DEATH ITSELF - STUDENTS’ PERSPECTIVE OF AZAD JAMMU & KASHMIR MEDICAL COLLEGE

Objective: To outline a frame-work which would help to regulate the emotions of under graduate students, on the death of their patient.Study Design: An exploratory qualitative study.Place and Duration of Study: Azad Jammu &amp; Kashmir Medical College (AJKMC), from Nov 2019 to Dec 2019.Methodology: Purposive sampling was done from the final year medical students and focus group discussions were carried out for data collection. Twenty five students shared their feelings at the death of first patient under their care. As a whole, 92% of volunteers experienced the death of their first patients in medical settings. Subsequently, four main themes have been emerged after data analysis. Including; unexpected death, crisis, anticipated death &amp; resolution.Results: Inadequate preparation of medical scholars to handle this tragic incidence leads to anxiety, anger, guilt and sense of helplessness. These undesirable sentiments would seriously affect their performance in future. So, they must be handled wisely and professionally.Conclusion: Consequently, a curricular model emerged as a result of this study recommending following steps. There should be regular debriefing sessions of students from their supervisors and reflective journaling practice of students, as a part of curriculum. Likewise, faculty training for „end of life theme‟ would help their students to become more valuable for ailing community.</p

Root Resorption Patterns of Primary Mandibular Molars and Location of Premolar Successors Through Radiographs in Pakistani Population

Background: Primary teeth undergo physiological root resorption followed by eruption of their permanent successors. Roots of primary mandibular molars can have either symmetrical or asymmetrical resorption patterns. This study aimed to determine the frequency of root resorption patterns of primary mandibular molars and the position of premolar successors through radiographs in children. Methods: A total sample of 240 primary mandibular teeth from 140 patients (5-12 years) who visited the Paediatric Dentistry Department of Fatima Jinnah dental college were reviewed using radiographs. The root resorption patterns of primary mandibular molars and the location of the premolar successors were determined. Effect modifiers were controlled through stratification concerning age, gender, right or left side and presence of caries. Post-stratification chi-square analysis was used and p<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: In primary first molars, 51(71%) root resorption was seen in the distal roots and 19(26%) of root resorption was symmetrical. In primary second molars, 81(48%) of root resorption was in the distal roots and 62(37%) was symmetrical. The distal location of the premolar was most common at 85(51%). Further, [31(89%) and 54(64%)] distal root resorption occurred when the first and second premolars were located distal to the long axis of the first and second molars respectively. The association between premolar location and root resorption pattern of the primary mandibular molars was highly significant (p<0.001). Conclusion: A high number of asymmetrical root resorption of primary mandibular molars exists especially in distal roots 51 (71%) in Pakistani population. The mesial location of the premolar was least common. Keywords: Root Resorption; Radiography; Bicuspid; Deciduous Tooth

Recent Developments in Nano-Emulsions’ Preparatory Methods and their Applications: A Concise Review

Nano-emulsion is one of the most effective and size-controlled mediums for effective drug delivery systems, the formation of cosmetics products, food preservatives, and insecticidal and antimicrobial products. Therefore, a durable and sophisticated approach is primely important in preparing effective nano-emulsions. Some of the established fabrication approaches towards nano-emulsion are the high and low-energy methods. Depending upon the required results of formulations, these two methods are further divided into sub-categories such as ultra-sonicators, micro-fluidizers, high-pressure homogenizers, phase inversion temperature, phase inversion composition, etc. This review highlights all the available methods to form nano-emulsion by adopting high-energy and low-energy techniques. In addition, this review also elaborates on the importance of nano-emulsions in various end products, as nano-carriers and patents have also been awarded in this field. Besides, the required improvements in this field have been discussed briefly to establish the most authentic approach toward nano-emulsion formation

