Flow cytometric and demographic analysis of t cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia in Pakistani population.

Background: This study was carried out to analyze the proportion of T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (TALL) among all acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in Pakistani population and its correlation with the demographic features. Accuracy of cell surface markers used in flow cytometric analysis of the leukemic cells was also determined. Methods: Data of 209 consecutive cases of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) presenting between July 1995 and July 2003 was analyzed. Flow cytometry was performed on all ALL cases using the standard protocols. TALL markers included CD3, CD5 and CD7. Results: Proportion of TALL among known ALL Pakistani patients was 17.22%. Mean age of the TALL patients was 17.2 years. Proportion of TALL was higher in adults than in children (21.95% vs. 14.17%). Overall in this study there were more male patients affected by TALL (25/36 or 69.40%) than females (11/36 or 30.60%). The female to male ratio among TALL patients was 1:2.27. However, the proportion (%) of TALL in females was higher than males (18.96% vs. 15.82 %) i, e, 1.2:1. CD7 was found to be the most sensitive among both adults & children. It was positive in 94.4% of the TALL cases. Conclusion: Proportion of TALL among ALL in Pakistan is similar to that reported in this region, indicating a candidate association with geographical location and socioeconomic status. The reactivity of markers with TALL cells was similar to what we expected based upon literature. However, due to some aberrant and cross reactivity displayed by each marker, we strongly recommend a panel approach including B and myeloid markers to ensure a correct diagnosis of TALL

Caracterização morfológica de sementes de variedades locais de feijoeiro comum (Phaseolus vulgaris) do Ace.

O feijoeiro comum é cultivado no Acre exclusivamente por agricultores familiares e representa grande importância agronômica, econômica, social e cultural. A abertura de novas estradas no Estado constitui-se em uma ameaça a perda da variabilidade e de espécies locais necessitando que essas seja estudadas para usos futuros. Este trabalho teve como objetivo caracterizar sementes de dez variedades locais de feijoeiro comum. Avaliaram-se 10 variedades. As sementes foram coletados em feiras e mercados públicos de municípios do Acre. Os trabalhos de campo e laboratório foram realizados no primeiro semestre de 2012. Foram avaliadas as seguintes características; cor do tegumento, presença e cor do halo, brilho, forma e grau de achatamento da semente e o peso de 100 sementes. Detectou-se a ocorrência de variabilidade para todos os descritores de sementes avaliados, com destaque para a diversidade de cores, brilho e forma bem como para a amplitude do caráter peso de 100 sementes

GENDER TRAINING IN PAKISTAN: AN ANALYSIS FOR WAY FORWARD

The decade of 1970s focused on women and development, with 1974 declared as Women’s Year by the UN, followed by the decade for women (1975 – 1985). The First World Conference on women (Mexico 1975) drew attention to the need for bringing women into the development sector; by 1985 global discourse recorded a shift from women in development (WID) to gender and development (GAD). In Pakistan the notion of gender entered the development discourse by mid 1980s, and a proliferation of gender training took place. By 1995, when the Fourth World Conference on women took place in Beijing, gender training was well established in Pakistan, and a loose network of gender trainers was also established. . As gender trainings took place in different NGOs, a sense of having hit a plateau began to be felt by some gender trainers. There was no evidence available to gauge the impact of gender training or ascertain whether new depths are being explored. Furthermore, gender training appeared to have become de-politicized. This paper shares the findings of a scoping review undertaken to understand the scope (focus, depth and nature) of literature on gender trainings in Pakistan, and to highlight the gaps in training. The paper also discusses the efforts of an informal network of gender trainers that tried to extend the agenda of gender trainings and how these need to be incorporated in the gender agenda for a more holistic approach. A way forward is also identified in the paper

GENDER TRAINING IN PAKISTAN: AN ANALYSIS FOR WAY FORWARD

The decade of 1970s focused on women and development, with 1974 declared as Women’s Year by the UN, followed by the decade for women (1975 – 1985). The First World Conference on women (Mexico 1975) drew attention to the need for bringing women into the development sector; by 1985 global discourse recorded a shift from women in development (WID) to gender and development (GAD). In Pakistan the notion of gender entered the development discourse by mid 1980s, and a proliferation of gender training took place. By 1995, when the Fourth World Conference on women took place in Beijing, gender training was well established in Pakistan, and a loose network of gender trainers was also established. . As gender trainings took place in different NGOs, a sense of having hit a plateau began to be felt by some gender trainers. There was no evidence available to gauge the impact of gender training or ascertain whether new depths are being explored. Furthermore, gender training appeared to have become de-politicized. This paper shares the findings of a scoping review undertaken to understand the scope (focus, depth and nature) of literature on gender trainings in Pakistan, and to highlight the gaps in training. The paper also discusses the efforts of an informal network of gender trainers that tried to extend the agenda of gender trainings and how these need to be incorporated in the gender agenda for a more holistic approach. A way forward is also identified in the paper

