Ocular Injuries in Earthquake Victims

Background: To determine pattern of ocular injuriessustained during earthquake that hit north of Pakistan inOct. 2005.Methods: It was a case-control study which included,all thirty-one patients who presented to or were referredto the eye departments of Rawalpindi General Hospitaland Holy Family Hospital (both tertiary care teachinghospitals attached to Rawalpindi Medical College). Theinjuries and their management were documented andanalyzed.Results: Ocular injuries were 0.19% of the total patientsreceived at these hospitals. Females were twice moreaffected than males. Children and young adults weremore affected. Most of the patients were residents ofMuzaffarabad. Most common presenting complaint wasesotropia resulting from cranial nerve palsies followed bylacerations of periorbital skin, fractures of orbital andfacial bones and the base of skull and ocular penetratinginjuries. Associated injuries were cranial nerve palsies,fractures orbit, facial bones and base of skull. Head injurywas common among one third of them. Most commondiagnosis was multiple cranial nerve injuries followed byisolated 6th nerve palsy.Conclusion: Pattern of ocular injuries sustainedduring earthquake is quite different from injuries incurredfrom other sources of trauma

Simulation of the research process

This paper presents first steps towards the development of a formal model of the research process. We evaluate the use of simulation as a tool for the evaluation of research strategies in nascent research organizations faced with the absence of significant data. We start by modeling the research process by using the ”Publish or Perish” paradigm, a well-known criteria of evaluation of research. We demonstrate the use of this model for researchers to evaluate the effects of selection of a particular publishing venue over time. We then perform various experiments using this basic idea. By means of various visualization techniques, we see how researchers with similar publishing policies might self-organize in the form of groups. We also evaluate the effects of giving higher weights to articles in journals and see where the effects of publishing in these venues breaks even for both top as well as average acceptance rates

The Role of International Trade in the Relationship between Income and Environmental Quality

The Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) suggests that environmental quality improves with income after the economy passes an income threshold. Many studies have examined the EKC but the results are mixed. This study Investigates how international trade has affected the EKC’s position. The study uses the ecological footprint, as an indicator of environmental degradation, in 149 countries divided into four income groups for the period 1980-2014. From the panel model estimations, the results confirm an inverted U-shape relationship between the ecological footprint and income. Furthermore, they indicate that trade has altered the position of the EKC, in the entire sample. However, the results vary across income groups. Specifically, the EKC has been shifted by trade upwards in upper-income boundaries. The lower-income countries have not reached the income threshold suggested by the EKC and trade impact on the position of the EKC has not been significant. In this case, it can be inferred that trade worsens environmental degradation

Biogas upgrading with novel cellulose nano-crystals and polyvinyl amine nanocomposite membranes

A novel crystalline nano cellulose (CNC) and polyvinyl amine (PVAm) based nanocomposite membranes were synthesized and evaluated for biogas upgrading. Different concentrations of CNC was incorporated in 3 wt % PVAm solution on commercial polysulfone (PSf) sheet using dip coating method. The effect of feed pressure (5, 10 and 15 bar) was investigated for the CO2/CH4 separation. The incorporation of CNC increased the crystallinity of membranes. The thickness of selective layer enhanced to 2.16 μm from 1.5 μm with increasing concentration of CNC. However, degree of swelling reduced from 75.88% to 68.93 with CNC concentration at 1.5 wt%. The best results were shown by PVAm membrane with 1 wt % CNC concentration i.e. CO2 permeance of 0.0216 m3(STP)/m2.bar.hr and selectivity (CO2/CH4) of 41.The permeance decreased approximately 1.8 folds for PVAm/1CNC membrane with the increase in pressure from 5 to 15 bar. However, selectivity dropped from 41 to 39 for formulated membranes

Approach of MBBS Students receiving Modular vs Students receiving Conventional Mode of education towards Health Research: A Comparative Study

