Assessing the correlation between caffeine consumption and its effect on the academic performance of medical students of Shifa College of Medicine, Islamabad, Pakistan: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background:  To assess the correlation between caffeine consumption and its effect on the academic performance of medical students of Shifa College of Medicine, Islamabad, Pakistan. Methods:  A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in Shifa College of Medicine and its affiliated hospital for about three months from 10th June, 2019 till 15th August 2019. Second-year medical students actively took part in it. We used convenient sampling; a total of 101 students eagerly participated in it. We used a detailed self-administered questionnaire in which simplified questions with four to five options were given. Participants marked their responses to the provided options. A correlation was noticed between their Locomotive System and Gastrointestinal System modular exam scores with the questionnaire response. Data were analyzed by SPSS version 23.  Results:  Out of 101 participants, 51.5% were males, and 48.5% were females. About 77.2% of participants were consuming caffeine in any form, while 22.8% never consumed caffeine. Those who consumed moderate (200-400 mg) caffeine in any way performed better in the Locomotive System Module with a mean score of 71.88%. Simultaneously, those who consumed a lot more than 400 mg of caffeine scored better in the Gastrointestinal Tract Module with a mean score of 76.50%.  Conclusion:  By conducting this study, we identified that caffeine consumption is surprisingly high in medical students. The correlation between caffeine consumption and its effect on medical students’ performance is not significant.   Key Words: Academic performance, Caffeine consumption, Medical students. (Source: MeSH-NLM)

Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia in a child presenting as a solitary intracranial epidural mass

Acute Lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) is the most common childhood malignancy, CNS involvement occurs in 3-5% of the patients. We present a case of a 14-year-old boy who presented to us with nighttime fever, headache, and right-sided focal fits. Reports showed decreased platelets, increased WBC with predominant eosinophils and imaging showed a subgaleal, epidural and subdural collection. Bone marrow biopsy and CSF analysis were negative for any hematological malignancy. A biopsy and histopathology of the CNS lesion confirmed the diagnosis of Precursor B-cell Lymphocytic Leukemia. Although CSF analysis is useful for evaluating CNS involvement, ALL cannot be ruled out by negative CSF report

Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia in a child presenting as a solitary intracranial epidural mass

Acute Lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) is the most common childhood malignancy, CNS involvement occurs in 3-5% of the patients. We present a case of a 14-year-old boy who presented to us with nighttime fever, headache, and right-sided focal fits. Reports showed decreased platelets, increased WBC with predominant eosinophils and imaging showed a subgaleal, epidural and subdural collection. Bone marrow biopsy and CSF analysis were negative for any hematological malignancy. A biopsy and histopathology of the CNS lesion confirmed the diagnosis of Precursor B-cell Lymphocytic Leukemia. Although CSF analysis is useful for evaluating CNS involvement, ALL cannot be ruled out by negative CSF report

Incidence of Hematotoxic Effect of Snake Venom in Patients with Snake bite

Abstract: Objective: The main aim of this study was to find the incidence of hematotoxic effect of snake venom in patients with snake bite.Place and Duration: This study was carried out in a duration of 12 months from January 2018 to December 2018 in various hospitals of Lahore.Materials and Methods: 80 cases were selected which presented with the history of snake bite. Detailed history of the patient was taken and examination for symptoms like neurotoxicity and hematotoxicity was completed followed by lab investigations relating to hematotoxicity i.e. PT, APTT and complete blood profile to look for hematotoxicity. Informed consent was taken from all the patients.Results: Patients included in this study were between the ages of 22-30 years with the mean age of 26 years. Most commonly about (76%) males were the victims of the snake bite. Hematotoxic effect was seen in 57% of the cases while neurotoxicity was seen in 4.3% of the cases. Deranged levels of PT, APTT was seen in 45 (56.25%) of the snake bite victims, thrombocytopenia in 12 (15%) of the cases, bleeding from musculocutaneous site 5 (6.25%), bleeding from veni-puncture site 2 (2.5%), hematuria 15 (18.75%) and hematemesis 2 (2.5%) of the snake bite victims while neurotoxicity was seen in 4.3% of the cases having respiratory paralysis and ptosis in 100% of the cases.Conclusion: Serious health problems are associated with the toxicity caused by snake bite. Almost 2500 species of snakes are found all over the world and around 250 species are more common in Pakistan. Poisonous snakes are less common than non-poisonous but are more deadly.Keywords: Neurotoxic, hematototoxic, venom, myotoxic

Incidence Of Hypoparathyroidism After Total Thyroidectomy for Benign Goitres. A Systematic Review

Objective:  systematic review assessed the overall incidence of hypoparathyroidism after Total thyroidectomy (TT) for benign goitres. Methods: A systematic search of PubMed, google scholar, Cochrane, and Pakmedinet under PRISMA (preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and Meta-analyses) guidelines was performed. All studies during the last 50 years where TT was performed for benign goitres and post-operative hypoparathyroidism was assessed were included.  The total incidence of both transient and permanent hypoparathyroidism was calculated after TT for benign goitres. The risk of bias was also assessed. Results: Twelve studies were included in total including eight retrospective, three prospective observational studies, and one randomized trial. Three studies were from Turkey, 2 from Pakistan, 2 from Greece, and one each from Saudi Arabia, India, Denmark, Egypt, and the USA. 2809 TT were performed for benign goitres. Overall Transient hypoparathyroidism (THP) was noted in 290 (10%) patients while permanent hypoparathyroidism (PHP) was noted in 33(1.17%) patients. The highest incidence of permanent hypoparathyroidism was 17% in one study while the lowest was 0% in three studies. The highest incidence of transient hypoparathyroidism was 28.5% in one study while the lowest incidence was 2.5%. The risk of bias was high. Conclusion: TT for benign goitres is associated with 1.17 % overall risk (range 0%-17%) of PHP and 10% (range 2.5%-28.5%) of THP

