Impact of Brand Extension and Brand Image on Brand Equity

The purpose of this study was to find out factors influencing on the brand equity. How the brand image and line extension impact on brand equity.  The study statistical population was including different commercial market, Education sector and industrial sector. For the response of such research we distributed 150 questionnaires with the 25 different questions. By use of the SPSS the correlation and regression tests were applied for interpreting the result.  The research results identified that there is positive significant relationship between the dependent and independent variables. The regression result showed that the model is fit and can predict future results of the research. The research will helpful for the commercial markets, related industries and specially for the managers to review their business strategies in order to attract maximum potential customers. Keywords: brand extension, images, brand equit

Evaluation of kidney injury molecule-1 as a disease progression biomarker in diabetic nephropathy

Background & Objective: Kidney Injury Molecule-1 (KIM-1) is a peptide whose release into circulation is specific to tubular injury. This study aimed to estimate levels of kidney injury molecule-1 in diabetic patients with and without kidney disease. And evaluate the role of KIM-1 as an early screening marker of progressive kidney injury.Methods: This follow-up study included n=85 subjects from the diabetic clinic of Jinnah Post Graduate Medical Center (JPMC) in collaboration with Aga Khan University from November 2016 till September 2017. They were divided as: i) Group A1 (n=30) participants with diabetes for \u3c5 years without microalbuminuria ii) Group A2 (n= 30) subjects with diabetes for 6-10 years with microalbuminuria; iii) Group B (n=25) subjects as healthy control group. All study participants were followed for 6 months and their blood glucose, urea, creatinine, electrolytes, albuminuria and serum KIM-1 were assayed.Results: High KIM-1 at baseline was present in group A2 patients as compared to controls and group A1 (p\u3c0.001). Higher levels were seen after six months in group A1 along with the presence of micro albuminuria (p\u3c0.001) suggesting kidney damage. Moderate positive association were seen for KIM1 with creatinine levels (r=0.530; p\u3c0.001), and HbA1c (r=0.576; p\u3c0.001) in all patients. While a strong positive association was seen for blood urea nitrogen as a marker for kidney function both at baseline (r= 0.728; p=0.000) and follow up (r=0.747; p=0.001). Multiple logistic regression controlling for age showed that KIM1 was independently associated with BUN (r=0.727; p\u3c0.001), creatinine (r=0.510; p\u3c0.001) and HbA1c (r=0.401; p=0.008) in all groups.Conclusion: Rising KIM-1 levels with progressive kidney damage with or without derangement of kidney function is reported in this study. This finding may pave a way towards identifying KIM1 as a prognostic marker for kidney injury

ABO Blood Groups And Their Link With The Risk of Pre-Eclampsia

ABO blood group antigens have been identified as pathological agent in different disease conditions. For some time, the association of blood group with pregnancy associated conditions like pre-eclampsia is extensively under debate. Preeclampsia is a distressing condition of pregnancy which commonly causes maternal and fetal mortality around the globe. Multiple risk factors are found to be associated with preeclamptic occurrence. In this study our aim was to delineate a specific blood group which could be implicated as a risk factor for pre-eclampsia. Methods: This retrospective study was conducted in a tertiary care hospital of Karachi and retrieved obstetric data including blood group was from medical record files of 368 patients. Obtained data was analyzed by IBM SPSS version 21. Results: The prevalence of B group was recorded to be 41.3% as compared to O (26.1%), A (22.8%) and AB (9.8%). So, it can be concluded that women having blood group B are more prone to develop pre-eclampsia. Conclusion: Blood grouping of pregnant women in early weeks of pregnancy could assist in prediction or better management of pre-eclampsia

Comparison of Peri-tonsillar Injection of Tramadol with Adrenaline Vs Injection of Normal Saline (Placebo) Before Tonsillectomy in Reducing Per-operative Haemorrhage and Post-operative Pain

Introduction: Tonsillectomy is one of the most frequent surgical procedures performed in ENT. In the early postoperative period, pain and hemorrhage are considered to be the major cause of morbidity. Different methods of minimizing postoperative pain have been proposed including the use of oral analgesics, infiltration of local anesthetics, and analgesics like levobupivacaine, ketamine, and tramadol. To secure hemostasis during a tonsillectomy, several techniques including ligation, diathermy, and cauterization are used. To minimize these complications, preoperative preparation of the patient is mandatory. This study aimed to find out the efficacy of adrenaline and tramadol in controlling perioperative hemorrhage and postoperative pain respectively. Materials and Methods: A randomized controlled trial was conducted in the ENT department of Benazir Bhutto Hospital Rawalpindi for 6 months (21-11-2016 to 21-5-2017). The data was collected by operating surgeons. A total of 60 patients were included in the study with 1:1 randomization. Simple random sampling was used for the Selection of patients. Patients were divided into two groups. Group A was provided with the peri-tonsillar injection of tramadol with adrenaline while Group B was provided with normal saline injection (Placebo). Both groups were followed for 6 hours to measure mean pain scores and mean hemostasis time. After approval from the ethical review board, consent forms were distributed to patients. An Independent t-test was applied for the comparison of different variables. Results: Among all patients 60(100%), 25 (41%) males, and 35(59%) females. The mean age of patients was 12.2 years ± 4.49 SD. The mean time required for hemostasis was 4.9 minutes ± 1.92 SD. The mean pain scores were 1.3 (mild pain) ±1.12 SD. A statistically significant difference was found with time (p=0.01), mean pain (p=0.00), weight (p=0.00) and age (p=0.00) while insignificant with gender (p=0.06). Conclusion: Peri-tonsillar injection of tramadol with adrenaline during tonsillectomy leads to a significant reduction in per-operative hemorrhage and post-operative pain as compared to injection of normal saline

