Benefits of Individualized Weight Loss Program in the Overweight Adult Population in Primary Care

The purpose of this project was to increase health by implementing a personalized, clinic-based weight loss program for overweight/obese patients leading to a decrease in weight, BMI, and waist circumference and an increase in muscle mass by using resistance training (RT) exercises as an adjunct to diet, therefore helping to decrease comorbidities associated with obesity. This project aimed to use strength training exercises as an adjunct therapy to lifestyle changes (diet, exercise, counseling) to decrease body weight by 8 pounds, decrease BMI by at least 1%, decrease waist circumference by at least 1 inch, and increase muscle mass percentage by at least 1% among overweight/obese adults within two months of intervention. The project was successful in helping participants to decrease weight and BMI but was unsuccessful in reducing waist circumference or increasing muscle mass.https://jagworks.southalabama.edu/scholarsday2023_spring-posters/1006/thumbnail.jp

Old Age, Depression and Social Support

The aim of the present research was to investigate the social support in depression among old age people. The total sample comprised of one hundred and eighty-three elderly (N=183), including ninety three men (n=93) and ninety (n=90) women. The age range varies from 60-85 years. Convenient sampling techniques was used for data collection. The participants were approached from different area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) were administered. All questionnaires were filled by interviewers, by using good interview skills. Data was analyzed by using SPSS. Results indicated depression is more prevalent in young-old category, and according to hypothesis result also demonstrated that depression is significantly high in females compare to males. Result further revealed unhealthy life style, problem in physical health and disabilities and poor social support are indicative of depression. Hence it is concluded that aging itself is not a factor directly related to depression, rather transition in life style with reference to working status, financial and social circumstances, and perceived social support are the significant contributing factors that may be considered as contributing factors of depression in old age

Solar Resource Assessment in Jammu and Kashmir State

The state of Jammu and Kashmir has diverse agro-climatic zones. The present paper on solar resource assessment in the state of Jammu and Kashmir is based on ten years of average data taken from NREL and SRRA stations. The state is blessed with huge solar potential, both for thermal generation as well as photovoltaic. The same energy can be used for electricity and process heat generation to mitigate growing energy crisis particularly in winter. The data as obtained from NREL and C-WET through SRRA stations revealed that the state is receiving more than 5 kWh/m2/day of average DNI and GHI every month which in itself can be harnessed for solar thermal energy and photovoltaic power. The average DNI and GHI received from last ten years varied from (1 kWh/day/m2) to (8kWh/day/m2) per day

Impact of Stress on Software Engineers Knowledge Sharing and Creativity (A Pakistani Perspective)

Software development involves technology as well as human efforts. Software engineering is supportive to create a quality of product by adopting the process of sharing knowledge. A lot of research was conducted on the technical side but human side of software development disregarded. Knowledge and creativity considered major factors for improving the software quality. Currently professionals working in the field of software engineering are under impressive pressure which cause stress for the Software engineers. It is highly desirable to conduct an empirical study on impact of stress on software engineers knowledge sharing & creativity. The major motivation for this study is to investigate the impact of job stress factors which can affect the software engineering knowledge sharing capabilities and creativity. The research is based on industrial assessment. For conducting this study we developed a questionnaire based on Stress Factors. Statistical analyses are performed through SPSS tool. On the basis of the results from the survey, we proposed some strategies for those factors that have high impact on software engineers and try to mitigate their affect. These results highlight stress factors and their impact on software engineers knowledge sharing and creativity, working in Pakistani software industry

Impact of Stress on Software Engineers Knowledge Sharing and Creativity (A Pakistani Perspective)

Software development involves technology as well as human efforts. Software engineering is supportive to create a quality of product by adopting the process of sharing knowledge. A lot of research was conducted on the technical side but human side of software development disregarded. Knowledge and creativity considered major factors for improving the software quality. Currently professionals working in the field of software engineering are under impressive pressure which cause stress for the Software engineers. It is highly desirable to conduct an empirical study on impact of stress on software engineers knowledge sharing & creativity. The major motivation for this study is to investigate the impact of job stress factors which can affect the software engineering knowledge sharing capabilities and creativity. The research is based on industrial assessment. For conducting this study we developed a questionnaire based on Stress Factors. Statistical analyses are performed through SPSS tool. On the basis of the results from the survey, we proposed some strategies for those factors that have high impact on software engineers and try to mitigate their affect. These results highlight stress factors and their impact on software engineers knowledge sharing and creativity, working in Pakistani software industry

Mutation Analysis of Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Gene in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer for Selection of Patients Eligible for Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor Therapy

