The Relationship between Capital Flight, Labor Migration and Economic Growth

Capital flight and labor migration have been increasing in developing nation like Pakistan. This study is used to check the relationship between capital flight, labor migration and economic growth of Pakistan. Time series data is used from 1983-2014 for variables like unemployed labor, capital outflow, unemployment and political instability. Different techniques such as unit root test, granger causality test, ordinary least square and two stages least square are used. Granger causality test showed that capital flight and economic growth have bidirectional causality, while labor migration and economic growth showed unidirectional causality. Two stage least square showed that political instability, labor migration, capital flight and unemployment have the negative impact on the economic growth of Pakistan. Political and security situation should be improved for better economic growth

The Relationship between Capital Flight, Labor Migration and Economic Growth

Capital flight and labor migration have been increasing in developing nation like Pakistan. This study is used to check the relationship between capital flight, labor migration and economic growth of Pakistan. Time series data is used from 1983-2014 for variables like unemployed labor, capital outflow, unemployment and political instability. Different techniques such as unit root test, granger causality test, ordinary least square and two stages least square are used. Granger causality test showed that capital flight and economic growth have bidirectional causality, while labor migration and economic growth showed unidirectional causality. Two stage least square showed that political instability, labor migration, capital flight and unemployment have the negative impact on the economic growth of Pakistan. Political and security situation should be improved for better economic growth

Willingness to pay for vaccination against hepatitis b and its determinants: the case study of an industrial district of Pakistan

Willingness to pay (WTP) for vaccination of hepatitis disease is a good measure to monetize the physical effects of a disease into monetary values. Therefore, the present study aims to find the willingness to pay for self-paid vaccines for hepatitis and its determinants in an industrial district Faisalabad, Pakistan. Primary data was collected from 200 nonpatients of hepatitis which were personally interviewed by using convenient sampling method. A scenario was presented to the selected respondents by using CVM technique. The respondents were randomly assigned to pre-chosen payment bids defined on the basis of prevailing market rates for vaccination at the time of survey. The multivariate linear regression was used to find the determinants of WTP. The results show that females are slightly more willing to pay as compared to males. The variables like age, income and awareness about hepatitis have positive impact on WTP for vaccination of hepatitis disease. About 57.3 percent people belonging to low income group wanted vaccination free of cost in Pakistan.Government should launch free vaccination programs for the most vulnerable group (poor) and must launch awareness campaign to increase knowledge about disease

Ventricular fibrillation with intracoronary adenosine during fractional flow reserve assessment.

Fractional flow reserve (FFR) measurement provides useful hemodynamic assessment of intermediate coronary stenoses affecting long term outcomes. While the gold standard remains intravenous adenosine, intracoronary (IC) bolus administration of adenosine is routinely used in clinical practice because of its ease of use and lower dose providing comparative hyperemia with the most common side effect being a transient atrioventricular block. A 62year old male underwent left heart catheterization after ruling in for non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI). Presenting electrocardiogram (ECG) showed an old left bundle branch block and T-wave inversions in lateral leads (QTc 494ms) with no significant electrolyte abnormalities. Coronary angiography revealed an intermediate lesion in mid left anterior descending coronary artery. FFR assessment with IC adenosine (24μg/mL of normal saline) was performed inducing ventricular fibrillation (VF). He was successfully defibrillated with a single 200J shock and no further arrhythmias were noticed during rest of his hospital stay

Factors influencing in-hospital length of stay and mortality in cancer patients suffering from febrile neutropenia

