Antimicrobial Sensitivity Pattern for Urine Isolates in Urinary Tract Infection

Background: The increased frequency and management of antibiotic resistance pattern in urinary tract infection (UTI) is a challenging task for the clinicians. Therefore, the current study was planned to identify the microbial etiology of UTI and the most suitable antibiotics used. The objective of the study was to assess the frequency of antimicrobial sensitivity pattern in patients with urinary tract infection.Material and Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out at Al Sayed Hospital, Kidney Centre, Rawalpindi over a period of seven months i.e. June 30, 2018 to January 30, 2019. A total of 152 patients were enrolled according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria of the study. Urine culture proceedings were done as per latest recommended guidelines of Clinical and Laboratory Standard Institute (CLSI) for UTI.Results: Regarding overall sensitivity of antibiotics for the pathogens of urine culture, highest sensitivity was observed for carbapenems (83.5%), followed by polymyxin B (72.3%), phosphonic acid derivatives (65.8%), aminoglycoside group (65.7%), extended spectrum penicillin (63.1%), imidazolidinedione (59.9%) and tetracycline (59.9%) groups. The least sensitivity was observed for Oxazolidinone (linezolid) (14.5%), teicoplanin (13.8%), tigecycline (10.5%) and first-generation cephalosporins (1.3%).Conclusions: Carbapenems showed maximum sensitivity for all urine isolates. The second and third options were polymyxin B and phosphonic acid derivatives, respectively

Anatomical variations of intra-sphenoid sinus septations in a sample of Kashmiri population: a non-contrast computed tomography study

Background: The sphenoid sinus shows multitude of variations in pneumatization, size and pattern of septations leading to differences in its segmentation. Pre-operative knowledge of their attachment especially to posterolateral bony walls covering vital structures is of utmost importance for a safe trans-sphenoidal approach for various surgical procedures involving skull base. Non-contrast computed tomography (NCCT) with its ability to provide multiplanar reformations (MPR) with sharp algorithms is now a reference standard for visualization of these intra-sphenoid sinus septations preoperatively. The objective of this study was to determine the number and attachment of intra-sphenoid sinus septations in a Kashmiri population sample.Methods: NCCT head images of 591 patients in the age range of 16 to 75 years were analyzed retrospectively. Individuals with age less than 16 years, previous surgery involving skull base/sphenoid sinus, trauma causing hem sinus/fractures around skull base or having space occupying lesions around skull base/sphenoid sinus were excluded from the study. On the CT workstation multi-planar coronal, sagittal and axial reconstructions were performed and subsequently examined.Results: The age range was 16 to 75 years with mean age of 43.56 years of which 453 (76.6%) were males and 138 (23.4%) were females. Single intra-sphenoid septation was the most common anatomic variant in present study (79.7%) being complete in 71.7% and partial or incomplete in 8% of the examined subjects. Double septa were found in 11% inpresent study and more than 2 septae in 3.4%. After sellar attachment (51%) the next most common site of attachment was to the carotid canal (29.5%) (23% to left ICA and 6.5% to the right ICA).Conclusions: Intricate knowledge about sphenoid sinus, its pneumatization and anatomical variations in intra-sphenoid sinus septations and its relationship with the surrounding vital structures is of utmost importance before performing any endoscopic/open surgery involving skull base via trans-sphenoidal approach. The present study shows that a significant percentage of septal attachment to the carotid canal makes main sphenoidal septum as not so reliable landmark for endoscopic procedures as used to be in the pre-imaging era. Thus, preoperative CT is mandatory to avoid injuries to para-sellar neurovascular and glandular structures

GENDER DIVERSITY, CORPORATE GOVERNANCE AND FIRM PERFORMANCE IN MAJOR ASIAN ECONOMIES

This study analyzes the effects of gender diversity and corporate governance on firm’s performance in Asian major economies. The study finds positive and significance impact of gender diversity on firm’s performance. In addition, the study explored significant role of executive female directors as compared to non-executive female directors. The impact of board characteristics and ownership structure on firm’s performance were also examined and found the evidences of positive association of them with firm’s performance in most cases except India (where the state ownership exhibited negative impact on firm’s performance). The study also provides comparative analysis of developed and developing economies in Asia and reported significance role of female representation in emerging markets as compared to developed and overall markets results. Lastly, the study also confirms non-existence of reverse causality between gender diversity and firm’s performance by applying t-tests and breaking down the sample according to women participation in the corporate board. The results confirm the role of female representation on firm performance from tokenism to critical mass. Consequently, the results strongly suggest that gender diversity in firm’s board needs to be enhanced, compulsory laws being a key determinant to achieve the desired results in Asian context

Improving maize growth and development in relation to soil applied elemental sulfur

