for 21 consecutive days. Body weight, hepatosomatic index and plasma biochemical parameters (total protein, albumin, globulin, total cholesterol, triglycerides, high density lipoproteins, low density lipoprotein, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine transaminase, alkaline phosphatase & bilirubin) were estimated. ZnO showed significant increase in body weight and cause alterations in all biochemical parameters. Co-administration of quercetin (100 mg/kg b.w), alpha lipoic acid and ascorbic acid daily along with ZnONPs, significantly ameliorate the dramatic alteration in biochemical parameters and hepatocellular necrosis caused by ZnO nanoparticles. Brine shrimp larvae cytotoxicity assay of ZnO nanoparticles showed 0% mortality. Present study concluded that all three active ingredients showed hepatoprotective effects against nanoparticles induced time dependent toxicity

Hantavirus: an overview and advancements in therapeutic approaches for infection

Hantaviruses are a significant and emerging global public health threat, impacting more than 200,000 individuals worldwide each year. The single-stranded RNA viruses belong to the Hantaviridae family and are responsible for causing two acute febrile diseases in humans: Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) and hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS). Currently, there are no licensed treatments or vaccines available globally for HTNV infection. Various candidate drugs have shown efficacy in increasing survival rates during the early stages of HTNV infection. Some of these drugs include lactoferrin, ribavirin, ETAR, favipiravir and vandetanib. Immunotherapy utilizing neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) generated from Hantavirus convalescent patients show efficacy against HTNV. Monoclonal antibodies such as MIB22 and JL16 have demonstrated effectiveness in protecting against HTNV infection. The development of vaccines and antivirals, used independently and/or in combination, is critical for elucidating hantaviral infections and the impact on public health. RNA interference (RNAi) arised as an emerging antiviral therapy, is a highly specific degrades RNA, with post-transcriptional mechanism using eukaryotic cells platform. That has demonstrated efficacy against a wide range of viruses, both in vitro and in vivo. Recent antiviral methods involve using small interfering RNA (siRNA) and other, immune-based therapies to target specific gene segments (S, M, or L) of the Hantavirus. This therapeutic approach enhances viral RNA clearance through the RNA interference process in Vero E6 cells or human lung microvascular endothelial cells. However, the use of siRNAs faces challenges due to their low biological stability and limited in vivo targeting ability. Despite their successful inhibition of Hantavirus replication in host cells, their antiviral efficacy may be hindered. In the current review, we focus on advances in therapeutic strategies, as antiviral medications, immune-based therapies and vaccine candidates aimed at enhancing the body’s ability to control the progression of Hantavirus infections, with the potential to reduce the risk of severe disease

Erysiphe pakistanica Afshan, Riaz & Khalid 2022, sp. nov.

Erysiphe pakistanica Afshan, Riaz & Khalid sp. nov.(Figs 3, 4) MycoBank no. 837810 Etymology:— pakistanica refers to Pakistan, from where the type specimen was collected. Holotype:— PAKISTAN. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province: Hazara division, District Abbottabad, Thandiani 2,750 m a. s. l., on Salix tetrasperma Roxb., 13 August 2018, Najam-ul-Sehar Afshan & Nida Liaqat ZM17 (LAH 36170). GenBank no.: MW 183140 (ITS), MZ 340364 (LSU). Description:— Mycelium amphigenous, filicolous, dispersed covering almost whole leaf, evanescent to persistent, white; hyphae hyaline, thin, smooth-walled. Hyphal appressoria solitary, nipple-shaped, 4–5 µm diam. Conidiophores arising from superficial hyphae, erect, straight to slightly curved, 44–100 µm long (including conidia), 8–14 µm wide, composed of short foot cell, constricted at basal septum, followed by 1–2 shorter cells, 21–24 µm long. Conidia cylindrical, subcylindrical or doliiform, with fibrosin bodies, 19–27 × 9–14 µm. Germ tube terminal, aseptate, short, ending with swollen appressorium. Chasmothecia scattered to gregarious, brown to black, 116–140 µm diam. Peridium cells conspicuous, polygonal to sub-circular, thick-walled, 24–39 × 15–30 µm. Appendages 20–35 per chasmothecium, straight, arising both polar and equatorial sides, rough from bottom, smooth towards apex, mostly hyaline but rarely pigmented towards base, with single basal septum, apex uncinate-circinate, 5–8 × 198–230 µm. Asci 7–8 per chasmothecium, mostly stalked, rarely sessile, hyaline, globose, subglobose or ellipsoidal, 27–43 × 57–74 µm, 3–5 spored. Ascospores hyaline, ellipsoidal to ovoid, 12–19 × 23–30 µm. Additional material examined:— PAKISTAN. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa:Abbottabad District, Khanspur, 2250 m. a. s. l., on Salix tetrasperma with teleomorphic stage, 30 October 2018, Najam-ul-Sehar Afshan & Javeria Majeed (LAH 36140), GenBank no.: MW183121 (ITS); with anamorphic stage, ibid., 7 September 2020, Najam-ul-Sehar Afshan IMH06 (LAH36955), GenBank no.: MZ336462 (ITS), MZ340365 (LSU); Khyber Pakhtunkhwa:Abbottabad District, Thandiani, 2,750 m. a. s. l., on S. tetrasperma, with anamorphic stage, 9 September 2020, Najam-ul-Sehar Afshan IMH16 (LAH 36956), GenBank no.: MZ363672 (ITS); Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: Abbottabad District, Khanspur, 2410 m. a. s. l., on S. tetrasperma, with anamorphic stage, 16 August 2020, Najam-ul-Sehar Afshan PM22 (LAH 37013), GenBank no.: OM417199 (ITS); Azad Jammu Kashmir, Bagh, 1676, m. a. s. l., on S. tetrasperma, with teleomorphic stage, 7 December 2021, Najam-ul-Sehar Afshan AJK02 (LAH 37011), GenBank no.: OM403469 (ITS).Published as part of Afshan, Najam-Ul-Sehar, Riaz, Maria, Liaqat, Nida, Majeed, Javeria, Jabeen, Muhammada, Niazi, Abdul Rehman, Khalid, Abdul Nasir, Zafar, Irsa & Afzal, Saliha, 2022, Erysiphe pakistanica (Erysiphaceae), a new species on Indian willows (Salix tetrasperma) from Pakistan, pp. 57-68 in Phytotaxa 545 (1) on pages 63-66, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.545.1.4, http://zenodo.org/record/652037