Familial Abuse of South Asian Immigrant Women: Analysis of the Narratives of Victims

This qualitative study examines the familial violence experiences of South Asian immigrant women in Toronto. An important focus of the investigation was the contribution of honour ideology toward these experiences. Ten South Asian women who had immigrated to Canada participated in the study. Eight of them had immigrated after getting married to Canadian men of South Asian ethnicity and two had sponsored their South Asian husbands after they had themselves immigrated to Canada. Unstructured interviews were conducted with the women. These interviews were analysed using the grounded theory method of qualitative research developed by Glaser and Strauss (1967). Following Rennie’s (2000) exposition, grounded theory method was applied as an inductive approach to methodical hermeneutics. The analysis produced three main themes representing immigrant women’s experiences of familial violence: (1) Lost in the Desert, (2) Navigating through the Desert, and (3) Complexities of Honour. The participants’ initial experiences of immigrating to Canada and starting their lives anew were akin to getting lost in the desert. They had very few if any resources to aid them in this new phase of their lives. Gradually, however, they started adjusting to the new realities and actively sought out resource and support to manage their situations. Honour ideology was important baggage that directed the women through their ordeals. I concluded that the role of honour ideology in the life of South Asian immigrant wives is multifaceted and has positive as well as negative dimensions. While honour scripts resigned women to their abusive marriages and burdened them as guardians of family honour, they also offered them personal strength, social support and safeguards against abuse. These findings are discussed in relation to the extant psychological, anthropological, and sociological literature. The need to broaden the current narrow understanding of honour, as primarily vested in female sexuality, to a more complex ideology about right living is stressed. The implications of cultivating this more elaborate understanding of honour for domestic violence research and services, as well as for scholarly research and discourses are discussed

Armed oncolytic immunotherapies for overcoming tumor induced immune suppression.

