An Experimental Study of the Performance of Prospective Teachers of Flipped Classroom and Non-Flipped Classroom

Video-recording of lectures and creating of podcasts for playback on the computer and other portable devices which accommodate the new formats of self-developed learning are identified as flipped classroom. The study was focused on the objective to Investigate performance of prospective teachers of flipped classroom and non-flipped classroom with respect to flipped classroom strategy. Therefore, null hypotheses were formulated; there is no significant difference between the mean scores of flipped classroom and non-flipped classroom of prospective teachers before and after treatment; Pretest posttest equivalent group experimental research design was taken for the study. A paired random sampling technique was employed to select the sample on the basis of pretest scores from the subjects.. Experimental group was named flipped classroom and control group was named non-flipped classroom. Treatment of flipped classroom strategy provided to the flipped classroom and the non-flipped classroom was thought through lecture demonstration method. Posttest was administered to collect data from both groups without delay after treatment of six academic weeks. Results of the study illustrated that there was significant difference between the performance of flipped and non-flipped classrooms prospective teachers. It was recommended that flipped classroom may be an integral part of curriculum of professional development courses in Pakistan

Oncogenic potential of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) and its relation with cervical cancer

Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common cause of cervical cancer. Cervical cancer being the second most common cancer after lung cancer, affecting women of different age groups; has a prevalence of about 20% in young sexually active women. Among different types of HPV, HPV16 the major strain causing this cancer and is sexually transmitted had been unnoticed for decades. Keeping in mind the multiple risk factors related with cervical cancer such as early age sexual activities, teenage pregnancies, smoking, use of oral contraceptives, having multiple sex partners, hormone replacement therapies and various other unknown factors lead to the onset of the disease. Awareness for various diagnostic procedures such as Pap smears screening prove to be an effective way in eradicating the oncogenic potential of HPV

Introduction and evolution of dengue virus type 2 in Pakistan: a phylogeographic analysis

Discrete Bayes Factors from SPREAD. Locations are denoted with two letter codes (Additional file 5: Table S3). The upper half of the matrix shows the mean (standard deviation) for the discrete Bayes Factor calculated for the 12 discrete trait models. The lower half of the matrix shows how many times a linkage had a Bayes Factor greater than 3.0. (XLSX 9 kb

ASSESSMENT OF RISK FACTORS AND COMPLICATIONS OF DIABETES MELLITUS IN DIFFERENT STAGES OF HYPERTENSION: A RETROSPECTIVE COHORT STUDY FROM A MAJOR METROPOLITAN CITY OF PAKISTAN

Diabetes mellitus is a group of metabolic disorders clinically manifested by hyperglycemia. Diabetic patient having hypertension has more chances of heart diseases, peripheral vascular disease, nephropathy and retinopathy. The aim of the study was to evaluate the prevalence of risk factors and related complications in diabetic patients having hypertension. This retrospective observational study was conducted by enrolling 250 patients for study. Results have indicated that there was higher percentage of female diabetics (60.16%) as compared to males due to more prevalence of obesity in females. Patients in pre-hypertensive stage were having more risk factors; salt intake (66.42%), fat intake (67.8%), aerobic exercise <30 minutes (70.2%) and even 50% were not exercising. They were experiencing more symptoms and complications such as thirst (63.1%), dryness of mouth (60.33%), loss of appetite (59.2%), abdominal pain (67.1%), nausea and vomiting (56.3%), frequent urination (56.7%) and high blood sugar level (56.33%). About 92.30% patients were satisfied with the treatment and were following the instructions by the doctors. The study inferred that the risk factors and complications related to diabetes were more prevalent in pre-hypertensive stage which could progress the disease to advanced stages

Medical Resource Utilization of Outpatient Care for Children with Neurofibromatosis Type 1

Background: Neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1) is an autosomal dominant syndrome with manifestations affecting the central nervous system, musculoskeletal system, peripheral nervous system, and cognitive/behavioral functions. Many of these manifestations persist throughout life and require medical/surgical interventions. The resource utilization and economic burden of caring for children with NF1 is unknown. Prior research has inherent selection bias and does not accurately reflect the incidence/resource utilization of morbidities. In order to identify which disease manifestations are in the most need of improved clinical algorithms and novel therapeutics, the frequency/type of resources utilized (i.e., diagnostic imaging and specialty visits) must be determined. The current study sought to identify which manifestations of NF1 utilize the most healthcare resources and to validate the accuracy of using International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) diagnostic codes to identify patients with NF1. Methods: The electronic health record at The Children\u27s Hospital of Philadelphia was queried to identify patients seen between January 2011-December 2015 with the ICD-9 code 237.71. Subjects were excluded if the clinical/genetic diagnosis could not be confirmed. For eligible subjects, the frequency of disease manifestations, MRI scans, and specialty visits over the five-year study period were recorded. The positive predictive value (PPV) of identifying subjects using the ICD-9 code was calculated. Results: Nine-hundred-eleven subjects with NF1 were included (ages 0.7-69.5 years, median = 12.9; 51% female). Fifty-four patients could not be confirmed and were excluded. The most common manifestations were cognitive/behavioral (42%), CNS abnormalities (37%), plexiform neurofibromas (32%), MSK (21%) and other (19%). A total of 13,643 outpatient provider visits occurred with Ophthalmology (18%) and Oncology (23%) being the most frequent. Subjects underwent a total of 4,527 MRI scans, 63% required sedation. Brain MRIs were the most common (N = 2,161). Treatment with prescription medications occurred in 13% of subjects for cognitive/behavioral disorders. The 237.71 ICD-9 code accurately identified subjects with a confirmed diagnosis of NF1 (PPV = 94.4%) if the code was present once in the subject’s chart. The PPV increased to 98.2% if at least two subject visits were coded. Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the first study to describe medical resource utilization, based on disease manifestation, in children with NF1. CNS manifestations required the highest frequency of MRI acquisitions and specialty visits. The ICD-9 code 237.71 accurately identified subjects with NF1

