Stereotactic radiosurgery for pituitary adenomas: A review of literature

Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) is a choice of treatment for pituitary adenomas (PA), particularly for residual or recurrent disease, apart from surgery. It has a progression free survival and endocrine remission rate comparable to surgery, with fewer side effects, making it an ideal tool for dealing with PA. In this review, we have discussed the role of SRS for primary as well as post-operative residual/ recurrent PA, and have assessed its safety and outcomes

Public Opinion towards Advertising: Factor Analytic Findings From Pakistan

This study aims to investigate the public opinion about advertising in Pakistan. A survey of respondents studying at various universities was conducted [N = 575]. This study uses Polly and Mittal (1993) model of beliefs and attitudes towards advertising. The data was collected from SEC A and B classes through survey method using quota sampling technique. The public opinion was first analyzed using Factor Analysis and resulted in seven opinion categories  i.e., a) Skeptic; b)  Ecstatic; c) Sarcastic; d) Trendy; e) Rationalist; f) Dogmatic; and g) Sagacious. These opinions were finally summarized into two schools of thoughts i.e., a) Sanguine; and b) Antagonist. This piece of research will provide tremendous opportunities to marketers in understanding consumers and their attitudes towards advertising in Pakistan. Advertisement is a ubiquitous part of modern life and previous research shows that consumers around the globe hold a negative view of advertising (Shavitt, lowrey & Hafner, 1998). Consumers are deluged by advertisements and media in a variety of ways every day. In an era where communication with customer is considered critical, it becomes crucial to assess the attitudes and confidence of general public towards advertisement (O’Guinn, Allen, and Semenik, 1998: Krugman, Reid, Dunn, and Barban, 1994). Keywords: Public opinion, advertising, Factor Analyti

GLOBAL RECESSION & GLOBAL FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS: EVIDENCE FROM TOP 100 GLOBAL BRANDS (2001 – 2015)

This paper aims to present the brand equity trends among top banks and financial brands during 2001-15. The research uses the data published by world’s leading brand consultancy Interbrand. During 2001-2015, a total of 19 financial brands from seven countries appeared in the top 100 global brands list. Analyses were made on the basis of cumulative brand equity, average brand equity and growth patterns. Some major trends presented in this paper are; (a) global economic recession (2008-2009) affected the financial brands more than other sectors; (b) different clusters of financial institutions moved differently during recession and afterwards (c) dominance of American financial brands remained the key observation. JEL: D02, E02, G21, F01  Article visualizations

A projected finite element update method for inverse identification of material constitutive parameters in transversely isotropic laminates

In this paper, a novel application of Finite Element Update Method (FEUM) is proposed for the inverse identification of material constitutive parameters in transversely isotropic laminates. Two-dimensional Digital Image Correlation (2D–DIC) is used for full-field measurements which is required for the identification process. Instead of measuring the in-plane displacements, which is a well-known application of 2D–DIC, we seek to measure the pseudo-displacements resulting from out-of-plane (towards camera) deflection of plate under a point load. These pseudo-displacements are basically the perspective projection of the three dimensional displacement fields on the image-plane of the image acquisition system. The cost function in this method is defined in terms of these projections instead of the true displacements – and hence the name Projected Finite Element Update Method (PFEUM). In this article, identification of in-plane elastic moduli of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic (CFRP) plate has been performed using plate bending experiments which show pre-dominantly out-of-plane deflection with little contribution from the in-plane displacements. Identification results are validated by direct experimental measurements of the unknown elastic constants as well as theoretical estimates based on volume ratio of constituents. The results show good conformance between estimated and target values for at least three material parameters namely E1, E2 and G12. Effects of experimental noise on parameter estimates has also been evaluated to explain the observed deviation in estimated parameters with current test configuration

Total parotidectomy under local anesthesia: A novel technique

Parotidectomy is a common procedure usually done for a parotid mass necessitating a histological diagnosis. Operation is normally performed under General anesthesia with a nerve stimulator to facilitate facial nerve stimulation. We describe a new technique with reports of three cases, making total parotidectomy under local anesthesia possible. The ascending cervical branch of cervical plexus and the auriculotemporal nerve were anesthetized by bupivacaine 0.25% (2mg/kg) and lignocaine with adrenaline 7 mg/kg. Effective onset of anesthesia was within 15-25 minutes and the operations lasted between 2-3 hours without any complications. This offers advantage in high-risk patients where general anesthesia is contraindicated. The facial nerve can be easily identified with on command movements by the patient rendering the use of nerve stimulator or injection of the dye superfluous. This technique makes total parotidectomy an outpatient procedure and facilitates an early discharge

