Factors of Homicide in the Punjab: Evidence from Convicted Prisoners

The main purpose of the present research was to analyze socio-economic and politico-legal factors of execution of murder in Punjab, Pakistan. In the recent era, multiple factors are contributing and motivating individuals to commit murder and face court proceedings. For the current study, a survey method was conducted to collect information from the convicted prisoners. A proportionaterandom sampling technique was employed to draw a sample for eight jails of the Punjab province. A sample size of 367 prisoners was drawn from the target population. Pretesting was done and the value of Cronbach’s Alpha was ranging from .70 to .90. Furthermore, Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was employed to test the hypotheses. The study findings showed that there is a significant impact of socio-economic and politico-legal factors on the execution of the murder. Moreover, the results supported the argument that family, property and land disputes, revenge and enmity, involvement in the robbery, and social interaction with criminals had a significant impact on the execution of the murder. Furthermore, Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), Amos,and Statistica were used to analyze data and to draw conclusions

Stress-related growth of HIV/AIDS patients: role of religion and self-esteem in mitigating perceived discrimination

Objectives: Objectives of present research were to i) examine association between levels of religiosity, self-esteem, perceived discrimination and stress related growth among HIV/AIDS Patients and ii) find out the mediating effect of self-esteem on perceived discrimination and stress related growth among HIV/AIDS Patients. Methods: It was a cross sectional study. The respondents were registered in VCCT (Voluntary Confidential Counseling & testing) center at Civil Hospital of Jalal Pur Jattan, Gujrat. Total sample of 247 patients was selected on the basis of two stage stratified simple random sampling technique. After taking verbal consent from respondents, data was collected from HIV/AIDS patients by using a structured questionnaire. Analysis was performed by using SPSS version 21 Results: Results of descriptive analysis showed that majority of respondents belonged to age group 29-37 (39.5%). Educational attainment of majority of the respondents was 6-11 years (38.3%), whereas, 27.4% of the respondents had monthly household income between Rs.10001-20000. Conclusion: Results of correlation and regression analysis showed that level of religiosity and self-esteem had significant effects in reducing perceived discrimination among HIV/AIDS patients. The reduced perceived discrimination further assisted in improving the stress related growth among respondents. Based on the findings it is suggested that special programs for accelerating stress related growth among HIV/AIDS patients by enhancing their self-esteem may be arranged and most importantly this issue may be raised in the religious sessions to discuss it and for removing the related stigma. It would be helpful for HIV/AIDS patients to cope with the disease. Continuous..

Academic Research International DETERMINANTS OF LABOR FORCE PARTICIPATION OF MARRIED WOMEN: A CASE STUDY OF DISTRICT GUJRAT

ABSTRACT This paper examines determinants of labor force participation of married women i

Specific Learning Disorder among Primary School Children of Sarai Alamgir

Objective: To examine the frequency of specific learning disorder (SLD) among primary school children of Sarai Alamgir, Pakistan. Methods: The current cross-sectional study was conducted from January to July 2018 in Sarai Alamgir. Multistage stratified sampling technique was used to select the sample from target population (N=914) of school children studying in 3rd and 4th class of six primary schoolsof Sarai Alamgir, Pakistan.Sample of n=837 children was selected through the Taro Yamane formula. Structured Clinical Diagnostic Interviews based on DSM-V (APA, 2013) diagnostic criteria of specific learning disorder were used to collect data. Children were approached in their classes. Screening tool was applied on all selected children to screen out the vulnerable cases. After screening the vulnerable cases, diagnostic criteria of different specific learning disorders were applied on all vulnerable cases. The frequencies and percentages were analyzed to see the frequency  of learning disorder among children. Results:Findings indicate that 174 (20.7%) children were vulnerable to specific learning disorders out of sample of 837 children. Total 13 (7.5%) children were diagnosed as suffering from different specific learning disorders from vulnerable participants. From vulnerable cases, 1(7.7%) childfulfilled the diagnostic criteria of reading impairment, 3 (23.1%) were diagnosed with mathematics impairment, 4 (30.8%) with multiple impairments in mathematics and writing, 1 (7.7%) with multiple impairments in mathematics and reading, 1 (7.7%) with multiple impairments in reading and writing, and 3 (23.1%) children were diagnosed as suffering from multiple impairments in mathematics, reading and writing. Continuous..

Challenges of pediatric anesthesia services and training infrastructure in tertiary care teaching institutions in Pakistan: A perspective from the province of Sindh

Background: Pakistan is a lower middle-income country located in South Asia with a population of nearly 208 million. Sindh is its second largest province. The aim of this survey was to identify the current setup of pediatric services, staffing, equipment, and training infrastructure in the teaching hospitals of Sindh.Methods: The survey was conducted between June 2018 and September 2018. A questionnaire was designed with input from experts and pretested. One faculty coordinator from each of 12 of the 13 teaching hospitals (7 government and 5 private) completed the form. Information was exported into Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22. Frequency and percentages were computed for all variables. Confidentiality was ensured by anonymizing the data.Results: Anesthesia services are provided by consultants with either membership or fellowship in anesthesia of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Pakistan (CPSP). All drugs on the World Health Organization (WHO) essential medication list were available, although narcotic supply was often inconsistent. Weak areas identified were absence of standardization of practice regarding premedication, preoperative laboratory testing, pain assessment, and management. No national practice guidelines exist. Pulse oximeters and capnometers were available in all private hospitals but in only 86% and 44% of the government hospitals, respectively. Some training centers were not providing the training as outlined by the CPSP criteria.Conclusions: Several gaps have been identified in the practice and training infrastructure of pediatric anesthesia. There is a need for national guidelines, standardization of protocols, provision of basic equipment, and improved supervision of trainees. One suggestion is to have combined residency programs between private and government hospitals to take advantage of the strengths of both. Recommendations by this group have been shared with all teaching hospitals and training bodies

Effects of pre-operative isolation on postoperative pulmonary complications after elective surgery: an international prospective cohort study

We aimed to determine the impact of pre-operative isolation on postoperative pulmonary complications after elective surgery during the global SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. We performed an international prospective cohort study including patients undergoing elective surgery in October 2020. Isolation was defined as the period before surgery during which patients did not leave their house or receive visitors from outside their household. The primary outcome was postoperative pulmonary complications, adjusted in multivariable models for measured confounders. Pre-defined sub-group analyses were performed for the primary outcome. A total of 96,454 patients from 114 countries were included and overall, 26,948 (27.9%) patients isolated before surgery. Postoperative pulmonary complications were recorded in 1947 (2.0%) patients of which 227 (11.7%) were associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Patients who isolated pre-operatively were older, had more respiratory comorbidities and were more commonly from areas of high SARS-CoV-2 incidence and high-income countries. Although the overall rates of postoperative pulmonary complications were similar in those that isolated and those that did not (2.1% vs 2.0%, respectively), isolation was associated with higher rates of postoperative pulmonary complications after adjustment (adjusted OR 1.20, 95%CI 1.05-1.36, p = 0.005). Sensitivity analyses revealed no further differences when patients were categorised by: pre-operative testing; use of COVID-19-free pathways; or community SARS-CoV-2 prevalence. The rate of postoperative pulmonary complications increased with periods of isolation longer than 3 days, with an OR (95%CI) at 4-7 days or >= 8 days of 1.25 (1.04-1.48), p = 0.015 and 1.31 (1.11-1.55), p = 0.001, respectively. Isolation before elective surgery might be associated with a small but clinically important increased risk of postoperative pulmonary complications. Longer periods of isolation showed no reduction in the risk of postoperative pulmonary complications. These findings have significant implications for global provision of elective surgical care