Impact of Board Characteristics and Audit Committee on Financial Performance: A Study of Manufacturing Sector of Pakistan

The research will examine the role of corporate governance (CG) practices on firm’s financial performance. Population of this research will be manufacture sector of Pakistan. For the purposes of measurement of impact of corporate governance practices such as board size, board independence, CEO/chairman duality and audit committee will take as independent variables and for the measurement of firm’s performance return on assets and return on equity will take as dependent variables. Panel data regression model will used to estimate the impact of CG on firm performance. Keywords: board size, board independence, CEO/chairman duality, audit committee, ROA and RO

Infective endocarditis secondary to mycoplasma pneumoniae

Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP) is a gram-positive bacterium most commonly associated with community-acquired pneumonia in adults. It can also involve other systems of the body. Cardiovascular complications include pericarditis, myocarditis, congestive cardiac failure, and, rarely, infective endocarditis. We report a case of infective endocarditis secondary to MP infection in an adult. We treated our patient with doxycycline, which showed significant improvement

Seeing COVID-19 through a Health care professional’s eye

Background: The world is in a state of war. The health care professionals are the front line soldiers who are fighting this war against COVID-19. The modification in human behavior to a specific stimulus (say the Corona epidemic) is the single most important determinant of the fate of that stimulus.  On 26th February 2020, Pakistan reported its first corona positive cases. Till Mid-March, the number raised to a significantly critical level. As the outbreak was unexpected in Pakistan, the situation created chaos and panic among the public as well as among health care workers. The current study analyzed COVID-19 thorough a healthcare professional's eye. There has been no previous study according to the PubMed database. Using the keywords, "Coronavirus, Health care professionals, Pakistan, COVID-19", for any sort of previous cases reported or literature reported relating to coronavirus, our team could not find any article, case report or publication of any sort. So this study is the first from Pakistan Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a self-administrated online questionnaire was circulated through emails and social media to the whole country. The questionnaire comprised of assessing knowledge about the cause and symptoms of COVID-19. A total of 146 responses were scrutinized to include in the survey, in the time period of 1 week (March 23-30, 2020). The participants belonged to private and government institutions from all provinces of Pakistan. Results: The mean values of all items depicted that all health care professionals were well aware of the knowledge, symptoms and transmissibility of COVID-19. Conclusion:  The study concluded that the healthcare professionals were fully aware of the transmission of COVID-19 and its symptoms. However, it is recommended that the government should provide full support to health care professionals, who are at the front line. &nbsp

Future of Cooperative Farming in Pakistan

The main objective of this study was to work out production efficiency of some cooperative and non cooperative farmers in the central Punjab, Pakistan. For this purpose a survey of central Punjab was conducted in the year of 2008-09. Two type samples were taken for the study. First type sample was comprised of 15 respondents who had joined together in different ways to cultivate their available lands. Second type included 60 respondents, 20 from each district of Jhang, Faisalabad and TT Singh. The results obtained through t-statistics analysis revealed that the per acre use of Agri inputs and outputs obtained for all the cash crops was significantly different and  higher in case of cooperatives than non-cooperatives farmers. The benefit cost   (B-C) ratio indicated that it was 38% higher for cooperative than non-cooperatives as it was 1.98 and 1.43 for respective categories. But these cooperatives farming could not sustain for longer time due to the lake of education and conflicts between the members. Keywords: Cooperatives, Farming, Punjab, Pakista

Elective tracheostomy in critically ill children: A 10-year single-center experience from a lower-middle income country

Objective: Tracheostomy is a commonly performed procedure amongst critically ill patients, especially in cases of prolonged mechanical ventilation (PMV). This study aimed to describe the indications, clinical characteristics, and outcomes of elective pediatric tracheostomies in critically ill children at our center.Methods: A retrospective review of medical records of children who underwent elective tracheostomies in our pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) was conducted from January 2009 to June 2018. Data were extracted based on demographics, indications of tracheostomy, and patient outcomes. Results were reported as mean with standard deviation and as frequencies with percentage.Results: Of the 3,200 patients admitted to the PICU during the study period, 1,130 were intubated. A total of 48 (4.2% of 1,130) children underwent an elective tracheostomy. 30/48 (62.5%) children had an early tracheostomy. 34/48 (71%) patients were males. Approximately 25% of our patients undergoing a tracheostomy had an underlying neurological condition as the primary diagnosis, followed by respiratory conditions (23%). The most common indications for elective tracheostomy were PMV (\u3e7 days) (n=24, 50%) and extubation failure (n=9, 18.7%). Early tracheostomy (\u3c14 days) had better patient outcomes in terms of ventilator-free days (8.57±4.64 in early tracheostomy vs. 6.38±6.17 days in late tracheostomy, P=0.04). The sedation-free days and ICU-free days were also significantly increased in the early tracheostomy group than in the late tracheostomy group. The successful weaning and ICU discharge rate were significantly higher in the early tracheostomy group than in the late tracheostomy group (78.1% vs. 59.7%, P\u3c0.05; and 69.2% vs. 49.5%, P\u3c0.05, respectively). Ventilator-associated pneumonia was more common in the late tracheostomy group (n= 14, 77%), compared to early tracheostomy group (n=12, 40%) (P=0.03). Two patients expired from tracheostomy-related complications.Conclusion: PMV was the most common indication for an elective tracheostomy. Early tracheostomy is associated with improved patient outcomes; therefore, a standardized approach toward mechanically ventilated children is recommended