Frequency and risk factors of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in Helicobacter pylori-infected dyspeptic patients: A cross-sectional study

Background: In dyspeptic patients with Helicobacter pylori contributes to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. However, little evidence available from Pakistan.Objective: The study aims to determine the frequency and risk factors of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in dyspeptic patients with Helicobacter pylori.Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted between 22 November 2016 and 30 June 2018. Adults of age between 18 and 90 years who attended the out-patient department due to abdominal discomfort, pain, fullness, and bloating who underwent upper gastrointestinal tract endoscopy were enrolled after taking informed consent. Patients with celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease, taking alcohol, pregnant women and lactating mothers, known cases of hepatitis B and C, and history of recent antibiotic use were excluded. Data on age, gender, smoking, alcohol use, dyslipidemia, hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and ischemic heart disease were collected. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease was diagnosed through ultrasonography. Helicobacter pylori infection was detected using a carbon urea breath test.Results: A total of 698 patients were screened for eligibility, and 399 (57.2%) had Helicobacter pylori infection and were enrolled in the study after consent. The median age was 50.1 (interquartile range = 14.5) years and 209 (52.4%) were males. Frequency of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in patients with Helicobacter pylori dyspeptic patients was 153 (38.3%). Factors associated with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in the presence of Helicobacter pylori were dyslipidemia 7.38 (95% confidence interval = 2.4-22.71), type 2 diabetes mellitus 5.96 (95% confidence interval = 1.86-19.07), hypertension 3.0 (95% confidence interval = 1.21-7.45), and moderate gastritis 2.81 (95% confidence interval = 1.2-6.59).Conclusion: The frequency of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in Helicobacter Pylori dyspeptic patients was 38.3%. Male gender, dyslipidemia, hypertension, ischemic heart disease, and moderate gastritis were associated with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

Molecular Descriptors of Nanotube, Oxide, Silicate, and Triangulene Networks

A topological index is a real number associated with chemical constitution purporting for correlation of chemical structure with various physical properties, chemical reactivity, or biological activity. The concept of hyper Zagreb index, first multiple Zagreb index, second multiple Zagreb index, and Zagreb polynomials was established in chemical graph theory based on vertex degrees. It is reported that these indices are useful in the study of anti-inflammatory activities of certain chemical networks. In this paper, we study carbon nanotube networks which are motivated by molecular structure of regular hexagonal lattice and also studied interconnection networks which are motivated by molecular structure of a chemical compound SiO4. We determine hyper Zagreb index, first multiple Zagreb index, second multiple Zagreb index, and Zagreb polynomials for some important class of carbon nanotube networks, dominating oxide network, dominating silicate network, and regular triangulene oxide network

Edge irregular reflexive labeling for star, double star and caterpillar graphs

A graph labeling is an algorithm that assignment the labels, traditionally represented by integers, to the edges or vertices, or both, of a network(graph) G. Formally, given a graph G = (V, E), a vertex labeling is a function of V to a set of labels. A graph with such a function defined is called a vertex-labeled graph. Likewise, an edge labeling is a function of E to a set of labels. In this case, the graph is called an edgelabeled graph. We study an edge irregular reflexive k−labeling for the star, double star and caterpillar graphs and determine the exact value of the reflexive edge strength for these graphs.Publisher's Versio

On the Metric Dimension of Generalized Petersen Multigraphs

In this paper, we study the metric dimension of barycentric subdivision of Möbius ladders and the metric dimension of generalized Petersen multigraphs. We prove that the generalized Petersen multigraphs denoted by $P(2n,n)$ have metric dimension 3 when $n$ is even and 4 otherwise. We also study the exchange property for resolving sets of barycentric subdivisions of Möbius ladders and generalized Petersen multigraphs and prove that the exchange property of the bases in a vector space does not hold for minimal resolving sets of these graphs