Exploring structural properties of kk-trees and block graphs

We present a new characterization of $k$-trees based on their reduced clique graphs and $(k+1)$-line graphs, which are block graphs. We explore structural properties of these two classes, showing that the number of clique-trees of a $k$-tree $G$ equals the number of spanning trees of the $(k+1)$-line graph of $G$. This relationship allows to present a new approach for determining the number of spanning trees of any connected block graph. We show that these results can be accomplished in linear time complexity.Comment: 6 pages, 1 figur

Association of awareness about hepatitis C infection with patterns of health seeking behavior among hepatitis C patients in Karachi, Pakistan

Background: Hepatitis C infection is one of the significant causes of morbidity and mortality throughout the world. In Pakistan, hepatitis C infection rate is 4.8%, which is the second highest prevalence rate among all developing countries. This study aimed to identify the association between awareness about hepatitis C infection and pattern of health seeking behavior among patients living with hepatitis C in Karachi, Pakistan. Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted among 250 hepatitis C patients who were recruited from the Aga Khan University Hospital and the Civil Hospital Karachi, Pakistan between March and May 2013. Data were collected through a modified questionnaire on ‘awareness about hepatitis C and patterns of health seeking behavior among hepatitis C patients’. Results: We did not find any association between participants’ awareness of hepatitis C infection and their primary contact with a health care provider. However, this study found that only half of the study participants (52%) had correct knowledge of hepatitisC. The patterns of health seeking behavior showed that a majority of the study participants approached a medical doctor (n=368), followed by spiritual healers (n=206), and a few participants approached traditional healers (n=39) and homeopaths (n=11). Conclusions: The study did not find any association between the patients’ level of awareness about hepatitis C infection and their primary contact with health careproviders. However, it has been found that patterns of health seeking behavior are strongly related to the patients’ cultural practices and beliefs, which affect their choiceof health care providers. This study has provided a basis for planning interventional studies aimed at improving patients’ level of awareness about hepatitis C and their health seeking behavior

Are Children Like Werewolves? : Full Moon and Its Association with Sleep and Activity Behaviors in an International Sample of Children

In order to verify if the full moon is associated with sleep and activity behaviors, we used a 12-country study providing 33,710 24-h accelerometer recordings of sleep and activity. The present observational, cross-sectional study included 5812 children ages 9-11 years from study sites that represented all inhabited continents and wide ranges of human development (Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Finland, India, Kenya, Portugal, South Africa, United Kingdom, and United States). Three moon phases were used in this analysis: full moon (4 days; reference), half moon (5-9 days), and new moon (+10-14 days) from nearest full moon. Nocturnal sleep duration, moderate -to vigorous physical activity (MVPA), light-intensity physical activity (LPA), and total sedentary time (SED) were monitored over seven consecutive days using a waist -worn accelerometer worn 24 h a day. Only sleep duration was found to significantly differ between moon phases (-5 min/night shorter during full moon compared to new moon). Differences in MVPA, LPA, and SED between moon phases were negligible and non-significant (Peer reviewe

The patterns of health seeking behavior among patients with hepatitis C in Karachi, Pakistan

Background: The study aimed to assess the patterns of health seeking behavior and the level satisfaction with the health care providers among hepatitis C patients in Karachi, Pakistan. Methodology: A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted among 250 hepatitis C patients, who were recruited from the Aga Khan University Hospital and the Civil Hospital Karachi, Pakistan, between March and May 2013. Results: The patterns of health seeking behavior showed that a majority of the study participants approached a medical doctor (n=359), followed by spiritual healers (n=103), and a few participants approached traditional healers (n=38) and homeopaths (n=11). The pattern of health seeking behavior also revealed that the participants were taking treatment from more than one health care provider at the same time. Participants who visited doctors had effective treatment outcomes and they were satisfied with their doctors. However, those participants who visited homeopaths, traditional healers and spiritual healers had ineffective treatment outcomes and they were not satisfied with these health care providers. Conclusion: The patterns of health seeking behavior are strongly related to the patients\u27 cultural practices and beliefs, which affect their choice of health care providers. This study has provided a basis for planning interventional studies aimed at improving patients\u27 health seeking behaviors

Why are Filipino academic librarians reluctant to do research? Investigating the realities

Journal articleIn the Philippines, the need for librarians to conduct research is both statutory and personal. Despite the impetus, few Filipino librarians embark on research. This study attempts to describe the lived experiences of librarians focusing on the angle that limits them to conduct research. Interviews were conducted online with 7 academic librarians from 3 private universities in Iloilo City. Facts about the reality formed from the respondents’ experiences answered the essential question why librarians are reluctant to conduct research. Five major themes emerged: (1) research competency; (2) inadequate formalized support from the administration for librarians; (3) research mentorship; (4) library routine work/multitasking functions; and (5) coping with self-pity and disappointment. The findings from this study, which is anchored on interpretivism, provide insights to a different perspective of investigating the realities in a developing country delving into a deeper discussion on the reasons behind their reluctance.University Research Center, Central Philippine Universit