Infertility-related Stress and Marital Satisfaction among Pakistani Infertile Individuals

Infertility is a reproductive health problem that is widely researched with reference to numerous psychological concerns faced by infertile individuals. Childless couples face numerous personal and social consequences with every passing day. Among them, immediate family members' expectations to carry on the family’s name significantly weigh down marital union in the form of marital dissatisfaction among infertile individuals. Therefore, the relationship between stress related to infertility and its impact on the marital union, individuals (N = 150) of 18-40 years (M = 29.19, SD = 5.59) were taken from Rawalpindi, Islamabad, and Attock. The sample was approached at infertility centers, hospitals, offices, and their homes using snowball and purposive sampling techniques. Fertility Problem Inventory (FPI) and ENRICH Marital Satisfaction (EMS) Scale was administered on the sample. The results established satisfactory Cronbach alpha reliabilities (α = .63 to α = .93) for all scales. Hypotheses testing revealed that stress due to infertility negatively affects the marital satisfaction of infertile individuals and accounted for a 7% variance. Lastly, non-significant gender differences were observed across the variables of the study. These findings would be helpful in understanding the dynamics of stress, faced by childless individuals and would be beneficial in the investigation of cultural buffering factors. Non-significant gender differences across infertility-related stress further highlight the significance of devising and providing intervention-based programs and therapies for both men and women to cope with the stress and strengthen the marital union of infertile individuals

Prevalence of Transfusion Transmitted Infection in Replacement and Voluntary Blood Donor

The aim of this study is to present the status of transfusion –transmitted infections among the apparently healthy donors so as to increase the awareness of complications of blood transfusion and make the clinicians more vigilant with regard to judicious use of blood. Screening of blood is mandatory for providing safe blood. The magnitude of transfusion transmitted infections (TTI) varies from country to country depending on TTI’s load in that particular population. Transfusion transmitted infections create significant burden on health care system. Donor selection is of paramount importance because infected individuals serve as an asymptomatic reservoir and a potential source of transmission. This retrospective study was carried out in healthy blood donors in the age group of 18-60 years; study was done on blood units collected from replacement and voluntary donors. The serum samples were screened for Hepatitis B Surface Antigen (HBsAg); antibodies against HIV I and II, Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) by Chemiluminescent microparticle immuno assay (CMIA) method. Screening for Syphilis was carried out by RPR Rapid plasma reagent. Seropositivity of transfusion transmitted disease in replacement donors was 1.93% in hepatitis B surface antigen, 2.41% in hepatitis C virus, 0.09% in HIV and 1.15% in syphilis. Voluntary donors had low infectivity rate as compare to replacement donor

Trackable CEMB-Klean Cotton Transgenic Technology: Affordable Climate Neutral Agri-biotech Industrialization for Developing Countries

Background: Transgenic technology reflects the incorporation of novel useful traits in crop plants like cotton for economic benefits by overcoming the problems including insects’ pests and weeds in special. The present study is the success story of the continuous effort of CEMB team started back in the 1990s.Methods: This study includes characterization of a large number of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) strains taken from local soil and subjected to direct transformation of isolated BT genes into local cotton cultivars. Protocols for transformation into cotton plants were optimized and validated by the development of double gene codon optimized (Cry1Ac and Cry2A) transgenic cotton varieties.Results: The resulting GMOs in the form of CEMB-33, CA-12, CEMB-66 have been approved by Punjab Seed Council in 2013 and 2016 respectively. Double Bt and weedicide resistant cotton harboring CEMB-Modified and codon optimized cp4EPSPS (GTGene). These varieties can tolerate glyphosate spray @ 1900ml per acre without the appearance of necrotic spots/shedding and complete removal of all surrounding weeds in the cotton field is a significant advance to boost cotton production without spending much on insecticides and herbicides.Conclusion: In the current report, two unique sets of primers which amplify 1.1 Kb for CEMB-double Bt genes and 660 bp product for CEMB-Modified cp4EPSPS (GTGene) were tested. CEMB cotton variety CKC-01 is specially designed as low cost and easy to use by local farmer’s technology has the potential to revolutionize the cotton growing culture of the country.Keywords: Event detection; Bt Cotton; CEMB transgenic technology; GTGen

