Association between leptin, obesity, hormonal interplay and male infertility

Male infertility is a major health problem worldwide. We investigated a possible association between leptin, obesity, hormonal interplay and male infertility. This cross-sectional study of 313 males (178 infertile and 135 fertile) was carried out in 2017. The subjects were categorised by body mass index (BMI) and body fat percentage (BF%) into normal weight, overweight and obese. Significantly higher levels of BMI and BF% (p-value \u3c 0.001) and lower levels of FSH, LH, testosterone, and SHBG (p-value \u3c 0.001) were found in infertile males. However, no significant difference was observed in leptin levels (p-value = 0.35). Leptin levels were significantly higher, and all the sex hormones were significantly lower (p-value \u3c 0.001) in obese subjects, whereas according to BF% only leptin, FSH and SHBG were significantly different. Leptin showed a significant positive correlation with BMI and BF% (p \u3c 0.001). A strong positive link to serum testosterone was found with age, FSH, and LH (p \u3c 0.001) and a negative one with BMI and BF% (p \u3c 0.001). In mutivariable anlaysis, after adjusting for the other covariates, a significant association between FSH and testosterone (p-value \u3c0.001) was found. Serum leptin levels did not differ significantly in fertile and infertile groups, and no association was found with infertility. Furthermore, male obesity was found to be associated with infertility with the decrease in levels of sex hormones

Stock Market Dynamics in Pakistan: What Do Political Events and Budget Announcements Disclose?

The purpose of this study is to capture Pakistani stock market dynamics in response to political -and budget events. The study of political events and budget announcements together is quite reasonable in that: swift transformations of governments are likely to change annual budget policies, so both political -and budget events go side by side and influence the stock market performance. Moreover, we want to check: whether budget is one possible channel to off- set or somehow reduce the damage occurred due to political instability? We employ event study methodology over the sample period 1998-2016 of KSE-100 index daily returns to test the investor’s reaction to political -and budget news and, investigated whether stock market behaviour is consistent with efficient market hypothesis or over-and underreaction hypothesis or uncertain information hypothesis. We find evidence that Pakistani stock market exhibits weak form of the EMH for expected political -and budget events. The results of unexpected political events report that investors overreact to good political news while underreact to bad political news, indicate that results are consistent to UIH. The study may suggest that budget policies may not be very useful to offset the negative impact of political instability for a longer time period. So, the developing nations, especially, with more exposure towards political risk may use this suggestion as a strategic tool and, focus on some other channels to compensate the harmful effects of political instability on stock market performance. Keywords: Pakistan, KSE-100 index, Political events, Budget events, Event Stud

IMPACT OF R&D INVESTMENT ON FIRM PERFORMANCE AND FIRM VALUE: EVIDENCE FROM DEVELOPED NATIONS (G-7)

The purpose of the study is to evaluate the impact of R&D investment on firm performance and firm value among G-7 countries. To testify such relationship we use firm level and country level data collected from firms’ financial statement, countries stock exchanges and World Bank databases. Based on data structure (country level, industry level and firm level) we use HLM regression analysis technique along with robust standard error. By using diverse range of control variables (firm size, age, leverage, GDP growth, interest rate and financial crises dummy), results suggest that same year R&D investment has negative impact on firm performance and positive impact on firm value. However one year lagged period R&D investment has positive relationship with both firm performance and firm value. Nevertheless two year lagged period R&D investment has not effect on both firm performance and value

Relationship between smoking habit and sperm parameters among patients attending an infertility clinic

