Political, Economic, Social and Legal Women Empowerment

This article studies the predicament of women’s rights in Pakistan. Analysing the policies related to women rights given by the successive governments in the ruling era of General Pervaiz Musharraf, this study finds that despite the scarce resources, Pakistan and the policies for women empowerment and development had potential to produce good results but they failed to deliver due to lack of political will of the previous governments to implement those policies and to establish the goal of universal education especially for women. The Zia Regime had effected and harmed women’s rights; therefore he had neglected the 51% population i.e. women of the country which portrayed the very negative image of the country to the world. The democratic governments of post-Zia period worked positively in this direction since they required women vote which constituted half of the franchise. The government of General Pervaiz Musharraf promoted women development and empowerment sector f and showed strong will towards promoting women’s right. This study concludes that goal of women’s rights could only be achieved with forceful political will of the government. Social issue that earned the Musharraf regime a great deal of prominence is the Empowerment of Women. Women empowerment received the much deserved spotlight during Musharraf's era as this agenda was considered one of the major building blocks for economically stable and progressive Pakistan. General Pervaiz Musharraf was very much concerned towards the better and soft image of Pakistan in the world. He introduced laws and repealed the discriminatory laws towards women. Pervaiz Musharraf tried his level best to brand the positive image of the country in the world with new laws and reforms being introduced, this was considered as a golden era in context of legislation made for women empowerment in Pakistan. The steps taken can be broadly categorized into two sets i.e. Political and Economic Women Empowerment and Legal and Social Women Empowerment. Keywords: Women Empowerment, Social, Political, Economic

Prevalence of stress and depression among University students of Karachi

Stress is an all-time concerned issue in undergraduate students. Stress levels are high due to workload, pressure of academic and extra-curricular activities and unhealthy lifestyle. Though stress can be beneficial for academic growth but increased magnitude can be harmful for physiological, psychological and social aspects

Effect of early tranexamic acid administration on mortality, hysterectomy, and other morbidities in women with post-partum haemorrhage (WOMAN): an international, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

Background Post-partum haemorrhage is the leading cause of maternal death worldwide. Early administration of tranexamic acid reduces deaths due to bleeding in trauma patients. We aimed to assess the effects of early administration of tranexamic acid on death, hysterectomy, and other relevant outcomes in women with post-partum haemorrhage. Methods In this randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, we recruited women aged 16 years and older with a clinical diagnosis of post-partum haemorrhage after a vaginal birth or caesarean section from 193 hospitals in 21 countries. We randomly assigned women to receive either 1 g intravenous tranexamic acid or matching placebo in addition to usual care. If bleeding continued after 30 min, or stopped and restarted within 24 h of the first dose, a second dose of 1 g of tranexamic acid or placebo could be given. Patients were assigned by selection of a numbered treatment pack from a box containing eight numbered packs that were identical apart from the pack number. Participants, care givers, and those assessing outcomes were masked to allocation. We originally planned to enrol 15 000 women with a composite primary endpoint of death from all-causes or hysterectomy within 42 days of giving birth. However, during the trial it became apparent that the decision to conduct a hysterectomy was often made at the same time as randomisation. Although tranexamic acid could influence the risk of death in these cases, it could not affect the risk of hysterectomy. We therefore increased the sample size from 15 000 to 20 000 women in order to estimate the effect of tranexamic acid on the risk of death from post-partum haemorrhage. All analyses were done on an intention-to-treat basis. This trial is registered with ISRCTN76912190 (Dec 8, 2008); ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00872469; and PACTR201007000192283. Findings Between March, 2010, and April, 2016, 20 060 women were enrolled and randomly assigned to receive tranexamic acid (n=10 051) or placebo (n=10 009), of whom 10 036 and 9985, respectively, were included in the analysis. Death due to bleeding was significantly reduced in women given tranexamic acid (155 [1·5%] of 10 036 patients vs 191 [1·9%] of 9985 in the placebo group, risk ratio [RR] 0·81, 95% CI 0·65–1·00; p=0·045), especially in women given treatment within 3 h of giving birth (89 [1·2%] in the tranexamic acid group vs 127 [1·7%] in the placebo group, RR 0·69, 95% CI 0·52–0·91; p=0·008). All other causes of death did not differ significantly by group. Hysterectomy was not reduced with tranexamic acid (358 [3·6%] patients in the tranexamic acid group vs 351 [3·5%] in the placebo group, RR 1·02, 95% CI 0·88–1·07; p=0·84). The composite primary endpoint of death from all causes or hysterectomy was not reduced with tranexamic acid (534 [5·3%] deaths or hysterectomies in the tranexamic acid group vs 546 [5·5%] in the placebo group, RR 0·97, 95% CI 0·87-1·09; p=0·65). Adverse events (including thromboembolic events) did not differ significantly in the tranexamic acid versus placebo group. Interpretation Tranexamic acid reduces death due to bleeding in women with post-partum haemorrhage with no adverse effects. When used as a treatment for postpartum haemorrhage, tranexamic acid should be given as soon as possible after bleeding onset. Funding London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Pfizer, UK Department of Health, Wellcome Trust, and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Development of an Efficient Non-Noble Metal Based Anode Electrocatalyst to Promote Methanol Oxidation Activity in DMFC