Barriers in Social Distancing during Covid19 pandemic - Is a message for forced lockdown

The world currently faces the predicament of the fast-spreading COVID-19 which as of 21st April 2020 affects 210 countries over the globe. As the disease started spreading its shadow at an alarmingly rapid rate, new information about the novel coronavirus was extracted and it has been reported to be mainly transmitted directly from person-to-person, droplet spread by cough or sneezing or by fomites. Till an effective vaccine becomes available the most potent preventive measure that can be taken is for people to maintain distance and avoid gatherings. Importance of social distancing has been discussed on many forums and disseminated among the public but the problem arises when the practical implementation does not encompass the entirety of the theoretical concepts. Understanding the barriers that stand between applying social distance in community is imperative if authorities and public health sectors expect a substantial change in incident cases. It's imperative that measures should be taken to stop the spread of misinformation, and guide the masses regarding the importance of social distancing. Since the virus spreads by droplet transmission, so without these proper social distancing measures, the burden will increase and it will not be possible to put a stop to this pandemic

Fear of COVID-19 and workplace phobia among Pakistani doctors: A survey study

Background: The novel coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) has seriously affected the lives of millions of people across the world. It has also heavily burdened healthcare professionals and the virus poses serious risks for their personal and professional lives. Therefore, the present study examined the associations between fear of COVID-19 and workplace phobia among doctors in Pakistan during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: An online survey was conducted among 421 doctors in Pakistan between April 10 and May 25, 2020. The Workplace Phobia Scale (WPS) and the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S) were the main psychometric instruments used in this study. Results: There was a significant positive relationship between fear of COVID-19 and workplace panic anxiety and workplace avoidance behavior. Significantly higher fear of COVID-19 was found among (i) females compared to males, (ii) doctors with 5 years or less of work experience compared to those with more than 5 years, and (iii) postgraduate trainees compared with other ranks. Two groups (doctors who were above 30 years old and postgraduate trainees) were found to have higher levels of workplace phobia compared to their counterparts. Doctors with severe levels of fear of COVID-19 had significantly higher levels of workplace panic anxiety and workplace avoidance behavior. Conclusions: Fear of COVID-19 was significantly associated with workplace phobia which may negatively affect doctors' performance. Therefore, important steps are needed to protect doctors' health by providing sufficient resources to allay their fears and anxieties which consequently help them in carrying out their frontline duties in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Keywords: Avoidance behavior; Doctors; Fear of COVID-19; Workplace panic anxiety; Workplace phobia

Synthesis of Boron-Doped Zinc Oxide Nanosheets by Using Phyllanthus Emblica Leaf Extract: A Sustainable Environmental Applications

The use of Phyllanthus emblica (gooseberry) leaf extract to synthesize Boron-doped zinc oxide nanosheets (B-doped ZnO-NSs) is deliberated in this article. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) shows a network of synthesized nanosheets randomly aligned side by side in a B-doped ZnO (15 wt% B) sample. The thickness of B-doped ZnO-NSs is in the range of 20–80 nm. B-doped ZnO-NSs were tested against both gram-positive and gram-negative bacterial strains including Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumonia, and Escherichia coli. Against gram-negative bacterium (K. pneumonia and E. coli), B-doped ZnO displays enhanced antibacterial activity with 26 and 24 mm of inhibition zone, respectively. The mass attenuation coefficient (MAC), linear attenuation coefficient (LAC), mean free path (MFP), half-value layer (HVL), and tenth value layer (TVL) of B-doped ZnO were investigated as aspects linked to radiation shielding. These observations were carried out by using a PTW® electron detector and VARIAN® irradiation with 6 MeV electrons. The results of these experiments can be used to learn more about the radiation shielding properties of B-doped ZnO nanostructures

Exploring effectiveness of the programme evaluation practices used in the private educational organization in Karachi

This study aimed to explore the perceptions and experiences of the stakeholders of a Private Educational Organization about the effectiveness of the programme evaluation practices in improving the quality of the academic programmes. The programme evaluation has been in practice in this organization for the last many years with a belief that it has significantly helped the organization to improve and enhance the quality of the academic programmes. For over a decade now, various programme evaluation approaches have been used; however, so far there had been no concerted effort to know how the evaluation practices are perceived by the stakeholders, and whether these practices have really been helpful in improving the quality of the programmes. Hence, this study was conceptualized. For this study, the phenomenological approach was used to explore the perceptions and experiences of the key programme stakeholders of the organization. Nine individuals from the senior academic management were selected through purposive sampling, as they were involved in designing, planning, implementing and evaluating the academic programmes. The data was collected through semi-structured interviews. The data shows that whereas 1) there is consensus among key stakeholders that evaluation is a key tool for improvement of programme quality, 2) however, not all key respondents were clear about the purpose, approaches and outcome of the programme evaluation at the organizational level. This lack of clarity leads to the confusion in making appropriate judgment about the effectiveness of the evaluation practices as well as the quality of the programmes, and 3) the evaluation is not always an objective and simple phenomenon rather it is a complex process which is greatly affected and influenced by the beliefs, understanding, knowledge and professional hierarchies of the stakeholders in the organization