Gender Wise Distribution of Income Using L-Moments Method

The main purpose of this work is to explore the income distribution of both male and female in Pakistan over the period of 2010-2011. For this purpose, the lognormal distribution with known parameters is used as a model and its unknown parameters are estimated by three methods that are likelihood, moments and L-moments. The results show that citizens of Pakistan are not equal in income and the probability plot suggested that the income of the male is greater than that of a female in Pakistan. Moreover, for small sample size, the best method of parameters estimation is the L-moments, while, for large sample size the best method is a maximum likelihood. Findings of the study suggest that suitable policy is required to maintain equality in income distribution in the country. It will consequently reduce the gap among rich and poor and will certainly improve social welfare

The Impact of Leadership Styles on Employee Wellbeing and Resilience during COVID-19: A Partial Least Square Approach

Purpose:The purpose of this research is to investigate the impact of leadership styles on employee well-being and resilience in private universities in Peshawar during COVID-19. The role of leadership in reducing stress and improving mental and physical health was not investigated in COVID-19, and this area is particularly understudied in the Pakistani context.Methodology:Data has been collected from 203 faculty members of 10 private-sector universities in Peshawar using an adapted questionnaire. The respondents include lecturers, assistant professors, and full professors working in private-sector universities.Findings:Using the partial least square regression, it is found that charismatic leadership, intellectual stimulation, personal recognition, contingent reward, and management by exception have positive and significant relationships with employee well-being and resilience in private sector universities in Peshawar.Conclusion:The conclusion is that leaders should use both transformational and transactional leadership styles in their organizations. They should also pay attention to the well-being and resilience of their employees in the workplace

Isolation, characterization, pharmacological evaluation and in silico modeling of bioactive secondary metabolites from Ziziphus oxyphylla a member of Rhamnaceae family

Purpose: To investigate the pharmacological properties of the medicinally active metabolites of Ziziphus oxyphylla. Methods: Compound I-IV were isolated form the root of Ziziphus oxyphylla (compound I = Stigmasterol, II = Betulinic acid, III = 1,2,3 benzene triol and IV = 5-Pentadecanoic acid). Various spectroscopic techniques were used to identify and characterize the isolated compounds. DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1- picrylhydrazyl) and ABTS (2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) assays were employed to determine the antioxidant potentials of these compounds. The acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) inhibition potential of the isolated compounds were also evaluated. Results: Amongst the isolated compounds, compound IV was the most potent antioxidant against DPPH and ABTS free radicals, exhibiting half-maximal concentration (IC50) values of 64 and 65 μg/mL, respectively. All the compounds exhibited good inhibition of acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase. However, stigmasterol was more potent than the other isolated compounds, showing IC50 of 85.10 ± 1.45 and 84.81 ± 1.17, respectively, against AChE and BChE. Conclusion: Although, all isolated compounds inhibited the selected free radicals (DPPH and ABTS) and cholinesterases, stigmasterol and 5-penatadecanoic acid were more potent than other two compounds. Thus the former can potentially be used to treat oxidative stress and neurodegenerative diseases. Keywords: Ziziphus oxyphylla, Stigmasterol, 5-Pentadecanoic acid, Antioxidant, Acetyl Cholinesterase, Butyryl cholinesteras

Sedentary behaviour and physical activity levels in employees of Khyber Medical University Peshawar

Introduction: The increase in sedentary behaviour and decrease in physical activity levels are some of the contributing factors to many of the non-communicable diseases. These non-communicable diseases included obesity, type-II diabetes and cardiovascular problems. Apart from causing financial burden on health care system, these diseases have been reported to cause nearly 1.9 million premature deaths per year. The aim of the study was to measure sedentary behaviour and physical activity levels among employees of Khyber Medical University, Peshawar. Material & Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted on employees of Khyber Medical University, Peshawar. The total sample size was 172 and the data was collected through convenience sampling by using International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) long form. This questionnaire measures physical activity levels and sedentary behaviour at work. Results: Out of 172 participants, 154 (89.5%) were male and 18 (10.4%) were female with a mean age of 34.4 ± 2 years. According to the levels of physical activity, 49 (28.5%) were less active, 63 (36.6%) were moderately active and 60 (34.9%) were highly active. The average time spent by the participants for sitting was (8.93 ± 2.35) hours per day. A total of 73.8%, 23.3 % and 2.9% participants could be categorised as having high, moderate and low sedentary behaviour, respectively. Conclusion: Majority of the participants (two-thirds of the participants) demonstrated a high sedentary behaviour and therefore, needed modification in their daily routine

ASSESSMENT OF PATIENT’S SATISFACTION RECEIVING TREATMENT AT PHYSICAL THERAPY OUT-PATIENT DEPARTMENT OF HAYATABAD MEDICAL COMPLEX PESHAWAR