In this research, electrocatalytic activity of cobalt benzene tricarboxylic acid metal organic framework (Co BTC MOF) and its reduced graphene oxide based composites (rGO/Co BTC) were investigated in an alkaline media for the methanol oxidation reaction (MOR). Metal Organic frameworks (MOF) and their composites were solvothermally prepared and characterized via FTIR, EDX, SEM and XRD. Electrochemical studies were performed by cyclic voltammetry, electron impedance spectroscopy, chronoamperometry and cyclic stability. Among all the prepared composites, 1 wt % rGO/Co BTC MOF (1.07 mg cm(-2)) demonstrated a promising current density of 130 mA cm(-2) at 1.59 V vs. RHE, a tafel slope of 83.6 mV dec(-1) and resistance of 14.75 omega in 1 M NaOH/ 2 M methanol solution showing much better performance than state-of-the-art Pt based materials

Clinical audit of fresh frozen plasma usage in a Tertiary Care Hospital of Islamabad, Pakistan

Introduction: The supply of blood components in Pakistan far outstrips the demand. In addition, appropriate and rationale use of blood components is not widely practiced. To optimally utilize the limited supply of blood products, it is important to identify and define the gaps in practices and system. The specific aim of the study was to document the practices of the use of fresh frozen plasma (FFP) in a premier tertiary care hospital of Islamabad, Pakistan. Materials and Methods: The study was carried out on 107 randomly selected patients who received FFPs in various clinical units of the Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical University Hospital from March to October 2014. Information was retrieved from the transfusion request forms and evaluated according to the American College of Pathologist guidelines for the use of FFP. A questionnaire was also developed for interviewing the senior doctors from each specialty to have their feedback about the transfusion services provided. Nineteen clinicians were randomly selected for this purpose. Results: Requests from 107 patients for 460 FFPs were studied (actual number of FFPs issued was 278). Nearly 68.3% (n = 73) of the patients were males and 31.7% (n = 34) were females. Majority of the units were requested from thalassemia and hemophilia center (40.6%). The patients enrolled in the study had multiple disorders, majority being with coagulation disorders at 40.1% (n = 43). Nearly 98.5% (n = 138) of the request forms were brought to blood bank by the patient attendants. Seventy-three (52%) FFP units were appropriately transfused while 67 (48%) were inappropriately transfused. The most inappropriate use of FFP was seen in Mother and Child Health Centre (MCHC), Oncology, Emergency and Casualty, and the most appropriate use was seen in thalassaemia centre, paediatric units, and medical intensive care unit. Clinician interviews indicate poor knowledge base and inappropriate practices. Conclusion: The study highlighted the inappropriate use of FFPs in a tertiary care hospital and threw light on poor transfusion practices and the lack of implementation of the principles of haemovigilance in the utilization of FFPs. Specific recommendations include, administrative intervention with regular screening of requests by blood bank doctors and senior doctors of the departments using FFP and establishment of guidelines in departments regarding the use of blood components including FFP

Perception of undergraduate medical students regarding civic responsibility through service learning by visiting persons with different abilities

