Rewards Satisfaction, Perception about Social Status and Commitment of Nurses in Pakistan

This research is undertaken to approve or reject the general perception of masses about commitment of employees and to identify those factors, which effect commitment of employees in general and of nurses in particular. In previous research of Allen and Myere (1990), the factor of social status was not addressed. In this study target audience is nurses. Whereas, it is a proven fact that psychological perception effects individual’s attitudes and behaviors, so to see that how satisfaction with rewards/ benefits and perception about social status effect commitment of employees, this research was undertaken. Satisfaction level varies from person to person. The empirical results have proved that commitment of employees is affected due to satisfaction with rewards/ benefits and perception about social status

Rewards Satisfaction, Perception about Social Status and Commitment of Nurses in Pakistan

This research is undertaken to approve or reject the general perception of masses about commitment of employees and to identify those factors, which effect commitment of employees in general and of nurses in particular. In previous research of Allen and Myere (1990), the factor of social status was not addressed. In this study target audience is nurses. Whereas, it is a proven fact that psychological perception effects individual’s attitudes and behaviors, so to see that how satisfaction with rewards/ benefits and perception about social status effect commitment of employees, this research was undertaken. Satisfaction level varies from person to person. The empirical results have proved that commitment of employees is affected due to satisfaction with rewards/ benefits and perception about social status

Hamstring Shortness among Undergraduate Students, Using Knee Extension Angle Test

Objective: To examine the causes and incidence of hamstring tightness/shortness among undergraduate physical therapy students. Cross-sectional study. Institute of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, DUHS during the period of Jan 2019 to Jun, 2019. Material and Methods: The subjects sample size (n=248) was estimated by open EPI software. Male and female both are included. Hamstring muscle shortness was assessed by a gold standard assessment tool i.e. passive knee extension angle test. Descriptive statistical analysis was done by using SPSS version 24. Results: The hamstring muscle tightness was measured by using knee extension angle test. It results conclude that among (248) students (62.90%) had hamstring muscle tightness / shortness and (37.10%) did not show any muscle shortness. Out of (216) females participants (136) have hamstring shortness. On the other hand out of (32) male participants (20) had hamstring shortness/tightness out of total (248) students. It was also evident from the study that 27% of physiotherapy students having low back pain was because of clinical exposure and tight hamstrings muscles. Conclusion: Hamstring tightness/shortness is very much prevalent among the undergraduate physiotherapy students. The reason might be the prolong study durations and lack of physical activities. The result showed statistically significant difference between hamstring muscle extensibility in both male and female Key words:   Extension Angle, Flexion, Contracture, Fasciti

Quality assessment and antimicrobial activity of various honey types of Pakistan

Forty samples of different honey types (Acacia, Ziziphus, Brassica and Citrus) were collected from different areas of Pakistan and analyzed for moisture, pH, total acidity, ash, electrical conductivity, hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), sucrose, total sugars, invert sugar, protein, proline contents as well as macro and micro elements. The variation in composition of honey samples was observed due to different types of flora. Higher pH (6.56 ± 0.05) was observed for Ziziphus honey, acidity (45.0 ± 2.35 mg/kg) for Citrus, moisture (36.8 ± 1.8%) for Brasica and HMF (32.7 ± 0.49 mg/kg) for Acacia. Whereas, higher concentrations of proline (2.1 ± 0.04 mg/kg) and invert sugar (0.38 ± 0.1%) for Citrus honey and protein (16.5 ± 1.5 g/100g) for Acacia honey were observed. Likewise, a significant level (P < 0.05) of ash, electric conductivity, sucrose, total sugar as well as macro and micro elements was also found in these honey types. Different formulations of honey has significantly inhibited growth of pathogenic microorganisms, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Candida albicans and Aspergillus niger when compared to control group, which is an evidence that honey is a therapeutic agent being used since ancient time throughout the world.Key words: Honey types, flora, sugar, nutritional food, therapeutic agent

Bioactivity-guided isolation of rosmarinic acid as the principle bioactive compound from the butanol extract of Isodon rugosus against pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum

