Skeletal Muscle Fatigue in Slow and Fast Muscles of Type 2 Diabetic Sprague Dawley Rats

  Background: To evaluate the effects of type 2 diabetes mellitus on fatigability of soleus (slow) and extensor digitorium longus (EDL) (fast) muscles of female Sprague Dawley rats. Methods:Twenty healthy female Sprague Dawley rats were divided into 2 groups with 10 rats each. Group I (control) was fed with normal diet and group II (diabetic) was given high fat diet. Group II was given intra-peritoneal streptozotocin(STZ) (35mg/kg body weight) on 15th day. Body weight, blood glucose and TG:HDL ratio were estimated on 21st day to confirm type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) induction. Soleus and extensor digitorium longus (EDL) muscles were removed intact and fixed in organ bath system containing Krebs-Ringer buffer solution and connected to data acquisition unit (iWorx®) to study their contractile and fatigability parameters. Results: Soleus and extensor digotorium longus muscles of female diabetic rats displayed significantly (p<0.05) increased fatigability. Conclusions:Fatigability of slow (soleus) and fast (EDL) muscles increases in T2DM.There occurs reduction in resistance to and recovery from fatigue in both slow and fast skeletal muscles of type 2 diabetic female Sprague Dawley rat

Relationship between Father Rejection and Psychological Maladjustment of Criminals

The present study assessed the degree of perceived father acceptance-rejection and its relationship with psychological maladjustment in a group of 81 prisoners (40 males and 41 females) with the mean age of 37.2 years (SD=13.77), selected from the Central Jail, Peshawar. For comparison, 90 non- criminal adults (45 males and 45 females) having mean age of 36.23 (SD=12.68), were selected from the general population, matched with the criminal group in terms of their demographic characteristics. Short form of Father Acceptance-Rejection Questionnaire (Adult PARQ Father), and Personality Assessment Questionnaire (Adult PAQ ) by Rohner & Khaleque (2008), translated into Urdu by Riaz (2011) were used for assessment. Results revealed that criminals perceived more father rejection than non-criminals and multiple regression analysis showed that father rejection, specifically father indifference/neglect, is a significant predictor of psychological maladjustment in criminals/prisoners. These findings, therefore, support the hypotheses of the study

Ameliorative Effects of Two Forms of Pomegranate on Glomerular Transvertical Diameter in Steroid- Induced Kidney Damage in Mice

To observe the effects ofPomegranate juice (PJ) and Pomegranate peel extract(PPE) on glomerular transvertical diameter in steroidinduced mice kidney damage.Methods: In this experimental study forty healthyadult mice (BALB/c strain), average weighing 25-30gms were divided into four groups, having ten miceeach. Control group A received only standardlaboratory diet without alteration.Experimentalgroups B, C and D were injected ND (Nandrolonedecanoate) (1 mg/100 gm body weight),intramuscularly (I/M), in the hind limb once a weekfor 8 weeks. Experimental group C was also given PJ(3ml/kg body weight) by oral gavage tube daily for 8weeks and experimental group D was given PPE(200mg/kg body weight) through oral gavagetube,daily for 8 weeks.After the experimental period,the animals were sacrificed and both kidneys of allmice were obtained. Kidneys were processed,embedded and stained for histological study byusing Hematoxylin and Eosin (H&E) and PeriodicAcid Schiff (PAS) stains. The results were compiledand compared.Results: After ND administration, glomerulardiameter was significantly reduced in experimentalgroup B when compared to control groupA.Protective effects were seen when comparison ofexperimental group B was done with PJ and PPEadministered experimental groups C and D,respectively. When results of experimental groups Cand D were compared with each other no statisticalsignificance was present.Conclusion: Both forms of Pomegranate hasameliorative effects on glomerular transverticaldiameter in steroid induced mice kidney disease