Dendritic cells (DCs) are the sentinels of the immune system and are specialized in initiating adaptive immune responses by presenting foreign antigens to T cells. Thus, dendritic cells are critical regulators of immune responses and accordingly have been a focus of cancer immunotherapy research. DC therapy is considered as a promising approach in cancer immunotherapy. However, DC-based vaccines have shown limited efficacy in clinical trials. Oncolytic adenovirus replicates and lyses only cancer cells. Virus-mediated lysis of cancer cells also induces danger signals and exposes tumor epitopes that promote immune system activation against cancer. This study investigated the oncolytic adenovirus 3 coding for CD40 Ligand: Ad3-hTERT-CMV-CD40L (also known as TILT-234) as an enhancer of DC therapy. In the first study, human cancer patient data suggested that intravenous adenovirus administration is able to transduce distant tumors and virally-produced CD40L can activate DCs in situ. Studies with mice suggested that the virus possesses potent antitumor activity. In the second study, treatment with Ad3-hTERT-CMV-CD40L and DCs showed 100% survival of humanized mice and resulted in greater antitumor efficacy than either approach as monotherapy. The third study focused on the treatment of prostate cancer. In this study, treatment with companion therapy (i.e. Ad3-hTERT-CMV-CD40L and DC therapy) was shown to induce greater antitumor immune responses in vivo and in established prostate cancer histocultures. In the fourth study, we focused on the interaction of a chimeric adenovirus Ad5/3 with human lymphocytes and erythrocytes. This study showed that the binding of Ad5/3 with human lymphocytes and erythrocytes occurs in a reversible manner, which enables the virus to transduce different tumors and to retain oncolytic potency both in vitro and in vivo, with or without neutralizing antibodies. In summary, the first three studies demonstrated the ability of Ad3-hTERT-CMV-CD40L to modulate the tumor microenvironment and that local delivery of CD40L is safe and efficient regarding DC therapy. In conclusion, Ad3-hTERT-CMV-CD40L was shown to be a potential enabler of DC therapy. The fourth study revealed the ability of a chimeric Ad5/3 adenovirus to transduce non-injected tumors through blood, even in the presence of neutralizing antibodies.Dendriittisolut ovat immuunijärjestelmän säätelijöinä erikoistuneet adaptiivisen immuniteetin aktivoimiseen esittelemällä vieraita antigeenejä T-soluille. Dendriittisolut ovat siten kriittinen osa immuunivasteiden säätelyä, ja ne ovat olleet kiinnostuksen kohde on myös syövän immunoterapian tutkimuksessa. Dendriittisoluterapia on yksi lupaavista syövän immunoterapian muodoista. Dendrittisoluihin perustuvat rokotteet ovat kuitenkin osoittautuneet melko tehottomiksi kliinisissä lääketutkimuksissa. Onkolyyttiinen adenovirus jakaantuu ja tuhoaa vain syöpäsoluja. Viruksen aikaansaama syöpäsolun hajoaminen aktivoi immuunijärjestelmän syöpäsoluja vastaan lähettämällä vaarasignaaleja ja paljastaen kasvainsolujen epitooppeja. Tässä väitöskirjatyössä tutkittiin onkolyyttisen, CD40-ligandia koodaavan serotyypin 3 adenoviruksen Ad3-hTERT-CMV-CD40L (toiselta nimeltään TILT-234) tehoa dendriittisoluterapian tehostajana. Ensimmäisessä tutkimuksessa potilasnäytteistä kerätystä datasta osoitettiin suonenkautta annostellun adenoviruksen kykenevän infektoimaan etäisiä kasvaimia ja viruksen tuottamana CD40-ligandin kykenevän aktivoitumaan dendriittisoluja in situ. Hiirillä tehdyissä kokeissa viruksella osoitettiin olevan tehokas kasvaintenvastainen aktiivisuus. Toisessa tutkimuksessa Ad3-hTERT-CMV-CD40L -viruksen ja dendriittisolujen yhdistelmähoidolla 100% humanisoiduista hiiristä säilyivät elossa. Yhdistelmällä saavutettiin parempi teho kuin kummallakaan terapiamuodolla yksin. Kolmannessa tutkimuksessa tutkittiin eturauhassyöpää. Tässä tutkimuksessa yhdistelmähoidolla saavutettiin parempi hoitoteho sekä syövänvastainen immuuniaktivaatio in vivo sekä kudosviljelmissä. Neljännessä tutkimuksessa keskityttiin Ad5/3 adenoviruksen interaktioon ihmisen imusolujen ja punasolujen kanssa. Tutkimuksessa osoitettiin Ad5/3 viruksen pystymään sekä kiinnittymään että irtoamaan imu- ja punasoluista, minkä ansiosta virus voi infektoida eri kasvaimia säilyttäen kykynsä tuhota syöpäsoluja in vitro ja in vivo, huolimatta siitä oliko paikalla neutralisoivia vasta-aineita vai ei. Yhteenvetona, kolme ensimmäistä tutkimuksista osoittivat Ad3-hTERT-CMV-CD40L -viruksen kykenevän muokkaamaan kasvaimen ympäristöä ja paikallisen CD40L siirtogeenin tuotannon olevan turvallinen ja toimivan tehokas dendriittisoluterapian kanssa. Loppupäätelmänä, Ad3-hTERT-CMV-CD40L -viruksen voidaan katsoa olevan potentiaalinen tehostaja dendriittisoluterapialle. Neljännessä tutkimuksessa osoitettiin myös Ad5/3 viruksen kykenevän infektoimaan kasvaimia suonensisäisesti annosteltuna, myös silloin kuin paikalla oli neutralisoivia vasta-aineita

Frequency and Risk factors of Low Birth Weight in Rawalpindi, Pakistan

Background: Low birth weight is a key determinant of infant survival, health and development. There are many maternal and biological risk factors for it. The objective of this study is to determine frequency and associated risk factors of Low birth weight. Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out in department of obstetrics and gynecology; al Razi hospital, Rawalpindi from June 2016 till June 2020. Total sample size was 20,681 which was the total births during these years in this hospital setting. A structured pre tested questionnaire was used for data collection. SPSS version 23 was used for data analysis. Frequencies and percentages were calculated. Chi square test was used to determine association between LBW and socio demographic variables Result: The overall frequency of LBW was found to be 8.9%. Female babies were more likely to have LBW as compared to male babies (p=0.000). LBW babies had poor APGAR scoring as compared to normal weight (p=0.000). The frequency of LBW was higher amongst the mother who were <20years of age and >30years. Maternal weight had a direct while parity had inverse relationship with LBW. Conclusion: Low birth weight babies have poor APGAR scoring and associated with maternal risk factors

Seroprevalence and Associated Factors of SARS CoV-2 Antibodies among employees of IMDC and its teaching hospital