Introduction: Health research training is an important component of the medical curriculum. This study was conducted to compare the approach of medical students being taught through an integrated modular curriculum with the students receiving conventional mode of education towards health research. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between 3rd-year MBBS students following Lecture Based Learning and Problem Based Learning (groups A and B respectively). A self-designed pretested questionnaire was filled by 153 students of each group (from group A in 2019 and group B in 2020) through a simple randomized sampling technique. Analysis was done using SPSS 21. P-value <0.05 was considered to be significant for all purposes. Results: Mean knowledge score of PBL students was 50% against a score of 55.5% of LBL students (p-value=0.114). However, the mean attitude score of PBL students was 79.2% against a score of 67.4% of LBL students (p-value< 0.000). Over 49.6% of LBL students and 41.8% of PBL students had satisfactory knowledge. 19.7% of LBL students and 82.3% of PBL students had a satisfactory attitude.  Conclusion: Significantly higher attitude of PBL students was found. However, the level of knowledge was found to be the same in both groups. PBL curriculum has a positive influence on students on their attitudes towards health research

Extraction of HCV-RNA from Plasma Samples: Development towards Semiautomation

A semiautomated extraction protocol of HCV-RNA using Favorgen RNA extraction kit has been developed. The kit provided protocol was modified by replacing manual spin steps with vacuum filtration. The assay performance was evaluated by real-time qPCR based on Taqman technology. Assay linearity was confirmed with the serial dilutions of RTA (Turkey) containing 1 × (106, 105, 104, and 103) IU mL−1. Comparison of test results obtained by two extraction methods showed a good correlation (r=0.95, n=30) with detection limit of 102 IU mL−1. The semiautomated vacuum filtration based protocol demonstrated high throughput: 35 minutes for the extraction of a batch of 30 samples (150 µL each) with reduced labor, time, waste, and cost. Performance characteristics of semiautomated system make it suitable for use in diagnostic purpose and viral load determinations

Association of Microalbuminuria with the Severity of Diabetic Retinopathy in Patients with type II Diabetes Mellitus.

Objective: To evaluate the association of microalbuminuria with the severity of diabetic retinopathy. Methodology: This is a cross-sectional study that was conducted at Combined Military Hospital Lahore from Dec 2019 to Dec 2020. All Patients having type II diabetes mellitus fulfilling the inclusion and exclusion criteria were selected for this study. All patients underwent complete ocular examination including fundoscopy to grade the stage of diabetic retinopathy using the ETDRS chart. To assess the extent of microalbuminuria, a urine albumin to creatinine ratio was carried out using the urine spot test and classified as mild, moderate and severe according to KIDGO 2012 clinical practice guidelines. Results:   Out of 300 patients 104 (34.6%) had some stage of diabetic retinopathy.  Microalbuminuria was present in all (104) patients with diabetic retinopathy and in 55 (28.06%) patients with no diabetic retinopathy. The severity of microalbuminuria correlates with the advancement in stages of retinopathy with   as the number of patients with moderate and severe microalbuminuria had higher stages of diabetic retinopathy. None of the patients with very mild diabetic retinopathy had moderately or severely increased microalbuminuria whereas 88% of patients with advanced diabetic retinopathy had moderately increased microalbuminuria and 4% had severely increased microalbuminuria.  Furthermore, 76% of the patients had moderately increased and 12% had severely increased microalbuminuria in patients >7 HbA1c and only 28% of patients had moderately increased microalbuminuria and none had severely increased microalbuminuria in patients with ≤ 7 HbA1c. Conclusion: This study showed that the degree of microalbuminuria increases with each higher stage of diabetic retinopathy.

Therapeutic Effect of Barley on Cardiovascular Diseases

Barley is a fantastic food option for those with various illnesses as well as for those who want to lead a healthy lifestyle. This cereal is a great source of soluble dietary fiber, particularly beta-glucans, and it also includes vital vitamins and minerals. For its excellent antioxidant activity and as a source of vitamins and minerals, green barley is advised. Depending on phytonutrients such as glucan, phenolics, flavonoid, lignans, tocols, sitosterol, and folic, regular consumption of whole wheat grain and its hydroethanolic extracts decreases the risk of chronic ailments (hyperglycemia, malignancy, overweight, cardiac disease, and so on). Barley and its products in recent years have gained an importance due to its counteractive components, which play potent role against cardiovascular diseases by lowering down the oxidative stress and improving high-density lipoprotein, further lowering down low-density lipoprotein, VLDL ratios further regulating insulin levels, and lowering down the spike in blood glucose levels showing potent antioxidative and cardiovascular functions. Due to their abundance in these nutrients, barley is effective in promoting healthy bodily function. To enjoy all of the advantages of barley, barley grain is a wonderful option