Seeing COVID-19 through a Health care professional’s eye

Background: The world is in a state of war. The health care professionals are the front line soldiers who are fighting this war against COVID-19. The modification in human behavior to a specific stimulus (say the Corona epidemic) is the single most important determinant of the fate of that stimulus.  On 26th February 2020, Pakistan reported its first corona positive cases. Till Mid-March, the number raised to a significantly critical level. As the outbreak was unexpected in Pakistan, the situation created chaos and panic among the public as well as among health care workers. The current study analyzed COVID-19 thorough a healthcare professional's eye. There has been no previous study according to the PubMed database. Using the keywords, "Coronavirus, Health care professionals, Pakistan, COVID-19", for any sort of previous cases reported or literature reported relating to coronavirus, our team could not find any article, case report or publication of any sort. So this study is the first from Pakistan Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a self-administrated online questionnaire was circulated through emails and social media to the whole country. The questionnaire comprised of assessing knowledge about the cause and symptoms of COVID-19. A total of 146 responses were scrutinized to include in the survey, in the time period of 1 week (March 23-30, 2020). The participants belonged to private and government institutions from all provinces of Pakistan. Results: The mean values of all items depicted that all health care professionals were well aware of the knowledge, symptoms and transmissibility of COVID-19. Conclusion:  The study concluded that the healthcare professionals were fully aware of the transmission of COVID-19 and its symptoms. However, it is recommended that the government should provide full support to health care professionals, who are at the front line. &nbsp

Differences in eating behaviors, dietary intake and body weight status between male and fermale Malaysian University students.

University students are potentially important targets for the promotion of healthy lifestyles as this may reduce the risks of lifestyle-related disorders later in life. This cross-sectional study examined differences in eating behaviours, dietary intake, weight status, and body composition between male and female university students. A total of 584 students (59.4% females and 40.6% males) aged 20.6 +/- 1.4 years from four Malaysian universities in the Klang Valley participated in this study. Participants completed the Eating Behaviours Questionnaire and two-day 24-hour dietary recall. Body weight, height, waist circumference and percentage of body fat were measured. About 14.3% of males and 22.4% of females were underweight, while 14.0% of males and 12.3% of females were overweight and obese. A majority of the participants (73.8% males and 74.6% females) skipped at least one meal daily in the past seven days. Breakfast was the most frequently skipped meal. Both males and females frequently snacked during morning tea time. Fruits and biscuits were the most frequently consumed snack items. More than half of the participants did not meet the Malaysian Recommended Nutrient Intake (RNI) for energy, vitamin C, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, iron (females only), and calcium. Significantly more males than females achieved the RNI levels for energy, protein and iron intakes. This study highlights the presence of unhealthy eating behaviours, inadequate nutrient intake, and a high prevalence of underweight among university students. Energy and nutrient intakes differed between the sexes. Therefore, promoting healthy eating among young adults is crucial to achieve a healthy nutritional status

Disordered eating behaviors, depression, anxiety and stress among Malaysian University students.

The aim of this study was to examine the relationships between depression, anxiety and stress with disordered eating among university students. The Eating Attitudes Test-26 (EAT-26) and Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21) were administered on 584 Malaysian university students (59.4% females and 40.6% males). About one in five participants (18.2%) were at risk of eating disorders. Females had significantly higher proportion of at risk of eating disorders (21.3%) compared to males (13.5%). There was no sex difference in mean EAT-26 scores. The prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress of moderate severity or above were 29.3%, 55.0% and 21.6% respectively. No sex differences in depression and anxiety scores were found but females had significantly higher stress score compared to males. There was significant relationship between EAT-26 and DASS-21 subscales. Further, no significant interaction effect was found for sex and ethnicity with EAT-26 and DASS-21 subscales. The prevalence of at risk of eating disorders, depression, anxiety and stress among university students were high. There were positive correlations between depression, nxiety, and stress with disordered eating. Further studies on their associated risks are warranted

Direct and indirect effects of sociocultural influences on disordered eating among Malaysian male and female university students : a mediation analysis of psychological distress.

This study aimed to examine the role of psychological distress in the relationships between sociocultural influences (social pressure to be thin and weight teasing) and disordered eating. Data were collected from 584 university students (59.4% females and 40.6% males), aged 18–24 years old (M = 20.6, SD = 1.4), selected from four universities in the Klang Valley, Malaysia. Participants completed four standardized questionnaires which measured social pressure to be thin, weight-related teasing, psychological distress and disordered eating. A good fit structural equation modeling (SEM) model was developed for both sexes. For males, the SEM model revealed that sociocultural influences showed an indirect effect on disordered eating through psychological distress. For females, the model showed an indirect effect of sociocultural influences on disordered eating through psychological distress, as well as a direct effect of sociocultural influences on disordered eating. In conclusion, psychological distress mediated the relationships between sociocultural influences and disordered eating in both males and females. Our results suggest that disordered eating intervention programs on reducing psychological distress in university students may be beneficial