Efficacy of Oral Zinc Sulphate in the Treatment of Recalcitrant Common Warts

Background: To determine the efficacy of oral Zinc Sulphate in treatment of recalcitrant common warts.Methods: In this randomized control trial 90 patients with recalcitrant warts were randomly allocated to two groups by lottery method named Group A (Oral Zinc sulphate) and Group B (Placebo). Group A patients were given oral zinc sulphate in a dose of 10mg/kg to a maximum dose of 600mg/day for two months. Group B received glucose tablets as placeboResults: Out of 45 patients in oral zinc sulphate group, 28 (62.22%) patients had complete eradication or at least 75% reduction in number of warts noted at presentation. On the other hand in the placebo group only 2 (4.44%) patients had > 75% reduction in number of warts.In oral zinc sulphate group it was noted that only 6 (13.3%) patients had less than 50% reduction in no. of warts. 11 (24.4%) had 50-75% efficacy and majority 28 (62.2%) patients had > 75 % reduction in number of warts. In contrast, in the placebo group 33 patients (73.3%) had less than 50% reduction, followed by 10 (22.2%) patients having 50-75% reduction and only 2 (4.4%) patients had > 75% reduction in no. of wartsConclusion: Warts are common viral infection of skin caused by Human Papilloma Virus. Despite various treatment options available at times warts become recalcitrant. Oral zinc sulphate is an effective treatment option for recalcitrant multiple viral warts. Being oral therapy it is easy to take with less frequent follow up visits required

Indigenous Plants Based Biodiesel Resources in Pakistan

Biodiesel is an emerging solution for the present day concerns about rising oil prices and depletion of fossil fuel resources throughout the world. In current scenario due to shortage of energy resources, biodiesel is very good option for energy security in Pakistan. There are large arable lands with good climatic conditions for large biomass production of biodiesel yielding species. In this study data is compiled to identify plant species bearing seeds rich in oil for biodiesel production. Among them the most important are Pongamia pinnata, Brassica spp. and Ricinus communis. Bio fuel reduce dependence on imported petroleum with associated political and economic vulnerability, reduce green house gas emissions and other pollutants, and revitalize the economy by increasing demand and prices for agricultural products. This paper suggests decision makers in government of Pakistan to take initiative to develop project for commercial production of biodiesel by using indigenous plants based resources

Aquatic Plants of District Dera Ismail Khan, Pakistan

In this taxonomic account 18 aquatic plants, which are reported for the first time from Dera Ismail Khan District are presented. The species were Alternanthera sessilis (Linn.) DC., Azolla pinnata R. Br., Bacopa moneiri (Linn.) Pennell., Ceratophyllum demersum Linn., Eleocharis palustris (Linn.) R. Brown., Hydrilla verticillata Royle., Marselia quadrifolia Linn., Nelumbium nelumbo (Linn.) Druce., Nymphoide cristata Roxb.) O.Ketze., Phragmites karka (Retz.) Trin., Pistia stratiotes Linn., Polygonum barbatum Linn; Polygonum flaccidum Meissn., Potammogeton crispus Linn., Potamogeton nodosus Poiret, Spirodela polyrrhiza (Linn.) Schield, Typha domenginsis Pers., Typha elephantia Roxb

Medicinal Plants Used for Treatment of Prevalent Diseases in Northern Pakistan of Western Himalayas

In this research study, we have scientifically assessed medicinal species and herbal preparations used by inhabitants of Northern Pakistan to treat joint pain, hypertension, skin diseases and glottis infections. The aim of the study is to document and highlight the ethnopharmacological significance and compare the uses of medicinal herbs for curing prevalent ailments in Northern Pakistan. Ethnomedicinal data were collected from 180 informants using semi-structured interviews and group meetings. A total of 80 plant species in 54 families were reported for the treatment of various health conditions. Heliotropium lasiocarpum, Geranium wallichianum, Parkinsonia aculeata, Rubia cordifolia and Salvadora persica were the favored plants for curing these diseases. Highest RFC was recorded for Neolitsea chinensis (0.956), Rubia cordifolia (0.928). The similarity of the informer’s knowledge about used medicines was found in Aesculus indica and Abies pindrow with high UV. Cuscuta reflexa and Lawsonia inermis had 98–99% fidelity level for management of joint pain, skin diseases, glottis infection and hypertension respectively. In Northern Pakistan, a rich diversity of medicinal plants was used in curing various diseases. The results of this study help us in screening of herbal plants for further phytochemical and pharmacological study which leads to discovery of natural drug and development with global interest for cure of various ailments