A field experiment was conducted to ascertain the effect of varying soil applied elemental sulfur (S) levels viz; 0, 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 kg ha, on maize growth and development. Experiment was conducted in randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replicates. Growth and development parameters were computed; included leaf area per plant LAI, LAD, CGR, NAR and TDM and experimental results revealed that increasing S levels were pragmatic in improving maize performance. However, soil applied elemental S @ 30 kg ha proved to be beneficial involved in growth and yield improvement. Maximum CGR (23.44 g m-2 d-1), NAR (6.23 g m-2 d-1) and LAI (4.85) was in plots where S was applied at 30 kg ha while least LAI (4.40), LAD (193.45 days), TDM (1178.13 kg ha) was in control treatment. Therefore, elemental S @ 30 kg ha was noted to be most suitable for sustainable maize production amongst all other treatments

GENDER DIVERSITY, CORPORATE GOVERNANCE AND FIRM PERFORMANCE IN MAJOR ASIAN ECONOMIES

This study analyzes the effects of gender diversity and corporate governance on firm’s performance in Asian major economies. The study finds positive and significance impact of gender diversity on firm’s performance. In addition, the study explored significant role of executive female directors as compared to non-executive female directors. The impact of board characteristics and ownership structure on firm’s performance were also examined and found the evidences of positive association of them with firm’s performance in most cases except India (where the state ownership exhibited negative impact on firm’s performance). The study also provides comparative analysis of developed and developing economies in Asia and reported significance role of female representation in emerging markets as compared to developed and overall markets results. Lastly, the study also confirms non-existence of reverse causality between gender diversity and firm’s performance by applying t-tests and breaking down the sample according to women participation in the corporate board. The results confirm the role of female representation on firm performance from tokenism to critical mass. Consequently, the results strongly suggest that gender diversity in firm’s board needs to be enhanced, compulsory laws being a key determinant to achieve the desired results in Asian context

Perceived Green Human Resource Management Practices and Corporate Sustainability: Multigroup Analysis and Major Industries Perspectives

Artigo publicado em revista científica internacionalThe substantial focus on achieving corporate sustainability has necessitated the implementation of green human resource management (GHRM) practices. The purpose of this paper is to reveal the industries’ perspective of the impact of GHRM practices (i.e., green recruitment and selection, green pay and rewards, and green employee involvement and green training) on corporate sustainability practices. Data were collected from 200 human resource professionals in major industrial sectors of a developing country. Partial least squares structural equation modelling was used to test the study hypotheses and multigroup analysis (MGA) between industrial sectors. The findings show a positive impact of three GHRM practices, i.e., green recruitment and selection, green pay and rewards, and green employee involvement on corporate sustainability. However, green training has no significant association with corporate sustainability, which is interesting. Furthermore, the multigroup analysis (MGA) revealed partial and significant differences among different sectors. The results provide more contextualized social, environmental, and economic implications to academics and practitioners interested in green initiatives. To date, limited research has been conducted to investigate whether GHRM practices can be an effective strategy in increasing corporate sustainability in a developing country context. Particularly, the industry’s perspective on the subject matter was rather absent in the existing literature. The present study fills this gap and contributes to the existing literature by providing the industry’s perspective on GHRM and corporate sustainability.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Establishment of Hand Rearing Protocols with Respect to Feeding, Physiological and Behavioral Aspects in Abandoned Lion Cubs at Safari Zoo Lahore

African lion (Panthera leo) being most attractive but vulnerable exhibit of zoos and safaris; need particular attention to breeding plans. At captive sites, lioness neglects newborns commonly; at that stage, hand rearing is preferred. This study will highlight the best practices for hand-rearing lion cubs, including knowledge of early medical issues along with their treatment during the first 4 months of growth. 34 lions (08Male: 17Females: 9Cubs) were housed on 15 acres during 2019-21 at Safari Zoo Lahore. A total of 04 lionesses were found entirely abandoned to 05 newborns (03 males & 02 females). The hand-rearing period was divided into four phases based on age and feeding protocol and every cub was offered formula milk with or without meat depending upon age. The average weight gain of all the cubs was recorded along with problems/ conditions faced during process. The male cub 3 was found highest in weight gain but statistically no age wise or sex wise difference in growth was observed. The major problems faced were constipation, diarrhea, hyperthermia, eye blindness, and hind quarter weakness in 100 %, 100 %, 40 %, 20 %, and 40 % animals, respectively. All five successfully hand-reared cubs were shifted to 03 sub- adult lion’s enclosures. The behavioral changes of all the lion cubs were also recorded concerning aggression while feeding and pacing in the enclosure, etc. The study outcomes the protocol for hand rearing abandoned lion cubs, which would ultimately be helpful to the zoo keepers and wildlife conservationists

Rapid dynamic speech imaging at 3 Tesla using combination of a custom vocal tract coil, variable density spirals and manifold regularization

