SPRAWL AND HUMAN MISERY: AN ECOMARXIST READING OF ARTHUR MILLER’S DEATH OF A SALESMAN

The study explores connection between emerging Markets and human misery in Death of a Salesman, focusing to prove Market reigns supremacy in the lives of Americans under the guise of ‘modernity’. The new Split in the personality of characters in the play is tallied to the ‘changing times’. The so-called progress has created an ‘industrialized world’ where the characters are unwillingly voyaging in the economic direction. The protagonists in the narrative are depicted as disconnected from the natural world, instead actively participating in market, pursuing marketecture, and contributing to the prevalence of consumerism within a society influenced by marketecture. The phenomenon emerges from urban sprawl disrupts the ecological equilibrium, leading to detrimental consequences for the individuals in United States. The phenomenon of urban expansion significantly impacts the development of characters and their outlook on life, exerting influences across many levels of society, ranging from private residences to larger communal spaces

Cultural violence and gender identities: a feminist post-structural discourse analysis of this house of clay and water

The present study explores the dialectic relation between gender, identity, violence, discourse and social practices, as portrayed in Mansab’s book This House of Clay and Water. Viewing gender as a biological trait determined at birth whereas all the social roles and identities are considered fixed is a prevalent social practice in countries like Pakistan. Proving that gender is a socio-cultural construct is the first step towards awareness that gender roles are not fixed and certain violent social norms can be transformed to help the marginalized groups like intersex/transgenders, and women. This study aims to show that certain forms of abuse, repression and cultural violence are normalized through the use of language and literary discourses, and the very same tools can be used to counter these structures. The theoretical insights for this research are drawn from Feminist post-structural discourse Analysis and Butler’s Queer theory. The qualitative analysis is based on the closed textual reading and discourse analysis within the parameters of the chosen framework. The significance of this study lies in the fact that it applies FPDA to study fictional characters who are a reflection of humans and social practices in general, and how they are forced to suffer and ultimately resist gender-based violence to co-construct their ever-shifting identities through discourse

VAN WYK GRUMBACH SYNDROME: CASE REPORT

BACKGROUND: Children with primary hypothyroidism usually presents with delay in linear growth and pubertal development, but in rare instances they can present with precocious puberty. In 1960, presentation of primary hypothyroidism with precocious puberty was first reported and labelled as Van Wyk Grumbach syndrome (VWGS). We report a case of VWGS in a six years old girl. CASE DESCRIPTION: A six years old girl presented with precocious puberty accompanied by short stature and delayed bone age due to untreated hypothyroidism. On examination she had Tanner’s stage B3 (breast development) and P2 (pubic hair). She had normal external genitalia. On workup her Thyroid Stimulating Hormone was 100 mIU/ml, Free-T4 0.7 was ηg/dl, Follicle Stimulating Hormone 8.1 mIU/ml, Luteinizing Hormone 0.12 mIU/ml, estradiol 58 ρg/ml and prolactin 177 ηg/ml. Pelvic ultrasound revealed a uterine size of 5.4 × 3.2 × 3.6 cm and enlarged ovaries with multi cystic appearance. She was started on 50 µg of Levo-thyroxine per day and then was reassessed after 9 weeks of treatment which showed improvement in her Tanner’s Stage and hormonal profile. CONCLUSION: The girl was diagnosed as VWGS and responded to the treatment which was evident by improvement in her physical and biochemical assessment

Potential Role of Ultrafine Particles in Associations between Airborne Particle Mass and Cardiovascular Health

