Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) Measurements in Karachi, Pakistan (2006): a Comparison With Previous Urban Sampling Campaigns Worldwide.

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Barletta, B.; Meinardi, S.; Khwaja, H. A.; Beyersdorf, A. J.; Baker, A. K.; Zou, S.; Rowland, F.; Blake, D. R.

2008-12-01

Mixing ratios of carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and 47 nonmethane hydrocarbons - NMHCs - (19 alkanes, 13 alkenes, ethyne, and 14 aromatics) were determined for ground level whole air samples collected during the winter of 2006 in Karachi, Pakistan. Pakistan is among the fastest growing economies in Asia, and Karachi is one of the largest cities in the world with a rapidly expanding population of over 14 million in the whole metropolitan area, and a large industrial base. Samples were collected in January 2006 throughout the urban area to characterize the overall air composition of the city, and along the busiest road to determine the traffic signature of Karachi. This sampling campaign follows a previous study carried out in the winter of 1998-1999 in the same city, when elevated concentrations of many NMHCs were observed. Exceptionally high levels of methane were still observed in 2006 with an average mixing ratio of 5.0 ppmv (6.3 ppmv were observed in 1999). The overall air composition of the Karachi urban environment characterized during this 2006 sampling is compared to 1999 aiming to highlight any possible change in the main VOC sources present throughout the city. In particular, we want to evaluate the impact of the heavy usage of natural gas on the overall air quality of Karachi and the recently increased use of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) as alternative source of energy. We also compare the composition of the urban troposphere of Karachi to other major urban centers worldwide such as Guangzhou (China), Mexico City (Mexico), and Milan (Italy).

Development of Conceptual Framework for Design Improvement in Urban Housing of Karachi, Pakistan

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Afaq Hyder Chohan

2011-04-01

Full Text Available Need of housing and need of quality housing are two issues which remained the subject of research and interest to researchers and designers. It is generally observed that not all designers are fully aware of consequences of their design and only through post occupational survey; the designer usually realizes that what mistakes or bad decisions they have made during design process. Unfortunately, such unforeseen conditions are common in residential building projects in developing regions. This research has identified the causes of design deficiencies and their effects on residential building at the post occupational stage in Karachi Pakistan. In this context housing designs and conditions have been closely monitored and issues of deficient design have been identified. Furthermore, this research has circumscribed the implication of deficient design faced by users of private housing in Karachi. The study has established the criteria that these problems affect users through unplanned maintenance to major repairs, leading to danger of collapse. In order to evaluate these effects on buildings, a case study of private housing projects was conducted in Karachi, a metropolitan city of Pakistan. The collected research data was analysed through SPSS computational software and interpreted to understand the far reaching effects and implications of design deficiencies in the selected site of housing stocks. Based on literature review and findings of research, the study has eventually proposed a conceptual framework for improving design practice.

Knowledge and Attitude of Teenagers Towards Electronic Cigarettes in Karachi, Pakistan

OpenAIRE

Shaikh, Asim; Ansari, Hamza T; Ahmad, Zeerak; Shaikh, Mahnoor Y; Khalid, Ilma; Jahangir, Maha; Majeed, Amna; Shakeel, Nimra; Ahmed, Arsalan; Memon, Roha Saeed; Tariq, Eleze; Irfan, Rafia; Madni, Dania

2017-01-01

Introduction Studies have shown that electronic cigarettes?have gained immense popularity and their use has increased dramatically all over the world. However, little is known about the knowledge and attitudes towards e-cigarettes in third world countries such as Pakistan. The aim of this study was to determine the perceptions of teenagers in Karachi regarding e-cigarettes and whether the differences in said perceptions were affected by gender and level of education. Methods We conducted a cr...

Trace Elemental Contents in Tissues of Talang Queenfish, Scomberoides commersonnianus, from Karachi Coast, Pakistan

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Quratulan AHMED

2013-03-01

Full Text Available Concentration of heavy metals (Cu, Zn, Fe, Pb, Cd, Cr, Ni determined in the muscle, liver, kidney and gills of talang queenfish, Scomberoides commersonnianus. Sixty three fish samples collected seasonally from Karachi coast in Jan 2010-Dec 2010 . Samples were analyzed by AAS-700. Results shown highest mean concentration of Fe (495.73, Cu (47.64 Cd (1.59, Cr (1.63, Ni (1.55 and Pb (1.65 were determined in liver, Zn (48.98 in kidney in µg/g. Lowest mean concentrations of Fe (16.55, Zn (5.31, Cu (4.57 were estimated in muscles, Cd (1.59 in liver, Cr (0.38, Ni (0.50, Pb (0.48 in gills in µg/g. Fe, Zn, Cu were higher in liver, kidney and gills and Cd, Cr, Ni, Pb were lowest in muscles, kidney and gills during all seasons. ANOVA analysis clearly revealed that there was a significant different in organs and seasons in fish

How well can physicians manage tuberculosis? A public-private sector comparison from Karachi, Pakistan.

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Naseer, Maliha; Khawaja, Ali; Pethani, Amin S; Aleem, Salik

2013-10-25

Tuberculosis (TB) is endemic in Pakistan which ranks fifth amongst the twenty two countries designated to be highly burdened by TB according to the World Health Organization. However, there is paucity of data regarding the knowledge of diagnosis of TB and its management amongst public and private practitioners. In this study, we endeavor to identify this gap in knowledge regarding the diagnosis and management of TB between public and private doctors and the factors affecting these knowledge scores in urban Pakistan. This cross sectional survey was conducted between June and December 2011. Doctors from public hospitals, private hospitals and private clinics scattered in all eighteen towns of Karachi were included in the study. Qualified MBBS doctors working in any specialty were eligible to participate whereas doctors working in both the public and private sectors were excluded from the study. Vignette based clinical scenarios were given to assess the knowledge score regarding the diagnosis and management of TB. A total of 196 doctors participated in the study. There was a significant difference between private and public physicians in terms of age and years of practice (p-value differences in the proportion of knowledge scores were observed between the public and private doctors and National TB Control Program trained and untrained doctors in Karachi. Factors associated with inadequate knowledge scores were being female gender [OR: 2.76 (95% CI: 1.418-5.384)], private employment status [OR: 1.50 (95% CI: 1.258-2.439)], and not trained by NTP [OR: 2.98 (95% CI: 1.286-3.225)] on multivariate logistic regression analysis. It is concluded that a knowledge gap exists between the public and private doctors in Karachi. Strengthening of currently implemented public private mix model along with improvement in the trainings of public and private practitioners is highly recommended to control TB in Pakistan.

Physiochemical and environmental stable isotope profile of marine coastal water, Pakistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mashiatullah, A.; Qureshi, R.M.; Javed, T.; Fazil, M.; Latif, Z.; Ahmad, N.

2005-01-01

Physiochemical and environmental stable isotope (delta /sup 13/C, delta /sup 18/O delta /sup 2/H, delta /sup 34/S) analysis of seawater samples collected from selected locations off Pakistan. Coast was performed to assess pollution scenario during 2002. Objective of the study was to establish a baseline data profile of Pakistan coastal waters. Coastal location includes: Indus Delta, Karachi Harbour, Southeast Coast Karachi, Northwest Coast Karachi, Sonmiani, Ormara. Pasni, Gwadar and Jiwani. In-situ physiochemical parameters such as: pH, electrical conductivity (E.C), salinity, turbidity and dissolved oxygen (DO) were performed with portable meters. Stable isotope of oxygen, hydrogen, carbon and sulfur was performed on GD -150 modified Mass Spectrometer. Values of delta /sup 18/O along the Sindh Coast (Indus Delta, Karachi Harbour High Tide, Karachi Harbour Low Tide, North West Coast South East Coast, Gadani), lie in range of -6.3 to -2.4 , -0.17 to -0.2, -0.13 to + 1.16, + 0.65 to + 1.25, + 0.88 to +0.93, and 1.14 %. SMOW respectively. The values of delta /sup 18/O along Baluchistan Coast (Sonmiani, Ormara, Pasni, Gwadar, and Jiwani) lie in the range of 0.74 to 1.08,0.77 to 0.82, 0.96 to + 1.07,0.38 to 1.23, and 0.45 to 0.83 % SMOW respectively. Values of delta /sup 13/ C of total dissolved inorganic carbon (TDIC) along Sindh Coast lie in the range of -2.7 to 0.55, -7.0 to -2.14, -11.48 to -2.98, -1.26 to 2.12, -2.91 to -0.56, and -1.31 to -0.28 % V- PDB. Values of delta /sup 13/ C of total dissolved inorganic carbon (TDIC) off Baluchistan Coast lie in the range of - 2.65 to -0.68, -8.5 to 0.07, -1.1 to 0.01, -1.3 to 0.47 and -5.2 to 0 % V-PDB respectively. Significantly depleted delta /sup 13/C (TDIC) values observed in water samples collected off Karachi coast, Indus Delta and Armor Coast indicate pollution inputs from industrial and domestic waste drains into shallow marine environment off these coasts. Carbon Isotope data shows that the Gwadar and Pasni are

Impact of terrorism on health and Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale screening in medical students, Karachi, Pakistan.

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Nasim, Sara; Khan, Mahjabeen; Aziz, Sina

2014-03-01

To determine the association of terrorism with psychiatric morbidity by Hospital Anxiety Depression scale among medical students in Karachi, Pakistan. The questionnaire based cross-sectional survey was conducted from February to March 2011 and comprised students of the Institute of Physical and Medical Rehabilitation and the Dow Medical College, Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi. The study tool was a validated Hospital Anxiety Depression scale questionnaire. The data was analysed on SPSS 16. Factor analysis was performed to check which factors had the most influence. Overall there were 1036 respondents. The impact of terrorism on physical, social and mental health was 40 (3.9%), 178 (17.2%) and 818 (79%) respectively. There was an association of terrorism in 980 (84.6%) respondents with psychiatric morbidity. There was an association of terrorism with psychiatric morbidity in majority of respondents. The significant risk factors were age, gender, physical, mental and social health and the desire to live in Pakistan.

Perspectives on domestic violence: case study from Karachi, Pakistan.

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Rabbani, F; Qureshi, F; Rizvi, N

2008-01-01

There is no adequate profile of domestic violence in Pakistan although this issue is frequently highlighted by the media. This case study used qualitative and quantitative methods to explore the nature and forms of domestic violence, circumstances, impact and coping mechanisms amongst selected women victims in Karachi. Violence was a continuum: all the women reported verbal abuse, often escalating into physical, emotional, sexual and economic abuse. The husband was the most common perpetrator. Women suffered in silence due to sociocultural norms, misinterpretation of religious beliefs, subordinate status, economic dependence and lack of legal redress. Besides short-term local measures, public policy informed by correct interpretation of religion can bring about a change in prevailing societal norms.

Psychotherapy as a treatment modality for psychiatric disorders: Perceptions of general public of Karachi, Pakistan

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Zafar Abdul

2009-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Psychiatric disorders affect about 450 million individuals worldwide. A number of treatment modalities such as psychotropic medications, psychotherapy and electroconvulsive therapy can be used to treat these disorders. Attitudes of general public play a pivotal role in effective utilization of mental health services. We explored the perceptions of general public of Karachi, Pakistan regarding psychotherapy. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in Karachi, Pakistan during July-August, 2008. A three-step sampling strategy and a structured questionnaire were employed to survey knowledge and perceptions of adult general public about psychotherapy. Descriptive statistics were used for baseline characteristics. Logistic regression models were used to investigate any significant associations between baseline characteristics of the participants and their perceptions. Results The study sample comprised of 985 individuals (536 males; 531 financially independent with an average age of 36.7 years (SD 13.54 years and 12.5 years (SD 3.09 years of education were included. Majority (59.4%; n = 585 claimed to be aware of psychotherapy as a treatment option for psychiatric disorders but 47.5% of these (n = 278/585 failed to identify its correct definition. Concerns voiced by the participants about psychotherapy included stigma (48.7% and breech in confidentiality (39.5%; 60.7% opined it cost effective and 86.5% favored its use as an adjuvant modality. A preference for psychotherapy as the treatment strategy for psychiatric disorders was demonstrated by 46.6% (n = 459/985. Younger, more educated, financially independent and female participants were more likely to prefer psychotherapy as were those who deemed it cost effective. Conclusion Positive attitudes regarding the acceptability, clinical utility and cost-effectiveness of psychotherapy were observed in a sample representative of general public of Karachi, Pakistan. These findings

Chronic Bronchitis and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Among Textile Workers in Karachi, Pakistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nafees, A. A.; Fatmi, Z.; Kadir, M. M.; Sathiakumar, N.

2016-01-01

Objective: To determine the frequency and predictors of chronic bronchitis and COPD among textile workers in Karachi, Pakistan. Study Design: Cross-sectional survey. Place and Duration of Study: Karachi, Pakistan, from October to December 2009. Methodology: Male textile workers from 15 mills of Karachi were inducted. Data was collected using American Thoracic Society respiratory questionnaire (ATS-DLD-78-a) and spirometry. Result: Out of 372 participants, 29 (7.8 percentage) workers had chronic bronchitis (4, 9.1 percentage aged =40 years) and 25 (6.7 percentage) had COPD (12, 27.2 percentage aged ≥40 years). Workers with chronic bronchitis had significantly decreased lung function compared to the healthy workers. Those reporting severe self-perceived dust exposure at work, ≥ 10 pack years of smoking, uneducated, longer duration of work (≥11 years), and ever smokers were more likely to have chronic bronchitis or COPD. In the multivariate analyses, severe self-perceived dust exposure at work (AOR = 7.4; 95 percentage CI: 1.9, 28.0), family history of respiratory illness/symptoms (AOR = 4.8; 95 percentage CI: 1.1, 20.9) and lack of education (AOR = 4.2; 95 percentage CI: 1.1, 16.9) were significant predictors of chronic bronchitis. Duration of work ≥11 years (AOR = 5.5; 95 percentage CI: 1.5, 19.7) and pack years of smoking ≥10 years (AOR = 3.5; 95 percentage CI: 1.1, 11.7) were strong predictors for COPD. Conclusion: There is a high frequency of chronic bronchitis and COPD among textile workers. Multiple important predictors for prevention are identified. (author)

Frequency, Pattern and Management of Acute Abdomen in Dengue Fever in Karachi, Pakistan

OpenAIRE

Muhammad Shamim

2010-01-01

This study aimed to determine the frequency, pattern and management of acute abdomen in patients with dengue fever. Methods: This descriptive case series is a prospective analysis of acute abdomen in dengue fever that was performed at three secondary care hospitals in Karachi, Pakistan from June 1, 2005 to December 31, 2008. The inclusion criterion was all patients with confirmed diagnosis of dengue fever. Patients with incomplete laboratory, ultrasound or histopathology data were excluded...

Groundwater salinity in coastal aquifer of Karachi, Pakistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mashiatullah, A.; Qureshi, R.M.; Ahmad, E.; Tasneem, M.A.; Sajjad, M.I.; Khan, H.A.

2002-01-01

Potable groundwater salinity has become a problem of great concern in the Karachi Metropolis, which is not only the most populous and biggest industrial base but also the largest coastal dwelling of Pakistan. Stable isotope techniques [O/sup 18/ content of Oxygen in the water molecular and C/sup 13/ content of the Total Dissolved Inorganic Carbon (TDIC)] have been used, in conjunction with physiochemical tools (temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, redox electrical conductivity, salinity), to examine the quality of potable water and the source of salinity. Surface water samples (12 No.) were collected from polluted streams, namely: Layeri River, Malir River; Hub River/Hub Lake and the Indus River. Shallow groundwater samples (7 No. ) were collected from operating dug wells. Relatively deep groundwater samples (12 No.) were collected from operating dug wells, relatively deep groundwater samples (12 No.) were collected from pumping wells/tube-wells. Physicochemical analysis of water samples was completed in the field. In the laboratory, water samples were analyzed for O/sup 18/ content of oxygen in the water molecule and C/sup 13/ content of the TDIC, using specific gas extraction systems and a modified GD-150 gas source mass spectrometer. It is concluded from this preliminary investigation that the potable aquifer system in coastal Karachi hosts a mixture of precipitation (rainwater only) from hinterlands, trapped seawater in relatively deep aquifer system, as well as intruded seawater under natural infiltration conditions and/or induced recharge conditions (in shallow aquifers). (author)

A new calanoid Copepod, Centropages karachiensis, from the inshore waters of the Karachi coast, West Pakistan

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Haq, S.M.; Rehman, Ur Fazal

1973-01-01

INTRODUCTION The new species Centropages karachiensis which is described below was found in small numbers in surface hauls made during September inside Karachi harbour and in the Korangi Creek area situated about 7 miles southeast of the Karachi harbour break water. The holotype is deposited in the

Epidemiology, clinical presentation, and patterns of drug resistance of Salmonella Typhi in Karachi, Pakistan.

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Khan, M Imran; Soofi, Sajid Bashir; Ochiai, R Leon; Khan, Mohammad Jawed; Sahito, Shah Muhammad; Habib, Mohammad Atif; Puri, Mahesh K; Von Seidlein, Lorenz; Park, Jin Kyung; You, Young Ae; Ali, Mohammad; Nizami, S Qamarudding; Acosta, Camilo J; Sack, R Bradley; Clemens, John D; Bhutta, Zulfiqar A

2012-10-19

Enteric fever remains a major public health problem in Asia. Planning appropriate preventive measures such as immunization requires a clear understanding of disease burden. We conducted a community-based surveillance for Salmonella Typhi infection in children in Karachi, Pakistan. A de jure household census was conducted at baseline in the study setting to enumerate all individuals. A health-care facility-based passive surveillance system was used to capture episodes of fever lasting three or more 3 days in children 2 to 16 years old. A total of 7,401 blood samples were collected for microbiological confirmation, out of which 189 S. Typhi and 32 S. Paratyphi A isolates were identified with estimated annual incidences of 451/100,000 (95% CI: 446 - 457) and 76/100,000 (95% CI: 74 - 78) respectively. At the time of presentation, after adjusting for age, there was an association between the duration of fever and temperature at presentation, and being infected with multidrug-resistant S. Typhi. Of 189 isolates 83 were found to be resistant to first-line antimicrobial therapy. There was no statistically significant difference in clinical presentation of blood culture sensitive and resistant S. Typhi isolates. Incidence of S. Typhi in children is high in urban squatter settlements of Karachi, Pakistan. Findings from this study identified duration of fever and temperature at the time of presentation as important symptoms associated with blood culture-confirmed typhoid fever. Preventive strategies such as immunization and improvements in water and sanitation conditions should be the focus of typhoid control in urban settlements of Pakistan.

Metal pollution and ecological risk assessment in marine sediments of Karachi Coast, Pakistan.

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Mashiatullah, Azhar; Chaudhary, Muhammad Zaman; Ahmad, Nasir; Javed, Tariq; Ghaffar, Abdul

2013-02-01

Concentrations of 12 metals (Fe, Mn, Cr, Mo, Ni, Pb, Se, Sr, U, V, Zn, and Zr) in surface sediments of Karachi Coast, Pakistan were determined to evaluate their distribution and pollution assessment. The measured metals in the sediments were found to be in the range of Fe, 0.84-6.96 %; Mn, 300-1,300 μg/g; Cr, 12.0-319.84 μg/g; Mo, 0.49-2.03 μg/g; Ni, 1.53-58.86 μg/g; Pb, 9.0-49.46 μg/g; Se, 0.25-.86 μg/g; Sr, 192-1185 μg/g; U, 0.19-1.66 μg/g; V, 15.80-118.20 μg/g; Zn, 15.60-666.28 μg/g; and Zr, 44.02-175.26 μg/g. The mean contents of the metal studied were: Fe, 3.07 %, Mn, 0.05 %; Cr, 96.75 μg/g; Mo, 1.34 μg/g; Ni, 31.39 μg/g; Pb, 23.24 μg/g; Se, 0.61 μg/g; Sr, 374.83 μg/g; U, 0.64 μg/g; V, 61.75 μg/g; Zn, 204.75 μg/g; and Zr:76.27 μg/g, and arrangement of the metals from higher to lower mean content in this area is: Fe > Zn > Mn > Sr > Zn > Cr > Zr > V > Ni > Pb > Mo > U > Se. There is no significant correlation among most of these metals, indicating different anthropogenic and natural sources. To assess ecotoxic potential of marine sediments, Numerical Sediment Quality Guidelines were also applied. The concentration of Pb in all the sediments except one was lower than the threshold effect concentration (TECs) showing that there are no harmful effects to marine life from Pb. On the other hand, the concentrations of Cr, Ni, and Zn exceeded TEC in three stations, indicating their potential risk. The degree of pollution in sediments for metals was assessed by calculating enrichment factor (EF) and pollution load index (PLI). The results indicated that sediments of Layari River Mouth Area, Fish Harbour, and KPT Boat Building Area are highly enriched with Cr and Zn (EF > 5). Sediments of Layari River Outfall Zone were moderately enriched with Ni and Pb (EF > 2). The pollution load index was found in the range of 0.98 to 1.34. Lower values of PLI (≤ 1) at most of sampling locations imply no appreciable input from anthropogenic sources. However

Geographic variation in access to dog-bite care in Pakistan and risk of dog-bite exposure in Karachi: prospective surveillance using a low-cost mobile phone system.

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Zaidi, Syed Mohammad Asad; Labrique, Alain B; Khowaja, Saira; Lotia-Farrukh, Ismat; Irani, Julia; Salahuddin, Naseem; Khan, Aamir Javed

2013-01-01

Dog-bites and rabies are under-reported in developing countries such as Pakistan and there is a poor understanding of the disease burden. We prospectively collected data utilizing mobile phones for dog-bite and rabies surveillance across nine emergency rooms (ER) in Pakistan, recording patient health-seeking behaviors, access to care and analyzed spatial distribution of cases from Karachi. A total of 6212 dog-bite cases were identified over two years starting in February 2009 with largest number reported from Karachi (59.7%), followed by Peshawar (13.1%) and Hyderabad (11.4%). Severity of dog-bites was assessed using the WHO classification. Forty percent of patients had Category I (least severe) bites, 28.1% had Category II bites and 31.9% had Category III (most severe bites). Patients visiting a large public hospital ER in Karachi were least likely to seek immediate healthcare at non-medical facilities (Odds Ratio = 0.20, 95% CI 0.17-0.23, p-valuedog-bites in Karachi suggested clustering of cases (Moran's I = 0.02, p valuedog-bite case reported, or approximately USD 44,408 over two years. Our findings suggest significant differences in access to care and health-seeking behaviors in Pakistan following dog-bites. The distribution of cases in Karachi was suggestive of clustering of cases that could guide targeted disease-control efforts in the city. Mobile phone technologies for health (mHealth) allowed for the operation of a national-level disease reporting and surveillance system at a low cost.

Bacterial contamination and stethoscope disinfection practices: a cross-sectional survey of healthcare workers in Karachi, Pakistan.

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Rao, Danish Ahmed; Aman, Aiysha; Muhammad Mubeen, Syed; Shah, Ahmed

2017-07-01

Stethoscopes routinely used for clinical examination of patients may potentially transfer micro-organisms and cause iatrogenic infections. This study was undertaken to detect the presence of microorganisms on stethoscopes used clinically in hospitals of Karachi, Pakistan and to ascertain the infection control practices of healthcare workers (HCWs). In a cross-sectional study, 118 samples were collected from public and private institutions. Samples were tested for the presence and sensitivity of pathogenic microorganisms. Microorganisms were found on diaphragms of 33/64 (51.6%) and 19/57 (33.3%) stethoscopes in public and private sector hospitals, respectively. Methycillin resistance was identified in all staphylococcally contaminated samples. Only 33 (18%) respondents reported cleaning their stethoscopes regularly. We highlight the need for more and better on-the-job routines for decontaminating stethoscopes among HCWs in Karachi.

Journalism 2.0: Journalist View about Media Information Service Trends in Karachi, Pakistan

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Muhammad Yousuf Ali

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Newspapers are one of essential vehicles of information dissemination in modern times. Technological changes have reshaped traditional newspapers into e-newspapers and blogs. Readers’ live comments on news stories directly change the phenomena of news-making and readership. Changing paradigms from paper to paperless environment also create challenges for journalists. This paper analyzed attitudes of journalists towards online published news and feedback. The findings show that journalists in Karachi, Pakistan use Web 2.0 tools very effective for their professional assignments, information gathering, reports and article preparation, and research project for their readers.

Food insecurity in metropolis of the developing world--observations from central district of Karachi, Pakistan.

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Hakeem, R; Asar, F; Shaikh, A H

2003-11-01

To assess the prevalence of household food insecurity at various income levels in urban areas of Karachi. A cross sectional survey of different localities in the central district of Karachi was carried out. The data was collected through household interviews of housewives conducted by trained nutritionist. Housewives were interviewed about food security status of the household. A total of 797 families were visited from the central district of Karachi. Mean Food Security Score increased with income level. The difference was statistically significant (ANOVA) between 1st and second (P=0.000) and 2nd and 3rd group (P=0.000) but not between 3rd and fourth group. At the very low and low income levels 83% & 51% families respectively were food insecure in any degree, while this percentage was very low at the middle (6.3%) and high income level (1.8%). The difference in prevalence of food insecurity between the VLI and LI, and, LI and MI income groups was statistically significant (chi.sq. test, pinsecurity than males. Meat, milk and fruits were the food groups which were preferred and considered healthy but were avoided because of lack of money by a majority (51%-86%) of families. In spite of having an impression of being an affluent city of Pakistan, the prevalence of food insecurity with and without hunger is rampant not only among very low income (slum dwellers) but also among low income families of Karachi.

Case study of energy conservation at national refinery limited, Karachi (Pakistan)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shah, F.A.; Shaikh, M.B.; Mahesar, G.H.