Purpose: To improve dynamic speech imaging at 3 Tesla. Methods: A novel scheme combining a 16-channel vocal tract coil, variable density spirals (VDS), and manifold regularization was developed. Short readout duration spirals (1.3 ms long) were used to minimize sensitivity to off-resonance. The manifold model leveraged similarities between frames sharing similar vocal tract postures without explicit motion binning. Reconstruction was posed as a SENSE-based non-local soft weighted temporal regularization scheme. The self-navigating capability of VDS was leveraged to learn the structure of the manifold. Our approach was compared against low-rank and finite difference reconstruction constraints on two volunteers performing repetitive and arbitrary speaking tasks. Blinded image quality evaluation in the categories of alias artifacts, spatial blurring, and temporal blurring were performed by three experts in voice research. Results: We achieved a spatial resolution of 2.4mm2/pixel and a temporal resolution of 17.4 ms/frame for single slice imaging, and 52.2 ms/frame for concurrent 3-slice imaging. Implicit motion binning of the manifold scheme for both repetitive and fluent speaking tasks was demonstrated. The manifold scheme provided superior fidelity in modeling articulatory motion compared to low rank and temporal finite difference schemes. This was reflected by higher image quality scores in spatial and temporal blurring categories. Our technique exhibited faint alias artifacts, but offered a reduced interquartile range of scores compared to other methods in alias artifact category. Conclusion: Synergistic combination of a custom vocal-tract coil, variable density spirals and manifold regularization enables robust dynamic speech imaging at 3 Tesla.Comment: 30 pages, 10 figure

White Button Mushroom, Agaricus bisporus (Agaricomycetes), and a Probiotics Mixture Supplementation Correct Dyslipidemia without Influencing the Colon Microbiome Profile in Hypercholesterolemic Rats

Consumption of foods rich in dietary fiber has attracted considerable attention for lowering blood cholesterol and triglycerides through attenuation of gut microbiome. Diets rich in fiber may provide substrates for microbes to digest and proliferate. In response, products of microbial digestion enter systemic circulation and support host energy homeostasis. In the present study, rats with hypercholesterolemia (HC) were supplemented with probiotics (PB) and Agaricus bisporus mushroom to examine the antidyslipidemia effects. Forty adult rats were divided into five treatment groups. The rats in the control group were fed only a chow maintenance diet (CON; n = 8), whereas an atherogenic diet (chow diet supplemented with 1.5% cholesterol and 0.5% cholic acid) was offered to the remaining rats to induce hypercholesterolemia (HC group; n = 32). Rats developed HC following a 24-day continuous supplementation with the atherogenic diet. From day 25 onward, the HC group was further divided into HC-CON, HC-PB (supplemented with PB at 1 mg/rat/day), HC-AB (supplemented with A. bisporus at 5% of diet), and HC-AB.PB (supplemented with both A. bisporus and PB). After 6 weeks of supplementation, rats were killed to collect blood to determine serum lipid profile, oxidative stress, and for metagenomics analysis of colon contents. Results showed that all supplementations corrected HC-induced oxidative stress. Furthermore, A. bisporus supplementation corrected HC-induced dyslipidemia (P ≤ .05). Blautia and Bifidobacterium were the most dominant bacterial genera in HC-AB and HC-PB groups, respectively. Phylum Firmicutes and class Clostridia predominantly occupied the gut microbiome in all groups. However, no significant differences were observed in microbiome diversity and clustering patterns among study groups. In conclusion, supplementation of A. bisporus mushroom and probiotics can lower oxidative stress and dyslipidemia with partial effects on the phylogenetic makeup in the gut microbiome

Potencial de protección de las semillas Trachyspermum ammi en la nefrotoxicidad inducida por la gentamicina en modelo de conejo

La nefrotoxicidad es uno de los efectos secundarios más importantes limitaciones terapéuticas de los antibióticos aminoglucósidos, especialmente gentamicina. La nefrotoxicidad inducida por gentamicina implica generación de radicales libres, la reducción en el mecanismo de defensa antioxidante y la disfunción renal. Una serie de extractos de hierbas crudas tienen potencial para mejorar la nefrotoxicidad inducida por gentamicina debido a la presencia de varios compuestos antioxidantes. Por lo tanto, el objetivo del presente estudio fue evaluar la actividad protectora del extracto acuoso semillas de T. ammi contra la nefrotoxicidad inducida por gentamicina en conejos albinos. Los resultados mostraron que la gentamicina causó graves alteraciones en los parámetros bioquímicos séricos y los marcadores de riñón, junto con alteraciones severas en los tejidos renales. Sin embargo, el extracto de T. ammi, cuando se administra junto con la gentamicina, invierte la gravedad de la nefrotoxicidad inducida por gentamicina por la normalización de los indicadores de la función renal, por ejemplo, urea sérica, creatinina, nitrógeno ureico en sangre, albúmina y los parámetros de electrolitos séricos que indican el potencial nefroprotector de T. ammi. Del mismo modo, el extracto tiene la capacidad para aumentar la maquinaria enzimática antioxidante endógena mediante un aumento de la actividad de la enzima antioxidante catalasa y reduciendo el estado total de oxidante. El potencial nefroprotector fue confirmado por el examen histopatológico. El potencial nefroprotector podría ser debido a la presencia de compuestos polifenólicos antioxidantes en el extracto acuoso de semillas de T. Ammi