Assessment of knowledge & practice of contraceptives in females of reproductive age group at a tertiary care hospital

Abstract Objectives: To assess the knowledge & practice of contraceptives in females of reproductive age group.Study Design: Cross sectional descriptive. Place and Duration of Study: OPD of Fauji Foundation Hospital from February 2008 – September 2008.Subjects and Method: 339 Females of age b/w of 15 – 49 years attending OPD of Fauji Foundation Hospital were included in study. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data.Results: Eighty eight percent of the females in our study sample were familiar with one or more methods of contraception (72.7%were familiar with combined oral contraceptive pill (COCP), 60.7% were aware of intra uterine contraceptive device (IUCD) &76% knew about condoms) whereas 12% showed ignorance. 64.6% of the study population was contraceptive users & 35.4% were not using any method of contraception. Regarding preferred method of contraception 34.6% of females said they are using COCP, about 21.8% females said their tubes had been liagated whereas 26.9%& 16.7% were using IUCD & Condoms respectively. Almost 46%of our study population said that contraceptive method they were using was suggested by their husbands, 44 % said by health professional .Only 10 % of the study population were using a method of their own choice.Conclusion: The present study concludes that there is a gap between knowledge (88%) and use (64.6%) of contraceptives among females of reproductive age group. Another important inference drawn from the study is that men should be made equal targets of such programs in since 46% females in our study population were using method of contraceptive suggested by their husban

Is surgical spinal decompression for supratentorial GBM symptomatic drop down metastasis warranted? A case report and review of literature

Background: Symptomatic spinal metastasis from an intracranial primaryglioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is very rare. Our literature search identified a totalof 42 such patients of which 11 were treated with surgical decompression for spinal metastasis with only one such report from the pediatric age group. Previous studies have reported variable outcomes after surgical management. Case Description: We report the case of a 16‑year‑old boy who underwentsurgical spinal decompression for spinal metastasis after intracranial GBM. Thepatient regained motor and autonomic function following surgery and reportedimprovement in pain. We also present findings from a literature review using thePubMed database from 1985 to June 2013 on this subject and compare radiation therapy with surgical decompression as palliative modalities in such patients. Conclusion: There are no evidence‑based guidelines available on the subjectand no treatment regimen has yet demonstrated survival benefit in these patients. Surgical decompression may be a better option for patients with focal resectable lesions and who are medically stable to tolerate the procedur

Use of home remedies and traditional medicines for the treatment of common Eye ailments in Pakistan: a qualitative study

Purpose: Qualitative studies focusing on the use of home remedies and traditional medicines for eye health are lacking. We explored the use of eye remedies and traditional eye medicines (referred to hereafter as “eye remedies/TEM”) in Pakistan’s Abbottabad district. Material and Methods: We conducted face-to-face key informant interviews with 16 teachers (8 men, 8 women). Participants were asked to list eye remedies/TEM used in their home or in areas where they lived. They were also asked to specify conditions for which each one of them is used. Their responses were noted manually and the interview scripts were translated from Urdu into English. A content analysis of the transcripts was carried out to identify the main themes arising from the interviews. Results: Eye remedies/TEM were popular with the participants and in areas where they lived. 18 eye remedies/TEM were identified, the majority of them being used to treat irritable, red eye. The most frequently mentioned symptom necessitating eye remedies/TEM was burning or itching, followed by redness, watering and pain, and swelling. One participant noted his family uses goat’s milk diluted with water to treat red, dirty and discharging eyes in newborn babies. Other main themes were the use of remedies/TEM particularly surma (kohl) to “sharpen the vision” and to “enhance the appearance of the eyes”. Use of Home Remedies and Traditional Medicines for the Treatment of Common Eye Ailments in Pakistan: A Qualitative Study (PDF Download Available). Available from