2000-01-01

Petroleum refining is one of the four top most industries in Pakistan in energy consumption and to save energy is the concern of every one. In this research, authors have calculated the designed and actual efficiency of the industrial furnaces at ''Two stage distillation unit'' of National Refinery Limited, Karachi. Observations were made for energy (Oil) consumption, heat (radiation) losses, through the furnace wall, tubing and stacks flue gases. The study shows difference in the data given at the time of design and at present working data. The furnace (01-F1) is 60% efficient and recorded 9% pounds of oil more per hour, giving 18% more heat loss. The reasons behind the fuel and energy losses are discussed with the suggestions. (authors)

Deliberate self-harm in the emergency department: experience from Karachi, Pakistan.

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Shahid, Muhammad; Khan, Murad M; Saleem Khan, Muhammad; Jamal, Yasir; Badshah, Aaref; Rehmani, Rifat

2009-01-01

Suicidal behavior is an understudied subject in Pakistan, a South-Asian developing country with a predominantly Muslim population. This study examined the characteristics and management of patients presenting with Deliberate Self-Harm (DSH) to the Emergency Department (ED) of a tertiary care teaching hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. A retrospective chart review of all patients (n = 98), over a period of 12 months was carried out. The demographic details of patients; method of DSH and, if drugs were used, their type, route, and quantity; reason for DSH; past psychiatric history; and outcome were recorded. The mean age of subjects was 23.5 years. The majority of patients were female; most had used drugs for DSH. After initial treatment in the ED, 34 patients were admitted to medical wards for further treatment, 12 were discharged from ED, while 52 patients left against medical advice. The main reasons for leaving against medical advice were financial constraints and fear of legal issues. Seven patients had at least one previous episode of DSH. Patients who left the ED without psychosocial assessment are at increased risk for repetition of DSH as well as suicide.

Difference in bone mineral density score on dual Xray absorptiometry scan among ethnic groups of Karachi, Pakistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shaikh, S.A.; Iqbal, J.; Faisal, L.; Islam, Z.U.; Ajmal, R.

2017-01-01

To determine the bone mineral density (BMD) scores on Dual energy X ray absorptiometry (DEXA) scan in individuals of different ethnic groups among local population of Karachi, Pakistan. Methodology: This cross sectional study was conducted in Departments of Anatomy and Radiology, Liaquat National Hospital and Medical College Karachi, from June 2016 to March 2017. The data were collected from the patients belonging to different ethnic groups, who were referred for DEXA scan and entered on structured proforma. SPSS 21 was used for data analysis. Results: Out of 232 patients, 206 were females and 26 were males with mean age of 59.6+-10.06 years. Majority of patients were resident of Karachi and belonging to Urdu speaking ethnic group. Mean BMI of patients was 29.3 6.69 and most of patients with osteoporosis were preobese and obese with BMI >25. The relationship of BMD with different ethnic groups showed statistically significant difference where Baloch had high incidence of osteoporosis of forearm and lumbar spine while Sindhi and Pathan had osteoporosis of hip. Conclusion: There is significant difference in BMD score on DEXA scan among different ethnic groups of Karachi. This information can help clinicians advise patients for timely DEXA scan and earlier use of bone preservation treatment. (author)

Use of folk remedies among patients in Karachi Pakistan.

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Qidwai, Waris; Alim, Salman Raza; Dhanani, Raheem H; Jehangir, Sana; Nasrullah, Aysha; Raza, Ammara

2003-01-01

The concept that food is medicine is being practiced in certain parts of the world, with positive outcomes on health of the population. We have such practice in Pakistan but it needs to be brought in line with the available scientific evidence. The study was conducted on 270 patients, visiting the Family Practice Center, the Aga Khan University, Karachi. A questionnaire was used to collect information on the demographic profile, and the use of folk remedies for medicinal uses. Substantial use of folk remedies for different medical conditions has been documented. The remedies included cinnamon, ginger, cloves, cordimon, sesame oil, poppy seeds, honey, lemon, table salt, eggs and curd. The medical conditions in which folk remedies are used in respondents' view, include conditions such as common cold, cough and flu to more serious conditions such as asthma, jaundice and heat stroke. We have found a substantial use of folk remedies for treatment of medical conditions. There is a need to organize their use on scientific lines.

Assessment of Soil Liquefaction Potential in Defence Housing Authority, Karachi, Pakistan

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Sumaira Asif Khan

2017-04-01

Full Text Available The occurrence of liquefaction phenomenon may be induced in the event of a large magnitude earthquake but sometimes loose, saturated and poorly graded sand may be subjected to liquefaction due to the vibration produced by other sources. Liquefaction could cause damage to building and infrastructure due to sudden increase of pore pressure in the loose layers of saturated sand causing the loss of bearing capacity and shear strength. Defence Housing Authority (DHA is the well planned residential scheme established by Pakistan Army along the coastal belt of Karachi. The soil occurring in DHA is fine grained, poorly graded and mainly comprises of sandy silt and silty sand of Recent age, where water table is encountered at very shallow depth. Hence, it is important to assess the geotechnical behavior of the soil in DHA area, where most of the high rise buildings and mega civil structures are being constructed. In present study, seismic soil liquefaction was evaluated at 15 sites (30 bore holes in DHA by using simplified empirical method in terms of Factor of Safety (FS. The Relative Density (RD was determined with the help of Standard Penetration Test (SPT data. Grain size analysis was also carried out on each borehole samples. The results revealed that the DHA area is vulnerable to liquefaction during severe seismic event of magnitude between 6.5 and 7.5 in Karachi.

Undergraduate radiology education in private and public teaching hospitals in Karachi, Pakistan: teaching duties, methodologies, and rewards

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Nadeem, Naila; Khawaja, Ranish Deedar Ali; Beg, Madiha; Naeem, Muhammad; Majid, Zain

2013-01-01

Background In an integrated method of education, medical students are introduced to radiology in their preclinical years. However, no study has been conducted in Pakistan to demonstrate an academic framework of medical radiology education at an undergraduate level. Therefore, we aimed to document and compare the current level of teaching duties, teaching methodologies, and teaching rewards among radiologists and residents in private and public teaching hospitals in Karachi, Pakistan. Methods A survey was conducted among 121 radiologists and residents in two private and two public teaching hospitals in Karachi, Pakistan. Radiologists who were nationally registered with the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council either part-time or full-time were included. Radiology residents and fellows who were nationally registered with the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council were also included. Self-administered questionnaires addressing teaching duties, methods, and rewards were collected from 95 participants. Results The overall response rate was 78.51% (95/121). All of the radiologists were involved in teaching residents and medical students, but only 36% reported formal training in teaching skills. Although most of the respondents (76%) agreed that medical students appeared enthusiastic about learning radiology, the time spent on teaching medical students was less than five hours per week annually (82%). Only 37% of the respondents preferred dedicated clerkships over distributed clerkships (41%). The most common preferred teaching methodology overall was one-on-one interaction. Tutorials, teaching rounds, and problem-based learning sessions were less favored by radiologists than by residents. Teaching via radiology films (86%) was the most frequent mode of instruction. Salary (59%) was the most commonly cited teaching reward. The majority of respondents (88%) were not satisfied with their current level of teaching rewards. Conclusion All radiologists and residents working in an

Risk Factors Predicting Mortality in Patients with Lung Abscess in a Public Tertiary Care Center in Karachi, Pakistan

OpenAIRE

Shaista Ghazal; Ashok Kumar; Binav Shrestha; Sana Sajid; Maria Malik; Nadeen Rizvi

2013-01-01

Introduction: Lung abscess is a commonly encountered entity in South-East Asia but not much data regarding its outcome is available. The objective of this study was to identify the factors associated with increased mortality in patients diagnosed with lung abscess in a tertiary care center of Karachi, Pakistan. Methods: A retrospective case analysis was performed via hospital records, on patients admitted with lung abscess between January 2009 and January 2011 at the largest state...

Nutritional status and physical abuse among the children involved in domestic labour in Karachi Pakistan: a cross-sectional survey.

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Zainab, Saima; Kadir, Masood

2016-10-01

To determine the prevalence of physical abuse among domestic child labours and to assess the nutritional status by calculating the Body Mass Index of children involved in domestic labour in Karachi. A cross sectional study was conducted in the squatter settlements of Karachi. Questionnaire based interviews were conducted to capture physical abuse with 385 children who worked as domestic labour in the household of their employer. The ages of the children were between 10 to 14 years belonging to both genders. The children were enrolled in study by snow-ball sampling technique. The overall prevalence of physical abuse among domestic child labour in Karachi was found to be 8.3 %. Over 9 % had low weight and about 90% were stunted. This study also highlighted that 95% of the children involved in domestic labour perform overtime work in their employer's home, more than once per week. There is high burden of physical abuse among the domestic child labour and these children are malnourished. There is a need to recognize and regulate this form of labour in Pakistan.

Aflatoxins in composite spices collected from local markets of Karachi, Pakistan.

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Asghar, Muhammad Asif; Zahir, Erum; Rantilal, Summan; Ahmed, Aftab; Iqbal, Javed

2016-06-01

This survey was carried out to evaluate the occurrence of total aflatoxins (AFs; B1+B2+G1+G2) in unpacked composite spices. A total of 75 samples of composite spices such as biryani, karhai, tikka, nihari and korma masalas were collected from local markets of Karachi, Pakistan, and analysed using HPLC technique. The results indicated that AFs were detected in 77% (n = 58) samples ranging from 0.68 to 25.74 µg kg(-1) with a mean of 4.63 ± 0.95 µg kg(-1). In 88% (n = 66) samples, AFs level was below the maximum limits (ML = 10 µg kg(-1)) as imposed by EU. Furthermore, 61% (n = 46) tested samples contained AFs level between 1 and 10 µg kg(-1), 9% (n = 7) exhibited AFs contamination ranged 10-20 µg kg(-1) and only 3% (n = 2) of the investigated samples contained AFs levels higher than the ML of 20 µg kg(-1) for total aflatoxins as set by the USA. It was concluded that there is need to establish a strict and continuous national monitoring plan to improve safety and quality of spices in Pakistan.

Drinking water: a major source of lead exposure in Karachi, Pakistan.

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Ul-Haq, N; Arain, M A; Badar, N; Rasheed, M; Haque, Z

2011-11-01

Excess lead in drinking water is a neglected source of lead toxicity in Pakistan. A cross-sectional survey in 2007/08 was made of water samples from drinking water sources in Karachi, a large industrial city. This study aimed to compare lead levels between untreated ground water and treated surface (tap) water in 18 different districts. Of 216 ground and surface water samples collected, 86% had lead levels higher than the World Health Organization maximum acceptable concentration of l0 ppb. Mean lead concentration in ground water [146 (SD 119) ppb] was significantly higher than in surface water [77.1 (SD 54) ppb]. None of the 18 districts had a mean lead level of ground or surface water below the WHO cut-off and ground water sources in 9 districts had a severe level of contamination (>150 ppb). Urgent action is needed to eliminate sources of contamination.

Marine pollution studies in Pakistan by nuclear techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Qureshi, R.M.; Mashiatullah, A.; Javed, T.; Tasneem, M.A.

2001-01-01

This paper describes a comprehensive study on pollution aspects of Manora Channel-Karachi Coast, Pakistan. In addition to use of conventional non-nuclear pollution monitoring tools (Coliform population, electrical conductivity, turbidity etc.), we evaluate the role of environmental stable carbon isotope technique (delta /sup 13/C of the total dissolved inorganic carbon-TDIC) to establish marine pollution transport scenario for Manora Channel. Data shows that tidal fluctuations play a key role in distribution of contamination inventories in Manora Channel. (author)

Geographic variation in access to dog-bite care in Pakistan and risk of dog-bite exposure in Karachi: prospective surveillance using a low-cost mobile phone system.

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Syed Mohammad Asad Zaidi

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Dog-bites and rabies are under-reported in developing countries such as Pakistan and there is a poor understanding of the disease burden. We prospectively collected data utilizing mobile phones for dog-bite and rabies surveillance across nine emergency rooms (ER in Pakistan, recording patient health-seeking behaviors, access to care and analyzed spatial distribution of cases from Karachi. METHODOLOGY AND PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: A total of 6212 dog-bite cases were identified over two years starting in February 2009 with largest number reported from Karachi (59.7%, followed by Peshawar (13.1% and Hyderabad (11.4%. Severity of dog-bites was assessed using the WHO classification. Forty percent of patients had Category I (least severe bites, 28.1% had Category II bites and 31.9% had Category III (most severe bites. Patients visiting a large public hospital ER in Karachi were least likely to seek immediate healthcare at non-medical facilities (Odds Ratio = 0.20, 95% CI 0.17-0.23, p-value<0.01, and had shorter mean travel time to emergency rooms, adjusted for age and gender (32.78 min, 95% CI 31.82-33.78, p-value<0.01 than patients visiting hospitals in smaller cities. Spatial analysis of dog-bites in Karachi suggested clustering of cases (Moran's I = 0.02, p value<0.01, and increased risk of exposure in particular around Korangi and Malir that are adjacent to the city's largest abattoir in Landhi. The direct cost of operating the mHealth surveillance system was USD 7.15 per dog-bite case reported, or approximately USD 44,408 over two years. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest significant differences in access to care and health-seeking behaviors in Pakistan following dog-bites. The distribution of cases in Karachi was suggestive of clustering of cases that could guide targeted disease-control efforts in the city. Mobile phone technologies for health (mHealth allowed for the operation of a national-level disease reporting and surveillance system

Association of post-traumatic stress disorder and work performance: A survey from an emergency medical service, Karachi, Pakistan.

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Kerai, Salima; Pasha, Omrana; Khan, Uzma; Islam, Muhammad; Asad, Nargis; Razzak, Junaid

2017-01-01

The purpose of the study was to explore the association between post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and work performance of emergency medical services personnel in Karachi, Pakistan. Emergency medical service personnel were screened for potential PTSD using Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R). Work performance was assessed on the basis of five variables: number of late arrivals to work, number of days absent, number of days sick, adherence to protocol, and patient satisfaction over a period of 3 months. In order to model outcomes like the number of late arrivals to work, days absent and days late, negative binomial regression was applied, whereas logistic regression was applied for adherence to protocol and linear for patient satisfaction scores. Mean scores of PTSD were 24.0±12.2. No association was found between PTSD and work performance measures: number of late arrivals to work ( RR adj 0.99; 0.98-1.00), days absent ( RR adj 0.98; 0.96-0.99), days sick ( RR adj 0.99; 0.98-1.00), adherence to protocol ( OR adj 1.01; 0.99-1.04) and patient satisfaction ( β 0.001%-0.03%) after adjusting for years of formal schooling, living status, coping mechanism, social support, working hours, years of experience and anxiety or depression. No statistically significant association was found between PTSD and work performance amongst EMS personnel in Karachi, Pakistan.

Indoor air pollution (PM2.5) due to secondhand smoke in selected hospitality and entertainment venues of Karachi, Pakistan.

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Nafees, Asaad Ahmed; Taj, Tahir; Kadir, Muhammad Masood; Fatmi, Zafar; Lee, Kiyoung; Sathiakumar, Nalini

2012-09-01

To determine particulate matter smaller than 2.5 μm (PM(2.5)) levels at various hospitality and entertainment venues of Karachi, Pakistan. This was a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted at various locations in Karachi, during July 2009. Sampling was performed at 20 enclosed public places, including hospitality (restaurants and cafés) and entertainment (snooker/billiard clubs and gaming zones) venues. PM(2.5) levels were measured using an aerosol monitor. All entertainment venues had higher indoor PM(2.5) levels as compared to the immediate outdoors. The indoor PM(2.5) levels ranged from 25 to 390 μg/m(3) and the outdoor PM(2.5) levels ranged from 18 to 96 μg/m(3). The overall mean indoor PM(2.5) level was 138.8 μg/m(3) (± 112.8). Among the four types of venues, the highest mean indoor PM(2.5) level was reported from snooker/billiard clubs: 264.7 μg/m(3) (± 85.4) and the lowest from restaurants: 66.4 μg/m(3) (± 57.6) while the indoor/outdoor ratio ranged from 0.97 to 10.2, highest being at the snooker/billiard clubs. The smoking density ranged from 0.21 to 0.57, highest being at gaming zones. The indoor PM(2.5) concentration and smoking density were not significantly correlated (Spearman's correlation coefficient = 0.113; p = 0.636). This study demonstrates unacceptably high levels of PM(2.5) exposure associated with secondhand smoke (SHS) at various entertainment venues of Karachi even after 8 years since the promulgation of smoke-free ordinance (2002) in Pakistan; however, better compliance may be evident at hospitality venues. The results of this study call for effective implementation and enforcement of smoke-free environment at public places in the country.

Demographic factors, social problems and material amenities as predictors of psychological distress: a cross-sectional study in Karachi, Pakistan.

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Kidwai, Rubeena

2014-01-01

Previous research has shown high prevalence rates for stress and psychiatric morbidity in rural areas of Pakistan, but prevalence findings from urban areas vary widely (between 18 and 70%). Many of these studies have focused on special populations and may not be representative of the general population in urban settings. The purpose of the present study was to ascertain prevalence and predictors of psychological distress in a representative sample of community dwelling adults from mid-low to low-income urban areas of Karachi, Pakistan. A cross-sectional survey was undertaken utilizing probability-based sampling from five mid-low to low-income communities of Karachi. Measures included the twelve-item Urdu version of general health questionnaire (GHQ-12), a demographic questionnaire, and questions about financial, health-related and family problems and about access to services and material amenities owned. Seventeen per cent of respondents (N = 1,188) were positive for psychological distress. More females were distressed than males and migrant groups had higher prevalence of distress as compared with natives of the city. Although other studies have shown low education or income to be associated with emotional distress and non-psychotic psychiatric morbidity, our study suggested that having limited income or education may make one more vulnerable to social problems that in turn may be associated with greater distress. An access to services and material amenities had a small but significant association with decreased distress. The overall national prevalence rates may not reveal the influence of gender, region (rural v. urban) and migration on psychological distress. Further research is needed to address mental health of migrant groups in urban centers of Pakistan.

Geographic Variation in Access to Dog-Bite Care in Pakistan and Risk of Dog-Bite Exposure in Karachi: Prospective Surveillance Using a Low-Cost Mobile Phone System

OpenAIRE

Zaidi, Syed Mohammad Asad; Labrique, Alain B.; Khowaja, Saira; Lotia-Farrukh, Ismat; Irani, Julia; Salahuddin, Naseem; Khan, Aamir Javed

2013-01-01

Background: Dog-bites and rabies are under-reported in developing countries such as Pakistan and there is a poor understanding of the disease burden. We prospectively collected data utilizing mobile phones for dog-bite and rabies surveillance across nine emergency rooms (ER) in Pakistan, recording patient health-seeking behaviors, access to care and analyzed spatial distribution of cases from Karachi. Methodology and Principal: Findings A total of 6212 dog-bite cases were identified over t...

The experiences of urban, professional women when combining breastfeeding with paid employment in Karachi, Pakistan: a qualitative study.

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Hirani, Shela Akbar Ali; Karmaliani, Rozina

2013-06-01

Pakistan has the second highest child mortality rate in South Asia. Breastfeeding can promote infant health, prevent infection and possibly mortality. However, a gradual decline in breastfeeding is reported for Pakistan; especially among urban, educated, employed women. Little research exists regarding the experiences of professional women in Pakistan who are breastfeeding and employed. To describe the experiences of urban, professional women who breastfeed and are employed, as related to facilitators and barriers of breastfeeding. Using a qualitative descriptive design, nine full-time employed women were recruited through purposive sampling from a private tertiary care health setting in Karachi, Pakistan. A pre-tested, semi-structured interview guide was used for an in-depth interview of 40-45min with each participant. Most women spoke about the challenges of combining breastfeeding with employment, which resulted in early cessation of breastfeeding. The study indicated that positive maternal attributes such as knowledge about breastfeeding, planning, self-commitment, and open communication, as well as availability of social and workplace support is essential to enable urban, professional women in Pakistan to continue breastfeeding while employed. Pakistan has high infant and child mortality rate and decreasing prevalence of breastfeeding, especially among employed professional women. Our findings indicate an urgent need for lactation support programs that include integrated interventions for lactating women that offer informational support, social support, and formal workplace support. Copyright © 2012 Australian College of Midwives. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

High risk behaviors of injection drug users registered with harm reduction programme in Karachi, Pakistan

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Memon Ashraf

2007-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Surveillance data of Sindh AIDS Control Programme, Pakistan suggest that HIV infection is rapidly increasing among IDUs in Karachi and has reached 9% in 2004–5 indicating that the country has progressed from nascent to concentrated level of HIV epidemic. Findings of 2nd generation surveillance in 2004–5 also indicate 104/395 (26.3% IDUs HIV positive in the city. Methods We conducted a cross sectional study among registered IDUs of a needle exchange and harm reduction programme in Karachi, Pakistan. A total of 161 IDUs were included in the study between October–November 2003. A detailed questionnaire was implemented and blood samples were collected for HIV, hepatitis B & C and syphilis. HIV, hepatitis B and C antibody tests were performed using Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA method. Syphilis tests (RPR & TPHA were performed on Randox kit. Besides calculating frequencies univariate analysis was performed using t tests for continuous variables as age, age at first intercourse and average age of initiation of addiction and chi square for categorical variables like paid for sex or not to identify risk factors for hepatitis B and C and syphilis. Results Average age of IDU was 35.9 years and average age of initiation of drugs was 15.9 years. Number of drug injections per day was 2.3. Shooting drugs in group sharing syringes was reported by 128 (79.5% IDUs. Over half 94 (58.3% reported paying for sex and 64% reported never using a condom. Commercial selling of blood was reported by 44 (28%. 1 of 161 was HIV positive (0.6%. The prevalence of hepatitis B was 12 (7.5%, hepatitis C 151 (94.3% and syphilis 21 (13.1%. IDUs who were hepatitis C positive were more likely to start sexual activity at an earlier age and had never used condoms. Similarly IDUs who were hepatitis B positive were more likely to belong to a younger age group. Syphilis positive IDUs were more likely to have paid for sex and had never used a condom

Arsenic enrichment in mangroves, and sediments along Karachi coast, Pakistan

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Rashida Parveen

2013-08-01

Full Text Available Objective: To assess the arsenic (As concentration in different parts of mangroves Avicennia marina and sediments in Karachi coastal area i.e. Korangi Creek , Manora, Kakapir and Sandspit. Methods: Sites are identified for sampling owing to their vicinity to industrial activities. Sandspit is targeted for its being devoid of industries. The hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry (HG-AAS were used to analyse the concentration of arsenic in mangrove and sediment. Results: The high concentration of As was found in roots and middle aerial part as compared to the upper part of mangroves. The concentrations of As was found higher in sediments as compared to the mangroves. There is a seasonal variation of As enrichment in mangrove and sediments as dry seasons showed higher concentration while in rainy season dilution factors may be attributed to the low level of As. The concentration variation of As in sampling sites of mangroves and sediments following the trend i.e. Korangi Creek >Manora>Kakapir>Sandspit. The statistical analysis (Two way ANOVA of data exhibited no significant difference (P>0.05 for trace metals concentrations in mangrove as well as in sediments. Conclusions: It is obvious to conclude that As should be continuously monitored in different environmental segments. The data must correlate with geographical distribution of As, quantification in different species, their solubility and bioavailability to understand the possible factors responsible for environmental pollution. The present study will be helpful to improve water management resources.

The Mediating Role of Job Satisfaction between Training and Development Practices and Organizational Commitment: Responses from Private Banking Sectors of Karachi, Pakistan

OpenAIRE

Faridi, Adnan; Baloch, Akhtar; Wajidi, Abuzar

2017-01-01

This paper examines the impact of modern and traditional training and development programs on the employees of banking sectors' organizational commitment and overall performance within Karachi, Pakistan. Furthermore, the paper explores the causal-effect relationship between organizational commitment's distinctive attributes and T&D program through mediating role of job satisfaction, by particularly looking at the contractual and permanent employees. By combining the strata, convenience, and p...

Development of an economic skill building intervention to promote women's safety and child development in Karachi, Pakistan.

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Hirani, Saima Shams; Karmaliani, Rozina; McFarlane, Judith; Asad, Nargis; Madhani, Farhana; Shehzad, Shireen; Ali, Nazbano Ahmed

2010-02-01

Violence against women is a global epidemic phenomenon that can result in major mental health problems. Not only are women affected but also the health and well-being of their children are in jeopardy. To prevent violence and promote women's safety, several strategies have been tested in various cultural contexts. This article describes the process of developing and validating an economic skill building intervention for women of an urban slum area of Karachi, Pakistan. The purpose of the intervention is to increase women's economic independence, promote women's safety, and improve the behavioral functioning of their children.

Pattern of female breast diseases in Karachi

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hussain, N.; Ayaz, B.; Nadia, N.; Ali, Z.

2005-01-01

The study was conducted to know the pattern of female breast diseases in Karachi. In this study there were a total of 307 breast biopsies and mastectomy specimens of which 67 were inflammatory, 166 benign and 74 malignant. Fibroadenoma was the commonest (35.179%) followed by invasive ductal carcinoma (21.824%),fibrocystic disease (16.286%), breast abscess (7.166%) and chronic mastitis (7.817%). Fibroadenoma was common in second decade and infiltrative ductal carcinoma in fifth decade. Breast carcinoma occurs at a younger age group in (Karachi - Pakistan) than in western countries. (author)

Harnessing Photovoice for tuberculosis advocacy in Karachi, Pakistan.

