Comparison of Alveolar Osteitis (AO) occurrence after impacted mandibular third molar removal with and without post-extraction socket irrigation

Objective: We wanted to see whether impacted third mandibular molar extractions resulted in Alveolar Osteitis if post-extraction socket irrigation was used or not. Methodology: A randomized control experiment on 70 patients study was conducted from July 2019 to January 2020 at Islamabad Dental Hospital's OMFS department. Patients presenting with the mandibular third molars fulfilling the inclusion criteria had their teeth extracted with and without socket irrigation using the computer lottery method. In cases of dry socket, clinical diagnosis was made between the 3rd, 5th, and 7th postoperative days. Results: 70 patients/sockets were evaluated with 35 having been irrigated and 35 non-irrigated. The age range was 16-50years with a mean of 29.49 and most patients were between the 16-35 age group. There were 48.6% males and 51.4% females. Dry Socket was evaluated on the 3rd, 5th, and 7th day between groups (A=irrigation, B=Non-irrigation). On the 3rd postop day, 14 (40%) patients in group A and 15(42.9%) patients were diagnosed as dry Sockets. A similar number of patients in both groups (20%) exhibited symptoms of dry socket on the fifth and seventh postoperative days, as did 5 (14.3 %) in group A, 3 (8.6 %) in group B, and 1(2.9 %t) in group A, all on the fifth postoperative day. Conclusion: On the third, fifth, and seventh postoperative days, there was no significant difference in the result of Alveolar Osteitis between the groups

Exploring biomedical and traditional care pathways for people with psychosis in Karachi, Pakistan

BACKGROUND: Psychosis is known to have an adverse impact on an individual’s quality of life, social and occupational functioning. A lack of treatment options for psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia contributes to adverse outcomes for individuals. A significant proportion of people with psychosis consult both formal and traditional routes of care. This warrants a need to explore perceptions around treatment options provided by diverse care providers, as the identification of avenues for support can improve psychiatric, alternative treatment and social outcomes. METHODS: Focus groups discussions (FGDs) and in-depth interviews (IDIs) were used. Interactive Research and Development (IRD) research staff conducted 20 IDIs and 2 FGDs to obtain information about the perspectives, treatment pathways and experiences of individuals with psychosis, their caregivers, and service providers. Questions for clinician care providers and faith healers revolved around perceptions of psychosis, service users’ background, subject knowledge and treatment, feedback and referral mechanisms, and promotion of services. A thematic analysis was used to analyze the interviews and coding was conducted on NVivo. RESULTS: The results were categorized into five themes: perception of psychosis, experience of seeking/receiving care, assessment and diagnosis methods, promotion of services, and living with psychosis. Across service providers and patients, there was a wide variety of causes attributed to psychosis, and an overall lack of awareness regarding severe mental health conditions from both formal and informal care-providers. Biomedical treatment received mixed reviews, while some reported it as beneficial, the limited number of institutes and clinicians to cater for patients, stigma within society and care providers, the burden of caregiving, and misinformation from faith healers were all significant barriers to treatment. CONCLUSION: The results highlight the use of traditional healing practices for psychosis in Pakistan, which, coupled with inadequate referral mechanisms, present an opportunity to bridge the treatment gap between clinical and traditional healing practices through integration of treatment within community structures and systems. Better awareness of psychosis and its treatment methods, alongside interventions that reduce stigma could help facilitate help-seeking behavior and reduce the burden of caregiving

Exploring early primary school teachers understanding of their practice to support early writing in a private school of Karachi

