Emotional Distress Among Pediatric Cancer Patients and their Siblings

Objectives: Cancer being a serious chronic illness, causes profound effects on physical and mental health of the individual as well as affects their caregivers and family members' mental health. This study aims to find out the burden of emotional distress in patients of childhood cancer as well as their healthy siblings. Methods: It was a descriptive cross-sectional study. Parents of the children undergoing cancer treatment or having completed treatment within past one year were asked to complete an interview proforma (Pediatric Emotional Distress Scale) about their child’s behaviour over past one month, scoring each behaviour on a scale of 1 to 5 according to the frequency of symptoms. The data was then analysed using SPSS 20. The frequency distribution, central tendencies and standard deviations were calculated accordingly. Results: Almost eighty-five% of the patients showed scores above the clinical threshold for emotional distress. Eighteen% of the healthy siblings also had scores above the clinical threshold. Patients as well as their healthy siblings showed high levels of anxiousness in their behaviours. Conclusions • Childhood cancer is a cause of major emotional trauma in patients. • Age-matched siblings usually cope well with the illness.

Spectrum of Malignant and Non-Malignant Hematological Disorders in a Tertiary Care Centre

Objective: To analyze the spectrum of malignant and non-malignant hematological disorders in our setup. Patients and Methods: This cross-sectional study was done in the Department of Pathology, Khyber Teaching Hospital, Peshawar, from 1st January -2016 to 30th December-2016. A total 352 patients underwent bone marrow biopsy during study period. About 15 patients had inadequate aspirate samples that were unfit for opinion. So these were excluded from the study. The remaining of 337 patients were included in the study. All patients of both sexes and all ages were included in the study. Bone marrow aspiration and biopsy was done, the slides were stained, examined and diagnosis was recorded. Data was analyzed by SPSS version 16 and results were drawn accordingly. Results: Among total 337 patients, there were 185 (55%) male and 152 (45%) females. Male to female ratio was 1.2:1. The median age of participants was 26 years and range was 9 months -72 years, (mean age was 36±17.8 years). Regarding pattern of hematological illnesses, commonest non-malignant disorder was Megaloblastic anemia. Among malignant hematological illnesses, frequent disorder was Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Conclusion: Megaloblastic anemia, Hemolytic anemia, and Aplastic anemia are common non-malignant hematological disorders in our setup. Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, Acute Myeloid Leukemia and Multiple Myeloma are common malignant hematological disorders in our set up.&nbsp

Calibration factor of track etch detectors at different temperatures of water

Due to the character of the original source materials and the nature of batch digitization, quality control issues may be present in this document. Please report any quality issues you encounter to [email protected], referencing the URI of the item.Includes bibliographical references.Issued also on microfiche from Lange Micrographics.Research was performed to determine track density as a function of radon exposure in water and exposure temperature for the track etch detectors Kodak LR II 5 Type 2 and CR-39. Films were submerged in water containing a known concentration of dissolved radon for graduated exposure times. Many different experimental techniques were conducted to confirm the detector's linear response. The results show that the track densities of track detectors LR II 5 Type 2 and CR-3 9 increase linearly with the increase of integrated radon exposures in water. The CR-39 etch detector is observed to be more sensitive to alpha particles than LR 115 Type 2 film. The exposure period ranged from 1 to 10 days. The linearity test was done at room temperature. The actual radon concentration in the water sample was determined by liquid scintillation counting. A calibration factor (tracks c@/kBq-hr L-1) is required to convert the detector response to a radon concentration estimate. The calibration factors for LR I 1 5 Type 2 etch detectors were derived from the observed track densities of each film and its corresponding integrated radon exposure in water held at different temperatures. The results indicates that the LR II 5 Type 2 calibration factor is strongly dependent on exposure temperature, as the temperature increases, so does the track density per integrated exposure time. The LR II 5 Type 2 results suggest that calibration factors as a function of water temperature should be determined for CR-39 and other track etch detector types

C -Reactive Protein, Leukocyte Count and Neutrophils: A Diagnostic Aid in Acute Appendicitis

Background: Malnutrition is known to be a poor prognostic factor affecting the outcome of pediatric cancers. The objective of this study was to assess the pre-existing malnutrition in newly diagnosed pediatric cancer patients presenting at the Pediatric Oncology Department, Children Hospital, PIMS and their number of hospital admissions due to causes other than chemotherapy. Methodology: Data of 44 newly diagnosed children with cancer was analyzed to find out the association of nutritional status according to z-score for weight and height for age, body mass index (BMI) and mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) with their number of hospital admissions for 6 months since their date of diagnosis. Results: The mean age of the study subjects was 4.25 ± 2.85 years, out of which 33(75%) were males and 11(25%) females. Most of the patients were diagnosed with leukemia or lymphoma.  Nutritional status evaluation of thirty patients who got admitted was mild to moderate wasting in 24(80%) assessed by weight for age, mild to moderate stunting in 21 (70%) according to height for age and mild to severe malnutrition in 10 (33%) based on body mass index and mid upper arm circumference (MUAC). There was significant association between nutritional status of patients at the time of diagnosis with additional hospitalization with p value less than 0.05 Conclusion: Malnutrition at the time of diagnosis is significantly associated with an increase in the number of hospital admissions in pediatric cancer patients. Key words: Hospitalization, Malnutrition, Oncology, Pediatric &nbsp

Effects of Different Physical and Chemical Parameters on Phosphate Solubilization Activity of Plant Growth Promoting Bacteria Isolated from Indigenous Soil

The microorganisms play a vital role in fertility of soil and hence favors’ large group of plants. In present study we have successfully isolated certain bacteria from soil including both Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria and access their ability in phosphate solubilization. Effects of temperature, pH and different carbon sources, on phosphate solubilization, by these isolates were also determined. Low temperature 25 °C, pH between 5-7, and glucose as carbon source were found to be best for phosphate solubilization by most of the isolates. Present study highlights the importance of these plants growth promoting bacteria and their uses for agriculture purposes

Effects of Different Physical and Chemical Parameters on Phosphate Solubilization Activity of Plant Growth Promoting Bacteria Isolated from Indigenous Soil

The microorganisms play a vital role in fertility of soil and hence favors’ large group of plants. In present study we have successfully isolated certain bacteria from soil including both Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria and access their ability in phosphate solubilization. Effects of temperature, pH and different carbon sources, on phosphate solubilization, by these isolates were also determined. Low temperature 25 °C, pH between 5-7, and glucose as carbon source were found to be best for phosphate solubilization by most of the isolates. Present study highlights the importance of these plants growth promoting bacteria and their uses for agriculture purposes