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Mohammed, Shama; Sajun, Sana Zehra; Khan, Faisal S

2015-06-01

In Pakistan, despite publically available free testing and treatment throughout the country, there were an estimated 58,000 deaths due to tuberculosis in 2010. Understanding the experiences of people affected by TB is essential in addressing barriers to effective treatment. The Indus Hospital used Photovoice to understand the experiences of people affected by TB in Karachi. Two hundred and thirty photographs and stories were collected from 55 people affected by TB. Five major themes and 12 sub-themes emerged from the data: the physical aspects of TB (weakness and the side effects of the medication), the social aspects of TB (loneliness, stigma, and the fear/guilt of infecting family members), the socio-economic aspects of TB (financial difficulties/poverty and poor living conditions), supportive factors during treatment (support from family and friends, support from welfare organizations, prayer, visiting peaceful places), and recovery (happiness about getting better). The photographs, stories, and a Call for Action were shared at a Gallery event with patients, practitioners, and policy-makers. This study provides a look at the complexities surrounding TB and emphasizes the need for holistic interventions for TB that address all aspects of the disease, including its social determinants. It also highlights the potential of Photovoice as an effective means to bring much-needed attention to this disease. © The Author (2013). Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Violence permeating daily life: a qualitative study investigating perspectives on violence among women in Karachi, Pakistan

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Ali TS

2012-11-01

Full Text Available Tazeen S Ali,1,2,* Gunilla Krantz,3 Ingrid Mogren4,*1School of Nursing, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan; 2Department of Public Health Sciences, Division of Global Health, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, 3Department of Public Health and Community Medicine/Social Medicine, The Sahlgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, 4Department of Clinical Sciences, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden *These authors contributed equally to this workBackground: This study explored how married women perceive situations which create family conflicts and lead to different forms of violence in urban Pakistan. In addition, it examines perceptions of consequences of violence, their adverse health effects, and how women resist violence within marital life.Methods: Five focus group discussions were conducted with 28 women in Karachi. Purposive sampling, aiming for variety in age, employment status, education, and socioeconomic status, was employed. The focus group discussions were conducted in Urdu and translated into English. Manifest and latent content analysis were applied.Results: One major theme emerged during the analysis, ie, family violence through the eyes of females. This theme was subdivided into three main categories. The first category, ie, situations provoking violence and their manifestations, elaborates on circumstances that provoke violence and situations that sustain violence. The second category, ie, actions and reactions to exposure to violence, describes consequences of ongoing violence within the family, including those that result in suicidal thoughts and actions. The final category, ie, resisting violence, describes how violence is avoided through women’s awareness and actions.Conclusion: The current study highlights how female victims of abuse are trapped in a society where violence from a partner and family members is viewed as acceptable, where divorce is unavailable to the majority, and where

A case-control study of lung cancer in Karachi, Pakistan

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Bhurgri, Y.; Decullier, E.; Bhurgri, A.; Sheikh Nassar; Ahmed Usman; Brennan, P.; Boffetta, P. [Karachi Cancer Registry, Karachi (Pakistan)

2002-07-01

A study was conducted to investigate the causes of lung cancer in Pakistan. 320 patients (282 men and 38 women) with lung cancer treated at the Liaquat National Post Graduate Medical Centre, the Jinnah Post Graduate Medical Center and the Civil Hospital, all in Karachi, and 640 controls (561 men and 79 women) were enrolled. A total of 275 patients and 222 controls reported having a history of smoking (57% of men and 14% of women). An increased risk of developing lung cancer was observed among individuals with a history of smoking (odds ratio (OR) 22.8; 95% confidence interval (CI) 13.9-37.3) and among current smokers (OR 30.2; 95% CI 17.8-51.3). The risk decreased with the number of years since quitting (most apparent 10 years after smoking cessation). Chewing betel quid (containing betel leaf, lime, areca nut and tobacco) was only marginally associated with increased lung cancer risk. However, heavy exposure to this habit resulted in a significantly elevated odds ratio (OR2.1; 95% CI 1.1-4.0). The OR for snuff use was significantly increased (OR 1.9; 95% CI 1.0-3.7), with a significant trend with years of exposure and average level of consumption. Having ever lived in a flat with a heating system (coal, wood, electricity and kerosene) was associated with an OR of 3.6 (95% CI 2.5-5.3). Using gas, electricity or kerosene for cooking was associated with a reduced OR compared with the use of wood, whereas the OR for the use of coal was 2.7 (95& CI 0.9-8.7). The primary role of tobacco smoking as the cause of lung cancer in Pakistan was confirmed. 13 refs.

Simulation of rainfall-runoff for major flash flood events in Karachi

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Zafar, Sumaira

2016-07-01

Metropolitan city Karachi has strategic importance for Pakistan. With the each passing decade the city is facing urban sprawl and rapid population growth. These rapid changes directly affecting the natural resources of city including its drainage pattern. Karachi has three major cities Malir River with the catchment area of 2252 sqkm and Lyari River has catchment area about 470.4 sqkm. These are non-perennial rivers and active only during storms. Change of natural surfaces into hard pavement causing an increase in rainfall-runoff response. Curve Number is increased which is now causing flash floods in the urban locality of Karachi. There is only one gauge installed on the upstream of the river but there no record for the discharge. Only one gauge located at the upstream is not sufficient for discharge measurements. To simulate the maximum discharge of Malir River rainfall (1985 to 2014) data were collected from Pakistan meteorological department. Major rainfall events use to simulate the rainfall runoff. Maximum rainfall-runoff response was recorded in during 1994, 2007 and 2013. This runoff causes damages and inundation in floodplain areas of Karachi. These flash flooding events not only damage the property but also cause losses of lives

Heavy Metals Contamination in Coastal Sediments of Karachi, Pakistan

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Siddique, A.; Mumtaz, M.; Zaigham, N. A.; Mallick, K. A.; Saied, S.; Khwaja, H. A.

2008-12-01

Toxic compounds such as heavy metals exert chronic and lethal effects in animals, plants, and human health. With the rapid industrialization, urbanization, and economic development in Karachi, heavy metals are continuing to be introduced to estuarine and coastal environment through rivers, runoff and land-based point sources. Pollution in the Karachi coastal region (167 km long) is mainly attributed to Lyari and Malir Rivers flowing through the city of Karachi. Both rivers are served by various channels of domestic and industrial wastes carrying more than 300 million gallons per day untreated effluent of 6000 industries and ultimately drain into the beaches of Arabian Sea. Concentrations of selected heavy metals (Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn) in surface sediments from eighty-eight sites in Karachi coastal region were studied in order to understand metal contamination due to industrialization, urbanization, and economic development in Karachi. Sediment samples were collected in 2005 and 2006. We have found that heavy metal concentrations in surface sediments varied from 0.006 to 24.3 ug/g for Cd, 5.1 to 95 ug/g for Co, 2.9 to 571 ug/g for Cr, 6.9 to 272 ug/g for Cu, 0.55 to 6.5% for Fe, 1.2 to 318 ug/g for Mn, 7.5 to 75 ug/g for Ni, 6.3 to 121 ug/g for Pb, and 3.3 to 389 ug/g for Zn. Enrichment factors (EFs) were calculated to assess whether the concentrations observed represent background or contaminated levels. The highest levels of metals were found to be at the confluence of the Lyari and Malir River streams at the Arabian Sea, indicating the impact of the effluents of the highly urbanized and industrialized city of Karachi. Furthermore, this study assessed heavy metal toxicity risk with the application of Sediment Quality Guideline (SQG) indices (effect range low/effect range median values, ERL/ERM). Results indicated that the potential toxicity of marine environment can cause adverse biological effects to the biota directly and the human health

Stable isotopic techniques to address marine pollution: Karachi coast as a case study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ahmad, N.; Mashiatullah, A.; Javed, T.; Chaudhary, M.Z.; Fazil, M.; Khan, M.S.; Qureshi, R.M.

2011-01-01

Seawater of the coastal regions near heavily industrialized and thickly populated urbanized centers normally receive large quantities of domestic, agricultural and industrial sewage. Ocean systems generally appear to be unlimited in their ability to dilute these human discharges and industrial wastes. This limit is now being exceeded in coastal waters in the vicinity of many large industrial and heavy populated coastal zones, causing threat to marine coastal resources of these areas. Considering the increasing threats of the unplanned inventory of untreated wastes into the marine coastal environment, the strength of isotope tools (delta/sup 13/C) is used to understand the complex ecological systems in the marine coastal environment. This technique has been applied to study transport, behavior and fate of organic pollutants in marine coastal ecosystems of Karachi coast mainly as model studies. Carbon flow in heavily contaminated harbour channel (Manora Channel) , southeast and northwest coast have been investigated. The results indicate that shallow marine coastal waters tend to be depleted in /sup 13/C (TDIC) where polluted rivers through the coastal dwellings enter and get mixed with the seawater. Gradual increase in /sup 13/C (TDIC) are observed as the distance from pollution source is increased. Extremely depleted /sup 13/C/sub org/ was observed in sediment of Layari river out fall zone and Karachi fish harbor indicating input of domestic sewage through Layari river. Studies have proved that stable carbon isotope ratios of total dissolved inorganic carbon (TDIC) can be used as an effective tracer of sewage discharge and their transport in shallow marine environment. (author)

Pakistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jones, R.W.

1990-01-01

In contrast to India, Pakistan is many years away from becoming a commercial nuclear supplier. Pakistan's nuclear technology and industrial base is dwarfed by India's, and even by those of smaller Asian nations such as South Korea and Taiwan. In the face of an embargo by advanced suppliers, Pakistan is still struggling to attract bids to supply equipment for the Chashma nuclear power project---some twenty years after starting the Karachi nuclear power plant (KANUPP), Pakistan's first and only power reactor import to date. This paper focuses on four sets of questions about Pakistan that could shape its potential role as a future nuclear supplier: transactions in the international nuclear market; structure of decision making in nuclear affairs; norms that guide its domestic and international nuclear policies; and capabilities for nuclear export

Hepatoprotective potential of three sargassum species from Karachi coast against carbon tetrachloride and acetaminophen intoxication

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Khan Hira

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Objective: To assess the hepatoprotective effect of ethanol extracts of Sargassum variegatum (S. variegatum, Sargassum tenerrimum (S. tenerrimum and Sargassum binderi occurring at Karachi coast against carbon tetrachloride (CCl4 and acetaminophen intoxication in rats. Methods: Sargassum species were collected at low tide from Buleji beach at Karachi coast. Effect of ethanol extracts of Sargassum spp., on lipid parameter, serum glucose and kidney function was examined. Liver damage in rats was induced by CCl4 or acetaminophen. Rats were administered with ethanol extracts of S. tenerrimum, S. variegatum and Sargassum binderi at 200 mg/kg body weight daily for 14 days separately. Hepatotoxicity was determined in terms of cardiac and liver enzymes and other biochemical parameters. Results: S. variegatum showed highest activity by reducing the elevated level of hepatic enzymes, bilirubin, serum glucose, triglyceride with restoration of cholesterol. Urea and creatinine concentrations were also significantly (P < 0.05 reduced as compared to acetaminophen intoxicated rats. S. tenerrimum and S. variegatum showed moderate activity against CCl4 hepatic toxicity. Conclusions: The protective role of S. variegatum against acetaminophen liver damage and its positive impact on disturbed lipid, glucose metabolism, kidney dysfunction and S. tenerrimum against CCl4 liver toxicity suggest that Sargassum species offer a non-chemical means for the treatment of toxicity mediated liver damage.

Bioindicator Thais carinifera (mollusca, gastropoda: imposex response and consequences along the Pakistan coast during the period from 1993 to 2012

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Nuzhat Afsar

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Endocrine mediated "imposex" phenomenon was investigated and recorded in the muricoid gastropod species Thais carinifera during the two decades from 1993 to 2012 at three (3 sites out of six (6 localities investigated along the Sindh and Balochistan coast, Pakistan. The VDS stages 1 to 4 were apparent in Thais carinifera. The intensity of imposex has remained comparatively low in the populations of harbours in close proximity to port Mohammad Bin-Qasim, namely; Old Korangi Fish Harbour (OKFH and New Korangi Fish Harbour (NKFH where shipping activities are sporadic as compared to those in Manora Channel and the adjoining Karachi Port area where intensive shipping activity is rather frequent. Target species found to be good bioindicators have shown a marked decrease over the prolonged study period. Investigations show that this decrease is solely due to globally imposed effective bans on tributyltin (TBT based antifouling paints over the past decade.

SEROPREVALENCE OF HEPATITIS C AMONG THE APPARENTLY HEALTHY BLOOD DONORS OF KARACHI

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Maeesa Wadood

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Hepatitis C is a global health issue. Pakistan is among the prevalent countries for hepatitis C virus (HCV. Due to poverty, unemployment, low literacy rate, unawareness and poor health facilities, Pakistani population are susceptible to HCV transmission. As blood transfusion is a potential source of HCV; therefore, this study was designed to determine the recent seroprevalence of HCV among the healthy blood donors of Karachi, Pakistan. For this purpose, 536 blood donors were screened for anti- HCV antibodies by 3rd generation ELISA. The seroprevalence of HCV observed is 2.99% among healthy blood donors. Male predominance is noticed with seropositivity of 2.62%; however, only 0.37% female blood donors were reactive for anti-HCV antibodies. This study concludes that HCV frequency has been increased in the natives of Karachi, Pakistan when compared to the past studies. Therefore, it is recommended that the healthcare authorities should play a vital role in enforcing preventive measures for HCV transmission.

Risk factors predicting mortality in patients with lung abscess in a public tertiary care center in Karachi, Pakistan.

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Ghazal, Shaista; Kumar, Ashok; Shrestha, Binav; Sajid, Sana; Malik, Maria; Rizvi, Nadeen

2013-01-01

Lung abscess is a commonly encountered entity in South-East Asia but not much data regarding its outcome is available. The objective of this study was to identify the factors associated with increased mortality in patients diagnosed with lung abscess in a tertiary care center of Karachi, Pakistan. A retrospective case analysis was performed via hospital records, on patients admitted with lung abscess between January 2009 and January 2011 at the largest state-owned tertiary care centre in Karachi, Pakistan. Out of the 41 patients hospitalized, 17 could not survive and were evaluated for clinical, radiological and microbiological factors to determine association with heightened mortality. Mortality due to lung abscess stood at 41.4% (17 of 41 cases). Adult male patients were found to have higher mortality with 13 out of 17 (43%) dead patients being male. A majority (21/41, 51.2%) of the cases belonged to the 41-60 year old age group. Highest mortality was seen in patients200 mg/dL (56%) succumb to disease. Patients with a positive history of smoking, diabetes mellitus, and alcohol intake expressed mortality rates of 44%, 56%, and 50% respectively; while 29.4% of the mortalities were positive for Pseudomonas aeruginosa on sputum culture. A significant association was found with elevated mortality and low haemoglobin levels at time of admission; mortality was 58% (p=0.005) in patients with Hb less than or equal to 10 mg/dL. The risk factors involved with heightened mortality included male gender and history of smoking, diabetes and alcohol intake. High blood sugar levels and detection of Pseudomonas aeruginosa on sputum cultures were also implicated. Anemia (Hb level less than or equal to 10 mg/dl) was statistically significant predictive factor for increased mortality.

The burden of non-communicable disease in transition communities in an Asian megacity: baseline findings from a cohort study in Karachi, Pakistan.

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Faisal S Khan

Full Text Available The demographic transition in South Asia coupled with unplanned urbanization and lifestyle changes are increasing the burden of non-communicable disease (NCD where infectious diseases are still highly prevalent. The true magnitude and impact of this double burden of disease, although predicted to be immense, is largely unknown due to the absence of recent, population-based longitudinal data. The present study was designed as a unique 'Framingham-like' Pakistan cohort with the objective of measuring the prevalence and risk factors for hypertension, obesity, diabetes, coronary artery disease and hepatitis B and C infection in a multi-ethnic, middle to low income population of Karachi, Pakistan.We selected two administrative areas from a private charitable hospital's catchment population for enrolment of a random selection of cohort households in Karachi, Pakistan. A baseline survey measured the prevalence and risk factors for hypertension, obesity, diabetes, coronary artery disease and hepatitis B and C infection.Six hundred and sixty-seven households were enrolled between March 2010 and August 2011. A majority of households lived in permanent structures (85% with access to basic utilities (77% and sanitation facilities (98% but limited access to clean drinking water (68%. Households had high ownership of communication technologies in the form of cable television (69% and mobile phones (83%. Risk factors for NCD, such as tobacco use (45%, overweight (20%, abdominal obesity (53%, hypertension (18%, diabetes (8% and pre-diabetes (40% were high. At the same time, infectious diseases such as hepatitis B (24% and hepatitis C (8% were prevalent in this population.Our findings highlight the need to monitor risk factors and disease trends through longitudinal research in high-burden transition communities in the context of rapid urbanization and changing lifestyles. They also demonstrate the urgency of public health intervention programs tailored for

The study of chloroform levels during water disinfection by chlorination reference to health risk in drinking water of karachi (pakistan)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khawaja, H.A.; Khattak, I.

2008-01-01

This study presents the levels of the chloroform formation during water disinfiction treatment by chlorination with the subsequent formation of by-products like trihalomethanes (THMs) are formed. These THMs in drinking water are found in the form of chloroform, bromodichloromethane, Chlorodibromomethane and bromoform. Out of these four compounds chloroform is the major culprit and Contribute 9.0% of the total THMs concentration (I). Therefore the present work was focused on the Estimation of levels of chloroform in the drinking water samples of Karachi city (Pakistan) by using Bootstrapping statistical technique with regards to the average cancer risk in the community. (author)

From development authorities to democratic institutions: Studies in planning and management transition in the Karachi Metropolitan Region

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Noman Ahmed

2010-12-01

Full Text Available Karachi is a relatively young metropolis. The city is about three centuries old, founded as a port by local Hindu merchants and traders. The British conquered the city in 1839, occupied the entire principality of Sindh in 1843 and designated Karachi as headquarters of the territory. The city experienced different phases of growth. When Pakistan came into being in 1947, a large number of refugees entered the city and the population jumped from 435,000 in 1947 to 1,050,000 in 1951. Karachi has remained the primate city of Pakistan, with a high annual growth rate of 5-7 percent per annum (Ahmed 1998. Current estimates suggest that the city has about 17 million inhabitants. Karachi houses 7 per cent of the total population and 23 per cent of the urban population of Pakistan. Its current rate of growth is estimated at around 5 per cent, of which 3 per cent is due to natural increase and 2 per cent to migration from the other parts of the country. Karachi provides 25 per cent of federal revenue and 15 per cent of Pakistan’s gross domestic product (GDP. In addition, 50 per cent of the country’s bank deposits and 72 per cent of all issued capital is contributed by the city (Hasan 2010; CDGK 2008. It houses the country’s largest stock market and about 26 per cent of the total national industrial establishments.

Water resources management strategy for Pakistan in case of nuclear disaster

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khan, A.M.

1990-01-01

In Pakistan, no management strategy existed for combating major disasters. A nuclear disaster involves the emission of insidious radiations which can cause different cancers if ingested with water. The water supplies in Pakistan are managed by local water boards or Water and Power Development Authority. A plant called Karachi Emergency Relief Plant (KERP) has been formulated for overcoming natural and nuclear disasters in Karachi. This plan does not consider the radioactive pollution of water supplies separately. It can be made more effective with certain improvements and used as a model for managing nuclear disasters in other cities of Pakistan. (author)

Case Series of Naegleria fowleri Primary Ameobic Meningoencephalitis from Karachi, Pakistan.

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Ghanchi, Najia K; Jamil, Bushra; Khan, Erum; Ansar, Zeeshan; Samreen, Azra; Zafar, Afia; Hasan, Zahra

2017-11-01

Naegleria fowleri causes primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) which is almost always fatal. Naegleria fowleri is waterborne, and its infections are usually associated with aquatic activities but it can also be transmitted via the domestic water supply. An increasing number of N. fowleri cases have been reported from Pakistan. Improved methods for diagnosis are required. We report the utility of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the diagnosis of N. fowleri in patients suspected of PAM. One hundred and sixteen cases suspected of having PAM were examined. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) specimens were tested at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi. Nineteen CSF specimens were positive for N. fowleri using PCR. Naegleria fowleri positive patients had a median age of 28 years and were 84% male and 16% female. Overall, CSF wet preparation microscopy was performed in 85 (73%) cases and identified that seven specimens were positive for motile trophozoites. The CSF wet preparation results were available for 15 of the 19 N. fowleri PCR positive CSF samples; seven (40%) wet preparations were positive. Our data highlight the threat of N. fowleri infection as a cause of PAM. It also emphasizes the utility of the PCR-based diagnosis of the amoeba for early diagnosis and management of the disease.

Heavy metals contamination in fish and shrimp from coastal regions of karachi, pakistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ali, S.S.

2013-01-01

in the present study, the heavy metals (Pb, Cu, Cd, Fe, Zn) concentration was determined by using atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS) in 5 species of fish and 3 species of shrimp commonly taken by locals at the coastal regions of Karachi, Pakistan Concentrations of Cd and Pb studied in tissues of Mushka (Otolithes ruber; 0.120 and 1.018 micro g/ wet weight) and palaemon longirostris shrimp (2.457 and 0.480 micro g/g wet weight) were found near to safe level for human consumption. Mullet, Tarli, Surmai, Dohtar fishes and Blacktiger shrimp were found contaminated by Cd and Pb but still within the limits fit for and human consumption. the distribution of trace metals detected in all fish and shrimp species followed the order of Zn >Pb> Fe>Cu> Cd and Cd> Fe > Zn> Cu>Ph, respectively. Metal concentration exhibited significant species variation and followed the order In fishes as otolithes ruber> Liza vaigiensis>sardinella albella>Scomberomorus guttatus>pomadasys olivaecum and in shrimp as palaemon longirostris>penaeus monodon> penaeus penicillatu. (author)

Qing-Qi Rickshaw : A Boon Or Bane For Public Transportation? A Study Of Road Traffic Injury Patterns Involving Qing-Qi Rickshaws In Karachi Pakistan.

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Muzzammil, Muhammad; Minhas, Muhammad Saeed; Effendi, Jahanzeb; Jahanzeb, Syed; Mughal, Ayesha; Qadir, Abdul

2017-01-01

The three-wheeler Qing-qi and Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) auto-rickshaws were introduced in Karachi to meet the transportation demand of the growing population. These vehicles have directly or indirectly been implicated in a number of road traffic violations as well as road accidents. This study aims to describe the crash characteristics and injury patterns for Qing-qi rickshaw occupants and other road users hit by Qing-qi rickshaw in Karachi, Pakistan. An Observational/ Descriptive study was conducted at Accident & Emergency and Orthopaedic Surgery Department, Jinnah Post Graduate Medical Centre, Karachi Pakistan from July 2014 to June 2015.All patients who came with Qing-qi rickshaw accident in Accident & Emergency (A&E) of JPMC were included. Crash characteristics, details of injuries, injury severity parameters and outcome were documented in detailed interviews. Four hundred and eighty-six rickshaw related injuries were noted in road traffic accidents by Qing-gi rickshaw. Age range was 2-85 (43.5±58.68). 350 injured victims were males and 136 were females. By occupation most victims were laborers and daily wage workers (45%) and students (21%). Overloading of vehicle with more than two passengers was found in (28.5%). The most common cause of injury was collision with a moving vehicle (56%), followed by fall from rickshaw. The most common contributing factor was the overloading of rickshaw and roll over on turning (61%). Injury severity on arrival were mild (49%), moderate were (32%), and severe were (19%). Injuries related to head and neck (26%), face (14%), thorax and abdomen (5%), lower extremity and pelvic girdle (31%) and upper extremity (23%) were observed. Qing-qi rickshaw injuries are common and these vehicles are vulnerable to road traffic accidents. Occupants and road users are both at risk of injuries.

A Review of the Status of the Indian Ocean Humpback Dolphin (Sousa plumbea) in Pakistan.

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Kiani, Muhammad Shoaib; Van Waerebeek, Koen

2015-01-01

Limited historical and new information on Indian Ocean humpback dolphins, Sousa plumbea, in Pakistan are reviewed. Although present along most of the coast, S. plumbea concentrates in the mangrove-lined creek system of the Indus Delta (Sindh), Miani Hor (Sonmiani Bay), Kalmat Lagoon, Gwadar and the Dasht River estuary (Gwater Bay, Jiwani). Other areas of distribution comprise the Karachi coast, Kund Malir, Ormara and Pasni. In the Indus Delta, 46 small-boat surveys conducted monthly (minus July and October) in 2005-2009, documented 112 sightings (439 individuals) in major creeks, smaller channels and nearshore waters. Group sizes ranged from 1-35 animals (mean=3.92±4.60). Groups of 1-10 animals composed 91% of total (27.9% single animals). An encounter rate of 0.07-0.17 dolphins km(-1) lacked a significant trend across survey years. A discovery curve remained steep after 87 dolphins were photo-identified, suggesting the population is vastly larger. In Sonmiani Bay, Balochistan, during 9 survey days in 2011-2012, group sizes ranged from 1-68 animals (mean=11.9±13.59; n=36), totalling 428 dolphins. Incidental entanglements, primarily in gillnets, pollution (especially around Karachi), overfishing and the ship breaking industry in Gaddani, pose major threats. Incidental catches occur along the entire Pakistani coast. Of 106 stranded cetaceans, 24.5% were S. plumbea. Directed takes in Balochistan, driven by demand for bait in shark fisheries, have reportedly declined following dwindling shark stocks. Habitat degradation threats include depletion of prey and increased maritime traffic. Domestic sewage and solid waste pollution are predominant on the Balochistan coast, especially at Miani Hor, Kund Malir, Ormara, Kalmat Lagoon, Pasni, Gwadar and Jiwani. An exhaustive habitat assessment combined with appropriate fishery management is the only way to safeguard the future of S. plumbea in Pakistan. © 2015 Elsevier Ltd All rights reserved.