Introduction: Febrile neutropenia (FN) is a major complication of chemotherapy, costly in terms of morbidity, mortality and associated financial expenditure. The present study was conducted with the goal of highlighting FN as a serious problem in Pakistan, with the longer term objective of improved cancer survival, reduction in length of stay (LOS) in hospital, morbidity, mortality and costs in our existing developing country scenario. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on Patients, \u3e or =18 years, admitted with FN as a consequence of chemotherapy at a referral hospital in Karachi from 1st September 2006 to 30th April 2007. Results: A total of 80 Patients [43 (53.8%) males and 37 (46.2%) females] were selected. The mean age was 47.4 (SD +/-16.6, range 18-79) years. Sixty eight Patients (86%) were \u3c or = 65 years, 50% were \u3c or = 50 years. Overall, inhospital mortality was 11%, 4% for Patients on granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) prophylaxis as against 20% for those without. The cause of death was either pneumonia or septic shock. Mean LOS was 7.53 (SD +/-3.8, range 2-17) days. Hematological malignancies, older age, severity of dehydration, pneumonia and culture positivity were significantly associated with LOS and death. Those above 50 years of age were 1.5 times as likely to be hospitalized longer and \u3e three times as likely to die. Bacteremia conferred a 5-fold and pneumonia an 8-fold increase in the risk of death. Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that age, vital instability, dehydration, high creatinine, culture positivity and hematological malignancies are high risk factors in chemotherapy induced FN. Identification of FN risk factors with poor outcomes may help in devising protocols for modified dosage or including GCFs initially. This may help reduce the cost of cancer care as well as mortality and morbidity. Prospective studies of FN in multiple centers in Pakistan may be beneficial in evaluating these risk factors further

Recurrent takotsubo cardiomyopathy in the setting of transient neurological symptoms: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>First described in Japan, takotsubo cardiomyopathy is increasingly becoming recognized worldwide as a cause of sudden and reversible diminished left ventricular function characterized by left apical ballooning and hyperkinesis of the basal segments, often with symptoms mimicking a myocardial infarction. Associated with physical or emotional stress, its exact pathogenesis has not been established, though evidence supports a neurohumoral etiology. Additionally, recurrence of this condition is rare. In this report, we present a rare case of recurrent takotsubo cardiomyopathy in a post-menopausal woman who presented with transient neurological complaints on both occasions.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>We present a rare case of a 76-year-old Caucasian woman with no history of congestive heart failure who presented to our emergency department twice with transient neurological complaints. On the first occasion, she was found to have transient aphasia which resolved within 24 hours, yet during that period she also developed symptoms of congestive heart failure and was noted to have a new, significantly depressed ejection fraction with apical akinesis and possible apical thrombus. One month after her presentation a repeat echocardiogram revealed complete resolution of all wall motion abnormalities and a return to baseline status. Seven months later she presented with ataxia, was diagnosed with vertebrobasilar insufficiency, and again developed symptoms and echocardiography findings similar to those of her first presentation. Once again, at her one-month follow-up examination, all wall motion abnormalities had completely resolved and her ejection fraction had returned to normal.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Though the exact etiology of takotsubo cardiomyopathy is unclear, a neurohumoral mechanism has been proposed. Recurrence of this disorder is rare, though it has been reported in patients with structural brain abnormalities. This report is the first to describe recurrent takotsubo cardiomyopathy in a patient with transient neurological symptoms. In our patient, as expected in patients with this condition, complete resolution of all left ventricular abnormalities occurred within a short period of time. It is important for clinicians to be aware of this increasingly recognized syndrome, including its association with recurrence, especially in the clinical setting of neurologic dysfunction.</p

External compression of epicardial coronary arteries with partial calcific pericarditis

Calcific pericarditis (CP) is a rare disease which results from long-standing pericardial inflammation. Pericardial calcification may completely or partially encase the ventricles, resulting in impaired diastolic filling. We present a case of a 53-year-old male who was incidentally found to have annular CP resulting in external compression of a large territory diagonal branch (D1) reaching the apex with likely chronically occluded left anterior descending artery with collateral circulation from the right coronary artery with hemodynamic compromise on coronary angiography. This was emergently treated with a drug-eluting stent with improved D1 flow and entailed the importance of percutaneous coronary intervention as a viable option in cases of CP resulting in acute hemodynamic compromise