Objectives: Addressing various attitudes of students, can be a challenging task for educationists, so it is generally embedded in the hidden curriculum in most Medical Institutes. The purpose of this study was to build up civic duty among undergraduates, rooted in their learning objectives of the curriculum through a visit to the school of children with different abilities (CFSPF). Materials and Methods: In year 4, students of Shifa College of Medicine during the clerkship of Community Medicine, were taken on a field visit which is part of the curriculum. CFSP is privately run by an NGO, it has 45 enrolled individuals with different mental and physical abilities. The medical students visited CFSPF in small groups for 8 months (Sep 2019 to April 2020) where they interacted with the individuals with special needs in their environment. Students were able to practice empathy through the general physical examination and other entertaining activities. In this qualitative study, this strategy was assessed by exploring the medical student’s perceptions. Results: Focus Group discussions were conducted with the medical students and themes identified were: interaction with children having different abilities, being thankful to the Almighty, philanthropy, learning to empathize, the feeling of including them in our society, selfless smile, the contribution of services, and developing various attributes. Conclusion: Students found the visit to a school for children with different abilities useful. The interaction in a different environment has revealed opportunities for a wider scope of learning. Keywords: Civic responsibility, Empathy, Persons with different abilities, Service learning

Development of Nickel-BTC-MOF-Derived Nanocomposites with rGO Towards Electrocatalytic Oxidation of Methanol and Its Product Analysis

In this study, electrochemical oxidation of methanol to formic acid using the economical and highly active catalytic Nickel Benzene tricarboxylic acid metal organic framework (Ni-BTC-MOF) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) nanocomposites modified glassy carbon electrode GCE in alkaline media, which was examined via cyclic voltammetry technique. Nickel based MOF and rGO nanocomposites were prepared by solvothermal approach, followed by morphological and structural characterization of prepared samples through X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis. The electrochemical testing of synthesized materials represents the effect of the sequential increase in rGO concentration on electrocatalytic activity. The Ni-BTC/4 wt % rGO composite with a pronounced current density of 200.22 mA/cm2 at 0.69 V versus Hg/HgO electrode at 50 mV/s was found to be a potential candidate for methanol oxidation in Direct Methanol Fuel Cell (DMFC) applications. Product analysis was carried out through Gas Chromatography (GC) and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, which confirmed the formation of formic acid during the oxidation process, with approximately 62% yield

Graphene based FeO/NiO MOF composites for methanol oxidation reaction

We report a novel bimetallic iron oxide/nickel oxide metal-organic framework (FeO/NiO MOF) that has been synthesized by using two different linkers; 2, 5-dihydroxy terephthalic acid (DHTA) and Pyrazine and also its composites are prepared with reduced graphene oxide from 1 to 5 wt% rGO FeO/NiO MOF and afterwards characterized via several important techniques like FTIR, XRD, SEM and EDX for examination of their morphological and structural properties. The synthesized series of bimetallic MOFs composites were later used as catalyst for methanol oxidation, tested via cyclic voltammetry (CV) in 3 M Methanol and 1 M NaOH on modified GCE. The electrochemical results illustrate that electrocatalytic response of the MOF boosts astonishingly with gradual loadings of rGO from (1-4 wt%) and among all prepared series 4 wt% rGO-FeO/NiO MOF shows the highest current density of 486.14 mA/cm2 at potential of 0.85 V with scan rate of 50 mV/cm2. This superlative response of prepared catalyst makes it a promising catalytic material for methanol oxidation in DMFC

Assessment of antioxidant activity of pure graphene oxide (GO) and composite V2O5/GO using DPPH radical and H2O2 scavenging assays

In this research, the Co precipitation method was utilized to synthesize a nanocomposite of vanadium oxide (V2O5) and graphene oxide (GO). Pure GO was synthesized by the modified hammers method. Using a 1:2 ratio of GO and V2O5 and heating in the oven at 70 °C leading to the formation of V2O5/GO nanocomposite. By grafting of GO on V2O5 surface, a high range of graphene oxidation in V2O5/GO allowed for better reduction with V2O5 metal-oxide. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) images and X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectra provide evidence of the distinct phase of graphene oxide formation. The antioxidant activity of V2O5/GO nanocomposite was conducted in two vitro assays, focusing on neutralization of 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and H2O2 radicals. The uniqueness of the nanocomposite was evident from its concentration-dependent antioxidant activities. Interestingly, the V2O5/GO samples has showed 60% antioxidant performance in the H2O2 assays compared to its constituent