Convergence Model of Governance: A Case Study of the Local Government System of Pakistan

The future of devolution plan in Pakistan may be analysed in view of our Convergence model. This model views stability of the local Govt. system drawn on Devolution Plan 2001. It claims that as there would be more volatile and non-committed (floating) number of agents in the political market and governance system, there is more probability of divergence; i.e. the system will remain unstable. Contrary to that more is the systematic trend in political market and governance system more is the probability that the convergence in the system occurs and that in turn leads to stability of the over all system. In this ‘Convergence’ Model different types of agents have been highlighted on the basis of their political ffiliation and being in competition as ruling elite and/or their allies and non-ruling elite and/or their allies. The agents have interactive relationship horizontally and vertically with other agents i.e. either they are ally or otherwise. The composition of this structure of the agents and clients is based on the principle of bottom top pproach i.e. Union council’s members, Nazim and their political competitors, Tehsil council and Nazim, District Nazim and his allied district assembly members and their political competitors, Member provincial Assembly and their political rivals, Member National Assembly/Senator, and their political rival and the ruling political elites, Provincial Government and their political rivals, and Political elites ruling Federal Government and their political rivals.

Encapsulated stem cells for cancer therapy

Stem cells have inherent tumor‑trophic migratory properties and can serve as vehicles for delivering effective, targeted therapy to isolated tumors and metastatic disease, making them promising anti‑cancer agents. Encapsulation of therapeutically engineered stem cells in hydrogels has been utilized to provide a physical barrier to protect the cells from hostile extrinsic factors and significantly improve the therapeutic efficacy of transplanted stem cells in different models of cancer. This review aims to discuss the potential of different stem cell types for cancer therapy, various engineered stem cell based therapies for cancer, stem cell encapsulation process and provide an in depth overview of current applications of therapeutic stem cell encapsulation in the highly malignant brain tumor, glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), as well as the prospects for their clinical translation

Tibial Shaft Fractures: A Biomechanical and Clinical Approach

Among the problems associated with the use of tibial functional bracing for the management of tibial shaft fractures, are post-fracture ankle stiffness and the duration of immobilisation. This study was undertaken to investigate in detail these two problems. It involved the design and assessment of a new type of brace called the 2 in 1 functional brace. The study was designed in 3 parts. Part 1 deals with the problem of clarifying the biomechanical function of the brace. It led to the development of a method for estimating the three dimensional forces and moments carried by the limb-brace complex at the level of the fracture. For this five volunteer patients, treated with a 2 in 1 brace for tibial shaft fractures, were each tested on 3 separate occasions. This study led to the conclusion that the brace is neither an off-loading, nor an anti-buckling device, but functions with a combination of these two mechanisms. The data also highlighted the importance of the removable "foot-piece" in the design of the brace for optimum healing of tibial fractures. The information obtained allowed rationalisation of the new design. Part 2 of the study concentrated on the problem of determining the optimum duration of immobilisation in the brace. A non-invasive method of assessing healing by measurement of fracture stiffness was developed. This method gave encouraging results and it was decided to computerise the system. The efficacy of the system was assessed clinically in a trial on 10 patients. The results were encouraging and it is recommended that the system be tested in a larger controlled trial, before its routine use. Part 3 of the study tested the new design of brace in a clinical trial on 80 patients. The trial was conducted to test the efficacy of the design in a clinical environment and to assess its effect on the stiffness of the ankle and sub-talar joints following fracture healing. The brace gave good clinical results with a mean healing time of 97.5 days in the series. The ranges of lower limb joint motion were found to be near normal at a mean follow-up of 16 months, indicating the success of the design in decreasing the incidence of post-fracture ankle and sub-talar joint stiffness. The conclusions from the study suggest that a controlled trial is justified to compare the efficacy of the "2 in 1 brace" against other methods of managing tibial shaft fractures. The data from this series showed that the nature (simple or open) of the fracture, axial stability of the fracture, fracture fragment apposition, treatment modality and time of brace application did affect the outcome of fracture healing

Integrated Use of Phosphorus, Animal Manures and Biofertilizers Improve Maize Productivity under Semiarid Condition

Phosphorus unavailability and lack of organic matter in the soils under semiarid condition are the major reasons for low crop productivity. Field trial was conducted to investigate the impact of different animal manures (poultry, cattle, and sheep manures) and phosphorus levels (40, 80, 120, and 160 kg P2O5 ha−1) on yield and yield components of hybrid maize (CS-200) with (+) and without (−) phosphate-solubilizing bacteria (PSB) seed treatment at the Agronomy Research Farm of The University of Agriculture Peshawar, during summer 2014. Our results confirmed that the application of poultry manure significantly (P ≤ 0.05) increased yield and yield components of maize. Phosphorus applied at the rate of 120 kg P2O5 ha−1 increased ear length, grains ear−1, and shelling percentage, while the highest rate of 160 kg P ha−1 increased grains weight, grain yield, and harvest index. Maize seeds treated with PSB (+) before sowing had produced higher yield and yield components than untreated seeds (−). We concluded from this study that combined application of 160 kg P2O5 ha−1 + poultry manure and seed treatment with PSB (+) could improve crop productivity and profitability under semiarid condition

B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA) in multiple myeloma: rationale for targeting and current therapeutic approaches.

Despite considerable advances in the treatment of multiple myeloma (MM) in the last decade, a substantial proportion of patients do not respond to current therapies or have a short duration of response. Furthermore, these treatments can have notable morbidity and are not uniformly tolerated in all patients. As there is no cure for MM, patients eventually become resistant to therapies, leading to development of relapsed/refractory MM. Therefore, an unmet need exists for MM treatments with novel mechanisms of action that can provide durable responses, evade resistance to prior therapies, and/or are better tolerated. B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA) is preferentially expressed by mature B lymphocytes, and its overexpression and activation are associated with MM in preclinical models and humans, supporting its potential utility as a therapeutic target for MM. Moreover, the use of BCMA as a biomarker for MM is supported by its prognostic value, correlation with clinical status, and its ability to be used in traditionally difficult-to-monitor patient populations. Here, we review three common treatment modalities used to target BCMA in the treatment of MM: bispecific antibody constructs, antibody-drug conjugates, and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-modified T-cell therapy. We provide an overview of preliminary clinical data from trials using these therapies, including the BiTE® (bispecific T-cell engager) immuno-oncology therapy AMG 420, the antibody-drug conjugate GSK2857916, and several CAR T-cell therapeutic agents including bb2121, NIH CAR-BCMA, and LCAR-B38M. Notable antimyeloma activity and high minimal residual disease negativity rates have been observed with several of these treatments. These clinical data outline the potential for BCMA-targeted therapies to improve the treatment landscape for MM. Importantly, clinical results to date suggest that these therapies may hold promise for deep and durable responses and support further investigation in earlier lines of treatment, including newly diagnosed MM