Acute health effects of the Tasman Spirit oil spill on residents of Karachi, Pakistan

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Najam-ul-Hassan

2006-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background On July 27 2003, a ship carrying crude oil run aground near Karachi and after two weeks released 37,000 tons of its cargo into the sea. Oil on the coastal areas and fumes in air raised health concerns among people. We assessed the immediate health impact of oil spill from the tanker Tasman Spirit on residents of the affected coastline in Karachi, Pakistan. Methods We conducted a study consisting of an exposed group including adults living in houses on the affected shoreline and two control groups (A and B who lived at the distance of 2 km and 20 km away from the sea, respectively. We selected households through systematic sampling and interviewed an adult male and female in each household about symptoms relating to eyes, respiratory tract, skin and nervous system, smoking, allergies, beliefs about the effect on their health and anxiety about the health effects. We used logistic regression procedures to model each symptom as an outcome and the exposure status as an independent variable while adjusting for confounders. We also used linear regression procedure to assess the relationship exposure status with symptoms score; calculated by summation of all symptoms. Results Overall 400 subjects were interviewed (exposed, n = 216; group A, n = 83; and group B, n = 101. The exposed group reported a higher occurrence of one or more symptoms compared to either of the control groups (exposed, 96% vs. group A, 70%, group B 85%; P P Conclusion Results suggest that the occurrence of increased symptoms among the exposed group is more likely to be due to exposure to the crude oil spill.

Planning Failure of Satellite Town: A Case Study of Korangi, Karachi-Pakistan

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Tania Ali Soomro

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The Satellite town of Korangiis part of the ‘Greater Karachi Resettlement Plan’ along with other satellite towns of Landhi and New Karachi proposed by the Greek Architect Constantinos Apostolou Doxiadis in 1958. It is located in southern part of Karachi next to the Arabian Sea at latitude: 24°49' and longitude: 67° 7'. It is considered as one of the major post-independence urban regeneration projects. The actual plan of Doxiadis was supposed to be developed as self-sufficient satellite town for refugees (from Indian sub-continent partition with the provision of employment through industries and commercial areas along with residential settlement. This research revolves around the planning strategies adopted by the architect influenced by the indigenous way of living. The analysis is based upon the main proposition of the Greater Karachi Resettlement Plan that aimed to develop industrial activity in the satellite towns of Landhi-Korangi and North Karachi freeing the central Karachi from low income groups (poor and from environmental degradation. From here began the multiple issues mainly the transportation troubles of city, as these settlement towns were positioned at least 25 Kilometer off the city centre which probably was the only working hub for most of people then. This eventually led to the failure of the plan leaving behind the inhabitants with economic pandemonium. The objective of this research is to understand the issues related to the existing satellite town and the reasons for its decline; not growing on the pace of what it was assumed to develop. The paper also focuses on the stated argument of the failure of this massive relocation plan and its impacts on rest of the city.

Disinfection of municipal water using solar radiation: an economical approach for rural dwellers in the coastal region of Karachi

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ahmed, M.F.; Saleem, M.

2010-01-01

At present acquiring safe drinking water in rural or remote areas of Pakistan is a challenging task for dwellers. Coast line of Karachi is a sporadic habitat of villages not having access to safe drinking water. Many incidents of waterborne diseases have been reported in that area and attributed to contaminated municipal water supply. Solution of the problem is disinfection however, general methods of water disinfection such as boiling, UV-lamp, ozonation and chemical additive are costly or require skilled manpower. Present study investigates the solar disinfection method to treat municipal water supply at Karachi Institute of Power Engineering (KINPOE) located at the coastal belt of Karachi. Effect of exposure time, bottle material and turbidity of water on the process performance was evaluated. Model indicator bacteria total coliform (TC) was used to evaluate the solar disinfection process. Study revealed that in order to disinfect the municipal water, samples should be filled in PET transparent bottles, having turbidity below 23 NTU, and expose to solar radiation in the study area at least for one hour. Study shows that solar disinfection may provide safe drinking water meeting national and international water quality standards at minimum cost and effort in sunshine rich areas and not having access to other water purification systems. (author)

Use of the Health Belief Model for the Assessment of Public Knowledge and Household Preventive Practices in Karachi, Pakistan, a Dengue-Endemic City.

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Taranum Ruba Siddiqui

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Prevention is most effective in reducing dengue infection risk, especially in endemic countries like Pakistan. Evaluation of public awareness and health beliefs regarding dengue fever (DF is important for devising disease control strategies. This study assessed dengue knowledge, health beliefs, and preventive practices against DF in different socioeconomic groups of Karachi, Pakistan.In this community-based cross-sectional study, 6 randomly selected towns were visited, 2 persons (man and woman per household were interviewed using a structured questionnaire, and household practices were observed. Information regarding DF was shared through a printed pamphlet. Multivariate logistic regression analysis of variables associated with dengue knowledge and practices was conducted.We interviewed 608 Karachi residents (mean age: 33.2 ± 13.35 years; 7.7%, 71.9%, and 20.4% had a high, middle, and low socioeconomic status, respectively. The mean knowledge score was 6.4 ± 2.10 out of 14. The mean preventive practices score was 9 ± 1.8 out of 17. Predictors of dengue knowledge were perceived threat (odds ratio [OR] = 1.802; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.19-2.71; p = 0.005, self-efficacy (OR = 2.910; 95% CI = 1.77-4.76; p = 0.000, and television as an information source (OR = 3.202; 95% CI = 1.97-5.17; p = 0.000. Predictors of dengue preventive practices were perceived threat (OR = 1.502; 95% CI = 1.02-2.19; p = 0.036, self-efficacy (OR = 1.982; 95% CI = 1.34-2.91; p = 0.000, and dengue knowledge (OR = 1.581; 95% CI = 1.05-2.37; p = 0.028.Public knowledge about DF is low in Karachi. Knowledge, threat perception, and self-efficacy are significant predictors of adequate dengue preventive practices. Prevention and control strategies should focus on raising awareness about dengue contraction risk and severity through television. Health messages should be designed to increase individual self-efficacy.

Influenza vaccine acceptance among pregnant women in urban slum areas, Karachi, Pakistan.

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Khan, Afshin Alaf; Varan, Aiden Kennedy; Esteves-Jaramillo, Alejandra; Siddiqui, Mariam; Sultana, Shazia; Ali, Asad S; Zaidi, Anita K M; Omer, Saad B

2015-09-22

Facilitators and barriers to influenza vaccination among pregnant women in the developing world are poorly understood, particularly in South Asia. We assessed intention to accept influenza vaccine among ethnically diverse low-income pregnant women in Pakistan. From May to August 2013, we conducted a cross-sectional survey of pregnant women who visited health centers in urban slums in Karachi city. We assessed intention to accept influenza vaccine against socio-demographic factors, vaccination history, vaccine recommendation sources, and other factors. In an unvaccinated study population of 283 respondents, 87% were willing to accept the vaccine, if offered. All except two participants were aware of symptoms typically associated with influenza. Perceived vaccine safety, efficacy, and disease susceptibility were significantly associated with intention to accept influenza vaccine (p<0.05). Regardless of intention to accept influenza vaccine, 96% rated healthcare providers as highly reliable source of vaccine information. While a recommendation from a physician was critical for influenza vaccine acceptance, parents-in-law and husbands were often considered the primary decision-makers for pregnant women seeking healthcare including vaccination. Maternal influenza vaccination initiatives in South Asia should strongly consider counseling of key familial decision-makers and inclusion of healthcare providers to help implement new vaccination programs. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Prevelence of latent tuberculosis and associated risk factors in children under 5 years of age in Karachi, Pakistan

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Mubashir Zafar

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Background: As infected children represent a large proportion of the pool from which tuberculosis (TB cases will arise and its associated risk factors that influence TB infection are basic cause for burden of TB. Aim: This study was to determine the prevalence of latent TB and associated risk factors in children less than 5 year of age in Karachi, Pakistan. Setting and Design: Cross-sectional study and it was conducted in tertiary care hospital in Karachi. Materials and Methods: In this study, children who were living in contact with individuals who had proven smear-positive pulmonary TB cases were investigated. A tuberculin skin test (TST was performed on each child. TST sizes ≥5 and 10 mm, respectively, were considered positive. Statistical Analysis: A random effects logistic regression model, which takes into account the clustering of contacts within households, was used to assess the relationship between the tuberculin response of the contact and risk factors. Results are reported as unadjusted and adjusted odds ratios and their 95% confidence intervals. The likelihood ratio test was used to assess the overall significance of risk factors, tests for trend, and tests for interaction. Results: The distribution of TST responses followed a bimodal pattern, with 135 (35% children presenting a palpable induration. The risk of positive TST response in the child increased with the geographic proximity of the child to the individual with TB within the household and with the degree of activities shared with the individual with TB. Nutritional status and presence of a bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG scar were not independent risk factors for TST positivity in this population. On multivariate analysis, the effect of geographic proximity to the individual with TB, household size, and duration of cough in the index case persisted for TST responses ≥5 mm. Conclusions: Positive TST in a child reflects most probably TB infection rather than previous BCG

Attitudes towards child restrains and seat belts usage in the learned population of Karachi, Pakistan.

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Siddiqui, Emaduddin; Ejaz, Kiran; Waheed, Shahan; Kazi, Ghazala Irfan; Khursheed, Munawar

2014-01-01

Motor vehicles crashes (MVCs) are the leading cause of injury related morbidity and mortality in developed countries. Recent evidence proves that properly used child seat belts can dramatically reduce the risk of severe and life-threatening injury from MVCs. There are rarities of thought and inspiration regarding the use of child seat belts in our society and region, therefore we lack of data regarding factors and paucity of usage of child seat belts in motor vehicles. This study aimed to assess the knowledge and attitudes of child seat belt usage among the educated population in Karachi, Pakistan. Altogether 304 employees were investigated. They were employees of Aga Khan University who were using their cars and having children younger than 10 years old. A cross sectional observational study was designed, and a 36-item questionnaire in English was used to collect data on participants' demographic details, designation, educational level, economic status, validity of driving license, number of children and cars, availability of adult seat belts and child seat belts along with their functionality, awareness, knowledge and attitude toward its use, and reason of not using these devices. SPSS version 20 for Windows was used to analyze the data and the Chi-square test was used. Totally 290 participants were recruited with a response rate of 72% (212). Of 212 participants, 126 (59%) were male. 154 (72.6%) participants had valid driver licenses, and 154 (72.6%) had adult seat belts in their vehicles. Only 32 (15%) reported regular use of adult seat belts. Although 168 (79.2%) participants had some knowledge about child restrains (CRs), only 65 (22%) had CRs in their cars. Eighty-two (38.7%) participants got the knowledge about CRs and seat belts from media. Mothers were more concerned about the use of CRs than fathers. Only 14 (6.6%) parents were found to use both adult and child seat belts all the time. Of the 157 parents who did not us use CRs, 42 considered unnecessary

Emergence of fluoroquinolone resistance among drug resistant tuberculosis patients at a tertiary care facility in Karachi, Pakistan.

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Zaidi, Syed Mohammad Asad; Haseeb, Abdul; Habib, Shifa Salman; Malik, Amyn; Khowaja, Saira; SaifUllah, Nausheen; Rizvi, Nadeem

2017-07-25

Pakistan is classified as one of the high multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) burden countries. A poorly regulated private sector, over-prescription of antibiotics and self-medication has led to augmented rates of drug-resistance in the country. Pakistan's first national anti-tuberculosis drug resistance survey identified high prevalence of fluoroquinolone resistance among MDR-TB patients. Further institutional evidence of fluoroquinolone drug-resistance can support re-evaluation of treatment regimens as well as invigorate efforts to control antibiotic resistance in the country. In this study, data for drug-susceptibility testing (DST) was retrospectively analyzed for a total of 133 patients receiving MDR-TB treatment at the Chest Department of Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center, Karachi, Pakistan. Frequency analyses for resistance patterns was carried out and association of fluoroquinolone (ofloxacin) resistance with demographics and past TB treatment category were assessed. Within first-line drugs, resistance to isoniazid was detected in 97.7% of cases, followed by rifampicin (96.9%), pyrazinamide (86.4%), ethambutol (69.2%) and streptomycin (64.6%). Within second-line drugs, ofloxacin resistance was detected in 34.6% of cases. Resistance to ethionamide and amikacin was 2.3% and 1.6%, respectively. Combined resistance of oflaxacin and isoniazid was detected in 33.9% of cases. Age, gender and past TB treatment category were not significantly associated with resistance to ofloxacin. Fluoroquinolone resistance was observed in an alarmingly high proportion of MDR-TB cases. Our results suggest caution in their use for empirical management of MDR-TB cases and recommended treatment regimens for MDR-TB may require re-evaluation. Greater engagement of private providers and stringent pharmacy regulations are urgently required.

Pakistan.

Science.gov (United States)

1992-06-01

Pakistan's background notes which profile the population, geography, government, and the economy contain a capsule of selected country statistics and a descriptive text. Pakistan has 117 million people distributed at 134/sq km with a growth rate of 3%. The major cities are Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Karachi, Lahore, and Faisalabad. Ethnic groups include the Punjabi, Sindhi, Pathan, Baluch, and Huhajirs. 97% are Muslim. Urdu is the official language, but 65% speak Punjabi, 11% Sindhi, and 24% other languages. 26% are literate. Infant mortality is 109/1000. 54% are involved in agriculture, 33% services, and 13% in industry. A parliamentary democracy was established in 1947 with an executive, legislative, and judicial branch of government. The Islamic Democratic Alliance is the most important national party. Voting rights are for those 21 years. Seats are reserved for non-Muslims. There are 4 political subdivisions. Gross national product (GNP) was $43 billion in 1990. The economic growth rate is 5% and 2%/capita. The natural resources are arable land, natural gas, petroleum, coal, iron ore, and hydropower potential. Agricultural products include wheat, cotton, rice, and sugarcane. Industry includes textiles, fertilizer, steel products, food processing, and oil and gas products. Major trade partners are Japan, the US, the United Kingdom, and Saudi Arabia. Economic aid was $36 billion between 1947-85, of which the US contributed 3 billion between 1981-87. Major donors are id entified. The population concentration is around Karachi. Political unrest has prevailed for 26 years and includes the creation of Bangladesh in 1970 from East Pakistan. Pakistan is considered to have the resources and entrepreneurial skills to develop economically rapidly. Defense strength is characterized as the world's 11th largest. Pakistan is nonaligned, but a member of the Organization of the Islamic Conference and the UN. Relations with India have been difficult. There is a desire for a stable

Microbial Flora Isolated from Polluted and Non-Polluted Coastal Waters of Karachi

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shaheen, A.; Baig, H. S.; Kazmi, S. U.

2016-01-01

Marine pollution has now become worldwide environmental concern. Continuous discharge of untreated industrial effluent, municipal and power plant contaminated wastewater has been a serious threat to marine habitat, aesthetic values and interest of visitors to coastal areas. Karachi is the largest city of Pakistan and industrial hub of the Arabian Sea. In this investigation, samples of sediment, water, flora and fauna were taken from nine selected stations on Karachi coast included three stations represented major creeks i.e. Korangi, Gizri and Chinna Creek. These samples were taken during north-east and south-west monsoonal period in 2014. Bacterial flora isolated and identified from samples collected from these sites by conventional method. Among isolated and identified bacteria e.g. Vibrio alginolyticus, Escherichia coli and Streptococuss anginosus were the most dominant species contributing 21.43, 19.64 and 15.18 percent of total assemblage respectively. Among selected sample stations, Korangi creek station was found to be most polluted with coliform and other pathogenic bacteria. These results clearly indicate that threats from these pathogens are not only to marine life but also to the large number of visitors coming to beaches and residents of surrounding area. Moreover; immediate action should be taken to restrict the growth of these pathogens by taking measures to treat the municipal and industrial effluent to avoid outbreak of any disease in future. (author)

Knowledge and Attitude of Teenagers Towards Electronic Cigarettes in Karachi, Pakistan.

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Shaikh, Asim; Ansari, Hamza T; Ahmad, Zeerak; Shaikh, Mahnoor Y; Khalid, Ilma; Jahangir, Maha; Majeed, Amna; Shakeel, Nimra; Ahmed, Arsalan; Memon, Roha Saeed; Tariq, Eleze; Irfan, Rafia; Madni, Dania

2017-07-13

Introduction Studies have shown that electronic cigarettes have gained immense popularity and their use has increased dramatically all over the world. However, little is known about the knowledge and attitudes towards e-cigarettes in third world countries such as Pakistan. The aim of this study was to determine the perceptions of teenagers in Karachi regarding e-cigarettes and whether the differences in said perceptions were affected by gender and level of education. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study in January 2017 using convenience sampling and interviewed 441 young individuals, aged 13 to 19 years, to determine their knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding e-cigarettes. The participants were questioned about their knowledge and its source. Attitudes were judged using four and five-point Likert scales while questions regarding practices focused on single and current use. Chi-square and Mann-Whitney tests were applied to compare the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of teenagers with gender and level of schooling. Results The majority of participants knew what e-cigarettes were (n=277, 68.7%) but did not know about their contents (n=225, 55.8%) and had learned about them from either friends or the internet (n=245, 60.%). Almost half of them (n=190, 47.2%) believed that the reason for e-cigarette use was either peer pressure or to quit smoking conventional cigarettes. An overwhelming majority also stated that; it was either easy or very easy to obtain e-cigarettes (n=277, 68.7%), they would not try smoking e-cigarettes even if a good friend of theirs recommended them (n=287, 71.2%), they were not current e-cigarette smokers (n=370, 91.8%) and they would never promote e-cigarette use (n=371, 92.1%). Statistically significant differences were found with males knowing more about e-cigarettes (p=0.006) and being more common to either have smoked (p e-cigarette smokers (p e-cigarette use among teenagers in Pakistan due to cultural and social stigmas

Gender and Violence in Urban Pakistan

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

2014-02-02

Feb 2, 2014 ... This report is the final output of the Safe and Inclusive Cities Programme ... urban working class neighborhoods of Karachi and Rawalpindi-‐Islamabad. ...... In Chapter 3, we discuss Pakistan's urban environment policy and ...

Frequency, pattern and management of acute abdomen in dengue fever in Karachi, Pakistan.

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Shamim, Muhammad

2010-07-01

This study aimed to determine the frequency, pattern and management of acute abdomen in patients with dengue fever. This descriptive case series is a prospective analysis of acute abdomen in dengue fever that was performed at three secondary care hospitals in Karachi, Pakistan from June 1, 2005 to December 31, 2008. The inclusion criterion was all patients with confirmed diagnosis of dengue fever. Patients with incomplete laboratory, ultrasound or histopathology data were excluded. Among 357 patients with dengue fever, 43 (12.04%) had acute abdomen. There were 15 men and 28 women, with a median age of 29 years. These included 26 cases of acute cholecystitis, 7 cases of acute appendicitis, 7 cases of nonspecific peritonitis, and 3 cases of acute pancreatitis. Dengue hemorrhagic fever/shock syndrome was found in acute pancreatitis, and two of these patients died. Emergency surgery was required in eight patients (5 appendectomy and 3 open cholecystectomy). Substantial transfusion of blood and its components was required in eight patients who underwent emergency surgery. Early diagnosis and prompt conservative management of dengue acute abdomen is necessary to avoid mortality and emergency surgery-related morbidity. However, if needed, surgery can be performed with acceptable morbidity. Copyright © 2010 Asian Surgical Association. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Haematological reference values for full-term, healthy, newborns of Karachi, Pakistan.

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Qaiser, Danish Hasan; Sandila, Mohammad Perwaiz; Ahmed, Syed Tousif; Kazmi, Tahseen

2009-09-01

To establish reference haematological values (complete blood count) in healthy full-term newborns of Karachi. This is a cross sectional study design based on cord blood sample of 404 newborns and their mothers recruited from Sindh Government Qatar Hospital, Ziauddin University Hospital gole market campus, Sindh Government hospital, Liaquatabad and Chinniot maternity and child hospital. Karachi from July 2006 to April 2008. Both mother's and the new born baby's blood was collected in EDTA containing tubes and analyzed for different haematological parameters. The data entry and analysis was done on computer package SPSS (Statistical Packages of Social Sciences) version 12.0. The results were given in the text as mean, standard deviation and 95% confidence intervals of haematological values (complete blood count). The mean haemoglobin was found to be (14.99 +/- 1.47 gm), which is lower than the standard value described in literature. However the total WBCs count and platelet count were found to be (13.61 +/- 4.23) and (256. 25 +/- 76.54) respectively, which were similar to the other studies. Our values provide reference range for haematological values in healthy newborns of Karachi, for clinical use by our physicians.

Health risk assessment of trihalomethanes from tap water in Karachi, Pakistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Karim, Z.; Mumtaz, M.; Kamal, T.

2011-01-01

Risk assessment study of trihalomethanes (THMs) through different exposure pathways is based on the results of THMs concentration in tap water samples collected from various locations of Karachi city. The lifetime cancer risk and hazard index of each THM species were used to estimate the health risk from THM exposure through oral ingestion and dermal absorption. Exposure to CHCl/sub 3/ either through ingestion or dermal contact was found to be the most important pathway for cancer risks from THMs. It was also found that the residents of Karachi have a higher risk of cancer through oral ingestion than through the dermal absorption. The mean hazard index value of Total trihalomethanes (TTHMs) through oral ingestion and dermal absorption was calculated to be 8.84 X 10/sup -2/ and 4.39 X 10/sup -3/, respectively. The results of hazard index were found lower than unity, which did not indicate the non-cancer effects of THMs. On the basis of cancer risk analysis, it is expected that approximately 2 of the 18 million population of Karachi could get cancer each year due to exposure to the THMs. (author)

Education for Development in Northern Pakistan: Opportunities and Constraints for Rural Households

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Emma Varley

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Reviewed: Education for Development in Northern Pakistan: Opportunities and Constraints for Rural Households By Andreas Benz. Karachi, Pakistan: Oxford University Press, 2014. xxxii + 434 pp. PKR 1850.00, € 27.99, US$ 45.00. ISBN 978-0-19-906917-0.

Enhancement of safety at nuclear facilities in Pakistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ahmad, S.A.; Hayat, T.; Azhar, W.

2006-01-01

Pakistan is benefiting from nuclear technology mostly in health and energy sectors as well as agriculture and industry and has an impeccable safety record. At the national level uses of nuclear technology started in 1955 resulting in the operation of Karachi Radioisotope Center, Karachi, in December 1960. Pakistan Nuclear Safety Committee (PNSC) was formulated in 1964 with subsequent promulgation of Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) Ordinance in 1965 to cope with the anticipated introduction of a research reactor, namely PARR-I, and a nuclear power plant, namely KANUPP. Since then Pakistan's nuclear program has expanded to include numerous nuclear facilities of varied nature. This program has definite economic and social impacts by producing electricity, treating and diagnosing cancer patients, and introducing better crop varieties. Appropriate radiation protection includes a number of measures including database of sealed radiation sources at PAEC operated nuclear facilities, see Table l, updated during periodic physical verification of these sources, strict adherence to the BSS-115, IAEA recommended enforcement of zoning at research reactors and NPPs, etc. Pakistan is party to several international conventions and treaties, such as Convention of Nuclear Safety and Early Notification, to improve and enhance safety at its nuclear facilities. In addition Pakistan generally and PAEC particularly believes in a blend of prudent regulations and good/best practices. This is described in this paper. (Author)

Eating disorders in medical students of Karachi, Pakistan-a cross-sectional study

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Memon Akhtar

2012-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background To assess the incidence of high-risk population of medical students with eating disorders in Karachi by using validated self-administered questionnaires. The earlier these disorders are diagnosed and assessed, the better the chances are for enhanced treatment and fuller recovery. Therefore, we intended to undertake a study to find out the frequency of such disorders among medical students of Karachi and design strategies to overcome them. Findings A descriptive cross sectional study was conducted in 435 medical students of Karachi. Data was collected using 2 self administered questionnaires, the SCOFF Eating Disorders Questionnaire and the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26. Subjects' body mass indexes (BMI were also calculated. The data was sorted and analyzed in SPSS version 16. According to EAT-26, 22.75% individuals were found to be at high-risk of eating disorders, with 87.9% females and 12.1% males. However, according to SCOFF questionnaire, 17% individuals were found to be at high-risk, with 78.4% females and 21.6% males. According to BMI calculation, 9% were severely underweight, 41.4% underweight, 41.1% normal, 7.6% overweight and 0.9% belonged to obese class 1. Conclusions A significant fraction of medical students in Karachi are at high risk of development of eating disorders, females being more prone than males. Strategies should be designed to prevent occurrence of such disorders among medical students that would undoubtedly hamper the availability of dependable medical services in future.

Investigation of soil fertility at a remote site in karachi, pakistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shirin, K.; Shafiq, S.; Imad, S.; Alvi, S.K.; Khan, M.A.