Introduction: Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy is effective as a first-line treatment of advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This research study investigated the distribution of EGFR mutations in patients diagnosed with NSCLC to assist in selecting patients who could benefit from tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted between July 2017 and November 2022. A real-time multiplex ​Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) assay supplied by Roche Diagnostics was used to examine DNA obtained from 682 tumor biopsies collected from NSCLC patients. DNA amplification was performed in a Cobas z 480 instrument for mutation analysis. The PCR assay was designed using specific primers and probes to detect 43 different mutations targeting exons 18-21. Results: Among the 682 samples, 466 (68.3%) were males, and 216 were females. The male-to-female ratio was 2.1. Twenty per cent of the male and 37% of the female samples were positive for EGFR mutations. The most common mutations were the in-frame deletion of exon 19, followed by L858R in exon 21, exon 20 insertion and S769I, exon 18 G719X. In addition, three mutations, namely del exon 19, T790M and exon 20 insertions were also detected in a patient, suggesting an actively progressive disease. Conclusions: This study showed that EGFR mutations are more common in Pakistani female patients than males. Secondly, in-frame deletion of exon 19 and exon 21 mutation L858R are prevalent in most of the NSCLC patients. The prevalence of common and rare EGFR mutations in Pakistani patients provides an opportunity for a subset of patients' chance of therapy

Therapeutic Targets and Signaling Pathways for Diagnosis of Myeloma

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a malignancy of plasma cells that not only shows different clinical behavior but also depicts heterogeneous groups at molecular level. The prognosis of the disease has been dramatically changed with the arrival of new drugs in the past few years. In this context of better therapeutic agents, there are important challenges for accurate evaluation of patients by better prognostic and predictive tools. Transcriptomic studies have largely added to decipher MM heterogeneity, dividing MM patients into different subgroups according to prognosis. Micro-arrays and more recently RNA sequencing have helped in evaluating coding and non-coding genes, mutations, unique transcriptome convertors and different splicing events giving new information concerning biology, outcome and treatment options. Initial data from gene expression profiling studies have also pointed out genes that predict prognosis, i.e., CSK1-B, and can deliver pharmacogenomics and biologic vision into the pathophysiology, targeted treatment, and future direction. Importantly, we suggest that all prospective studies and clinical trials now accept genetic testing and risk stratification of MM patients. In this review, we discuss the part and effect of gene expression profiling in myeloma

Clino-pathological features of urinary tract infection: a study at Nishtar University Hospital Multan, Punjab, Pakistan

Background: Urinary tract infection (UTI) is a common clinical issue among pediatric population and might progress into renal scaring, hypertension as well as end stage kidney disease. This study was aimed at finding clino-pathological features of UTI and antibiotic sensitivity against most common causative agents involved at a tertiary care hospital of South Punjab, Pakistan.Methods: This descriptive case series study was conducted at department of Paediatric Medicine, Nishtar University Hospital Multan from July to December 2019. A total of 100 children fulfilling the inclusion criteria, presenting in outpatient department or emergency section of paediatric medicine department, having positive urine culture and sensitivity were selected. Their detailed history, clinical examination and relevant investigations were done.Results: Out of the 100 children, 73 (73.0%) were female and 27 (27.0%) were male. There were 57 (57.0%) children from 1 year to 4 years age group and 43 (43.0%) were of more than 4 years. Most common clinical presentations were fever 83 (83.0%), urinary symptoms, vomiting 52 (52.0%) and pain abdomen 48 (48.0%). Most common aetiological agents were Escherichia coli 74 (74.0%) and Klebsiella pneumoniae 9 (9.0%).Conclusions: UTI is more common in female children. Most common presentation observed was fever and/or urinary symptoms while most common aetiological agent was E. coli

An Efficient Classification of Emotions in Students\u27 Feedback using Deep Neural Network

Background and Objective: In both the corporate and academic worlds, the collection and analysis of feedback (product evaluation, social media debate, and student input) has long been a significant topic. The traditional approaches to collect student feedback focused on data collection and analysis via questionnaires. However, the student makes comments on social media sites that need to be looked at to improve educational standards at schools.Methods: The purpose of this work is to construct a deep neural network-based system to assess students\u27 feedback and emotions found in the reviews. Our approach applies a Deep Learning-based Bi-LSTM Model to a benchmark student input dataset. It would categorize students\u27 feedback about their instructors according to their emotional states, such as love, happiness, fury, and disdain.Results: The experimental findings demonstrate that the proposed approach outperforms both benchmark studies and state-of-the-art machine learning classifiers

INDOLEAMINE 2, 3-DIOXYGENASE: POTENTIAL IN CANCER IMMUNOTHERAPY

ABSTRACT IDO AN IMMUNOSUPPRESSIVE MOLECUL