Significance of Agricultural Finance in Agricultural and Rural Development of Pakistan “A Case Study of Qambar Shahdadkot District”

The purpose of this study is to investigate the significance of agricultural finance on agricultural and rural development of Pakistan. The study was based on primary data; the data was collected from Borrowers and Non Borrowers of agricultural finance from district Qambar shahdadkot, Sindh Province of Pakistan. Borrowers of agricultural finance include formal and non formal sources of finance. The results shows that the total revenue of Agricultural Finance borrowers was 76000 rupees while the non borrowers agricultural revenue was 61750 rupees and the variable cost for agricultural finance borrowers was a little bit high then non borrowers as 41652 and 34342 rupees respectively, it was because of availability of capital, the farmers who borrowing agricultural finance and providing inputs on time and in proper were getting better production. Most of the farmers agreed that agricultural finance was helpfull for improving living standard useful for household and rural development; it facilitates farmers in use of agricultural inputs on time and getting best agricultural production. Keywords: Agricultural Finance, rural development, Borrowers and Non Borrowers, total revenue, total cost, Variable costs, capital

Development and evaluation of scaffold-based nanosponge formulation for controlled drug delivery of naproxen and ibuprofen

Purpose: To develop and evaluate nanosponge (NS) based sustained release formulations of naproxen (NAP) and ibuprofen (IBU).Method: Six formulations of each candidate drug were prepared by emulsion solvent diffusion method, using varying ratios of polymers, i.e., ethyl cellulose and polyvinyl alcohol. The prepared formulations were evaluated for various parameters including production yield, particle size, polydispersity index, actual drug content and entrapment efficiency. Morphological, structural and thermo-analytical evaluations were performed using various techniques. In vitro release studies were performed on selected formulations.Results: Nanosponge (NS) formulations of naproxen and ibuprofen were successfully prepared by emulsion solvent diffusion method. The particle size of naproxen and ibuprofen nanosponge formulations ranged from 347.6 to 1358 nm and 248.7 to 327.6 nm, respectively. Formulations with equal proportion of ethyl cellulose and drug resulted in nanosponges with the desired particle size. Production yield, actual drug content and entrapment efficiency was dependent on the ratio of ethyl cellulose and polyvinyl alcohol. Formulations with equal proportion showed least PDI values (0.09 for NAP and 0.07 for IBU) and highest zeta potential (-27.2 mV for NAP and -28.2 mV for IBU). Morphological, structural and thermo-analytical analysis confirmed the encapsulation of drugs in nanosponge cavities, and exhibited spherical and porous morphology. Nanosponge formulations gave a sustained release pattern, based on Higuchi model. Drug release mechanism was Fickian followed Korsmeyer-Peppas model, due probably to the porosity of the nanosponge.Conclusion: Sustained release nanosponge formulations of naproxen and ibuprofen have successfully been prepared.Keywords: Nanosponge, Naproxen, Ibuprofen, Emulsion solvent diffusion method, Sustained releas

Effect of ablution on methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) nasal colonization in healthcare workers

Published in May - 202

Antibiotic Prescribing Practices and Errors among Hospitalized Pediatric Patients Suffering from Acute Respiratory Tract Infections: A Multicenter, Cross-Sectional Study in Pakistan