Role play, a teaching strategy for psychiatry – students’ comparative perspective versus traditional teaching

Teaching process is undergoing innovations in medical education. Objective: The current survey study was designed to compare the effectiveness of conventional teaching methodology against role play method, as perceived by medical students. Methods: A questionnaire based survey research was conducted on the final year medical students at Majmah University, KSA in two settings during psychiatry module. First setting was when suicide was being taught and secondly when violence was being covered. At both settings the students were divided in two batches respectively, study and control using simple random technique. The control group was taught with a conventional methodology and the study group taught via role play method primarily. A questionnaire pertaining to students’ level of satisfaction regarding different aspects of learning process was given to the participants at the end of each teaching session. The response of the control and study groups in both settings was analyzed statistically applying chi square test. A p value of 0.05 or less was taken as significant. Results: In both settings the students of the control group significantly rated conventional teaching more interactive as compared to the role play. Also doubts clarification was more in the control group in the setting of suicide theme. Rest of the results, did not show any significant difference between the two modalities. Conclusion: It is concluded that although change in curricula is the need of the time, still students’ feedback is essential. If conventional teaching is adopted with a student centered approach, it can be equally Continuous...

An update on carbohydrases: growth performance and intestinal health of poultry

Poultry is an imperative domesticated livestock species that provides high quality protein and micronutrients as meat and eggs. In poultry production, feed is the single major input constituting 70–75% of total production cost. Feed mainly consists of cereal grains, those provide energy to the birds. However, these grains contain different levels of anti-nutritional factors such as non-starch polysaccharides (NSP). These NSP are indigestible by poultry birds due to the lack of vital endogenous enzymes (carbohydrases) thus increase intestinal viscosity which slower the migration and absorption of nutrients. Consequently, these NSP may also increase the chances for infection by inducing competition within gut microbiota for digestible nutrients. This affects bird's health and increases the production cost. Therefore, there is a need to find efficient and effective solutions for these problems. Carbohydrases supplementation have an important role in poultry diets with high NSP contents. Feed enzymes are being used from years to enhance growth performance and digestibility but have limited activity for selective ingredients. New generation carbohydrases with a board range of activity and stability help to degrade the complex substrates and improve growth performance of poultry. Present review summarizes the updated literature on the use of carbohydrases to improve bird's performance and intestinal health

Cultural and Racial Discrimination in Achebe’s Arrow of God: A Post-Colonial Critique

The present research work investigates the cultural and racial discrimination as one of the important factors of postcolonial critique of Chinua Achebe’s Arrow of God in which the author situates the Igbo people and their culture before, during and after the arrival of the European people in Igbo land. It unfolds the battle against the colonial rule of the British Empire by the natives of Southern Nigeria as the colonization results in alienation of the natives, destruction of their identity, disruption of the native culture, racial segregation, economic exploitation of people and their territories. It intimates the protagonist Ezeulu’s struggle against the British colonialism and hegemony in the novel. Ezeulu – the chief Priest of Ulu – is cognizant of the imperfections in his culture that is why he endeavours to battle against his enemies by directing his son Oduche to learn Christianity which leads him to surrender his gods to the Christian God.  Homi K. Bhabha’s idea of cultural difference, ambivalence and Frantz Fanon’s stance on racism, cultural diversity in postcolonial scenario provide the theoretical framework for this research. This study has explored not only Achebe’s accomplishment to represent his regard and love for the Igbos balanced with a true picture of their lives, clashes and cultural practices but also the racism and scuffle for power between the two cultures. This is a qualitative study in which the text of the novel is analyzed and interpreted to establish the features of racial differences and cultural discrimination