Abstract: Background: Since the emergence of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, it has claimed many lives and global economic losses. Healthcare workers have been the most exposed group in this pandemic. This study aims to determine the prevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies among the employees of Islamabad Medical and Dental College and its allied hospital Akbar Niazi Teaching Hospital. Methodology: All members of the staff and faculty of Islamabad Medical and Dental College and allied hospital Akbar Niazi Teaching Hospital were encouraged to get tested for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies and 294 employees volunteered for the study from 23rd July to 30th July,2020 through Elecsys® Anti-SARS-CoV-2 (Immunoassay for the qualitative detection of IgG antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 in human serum and plasma). Results: Out of 284 volunteers, 87 (30.6%) were SARS-CoV-2 antibody positive, with the mean antibody level in seropositive individuals recorded as 24.4418 ± 25.3494. , housekeeping and sanitary workers were the most affected; 14 (48.3%) were antibody positive, while 15 (51.7%) were antibody negative. After housekeeping and sanitary staff, the second most affected workers were lab technicians (37.1% were positive compared to 62.9% negative). Fever, loss of taste or smell and breathing difficulty were the most significantly associated symptoms with COVID-19 antibody seroprevalence as suggested by the p values 0.003, 0.004 and 0.032 respectively. Out of the 13 PCR positive participants (in the preceding 3 months) 10 (76.9%) showed positive antibody in their serum and 3 (23.1%) had not developed antibodies. Conclusion: Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies was estimated to be high among the healthcare staff (30.6%), with the housekeeping and sanitary staff to be the most affected employees, probably due to the breach of personal protection. Fever, loss of taste or smell and breathing were strongly associated with seropositivity of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. Key Words: SARS-CoV-2, antibody testing, Covid-19, healthcare worker

Understanding the behavioral intentions to consume ethnic food in the country of origin after experiencing local ethnic cuisines

Purpose – The purpose of the study is to investigate the role of cosmopolitan and ethnocentric behaviour of ethnic food consumer on the intention to consume ethnic food in country of origin (ICEC). Study aims to explain the consumption patterns of ethnic food consumers with the mediating role of utilitarian/hedonic values and perceived country image (PCI). In addition, the study explained consumption behavior with the moderating effect of food neophilia (FNP). Methodology/Design/Approach: Data were gathered from 969 respondents visited Chinese, Japanese, Italian, and Thai cuisines. Responses regarding experiences at ethnic cuisine were gathered through self-administrative survey. Findings: The results of the study showed a positive effect of consumer cosmopolitanism on ICEC and a negative effect of ethnocentric behavior on ICEC. Further study analyzed the mediating effect of hedonic and utilitarian values. The results showed that hedonic and utilitarian values significantly mediated the effect of cosmopolitanism/ethnocentrism on the ICEC. Moreover, PCI also showed significant serial mediation. The results indicate that high levels of FNP lead to high levels of ICEC. The originality of the research – The study presented a comprehensive model for analyzing the behavioral intentions of ethnic food consumers by combining social identity theory, hedonic value, and utilitarian value in culinary tourism

Hospital preparedness in community measles outbreaks-challenges and recommendations for low-resource settings

We have reviewed various strategies involved in containment of measles in healthcare facilities during community outbreaks. The strategies that are more applicable to resource-poor settings, such as natural ventilation, mechanical ventilation with heating and air-conditioning systems allowing unidirectional air-flow, and protection of un-infected patients and healthcare workers (HCWs), have been examined. Ventilation methods need innovative customization for resource-poor settings followed by validation and post-implementation analysis for impact. Mandatory vaccination of all HCWs with two doses of measles-containing vaccine, appropriate post-exposure prophylaxis of immunocompromised inpatients, and stringent admission criteria for measles cases can contribute toward reduction of nosocomial and secondary transmission within facilities

Structure, Function, and Modulation of γ-Aminobutyric Acid Transporter 1 (GAT1) in Neurological Disorders: A Pharmacoinformatic Prospective

γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) Transporters (GATs) belong to sodium and chloride dependent-transporter family and are widely expressed throughout the brain. Notably, GAT1 is accountable for sustaining 75% of the synaptic GABA concentration and entails its transport to the GABAA receptors to initiate the receptor-mediated inhibition of post-synaptic neurons. Imbalance in ion homeostasis has been associated with several neurological disorders related to the GABAergic system. However, inhibition of the GABA uptake by these transporters has been accepted as an effective approach to enhance GABAergic inhibitory neurotransmission in the treatment of seizures in epileptic and other neurological disorders. Here, we reviewed computational methodologies including molecular modeling, docking, and molecular dynamic simulations studies to underscore the structure and function of GAT1 in the GABAergic system. Additionally, various SAR and QSAR methodologies have been reviewed to probe the 3D structural features of inhibitors required to modulate GATs activity. Overall, present review provides an overview of crucial role of GAT1 in GABAergic system and its modulation to evade neurological disorders