Attitude of Medical Students Towards Psychiatry in a Tertiary Care Hospital

Background: Dearth of psychiatrist specialists is evident worldwide. Awareness of undergraduate students towards mental illness has an important role in affecting the quality of care the patient receives and in choosing  psychiatry as a career . Decision to specialize in psychiatry based on many factors, however attitude of undergraduates towards career choice play most important role in this aspect. Objective: This study aims to explore attitude and towards psychiatry among medical undergraduates in tertiary care hospital and factors influencing this decision. Methodology: It was Descriptive cross sectional study done at Nishtar medical University, tertiary care hospital of Multan Pakistan from July to December 2019. The total 384 students from first to final year were enrolled by non probability convenient sampling technique. Participation was voluntary and ensured that response would be kept anonymous. ATP-30 (Attitude towards Psychiatry)   a 30 item self- administered questionnaire was used to measure the attitude of medical students. Data collected on a pre defined questionnaire was analyzed using SPSS version 23. Results pertaining to rates were reported as frequencies and percentages. Result: 47.4% of study respondents were male and 52.6 % were female. 52.3% of our study respondents strongly agree that psychiatry was respected branch of medicine and 56.7% strongly agree that psychiatry should be an important part of medical curriculum. 19.4% of study respondents consider it in the list of the carrier choice while majority didn’t think that it should be in their career list options. Conclusion: Majority of students shows positive attitude. Mostly found it as respected and essential field of medicine. However insufficient knowledge and awareness can also be observed in responses pertaining to available treatment and advancement in the field. There is a need to revise the curriculum and clinical rotation schedule to raise interest of students  regarding  mental health issues of their community and ease their decision in choosing it as a career. Keywords: Attitude, Undergraduate medical students, Psychiatry, Multan, Pakistan DOI: 10.7176/JMPB/63-06 Publication date: January 31st 202

Changing trends of pyogenic microorganisms in a tertiary care hospital

Objective: To determine the predominant microorganisms responsible for pyogenic infections and prospective monitoring of the changing trends in their antibiotic susceptibility profile. Methodology: A cross sectional study was conducted at the Department of Microbiology, Rawal Institute of Health Sciences, Islamabad, from April 2015 to February 2016. Pus and pus swab samples were randomly collected from different body sites both from the males and females from any age group. Patients who were already taking antibiotics, those on steroids or suffering from chronic illnesses were excluded from the study. Inoculation of the samples on the respective culture media was done followed by Gram stain, biochemical reactions and antibiotic susceptibility testing carried out by Kirby Bauer disc diffusion method and its interpretation as per Clinical Laboratory and Standards Institute (CLSI) guidelines. Data was collected on preformed table and analysis was done by using SPSS version 21. Results: 127 pus samples were analyzed, out of which 103 yielded a positive culture. Staphylococcus aureus/Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was the commonest organism among the Gram positive organisms which showed maximum susceptibility to vancomycin (100%) and Linezolid (92%). Among the Gram negative organisms Escherichia coli was the commonest followed by Pseudomonas aeruginosa and other organisms. Conclusion:  The changing trends of pyogenic organisms have to be monitored prospectively to counter the global epidemic and to detect the constantly increasing burden of antibiotic resistance leading to it

Evaluation of nephrotoxic potential of iyengaria stellata

ABSTRACT The development of renal injury by use of xenobiotics is very prevalent. Iyengaria stellata (Børgesen) is a brown sea weed belongs to the class Phaeophyceae and family Scytosiphonaceae and its effects on renal function has been determined after 30 days once daily dosing to rabbits and the level of urea and creatinine was measured which showed increased level of urea after prolonged administration of Iyengaria stellata however this increase is insignificant and decrease in creatinine level after 30day ingestion of Iyengaria stellata, lead to the conclusion that Iyengaria stellata has nephroprotective effect

Neural gain control measured through cortical gamma oscillations is associated with sensory sensitivity

