Pediatric leukemia related depression in Pakistan

The purpose of this letter is to describe the problem facing during and after the treatment of pediatric leukemia. Depression and anxiety are the most leading challenges faced by children and its family. Anti-depressant used to cope this problem but they have many side effects. So, timely proper diagnosis, good healthy behavior of health care professionals and nurses and positive psychological therapy may be useful to reduce the stress level, effectiveness of social stigma, anxiety and hopelessness in Pediatric leukemia survivor children. By implementation of positive psychological therapy in government hospitals of Pakistan rate of better progression recovery after chemotherapy in pediatric leukemic patients towards the stress free life could be possible.Pediatric leukemia is preponderant malignancy in children under age 18 in Punjab, Pakistan. It is most eminent cancer among the children in which body produces abnormal immature lymphoblast which do not form a mature lymphocyte for normal functioning of body [1]. Leukemia is an assemblage of disorders that affect the blood making tissues in spleen and in many other parts such as bone marrow and lymphatic system. The leukemia means “white blood” because it is specifically associated with the white blood cell (leukocytes) proliferation. Production of specified blood cells from stem cells are formed according to requirement of body by hematopoiesis process. In leukemia myeloid or lymphoid cells are defected.According to Punjab Cancer Registry report 2018, 3.5% leukemia frequently reported in all age groups in both genders, 3.4% in adult males and 14.9% acute lymphoblastic leukemia in children age group less than 18 years old. This is a most common cancer among children in 2018 [1]. From 2018 to 2022 the rate of leukemia is increased among all groups such as 3.9% in all age groups including both genders and 25% (acute lymphoblastic leukemia) in childrenPediatric type of cancers such as leukemia are mostly treated by parental expenses and many variables related to family, are strongly associated with the health outcome, morbidity and mortality of children. Its diagnosis and therapies may have confrontational psychological executes on child and his family. Anxiety is first significant problem faced by Leukemic patient and its parents at post diagnosis of disease and depression is continuous mental state during treatment [3]. Cancer survivors have deep fear of loneliness, hopelessness, depression, anxiety and social stigma. Family caregivers are the hidden sufferer of this psychological disorder. Their social, economic and emotional life are strongly disturbed and neurotic [4, 5]. The whole process from duration of treatment of children to their survival after illness is challenging task for both parents and children, physically and psychologically which influenced the family structure and function [6].Mostly people in developing countries like Pakistan has no formal care on this issue, this can lead towards depressed life even after successful treatment. Pharmacological treatments such as antidepressant drugs are used to cure for depression. But due to side effects of anti-depressant, patients are not adhering to this type of cure and prefer to choose non pharmacological treatments to reduce the anxiety. Positive thinking is one of the best psychiatric treatments [7]. Positive psychotherapy relief the patients from stress by encouraging more positive emotions and meetings rather direct targeting the symptoms of depression and anxiety [8].Positive psychological conciliation and healthy behavior of health care professionals is the good contrivance for cultivating positive behavior, emotions and cognition for healthy quality of life in leukemia survival. Psycho educational programs are eloquently escalated hope in child and his family and return towards the healthy happy life after depressed process of treatment [9]. Routine mental screening for anxiety and evaluation of parental functioning are significant methods which is helpful to identify the target patient with family who suffered with high level of depression. Psychological assessment surveys and distress thermometer may be important useful tool can be used by health care professional or nurses during checkup for better evaluation [10]. A significant number of leukemia patients in different hospitals of Pakistan experienced with disturbed depressed psychological mental state. Government of Pakistan should take all these approaches with positive psychological conciliation, practically in hospitals in different phases of cancer such as pediatric leukemia treatment, to help the child to cope with depression and escalating stress-free life expectancy.Keywords: Leukemia; Depression   

Hyperhomocysteinemia: The independent risk factor of cardiovascular diseases

Hyperhomocysteinemia (Hcy) is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and associated with primary causes of mortality and morbidity throughout the world. Association between Hcy and CVD has been a question for biologists over the last five decades. The circulating levels of Hcy can be increased by defects in enzymes involved in the metabolism of several B and therefore for homocysteine.  Although researchers have yielded conflicting findings on the link between homocysteine and CVD risk, but there is convincing evidence on link between B vitamin deficiencies and increased CVD risk. This review identifies the research conducted on this subject matter and provides a framework for the factors associated with Hcy and CVD.Keywords: Hyperhomocysteinemia; CVD; Methionine; Homocystein