2014-01-01

This study reveals chemical and physical properties of soils collected from a remote site at Karachi, Pakistan. Altogether 23 parameters were determined. Out of 12 soil samples 11 were categorised as sand or sandy barns, p1-I varied between 7.35-8.49, density ranged between 1.61-2.39 gm/cm3, the conductivity of 1:2 water extracts varied up to a great extent i.e., between 0.437-16.47 MS/M3. Sodium (Na) contents were higher in ammonium acetate extract when compared with 1:2 water extract. The bicarbonate (HCO/sub 3/) contents were ranged between 0. 17-1.73 ppm. The organic matter contents were low (0.81 -2,21%), these soils were also deficient in their macronutrient contents. Specifically, the ranges of nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg) and sulphur (S) were 0.04-i. 16%, 0.25-15.99 ppm, 4.40-135.89 ppm, 0.001-0.199%, 0.001-0.019% and 0.01-0.143%, respectively. Heavy metals were determined in diethylene--triamine-pentaacctic acid (DTPA) extracts and the levels of iron (Fe), copper (Cu), manganese (Mn). and zinc (Zn) in these samples were I.86-3280 ppm, 1.68-7.69 ppm, 16.51-75.28 and 0.25-20.75 ppm, respectively. Toxic heavy metals, lead (Pb) and nickel (Ni) contents were also estimated and their concentration was found low ranging between 0.91-563 ppm and 0.32-1.26 ppm, respectively. (author)

Association of salivary gland hypofunction with diabetes mellitus and drugs among the elderly in Karachi, Pakistan.

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Lone, Muneeb Ahmed; Shaikh, Sameer; Lone, Maham Muneeb; Afaq, Ashar; Lone, Mohid Abrar

2017-05-01

Studies from Pakistan on salivary dysfunction are lacking, and the Pakistani elderly population is rapidly growing. Among the most common problems in the elderly that could have a deleterious impact on their quality of life are salivary gland hypofunction (SGH), diabetes mellitus (DM), and the intake of drugs with adverse effects on salivary function. In the present study, we aimed to find the association of SGH with DM and drugs among the elderly in Karachi, Pakistan. The inclusion criterion was affirmative answers to a series of standardized questions related to the symptoms of dry mouth. A total of 110 individuals were selected from a convenience sample of 200 people aged between 60 and 70 years. Diabetes, drug use, and SGH in the participants were determined by detailed medical and drug history, clinical examination, and sialometry. Similar to their international counterparts, the majority of the study participants demonstrated objective evidence of SGH. More importantly SGH was found to be statistically significant with respect to DM and medication (P salivary flow rates were found to be 0.09 mL/min and 0.3 ml/min, respectively, whereas the minimum and maximum salivary flow rates in diabetic participants were 0.01 mL/min and 0.09 mL/min, respectively. In the present study, the majority of elderly participants whose presenting complaint was oral dryness was found to have objective evidence of SGH, with a statistically-significant association with DM and drugs. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

Petroleum hydrocarbon pollution after the tasman spirit oil spill of coastal/deep sea sediment along the clifton beach karachi, Pakistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Munshi, A.B.; Ansari, F.A.; Siddiqi, H.A.; Zeeshan, M.

2011-01-01

An oil tanker,Tasman Spirit, carrying 67000 to nsc rude oil, got damaged near the Clifton Beach of Karachi, Pakistan and approx. 31,000 ton oil spilled into the sea. The distribution of aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons was determined in deep sea and surface sediment collected at 12 stations along the Clifton beach of Karachi, following the oil spill. Sampling was performed during 2003-2006, starting just after the accident of the oil tanker. Concentrations of PAHs (sigma 16 parent components) and aliphatics were in the range of 0.09-560 macro g/kg dw and 0.12-685 macro g/kg dw, respectively, since the date of accident and after bio remedial measures. The highest concentrations were found within the radius of 50 km around the site, the area most heavily impacted by the spill, whereas at the stations, away from the ship, the concentrations were in the lower range without alkylated compounds Addition of increasing amounts of ship fuel oil (taken from a Pakistani ship) to a representatives sediment samples showed that measurable concentration of the Tasman Spirit oil was > 1 g/kg of sediment The toxicity of selected samples of surface sediment from the coastal area near oil spill showed higher PAH concentrations the average number of dead fauna was 90-95% within 3 days of oil spill which gradually decreased with the time. (author)

Factors associated with the failed induction of labour in post-term pregnancy at a tertiary care hospital in karachi, pakistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Makhijani, P.; Kazi, S.; Rabia, S.

2017-01-01

Objective: To determine the factors associated with failed induction of labour in post-term pregnancies attending a tertiary care hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. Mehtods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Unit II, Civil Hospital, Karachi. During January to July, 2016. Women with a gestational age of 40 weeks + 6 days to 41weeks + 0 days were included in the study. Obstetric history, maternal age, BMI, gestational age, Bishop score, induction to delivery interval and mode of delivery were noted. Failed induction of labour was considered when patients delivered abdominally. Descriptive statistics were calculated and chi-square test was applied post stratification where p-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: 140 women met the inclusion criteria. The mean age of study subjects was 32.1 ± 2.9 years. Induction of labour failed in 78.6% of patients. Prolonged latent phase of labour was observed in 27.9% and a prolonged 2nd stage of labour obsereved in 17.1%. A Bishop score > 5 was in 81.4%. BMI > 24.9 was in 47.1%. Spontaneous rupture of membrane (SROM) was in 27.1%. Conclusion: Induction of labour failed in 78.6% of post-term pregnancies in our study. A prolonged latent phase of the first stage of labour showed a significant association with failed induction of labour. (author)

Breast cancer risk factor knowledge among nurses in teaching hospitals of Karachi, Pakistan: a cross-sectional study

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Hatcher Juanita

2006-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in both the developed and the developing world. The incidence of breast cancer in Karachi, Pakistan is 69.1 per 100,000 with breast cancer presentation in stages III and IV being common (≥ 50%. The most pragmatic solution to early detection lies in breast cancer education of women. Nurses constitute a special group having characteristics most suited for disseminating breast cancer information to the women. We assessed the level of knowledge of breast cancer risk factors among registered female nurses in teaching hospitals of Karachi. We also identified whether selected factors among nurses were associated with their knowledge of breast cancer risk factors, so that relevant measures to improve knowledge of nurses could be implemented. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted in seven teaching hospitals of Karachi using stratified random sampling with proportional allocation. A total of 609 registered female nurses were interviewed using a structured questionnaire adapted from the Stager's Comprehensive Breast Cancer Knowledge Test. Knowledge of breast cancer risk factors was categorized into good, fair and poor categories. Ordinal regression was used to identify factors associated with risk knowledge among nurses. Results Thirty five percent of nurses had good knowledge of risk factors. Graduates from private nursing schools (aOR = 4.23, 95% CI: 2.93, 6.10, nurses who had cared for breast cancer patients (aOR = 1.41, 95% CI: 1.00, 1.99, those having received a breast examination themselves (aOR = 1.56, 95% CI: 1.08, 2.26 or those who ever examined a patient's breast (aOR = 1.87, 95% CI: 1.34, 2.61 were more likely to have good knowledge. Conclusion A relatively small proportion of the nursing population had good level of knowledge of the breast cancer risk factors. This knowledge is associated with nursing school status, professional breast cancer exposure and self

Clinical types of tinea capitis and species identification in children: an experience from tertiary care centres of karachi, pakistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Farooqi, M.; Tabassum, S.; Rizvi, D.B.; Rahman, A.

2014-01-01

Objective: To study the clinical types of Tinea Capitis and identify species in children reporting to two tertiary care centres of Karachi, Pakistan. Methods: The escriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted at the Dermatology Outpatients' Department, PNS Shifa Hospital and the Institute of Skin Diseases, Karachi, from January 1, 2008 to December 31, 2009. It comprised 202 children with clinical diagnosis of tineacapitis, confirmed by skin scrapings, showing fungal hyphae and spores in 10% potassium hydroxide on direct microscopy. Wood's lamp examination was carried out and the scrapings were cultured on Sabouraud's agar. A detailed dermatological examination was performed for evidence of fungal infection elsewhere in the body. SPSS 19 was used for data analysis. Results: Male-to-female ratio was 1.1:1 and age ranged from 1 to 14 years. The commonest clinical type gray patch was observed in 71 (35.1%) of the patients, black dot in 63 (31.2%), kerion in 50 (24.8%), favus in 10 (5.0%), diffuse pustular in 6 (3.0%), and diffuse scale in 2 (1.0%) patients. The most frequent species grown on culture was Trichophyton(T).Soudanense, followed by T.Tonsurans, T. Schoenleinii, and T.Mentagrophytes respectively. Conclusion: Most of the patients of Tineacapitis presented with gray patch and black dot variety. The most common species identified by culture was Trichophyton Soudanense. Disease was equal in both gender and predominantly affected the population belonging to low and middle socioeconomic class. (author)

Clinical types of tinea capitis and species identification in children: an experience from tertiary care centres of karachi, pakistan

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Farooqi, M. [Ohud Hospital (Saudi Arabia). Dept. of Dermatology; Tabassum, S. [Aga Khan Univ. Hospital, Karachi (Pakistan). Dept. of Medicine; Rizvi, D. B. [Combined Military Hospital, Multan (Pakistan). Dept. of Dermatology; Rahman, A. [Combined Military Hospital, Karachi (Pakistan). Dept. of Dermatology

2014-03-15

Objective: To study the clinical types of Tinea Capitis and identify species in children reporting to two tertiary care centres of Karachi, Pakistan. Methods: The escriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted at the Dermatology Outpatients' Department, PNS Shifa Hospital and the Institute of Skin Diseases, Karachi, from January 1, 2008 to December 31, 2009. It comprised 202 children with clinical diagnosis of tineacapitis, confirmed by skin scrapings, showing fungal hyphae and spores in 10% potassium hydroxide on direct microscopy. Wood's lamp examination was carried out and the scrapings were cultured on Sabouraud's agar. A detailed dermatological examination was performed for evidence of fungal infection elsewhere in the body. SPSS 19 was used for data analysis. Results: Male-to-female ratio was 1.1:1 and age ranged from 1 to 14 years. The commonest clinical type gray patch was observed in 71 (35.1%) of the patients, black dot in 63 (31.2%), kerion in 50 (24.8%), favus in 10 (5.0%), diffuse pustular in 6 (3.0%), and diffuse scale in 2 (1.0%) patients. The most frequent species grown on culture was Trichophyton(T).Soudanense, followed by T.Tonsurans, T. Schoenleinii, and T.Mentagrophytes respectively. Conclusion: Most of the patients of Tineacapitis presented with gray patch and black dot variety. The most common species identified by culture was Trichophyton Soudanense. Disease was equal in both gender and predominantly affected the population belonging to low and middle socioeconomic class. (author)

Distribution and abundance of diatom species from coastal waters of Karachi, Pakistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khokhar, F. N.; Burhan, Z.; Iqbal, P.; Abbasi, J.; Siddiqui, P.

2016-01-01

This is the first comprehensive study on the distribution and abundance of diatom species from the coastal and nearshore waters of Karachi, Pakistan, bordering northern Arabian Sea. A total of 20 genera are recorded in high abundance (Cerataulina, Chaetoceros, Coscinodiscus, Cylindrotheca, Eucampia, Guinardia, Haslea, Hemiaulus, Lauderia, Lennoxia, Leptocylindrus, Navicula, Nitzschia, Trieres, Planktoniella, Pleurosigma, Pseudo-nitzschia, Rhizosolenia, Thalassionema and Thalassiosira). The most abundant genera were observed Guinardia, Chaetoceros, Leptocylindrus, Nitzschia and Lennoxia at all stations. Manora coastal station (MI-1) had high abundance corresponding with high Chlorophyll a (130 meu gL- l) values. Minimum abundance and low chlorophyll a value (0.05μgL-l) were observed at Mubarak Village coastal station (MV-1). Diatom abundance showed significant correlation with Chlorophyll a. In present study 12 centric and 8 pennate forms were recorded and similarly high diversity of centric taxa was observed compared to pennate forms. A total of 134 species are recorded of which 40 species were observed at four stations, 31species at three stations, 23 at two stations and 40 species only at one station. The total phytoplankton and diatom peak abundance was observed during NE monsoon (winter season) associated with nutrient loading through up-sloping of nutrient rich water upwelled off of Oman during South West monsoon. Overall higher diversity was observed at Manora coastal and nearshore stations (MI-1, MI-2) indicating the influence of organic pollution loading from Layari and Malir rivers. (author)

Skelental anomalies in fishes collected from Korangi Creek and back-water of Sandspit along the coast of Karachi (Pakistan)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hussain, S.M.

2004-01-01

Vertebral anomalies have been reported in Liza carinata, Valamugil cunnesiusand Therapon jarbua from Korangi Creek and L. carinata collected frombackwaters of Sandspit. Detail examination of external morphology and X-rays offishes showed kypholordosis and scoliosis in the vertebral column. It is presumed that these effects are results of pollutants in the coastal systems of Korangi Creek and Sandspit backwaters where heavy pollutants and domestic sewage of the Karachi city is discharged untreated. This study suggests the need of effective management measures to save fisheries resources of the creeks and coastal waters

Factors Associated With Child Maltreatment Among Children Aged 11 to 17 Years in Community Settings of Karachi, Pakistan, Using Belsky Ecological Framework.

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Lakhdir, Maryam Pyar Ali; Farooq, Salima; Khan, Uzma Rahim; Parpio, Yasmin; Azam, Syed Iqbal; Razzak, Junaid; Laljee, Anjiya Aslam; Kadir, Muhammad Masood

2017-08-01

Child maltreatment is considered as a global social issue and results as combined effect of parental background, socioeconomic environment, family structure, and child characteristics. The aim of this study was to determine factors associated with child maltreatment among children aged 11 to 17 years in Karachi, Pakistan. A cross-sectional survey of 800 pairs (children ranging from 11 to 17 years old and their parents) was randomly selected from 32 clusters of Karachi, using multistage cluster sampling. A structured questionnaire was adopted from the International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (International Child Abuse Screening Tool for Parent [ICAST-P] and for Child [ICAST-C]). Multiple linear regression technique was used to assess the association of factors with child maltreatment score, by using STATA software. Our study found that children who always get bullied and mistreated by their siblings are at increased risk of getting maltreatment by parents (adjusted β: 10.78, 95% CI = [8.5, 13.05]).The mean estimated ICAST-C score increases by 9.86 (95% CI = [6.17, 13.55]) for children with exposure of verbal abuse and quarrel within family members. The mean estimated ICAST-C score increases by 5.09 among male children as compared with female children (95% CI = [3.65, 6.52]). Among children whose family always fight with each other and whose parents have exposure to childhood maltreatment, the mean estimated ICAST-C score increases by 22.25 (95% CI = [16.53, 27.98]). This study reflects the potential factors of child maltreatment in Karachi. Our findings provide evidence to raise awareness about child maltreatment.

Physicians reading and writing practices: a cross-sectional study from Civil Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan

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Khaliq Muhammad

2012-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background To determine the behavior of physicians regarding medical literature reading and participation in research activities at one of the largest teaching hospitals in Pakistan. Method This descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted by interviewing the house officers, residents and fellows of six major specialties (Medicine, Surgery, Pediatrics, Psychology, Obstetrics & Gynecology and Anesthesia in Civil Hospital, Karachi between August and December, 2011. The questionnaire elicited responses regarding the reading habits of physicians, preferred sources of information, their participation in research activities (publication & supervision and views regarding journal club. SPSS 17.0 was used for data entry and analysis. Result A total of 259 completely filled questionnaires were returned with a response rate of 85.19%. Mean age of the participants was 29.67 ± 7.65 years. Books were selected by 71.4% doctors as their preferred source of information, regardless of their clinical specialties. (p  Conclusion Urgent intervention is required to promote healthcare literature reading and writing practice in our physicians. Easy access to workplace computers with internet and subscription of paid journals will facilitate physicians. Lack of supervisors and busy schedule were reported to be important contributors for not participating in research. Addressing these issues will encourage doctors to participate more in research activities.

Analyzing the Stock Markets Role as a Source of Capital Formation in Pakistan

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Hakim Ali Kanasro

2011-12-01

Full Text Available This paper is to examine the stock markets role in the capital formation in Pakistan from the period 1st January 2001 to 31st December 2008. This analytical study is based on the data collected from the secondary sources such as State Bank of Pakistan and three stock exchanges; Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad Stock exchanges. The stock market size of capital, number of listed companies and liquidity positions has been examined in the study. The study reveals that Karachi Stock exchange is the oldest and biggest Stock exchange of Pakistan and it is the first mover to adapt institutional developments, new policies and procedures in the business of securities exchange and shares a big role in the capital formation in Pakistan. In recent years all stock exchanges have implemented the advanced technology and fully automated trading systems. This has changed the stock markets role in the capital formation as great boom has been observed during the study period.

Uncontrolled diabetes mellitus: prevalence and risk factors among people with type 2 diabetes mellitus in an Urban District of Karachi, Pakistan.

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Siddiqui, Fahad Javaid; Avan, Bilal Iqbal; Mahmud, Sadia; Nanan, Debra J; Jabbar, Abdul; Assam, Pryseley Nkouibert

2015-01-01

This study aimed to explore the prevalence of, and factors associated with, uncontrolled diabetes mellitus (UDM) in a community setting in Pakistan. A single-center, cross-sectional study, conducted in a community-based specialized care center (SCC) for diabetes in District Central Karachi, in 2003, registered 452 type 2 DM participants, tested for HbA1c and interviewed face-to-face for other information. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify factors associated with UDM. Prevalence of UDM among diabetes patients was found to be 38.9% (95% CI: 34.4-43.4%). Multivariable logistic regression model analysis indicated that age diabetes information from a doctor or nurse only (vs. multiple sources) (OR: 1.8; 95% CI: 1.2-2.9), higher monthly treatment cost (OR: 1.3; 95% CI: 1.1-1.6; for every extra 500 PKR), and higher consumption of tea (OR: 1.5; 95% CI: 1.0-2.2; for every 2 extra cups) were independently associated with UDM. The prevalence of UDM was approximately 39% among persons with type 2 diabetes visiting a community based SCC for diabetes. Modifiable risk factors such as sources of diabetes information and black tea consumption can be considered as potential targets of interventions in Karachi. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Influence of an Enforcement Campaign on Seat-Belt and Helmet Wearing, Karachi-Hala Highway, Pakistan

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Bhatti, Junaid A.; Ejaz, Kiran; Razzak, Junaid A.; Tunio, Israr Ali; Sodhar, Irshad

2011-01-01

This study assessed to what extent an enforcement campaign influenced seat-belt and helmet wearing on a Pakistani highway. The study setting was the Karachi-Hala highway where a traffic enforcement campaign was conducted from Dec 2009 to Feb 2010. Seat-belt and helmet wearing were observed in Nov 2009 and Apr 2010 at Karachi toll plaza. Differences in wearing rates as a function of occupants’ age, sex, and vehicle type were compared between the two periods. On average, 9 119 (Standard deviation=1 896) traffic citations were issued per month from Aug 2009 to Feb 2010; 4.2% of which were for not wearing helmet. A 22.5% increase in citations was observed for Dec 2009 to Feb 2010 periods compared with Aug 2009 to Oct 2009 periods. Nearly six thousand four-wheeled and four hundred two-wheeled motorized vehicle occupants were observed in Nov 2009 and Apr 2010. Overall, two of the five drivers and one of the five front seat occupants wore seat belts. This proportion was significantly higher in drivers and front-seat occupants of cars than those of heavier vehicles. Similarly, one of two motorcyclists used a helmet but this proportion was 5.8% for pillion riders in Nov 2009. The increased enforcement had a limited influence on belt wearing in drivers (+4.0%; 95% Confidence Interval [95%CI]=1.8–6.1) and occupants (+6.2%; 95%CI=4.2–8.2). A higher increase was observed for motorcyclists (+9.8%; 95%CI=2.6–16.8) and pillion riders (+12.8%; 95%CI=5.4, 20.5). These results suggested that serious efforts are required to increase seat-belt and helmet use on Pakistani highways. Improving enforcement resources, increased fines, not allowing such vehicles on roads, and awareness campaigns targeting drivers of heavy vehicles might increase wearing rates in Pakistan. PMID:22105384

Inculcating health awareness in Karachi, Pakistan: How innovative, socially acceptable methods can help combat communicable diseases of poverty

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Maryam Huda

2017-06-01

Full Text Available In the megacity of Karachi, which has a population of more than 24 million, more than 9.2 million people (approximately 40 per cent live in squatter settlements. Communities here are characterised by low socioeconomic settings, crowded living conditions, inadequate water and sanitation facilities, and poor health-related behaviours. Such conditions create an environment favourable to the spread of communicable diseases like tuberculosis (TB, hepatitis and dengue. Since 1985, the Department of Community Health Sciences at the Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan has run the Urban Health Program (UHP, a community-campus partnership operating in these disadvantaged squatter settlements. Recent explosive increases in the spread of dengue, hepatitis and TB, however, necessitated special attention and activities on a scale and pace that was greater than could be accommodated as part of UHP’s core work. Thus, having an already well-established collaborative model with social accountability measures in place, a dedicated mass awareness program was initiated over the course of one year, from mid 2015: the AGAHI project. This article describes AGAHI’s innovative, low-cost, collaborative activities conducted in partnership with two squatter communities, Sultanabad and Rehri Goth, to build health awareness, improved care-seeking and compliance to treatment. Activities ranged from school sessions, role plays and awareness walks to laneway meetings, training of health care workers, door-to-door campaigns and collaboration with local religious leaders, public sector groups and NGOs. Building on the collaborative work of the UHP, in just 12 months AGAHI was able to conduct 80 health awareness sessions with 4000 participants. Moreover, high-risk and vulnerable populations were identified and referred for further treatment. A comparative cross-sectional survey afterwards revealed a significant increase in knowledge among Sultanabad residents as compared to

Prevalence and factors related to dental caries among pre-school children of Saddar town, Karachi, Pakistan: a cross-sectional study.

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Dawani, Narendar; Nisar, Nighat; Khan, Nazeer; Syed, Shahbano; Tanweer, Navara

2012-12-27

Dental caries is highly prevalent and a significant public health problem among children throughout the world. Epidemiological data regarding prevalence of dental caries amongst Pakistani pre-school children is very limited. The objective of this study is to determine the frequency of dental caries among pre-school children of Saddar Town, Karachi, Pakistan and the factors related to caries. A cross-sectional study of 1000 preschool children was conducted in Saddar town, Karachi. Two-stage cluster sampling was used to select the sample. At first stage, eight clusters were selected randomly from total 11 clusters. In second stage, from the eight selected clusters, preschools were identified and children between 3- to 6-years age group were assessed for dental caries. Caries prevalence was 51% with a mean dmft score being 2.08 (±2.97) of which decayed teeth constituted 1.95. The mean dmft of males was 2.3 (±3.08) and of females was 1.90 (±2.90). The mean dmft of 3, 4, 5 and 6-year olds was 1.65, 2.11, 2.16 and 3.11 respectively. A significant association was found between dental caries and following variables: age group of 4-years (p-value dental plaque (p-value dental caries coupled with a high prevalence of unmet dental treatment needs. Association between caries experience and age of child, consumption of non-sweetened milk, dental plaque and poor oral hygiene had been established.

Industrial pollutions is an environmental issue of Karachi urban area

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Jokhio, M.H.; Abro, M.I.; Essani, A.

2005-01-01

The Industrial pollution is one of the serious Environmental issues of the Karachi urban area, categorized as air pollution and water pollution. The localization more the 6000 industries in Karachi urban area at four different sites of Sindh industrial trading estate, Landhi industrial trading estate, Korangi industrial area west Warf industrials, Port Qasim industrial. Area and Hub industrial are near Karachi city. The major iron and steel industries includes Pakistan steel mills and its allied industries at Bin Qasim more than 100 re-rolling industries are located at site area. Karachi ship yard engineering works, Peoples steel Mill, automobile industries and various manufacturing industries which requires metal and its alloy in manufacturing of product mostly located at Bin Qasim, Korangi, and Shershah site areas. None of the industrial sector contain the waster treatment or recycling plant. The ill planted growth of Karachi and its industries caused the environmental degradation of the city and its coastal areas complete with massive mangrove destruction, air water, fishing, and agriculture possessing a potential threat to the lives of more than 10 million citizens. The environmental issues of the metal related industries include the scrap, waste and pollution. Scrapes am waste of the metal industries can be reused in other manufacturing of engineering materials or recycled to produce the new material. However the pollution is the one of the major environmental issue related with the metal industries which need the considerable research and development work in order to over come the serve environmental issues of the urban areas. This article reviews and identifies the level of industrial pollution emphasized on metal related industries of the Karachi urban areas. (author)

Risk Factors for Loss to Follow-Up among People Who Inject Drugs in a Risk Reduction Program at Karachi, Pakistan. A Case-Cohort Study.

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Rab Nawaz Samo

Full Text Available Retention of male people who inject drugs (PWIDs is a major challenge for harm reduction programs that include sterile needle/syringe exchange in resource-limited settings like Pakistan. We assessed the risk factors for loss to follow-up among male PWIDs enrolled in a risk reduction program in Karachi, Pakistan.We conducted a prospective cohort study among 636 HIV-uninfected male PWIDs enrolled during March-June 2009 in a harm reduction program for the estimation of incidence rate. At 24 months post-enrollment, clients who had dropped out of the program were defined as lost to follow-up and included as cases for case-cohort study.The median age of the participants was 29 years (interquartile range: 23-36. Active outreach accounted for 76% (483/636 of cohort recruits. Loss to follow-up at 24 months was 25.5% (162/636. In multivariable logistic regression, younger age (AOR: 0.97, 95% CI: 0.92-0.99, p = 0.028, clients from other provinces than Sindh (AOR: 1.49, 95% CI: 1.01-2.22, p = 0.046, having no formal education (AOR: 3.44, 95% CI: 2.35-4.90, p<0.001, a history of incarceration (AOR: 1.68, 95% CI: 1.14-2.46, p<0.008, and being homeless (AOR: 1.47, 95% CI: 1.00-2.19, p<0.049 were associated with loss to follow-up.Our cohort retained 74.5% of male PWIDs in Karachi for 24 months. Its loss to follow up rate suggested substantial ongoing programmatic challenges. Programmatic enhancements are needed for the highest risk male PWIDs, i.e., younger men, men not from Sindh Province, men who are poorly educated, formerly incarcerated, and/or homeless.

