The Outcome of Burr Hole Evacuation Without Drain for Chronic Subdural Haematoma

Objective:  To evaluate the feasibility of burr hole evacuation of Chronic subdural haematoma (CSDH) without drain in terms of functional outcome, morbidity & mortality. Place & duration of study:  Department of neurosurgery, postgraduate medical institute, Hayatabad medical complex Peshawar, from 1st  July 2007 to 30th June 2008 with 3 months follow-up. Patients & methods:  This study included 65 patients who presented in our unit with Chronic subdural haematoma (CSDH) from 1st July 2007 to 30th June 2008.  Results:  A total number of 65 patients presented to us with Chronic subdural haematoma (CSDH) in above mentioned duration with a male to female ratio of 3.2:1 (51/16). The age range was from 27 years to 81 years with a Mean age of 57.5 years. 5 (8%) patients were 40 years of age & below, 12 (18%) patients were 41-50 years of age 26 (40%) patients were 51-60 years of age 14 (22%) patients were 61-70 years of age 8 (12%) patients were 71 years of age & above-history revealed fall in 26 (40%), RTA in 9 (14%), while 28 (43%) had no history of trauma.  Conclusion:  Single & double burr hole evacuation is a safe & effective treatment for Chronic subdural haema-toma (CSDH) with low complications rate. The mortality associated with Chronic subdural haematoma (CSDH) is mainly determined by neurological status of the patient at time of presentation

Exploring the Influence of Medical Ethics on Physicians’ Ethical Behaviors: A Qualitative Study of Healthcare Stakeholders

This study explicates the influence of medical ethics on the clinical practices of physicians in Pakistan. Socially and environmentally responsible behaviors not only elevate current standards of cures but promote overall corporate image. However, physicians are more commercial-oriented than social, and their adherence to medical ethics plays a significant role in avoiding the misuse of drugs, particularly antibiotics. Medical ethics are universal principles that govern the behaviors and clinical practices of healthcare professionals. The study scientifically discerned that these principles have a conspicuous relationship with shaping the clinical practices of physicians. The researchers conducted 13 in-depth interviews with the physicians selected through a purposive sampling technique. The interviews were transcribed and then analyzed through constructivist grounded theory techniques which resulted in a single theme “Physicians' Compliance with Medical Ethics and its Consequences” with subcategories like physicians' engagement in unethical behaviors, inconsiderate use of antibiotics, physicians’ materialistic approach, non-compliance with medical ethics and SOPs, and medical ethics and clinical practices. In conclusion, physicians who adhere to medical ethics are more rational users of pharmaceuticals than those who are not. Therefore, medical ethics has the potential to shape the prescribing habits of physicians

Comparative Study of Crop Water Requirement of Traditional and Hybrid Sorghum Varieties

An experiment was conducted to compare the crop water requirement of traditional and hybrid sorghum varieties at University of Agriculture Peshawar research farm. Soil moisture samples were collected to calculate Actual evapotranspiration for each variety. Maximum actual evapotranspiration of hybrid variety at full irrigation was 52% more than traditional variety at rainfed conditions (with pre irrigation). The crop coefficient (Kc) for different stages of V1Io, V2Io, V1I1, V2I1, V1I2 and V2I2 ranged from 0.24-0.55, 0.27-0.61, 0.49-0.86, 0.47-0.92, 0.37-0.88 and 0.39-1.00 to respective values of FAO ranging from 0.35-1.1. Both the local and hybrid varieties are not significantly different from each other in terms of water productivity at all irrigation levels. Highest crop water productivity (0.61 kg m-3) was observed for V2I1 and lowest (0.43 kg m-3) for V1I0. Yield of hybrid variety was 62% more than the lowest grain yield of traditional variety under rainfed condition. At the full irrigation for traditional variety this percentage reduces to 59%. The reduction is only due to change in variety. Maximum harvest index (21%) was recorded for V2I1 and minimum (11%) for V1Io. Keywords: Crop water productivity, traditional and hybrid sorghum, soil moisture sampling, full Irrigation, evapotranspiration.

