India should reconsider its decision not to participate in the belt and road initiative

Following India’s decision not to attend the Belt and Road Initiative Conference in Beijing last month, Nafees Ahmad discusses the objections which may have motivated the boycott. He writes that in spite of its reservations, India would be well advised to engage with BRI as it stands to gain more by participating, despite the tensions in its bilateral relationship with China

Conservation of functional domains and limited heterogeneity of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase gene following vertical transmission

BACKGROUND: The reverse transcriptase (RT) enzyme of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) plays a crucial role in the life cycle of the virus by converting the single stranded RNA genome into double stranded DNA that integrates into the host chromosome. In addition, RT is also responsible for the generation of mutations throughout the viral genome, including in its own sequences and is thus responsible for the generation of quasi-species in HIV-1-infected individuals. We therefore characterized the molecular properties of RT, including the conservation of functional motifs, degree of genetic diversity, and evolutionary dynamics from five mother-infant pairs following vertical transmission. RESULTS: The RT open reading frame was maintained with a frequency of 87.2% in five mother-infant pairs' sequences following vertical transmission. There was a low degree of viral heterogeneity and estimates of genetic diversity in mother-infant pairs' sequences. Both mothers and infants RT sequences were under positive selection pressure, as determined by the ratios of non-synonymous to synonymous substitutions. Phylogenetic analysis of 132 mother-infant RT sequences revealed distinct clusters for each mother-infant pair, suggesting that the epidemiologically linked mother-infant pairs were evolutionarily closer to each other as compared with epidemiologically unlinked mother-infant pairs. The functional domains of RT which are responsible for reverse transcription, DNA polymerization and RNase H activity were mostly conserved in the RT sequences analyzed in this study. Specifically, the active sites and domains required for primer binding, template binding, primer and template positioning and nucleotide recruitment were conserved in all mother-infant pairs' sequences. CONCLUSION: The maintenance of an intact RT open reading frame, conservation of functional domains for RT activity, preservation of several amino acid motifs in epidemiologically linked mother-infant pairs, and a low degree of genetic variability following vertical transmission is consistent with an indispensable role of RT in HIV-1 replication in infected mother-infant pairs

Evaluation Of Management, Treatment Outcomes And Health Related Quality Of Life Of Multidrug Resistant Tuberculosis Patients In Peshawar, Pakistan

Globally, Pakistan is a multidrug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) high burden country. Although, programmatic management of drug resistant TB (PMDT) in the country is initiated in 2010, but little is known about the management and treatment outcomes of MDR-TB patients from Pakistan. For this purpose, a total of 298 MDR-TB patients treated at the PMDT unit of Lady Reading Hospital Peshawar were included in an observational cohort study. Patients were followed until a treatment outcome was recorded. The majority of patients (55.8%) were resistant to second line anti-TB drugs (SLD), mainly a fluoroquinolone (52.7%). Patients with previou

Evaluation Of Doctors' Adherence To Medication Recommendations Of Clinical Practice Guidelines On Management Of Hypertension (CPG 2008) At Hospital Pulau Pinang

The existing literature suggests that doctors’ divergence from guidelines is one of the major contributing factors for poor control of hypertension. The present research in which 26 doctors were enrolled was cross sectional study conducted at Hospital Pulau Pinang (HPP). Its aim was to evaluate doctors’ knowledge, attitude and practice of Malaysian clinical practice guidelines on the management of hypertension CPG (2008), and factors associated with guidelines’ adherence and hypertension control. Doctors’ knowledge and attitudes on CPG (2008) were evaluated through a questionnaire. Prescriptions written by 26 enrolled doctors to 650 established hypertensive outpatients (25 prescriptions per enrolled doctor with 25% drop out rate) were noted on visit one along with patients’ demographic and clinical data

Static Trade-off theory or Pecking order theory which one suits best to the financial sector. Evidence from Pakistan.

This research is a contribution towards understanding the financial behavior of leasing sector of Pakistan for the period of 2001-2010. It is an attempt to investigate the key factors that influence the capital structure of leasing sector of Pakistan. Financial Leverage is taken as the dependent variable. Whereas, Size of Firm, Capital intensity; Liquidity, Profitability and Tangibility of assets are taken as independent variables. Empirically it has been found that size of assets has a negative and significant impact on leverage. It has also been found that Liquidity, Tangibility, profitability and capital intensity do not significantly influence Leverage. Hence, it is concluded that leasing sector of Pakistan is following Pecking Order Theory in terms of the Size of Firm, Tangibility, liquidity, profitability and capital intensity.   Key words: Leasing, financial sector, Karachi Stock Exchange, Tangibility, Pecking Order Theory, Static Order Theor

Multiple cavitating cannon ball metastasis with primary adenocarcinoma lung: a rare case report

Multiple large round well circumscribed pulmonary nodules in lungs are known as cannon ball secondaries. There are malignant and non-malignant causes of cannon ball secondaries. In case of malignancy, they represent classical haematogenous dissemination to the lungs of a primary malignant tumor. Secondaries to lung from renal cell carcinoma and choriocarcinoma are necrotic. The less common primary tumors causing cannon ball secondaries to lung includes prostate carcinoma, synovial sarcoma, endometrial carcinoma and some gastrointestinal malignancies. Here we presented a very rare case, maybe first of its kind of multiple cavitating cannon ball secondaries where primary malignancy was in lung itself which was EGFR positive adenocarcinoma lung. This case was also rare as cavitation is largely a feature of squamous cell carcinoma lung both of primary and metastatic lung malignancy

Women Health in Rural Pakistan in Millennium Development Goals Perspectives

This aim of this research was to study the situation of different Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) indicators at the gross root level in Mardan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. For this primary data were collected with the help of pre-designed questionnaires through face to face interview from 60 randomly households head. The data was analysed by using descriptive statistics and non-parametric tests. Main finding revealed that majority and statistically significant respondents not using any contraceptive methods. Majority of the respondents have no deliveries in their homes ended in last 3 years and there was no significant difference in the percent distribution of the respondents in the selected villages regarding this. Maternal health care, births attendant status and immunization of children against EPI are not up to the mark. Knowledge about HIV/AIDS, malaria, TB, DM is at maximum. The study recommends for social campaign/awareness, births control at the household’s level, training of more skillful persons having specialty in the maternal health care, immunization of children of less than 2 years about the different contagious diseases. Keywords: Maternal health, HIV/AIDS preventions, MDG