High prevalence of mild hyperhomocysteinemia and folate, B/sub 12/ and B/sub 6/ deficiencies in an urban population in Karachi, Pakistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yakub, M.; Iqbal, M.P.; Kakepoto, G.N.; Rafique, G.; Memon, Y.; Azam, I.; Mehboobali, N.; Parveen, S.

2010-01-01

To find out the prevalence of hyperhomocysteinemia, and deficiencies of folate, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12 in an urban population in Karachi, Pakistan. Methodology: In a pre and post experimental study, eight hundred and seventy-two apparently healthy adults (aged 18-60 years; 355 males and 517 females) were recruited from a low-income urban locality in East of Karachi from February 2006 to March 2007. Fasting venous blood was obtained. Serum was analyzed for folate and vitamin B12. Plasma was analyzed for pyridoxal phosphate (PLP, co enzymic form of B6) and total homocysteine. A group of vitamin-deficient individuals (n=194) was given 3-week supplementation with folic acid (5mg/ day), methylcobalamin (0.5mg/day) and pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6, 50 mg/day). After supplementation, serum/plasma levels of folate, vitamin B12, PLP and homocysteine were again determined. Prevalence of hyperhomocysteinemia (>15 mu mol/l) was 32%. Similarly percent values of folate deficiency (<3.5ng/ml), vitamin B6 deficiency (PLP<20 nmol/l) and vitamin B12 deficiency (<200pg/ml) in the study population were 27.5%, 33.7% and 9.74%, respectively. Hyperhomocysteinemia was associated with male sex, folate deficiency, vitamin B12 deficiency [OR (95%CI), 8.3(5.7-12.1); 2.5(1.76-3.58); 2.6(1.5-4.5), respectively]. A 3-week supplementation with folic acid, methylcobalamin and pyridoxine hydrochloride in vitamin deficient subjects decreased plasma homocysteine levels by 37%. High prevalence estimates of folate, vitamin B12, and vitamin B6 deficiencies appear to be the major determinants of hyperhomocysteinemia in a low income general population in Karachi. (author)

Physico-chemical and biological water quality of karachi coastal water

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khalid, A.; Rahman, S.

2009-01-01

Physiochemical and biological techniques have been applied to investigate Karachi Coastal water pollution due to Layari and Malir rivers, which mainly carry Karachi Metropolitan domestic and industrial wastewater. In Manora channel, which receives domestic sewage through Layari river, pH and electrical conductivity (E.C.) of seawater were less in low tide conditions as compared to high tide condition, and except for Manora Lighthouse all sampling stations exhibit E.C. below normal values of seawater, indicating fair proportion of Layari river water mixing in seawater. Coliform contamination ranged from 156 - 542 per 100 ml ( high tide) and 132- 974 per 100 ml (low tide) with increased levels observed in sampling sites close to Layari river outfall zone. Along Southeast coast, a decrease in EC was recorded at Ghizri area and Ibrahim Haideri fish harbour in low tide which indicated Malir river water input. Coliform bacterial counts at these locations were also above WHO guidelines for seawater bathing. pH and electrical conductivity values of Northwest coastal water indicated that this coast is marginally polluted. The study revealed that Karachi Metropolitan domestic sewage and industrial effluents are main source of coastal water pollution. (author)

Association of depression with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes among adults aged between 25 to 60 years in Karachi, Pakistan

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Perveen Shazia

2010-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The combination of depression with type 2 diabetes is a public health problem. If diabetes is managed in its initial phase, the morbidity and mortality due to this combination may be prevented at an early stage. Therefore, we aimed to determine the association of depression with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes among adults aged between 25 to 60 years in Karachi, Pakistan. Methods From July 2006 to September 2007, a matched case control study (n = 592 was conducted in Civil Hospital, Karachi. Incident cases of type 2 diabetes (n = 296 diagnosed within one month were recruited from diabetic Out Patient Department (OPD of Civil Hospital, Karachi. They were matched on age and sex with controls (n = 296, who were attendants sitting in the medical out patient department of the same hospital, recruited on the basis of absence of classical symptoms of polyuria and polydispia along with random blood glucose level of Results The study comprised of 592 subjects with 432(73% males and 160(27% females. Depression was significantly associated with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes having mild level (mOR: 3.86; 95%CI: 2.22,6.71 and moderate to severe level (mOR: 3.41; 95%CI: 2.07,5.61. History of (h/o gestational diabetes (mOR: 2.83; 95%CI: 1.05,7.64, family h/o diabetes (mOR: 1.59; 95%CI: 1.04,2.43, nuclear family (mOR: 1.75; 95%CI: 1.14,2.69, BMI (mOR: 1.62; 95%CI: 1.01,2.60 for obese and mOR: 2.12; 95%CI: 1.19,3.79 for overweight vs healthy to underweight were also significantly associated with outcome, adjusting for age, sex, marital status, h/o smoking and h/o high BP. Conclusions Diabetics should be screened simultaneously for depression and concomitant preventive strategies for gestational diabetes, nuclear family and high BMI should also be used to prevent mortality/morbidity among patients between 25 to 60 years of age.

Nuclear power in Pakistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Siddiqui, Z.H.; Qureshi, I.H.

2005-01-01

Pakistan started its nuclear power program by installing a 137 M We Canadian Deuterium Reactor (Candu) at Karachi in 1971 which became operational in 1972. The post-contract technical support for the Karachi Nuclear Power Plant (KANUPP) was withdrawn by Canada in 196 as a consequence of Indian nuclear device test in 1974. In spite of various difficulties PAEC resolved to continue to operate KANUPP and started a process for the indigenous fabrication of spare parts and nuclear fuel. The first fuel bundle fabricated in Pakistan was loaded in the core in 1980. Since then KANUPP has been operating on the indigenously fabricated fuel. The plant computer systems and the most critical instrumentation and Control system were also replaced with up-to date technology. In 2002 KANUPP completed its original design life of 30 year. A program for the life extension of the plant had already been started. The second nuclear power plant of 300 M We pressurized water reactor purchased from China was installed in Chashma in 1997, which started commercial operations in 2001. Another unit of 300 M We will be installed at Chashma in near future. These nuclear power plants have been operating under IAEA safeguards agreements. PAEC through the long-term performance of the two power plants has demonstrated its competence to safely and successfully operate and maintain nuclear power plants. Pakistan foresees an increasingly important and significant share of nuclear power in the energy sector. The Government has recently allocated a share of 8000 MWe for nuclear energy in the total energy scenario of Pakistan by the year 2025. (author)

Perspectives about pandemic influenza and its prophylactic measures among final year pharmacy students in Karachi, Pakistan

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Najia Rahim

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Aims: In flu pandemics, pharmacy students' knowledge, attitudes, and practices are critical to save patients life. The objective of study was to determine the knowledge of and attitude toward the pandemic influenza among the pharmacy students of Karachi, Pakistan. Settings and Designs: The cross-sectional study was conducted from September to December 2014 by adopting a prevalidated questionnaire distributed to senior pharmacy students (final year in seven private and public sector universities of Karachi. Materials and Methods: A total of 443 pharmacy students responded the survey. Data regarding sociodemographic characteristics of the students, perceptions, level of knowledge and attitudes toward influenza, and prophylactic measures were collected. Statistical Analysis: To compute the correlation between different variables, data were analyzed using Pearson's Chi-square statistic method. P< 0.05 was considered statistical significance for all analysis. Results: Influenza was identified as a viral disease (n = 423; 95.48% and 282 (71.2% students correctly identified it as disease affecting humans and pigs. Textbooks reported as most common source of knowledge (n = 282; 64%. Most common symptoms identified were fever (81.94%, sore throat (64.1%, and nonproductive cough (43.34%. The most common preventive measures were covering nose and mouth (268; 60.5% and wearing protective coverings (254; 57.3%. Only half of the students correctly reported about the route of administration (180; 40.6% and strains in vaccine (186; 41.98%. The best time for administration of such vaccine was known by only 156 pharmacy students (35.34%. The majority of the students (82.6% had no idea about the manifestation of influenza pandemic. Knowledge regarding influenza differed according to gender and institutions differing in their affiliation with tertiary care hospitals. Conclusion: It was observed that knowledge about disease progression, transmission, vaccination

Intimate partner violence and mental health effects: a population-based study among married women in Karachi, Pakistan.

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Ali, Tazeen S; Mogren, Ingrid; Krantz, Gunilla

2013-03-01

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is recognized all over the world for its association with mental health problems in women. In Pakistan, such violence occurs commonly, but detailed information on mental health effects is scarce. The purpose of this study is to focused on married couples in urban Karachi to investigate mental health effects associated with physical, sexual and psychological violence perpetrated by husbands towards wives. Disclosure rates and health care-seeking behaviour were also investigated. This cross-sectional study involved 759 women between the ages of 25 and 60 years, selected using a multi-stage random sampling technique. The women were interviewed by trained community midwives using a structured questionnaire. In the total population of women, mental symptoms were prevalent. Women subjected to any form of violence reported, however, considerably poorer mental health than unexposed women. A statistically significant difference for almost all of the studied health parameters persisted even after controlling for socio-demographic factors. The strongest associations were found for suicidal thoughts and physical violence (OR 4.41; 3.18-6.12), sexual abuse (OR 4.39; 3.17-6.07) and psychological abuse (OR 5.17; 3.28-8.15). The interviews revealed that only 27% of the women subjected to violence had disclosed this to anyone, in most cases to their parents. The findings in this study highlight that the violence women have to face contributes to the development of multiple forms of psychological stress and serious mental health problems. Women's restrictive life circumstances seriously hamper women's empowerment. Reliable health surveillance system and health care services are needed to serve abused women. Policy initiatives focused on IPV and gender inequality in Pakistan should be initiated.

The impact of caring for children with mental retardation on families as perceived by mothers in Karachi, Pakistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lakhani, A.; Gavino, I.; Yousafzai, A

2013-01-01

Objective: To assess how families perceive the positive and negative impacts of caring for a child with mental retardation. Methods: The quantitative descriptive study was conducted from January to August 2007 and comprised 54 families attending a private day-care centre for children with special needs in Karachi, Pakistan. The Kansas Inventory of Parental Perceptions was used to assess mothers' perceptions on the impact of caring for a child with mental retardation. Positive contributions, social comparisons with others, understanding of disability and perception of control were assessed. SPSS 16 was used for statistical analysis. Results: Mothers reported positive contribution to family life as a result of caring for a child with mental retardation (Mean: 2.95+-0.37). There was an acceptance of the situation and a trend towards upward favourable comparison with other families (Mean: 3.13+-0.07). Conclusions: Contrary to earlier studies exploring the impact of caring for a child with disabilities having largely focused on negative contributions, the study highlights some positive contributions. (author)

Practices of self-medication with antibiotics among nursing students of Institute of Nursing, Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, Pakistan.

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Ali, Akbar Shoukat; Ahmed, Javed; Ali, Akbar Shoukat; Sonekhi, Gomand Beekho; Fayyaz, Nargis; Zainulabdin, Zeeshan; Jindani, Rahim

2016-02-01

Self-medication practice among nursing students is of growing concern. Access to drugs and handling them in their future practices make nursing students susceptible to self-prescription and self-medication. This cross-sectional study assesses the prevalence and pattern of self-medication with antibiotics among nursing students of Institute of Nursing, Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, Pakistan. A random sample of convenience of 160 nursing students underwent a predesigned questionnaire. More than half of nursing students 79 (52.7%) experienced self-medication with antibiotics. It was more prevalent among males 49 (62%) . Knowledge about the drug 59 (74.7%) and convenience 13 (16.5%) were the key reasons to self-medicate. Fever 37 (46.8%) and sore throat 27 (34.2%) were the common symptoms predisposing to self-medication. Beta-lactam group of antibiotics 35 (44.3%) was most frequent used. Only 26 (32.9%) respondents completed the entire antibiotic course. Efforts must be directed towards educating nursing students about responsible and informed self-medication practices.

The State of Ambient Air Quality of a Mega City in Southeast Asia (Karachi, Pakistan)

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Khwaja, H. A.; Hussain, M. M.; Naqvi, I.; Malik, A.; Siddiqui, S. A.; Khan, A.

2016-12-01

Outdoor air pollution is a serious public health problem. Studies indicate that in recent years exposure levels have increased considerably in some parts of the world, particularly in developing countries of Asia with large populations. Simultaneous measurements of PM2.5 and gaseous pollutants NO, NO2 , SO2 , O3 , HONO, HNO3, HF, and HCl were carried out in the city of Karachi. This is the first systematic study of this kind carried out in a mega city of Pakistan. Mean concentration of PM2.5 was 186 µg/m3. Concentrations of NO, NO2 , SO2 , O3 , HONO , HNO3, HF, and HCl varied from 8.6 - 194 ppb, 15.7 - 131 ppb, 7.9 - 60 ppb, 5.0 - 218 ppb, 0.05 - 6.6 ppb, 0.1 - 10.8 ppb, 0.1 - 2.8 ppb, and 0.3 - 568 ppb, respectively. Daily patterns were observed. The 24 h mean PM2.5 on weekdays was significantly higher than the weekend value, indicating that vehicular pollution is one of the important source of PM2.5. The diurnal variations of both NO and NO2 showed higher concentrations during morning and evening rush-hours and lower concentrations at night, indicating that vehicular traffic is the principal source of NOx . Peak HONO concentration of 6.6 ppb was observed in the morning hours. The highest SO2 , HNO3 , HF, and HCl values occurred during the daytime when general pollution levels, particularly those of suspended particulate matter, were also high. Concentrations of O3 are observed to increase during the daytime, consistent with its formation by photochemical reactions. The present findings are compared with similar measurements worldwide. Results have demonstrated that WHO air quality standard for PM2.5 (20 µg/m3) were exceeded by a factor of 5 - 13. Concentrations of NO2 , SO2 and O3 were found to be significantly higher than the WHO air quality guidelines. The reported high levels were attributed to vehicular traffic and industrial activity. It has been concluded that air pollution levels in Karachi are extremely high and can be considered an alarming indicator

Prevalence and pattern of self-medication in Karachi: A community survey

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Afridi, M. Iqbal; Rasool, Ghulam; Tabassum, Rabia; Shaheen, Marriam; Siddiqullah; Shujauddin, M.

2015-01-01

Objective: To study the prevalence and pattern of self-medication among adult males and females in Karachi, Pakistan. Methods: This cross-sectional community- based survey was carried out at five randomly selected towns of Karachi (Defence, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, North Nazimabad, Malir, Orangi town) over a period of 3 months (October, November & December 2012). A sample size of 500 adult cases (250 males & 250 females), with systemic random selection from different towns of Karachi were inducted in this study. The city was divided in 5 zones and one town from each zone was selected by systemic randomization. First available male and female from each randomly selected house were included in the study. After consent and confidentiality assurance they were interviewed on semi-structured Performa designed for this purpose. Results were analyzed and tabulated through SPSS v14.0. Result: The prevalence of self-medication in males and females in Karachi is found to be 84.8% (males 88.4% and females 81.2%). The most frequent symptoms for which self-medication used were headache (32.7%), fever (23.3%) and the medicines used were painkillers (28.8%), fever reducer medicines (19.8%). The most common reason 33.3% was previous experience with similar symptom. Conclusion: Self-medication is highly prevalent (84.8%) in Karachi. It was frequently used for headache followed by fever. Predominantly painkillers, fever reducer and cough syrups were used in the form of tablets and syrups. Main source of medicines for males were friends and for females were relatives. PMID:26649022

Spectrum of perforation peritonitis in Pakistan: 300 cases Eastern experience

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Ur-Rahman Shafiq; Malik Faiza; Afridi Shahida; Shamim Shahid; Samo Khursheed A

2008-01-01

Abstract Background Perforation peritonitis is the most common surgical emergency encountered by the surgeons all over the world as well in Pakistan. The spectrum of etiology of perforation peritonitis in tropical countries continues to differ from its western counter part. This study was conducted at Dow University of health sciences and Civil Hospital Karachi (DUHS & CHK) Pakistan, designed to highlight the spectrum of perforation peritonitis in the East and to improve its outcome. Methods ...

School Leadership in Pakistan: Exploring the Headteacher's Role.

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Simkins, Tim; Sisun, Charles; Memon, Muhammand

2003-01-01

Explores the nature of school leadership in Pakistan by drawing on two studies describing experiences of headteachers in Karachi. Identifies three determinants of personal efficacy of headteachers: The powers and accountability of the school system, community expectations within the context of the national culture, and the individual's personality…

Impact of Self-Regulation Skills on Academic Performance of Young Children in Private Schools of Karachi

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Kathawala, Abeer; Bhamani, Shelina

2015-01-01

This research aimed to explore if self-regulation skills had any effect on the academic outcomes of young children in private schools of Karachi, Pakistan. Quantitative research method was used to determine the impact of self-regulation upon the academic outcome of young children by utilizing Early School Self-Regulation Scale-Care Giver Version…

Chemical characterization and mass closure of PM10 and PM2.5 at an urban site in Karachi - Pakistan

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Shahid, Imran; Kistler, Magdalena; Mukhtar, Azam; Ghauri, Badar M.; Ramirez-Santa Cruz, Carlos; Bauer, Heidi; Puxbaum, Hans

2016-03-01

A mass balance method is applied to assess main source contributions to PM2.5 and PM10 levels in Karachi. Carbonaceous species (elemental carbon, organic carbon, carbonate carbon), soluble ions (Ca++, Mg++, Na+, K+, NH4+, Cl-, NO3-, SO4-), saccharides (levoglucosan, galactosan, mannosan, sucrose, fructose, glucose, arabitol and mannitol) were determined in atmospheric fine (PM2.5) and coarse (PM10) aerosol samples collected under pre-monsoon conditions (March-April 2009) at an urban site in Karachi (Pakistan). The concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 were found to be 75 μg/m3 and 437 μg/m3 respectively. The large difference between PM10 and PM2.5 originated predominantly from mineral dust. "Calcareous dust" and "siliceous dust" were the over all dominating material in PM, with 46% contribution to PM2.5 and 78% to PM10-2.5. Combustion particles and secondary organics (EC + OM) comprised 23% of PM2.5 and 6% of PM10-2.5. EC, as well as OC ambient levels were higher (59% and 56%) in PM10-2.5 than in PM2.5. Biomass burning contributed about 3% to PM2.5, and had a share of about 13% of ;EC + OM; in PM2.5. The impact of bioaerosol (fungal spores) was minor and had a share of 1 and 2% of the OC in the PM2.5 and PM10-2.5 size fractions. In case of secondary inorganic aerosols, ammonium sulphate (NH4)2SO4 contributes 4.4% to PM2.5 and no detectable quantity were found in fraction PM10-2.5. The sea salt contribution is about 2% both to PM2.5 and PM10-2.5.

Intimate partner violence in urban Pakistan: prevalence, frequency, and risk factors

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Tazeen S Ali

2011-03-01

Full Text Available Tazeen S Ali1,2, Nargis Asad3, Ingrid Mogren4, Gunilla Krantz51School of Nursing, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan; 2Department of Public Health Sciences, Division of Global Health, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden; 3Department of Psychiatry, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan; 4Department of Clinical Science, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden; 5Department of Public Health and Community Medicine/Social Medicine, The Sahlgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg, Göteborg, SwedenBackground: Intimate partner violence (IPV is an important public health issue with severe adverse consequences. Population-based data on IPV from Muslim societies are scarce, and Pakistan is no exception. This study was conducted among women residing in urban Karachi, to estimate the prevalence and frequency of different forms of IPV and their associations with sociodemographic factors.Methods: This cross-sectional community-based study was conducted using a structured questionnaire developed by the World Health Organisation for research on violence. Community midwives conducted face-to-face interviews with 759 married women aged 25–60 years.Results: Self-reported past-year and lifetime prevalence of physical violence was 56.3 and 57.6%, respectively; the corresponding figures for sexual violence were 53.4% and 54.5%, and for psychological abuse were 81.8% and 83.6%. Violent incidents were mostly reported to have occurred on more than three occasions during the lifetime. Risk factors for physical violence related mainly to the husband, his low educational attainment, unskilled worker status, and five or more family members living in one household. For sexual violence, the risk factors were the respondent’s low educational attainment, low socioeconomic status of the family, and five or more family members in one household. For psychological violence, the risk factors were the husband being an unskilled worker and low

Young adults' perceptions on life prospects and gender roles as important factors to influence health behaviour: a qualitative study from Karachi, Pakistan.

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Hasnain, Syed Farid-ul; Johansson, Eva; Mogren, Ingrid; Krantz, Gunilla

2012-04-28

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore perceptions and expectations of young males and females, in Karachi, Pakistan, regarding their life prospects and gender roles, with resulting implications for health behaviour. The main theme emerging was "Young adults' prospects in life are hampered by psychosocial and gender equality constraints". Gender inequality and the low status of women in society were described as major obstacles to the overall development. Persistent withholding of information to the younger generation on sexual and reproductive health issues was perceived to increase exposure to health risks, particularly sexually transmitted infections (STIs). The present study reveals new discourses on equality among young adults, pointing towards an increasing, sound interaction between the sexes and aspirations for more gender equal relationships. Such views and awareness among the younger generation constitutes a strong force towards change of traditional norms, including reproductive health behaviour, and calls for policy change.

Frequency of diabetic retinopathy in karachi, pakistan: a hospital based study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alkhairy, S.; Rasheed, A.

2015-01-01

This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy in diabetes patients presenting to the National Institute of Diabetes and Eye out patient department of Dow University Hospital (Ohja campus), Dow University of Health Sciences. Materials and Methods: This was a cross sectional study in which known diabetics were recruited between the period of 1st July 2011 till 31st July 2012.They were then referred to the Ophthalmology unit for eye examination. Subjective refraction was done with Snellens chart, anterior segment examination and fundus examined was done using a TopCon PS-61E Slit lamp BioMicroscope. All patients were dilated with eye drop tropicamide 1% instilled every ten minutes for thirty minutes and the fundus was examined with Volk 90D lens. Classification of diabetic retinopathy was done using the International clinical diabetic retinopathy disease severity scale study. The data was analyzed using Statistical package for social Science (SPSS version 20) and a p value of < 0.05 was taken as statistically significant. Results: There were a total number of 570 patients included in this study. Amongst them 325 were males and 245 were females. Out of these patients those that who were found to have diabetic retinopathy were 315 (55.3%).The age range was between 25 and 75 years and the mean age was 52.30 ± 9.333.Patients that were found to have mild non proliferative diabetic retinopathy were 231(40.5% ) while 33 (5.8%) had moderate non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy,11(1.9%) had severe non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy and 40 (7.0)% had proliferative diabetic retinopathy. Diabetic Maculopathy was seen in a total number of 72(12.6%) of patients. Conclusions: Diabetic retinopathy is highly prevalent in Karachi, Pakistan thus it is vital to detect as well as manage the disease early so as to prevent the onset of blindness in relation to it. (author)

Exposure assessment of lead from food and airborne dusts and biomonitoring in pregnant mothers, their fetus and siblings in Karachi, Pakistan and Shimotsuke, Japan.

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Kayama, Fujio; Fatmi, Zafar; Ikegami, Akihiko; Mizuno, Atsuko; Ohtsu, Mayumi; Mise, Nathern; Cui, Xiaoyi; Ogawa, Masanori; Sakamoto, Takako; Nakagi, Yoshiko; Yoshida, Takahiko; Sahito, Ambreen; Naeem, Shahla; Ghias, Kulsoom; Zuberi, Hina; Tariq, Kanwal; Kobayashi, Yayoi; Nohara, Keiko

2016-03-01

Exposure assessment of lead (Pb) and Arsenic (As) from food, water, and house dust intake were assessed among pregnant women, their children and fetuses in Pakistan and Japan, as well as their body burden of the metals in their blood. Fifty families which included a pregnant woman, a fetus and the 1-3-year-old siblings were recruited in Karachi and Khairpur in Pakistan, and Shimotsuke and Asahikawa in Japan, respectively. Their dietary exposure to Pb and As was measured in 3-day food duplicates and drinking water by ICP-MP. Pb in house dust and respirable dust was evaluated with an energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry. Non-radioactive isotope Pb profiles of blood specimens will be compared with those of the exposure origins, such as food duplicates, respirable house dust, the soils nearby, and gasoline. Judging from the data collected and analyzed so far, contribution from dietary intake is highly correlated to higher body burden of Pb among Pakistani mothers. Additional data analyses will reveal the status of Pb and As body burden in Pakistani mothers, fetuses and their siblings, and causal sources of high body burden is delineated by Pb isotope profile analysis of different sources of Pb exposure.

A matched case-control study of risk factors for neonatal tetanus in Karachi, Pakistan

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Raza Syed

2004-10-01

Full Text Available Background: Previous studies have identified various risk factors for neonatal tetanus (NNT in rural areas of Pakistan. The present matched case control study was conducted to further evaluate these risk factors in an urban setting. Aim: The study was carried out to identify risk factors for NNT in Karachi. Materials and Methods: Patients of NNT (n = 125 diagnosed from January 1998 to February 2001 were recruited through a surveillance system of Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI. Two neighbourhood controls (n = 250 were matched for each case for gender and date of birth of the case. Statistical Analysis: Conditional logistic regression was performed to assess the independent effect of factors associated with NNT. Results: The final multivariable model identified subsequent application of substances on the umbilical cord (adjusted matched odds ratio [adj. mOR] = 5.1 [2.7-9.7], home delivery (adj. mOR = 1.8; 95% CI: 1.1- 3.1 and illiterate mother (adj. mOR = 1.6; 95% CI: 1.0- 2.0 as risk factors for NNT after adjusting for other variables in the model. Population attributable risk per cent (PAR % for subsequent cord application was 69% and PAR % for home delivery was 31%. Conclusion: Health planners, while formulating control strategies through immunization programmes should also take into account the impact of post-delivery practices, such as 'subsequent cord application' along with pre-delivery practices. Health awareness regarding appropriate post-delivery practices should be promoted and counselling of pregnant women for giving preference to health care setting for delivery is also crucial.

