Bismuth Ferrites/Graphene Nanoplatelets Nanohybrids for Efficient Organic Dye Removal

The doped bismuth ferrites have got tremendous attraction owing to its ideal properties for photocatalysis application. We have fabricated the novel lanthanum and manganese co-doped BiFeO3 (namely BLFMO)/graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) nanohybrid for photocatalysis with easy and effective synthesis routes namely the co-precipitation (C-hybrid) and hydrothermal (H-hybrid) processes. The H-hybrid showed crystalline structure with lower band-gap than the C-hybrid samples. However, C-hybrid showed higher dye degradation (92%) due its higher surface area (55 m2/g) and the fine incorporation of BLFMO nanoparticles into the GNPs which enhanced the surface adsorption. This is verified from more degradation in dark conditions for these samples. The proposed nanohybrids are novel for photocatalytic application fabricated through the low cost routes which show higher efficiency for practical applications

Systemic lupus erythematosus presenting as hemolytic uremic syndrome: a case report

Associating systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), with an initial presentation of hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) is rare. We report a case of 21-year old Afghani female admitted to our hospital with an initial complaint of high grade fever and diffuse maculopapular rash and swelling of lower limbs. Diagnosis of atypical HUS was established according to the clinical triad of HUS without a veriotoxin-producing organism in her stool and the pathological finding compatible to thrombotic microangiopathy. In addition, her symptoms fulfilled the 1982 revised criteria for the classification of SLE. After pulse methylprednisolone, cyclophosphamide and plasmapheresis therapies, her laboratory findings and general condition improved. Unfortunately she was lost to follow up as she decided to return back to Afghanistan

Minor Oral Surgery with Out Stopping the Daily Low Dose of Aspirin Therapy

OBJECTIVES Patients with the low-dose long-term aspirin regime have a severe risk of excessive bleeding during surgery, placing them at risk of "adverse thrombotic events". This study aims to evaluate the bleeding in patients undergoing minor oral surgery procedures without stopping daily low-dose aspirin therapy. METHODOLOGY A descriptive cross-sectional hospital-based investigation involved the patient with minor oral surgery at "Altamash Institute of Dental Medicine, Karachi, Pakistan" from mid-April 2021 to mid-June 2021, who were between the age group 30 to 75 with a low-dose aspirin regime. The data was collected via a questionnaire to record the variables, i.e. duration of aspirin, postoperative medications, platelets count, clotting time, normal bleeding time, and intraoperative bleeding time.  RESULTS 51 patients, of which 32 were males while 19, were females. The normal bleeding time was comparatively analyzed with the intraoperative bleeding time using SPSS statistical software version 22. The results revealed that the mean bleeding time for the patients with a low-dose aspirin regime during minor oral surgery was 5.49 ± 1.07, while for the patients with a stopped aspirin dose was 4.57 ± 1.07. The comparative analysis using a t-test doesn't reveal significant statistical differences of p<0.05 between both groups. CONCLUSION We concluded that minor oral surgical procedures could safely be done without altering or stopping the low-dose, long-term aspirin regime.

Prevalence of Oral Manifestations of Systemic Diseases in Patients Visiting the Dental Outpatient Department of Sindh, Pakistan

OBJECTIVES The purpose of the study was to evaluate the awareness of oral health workers in identifying the prevalence of oral manifestations of systemic diseases in patients visiting the Dental Out-Patient Department of Sindh, Pakistan. METHODOLOGY A descriptive, cross-sectional survey-based study was conducted in Karachi, Pakistan, from October to December 2021. The study was conducted in various institutes from all over Sindh, Pakistan. An online, well-structured questionnaire was designed using Google Forms and distributed to the participants through social media platforms in the dental community. Using the Open-Epi software regarding a parent article, the sample size of this study was calculated. Keeping the confidence interval at 95% and the desired percentile at 50, the total sample size was calculated to be 100. Around 175 questionnaires were given out to the candidates. RESULTSThe results showed that  81% male and 19% female participated, including 45% postgraduate trainees, 30% house officers, and 25% general dentists. 80% detected 2-3 systemic diseases in a patient, with 75% observing oral manifestations preceding systemic illness diagnosis. The majority favoured treating underlying ailments (75%), and prevalent conditions included hypertension (90%), diabetes (80%), anaemia (75%), and lichen planus (40.7%). CONCLUSION Oral health workers play a vital role in the initial and early identification and multidisciplinary medical management of various systemic diseases. A coordinated approach between physicians and dentists in diagnosing and managing these conditions is necessary to achieve optimal clinical outcomes

Platypnea-orthodeoxia: report of two cases and review of the literature

We describe two unusual cases of platypnea. The first patient had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, but platypnea did not respond to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease therapy. He was found to have multiple pulmonary emboli, and symptoms rapidly improved on anticoagulation therapy. The second patient had Parkinson disease and developed severe platypnea, an association that has not been previously described. She had significant postural hypotension and responded to therapy with fludrocortisone

Title: Impact of Islamic microfinance institutions on the income of involuntary financially excluded people in Pakistan

The purpose of the study is to determine whether the funds provided by Islamic microfinance institutions help improve the income of involuntary financially excluded people in Pakistan. We collect data through self-administered questionnaire from the borrowers of four Islamic Microfinance institutions (IMFIs) in various cities of Pakistan. K-modes cluster analysis was performed for borrowers’ segmentation based on certain characteristics. In factor analysis, 4 factors were extracted that represents borrowers background attributes, financing procedural attributes, IMFIs attributes, and demographic attributes. We used these factors as independent variables to perform multinomial logistic regression to observe the impact of these IMFIs on borrowers income. The results suggest that IMFIs in Pakistan help increase income of borrowers in Pakistan. The findings of this study will not only to the of interest to microfinance beneficiaries, service suppliers and researchers but also to the government of Pakistan for regulations and policy decision for poverty reduction