Pedagogical practices of teachers are influenced by many factors such as personal and professional experiences, teacher training, socio-cultural environment, theoretical knowledge and the institutional context in which they work (Lim & Torr, 2007). It is important to understand teachers’ beliefs about teaching and learning because it help to understand their classroom practice and decisions about creating learning environment for children and strategies used by teachers in these environments (Pardhan & Fernandes-Faria, 2013). This qualitative exploratory study investigated early primary school teachers understanding of their practice to support early writing in a private community based school of Karachi, Pakistan. Two early primary teachers were interviewed and observed over a period of time to know their beliefs and practices. Overall eight themes emerged from the study. The finding of the study show that teachers’ supports children in developing their early writing skills by providing different materials to them such as story books, flashcards, and worksheets. However teachers are not aware about how children learn writing in a multilingual context. In addition they want to learn about early writing skills to help children in a better way. The study findings also suggest that the teachers believed that they have a crucial role to play to support children’s early writing development. Moreover, the study findings emerged that the teachers strongly believed that clear instructions support in children’s writing development. It was evident from their practices as well that both the teachers gave instructions to support children in developing their early writing. Morrow (2012) suggests that children learn about writing through teacher’s explicit instructions and by observing others. The findings recommended that early childhood teachers should go for education programs and professional development to get awareness about early literacy and early writing in particular

Exploring biomedical and traditional care pathways for people with psychosis in Karachi, Pakistan.

Peer reviewed: TrueAcknowledgements: This research was aided by contributions from the field team at IRD. Field Supervisors Irfan Ali and Maryam Bibi helped to coordinate and recruit participants overall, and Asim Khan connected the researchers to faith healers in Karachi.BACKGROUND: Psychosis is known to have an adverse impact on an individual's quality of life, social and occupational functioning. A lack of treatment options for psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia contributes to adverse outcomes for individuals. A significant proportion of people with psychosis consult both formal and traditional routes of care. This warrants a need to explore perceptions around treatment options provided by diverse care providers, as the identification of avenues for support can improve psychiatric, alternative treatment and social outcomes. METHODS: Focus groups discussions (FGDs) and in-depth interviews (IDIs) were used. Interactive Research and Development (IRD) research staff conducted 20 IDIs and 2 FGDs to obtain information about the perspectives, treatment pathways and experiences of individuals with psychosis, their caregivers, and service providers. Questions for clinician care providers and faith healers revolved around perceptions of psychosis, service users' background, subject knowledge and treatment, feedback and referral mechanisms, and promotion of services. A thematic analysis was used to analyze the interviews and coding was conducted on NVivo. RESULTS: The results were categorized into five themes: perception of psychosis, experience of seeking/receiving care, assessment and diagnosis methods, promotion of services, and living with psychosis. Across service providers and patients, there was a wide variety of causes attributed to psychosis, and an overall lack of awareness regarding severe mental health conditions from both formal and informal care-providers. Biomedical treatment received mixed reviews, while some reported it as beneficial, the limited number of institutes and clinicians to cater for patients, stigma within society and care providers, the burden of caregiving, and misinformation from faith healers were all significant barriers to treatment. CONCLUSION: The results highlight the use of traditional healing practices for psychosis in Pakistan, which, coupled with inadequate referral mechanisms, present an opportunity to bridge the treatment gap between clinical and traditional healing practices through integration of treatment within community structures and systems. Better awareness of psychosis and its treatment methods, alongside interventions that reduce stigma could help facilitate help-seeking behavior and reduce the burden of caregiving

Data_Sheet_1_Exploring biomedical and traditional care pathways for people with psychosis in Karachi, Pakistan.docx