Fear of COVID-19 and workplace phobia among Pakistani doctors: A survey study

Background: The novel coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) has seriously affected the lives of millions of people across the world. It has also heavily burdened healthcare professionals and the virus poses serious risks for their personal and professional lives. Therefore, the present study examined the associations between fear of COVID-19 and workplace phobia among doctors in Pakistan during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: An online survey was conducted among 421 doctors in Pakistan between April 10 and May 25, 2020. The Workplace Phobia Scale (WPS) and the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S) were the main psychometric instruments used in this study. Results: There was a significant positive relationship between fear of COVID-19 and workplace panic anxiety and workplace avoidance behavior. Significantly higher fear of COVID-19 was found among (i) females compared to males, (ii) doctors with 5 years or less of work experience compared to those with more than 5 years, and (iii) postgraduate trainees compared with other ranks. Two groups (doctors who were above 30 years old and postgraduate trainees) were found to have higher levels of workplace phobia compared to their counterparts. Doctors with severe levels of fear of COVID-19 had significantly higher levels of workplace panic anxiety and workplace avoidance behavior. Conclusions: Fear of COVID-19 was significantly associated with workplace phobia which may negatively affect doctors' performance. Therefore, important steps are needed to protect doctors' health by providing sufficient resources to allay their fears and anxieties which consequently help them in carrying out their frontline duties in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Keywords: Avoidance behavior; Doctors; Fear of COVID-19; Workplace panic anxiety; Workplace phobia

A key parametric study of ultrasonic exfoliation of 2D TiB2 using DI water as a unique medium

Liquid Phase Exfoliation (LPE) is a very effective technique for the synthesis of few layered two dimensional (2D) nanosheets. There is a surge to find environment friendly solvents for efficient exfoliation of layered materials to produce 2D nanosheets. TiB2 is an important layered material with very little reported work on its 2D nanosheets. The present work is about successful LPE of TiB2 using deionized (DI) water as a clean, green and low cost dispersion medium to make TiB2 nanosheets. The impact of ultrasonication conditions i.e. input power and treatment duration for efficient synthesis of few layered 2D nanosheets in DI water is studied by Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). It is found that by increasing input power, the layer thickness is reduced from bulk to 34 nm with lateral dimensions as huge as up to 5 μm. The increased treatment duration has further reduced the layer thickness to 21 nm associated with a decrease in lateral dimensions to about 1 μm. The mechanism of variation in the aspect ratio of the 2D nanosheets with ultrasonication power and treatment duration is explained. The optimum conditions for the fabrication of high aspect ratio 2D nanosheets of TiB2 owe to a greater acoustic cavitation intensity, an optimum treatment duration and a homogenous distribution of the cavitation events while using an appropriate size of the sonotrode in the sonicated volume during ultrasonication

Effect of storage on the nutritional and antioxidant properties of brown Basmati rice

The purpose of the present study is to evaluate the effect of storage time and temperature on the nutritional and antioxidant values of different varieties of brown rice. PARB approved indigenous Basmati varieties (Basmati 86, Basmati 515, Basmati super, Basmati super fine and Basmati kainat) were procured and initially tested for physicochemical parameters, including moisture, ash, lipids, proteins, carbohydrates, and fibers from the brown rice powder. Similarly, antioxidant capacity of these brown rice samples was assessed in terms of total phenolic content and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical-scavenging potential. Samples of brown rice were stored for 3 and 6 months at 25 and 5°C. On increasing the storage time and temperature, antioxidant activity of rice decreases up to 50%. Nutritional parameters, such as minerals, carbohydrates, and fatty acids were characterized using UV/Vis spectrophotometer, ICP-OES, GC–MS, and HPLC, revealing significant changes in the chemical composition of brown rice. Observation indicates that storage at high temperatures leads to a rapid decrease in carbohydrate and moisture content than at lower temperatures. The protein and ash content remains controlled and integrate with the mineral composition found. Decrease in the glucose and fructose amount was observed in brown rice varieties except for Basmati super fine and Basmati kainat at 5°C. Regarding fatty acids, oleic and linoleic acids were prominent in oils extracted from the different brown rice varieties, and their content was reduced during the storage due to conversion to behenic, and erucic acids, respectively. From the present study, it can be concluded that low storage temperatures reduce the loss of nutrients, offering better nutritional quality for the consumer