Background: This study aimed to estimate stress markers, oxidative stress (OS), reproductive hormones and sperm parameters in male smokers and non-smokers and observe the impact of oxidative stress markers and smoking on sperm count, motility and morphology in a selected population of Karachi, Pakistan.Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted from July 2017 to July 2018 at Aga Khan University (AKU), in Karachi, Pakistan. The subjects were recruited from the Sindh Institute of Reproductive Medicine (SIRM), Karachi based on defined inclusion criteria. The subjects were categorized into fertile and infertile based on cut off values of sperm parameters as recommended by the WHO i.e., sperm count/ejaculate of 39 × 106/ml, sperm motility 40% and normal morphology 4%. Two hundred eleven fertile and 165 infertile male subjects were included in the study. Serum cortisol, adrenaline, superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) were analyzed by ELISA kits. Data was analyzed on SPSS-22. A p-value of \u3c0.05 was considered statistically significant.Results: Age, Body Mass Index (BMI), and body fat were similar among smokers and non-smokers. Age was significantly lower, while mean BMI and body fat were significantly higher among infertile smokers vs. fertile smokers (p-value \u3c 0.05). The testosterone levels were significantly reduced among smokers as compared to non- smokers (p-value \u3c 0.05). The median cortisol levels were increased as well as GPX, and steroid hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) were significantly reduced among smokers as compared to non-smokers. Additionally, the same findings with a significant difference have also been observed among infertile smokers as compared to fertile smokers (p-value \u3c 0.05). This study has shown that the semen parameters (total count, motility, and morphology) are decreased in infertile smokers as compared to infertile non-smokers. Furthermore, the multivariate analysis showed that smoking causes a significant decrease in sperm count and morphology but it did not have any significant effect on motility.Conclusion: Smoking has a significant effect on fertility, specifically sperm count and normal morphology of sperm. This might be due to OS produced by smoking, which has devastating effects on semen parameters, thus reducing male fertility. Infertility specialist should counsel their patients about the ill effects of smoking on their fertility status and should advise maintaining a healthy lifestyle, including normal weight and avoiding smoking, to prevent future health problems. Hence smokers should quit smoking for their next generation

Harnessing Nature's Arsenal: Investigating the Antibacterial Efficacy of Commercial Essential Oils against Staphylococcus Strains Isolated from Poultry Meat.

Pathogens prevalent in the food supply chain provide a significant worldwide risk to both human health and the economy. Poultry meat, a staple in global diets, serves as a reservoir for bacterial contamination. Staphylococcus, a gram-positive bacterium belonging to family Staphylococcaceae has been identified as a potential causative agent of food borne illnesses. The presence of antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus strains in poultry products raises concerns about the transmission of resistance genes through the food chain, necessitating thorough investigations into alternative antimicrobial agents for effective bacterial control. Essential oils (EOs) hold profound importance in terms of their known and potential application. This study focuses on the evaluation of commercial essential oils and their effectiveness against Staphylococcus strains isolated from poultry meat. Briefly, 150 raw chicken meat samples were collected, and Staphylococcus spp. was identified based on morphological and cultural characteristics. Antibiogram analysis and essential oils activity was determined by disc diffusion and agar well diffusion assay respectively. Results showed that 27 (18%) samples tested positive for Staphylococcus spp, out of which S. aureus was identified in 25 isolates (16.66%). The antibiogram profile reveals that three antibiotics namely, gentamicin, vancomycin and ciprofloxacin were the most effective antibiotics showing sensitivity against 74.07%, 70.37% and 62.96% of the isolates respectively. Moreover, amongst the tested essential oils cinnamon oil and clove oil exhibited the highest antimicrobial activities ZOI ranges from 19-41mm and 19-33 mm respectively. While focusing on the evaluation of antimicrobial activity of essential oils, the study endeavors to aid in development of sustainable strategies for mitigating bacterial contamination in the food industry

Impact of Hypoxia on Astrocyte Induced Pathogenesis

Astrocytes are the most abundant cells of the central nervous system. These cells are of diverse types based on their function and structure. Astrocyte activation is linked mainly with microbial infections, but long-term activation can lead to neurological impairment. Astrocytes play a significant role in neuro-inflammation by activating pro-inflammatory pathways. Activation of interleukins and cytokines causes neuroinflammation resulting in many neurodegenerative disorders such as stroke, growth of tumours, and Alzheimer’s. Inflammation of the brain hinders neural circulation and compromises blood flow by affecting the blood–brain barrier. So the oxygen concentration is lowered, causing brain hypoxia. Hypoxia leads to the activation of nuclear factor kappa B (NFkB) and hypoxia-inducible factors (HIF), which aggravates the inflammatory state of the brain. Hypoxia evoked changes in the blood–brain barrier, further complicating astrocyte-induced pathogenesis

The Role of Neighborhood Environment in Promoting Risk Factors of Cardiovascular Disease among Young Adults: Data from Middle to High Income Population in an Asian Megacity