Diagnostic accuracy of Calypte HIV-1 Urine EIA kit in Pakistan

Background: HIV is one of the major public health issues of modern world. The elevation in numbers calls for increased and efficient diagnostic testing protocols. A great number of HIV diagnostic tests have been approved and in use in the developed world but developing countries are still lagging in terms of testing HIV. These reasons are the motives behind this study which is aimed at testing the accuracy and use of Calypte HIV-1 Urine EIA in the Pakistani population.Methods: 516 subjects are included in the study from different HIV centers of Pakistan. The test results of Calypte-HIV-1 Urine EIA were compared with the routinely used 3-kit method.Results: The results exhibited 100% specificity but low sensitivity (74.67%). However, the positive predictive value and negative predictive value were 100% and 52.94%, respectively. Overall accuracy result for this kit was observed to be 81.40% for Calypte HIV-1 Urine EIA in the selected sample.Conclusion: Pakistan has a low population prevalence of HIV and keeping in view of the WHO recommended guidelines for HIV testing, the use of Calypte HIV-1 Urine EIA is not ideal in the current scenario. Even though the test can be of great value in high prevalence populations and can be an excellent means of surveillance procedures, it is not as fit to be used in diagnostic settings in the current situation in developing countries

Genotypic and computational sequence analysis of ALADIN gene causing Allgrove syndrome

Background: Allgrove syndrome is autosomal recessive disorder, the gene involved in this syndrome is known as ALADIN located close to type 2 keratin gene cluster on chromosome 12q13 whose function is to control the nucleocytoplasmic trafficking and also affects the nuclear pore complexes. Mutation in this gene cause triple A syndrome. The aim of research was to analyze the mutational changes in ALADIN gene, formation of 3D Structure of normal and mutated protein and differentiation of normal and mutated protein.Methods: Genotyping by using tetra arm PCR and Sequence analyses of coding region of ALADIN gene was done in two families having affected children with Allgrove’s syndrome.Results: Point mutation in exon 1 and alteration in 3D structure of protein was observed by using VMD (Visual molecular dynamics) that shows truncation, absence of few amino acid and structural modification of proteins which alters in transportation ability.Conclusion: It is concluded from the study that proper structure and function of NPC (nuclear pore complex) binding protein is necessary in normal body function and if any mutation is present in ALADIN gene it can cause symptoms of rare Allgrove’s syndrome.Keywords: ALADIN gene; 3D protein structure; Triple A syndrom

Recommendations and guidelines from the ISMRM Diffusion Study Group for preclinical diffusion MRI: Part 1 -- In vivo small-animal imaging

The value of in vivo preclinical diffusion MRI (dMRI) is substantial. Small-animal dMRI has been used for methodological development and validation, characterizing the biological basis of diffusion phenomena, and comparative anatomy. Many of the influential works in this field were first performed in small animals or ex vivo samples. The steps from animal setup and monitoring, to acquisition, analysis, and interpretation are complex, with many decisions that may ultimately affect what questions can be answered using the data. This work aims to serve as a reference, presenting selected recommendations and guidelines from the diffusion community, on best practices for preclinical dMRI of in vivo animals. In each section, we also highlight areas for which no guidelines exist (and why), and where future work should focus. We first describe the value that small animal imaging adds to the field of dMRI, followed by general considerations and foundational knowledge that must be considered when designing experiments. We briefly describe differences in animal species and disease models and discuss how they are appropriate for different studies. We then give guidelines for in vivo acquisition protocols, including decisions on hardware, animal preparation, imaging sequences and data processing, including pre-processing, model-fitting, and tractography. Finally, we provide an online resource which lists publicly available preclinical dMRI datasets and software packages, to promote responsible and reproducible research. An overarching goal herein is to enhance the rigor and reproducibility of small animal dMRI acquisitions and analyses, and thereby advance biomedical knowledge.Comment: 69 pages, 6 figures, 1 tabl

Examining the Impact of Ethical Leadership on Teams Knowledge Sharing

Purpose: This study aims to explore the relationship between the ethical leadership behavior of project managers working on the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and knowledge sharing in organizations, by relating Kant’s Ethical theory. Design/Methodology/Approach: The study was quantitative in nature. Data was collected through survey method from 310 employees working on CPEC projects. Results showed the positive impact of ethical leadership of CPEC project managers on moral motivation, ethical culture, and knowledge sharing in project teams.. Findings: A very strong effect was observed with both mediators i-e; ethical culture of CPEC organization and moral motivation of project teams. Ethical Leadership of Project Managers working on the CPEC project in Pakistan significantly impact Knowledge Sharing in project teams. Implications/Originality/Value: The most significant implication as the authors observed that presence of a mediating effects of the project team’s moral motivation for knowledge sharing and ethical culture of CPEC Organizations in a relationship between the project manager’s ethical leadership and the project team’s knowledge sharing. The highest impact on knowledge sharing is observed when both mediator’s, direct and indirect effects are tested in a relationship between project managers' ethical leadership and the project team’s knowledge sharing

Sexually transmitted infections and associated risk factors among the transgender population of Pakistan

