Level of Serum Uric Acid in Pre-eclamptic and Normal Pregnant Women

Objective: The objective of study was to find out serum uric acid level in normal andpreeclamptic pregnant women of third trimester visiting outpatient department of obstetrics and gynecology of Bahawal Victoria Hospital, Bahawalpur. Methodology: It was a cross sectional descriptive study conducted form July 2018 to June 2019. All primigravida women of age 18-35 years in third trimester of singleton pregnancy attending in Obstetrics and Gynecology Outpatient Department of Bahawal Victoria Hospital in study duration were included in the study. Statistical analysis was performed by using SPSS version 14. Chi-square test was performed to find the statistical difference regarding uric acid distribution between groups and ‘p' value <0.05 was considered as a lowest level of significance. Results: Out of total 1212 women 84.6% were normal and 15.4% had preeclampsia. In our study out of 187 preeclamptic women, 63.6% had raised serum uric acid level and out of 268 normal pregnant women uric acid level was raised in only 39.5%. Results were found statistically significant. Conclusion: Results of our study suggest that serum uric acid level in pregnant women can be used as a useful and inexpensive marker in prediction of preeclampsia and preventive measures can be taken accordingly

Residency training on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic - a qualitative study from Tanzania

Introduction: the Coronavirus Disease 2019 pandemic has affected residency training globally. The aim of this study was to understand how the pandemic affected teaching and learning in residency programs in low resource settings where residents and faculty were working on the front line treating patients with the disease. Methods: this qualitative study enrolled residents and faculty from the Aga Khan University in Tanzania who were providing front line care during the pandemic. Purposeful sampling was used and data was collected using focus group discussions and in-depth interviews between August and September 2020. Analysis was done using qualitative content analysis. Results: twelve residents and six faculty members participated in this study. Two main themes emerged. The first was: New and unfamiliar teaching and learning experiences. Residents and faculty had to adapt to changes in the learning environment and the academic program. Residents had increased responsibilities, including providing front line care and working with reduced supervision. The second theme was: Learning opportunities amidst crisis. There were opportunities to improve critical care and procedural skills. They also had opportunities to improve non-technical skills like teamwork and communication. Conclusion: residents and faculty had to adapt to changes in teaching and learning. Residents also had to take up additional responsibilities. Support systems are required to help them adapt to the changes and settle in their new roles. There were opportunities to learn new skills, and training should be restructured to maximize the use of these opportunities

A first update on mapping the human genetic architecture of COVID-19

peer reviewe

Platinum as an electrocatalyst: effect of morphological aspects of Pt/Pt-based materials

Platinum and platinum-based materials with high catalytic performance, and chemical and mechanical stability are vital to electronic devices, biomedical science, optics, petroleum, and automotive industries. Because of the limited supply and high cost of platinum, it is highly desirable to develop new effective methodologies which can decrease the platinum loading by increasing its electrocatalytic properties. Depending upon their size, shape, and morphology, platinum materials have shown significant improvement in the surface catalysed chemical transformation pathways in fuel cell technology. Much research is now focused on the manufacturing and engineering of platinum and platinum-based materials which proffer enhanced catalytic efficiency, and offer chemical and mechanical robustness

The Optimization of Gelatin Extraction from Chicken Feet and the Development of Gelatin Based Active Packaging for the Shelf-Life Extension of Fresh Grapes

Synthetic plastics are causing serious environmental and health problems due to which the concept of developing biodegradable food packaging has gained considerable attention. In this study, extraction of gelatin from chicken feet was optimized followed by characterization of gelatin. Chicken feet gelatin was used to develop biodegradable nanocomposite films by the incorporation of chitosan (CS) and zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles (NPs). Gelatin nanocomposite films were used to increase the shelf-life of fresh grapes by determining the browning index, weight loss, and microbial profile of fresh grapes. A high yield (7.5%) of gelatin and Bloom strength (186 g) were obtained at optimized extraction conditions (pretreatment with 4.2% acetic acid and extraction at 66 °C for 4.2 h). Electrophoretic analysis of gelatin revealed the presence of α (130–140 kDa) and β chains (195–200 kDa), whereas a Fourier transformed infrared (FTIR) spectrometer confirmed the presence of amide A and B and amide I, II, and III. Incorporation of ZnO NPs in a gelatin–CS matrix improved the barrier and the mechanical and the thermal properties of films. Gelatin nanocomposite films with 0.3% ZnO NPs significantly reduced the weight loss (23.88%) and the browning index (53.33%) of grapes in comparison to control treatments. The microbial count in artificially inoculated grapes wrapped in gelatin nanocomposite films remained below 4 log CFU/mL until the fifth storage day in comparison to control treatments. The gelatin from poultry byproducts such as chicken feet can serve as an efficient biopolymer to develop biodegradable food packaging to enhance the shelf-life of perishable food products