Changes in Lipid Profiles According to Body Mass Index in Individuals Coming to a Tertiary Care Hospital

Objective: The aim of this study was to quantify dyslipidemia among people with different Body mass index. Patients and Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed in the Pathology Department of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, Islamabad. A total of 198 participants were enrolled in the study. All the participants were above 20 years of age coming as caretakers to the patients coming to OPD and indoor departments. People under 20 years, with cardiac diseases and those reluctant to give consent were excluded from the study. The outcomes were measured in the form of quantification of dyslipidemia among different classes of Body mass index (BMI). Results: The mean age of the participants was 34.9 + 9.4 years with predominance of male participants, 141 (71.2%). The overall frequency of dyslipidemia was 56.1%. It was observed that 51 (42.5%) individuals with normal BMI also had dyslipidemia. Out of 38 overweight cases 32 (84.2%) were found to be associated with dyslipidemia (p-value = <0.001). Conclusion: From the above study, it was found that dyslipidemia is not only associated with obese or overweight individuals, but also in individuals with normal BMI. This shows that normal BMI individuals are also at risk of developing cardiovascular disorders and should be routinely screened for dyslipidemi

FSAE Rear Diffuser Team

To generate additional force that is applied to the rear of the FSAE race car The importance of the rear diffuser is to add a rear force to the vehicle. The rear force is generated from the airflow coming from underneath the vehicle. The way the airflow creates a force is through generating a pressure differential in which the air exiting the rear of the race car is now causing a downward force from the diffuser. The use of a diffuser is known to be of use at high speeds and if designed correctly creating the aerodynamics needed to keep the vehicle better grounded in the rear. The model was created through SolidWorks and tested using ANSYS to determine whether the design has met expectations. A main goal is to make sure that the diffuser can be as effective as possible while maintaining budget limitations. Design for a rear diffuser that is to be placed on the tail end of the VCU FSAE race car. This generates a downward force to help with the traction of the race car, through the unique design and modeling created on Solidworks while being tested through ANSYS.https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/capstone/1065/thumbnail.jp

Diagnostic Accuracy of Serum Prostate Specific Antigen and Gleason Score in Determining the Presence of Skeletal Metastasis in Prostate Cancer Patients: a Pakistani Perspective

Objective: To determine the cut-off values for serum Prostate Specific Antigen and Gleason score for predicting bone metastasis of Prostate cancer. Methodology: This diagnostic accuracy study was conducted in Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), Islamabad from 2015 to 2018. 330 patients of Prostate cancer were enrolled in the study. Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) and Gleason Scores (GS) were determined using commercially available ELECSYS® assays in the Modular Analytics E170 (Roche Diagnostics) and histopathology respectively. Tc99m methylene diphosphonate (MDP) was used to perform the Bone scan. Any correlation between these variables was nvestigated to determine a cut-off value for PSA and GS. Results: Out of the total 330 patients included in the sample, BS was positive for metastasis in 186 (56.4%) patients and negative in 144 (43.6%) patients. Amongst these 186 positive patients, 5 (2.7%) had PSA < 20 ng/ml, 174 (93.5%) had PSA between 20 and 90 ng/ml, and 9 (4.8%) had PSA > 90 ng/ml. Out of the 144 patients with negative BS, 142 (98.6%) had PSA < 20ng/ml. Only 2 (1.4%) had PSA in the range of 20 and 90 ng/ml, while none had PSA > 90 ng/ml. In the 147 patients with PSA < 20 ng/ml, 142 (96.6%) did not have any skeletal metastases. Of the 183 patients with PSA > 20 ng/ml, 181 (98.9%) had positive bone scans. Using a cut-off value of 20 ng/ml for serum PSA, 142 unnecessary scans would have been unnecessary. Out of the 186 patients with positive bone scan (BS), 3 (1.6%) patients had GS < 7, 160 (86.0%) patients had GS between 7 and 9, and 23 (12.4%) patients had GS > 9. Out of the 144 patients with negative BS, 84 (58.3%) had GS < 7, 60 (41.7%) had GS between 7 and 9, and none of the patients had a GS more than 9. Of the 87 patients with GS < 7, 3 (3.4%) patients had a positive BS while 84 (96.6%) patients had a negative BS. Of the 243 patients with GS > 7, 183 (75.3%) had a positive BS while 60 (24.7%) patients had a negative GS. These results indicate that a GS > 7 cannot be reliably used to rule in the need for a BS in patients with Prostate cancer.         Conclusion: Our study reports that serum PSA < 20 ng/ml can be safely used to omit a bone scan. It also suggests that Gleason Score < 7 nullifies the need to conduct a bone scan. However, serum PSA is a better and more reliable indicator of bone metastases as it has better sensitivity and specificity values as compared to GS. If these results are applied in hospitals all over the country, we can significantly reduce the burden on our resources and prevent unnecessary, low-yield diagnostic tests from being carried out.   &nbsp

Prevalence of Dyslipidemia among Diabetic Patients in a Tertiary Care Hospital

Objective: To identify the frequency of dyslipidemia in diabetic patients. Patients and Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted among the patients visiting Pathology laboratory in Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS). After taking informed consent from the patients, a brief history was taken from the patients with the help of a questionnaire. Lipid profiles for these patients were analyzed using the same samples as of HbA1c to determine diabetic dyslipidemia. Results: A total number of 206 diabetic patients were inducted in this study. Out of the total sample, 179 (72.7%) respondents were on anti-diabetic therapy alone. About 31 (17.3%) were on antihypertensive therapy along with antidiabetic therapy. Only 36 (20.1%) patients were on lipid lowering medication along with anti-diabetic and antihypertensive treatment. Dyslipidemia was more common in patients that were only on anti-diabetic therapy. Conclusion: Annual screening for dyslipidemia and management were not practiced according to guidelines for diabetic patients. Combination therapy comprising anti-diabetic and anti-dyslipidemia medications should be considered by clinicians instead focusing only on diabetes.&nbsp