Abstract Background Transgender (TG) people are key drivers for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) all over the world. There is substantial evidence that STIs are associated with an increased likelihood of risky sexual behavior however little is known about the prevalence of STIs (HIV, HBV, HCV, and Syphilis) among HIV infected transgender population in Pakistan. Methods The current study investigated the seroprevalence of four STIs and associated socio-demographic risk factors among TGs of Punjab, Pakistan from July 2019 to June 2021. The samples were tested serologically and final confirmation was done through PCR for HIV, HBV, and HCV. Results A total of 1,562 transgenders cross-sectional descriptive records of the Punjab AIDS Control Program (PACP) were reviewed during the period from July 2019 to June 2021. The serological results evidenced that 533 (34.1%) had one pathogen, 309 (19.8%) had two or more (multiple) infections. The most predominant mono-infection among the transgender population was Syphilis 324 (20.7%) followed by HCV 114 (7.3%), HIV 69 (4.4%), and HBV 26 (1.7%). The highest proportions of Infections were found in TG residing in urban areas (68.6%) as compared to rural areas (31.4%). The seropositivity of all STIs was predominantly increased in Sex worker TGs i-e 55%, 46.5%, 38.5%, and 41.8% in HIV, HBV, HCV, and Syphilis respectively. Among 280 HIV-infected Transgender, 177 (63.2%) had Syphilis co-infections. While 87 (31%) and 47 (16.8%) HIV-infected individuals had HC and HBV co-infection respectively. Conclusion Transgender is neglected population group in society. All STIs were predominantly common among sex worker transgenders, Illiterate educational groups, and TGs residing in urban areas. There is a need to spread awareness about STIs, preventive strategies, and facilitation to health care programs in this high-risk population group

Quad-Band 3D Rectenna Array for Ambient RF Energy Harvesting

This paper presents a quad-band, 3D mountable rectenna module for ambient energy harvesting. With the aim of powering up Internet of Things (IoT) nodes in practical ambient environments, a hybrid approach of combining power, both at RF and DC, is adopted using 98 MHz FM band, GSM900 (Global System for Mobile Communications), GSM1800, and Wi-Fi 2.4 GHz band. A dual polarized cross-dipole antenna featuring asymmetric slots as well as central ring structure enables multiband response and improved matching at the higher three frequency bands, whereas a loaded monopole wire antenna is used at the lower FM band. Four identical multiband antennas are placed in a 3D cubic arrangement that houses a 4-to-1 power combiner and matching circuits on the inside and the FM antenna on the top. In order to maintain stable rectenna output at varying input power levels and load resistances, a novel transmission line based matching network using closed form equations is proposed. Integrated in form of a 10 × 10 × 10 cm3 cube using standard FR4 substrate, the rectenna generates a peak output voltage of 2.38 V at −10 dBm input power. The RF to DC conversion efficiency is 70.28%, 41.7%, 33.37%, and 27.69% at 98 MHz, 0.9 GHz, 1.8 GHz, and 2.4 GHz, respectively, at −6 dBm. The rectenna also exhibits a measured conversion efficiency of 31.3% at −15 dBm for multitone inputs in ambient environment. The promising results in both indoor and outdoor settings are suitable to power low power IoT devices

Diagnosis of Acute Dengue Virus Infection Using Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay and Real-Time PCR

Dengue fever is a viral infection caused by the dengue virus and is a growing concern for public health worldwide, particularly in tropical and subtropical regions. This study aimed to assess the diagnostic accuracy of a commercially available NS1 ELISA kit for dengue fever in Pakistan using multiplex qRT-PCR as the gold standard. The study recruited 1236 suspected cases of dengue fever admitted to public sector hospitals in Lahore, Pakistan. Of the suspected cases, 610 (49.3%) were confirmed positive for DENV infection through qRT-PCR, with all four serotypes detected. DENV-2 was the most prevalent serotype, detected in 95.7% of cases. The NS1 ELISA kit detected 71.1% of the positive cases. However, the diagnostic accuracy of the NS1 ELISA kit was found to be only 64.89%. Of the 610 confirmed cases, 68% were male and 32% were female, with a median age of 30 years. Dengue fever was diagnosed in 91.8% of cases, while 8.2% were diagnosed with dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF). DHF patients had a higher prevalence of abdominal pain, hemorrhagic manifestations, and thrombocytopenia. The cocirculation of all four DENV serotypes in Lahore is concerning and could lead to more severe forms of the disease, such as DHF or dengue shock syndrome, in the future. The study highlights the low diagnostic accuracy of commercially available NS1 ELISA kits and emphasizes the importance of using molecular methods to confirm acute dengue infections. Given the increasing prevalence of dengue fever in developing countries like Pakistan, more accurate and reliable diagnostic tools are needed for effective disease management and control