Nutritional Assessment and Antioxidant Activities of Different Varieties of Vigna radiata

Three cultivars of Vigna radiata, namely, NM-92, NM-98, and NM-06, were analyzed for their proximate composition. The samples were also tested by HPLC for amino acid content. The data showed that all the varieties had same moisture level. The maximum ash content (4.29%) was present in NM-92, and crude fat (2.26%) was highest in NM-98 while NM-06 contained maximum amount of crude protein. About eighteen types of amino acids were detected in each of the three varieties. Acidic amino acids, that is, aspartic and glutamic acids, were in considerable amount ranged from 13 to 23% followed by leucine, isoleucine, alanine, valine, lysine, phenyl alanine, serine, and arginine which fell in the range of 3-8% of total protein. The maximum amount (13.00 and 22.80%) of aspartic and glutamic acids was present in NM-98. Similarly arginine (6.83%) and serine (5.45%) were also in highest amount in this variety. Leucine (7.46%) was maximum in NM-92 variety. NM-06 contained almost all the amino acids in lesser quantity except for few like threonine, proline, glycine, and alanine. It was concluded from the present study that varieties were of different nutritional value and HPLC was a sensitive method for amino acids determination. Antioxidant activities of all three varieties were also assayed and showed significant results

Systematic Analysis of Risk Associated with Supply Chain Operations Using Blockchain Technology

Advancements in information and communication technologies (ICT), big data analytics, and artificial intelligence- (AI-) based techniques brought a dramatic revolution in diverse research domains, including healthcare, IoT, and networking. Blockchain technologies are gaining traction from both private and government organizations at an incredible rate. Emerging technologies have different levels of technological complexities and commercial ramifications. This technology is playing an essential role in the financial revolution of banking and regulatory sectors. Blockchain has piqued the interest of many academics, organizations, and businesses, particularly in using bitcoin. To grasp the significance of this revolution, a comprehensive assessment is performed to bridge the gaps in the targeted blockchain-driven domain with different perspectives. For this systematic review process, a set of four distinct research questions were formulated to accumulate the most relevant research trends. In private and public organizations, it is a securing technology to deliver trustworthy and protected services to users because of its decentralized, controlled aspect. Financial services, real estate, supply chain management, healthcare, academics, and other industries benefit significantly from this evolutionary technology. These application cases are diverse and far-reaching, ranging from smart contracts to blockchain-encrypted educational certificates. This systematic analysis has investigated a total of 113 relevant articles and concluded with the features and functions in an economic setting and briefed how these variables can balance players' incentives, define core blockchain-related features, and present new research ideas to solve the proposed risk.Qatar University Internal - grant No. QUHI-CBE-21/22-1

Bacteriological investigation of ground water sources in selected urban areas of district Mardan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Microbial contamination of ground water sources is a common problem in all the big cities, which endangers health and impairs quality of living . To assess this, 39 water samples were collected from highly populated 13 union councils from the urban area of district Mardan. Faecal coliform and Escherichia coli were investigated both qualitatively and quantitatively. Qualitative study showed that faecal coliform was found in 90% samples and E. coli in 56% samples. Quantitatively, faecal coliform most probable number (MPN) was ranging from 1601 to 2400 for about 28% samples, followed by 551 to 1600 and 201 to 550 for 20% samples each, 40 to 200 for 18% samples and less than 40 for about 13% samples. The major cause of the bacteriological contamination was found to be the extent of susceptibility of the water sources to intrusions from the nearest contamination source.Keywords: Mardan, urban area, microbial contamination, faecal coliform, ground water, Escherichia col

Integration of Backscatter Communication with Multi-cell NOMA: A Spectral Efficiency Optimization under Imperfect SIC

Future wireless networks are expected to connect large-scale low-powered communication devices using the available spectrum resources. Backscatter communications (BC) is an emerging technology towards battery-free transmission in future wireless networks by leveraging ambient radio frequency (RF) waves that enable communications among wireless devices. Non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) has recently drawn significant attention due to its high spectral efficiency. The combination of these two technologies can play an important role in the development of future networks. This paper proposes a new optimization approach to enhance the spectral efficiency of nonorthogonal multiple access (NOMA)-BC network. Our framework simultaneously optimizes the power allocation of base station and reflection coefficient (RC) of the backscatter device in each cell under the assumption of imperfect signal decoding. The problem of spectral efficiency maximization is coupled on power and RC which is challenging to solve. To make this problem tractable, we first decouple it into two subproblems and then apply the decomposition method and Karush-Kuhn-Tucker conditions to obtain the efficient solution. Numerical results show the performance of the proposed NOMA-BC network over the pure NOMA network without BC.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy: a rare complication of acute viral gastroenteritis

Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy (TCM) is characterized by a transient but reversible ventricular dysfunction in post-menopausal females following, but not always, a recent emotional or physical stress. Typically, chest pain is reported as a presenting symptom in the majority of patients. The severe diarrheal illness secondary to acute viral gastroenteritis is not commonly reported as the stressor event prior to TCM. We report a unique case of a middle-aged male presented with syncope shortly after loose bowel movements. He was diagnosed with TCM and was successfully managed with supportive care. The purpose of this case is to make clinicians aware of this rare association