Patterns of Quality Of Life among Older Urban Dwellers with Mobility Disability in Malaysia

Mobility disability affects the quality of life for the older urban population. The objectives of this research paper were to determine the burden of mobility disability and explore influential factors affecting the quality of life of urban community aged 50 and above with mobility disability. Total of 481 participants who were randomly selected from two urban health centres have been interviewed using structured questionnaire in December 2014. The prevalence of mobility disability was 23.1%. All domains quality of life of older urbanites with mobility disability were significantly affected as compared with those without. These factors need to be emphasized in future planning for elderly.© 2016. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia.Keywords: Mobility disability; urban; elderly; quality of lif

Self-medication amongst university students of Karachi: prevalence, knowledge and attitudes

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence, attitude and knowledge of self-medication amongst university students of Karachi, Pakistan. METHODS: This cross-sectional, study was conducted from Jan-Feb 2007. A convenience sample was taken from 2 medical and 2 non-medical universities of the city of Karachi, Pakistan. Data was analyzed using SPSS v 14 and associations were tested using the Chi square test. RESULTS: Of the 572 participants (mean age=21 +/- 1.8 years, Male: Female ratio=1:1.5), 295 were medical and 277 were non-medical students. The prevalence of self-medication was 76%. Forty three percent students stated that they alter the regimen of prescribed medicines while 61.9% stated that they stop taking a prescribed medicine without consulting a doctor. The most common reason for self-medication was previous experience (50.1%) and the most common symptoms were headache (72.4%), flu (65.5%), and fever (55.2%). Commonly used medicines were analgesics (88.3%), antipyretics (65.1%) and antibiotics (35.2%). Eighty seven percent of students thought self-medication could be harmful and 82.5% students thought that it was necessary to consult a doctor before taking a new medicine. There was no significant difference between the self medication practices of medical and non medical students (p=0.8) CONCLUSION: Prevalence of self-medication is high in the educated youth, despite majority being aware of its harmful effects. There is a need to educate the youth to ensure safe practices. Strict policies need to be implemented on the advertising and selling of medications to prevent this problem from escalating

Older People with Mobility Disability (Quality Of Life)

Mobility disability affects the quality of life for the older urban population. The objectives of this research paper were to determine the burden of mobility disability and explore influential factors affecting the quality of life of urban community aged 50 and above with mobility disability. Total of 481 participants who were randomly selected from two health centres has been interviewed using structured questionnaire in December 2014. The prevalence of mobility disability was 23.1%. All domains quality of life of the older people with mobility disability were significantly affected as compared with those without. These factors need to be emphasized in future planning for elderly. Keywords: mobility disability; urban; elderly; quality of lifeeISSN 2398-4279 © 2018. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. https://doi.org/10.21834/ajqol.v3i11.126

Sleep Quality and Its Possible Predictors Among University Students of Islamabad, Pakistan

Objective: To assess sleep quality among Islamabad university students and find predictors of poor sleep quality. Study Design: Cross-sectional analytic study Place and Duration of Study: Capital University of Science and Technology ,Islamabad Pakistan, from Feb to Jun 2019 Methodology: The study population (n=397) was undergraduate students from all eight semesters of four faculties. The dependent variable sleep quality was measured through a standard validated tool, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Results: Out of 397 participants, 158(40%) were hostelities and 239(60%) were day scholars. There were 134(33.5%) students having a good sleep, and 263(66.5%) were having a bad sleep, according to PSQI scores obtained. Association analysis showed a statistically significant association between sleep quality and heavy meals, gadget use, drinking beverages before bedtime,sleeping in a noisy room, and type of residence (p ≤ 0.001). Study findings showed gadget use before bedtime (AOR=4.472,95% CI=2.674-7.478), residence type (AOR=2.323,95% CI=1.4-3.855), sleeping in a noisy room (AOR=2.241,95% CI=1.369-3.665)and heavy meal before bedtime (AOR=1.985,95% CL=1.142-3.451) were significant predictors of poor sleep quality. Conclusion: It was concluded that two out of three students need better sleep quality. Universities should give preparatory assistance for developing and executing health promotion and educational curricula

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Applications of nanofluids in thermal energy transport

In recent years, many heat transfer investigations have been conducted to explore the potential applications of so-called “nanofluids.” These are a new class of operating fluids that include one or more types of nanoscale particles dispersed in an ordinary liquid. A large number of experiments and simulations have shown that these fluids have great potential for improving the efficiencies of various thermal systems. Due to the growing practical and scientific significance of nanofluids, this chapter focuses on nanofluid technology and provides a state-of-the-art view of this topic and its engineering applications. First, different mechanisms of heat transfer improvement by nanofluids are briefly discussed. Then, descriptions of the thermophysical properties and stability of some modern nanofluids, including magnetic nanofluids, graphene nanofluids, hybrid nanofluids, and carbon nanotube-based nanofluids, are provided. In the third part, the applications of nanofluids in advanced thermal systems such as thermosyphons, electronics cooling modules, heat pipes, microchannel heat sinks, heat exchangers, and refrigeration systems are reviewed. Finally, the last section of the chapter puts forward a summary and prospective of future research directions