Background and objective: The noncompliance of treatment guidelines by healthcare professionals, along with physiological variations, makes the pediatric population more prone to antibiotic prescribing errors. The present study aims to evaluate the prescribing practices and errors of the most frequently prescribed antibiotics among pediatric patients suffering from acute respiratory tract infections who had different lengths of stay (LOS) in public hospitals. Methods: A retrospective, cross-sectional study was conducted in five tertiary-care public hospitals of Lahore, Pakistan, between 1 January 2017 and 30 June 2017. The study population consisted of pediatric inpatients aged 0 to 9 years. Results: Among the 11,892 pediatric inpatients, 82.8% were suffering from lower acute respiratory tract infections and had long LOS (53.1%) in hospital. Penicillins (52.4%), cephalosporins (16.8%), and macrolides (8.9%) were the most frequently prescribed antibiotics. Overall, 40.8% of the cases had antibiotic prescribing errors related to wrong dose (19.9%), wrong frequency (18.9%), and duplicate therapy (18.1%). Most of these errors were found in the records of patients who had long LOS in hospital (53.1%). Logistic regression analysis revealed that the odds of prescribing errors were lower in female patients (OR = 0.6, 95% CI = 0.1⁻0.9, p-value = 0.012). Patients who were prescribed with ≥3 antibiotics per prescription (OR = 1.724, 95% CI = 1.1⁻2.1, p-value = 0.020), had long LOS (OR = 12.5, 95% CI = 10.1⁻17.6, p-value < 0.001), and were suffering from upper respiratory tract infections (URTI) (OR = 2.8, 95% CI = 1.7⁻3.9, p-value < 0.001) were more likely to experience prescribing errors. Conclusion: Antibiotics were commonly prescribed to patients who had long LOS. Prescribing errors (wrong dose, wrong frequency, and duplicate therapy) were commonly found in cases of lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs), especially among those who had prolonged stay in hospital

Capacity and willingness to use information technology for managing chronic diseases among patients: A cross-sectional study in Lahore, Pakistan.

Background and objectivesThe information technology is a pivotal source of communication between patients and healthcare providers for managing chronic diseases. The objective of this study is to assess the capacity and willingness of patients to use information technology for managing chronic diseases.MethodsA descriptive, cross-sectional study design was employed. Study was conducted in six tertiary care hospitals of Lahore, Pakistan. The study population consisted of patients aged ≥18 years and diagnosed with a minimum of one chronic non-communicable disease. A structured questionnaire was administered to the study participants for data collection. SPSS was used for data analysis.ResultsAmong the 400 respondents, hypertension (39.5%) was the leading chronic condition followed by diabetes (27.5%). Majority of the patients owned a cell phone (90.7%) and had internet access (66.2%). Almost half of the respondents (51.0%) were willing to use text messages; whereas 78.5% and 75.7% of the respondents were reluctant to use video conference and e-mail as a source of communication with healthcare providers. Reason for unwillingness to use e-mail was the patients' desire to be directly examined by the doctor; whereas unfamiliarity with the use of text message and video conference was the major reason for not using these technologies. Logistic regression analysis revealed that interest in using e-mail to interact with specialist was more among those participants who had good self-reported health (OR = 2.579, 95%CI = 1.276-5.212, p = .008), access to internet (OR = 5.416, 95%CI = 2.777-10.564, p ConclusionThis study concluded that nearly half of the respondents were willing to use text messages; whereas, majority was reluctant in using video conference and e-mail as a source of communication with healthcare providers. Most of the respondents who were located farther from the health care provider were willing to use video conferencing in case it could save more than 60 minutes of their time

Economic perspectives of cotton crop in Pakistan: A time series analysis (1970–2015) (Part 1)

The basic objective of this paper was to investigate and enumerate the relationship between cotton crop output, agricultural gross domestic product (AGDP), area under cotton crop and fertilizer consumption in Pakistan over the period 1970–2015. Time series data were used in this study from 1970 to 2015, and these data were collected from Economic Survey of Pakistan and Pakistan Bureau of Statistics annual reports. Cotton crop data were analyzed using Augmented Dickey Fuller (ADF) test, co-integration test and Ordinary Least Square (OLS) method. The results of co-integration test show that there exists a long-term relationship between output of cotton crop, area under cotton crop, fertilizer consumption and agricultural gross domestic product of Pakistan. Regression analysis results showed that output of cotton and fertilizer consumption has positive relationship with agricultural gross domestic product of Pakistan while area under cotton crop has a negative relationship with agricultural gross domestic product (AGDP) of Pakistan. Keywords: Agricultural GDP, Output of cotton, Fertilizer consumption, Ordinary Least Square (OLS), Agrochemicals and synthetic chemical