Background: Modifiable risk factors of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) have their triggers in the neighborhood environments of communities. Studying the environmental triggers for CVD risk factors is important to understand the situation in a broader perspective. Young adults are influenced the most by the environment profile around them hence it is important to study this subset of the population.Methods: This was a descriptive study conducted using the EPOCH research tool designed by the authors of the PURE study. The study population consisted of young adults aged 18-25 in two areas of Karachi. The study setting was busy shopping malls frequented by young adults in the particular community being studied.Results: Our total sample size was 120 individuals, who consented to be interviewed by our interviewers. Less than 50% of the population recognized some form of restriction regarding smoking in their communities. The largest contributor to tobacco advertising was actors smoking in movies and TV shows with 89% responses from both communities. Only 11.9% of the individuals disapproved of smoking cigarettes among men with wide acceptance of \u27sheesha\u27 across all age groups. Advertising for smoking and junk food was more frequent as compared to smoking cessation, healthy diet and exercise in both the areas. Unhealthy food items were more easily available in contrast to healthier options. The cost of healthy snack food options including vegetables and fruits was higher than sugary drinks and foods.CONCLUSION: This assessment showed that both communities were exposed to environments that promote risk factors for cardiovascular diseases

Do Natural Disasters Cause Economic Growth? An ARDL Bound Testing Approach

This article strives to work out the causal relationship between natural disasters and economic growth in Pakistan. The study empirically tests the linkage using econometric techniques autoregressive distributed lag bound model by Pesaran (2001) and Granger causality test. We develop a proxy for the loss of natural disasters by a similar method as Noy (2009) and Bergholt et.al, (2012) did. The results of ARDL bounds testing approach evidence a negative long run relationship between the proxies of natural disasters and economic growth. The results of Granger Causality depict the uni-directional causality from natural disasters to economic growth both in short-run and long-run. Overall, the study determines that natural disasters deteriorate economic growth in Pakistan. This is the first study in Pakistan to assess the causal relationship among natural disasters and economic growth. So, further empirical evidence may link natural disasters to microeconomics and financial indicators. In future, researchers might control the impact of foreign development aid, remittances, political stability and country’s corruption rating. Natural disasters are an alarming issue and, addressing the questions related to their impacts on welfare of human being and economic growth of the countries contain significant importance in order to attract the attention of global development agencies and policymakers. As per INFORM (2015) risk index, Pakistan has the highest vulnerability towards natural disasters after Afghanistan. So, the study contains more significant value in context of Pakistan

Bank-firm equity-based relationships and firm's performance: Evidence from Islamic and conventional banks of OIC countries

We examine the relationship between bank's equity ownership and corporate financial performance based on cross-sectional data through 2SLS estimation model. Our evidence is based on listed 3203 non-financial firms of 16 Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) member states with dual-banking system (Islamic and Conventional). Consistent with notion of previous empirical studies, we document a positive impact of both Islamic and Conventional bank-firm equity-based relationships on firm's performance. The study suggests that the presence of bank equity ownership mitigates agency cost and information asymmetry problems, which in turn increase the firm's performance. Hence, the market participants such as portfolio managers may consider the role of financial intermediaries during the construction of risk minimization strategies

Surgical management during the COVID-19 era at a private tertiary care hospital of Karachi, Pakistan: A cross-sectional study

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), declared a pandemic in March 2020, has affected the entire healthcare system, including the surgical practice. Guidelines for the management of surgical patients during this COVID-19 era need to be established to provide timely yet safe surgical care. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the outcomes of the COVID-19 testing algorithm established for surgery patients presenting to a tertiary care hospital in Karachi, Pakistan, and to compare the outcomes among patients who underwent elective versus emergency surgery.Methodology: This is a cross-sectional study conducted at a tertiary care hospital in Pakistan to apply and assess the outcomes of the COVID-19 testing algorithm established for patients presenting for surgery. We included all patients who underwent any surgery from May to October 2020. The total sample size was 6,846. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 23 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). The categorical variables were assessed using the chi-square or Fisher’s exact test. A p-value of \u3c0.05 was considered significant.Results: A total of 6,846 surgeries were performed from May 1 to October 31, 2020. In total, 74% of the surgeries were elective procedures. We observed that a significantly higher proportion of emergency surgery patients tested positive for COVID-19 (4.2%) compared to elective surgery patients (25/5,063, 0.5%). A higher proportion of surgeries were performed in September (1,437, 21%) and October (1,445, 21%) while the lowest number of surgeries were performed in May (625, 9.1%). From week one to week five, a higher proportion of emergency surgeries were performed (32%) compared to elective surgeries (25%). Only 1.9% of the patients who were undergoing surgery were COVID-19 positive, with the highest number of COVID-19 cases presenting in June. Overall, 74 (4.2%) of the COVID-19-positive patients underwent emergency surgeries.Conclusions: The timely establishment of well-defined guidelines for surgical management during the pandemic allowed us to provide timely and effective surgical care to patients with the priority of minimizing the spread of COVID-19 and preventing unnecessary deferral of surgeries