Gamma oscillations facilitate information processing by shaping the excitatory input/output of neuronal populations. Recent studies in humans and nonhuman primates have shown that strong excitatory drive to the visual cortex leads to suppression of induced gamma oscillations, which may reflect inhibitory-based gain control of network excitation. The efficiency of the gain control measured through gamma oscillations may in turn affect sensory sensitivity in everyday life. To test this prediction, we assessed the link between self-reported sensitivity and changes in magneto-encephalographic gamma oscillations as a function of motion velocity of high-contrast visual gratings. The induced gamma oscillations increased in frequency and decreased in power with increasing stimulation intensity. As expected, weaker suppression of the gamma response correlated with sensory hypersensitivity. Robustness of this result was confirmed by its replication in the two samples: neurotypical subjects and people with autism, who had generally elevated sensory sensitivity. We conclude that intensity-related suppression of gamma response is a promising biomarker of homeostatic control of the excitation-inhibition balance in the visual cortex

Massive Fluid Requirements and an Unusual BUN/Creatinine Ratio for Pre-Renal Failure in Patients with Cholera

Background: Cholera is an important infectious cause of secretory diarrhea. The primary symptom of infection is the sudden onset of watery diarrhea with subsequent volume depletion causing renal insufficiency. The objective of this research is to study the level of dehydration at presentation and subsequent fluid management in Patients with cholera. Methods: This study was conducted on 191 Patients of Cholera admitted at a tertiary care hospital in Karachi, Pakistan during the period of 5 years. Medical charts were evaluated retrospectively for initial hydration status, baseline lab investigations on admission and discharge and fluid therapy given to all the Patients while their stay in the hospital and the data was analyzed on SPSS 15.0. Results: Out of the 191 Patients, 83(43%) were males and 108 (57%) were females with mean age of 42.3 years (SD+/-18.34). The average duration of symptoms was 3.75 days (SD+/-2.04). Of 191 Patients, 175 (92.1%) presented with dehydration, 80 (42.3%) were given Ringer\u27s Lactate (R/L) + Normal Saline (N/S), 45 (24%) Patients were given R/L + N/S + Oral Rehydration Therapy (ORS), 27 (14.3%) of the Patients were kept on R/L only and remaining were given various combinations of R/L, N/S, ORS and Dextrose Saline (D/S). On admission mean Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN) was 24.54 (SD+/-16.6), mean creatinine was 2.47 (SD+/-2.35) and mean BUN/Creatinine ratio was 11.63 (SD+/-5.7). Conclusion: Aggressive fluid rehydration remains the cornerstone of management of cholera. Instead of presenting with a classical BUN/Creatinine ratio of \u3e20:1, Patients with pre-renal failure in cholera may present with a BUN/Creatinine ratio of \u3c15:1

Factor structure of Urdu version of the flourishing scale

Background: A great deal of research has been carried out on the assessment of the eudaimonic perspective of psychological well-being and the hedonic perspective of subjective well-being. The Flourishing Scale (FS) has been extensively used in research and practice, as it assesses the fundamental aspects of social psychological functioning. Nevertheless, the psychometric properties of Urdu versions of eudaimonic measures, such as the FS, have not yet been ascertained. The translation and validation of the FS in the Urdu language was not available, and hence this study was planned with the aim to validate the Urdu version of the FS. Methods: We assessed the psychometric properties of the FS in a sample of adults aged 18 years and above in Pakistan (N = 130) using exploratory factor analysis based on principal component analysis with varimax rotation and confirmatory factor analysis. Results: The exploratory factor analysis confirmed the unidimensional nature of the 8-item FS. We assessed that the Urdu version of the FS showed a high internal consistency reliability (α = 0.914) with a significant intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), p < 0.001). In our study, the Kaiser–Mayer–Olkin value was 0.915 with a chi-square test value (χ2) of 637.687, and Bartlett's test of sphericity was significant (df = 28, p < 0.001). The intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) at test–retest for all domains were statistically significant (p < 0.001) and showed excellent agreement for all the items. The revised confirmatory factor analysis revealed a good-fit model, but with item 8—“People respect me”—removed due to its lower factor loading. Conclusions: The findings suggest that the FS is a psychometrically sound instrument for assessing social psychological functioning among adults in Pakistan. Therefore, the validated Urdu version of the FS may be used in future studies of well-being in clinical psychology and positive psychology