Introduction: Patient satisfaction is an important indicator of the quality of care given to patients in the health care system. It helps the clinician to know about the exact and objective feedback of the services they provide and to improve the quality and outcome of patient care. Patient satisfaction in physical therapy has not been closely monitored, and limited research exists in the field of health services in this area. The purpose of this study was to measure the patient's satisfaction at the physiotherapy OPD of Hayatabad medical complex Peshawar. Material & Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted from October 2018 to January 2019 to measure patient satisfaction. MedRisk patient satisfaction questionnaire by Beattie et al (2005) was used for data collection. The questionnaire was distributed among 125 participants at the physiotherapy OPD of Hayatabad medical complex Peshawar by non-probability convenient sampling. SPSS version 20 was used for data analysis. Results: A total of 125 participants were recruited of which more than half were female (n=70, 56%) and male (n=55,44%) with a mean age of 41.88±12.23. The chief complaint participants presented with was shoulder pain (n=29, 23.2%) followed by low back pain (n=24,19.2%). Patients were satisfied and responded positively to all the MedRisk patient satisfaction questionnaire statements. When asked the participants “My therapist treats me respectfully” (n=4,3.2%) disagree, (n=4,3.2%) neutral responses, and (n=117,93.6%) agree. When inquired about the time therapist spend with participants (n=111, 88.8%) disagree, (n=14, 11.2%) agree. “My therapist thoroughly explains the treatment(s) I receive” (n=3,2.4%) disagree, (n=3,2.4%) neutral response and (n=119,95.2%) agree. “Overall, I am completely satisfied with the services I received from my therapist” (n=1,0.8%) disagree, (n=7,5.6%) neutral response, (n=117,93.6%) agree. No significant correlation was found between gender and patient satisfaction as the p-value was greater than 0.05. Conclusion: This cross-sectional survey showed a high level of patient satisfaction with physiotherapy and good quality care to the patient by a professional therapist in physiotherapy OPD of Hayatabad medical complex Peshawar

Antimicrobial, Antioxidant and Cytotoxic Potential of Aerial Parts of Monotheca buxifolia

In this study, different aerial parts of Monotheca Buxifolia were screened for their antibacterial, antifungal, and anti-oxidant activity. Extract of the fruit was most active against P. mirabilis, MSSA and M. morganii strains. Moreover, the methanolic fruit extract demonstrated good antibacterial properties against VRSA, S. aureus and Acinetobacter. Despite having good antibacterial properties, Monotheca buxifolia showed low antifungal activity. The cytotoxic activity was the highest in the pet-ether fruit extract, causing 60% of lethality against Artemia salina larvae with LD50 at 3.307. The highest scavenging activity was shown by the methanolic leaf extract in a concentration-dependent pattern. The findings of this study suggest that Monotheca Buxifolia has good antibacterial, antioxidant potential but low antifungal properties

Acaricides resistance in ticks : selection, diagnosis, mechanisms, and mitigation

Ticks are blood-feeding ecto-parasites that have a cosmopolitan distribution in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Ticks cause economic losses in the form of reduced blood, meat and dairy products, as well as pathogen transmission. Different acaricides such as organochlorines, organophosphates, formamidines (e.g. amitraz), synthetic pyrethroids, macrocyclic lactones, fipronil, and fluazuron are currently used sequentially or simultaneously to control tick infestations. Most acaricide treatments now face increasingly high chances of failure, due to the resistance selection in different tick populations against these drugs. Acaricide resistance in ticks can be developed in different ways, including amino acid substitutions that result in morphological changes in the acaricide target, metabolic detoxification, and reduced acaricide entry through the outer layer of the tick body. The current literature brings a plethora of information regarding the use of different acaricides for tick control, resistance selection, analysis of mutations in target sites, and resistance mitigation. Alternatives such as synergistic use of different acaricides, plant-derived phytochemicals, fungi as biological control agents, and anti-tick vaccines have been recommended to avoid and mitigate acaricide resistance. The purpose of this review was to summarize and discuss different acaricides applied for tick control, their mechanisms of action and resistance selection, genetic polymorphisms in their target molecules, as well as the approaches used for diagnosis and mitigation of acaricide resistance, specifically in Rhipicephalus microplus ticks

Identification of Proteins Differentially Expressed in the Striatum by Melatonin in a Middle Cerebral Artery Occlusion Rat Model—a Proteomic and in silico Approach

Ischemic stroke is characterized by permanent or transient obstruction of blood flow, which initiates a cascading pathological process, starting from acute ATP loss to subsequent membrane depolarization, glutamate excitotoxicity, and calcium overload. Melatonin is a potent antioxidant that exerts protective effects in different experimental stroke models. In this study, melatonin effects were demonstrated by a proteomic and in silico approach. The proteomic study identified differentially expressed proteins by 2D gel electrophoresis in the striatum 24 h after middle cerebral artery occlusion. Proteomic analysis revealed several proteins with aberrant expression and was validated by western blot and immunofluorescence analysis. Homology modeling was performed to build 3D structures for γ-enolase, thioredoxin (TRX), and heat shock 60 (HSP60) by the template crystal structures using a protein data bank as a sequence database. The structure refinement of each model was achieved by energy minimization via molecular dynamic simulation, and the generated models were further assessed for stability by Procheck and ProSA. The models were processed for docking analysis using AutoDock Vina, and post-docking analysis was determined by discovery studio. The proteomic study showed decreased expression of γ-enolase, TRX, and protein phosphatase 2A subunit B and increased expression of collapsin response mediator protein 2 and HSP60 in the striatum after ischemic injury. Treatment with melatonin modulated the expression profiles of these proteins. This study demonstrated the neuroprotective role of melatonin in the ischemic striatum using a proteomic and in silico approach. Collectively, melatonin may act in a multimechanistic way by modulating the expression of several proteins in the ischemic striatum