Medicinal Plant Biodiversity used among the rural communities of Arid Regions of Northern Punjab, Pakistan

226-241One-third of the earth’s surface is categorized as arid. Arid regions throughout the world having unique biodiversity comprising of different climatic conditions. The current study focused on Medicinal Plant Biodiversity used among the rural communities of Arid regions of Northern Punjab, Pakistan. Total 225 households were interviewed by using a semi-structured questionnaire. By using different quantitative indices, results were analyzed that includes frequency of citation (FC), the relative frequency of citation (RFC), fidelity level (FL), Informant consensus factor (ICF) and use value (UV). In this study 98 plants, species were reported, used for medicinal purposes. Asteraceae was found to be a dominant family. The most frequently used parts were leaves (46%) as compared to other plants parts. The mostly used herbal medicinal preparation method was a powder (44%) as compared to decoction (43%), paste (20%). The highest ICF was reported for respiratory system disorders (Asthma, cold, chest problems, flue, and cough). The fidelity level varies from 50% to 96%. Species having the highest use value was Ficus benghalensis (0.16) while the plant species with the highest RFC was Ficus palmate (0.42). The findings exposed that medicinal plants are the main source of medicines for primary health care. Medicinal plants having high used value help to identify a phytochemical compound that are bio-active that are essential for the synthesis of new drugs for various diseases

Patient's Feedback Platform for Quality of Services via “Free Text Analysis” in Healthcare Industry

Data analysis of social media posting continues to offer a huge variety of information about the health situation faced by an individual. Social networking or social media websites provide us a wealth of information generated by users in a variety of domains, that generated information are unstructured and unlabeled and are not captured in an exceedingly systematic manner, as info generated is not humanly possible to process due to its size. One traditional way of collecting patients experience is by conducting surveys and questionnaires, as these methods ask fixed questions and are expensive to administer. In this paper, a patient feedback platform (PFP) using free text sentiment analysis is developed to computationally identify and categorize the polarity expressed in a piece of text. Six machine learning latest algorithms have been used as key evaluation for evaluating accuracy of the developed (PFP) model. Results achieved have shown 88 % accuracy on the basis of which it is recommended that developed (PFP) patient feedback platform could be used to improve E-health care services indeed

Comorbidity of COVID-19 related Fatalities in Tertiary Care Hospitals of Rawalpindi, Pakistan

Objectives: To assess the COVID-19 associated fatalities with respect to demographics, comorbidity, critical illness, and length of hospital stay in tertiary care hospitals. Subjects & Methods: A retrospective hospital data-based research was done among 216 COVID-19 associated mortalities registered in 4 tertiary care hospitals Holy Family Hospital (HFH), Benazir Bhutto Hospital (BBH), District Head Quarters Hospital (DHQ) and Rawalpindi Institute of Urology & Transplantation (RIU & T) affiliated with Rawalpindi Medical University from 29th March-15th June 2020. The data was gathered by consecutive sampling pertinent to demographics, hospital stay, comorbidity, critical illness, and ventilator or oxygen support. The length of hospital stay among fatalities with and without comorbidity was compared by an independent sample z-test. Data were analyzed by using SPSS version 25.0. Results: Of the total 216 COVID-19 related mortalities, 150(69.4%) were males and 66(30.6%) were females. The mean age of fatalities was 55.66 ± 13.97 years. About 76.7% of dying males were 41-70 years old while 56.1% of females dying of COVID-19 were 41-60 years old. Most (60.8%) of study subjects had hypertension followed by diabetes (53.8%), Ischemic Heart Disease (17.5%), and respiratory disorders (12.3%). About 75% of the critically ill patients needed a ventilator for respiratory support. Length of hospital stay was determined to have a statistically insignificant association (P > 0.10) with the presence or absence of comorbidity among COVID-19 patients. Critical illness had a highly significant association (P < 0.000) with ventilator support among COVID-19 related mortalities. Conclusion: People 41-70 years should preferably adopt stringent precautions for protection against COVID-19. Comorbid states chiefly hypertension, diabetes, cardiac and respiratory diseases need special consideration amid COVID-19 pandemic to abstain from adverse health outcomes