Numerous epidemiologic time-series studies have shown generally consistent associations of cardiovascular hospital admissions and mortality with outdoor air pollution, particularly mass concentrations of particulate matter (PM) ≤2.5 or ≤10 μm in diameter (PM(2.5), PM(10)). Panel studies with repeated measures have supported the time-series results showing associations between PM and risk of cardiac ischemia and arrhythmias, increased blood pressure, decreased heart rate variability, and increased circulating markers of inflammation and thrombosis. The causal components driving the PM associations remain to be identified. Epidemiologic data using pollutant gases and particle characteristics such as particle number concentration and elemental carbon have provided indirect evidence that products of fossil fuel combustion are important. Ultrafine particles < 0.1 μm (UFPs) dominate particle number concentrations and surface area and are therefore capable of carrying large concentrations of adsorbed or condensed toxic air pollutants. It is likely that redox-active components in UFPs from fossil fuel combustion reach cardiovascular target sites. High UFP exposures may lead to systemic inflammation through oxidative stress responses to reactive oxygen species and thereby promote the progression of atherosclerosis and precipitate acute cardiovascular responses ranging from increased blood pressure to myocardial infarction. The next steps in epidemiologic research are to identify more clearly the putative PM casual components and size fractions linked to their sources. To advance this, we discuss in a companion article (Sioutas C, Delfino RJ, Singh M. 2005. Environ Health Perspect 113:947–955) the need for and methods of UFP exposure assessment

Lead-induced oxidative stress and metabolic alterations in Cassia angustifolia Vahl

Forty-five-days old plants of Indian senna (Cassia angustifolia Vahl.) were subjected to 0–500 µM lead acetate (Pb-Ac) in pot culture. Changes in contents of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), ascorbate, glutathione, proline, sennosides (a+b), and activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), glutathione reductase (GR), and catalase (CAT) were studied at pre-flowering (60 d after sawing, DAS), flowering (90 DAS) and post-flowering (120 DAS) stages of plant development. Compared with the controls, the Pb-Ac treated plants showed an increase in contents of TBARS, dehydroascorbate, oxidized and total glutathione at all stages of growth. However, sennoside yield and contents of ascorbate and reduced form of glutathione declined. Proline content increased at 60 DAS but declined thereafter. Activities of SOD, APX, GR and CAT were markedly increased. Sennoside content was higher at 60 and 90 DAS but lower at 120 DAS, compared to the control

The Global Polio Eradication Initiatives: From Past to Present

The war against infections is one that has been remuneration all through the history of human. In this centuries-long effort the worldwide population has prepared remarkable advancement in stopping infections, therapeutic infections, and enlarging living expectancies. Up till now for all our successes, only once in history 30 years ago, with smallpox made completely eliminate an infection from the earth. Now a days we are on the entrance of eradicating the earth of polio an infection able of crippling and killing many children. The story of polio is both lengthy and hesitant. The arrival of efficient vaccines in the 1950s facilitated polio prevention, and the resultant struggles were victorious wildly, however confronts still continue (Plan, 2011)

Workplace mistreatment and mental health in female surgeons in Pakistan

Background: Despite workplace mistreatment, which includes harassment, bullying and gender discrimination(GD)/bias, being serious problems for female surgeons, there are limited data from lower-middle-income countries like Pakistan. This study explored harassment and GD/bias experienced by female surgeons in Pakistan, and the effects of these experiences on mental health and well-being.Methods: A nationwide survey was conducted between July and September 2019 in collaboration with the Association of Women Surgeons of Pakistan, an organization consisting of female surgeons and trainees in Pakistan. An anonymous online survey was emailed directly, disseminated via social media platforms (such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram), and sent to surgical programmes in Pakistan.Results: A total of 146 women surgeons responded to the survey; 67.1 per cent were trainees and the rest attending surgeons. Overall, 57.5 per cent of surgeons reported experiencing harassment, most common being verbal (64.0 per cent) and mental (45.9 per cent), but this mostly went unreported (91.5 per cent). On multivariable analysis adjusted for age and specialty, workplace harassment (odds ratio 2.02 (95 per cent c.i. 1.09 to 4.45)) and bullying (odds ratio 5.14 (95 per cent c.i. 2.00-13.17)) were significantly associated with severe self-perceived burnout, while having a support system was protective against feelings of depression (odds ratio 0.35 (95 per cent c.i. 0.16 to 0.74)). The overwhelming majority (91.3 per cent) believed that more institutional support groups were needed to help surgeons with stress reduction (78.8 per cent), receiving mentorship (74.7 per cent) and work-life balance (67.8 per cent).Conclusion: Workplace mistreatment, in particular harassment and bullying, has a damaging impact on the mental well-being of female surgeons, particularly trainees. The absence of support groups in Pakistan should be urgently addressed so that surgeons, especially trainees, may cope better with potentially harmful workplace stressors