Maternal nutritional status during pregnancy and surma use determine cord lead levels in Karachi, Pakistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Janjua, Naveed Zafar; Delzell, Elizabeth; Larson, Rodney R.; Meleth, Sreelatha; Kabagambe, Edmond K.; Kristensen, Sibylle; Sathiakumar, Nalini

2008-01-01

Objectives: To estimate the umbilical cord blood lead levels (BLLs) of Pakistani neonates and to identify determinants for umbilical BLLs. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study of mothers and infants at one of the two obstetric units of two tertiary care hospitals in Karachi during January-August 2005. Information from 540 mothers selected randomly from those registered for delivery was obtained about their pregnancy, diet, and current and past lead exposures. We collected umbilical cord blood for lead levels analyzed using graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrophotometry. We computed geometric and arithmetic means. We performed multiple linear regression analysis to identify factors associated with log-transformed umbilical cord BLLs. We also performed logistic regression analysis to identify determinants of high lead cord BLLs (≥10 μg/dl). Results: The geometric mean cord BLL of the neonates was 9.6 μg/dl; arithmetic mean (S.D.) was 10.8 μg/dl (5.7) with a median of 9.7 μg/dl and a range of 1.8-48.9 μg/dl. Women who reported intake of less than 58.5 mg of elemental iron supplement per day during pregnancy had cord BLL of 10.0 μg/dl; in comparison those women who had higher iron intake had lower cord BLL (8.4 μg/dl). Those who used surma (an eye cosmetic) daily had higher cord BLL (11.5 μg/dl) as compared to those who used it less frequently (9.4 μg/dl). In multivariable linear regression model, higher iron intake, owning a car, and being in 2nd quartile of mid-arm circumference were associated with low lead levels while father's occupation in lead-based industry was associated with significantly higher umbilical cord BLLs. There was interaction of daily surma use and ethnicity. Geometric mean BLLs were varied among surma users by ethnicity. Conclusions: Umbilical cord BLLs are high in Karachi, Pakistan, in comparison to those in developed countries such as United States. Measures are needed to reduce fetal lead exposure to prevent adverse

Adherence of Healthcare Professionals to American Diabetes Association 2004 guidelines for the care of patients with type 2 diabetes at Peripheral Diabetes Clinics in Karachi, Pakistan.

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Muzaffar, Farzana; Fatima, Nimra; Fawwad, Asher; Riaz, Mussarat

2013-04-01

To observe the adherence of Healthcare Professionals to American Diabetes Association (ADA) 2004 guidelines for the care of patients with type 2 diabetes at Peripheral Diabetes Clinics (PDCs) in Karachi, Pakistan. The study was conducted using a retrospective medical chart review of patients with type 2 diabetes at four PDCs in four townships of Karachi district from January 2005 to December 2006. Entire medical records of patients were evaluated for the evidence of documentation of testing and treatment. Medical records of 691 patients (332 males and 359 females) with type 2 diabetes were reviewed. Mean age of the patients was 50.79 ± 10.75 years. Deficiencies were observed in most areas of diabetes care. Blood pressure was documented in 85.81% patients, whereas, serum creatinine, HbA1c and lipid profile were noted in 56%, 44.57% and 40.08% of the patients respectively. Similarly, lower leg examination was registered in 44% patients, while in 30.53% of the patients fundoscopic examination was recorded. Co-morbid conditions like hypertension and hyperlipidemia were documented in 92.7% and 84.6% patients respectively. HbA1c guidelines was suboptimal. Moreover, insufficient documentation of medical records reflected inadequate care of patients with type 2 diabetes.

First chikungunya outbreak in Pakistan: a trail of viral attacks

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T.H. Mallhi

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Despite explicit warning from the National Institute of Health, Pakistan experienced its first chikungunya outbreak in the metropolis of Karachi. We underscore the attention of health authorities and healthcare professionals towards contributing factors associated with this outbreak and the measures required to combat this viral disease.

Size estimation, HIV prevalence and risk behaviours of female sex workers in Pakistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Altaf, A.; Aga, A.; McKinizie, M.H.; Abbas, Q.; Jafri, S.B.

2012-01-01

Objective: To provide size estimation and to determine risky behaviours and HIV prevalence among female sex workers in Pakistan, which has progressed from a low to concentrated level of HIV epidemic. Methods: A cross-sectional study (geographic mapping and integrated behavioural and biological survey-IBBS) was conducted between August 2005 to January 2006 in Karachi, Hyderabad and Sukkur. A detailed questionnaire and dry blood spot (DBS) specimen for HIV testing were collected by trained interviewers after informed consent. The study was ethically approved by review boards in Canada and Pakistan. Results: About 14,900 female sex workers were estimated to be functional in Sindh. A total of 1158 of them were interviewed for the study. Average age of sex workers was 27.4+- 6.7 years, and the majority 787 (67.9%) were married, and uneducated 764 (65.9%). Sindhi (26.4%) was the predominant ethnicity. Mean number of paid clients was 2.1+-1.2. Three workers were confirmed HIV positive (0.75%, 95 percent CI 0.2-2.2%) from Karachi. Condom use at last sexual act was highest (68%) among brothel-based workers from Karachi, and the lowest in Sukkur where only 1.3% street-based workers reported using a condom at last sexual act. Overall use of illicit drugs through injections was negligible. Conclusion: HIV prevalence among female sex workers in Sindh, Pakistan is low but risky behaviours are present. Well organised service delivery programmes can help promoting safer practices. (author)

Notes on the sublime: aspects of political violence in urban Pakistan

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Verkaaik, O.

2013-01-01

Years before the so-called ‘War of Terror’ in which Pakistan has played a significant role, representations of terrorism and sacrifice already influenced political conflict in the country, particularly in Karachi and other parts of urban Sindh. This article focuses on the process of representation

Prevalence of vitamin D deficiency orthopedic practice-A study in Karachi

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Azam, N.; Awan, A.J.

2012-01-01

Objective: To study the prevalence of vit D deficiency in Karachi by evaluating the levels of vit D in patients reporting to an orthopaedic out patients department (OPD) with complaints of persistent 'r backache or generalized aches and pains. Study Design: Cross sectional descriptive study. Place and duration of study: From Aug 2008 to May 2009 in orthopaedic OPD of Pakistan Steel Mills Hospital Karachi. Patients and Methods: A non probability convenience sample was taken from 334 patients referred to orthopaedic specialist by primary care physicians for persistent backache and or generalized aches and pains, minimum for the last 6 months. A total 89 patients were included keeping in view the exclusion criteria. X-ray lumbosacral spine, and serum Vitamin D levels were advised in all cases. The normal range is 40-100 ng/ml. Value of 20-39 ng/ml was taken as mild deficiency, 5-19 ng/ml was considered as moderate and < 5 ng/ml was noted as severe deficiency. Results: There were 73 (82%) females and 16(18%) males. Mean Vitamin D3 level estimated in the study population was 7.76 ng/ml (SD= 3.50). Mean age was 40.2 years +- 10.75. Serum Vitamin D3 levels were checked and found to be moderately low in 75% of cases checked. Conclusion: Vitamin D deficiency constitutes a common reason of morbidity in Pakistan and deserves to be considered in the common differential diagnosis of backache and unexplained aches and pains. (author)

Brand versus generic dispensing trend for ciprofloxacin 500 mg, levofloxacin 500 mg, and moxifloxacin 400 mg (oral dosage forms) among pharmacies of Karachi, Pakistan.

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Zehra, Fatima; Naqvi, Atta Abbas; Tasneem, Sumbul; Ahmad, Rizwan; Ahmad, Niyaz; Shamsi, Adnan Zia; Asghar, Naqiya Ali; Khan, Ghufran Ullah

2017-01-01

Pakistan spends 0.7% of its gross domestic product on health. The public sector health-care system provides services to 22% of population thus paving the way for a dominant private sector. Patients in Pakistan mostly pay their medical expenses directly, and 64% of the health expenditures are borne by the household. Expenditure on medicine constitutes 43% of the total household expenditure. A quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted in Karachi, Pakistan, for a month. It was aimed at gathering response from different pharmacies to understand the brand versus generic dispensing trend of ciprofloxacin 500 mg, levofloxacin 500 mg, and moxifloxacin 400 mg oral dosage forms. The study employed convenience sampling and used a survey checklist. The data gathered was entered in SPSS version 22. The mean price per tablet for ciprofloxacin brand and generic was reported at Pakistani Rupees (PKR) 48.44 and PKR 26.85, respectively. The trend for dispensing ciprofloxacin highlighted a split in the market between brand (51%) and generic (49%). For levofloxacin brand and generic, the price per tablet was reported at PKR 36.50 and PKR 36.15 respectively, and despite same price, the market was dominated by generic levofloxacin (92%). Due to a price difference between brand and generic moxifloxacin, i.e., PKR 129.44 and PKR 71.91, respectively, the market was mostly occupied by the generic form (75%). Pricing mechanism must be revisited, and the authorities should take stern actions against any illegitimate price hike. The surging burden of drug expenditure on poorer sections of the society must be addressed by the government on an urgent basis.

Ischaemic stroke management by emergency care physicians at public sector hospitals of Karachi, Pakistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Luni, F.K.; Hamid, S.A.; Mamji, S.; Baig, S.M.

2011-01-01

To assess the clinicians management of patients presenting with acute ischaemic stroke in the emergency departments of two large state run hospitals in Karachi, Pakistan. A questionnaire was filled by 59 registered medical practitioners working at these two government hospitals who would be managing stroke patients presenting in the emergency. It was a descriptive cross sectional study designed to assess the methods used by the doctors for diagnosing and treating stroke patients. The data was collected from October to November 2007 and entered using Epi Data Entry and analyzed by SPSS 13.0. Results: The preferred overall investigation for a suspected stroke patient in an emergency ward was an ECG (98%). 51% of the respondents would prescribe aspirin to most patients (300 mg by 40% respondents). Intravenous tissue plasminogen activator was thought to be beneficial by 43% of doctors, low molecular weight heparin by 91%, subcutaneous heparin by 86.5%, intravenous Vitamin B complex by 20% and steroids by 39% of respondents. Regarding elevated blood pressure, 60% answered that they would manage the blood pressure according to the type of stroke and 73% responded that they would lower blood pressure when it reached greater than 150/80. 88% of the doctors answered that they would use cholesterol lowering drugs in the management of stroke patients in an emergency. 97% of the doctors recommended rehabilitation and 88% of the respondents believed that there should be separate stroke units. Conclusion: The development of a standardized protocol and stroke team is recommended which should speed the clinical assessment, decisions for early management and also increase the performance of diagnostic studies. (author)

An evaluation of systematic tuberculosis screening at private facilities in Karachi, Pakistan.

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Jacob Creswell

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: In Pakistan, like many Asian countries, a large proportion of healthcare is provided through the private sector. We evaluated a systematic screening strategy to identify people with tuberculosis in private facilities in Karachi and assessed the approaches' ability to diagnose patients earlier in their disease progression. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Lay workers at 89 private clinics and a large hospital outpatient department screened all attendees for tuberculosis using a mobile phone-based questionnaire during one year. The number needed to screen to detect a case of tuberculosis was calculated. To evaluate early diagnosis, we tested for differences in cough duration and smear grading by screening facility. 529,447 people were screened, 1,010 smear-positive tuberculosis cases were detected and 942 (93.3% started treatment, representing 58.7% of all smear-positive cases notified in the intervention area. The number needed to screen to detect a smear-positive case was 124 (prevalence 806/100,000 at the hospital and 763 (prevalence 131/100,000 at the clinics; however, ten times the number of individuals were screened in clinics. People with smear-positive TB detected at the hospital were less likely to report cough lasting 2-3 weeks (RR 0.66 95%CI [0.49-0.90] and more likely to report cough duration >3 weeks (RR 1.10 95%CI [1.03-1.18]. Smear-positive cases at the clinics were less likely to have a +3 grade (RR 0.76 95%CI [0.63-0.92] and more likely to have +1 smear grade (RR 1.24 95%CI [1.02-1.51]. CONCLUSIONS: Tuberculosis screening at private facilities is acceptable and can yield large numbers of previously undiagnosed cases. Screening at general practitioner clinics may find cases earlier than at hospitals although more people must be screened to identify a case of tuberculosis. Limitations include lack of culture testing, therefore underestimating true TB prevalence. Using more sensitive and specific screening and diagnostic tests such

An evaluation of systematic tuberculosis screening at private facilities in Karachi, Pakistan.

Science.gov (United States)

Creswell, Jacob; Khowaja, Saira; Codlin, Andrew; Hashmi, Rabia; Rasheed, Erum; Khan, Mubashir; Durab, Irfan; Mergenthaler, Christina; Hussain, Owais; Khan, Faisal; Khan, Aamir J

2014-01-01

In Pakistan, like many Asian countries, a large proportion of healthcare is provided through the private sector. We evaluated a systematic screening strategy to identify people with tuberculosis in private facilities in Karachi and assessed the approaches' ability to diagnose patients earlier in their disease progression. Lay workers at 89 private clinics and a large hospital outpatient department screened all attendees for tuberculosis using a mobile phone-based questionnaire during one year. The number needed to screen to detect a case of tuberculosis was calculated. To evaluate early diagnosis, we tested for differences in cough duration and smear grading by screening facility. 529,447 people were screened, 1,010 smear-positive tuberculosis cases were detected and 942 (93.3%) started treatment, representing 58.7% of all smear-positive cases notified in the intervention area. The number needed to screen to detect a smear-positive case was 124 (prevalence 806/100,000) at the hospital and 763 (prevalence 131/100,000) at the clinics; however, ten times the number of individuals were screened in clinics. People with smear-positive TB detected at the hospital were less likely to report cough lasting 2-3 weeks (RR 0.66 95%CI [0.49-0.90]) and more likely to report cough duration >3 weeks (RR 1.10 95%CI [1.03-1.18]). Smear-positive cases at the clinics were less likely to have a +3 grade (RR 0.76 95%CI [0.63-0.92]) and more likely to have +1 smear grade (RR 1.24 95%CI [1.02-1.51]). Tuberculosis screening at private facilities is acceptable and can yield large numbers of previously undiagnosed cases. Screening at general practitioner clinics may find cases earlier than at hospitals although more people must be screened to identify a case of tuberculosis. Limitations include lack of culture testing, therefore underestimating true TB prevalence. Using more sensitive and specific screening and diagnostic tests such as chest x-ray and Xpert MTB/RIF may improve results.

Awareness and perceptions of electroconvulsive therapy among psychiatric patients: a cross-sectional survey from teaching hospitals in Karachi, Pakistan

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Choudhary Maria

2007-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT is shown to be effective in many psychiatric illnesses, but its distorted projection by the Pakistani media and its unregulated use by many physicians across the country have adversely affected its acceptability. Given this situation we aimed to assess the awareness and perceptions regarding ECT as a treatment modality among the psychiatric patients. Methods This was a questionnaire based cross-sectional study carried out at 2 tertiary care hospitals in Karachi, Pakistan. Results We interviewed 190 patients of which 140 were aware of ECT. The study showed that the level of education had a significant impact on the awareness of ECT (p = 0.009. The most common source of awareness was electronic and print media (38%, followed by relatives (24% and doctors (23%. Physical injuries (42% and neurological (12% and cognitive disturbances (11% were the commonly feared side effects. The most popular belief about ECT was that it was a treatment of last resort (56%. Thirty-nine percent thought that ECT could lead to severe mental and physical illness and 37% considered it inhumane. Patients' willingness to receive ECT was dependant on whether or not they were convinced of its safety (p = 0.001 and efficacy (p = 0.0001. Conclusion We identified a serious lack of dissemination of information regarding ECT by the psychiatrists and the mental health care providers. This may be the result of an inadequate postgraduate training in Pakistan or just a lack of concern about the mentally ill patients. The media seemed to be the major source of information for our patients. We also saw the prevalence of a variety of myths regarding ECT in our society, which we feel may be responsible for the patients' adverse attitudes. Given the widespread applicability of ECT there is a dire need to dispel these misconceptions and improve its acceptability.

Pakistan stepping up expansion of refining, transportation sectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1992-01-01

This paper reports that Pakistan is taking steps to speed expansion of its refining and oil transportation infrastructure. While the country has made significant progress toward energy self-efficiency by boosting oil and gas production it still must modernize and expand an aging, inadequate refining sector to meet rapidly growing demand for refined products. Pakistan's government has disclosed plans to build two refineries in the country, one at Rawalpindi near a string of recent oil discoveries, the other somewhere in the southern part of the country, likely Karachi. At the same time, efforts are proceeding to upgrade Pakistan's refineries. In addition, Pakistani state companies continue to press joint ventures in refining and marketing with foreign companies and expand downstream ties with neighbors that are key oil and gas exporters

Pakistan. Spotlight.

Science.gov (United States)

Greene, M

1985-01-01

Focus in this discussion of Pakistan is on demographic factors, the issue of ethnic versus national solidarity, and economic and social development. The population was estimated at 99.2 million in 1985. The birthrate was 43/1000 in 1984 and the deaths were 15/1000. The infant mortality rate is 105 infant deaths/1000 live births, and life expectancy at birth is 51 years. In 1983 the gross national product per capita was US$390. The population of Pakistan is concentrated around Karachi on the Arabian Sea and in the crescent formed by Lahore, Rawalpindi, and Peshawar. Pakistan was a British colony, part of the Indian subcontinent until partition in 1947, when Britain gave Pakistan and India their freedom. Pakistan is not a theocracy, but the military government turns to traditional Islam for affirmation of its authority. Its martial law regime, established in 1977, is headed by President Ziaul Haq. The issue of ethnic versus national solidarity has been a problem since independence. Bengali-speaking East Pakistanis felt they did not have equal power in their country whose official language was Urdu and whose capital was in West Pakistan. East and West Pakistan ended up in armed conflict with the formation of Bangladesh in 1971 as the result. Regional and ethnic conflict is exacerbated by the low rate of literacy and the low status of certain ethnic groups in Pakistan. In addition, Pakistan suffers problems typical of many developing nations: a low per capita income, a large and growing population, and a highly stratified traditional society. In 1981 doctors, engineers, and craftsmen were in short supply, but there was a surplus of 300,000 agricultural workers. Agriculture makes up 30% of the GNP and employs 55% of the work force. In Pakistan's 6th Five Year Plan, initiated in July 1983, the government acknowledged for the 1st time the extremely poor conditions for women as indicated by literacy, health, and fertility. The total fertility rate is 6.4 average births

Clinical manifestations and treatment outcomes in HIV-1-infected children receiving antiretroviral therapy in Karachi, Pakistan.

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Mir, Fatima; Qamar, Farah Naz; Baig-Ansari, Naila; Abro, Azra Ghayas; Abbas, Syed Qamar; Kazi, Mohammed Ahmed; Rizvi, Arjumand; Zaidi, Anita Kaniz Mehdi

2014-04-15

The impact of antiretroviral (ARV) therapy on immunological and growth parameters in HIV-positive children in Pakistan has not been reported to date. A retrospective chart review of children diagnosed with HIV at the Sindh AIDS Control Proigramme (SACP) and registered at the Aga Khan University, Karachi, between January 2005 and 2013 was conducted, evaluating clinical and laboratory profiles of HIV+ ARV+ children for ARV impact (serial height and weight CD4 and viral counts). Twenty-four children were diagnosed and registered as HIV positive over five years, and 20 were started on ARV. Six were excluded from analysis (ARV duration treatment failure at a median duration of 25 weeks (IQR 18-32) on ARV and underwent resistance genotyping. All nine had NNRTI resistance, two had high-grade NRTI resistance (≥ 4 thymidine analog mutations). Median age at start of ARV was 71.5 weeks (IQR 37.5-119). Median baseline weight for age (WAZ) and height for age (HAZ) z-scores changed from -1.94 to 1.69 and -1.99 to -1.59, respectively, after six months of therapy. Median CD4 percentage and viral load at baseline changed from 13.8 to 17.8, while viral load changed from 285 × 104 copies to zero at six months. ARV improved absolute CD4 and viral counts. Weight and height did not  improve significantly, highlighting the need for aggressive nutritional rehabilitation. Early development of ARV resistance in these children requires formal assessment.

Transforming Karachi into a Livable and Competitive Megacity : A City Diagnostic and Transformation Strategy

OpenAIRE

World Bank

2018-01-01

With a population of 16 million, Karachi is the largest megacity in Pakistan. Despite being a large city that is home to many, it has seen a substantial decline in quality of life and economic competitiveness in recent decades. Basic service delivery is very poor, with very low indicators for water supply, sanitation, public transport and public spaces. Pollution levels are high, and the city is vulnerable to disasters and climate change. A highly complex political economy, institutional frag...

Gendered Disparities in Quality of Cataract Surgery in a Marginalised Population in Pakistan: The Karachi Marine Fishing Communities Eye and General Health Survey.

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Khabir Ahmad

Full Text Available Marine fishing communities are among the most marginalised and hard-to-reach groups and have been largely neglected in health research. We examined the quality of cataract surgery and its determinants, with an emphasis on gender, in marine fishing communities in Karachi, Pakistan, using multiple indicators of performance.The Karachi Marine Fishing Communities Eye and General Health Survey was a door-to-door, cross-sectional study conducted between March 2009 and April 2010 in fishing communities living on 7 islands and in coastal areas in Keamari, Karachi, located on the Arabian Sea. A population-based sample of 638 adults, aged ≥ 50 years, was studied. A total of 145 eyes (of 97 persons had undergone cataract surgery in this sample. Cataract surgical outcomes assessed included vision (presenting and best-corrected with a reduced logMAR chart, satisfaction with surgery, astigmatism, and pupil shape. Overall, 65.5% of the operated eyes had some form of visual loss (presenting visual acuity [PVA] < 6/12. 55.2%, 29.0%, and 15.9% of these had good, borderline, and poor visual outcomes based on presenting vision; with best correction, these values were: 68.3 %, 18.6%, and 13.1%, respectively. Of 7 covariates evaluated in the multivariable generalized estimating equations (GEE analyses, gender was the only significant independent predictor of visual outcome. Women's eyes were nearly 4.38 times more likely to have suboptimal visual outcome (PVA<6/18 compared with men's eyes (adjusted odds ratio 4.38, 95% CI 1.96-9.79; P<0.001 after adjusting for the effect of household financial status. A higher proportion of women's than men's eyes had an irregular pupil (26.5% vs. 14.8% or severe/very severe astigmatism (27.5% vs. 18.2%. However, these differences did not reach statistical significance. Overall, more than one fourth (44/144 of cataract surgeries resulted in dissatisfaction. The only significant predictor of satisfaction was visual outcome (P <0

Pattern of external injuries sustained during bomb blast attacks in Karachi, Pakistan from 2000 to 2007.

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Surani, Arif Anwar; Ali, Salman; Surani, Asif; Zahid, Sohaib; Shoukat, Akber; Varon, Joseph; Surani, Salim

2015-07-01

To evaluate patterns of external injury resulting from bomb blasts in Karachi, and compare the injury profile resulting from explosions in open versus semi-confined blast environments. The retrospective, cross-sectional study was conducted in Karachi and comprised relevant data from January 2000 to October 2007. Casualty medical records and medico-legal certificates of the victims presented to three large public-sector hospitals were evaluated using a self-designed proforma. SPSS 17 was used for statistical analysis. Of the 1146 victims, data of 481(42%) represented the final study sample. Of these, 306(63.6%) were injured in open spaces and 175(36.4%) in semi-confined spaces. Of the 896 recorded injuries, lacerations were encountered as external injury in 427(47.7%) cases, followed by penetrating wounds in 137(15.3%). Lower and upper extremities were injured in 348(38.8%) and 170(19%) victims respectively. Open and semi-confined blast environments produced specific injury pattern and profile (pbomb blast attacks in Karachi demonstrated specific injury patterns and profiles. Further studies are required to account for internal injuries and classification of injuries based on standardised scoring systems.

Prospects of water desalination in conjunction with nuclear power stations in Pakistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ahmad, M.

1978-01-01

The paper reviews Pakistan's land and water resources vis-a-vis the present and projected demand of water to sustain its economy which is predominantly based on irrigated agriculture. As expected, the per capita agricultural land and the corresponding diversion of irrigation supplies per capita are all along declining due to increasing population pressure, however, it is shown that further development of irrigated agriculture will be increasingly constrained by water availability rather than the land resources. A glance at the nation's culturable land potential and the projected water budget would fully demonstrate this fact. In this context the paper discusses the likely role which the desalination technology can be called upon to play in supplementing the existing means of fresh water supply. Studies have also indicated fast-growing demands both for electric power and potable water in the Karachi area, on the sea coast, where the possibility of having dual-purpose nuclear power-cum-seawater desalination plant(s) in the late 1980's is being investigated. (author)

Microbiological quality of drinking water and beverages in Karachi, Pakistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Siddiqui, A.; Sahir, K.H.