Case report of Nasopharyngeal Angiofibroma in a teenager female, a rare finding

Background: Angiofibroma is a rare histologically benign tumor that is an unencapsulated, highly vascular tumor.1 It shows very aggressive behavior due to local invasiveness and is associated with various symptoms.2 Angiofibroma is almost always seen in young adolescent males.2 Along main pathogenesis is unknown, but it is considered to be associated with sex hormones mainly testosterone and estradiol.3 In a study conducted from 1995 to 2012 all patients were male.4 Major symptoms include nasal obstruction and epistaxis and surgical removal of the tumor as a whole is considered the treatment of choice.5 There have been very few individual case reports of angiofibroma in females 6-9 which were confirmed with radiological testing and histopathology report of the samples taken. Case presentation: We present a rare case of nasopharyngeal angiofibroma in a young female as confirmed by computed tomography scan findings and histopathology reports of the sample by well-qualified pathologists. Conclusion: The case is being reported to increase awareness among medical professionals and encouraging further workup on the pathogenesis of angiofibroma

Comparison of the Postoperative Pain, Septal Perforation and Synechiae Formation following Septoplasty done with Trans Septal Suturing Verus Nasal Packing

Objective: To compare the efficacy of trans-septal suturing with nasal packing following septoplasty in patients with the deviated nasal septum, in terms of frequency of postoperative pain, septal perforation, and synechiae formation. Materials and Methods: A randomized controlled trial was conducted in the ENT department of Benazir Bhutto Hospital Rawalpindi. Patients were divided into two groups. The total sample size of the study was 280 patients with 1:1 randomization in each group (140 in each group). Consecutive non-probability sampling was used for the recruitment of patients. All the patients underwent a septoplasty. Group A was provided with nasal packing while group B was with trans septal suturing. The study duration was 1 year (21-11-2016 to 21-11-2017). All the patients were followed at 24 hours for measurement of postoperative pain and at 1 and 4 weeks for septal perforation and synechiae formation. Ethical approval was taken from the ethical review board and consent was taken from patients. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 22. The Chi-square test was applied for observing the association between different variables.Inclusion Criteria- Patients with deviated nasal septum.- Patients’ ages ranged from 17-35 years.- Patients of both genders were included.Exclusion Criteria- Patients with diabetes mellitus.- Patients with allergic rhinitis.- Patients with coagulopathies, pulmonary and cardiovascular disorders.- Patients taking warfarin, aspirin, or heparin. Results: Among all the patients 280 (100%), there were 123(43.9%) males and 157(56.1%) females. The study found that the mean age of patients was 25.3±11.9. In group A patients 140, 110 patients showed efficacy while 30 patients did not show efficacy during the study time period. Similarly, 124 patients showed efficacy in Group B while 16 patients did not show efficacy. A significant association was found in both groups regarding pain at 24 hours (p=0.00) while an insignificant association was found with age (p>0.05). Conclusion: To conclude, the trans-septal suturing technique applied in septoplasty causes minimal pain and complications like septal perforation and synechiae formation, and patients resume routine life activities shortly after the surgery. Keywords: Septoplasty, nasal packing, trans-septal sutures, nasal septal perforation

Comparison of the Postoperative Pain, Septal Perforation and Synechiae Formation following Septoplasty done with Trans Septal Suturing Verus Nasal Packing

Objective: To compare the efficacy of trans-septal suturing with nasal packing following septoplasty in patients with the deviated nasal septum, in terms of frequency of postoperative pain, septal perforation, and synechiae formation. Materials and Methods: A randomized controlled trial was conducted in the ENT department of Benazir Bhutto Hospital Rawalpindi. Patients were divided into two groups. The total sample size of the study was 280 patients with 1:1 randomization in each group (140 in each group). Consecutive non-probability sampling was used for the recruitment of patients. All the patients underwent a septoplasty. Group A was provided with nasal packing while group B was with trans septal suturing. The study duration was 1 year (21-11-2016 to 21-11-2017). All the patients were followed at 24 hours for measurement of postoperative pain and at 1 and 4 weeks for septal perforation and synechiae formation. Ethical approval was taken from the ethical review board and consent was taken from patients. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 22. The Chi-square test was applied for observing the association between different variables.Inclusion Criteria- Patients with deviated nasal septum.- Patients’ ages ranged from 17-35 years.- Patients of both genders were included.Exclusion Criteria- Patients with diabetes mellitus.- Patients with allergic rhinitis.- Patients with coagulopathies, pulmonary and cardiovascular disorders.- Patients taking warfarin, aspirin, or heparin. Results: Among all the patients 280 (100%), there were 123(43.9%) males and 157(56.1%) females. The study found that the mean age of patients was 25.3±11.9. In group A patients 140, 110 patients showed efficacy while 30 patients did not show efficacy during the study time period. Similarly, 124 patients showed efficacy in Group B while 16 patients did not show efficacy. A significant association was found in both groups regarding pain at 24 hours (p=0.00) while an insignificant association was found with age (p>0.05). Conclusion: To conclude, the trans-septal suturing technique applied in septoplasty causes minimal pain and complications like septal perforation and synechiae formation, and patients resume routine life activities shortly after the surgery. Keywords: Septoplasty, nasal packing, trans-septal sutures, nasal septal perforation