Quality of life perceptions in school-going adolescents with social anxiety

Introduction: Social anxiety is common among adolescents with a prevalence range of 9-34%. People with social anxiety have intense fear of being evaluated negatively when they come in contact with strangers and as a result they are less satisfied with their life experiences. Our study aimed to screen school going adolescents for social anxiety disorder and to estimate their perceptions about quality of life. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Karachi, Pakistan from January to February 2016. We recruited 450 high-school students of ages 14-17 using a self-administered questionnaire based on the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale for Children and Adolescents (LSAS-CA-SR) and the brief version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL-BREF) questionnaire. Results: In this school-based study, 23.8% screened positive for social anxiety with a preponderance of adolescents from public than private schools (33% vs. 18%, p\u3c0.001). Social anxiety status, however, was not associated with gender and age. Screening positive for social anxiety was found to be associated with a significant difference in mean scores on all four domains (physical health, psychological health, social relationships, and environment) of WHOQOL-BREF. Conclusion: Social anxiety is prevalent among Pakistani school adolescents with a substantial negative effect on quality of life. Adolescents must be targeted with interventions such as group treatment and mentorship programs that are effective in tackling the menace of social anxiety

Co-transducing B7H3 CAR-NK cells with the DNR preserves their cytolytic function against GBM in the presence of exogenous TGF-β

Cord blood (CB)-derived natural killer (NK) cells that are genetically engineered to express a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) are an attractive off-the-shelf therapy for the treatment of cancer, demonstrating a robust safety profile in vivo. For poor prognosis brain tumors such as glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), novel therapies are urgently needed. Although CAR-T cells demonstrate efficacy in preclinical GBM models, an off-the-shelf product may exhibit unwanted side effects like graft-versus-host disease. Hence, we developed an off-the-shelf CAR-NK cell approach using a B7H3 CAR and showed that CAR-transduced NK cells have robust cytolytic activity against GBM cells in vitro. However, transforming growth factor (TGF)-β within the tumor microenvironment has devastating effects on the cytolytic activity of both unmodified and CAR-transduced NK cells. To overcome this potent immune suppression, we demonstrated that co-transducing NK cells with a B7H3 CAR and a TGF-β dominant negative receptor (DNR) preserves cytolytic function in the presence of exogenous TGF-β. This study demonstrates that a novel DNR and CAR co-expression strategy may be a promising therapeutic for recalcitrant CNS tumors like GBM

Practices of tracheal suctioning technique among health care professionals for hospitalized adult patients at tertiary care hospital Karachi, Pakistan

The current study aims to assess tracheal suctioning practices among health care practitioners; nurses, critical care technicians and physiotherapist. Employing literature review as the methodology, multiple databases were searched focusing on three phases of tracheal suctioning (a) the pre suctioning phase, (b) the suctioning phase, (c) the post suctioning phase and complications related to tracheal suctioning. It was concluded that to provide quality care it is important that the evidence based practice guidelines should be followed

Use of social media in healthcare management: Opportunities and challenges

Background: In recent years, healthcare workers have become more dependent on social media platforms such as blogs, wikis, and social media sites. However, little research has been done on physicians' perspectives and experiences with social media in hospitals. Using social media to better manage health care data is becoming increasingly common. Despite the massive expansion of studies in this field, little effort has been made to look back at previous work. The purpose of the study clearly tends to examine the advantages and disadvantages of the use of social media for managing health data. Objective: The purpose of the study is to gain a summary of the existing data on the health implications of social media services. Methodology: A literature search was undertaken in PubMed, CINAHL, Cochrane, Google Scholar, and Scopus for all English-language studies published since 2010 that addressed social media use in any way possible for health care and media

The Pragmatics of Politeness in Cross-Cultural Communication: A Comparative Study of English and Pakistani Interactional Norms

The nuances of politeness in cross-cultural communication contexts—between English and Pakistani interactional standards, specifically are explored in this comparative study. Using a qualitative methodology, the study breaks down the pragmatic components of politeness through the use of ethnographic techniques such as semi-structured interviews and participant observation. Through intensive participation in real-life interactions in both cultural contexts, the research examines the complex relationship between politeness and non-verbal indicators. Semi-structured interviews with individuals from both cultures shed more light on the many viewpoints, meanings, and applications of civility in conversation. Through a thorough analysis of these qualitative data sources, the study reveals the contextual factors and underlying cultural subtleties that influence politeness techniques in cross-cultural communication situations. The findings provide significant insights into the dynamics of cross-cultural communication in addition to highlighting the differences and similarities between English and Pakistani interactional norms. In the end, this research aims to improve our comprehension of civility across cultural divides, cultivating intercultural sensitivity and enabling efficient communication techniques in a world growing more interconnected by the day

THE GENERATION AND APPLICATION OF ANTIGEN-SPECIFIC T CELL THERAPIES FOR CANCER AND VIRAL-ASSOCIATED DISEASE

Immunotherapy with antigen-specific T cells is a promising, targeted therapeutic option for patients with cancer as well as for immunocompromised patients with virus infections. In this review, we characterize and compare current manufacturing protocols for the generation of T cells specific to viral and non-viral tumor associated antigens. Specifically, we discuss: (i) the different methodologies to expand virus-specific T cell (VST) and non-viral tumor-associated antigen specific T cell (TAA-T) products, (ii) the immunological principles involved when developing such manufacturing protocols and (iii) proposed standardized methodologies for the generation of polyclonal, polyfunctional antigen-specific T cells irrespective of donor source. Ex vivo-expanded cells have been safely administered to treat numerous patients with virus-associated malignancies, hematologic malignancies, and solid tumors. Hence, we have performed a comprehensive review of the clinical trial results evaluating the safety, feasibility, and efficacy of these products in the clinic. In summary, this review seeks to provide new insights regarding antigen-specific T cell technology to benefit a rapidly expanding T cell therapy field

Spike-directed vaccination elicits robust spike-specific T-cell response, including to mutant strains

Although most studies describing coronavirus disease 2019 vaccine responses have focused on antibodies, there is increasing evidence that T cells play a critical role. Here the authors evaluated T-cell responses in seronegative donors before and after vaccination to define responses to the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 reference strain as well as to mutations in the variant strains Alpha/B.1.1.7 and Beta/B.1.351. The authors observed enhanced T-cell responses to reference and variant spike strains post-vaccination

Co-transducing B7H3 CAR-NK cells with the DNR preserves their cytolytic function against GBM in the presence of exogenous TGF-β

Cord blood (CB)-derived natural killer (NK) cells that are genetically engineered to express a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) are an attractive off-the-shelf therapy for the treatment of cancer, demonstrating a robust safety profile . For poor prognosis brain tumors such as glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), novel therapies are urgently needed. Although CAR-T cells demonstrate efficacy in preclinical GBM models, an off-the-shelf product may exhibit unwanted side effects like graft-versus-host disease. Hence, we developed an off-the-shelf CAR-NK cell approach using a B7H3 CAR and showed that CAR-transduced NK cells have robust cytolytic activity against GBM cells . However, transforming growth factor (TGF)-β within the tumor microenvironment has devastating effects on the cytolytic activity of both unmodified and CAR-transduced NK cells. To overcome this potent immune suppression, we demonstrated that co-transducing NK cells with a B7H3 CAR and a TGF-β dominant negative receptor (DNR) preserves cytolytic function in the presence of exogenous TGF-β. This study demonstrates that a novel DNR and CAR co-expression strategy may be a promising therapeutic for recalcitrant CNS tumors like GBM