BackgroundPsychosis is known to have an adverse impact on an individual’s quality of life, social and occupational functioning. A lack of treatment options for psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia contributes to adverse outcomes for individuals. A significant proportion of people with psychosis consult both formal and traditional routes of care. This warrants a need to explore perceptions around treatment options provided by diverse care providers, as the identification of avenues for support can improve psychiatric, alternative treatment and social outcomes.MethodsFocus groups discussions (FGDs) and in-depth interviews (IDIs) were used. Interactive Research and Development (IRD) research staff conducted 20 IDIs and 2 FGDs to obtain information about the perspectives, treatment pathways and experiences of individuals with psychosis, their caregivers, and service providers. Questions for clinician care providers and faith healers revolved around perceptions of psychosis, service users’ background, subject knowledge and treatment, feedback and referral mechanisms, and promotion of services. A thematic analysis was used to analyze the interviews and coding was conducted on NVivo.ResultsThe results were categorized into five themes: perception of psychosis, experience of seeking/receiving care, assessment and diagnosis methods, promotion of services, and living with psychosis. Across service providers and patients, there was a wide variety of causes attributed to psychosis, and an overall lack of awareness regarding severe mental health conditions from both formal and informal care-providers. Biomedical treatment received mixed reviews, while some reported it as beneficial, the limited number of institutes and clinicians to cater for patients, stigma within society and care providers, the burden of caregiving, and misinformation from faith healers were all significant barriers to treatment.ConclusionThe results highlight the use of traditional healing practices for psychosis in Pakistan, which, coupled with inadequate referral mechanisms, present an opportunity to bridge the treatment gap between clinical and traditional healing practices through integration of treatment within community structures and systems. Better awareness of psychosis and its treatment methods, alongside interventions that reduce stigma could help facilitate help-seeking behavior and reduce the burden of caregiving.</p

Table_2_Exploring biomedical and traditional care pathways for people with psychosis in Karachi, Pakistan.XLSX

BackgroundPsychosis is known to have an adverse impact on an individual’s quality of life, social and occupational functioning. A lack of treatment options for psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia contributes to adverse outcomes for individuals. A significant proportion of people with psychosis consult both formal and traditional routes of care. This warrants a need to explore perceptions around treatment options provided by diverse care providers, as the identification of avenues for support can improve psychiatric, alternative treatment and social outcomes.MethodsFocus groups discussions (FGDs) and in-depth interviews (IDIs) were used. Interactive Research and Development (IRD) research staff conducted 20 IDIs and 2 FGDs to obtain information about the perspectives, treatment pathways and experiences of individuals with psychosis, their caregivers, and service providers. Questions for clinician care providers and faith healers revolved around perceptions of psychosis, service users’ background, subject knowledge and treatment, feedback and referral mechanisms, and promotion of services. A thematic analysis was used to analyze the interviews and coding was conducted on NVivo.ResultsThe results were categorized into five themes: perception of psychosis, experience of seeking/receiving care, assessment and diagnosis methods, promotion of services, and living with psychosis. Across service providers and patients, there was a wide variety of causes attributed to psychosis, and an overall lack of awareness regarding severe mental health conditions from both formal and informal care-providers. Biomedical treatment received mixed reviews, while some reported it as beneficial, the limited number of institutes and clinicians to cater for patients, stigma within society and care providers, the burden of caregiving, and misinformation from faith healers were all significant barriers to treatment.ConclusionThe results highlight the use of traditional healing practices for psychosis in Pakistan, which, coupled with inadequate referral mechanisms, present an opportunity to bridge the treatment gap between clinical and traditional healing practices through integration of treatment within community structures and systems. Better awareness of psychosis and its treatment methods, alongside interventions that reduce stigma could help facilitate help-seeking behavior and reduce the burden of caregiving.</p

Table_1_Exploring biomedical and traditional care pathways for people with psychosis in Karachi, Pakistan.XLSX