Aphids are agricultural pest insects that transmit viruses and cause feeding damage on a global scale. Current pest control involving the excessive use of synthetic insecticides over decades has led to multiple forms of aphid resistance to most classes of insecticides. In nature, plants produce secondary metabolites during their interaction with insects and these metabolites can act as toxicants, antifeedants, anti-oviposition agents and deterrents towards the insects. In a previous study, we demonstrated that the butanol fraction from a crude methanolic extract of an important plant species, Isodon rugosus showed strong insecticidal activity against the pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum. It was however not known as which compound was responsible for such activity. To further explore this finding, current study aimed to exploit a bioactivity-guided strategy to isolate and identify the active compound in the butanol fraction of I. rugosus. As such, reversed-phase flash chromatography, acidic extraction and different spectroscopic techniques were used to isolate and identify the new compound, rosmarinic acid as the bioactive compound in I. rugosus. Insecticidal activity of rosmarinic acid was carried out using standard protocols on A. pisum. The data was analyzed using qualitative and quantitative statistical approaches. Considering that a very low concentration of this compound (LC90 = 5.4 ppm) causes significant mortality in A. pisum within 24 h, rosmarinic acid could be exploited as a potent insecticide against this important pest insect. Furthermore, I. rugosus is already used for medicinal purposes and rosmarinic acid is known to reduce genotoxic effects induced by chemicals, hence it is expected to be safer compared to the current conventional pesticides. While this study highlights the potential of I. rugosus as a possible biopesticide source against A. pisum, it also provides the basis for further exploration and development of formulations for effective field application

Bioactivity-guided isolation of rosmarinic acid as the principal bioactive compound from the butanol extract of Isodon rugosus against the pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum

Aphids are agricultural pest insects that transmit viruses and cause feeding damage on a global scale. Current pest control practices involving the excessive use of synthetic insecticides over many years have resulted in aphid resistance to a number of pesticides. In nature, plants produce secondary metabolites during their interaction with insects and these metabolites can act as toxicants, antifeedants, anti-oviposition agents and deterrents towards the insects. In a previous study, we demonstrated that the butanol fraction from a crude methanolic extract of an important plant species, Isodon rugosus showed strong insecticidal activity against the pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum. To further explore this finding, the current study aimed to exploit a bioactivity-guided strategy to isolate and identify the active compound in the butanol fraction of I. rugosus. As such, reversed-phase flash chromatography, acidic extraction and different spectroscopic techniques were used to isolate and identify the new compound, rosmarinic acid, as the bioactive compound in I. rugosus. Insecticidal potential of rosmarinic acid against A. pisum was evaluated using standard protocols and the data obtained was analyzed using qualitative and quantitative statistical approaches. Considering that a very low concentration of this compound (LC90 = 5.4 ppm) causes significant mortality in A. pisum within 24 h, rosmarinic acid could be exploited as a potent insecticide against this important pest insect. Furthermore, I. rugosus is already used for medicinal purposes and rosmarinic acid is known to reduce genotoxic effects induced by chemicals, hence it is expected to be safer compared to the current conventional pesticides. While this study highlights the potential of I. rugosus as a possible biopesticide source against A. pisum, it also provides the basis for further exploration and development of formulations for effective field application

Bioactivity-guided isolation of rosmarinic acid as the principal bioactive compound from the butanol extract of Isodon rugosus against the pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum (vol 14, e0215048, 2019)

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0215048.]

Measuring routine childhood vaccination coverage in 204 countries and territories, 1980-2019 : a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2020, Release 1

Background Measuring routine childhood vaccination is crucial to inform global vaccine policies and programme implementation, and to track progress towards targets set by the Global Vaccine Action Plan (GVAP) and Immunization Agenda 2030. Robust estimates of routine vaccine coverage are needed to identify past successes and persistent vulnerabilities. Drawing from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2020, Release 1, we did a systematic analysis of global, regional, and national vaccine coverage trends using a statistical framework, by vaccine and over time. Methods For this analysis we collated 55 326 country-specific, cohort-specific, year-specific, vaccine-specific, and dosespecific observations of routine childhood vaccination coverage between 1980 and 2019. Using spatiotemporal Gaussian process regression, we produced location-specific and year-specific estimates of 11 routine childhood vaccine coverage indicators for 204 countries and territories from 1980 to 2019, adjusting for biases in countryreported data and reflecting reported stockouts and supply disruptions. We analysed global and regional trends in coverage and numbers of zero-dose children (defined as those who never received a diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis [DTP] vaccine dose), progress towards GVAP targets, and the relationship between vaccine coverage and sociodemographic development. Findings By 2019, global coverage of third-dose DTP (DTP3; 81.6% [95% uncertainty interval 80.4-82 .7]) more than doubled from levels estimated in 1980 (39.9% [37.5-42.1]), as did global coverage of the first-dose measles-containing vaccine (MCV1; from 38.5% [35.4-41.3] in 1980 to 83.6% [82.3-84.8] in 2019). Third- dose polio vaccine (Pol3) coverage also increased, from 42.6% (41.4-44.1) in 1980 to 79.8% (78.4-81.1) in 2019, and global coverage of newer vaccines increased rapidly between 2000 and 2019. The global number of zero-dose children fell by nearly 75% between 1980 and 2019, from 56.8 million (52.6-60. 9) to 14.5 million (13.4-15.9). However, over the past decade, global vaccine coverage broadly plateaued; 94 countries and territories recorded decreasing DTP3 coverage since 2010. Only 11 countries and territories were estimated to have reached the national GVAP target of at least 90% coverage for all assessed vaccines in 2019. Interpretation After achieving large gains in childhood vaccine coverage worldwide, in much of the world this progress was stalled or reversed from 2010 to 2019. These findings underscore the importance of revisiting routine immunisation strategies and programmatic approaches, recentring service delivery around equity and underserved populations. Strengthening vaccine data and monitoring systems is crucial to these pursuits, now and through to 2030, to ensure that all children have access to, and can benefit from, lifesaving vaccines. Copyright (C) 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.Peer reviewe