Cloudlet computing : recent advances, taxonomy, and challenges

A cloudlet is an emerging computing paradigm that is designed to meet the requirements and expectations of the Internet of things (IoT) and tackle the conventional limitations of a cloud (e.g., high latency). The idea is to bring computing resources (i.e., storage and processing) to the edge of a network. This article presents a taxonomy of cloudlet applications, outlines cloudlet utilities, and describes recent advances, challenges, and future research directions. Based on the literature, a unique taxonomy of cloudlet applications is designed. Moreover, a cloudlet computation offloading application for augmenting resource-constrained IoT devices, handling compute-intensive tasks, and minimizing the energy consumption of related devices is explored. This study also highlights the viability of cloudlets to support smart systems and applications, such as augmented reality, virtual reality, and applications that require high-quality service. Finally, the role of cloudlets in emergency situations, hostile conditions, and in the technological integration of future applications and services is elaborated in detail. © 2013 IEEE

Marketing Features on University Library Websites in Pakistan

The purposes of the study are to identify marketing key features through content analysis of university library websites in Pakistan. Also compare the public and private sectors university library websites in terms of marketing activities. Similarly, expose marketing key features that lacks in public and private sector university library websites. Based on the adopted criteria, a checklist of marketing features was designed. A purposive sample of 53 main (Central) libraries websites of public and private sector universities having at least one marketing feature was selected for detailed analysis. The study reveals that the overall situation of university library websites in terms of marketing features is not good. However, public sector university library websites are comparatively better in this regard than the private sector. The results of the study help libraries to design and implement a strategic marketing plan that will ultimately create awareness about library resources and services via websites and help to improve the image of universities libraries in Pakistan. This study is new in Pakistan and fills the gap in the literature on the subject. Moreover, this study will support in developing library websites equipped with marketing features

Thoracic and lumbar spinal surgery under local anesthesia for patients with multiple comorbidities: A consecutive case series

Background: Although some patients with symptomatic spinal disease may benefit greatly from surgery, their multiple attendant comorbidities may make general anesthesia risky or contraindicated. However, there is scarce literature describing the efficacy and safety of local anesthesia to perform these operations. Here we report seven patients who successfully underwent spinal surgery utilizing local anesthesia to limit the risks and complications of general anesthesia.Methods: Seven patients for whom general anesthesia was contraindicated were prospectively followed for a minimum of 3 months following spinal surgery performed under local anesthesia. Pain and functional improvement were assessed utilizing the Visual Analog Scores (VAS) and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) scores.Results: Five patients had interlaminar decompressions for stenosis alone, while two patients had laminectomies for debulking of tumors. The mean duration of surgery was 79.8 ± 16.6 min, the mean estimated blood loss was 157.1 ± 53.4 ml, the mean dose of local anesthetic was 1.9 ± 0.7 mg/kg, and the mean length of hospital stay after surgery was 3.2 ± 1.2 days. There were no intraoperative complications. The surgery resulted in improved VAS and ODI scores consistent with significant improvement in pain (P = 0.017) and functionality (P = 0.011).Conclusions: Performing spinal surgery under local anesthesia is a safe and effective alternative when patient\u27s major comorbidities preclude a general anesthetic. For all the seven patients studied, spinal surgery, performed under a local anesthetic, resulted in a statistically significant reduction in pain and improvement in function

Design and Performance Analysis of an Anti-Malware System based on Generative Adversarial Network Framework

The cyber realm is overwhelmed with dynamic malware that promptly penetrates all defense mechanisms, operates unapprehended to the user, and covertly causes damage to sensitive data. The current generation of cyber users is being victimized by the interpolation of malware each day due to the pervasive progression of Internet connectivity. Malware is dispersed to infiltrate the security, privacy, and integrity of the system. Conventional malware detection systems do not have the potential to detect novel malware without the accessibility of their signatures, which gives rise to a high False Negative Rate (FNR). Previously, there were numerous attempts to address the issue of malware detection, but none of them effectively combined the capabilities of signature-based and machine learning-based detection engines. To address this issue, we have developed an integrated Anti-Malware System (AMS) architecture that incorporates both conventional signature-based detection and AI-based detection modules. Our approach employs a Generative Adversarial Network (GAN) based Malware Classifier Optimizer (MCOGAN) framework, which can optimize a malware classifier. This framework utilizes GANs to generate fabricated benign files that can be used to train external discriminators for optimization purposes. We describe our proposed framework and anti-malware system in detail to provide a better understanding of how a malware detection system works. We evaluate our approach using the Figshare dataset and state-of-the-art models as discriminators, and our results demonstrate improved malware detection performance compared to existing models