QuackFinder: A Probabilistic Approach

Quackery is profoundly rooted in rural areas, , but cities are also considerably affected. Countries, whether developed or developing, are experiencing this curse. Quackery is one of the primary reasons for the recent AIDS epidemic among children in Pakistan. In this research, we have conducted two separate surveys to study the causes of quackery. The sample sizes for the public and physicians were 157 and 58, respectively. The first questionnaire was handed to the respondents based in Pakistan to reveal the reasons behind the quackery and its widespread existence. The second questionnaire was designed to examine physicians' perceptions of quackery. The data were analyzed and we physicians having permit granted by the PMDC (Pakistan Medical and Dental Council) should be placed in doctor's clinics to help people distinguish between quacks and physicians. According to the conducted survey government may be held accountable behind the spread of quackery whereas lack of awareness from the media and high illiteracy rates are also the lead causes. Moreover, according to doctor’s perspective, awareness campaigns will surely help us to overcome this menace. It is not simple for common people to differentiate a quack from a doctor. To assist the common person, we have created a prototype android app called "Quack Finder"' based on our survey outcomes to predict whether an individual is a quack or a doctor. Full Tex

QuackFinder: A Probabilistic Approach

Quackery is profoundly rooted in rural areas, , but cities are also considerably affected. Countries, whether developed or developing, are experiencing this curse. Quackery is one of the primary reasons for the recent AIDS epidemic among children in Pakistan. In this research, we have conducted two separate surveys to study the causes of quackery. The sample sizes for the public and physicians were 157 and 58, respectively. The first questionnaire was handed to the respondents based in Pakistan to reveal the reasons behind the quackery and its widespread existence. The second questionnaire was designed to examine physicians' perceptions of quackery. The data were analyzed and we physicians having permit granted by the PMDC (Pakistan Medical and Dental Council) should be placed in doctor's clinics to help people distinguish between quacks and physicians. According to the conducted survey government may be held accountable behind the spread of quackery whereas lack of awareness from the media and high illiteracy rates are also the lead causes. Moreover, according to doctor’s perspective, awareness campaigns will surely help us to overcome this menace. It is not simple for common people to differentiate a quack from a doctor. To assist the common person, we have created a prototype android app called "Quack Finder"' based on our survey outcomes to predict whether an individual is a quack or a doctor. Full Tex

Thyroid cytology in Pakistan: An institutional audit of the atypia of undetermined significance/follicular lesion of undetermined significance category

Introduction: Fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC), along with thyroid ultrasound, is an important tool in evaluation of thyroid nodules that helps in further management of these patients in making a decision of surgical intervention vs follow-up. The Bethesda System for Reporting Thyroid Cytopathology category III of atypia of undetermined significance/follicular lesion of undetermined significance (AUS/FLUS) has risk of malignancy (ROM) ranging from 5% to 15%. The aim of the present study was to describe the frequency of AUS/FLUS in thyroid gland FNACs and the surgical outcomes of these cases.Methods: The integrated laboratory management system retrieved the thyroid FNACs from 2010 to 2018 and subsequent surgical pathology specimens. For the AUS/FLUS cases, data regarding patient demographics, cytology and histological diagnoses were recorded. The results were tabulated as the overall frequency of AUS/FLUS in thyroid FNACs, cytohistological correlation (benign and malignant) and ROM.Results: Over a period of 9 years, 256 (10.9%) cases out of 2342 thyroid FNACs were reported as AUS/FLUS at our institution. Mean age was 43.5 years. The majority (70.3%) of patients were female. Seventy-two of 104 resection specimens (69.2%) were reported as benign and 32 cases (30.7%) had malignant diagnosis. Upper-bound ROM was 30.7% (32 cases with malignant diagnosis out of 104 resection specimens). Lower-bound ROM was calculated as 12.5% (32 cases with malignant diagnosis out of 256 total AUS diagnosis).Conclusion: The AUS/FLUS category of thyroid cytology and associated ROM remain an evolving area. Individual institutions should monitor the frequency and include ROM in the dashboard indicators to remain within the recommended range