Global, regional, and national sex differences in the global burden of tuberculosis by HIV status, 1990–2019: results from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Background Tuberculosis is a major contributor to the global burden of disease, causing more than a million deaths annually. Given an emphasis on equity in access to diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis in global health targets, evaluations of differences in tuberculosis burden by sex are crucial. We aimed to assess the levels and trends of the global burden of tuberculosis, with an emphasis on investigating differences in sex by HIV status for 204 countries and territories from 1990 to 2019. Methods We used a Bayesian hierarchical Cause of Death Ensemble model (CODEm) platform to analyse 21 505 site-years of vital registration data, 705 site-years of verbal autopsy data, 825 site-years of sample-based vital registration data, and 680 site-years of mortality surveillance data to estimate mortality due to tuberculosis among HIV-negative individuals. We used a population attributable fraction approach to estimate mortality related to HIV and tuberculosis coinfection. A compartmental meta-regression tool (DisMod-MR 2.1) was then used to synthesise all available data sources, including prevalence surveys, annual case notifications, population-based tuberculin surveys, and tuberculosis cause-specific mortality, to produce estimates of incidence, prevalence, and mortality that were internally consistent. We further estimated the fraction of tuberculosis mortality that is attributable to independent effects of risk factors, including smoking, alcohol use, and diabetes, for HIV-negative individuals. For individuals with HIV and tuberculosis coinfection, we assessed mortality attributable to HIV risk factors including unsafe sex, intimate partner violence (only estimated among females), and injection drug use. We present 95% uncertainty intervals for all estimates. Findings Globally, in 2019, among HIV-negative individuals, there were 1.18 million (95% uncertainty interval 1.08-1.29) deaths due to tuberculosis and 8.50 million (7.45-9.73) incident cases of tuberculosis. Among HIV-positive individuals, there were 217 000 (153 000-279 000) deaths due to tuberculosis and 1.15 million (1.01-1.32) incident cases in 2019. More deaths and incident cases occurred in males than in females among HIV-negative individuals globally in 2019, with 342 000 (234 000-425 000) more deaths and 1.01 million (0.82-1.23) more incident cases in males than in females. Among HIV-positive individuals, 6250 (1820-11 400) more deaths and 81 100 (63 300-100 000) more incident cases occurred among females than among males in 2019. Age-standardised mortality rates among HIV-negative males were more than two times greater in 105 countries and age-standardised incidence rates were more than 1.5 times greater in 74 countries than among HIV-negative females in 2019. The fraction of global tuberculosis deaths among HIV-negative individuals attributable to alcohol use, smoking, and diabetes was 4.27 (3.69-5.02), 6.17 (5.48-7.02), and 1.17 (1.07-1.28) times higher, respectively, among males than among females in 2019. Among individuals with HIV and tuberculosis coinfection, the fraction of mortality attributable to injection drug use was 2.23 (2.03-2.44) times greater among males than females, whereas the fraction due to unsafe sex was 1.06 (1.05-1.08) times greater among females than males. Interpretation As countries refine national tuberculosis programmes and strategies to end the tuberculosis epidemic, the excess burden experienced by males is important. Interventions are needed to actively communicate, especially to men, the importance of early diagnosis and treatment. These interventions should occur in parallel with efforts to minimise excess HIV burden among women in the highest HIV burden countries that are contributing to excess HIV and tuberculosis coinfection burden for females. Placing a focus on tuberculosis burden among HIV-negative males and HIV and tuberculosis coinfection among females might help to diminish the overall burden of tuberculosis. This strategy will be crucial in reaching both equity and burden targets outlined by global health milestone