BackgroundPsychosis is known to have an adverse impact on an individual’s quality of life, social and occupational functioning. A lack of treatment options for psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia contributes to adverse outcomes for individuals. A significant proportion of people with psychosis consult both formal and traditional routes of care. This warrants a need to explore perceptions around treatment options provided by diverse care providers, as the identification of avenues for support can improve psychiatric, alternative treatment and social outcomes.MethodsFocus groups discussions (FGDs) and in-depth interviews (IDIs) were used. Interactive Research and Development (IRD) research staff conducted 20 IDIs and 2 FGDs to obtain information about the perspectives, treatment pathways and experiences of individuals with psychosis, their caregivers, and service providers. Questions for clinician care providers and faith healers revolved around perceptions of psychosis, service users’ background, subject knowledge and treatment, feedback and referral mechanisms, and promotion of services. A thematic analysis was used to analyze the interviews and coding was conducted on NVivo.ResultsThe results were categorized into five themes: perception of psychosis, experience of seeking/receiving care, assessment and diagnosis methods, promotion of services, and living with psychosis. Across service providers and patients, there was a wide variety of causes attributed to psychosis, and an overall lack of awareness regarding severe mental health conditions from both formal and informal care-providers. Biomedical treatment received mixed reviews, while some reported it as beneficial, the limited number of institutes and clinicians to cater for patients, stigma within society and care providers, the burden of caregiving, and misinformation from faith healers were all significant barriers to treatment.ConclusionThe results highlight the use of traditional healing practices for psychosis in Pakistan, which, coupled with inadequate referral mechanisms, present an opportunity to bridge the treatment gap between clinical and traditional healing practices through integration of treatment within community structures and systems. Better awareness of psychosis and its treatment methods, alongside interventions that reduce stigma could help facilitate help-seeking behavior and reduce the burden of caregiving.</p

Time trends and age-related etiologies of pediatric hydrocephalus: results of a groupwise analysis in a clinical cohort

Objective: The current study aimed at evaluating experience with pediatric hydrocephalus and reviewing time trends and age-related differences in etiology, management, and outcomes of pediatric hydrocephalus at a tertiary care center in a south Asian country. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study based on case note review of pediatric Patients (age, 1 month to 15 years) with hydrocephalus managed at Aga Khan University Hospital Karachi, over an 18-year period (1988-2005). For analysis, the study period was divided into two epochs (period A, 1988-1996, period B, 1997-2005) and study population was divided into two age groups (0-12 months and 1-15 years). Results: A total of 338 cases of pediatric hydrocephalus were identified. Most common etiology of pediatric hydrocephalus was meningitis (38.1%), followed by congenital hydrocephalus (20.4%) and brain tumors (8.3%). Shunt infection and blockage were seen in 38 (11.2%) and 54 (16.0%) children, respectively, 67 (19.8%) required shunt revision. Highest rates of shunt failure were seen in bacterial meningitis (35.3%) and aqueductal stenosis (29.2%). Neurological and/or cognitive deficits were observed more frequently in children under 1 year of age (P=0.029). Duration of hospital stay in period A was significantly higher than in period B (PConclusion: Despite recent advancements, hydrocephalus is still associated with high rate of shunt failure and mortality. Factors associated with poor outcome include younger age group and etiology of hydrocephalus

Time trends and age-related etiologies of pediatric hydrocephalus: results of a groupwise analysis in a clinical cohort

Objective: The current study aimed at evaluating experience with pediatric hydrocephalus and reviewing time trends and age-related differences in etiology, management, and outcomes of pediatric hydrocephalus at a tertiary care center in a south Asian country. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study based on case note review of pediatric Patients (age, 1 month to 15 years) with hydrocephalus managed at Aga Khan University Hospital Karachi, over an 18-year period (1988-2005). For analysis, the study period was divided into two epochs (period A, 1988-1996, period B, 1997-2005) and study population was divided into two age groups (0-12 months and 1-15 years). Results: A total of 338 cases of pediatric hydrocephalus were identified. Most common etiology of pediatric hydrocephalus was meningitis (38.1%), followed by congenital hydrocephalus (20.4%) and brain tumors (8.3%). Shunt infection and blockage were seen in 38 (11.2%) and 54 (16.0%) children, respectively, 67 (19.8%) required shunt revision. Highest rates of shunt failure were seen in bacterial meningitis (35.3%) and aqueductal stenosis (29.2%). Neurological and/or cognitive deficits were observed more frequently in children under 1 year of age (P=0.029). Duration of hospital stay in period A was significantly higher than in period B (PConclusion: Despite recent advancements, hydrocephalus is still associated with high rate of shunt failure and mortality. Factors associated with poor outcome include younger age group and etiology of hydrocephalus