2010-01-01

Microbiological assay of 780 water samples and 1220 beverage samples (412 branded and 808 unbranded), collected from 490 different schools, both government (98 schools) and private (392 schools), situated in different areas of the city of Karachi, was conducted for bacterial heterotrophic plate count, total coliforms, faecal coliforms, E. coli, faecal streptococci, Pseudomonas and Salmonella species. The counts ranged from 0 to 2.5 X 105 cfu/mL and from 0 to 106 cfu/mL in water and beverage samples, respectively. About 36% of water samples and 48% of unbranded beverage samples were contaminated with the indicator and the pathogenic bacteria; all the branded beverage samples were found fit for human consumption from microbiological viewpoint. (author)

New records and a new species of chewing lice (Phthiraptera, Amblycera, Ischnocera found on Columbidae (Columbiformes in Pakistan

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Saima Naz

2012-03-01

Full Text Available The chewing lice (Phthiraptera of Columbidae (Columbiformes from Pakistan are studied. Six species of chewing lice with new host records are recorded and one new species of the genus Colpocephalum is described from Columba livia in the Karachi region. All the columbid chewing lice from Pakistan are keyed out and the new species is illustrated and compared with the closest allied species.

Risk factors for deliberate self-harm in patients presenting to the emergency departments of karachi

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Shahid, M.; Iqbal, R.

2015-01-01

To determine the risk factors for Deliberate Self-Harm (DSH) in patients presenting to the Emergency Departments (EDs) of three tertiary care hospitals of Karachi, Pakistan. Study Design: Multicentre matched case control study. Place and Duration of Study: EDs of the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, Civil Hospital, Karachi and Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Karachi, from March 2011 to February 2012. Methodology: A total of 201 cases and 201 matched controls were taken from three hospitals situated in Karachi. All patients of 16 years and above presenting to the EDs of the hospitals with DSH attempt were invited to participate in the study. Controls were ED patients with complaints other than DSH. A control was matched with case for hospital, gender and age. Two questionnaires were used to collect information on the risk factors of DSH. Conditional Logistic Regression (CLR) was used to assess the association of various risk factors with DSH. Results: Risk factors of DSH in Karachi included current history of mental disorder (OR = 4.53, 95% CI = 1.59 - 12.92), not sharing problems with someone (OR = 4.67, 95% CI = 2.4 - 9.0), living in rented houses (OR = 2.58, 95% CI = 1.37 - 4.84), Pathan ethnicity (OR = 5.05, 95% CI = 1.01-25.38) followed by others (OR = 3.88, 95% CI = 0.77 - 19.69) and Urdu speaking (OR = 2.71, 95% CI = 0.59 - 12.45). Absence of physical illness in the past month had an inverse association with DSH (OR = 0.17, 95% CI = 0.07 - 0.37). Conclusion: Mental illnesses, low socio-economic status and loneliness were the risk factors of DSH patients presenting to the three EDs of Karachi. Physical illness in the last month was protective against DSH in these patients. Psychiatric evaluation of DSH patients in the ED is important for early diagnosis and management of mental disorders. (author)

Maternal mortality and morbidity of unsafe abortion in a university teaching hospital of Karachi, Pakistan

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Shah, N.; Hossain, N.; Khan, N.H.

2011-01-01

Objective: To study the mortality and morbidity of unsafe abortion in a University Teaching Hospital. Methods: A cross-sectional, descriptive study was conducted in Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Unit III, Dow Medical College and Civil Hospital Karachi from January 2005 to December 2009. Data regarding the socio demographic characteristics, reasons and methods of abortion, nature of provider, complications and treatment were collected for 43 women, who were admitted with complications of unsafe abortion, and an analysis was done. Results: The frequency of unsafe abortion was 1.35% and the case fatality rate was 34.9%. Most of the women belonged to a very poor socioeconomic group (22/43; 51.2%) and were illiterate (27/43; 62.8%). Unsafe abortion followed an induced abortion in 29 women and other miscarriages in 14 women. The majority of women who had an induced abortion were married (19/29, 65.5%). A completed family was the main reason for induced abortion (14/29; 48.2%) followed by being unmarried (8/29, 27.5%) and domestic violence in 5/29 cases (17.2%). Instruments were the commonest method used for unsafe abortion (26/43;68.4%).The most frequent complication was septicaemia (34; 79%) followed by uterine perforation with or without bowel perforation (13, 30.2%) and haemorrhage (9; 20.9%). Majority of induced abortions were performed by untrained providers (22/26; 84.6%) compared to only 3/14 cases (21.4%) of other miscarriages (p=0.0001). Conclusion: The high maternal mortality and morbidity of unsafe abortion in our study highlights the need for improving contraceptive and safe abortion services in Pakistan. (author)

Pathogenesis of New Strains of Newcastle Disease Virus From Israel and Pakistan.

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Pandarangga, P; Brown, C C; Miller, P J; Haddas, R; Rehmani, S F; Afonso, C L; Susta, L

2016-07-01

In the past few years, Newcastle disease virus (NDV) strains with epizootic characteristics belonging to subgenotypes VIIi and XIIIb emerged in the Middle East and Asia. In this study, 2 NDV strains-1 representative of subgenotype VIIi isolated in Israel (Kvuzat/13) and 1 representative of subgenotype XIIIb isolated in Pakistan (Karachi/07)-were characterized by intracerebral pathogenicity index and detailed clinicopathologic assessment. The intracerebral pathogenicity index values for Kvuzat/13 and Karachi/07 were 1.89 and 1.85, respectively, classifying these strains as virulent by international standards. In 4-week-old White Leghorn chickens, both strains caused 100% mortality within 4 (Kvuzat/13) and 5 (Karachi/07) days postinfection. Histopathology and immunohistochemistry for NDV nucleoprotein showed that both strains had wide systemic distribution, especially targeting lymphoid organs and mucosa-associated lymphoid tissues in the respiratory and intestinal tracts. Results of the animal experiment confirm that both Kvuzat/13 and Karachi/07 are highly virulent and behaved as velogenic viscerotropic NDV strains. © The Author(s) 2016.

Single nucleotide substitution mutations and polymorphisms in ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Administrator

2011-09-14

Sep 14, 2011 ... 1The Karachi Institute of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering (KIBGE), University of Karachi, Karachi, Pakistan. 2Institute of Biomedical and Genetic Engineering (IBGE), Islamabad, Pakistan. 3Department of Dermatology, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center, Karachi, Pakistan. Accepted 7 July, 2011.

ANTHROPOMETRIC MEASUREMENT OF PRIMARY SCHOOL GOING CHILDREN IN KARACHI

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Kashmala Khan

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Background: Children were major part of our society and their health issues were too much, so it’s necessary that child should b healthy so their health assessment is important worldwide the acceptable method for assessment of health status is anthropometry (weight & height. This study was done to assess the anthropometric measurement of primary school going children of Karachi, sindh Pakistan, and evaluate how much students were underweight. Methods: The study was done in different primary school of Karachi including private semiprivate and government. The study design was cross sectional study. The sample size of our study was 240, including both genders male& female with range between 7-12 years. Result: The result shows that 34.9% were underweight (below 5th percentile, 63.44% were normal weight (between 5-95th percentile and only0.8% overweight (above 95th percentile.The result showed male-female ratio was 51.5% boys and 48.5% were underweight. The prevalence of underweight in private sector was only 9.5% but in government it was 45.5%.The height of student also calculated and 26.3% children were below the 5th percentile of height for the age, 62.8% were between 5th to 95th percentile and 10.9% above 95thpercentile. Conclusion: The prevalence of underweight in primary school going children in Karachi shows the dietary requirements of children are not fulfilled properly and this may lead to many sever pathological conditions, so it is necessary to take positive steps regarding awareness of proper diet, hygiene and growth & development of child.

Strategies for prevention of road traffic injuries (RTIs) in Pakistan: situational analysis.

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Khan, Adeel Ahmed; Fatmi, Zafar

2014-05-01

Road traffic injuries (RTIs) are one of the leading causes of death among productive age group. Using systems approach framework (SAF), current preventive strategies for RTI control were reviewed in Pakistan. A review of the literature was done using four international search engines. Only ten studies on preventive strategies for RTI stemming from Pakistan were found. The first Road Traffic Injuries Research Network (RTIRN) surveillance system for road traffic injuries was established in urban city (Karachi) in Pakistan has shown promise for injury control and should be scaled up to other cities. Enforcement of traffic laws on seat-belt and helmet wearing is poor. National Highway and Motorway Police Ordinance (2000) was one of the few legislative measure so far taken in Pakistan. Using SAF, efforts are required to implement interventions targeting human, vehicle design and also making environment safer for road users.

Determinants of Default from Tuberculosis Treatment among Patients with Drug-Susceptible Tuberculosis in Karachi, Pakistan: A Mixed Methods Study.

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Chida, Natasha; Ansari, Zara; Hussain, Hamidah; Jaswal, Maria; Symes, Stephen; Khan, Aamir J; Mohammed, Shama

2015-01-01

Non-adherence to tuberculosis therapy can lead to drug resistance, prolonged infectiousness, and death; therefore, understanding what causes treatment default is important. Pakistan has one of the highest burdens of tuberculosis in the world, yet there have been no qualitative studies in Pakistan that have specifically examined why default occurs. We conducted a mixed methods study at a tuberculosis clinic in Karachi to understand why patients with drug-susceptible tuberculosis default from treatment, and to identify factors associated with default. Patients attending this clinic pick up medications weekly and undergo family-supported directly observed therapy. In-depth interviews were administered to 21 patients who had defaulted. We also compared patients who defaulted with those who were cured, had completed, or had failed treatment in 2013. Qualitative analyses showed the most common reasons for default were the financial burden of treatment, and medication side effects and beliefs. The influence of finances on other causes of default was also prominent, as was concern about the effect of treatment on family members. In quantitative analysis, of 2120 patients, 301 (14.2%) defaulted. Univariate analysis found that male gender (OR: 1.34, 95% CI: 1.04-1.71), being 35-59 years of age (OR: 1.54, 95% CI: 1.14-2.08), or being 60 years of age or older (OR: 1.84, 95% CI: 1.17-2.88) were associated with default. After adjusting for gender, disease site, and patient category, being 35-59 years of age (aOR: 1.49, 95% CI: 1.10-2.03) or 60 years of age or older (aOR: 1.76, 95% CI: 1.12-2.77) were associated with default. In multivariate analysis age was the only variable associated with default. This lack of identifiable risk factors and our qualitative findings imply that default is complex and often due to extrinsic and medication-related factors. More tolerable medications, improved side effect management, and innovative cost-reduction measures are needed to reduce

Determinants of Default from Tuberculosis Treatment among Patients with Drug-Susceptible Tuberculosis in Karachi, Pakistan: A Mixed Methods Study.

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Natasha Chida

Full Text Available Non-adherence to tuberculosis therapy can lead to drug resistance, prolonged infectiousness, and death; therefore, understanding what causes treatment default is important. Pakistan has one of the highest burdens of tuberculosis in the world, yet there have been no qualitative studies in Pakistan that have specifically examined why default occurs. We conducted a mixed methods study at a tuberculosis clinic in Karachi to understand why patients with drug-susceptible tuberculosis default from treatment, and to identify factors associated with default. Patients attending this clinic pick up medications weekly and undergo family-supported directly observed therapy.In-depth interviews were administered to 21 patients who had defaulted. We also compared patients who defaulted with those who were cured, had completed, or had failed treatment in 2013.Qualitative analyses showed the most common reasons for default were the financial burden of treatment, and medication side effects and beliefs. The influence of finances on other causes of default was also prominent, as was concern about the effect of treatment on family members. In quantitative analysis, of 2120 patients, 301 (14.2% defaulted. Univariate analysis found that male gender (OR: 1.34, 95% CI: 1.04-1.71, being 35-59 years of age (OR: 1.54, 95% CI: 1.14-2.08, or being 60 years of age or older (OR: 1.84, 95% CI: 1.17-2.88 were associated with default. After adjusting for gender, disease site, and patient category, being 35-59 years of age (aOR: 1.49, 95% CI: 1.10-2.03 or 60 years of age or older (aOR: 1.76, 95% CI: 1.12-2.77 were associated with default.In multivariate analysis age was the only variable associated with default. This lack of identifiable risk factors and our qualitative findings imply that default is complex and often due to extrinsic and medication-related factors. More tolerable medications, improved side effect management, and innovative cost-reduction measures are needed to

Knowledge and awareness about cervical cancer and its prevention amongst interns and nursing staff in Tertiary Care Hospitals in Karachi, Pakistan.

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Syed Faizan Ali

Full Text Available BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Cervical cancer is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality amongst the gynecological cancers worldwide, especially in developing countries. It is imperative for at least health professionals in developing countries like Pakistan to have a sound knowledge about the disease. This study was carried out to assess the knowledge and awareness about cervical cancer and its prevention amongst health professionals in tertiary care hospitals in Karachi, Pakistan. METHODS AND DESIGN: A cross-sectional, interview based survey was conducted in June, 2009. Sample of 400 was divided between the three tertiary care centers. Convenience sampling was applied as no definitive data was available regarding the number of registered interns and nurses at each center. RESULTS: Of all the interviews conducted, 1.8% did not know cervical cancer as a disease. Only 23.3% of the respondents were aware that cervical cancer is the most common cause of gynecological cancers and 26% knew it is second in rank in mortality. Seventy-eight percent were aware that infection is the most common cause of cervical cancer, of these 62% said that virus is the cause and 61% of the respondents knew that the virus is Human Papilloma Virus (HPV. Majority recognized that it is sexually transmitted but only a minority (41% knew that it can be detected by PCR. Only 26% of the study population was aware of one or more risk factors. Thirty seven percent recognized Pap smear as a screening test. In total only 37 out of 400 respondents were aware of the HPV vaccine. CONCLUSION: This study serves to highlight that the majority of working health professionals are not adequately equipped with knowledge concerning cervical cancer. Continuing Medical Education program should be started at the hospital level along with conferences to spread knowledge about this disease.

Knowledge and awareness about cervical cancer and its prevention amongst interns and nursing staff in Tertiary Care Hospitals in Karachi, Pakistan.

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Ali, Syed Faizan; Ayub, Samia; Manzoor, Nauman Fazal; Azim, Sidra; Afif, Muneeza; Akhtar, Nida; Jafery, Wassi Ali; Tahir, Imran; Farid-Ul-Hasnian, Syed; Uddin, Najam

2010-06-10

Cervical cancer is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality amongst the gynecological cancers worldwide, especially in developing countries. It is imperative for at least health professionals in developing countries like Pakistan to have a sound knowledge about the disease. This study was carried out to assess the knowledge and awareness about cervical cancer and its prevention amongst health professionals in tertiary care hospitals in Karachi, Pakistan. A cross-sectional, interview based survey was conducted in June, 2009. Sample of 400 was divided between the three tertiary care centers. Convenience sampling was applied as no definitive data was available regarding the number of registered interns and nurses at each center. Of all the interviews conducted, 1.8% did not know cervical cancer as a disease. Only 23.3% of the respondents were aware that cervical cancer is the most common cause of gynecological cancers and 26% knew it is second in rank in mortality. Seventy-eight percent were aware that infection is the most common cause of cervical cancer, of these 62% said that virus is the cause and 61% of the respondents knew that the virus is Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). Majority recognized that it is sexually transmitted but only a minority (41%) knew that it can be detected by PCR. Only 26% of the study population was aware of one or more risk factors. Thirty seven percent recognized Pap smear as a screening test. In total only 37 out of 400 respondents were aware of the HPV vaccine. This study serves to highlight that the majority of working health professionals are not adequately equipped with knowledge concerning cervical cancer. Continuing Medical Education program should be started at the hospital level along with conferences to spread knowledge about this disease.

Knowledge and perceptions of polio and polio immunization in polio high-risk areas of Pakistan.

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Habib, Muhammad Atif; Soofi, Sajid Bashir; Ali, Noshad; Hussain, Imtiaz; Tabassum, Farhana; Suhag, Zamir; Anwar, Saeed; Ahmed, Imran; Bhutta, Zulfiqar Ahmed

2017-02-01

Pakistan and Afghanistan remain the only countries where polio is endemic, and Pakistan reports the most cases in the world. Although the rate is lower than in previous years, the situation remains alarming. We conducted a mixed methods study in high-risk areas of Pakistan to identify knowledge, attitudes, and practices of target populations about polio vaccine and its eradication, and to estimate coverage of routine immunization and oral polio vaccine. We surveyed 10,685 households in Karachi, 2522 in Pishin, and 2005 in Bajaur. Some knowledge of polio is universal, but important misconceptions persist. The findings of this study carry strategic importance for program direction and implementation.

Frequency of Carbapenem, Colistin and Tigecycline Resistant Enterobacteriacae in Medical ICU of a Tertiary Care Hospital in Karachi

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Shobha Luxmi

2018-01-01

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Resistance to antibiotics among Enterobacteriacae represents a serious therapeutic and infection control challenge. The objective of this study was to determine the frequency of carbapenem, colistin and tigecycline resistant Enterobacteriaceae isolates obtained from patients admitted in medical intensive care unit (ICU of a tertiary care hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. METHODS: This was a descriptive cross sectional study that was conducted at Liaquat National Postgraduate Medical Centre, Karachi, Pakistan during December 2015 to May 2016. Patients admitted in the medical ICU with systemic inflammatory response syndrome were included. The culture positive samples were analyzed for further identification and antimicrobial sensitivity was performed according to clinical laboratory standard institute (CLSI 2014 guidelines. RESULTS: Of the 748 samples, 177 were positive for Enterobactericae. Most samples were taken from blood 75(42.2% or tracheal secretions 67(37.9%. Most common organism isolated were Klebsiella pneumoniae 77(43.5% and Escherichia coli 71(40.1%. Out of these 10.7% organisms were resistant to meropenem, while 2.8% and 20.3% were resistant to colistin and tigecycline respectively. CONCLUSION: Increasing spread of drug resistance among Enterobacteriacae reflects an important problem that can be controlled with effective policies of infection control, surveillance and antimicrobial stewardship.

Evaluation of Toxic and Essential Metals in Some Selected Chewing Food Products and their Daily Intake by the Population of Karachi, Pakistan

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Shahid Bhutto

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The present study focused on different brands of chewing food products which containing some toxic metals (TMs and essential metals and these samples were analyzed to determine the levels of some toxic metals (Pb, Cd, Ni, Cr and Mn and essential metals (Ca, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Na and Zn. The samples of gutka (100, sweet supari (63, sweet paan (16 and paan masala (21 were randomly collected from different shops of Karachi, Pakistan. The validity of conventional wet acid digestion method (CAD was assessed by analyzing two certified reference materials (CRM Virgina tobacco leaf (CTA-VTL-2 and Bovine liver (1577b and standard addition recovery test. The limit of detections (LODs, n=10 of the method were found to be 0.144, 14.4, 8.89, 2.76, 4.06, 15.3 and 2.99, 22.9, 9.97, 4.54, 1.89, 1.76 µg L-1 for Ca, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Na, Zn, Cd, Cr, Mn, Ni and Pb, respectively. The CAD method was successfully applied to real samples for the determination of toxic and essential metals. 

Nuclear desalination: harnessing the seas for development of coastal areas of Pakistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ayub, M.S.; Butt, W.M.

2005-01-01

Pakistan has a population of 140 million with more than 30% of the population living in cities and towns. Karachi, the major port city of the country, is the most densely populated with a population crossing the 11 million mark. The city receives 435 MGD of drinking water from the River Indus and other sources. However, the net demand for the year 2000 was 594 MGD thus there is a gap of 159 MGD in demand and supply. Statistics show that the water demand in Karachi is increasing at the rate of 100 MGD every five years. The coastal belt of the country extends to 1046 sq. km. Of this, 930 km is from the Karachi to Gwader region in the province of Baluchistan. Most of the coastal areas lie outside the monsoon system of weather and therefore the climate is extremely dry. The annual rainfall in this belt is about 15 cms. Therefore, fresh water availability is a major factor for development of the coastal belt of Pakistan. In the wake of the looming water crisis it is becoming increasingly clear that all available and appropriate technologies, including nuclear and related technologies, have to be used for the sustainable development and management of freshwater resources in Pakistan. One particular approach is the desalination of seawater, and countries are increasing their capacity to harness the seas for tapping fresh water. The prospects of using nuclear energy for seawater desalination on a large scale are attractive since desalination is an energy intensive process. Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) is planning to actively participate in the activities of IAEA in the field of nuclear desalination by offering one of its nuclear power plants for coupling a demonstration nuclear desalination plant. Karachi Nuclear Power Plant (KANUPP), which is the country's first nuclear plant has been successfully operating for the last 30 years. This plant is proposed to be used as a potential site for installation of a demonstration nuclear desalination plant. KANUPP is

A Pilot Study of a 6-Week Parenting Program for Mothers of Pre-school Children Attending Family Health Centers in Karachi, Pakistan

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Yasmin Khowaja

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Background Recently, parenting programs to address behavioural and emotional problems associated with child maltreatment in developing countries have received much attention. There is a paucity of literature on effective parent education interventions in the local context of Pakistan. This study aimed to assess the feasibility of offering a 6-week parenting program for mothers of pre-school children attending family health centres (FHCs in Karachi, the largest metropolitan city of Pakistan. Methods A pilot quasi-experimental trial was conducted. Two FHCs were selected, one as the intervention and the second as the control. A total of 57 mothers of pre-school children (n = 30 intervention; n = 27 control participated in this study. Mothers in the intervention group received SOS Help for parents module, while mothers in the control group received information about routine childcare. A parenting scale (PS was administered before the program was implemented and repeated 2 weeks after the program was completed in both groups. Statistical analysis was performed to compare participants’ attributes. Descriptive analysis was conducted to compare pre- and post-test mean scores along with standard deviation for parenting subscales in the intervention and control groups. Results A total of 50 mothers (n = 25 intervention; n = 25 control completed the 6-week program. Attrition was observed as 5/30 (17% in the intervention arm and 2/27 (2% in the control arm. Mothers commonly reported the burden of daily domestic and social responsibilities as the main reason for dropping out. Furthermore, the majority of participants in the control group recommended increasing the duration of weekly sessions from 1 to 1.5 hours, thereby decreasing the program period from 6 to 4 weeks. Mothers in intervention group reported substantial improvement in parenting skills as indicated by mean difference in their pre- and post-test scores for laxness and over

Assessing the relationship and influence of black carbon on distribution status of organochlorines in the coastal sediments from Pakistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ali, Usman; Syed, Jabir Hussain; Junwen, Liu; Sánchez-García, Laura; Malik, Riffat Naseem; Chaudhry, Muhammad Jamshed Iqbal; Arshad, Masood; Li, Jun; Zhang, Gan; Jones, Kevin C.

2014-01-01

Levels of total organic carbon (TOC) and black carbon (BC) were determined together with those of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the selected eighteen coastal sites (n = 285) along the Arabian Sea from Pakistan. Results showed that the total concentration of TOC, BC, ∑OCPs and ∑ 26 PCBs ranged between 0.3 and 2.9% dw, 0.1–0.2% dw, 0.9–110 ng g −1  dw and 6.2–1200 ng g −1  dw, respectively. Correlation analysis of BC (r = 0.26–0.89) and TOC (r = 0.06–0.69) revealed a stronger association with studied compounds. The sedimentary depositional fluxes (D) for ∑OCPs and ∑ 26 PCBs were calculated as 1.7 and 4.9 tons yr −1 , respectively. In the coastal belt of Pakistan, sedimentary mass inventories (I) indicated the presence of 13 and 37 metric tons of ∑OCPs and ∑ 26 PCBs, respectively. - Highlights: • First study to describe the sedimentary distribution of OCs and BC from coastal belt of Pakistan. • Higher levels of OCs and carbon contents were found in the sediments from Karachi coast. • Correlation analysis proved that BC has a significant impact on the fate and distribution of OCs in the study area. - Findings of the present study revealed that black carbon has a significant impact on the distribution of organochlorines in the coastal belt of Pakistan

Pakistan’s Security Paradox: Countering and Fomenting Insurgencies

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2009-12-01

Jhangvi (LeJ). In 2002 and 2008 these groups, now de facto franchises of AQC, brought India and Pakistan to the brink of nuclear war. Destroying...and the launching and recovery of military operations and terrorist attacks. The denizens of FATA received adult franchise in 1998, but candidates...KFC restaurant in Karachi At least 3 people killed and 20 others, including 2 South African women, injured in a powerful car bomb explosion in front

ASSESSING THE KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDES AND PRACTICES OF SCHOOL TEACHERS REGARDING DYSLEXIA, ATTENTION-DEFICIT/ HYPERACTIVITY AND AUTISTIC SPECTRUM DISORDERS IN KARACHI, PAKISTAN.

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Lodhi, Shaia Kan; Thaver, Danyal; Akhtar, Irfan Nake; Javaid, Hina; Masoor, Maman; Bano, Shah; Malik, Fatima Noor; Iqbal, Mehreen Rizwana; Hashmi, Hassan Raza; Siddiqullah, Syed; Saleem, Sarah

2016-01-01

Learning impairments in children consist of a spectrum of disorders that are under diagnosed in Pakistan. Most learning disorders have long term consequences for a child and early detection is thus imperative. Teachers may be able to play a key role in such identification. The objective of our study was to survey knowledge, attitudes and practices of school teachers regarding dyslexia, Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autistic spectrum disorder, and assess their ability to identify learning disabilities. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 233 primary school teachers from Karachi using a self-administered questionnaire. Mean scores for the knowledge test and the ability to identify learning- impaired children were 58.8% and 53.3%, respectively. Better qualified teachers scored significantly more on the knowledge and ability to identify learning impairments sections. Most teachers believed that these students should study in mainstream schools with special educators. Majority of the teachers belonged to schools where children with learning disabilities were detected using teachers' judgment. Most teachers manage these children by involving them in discussions, seating them at the front of the class, and giving them extra time. Knowledge about learning disabilities is very low amongst school teachers, which may limit their ability to identify learning impairments.

An insight into frequency and predictors leading psychiatric patients to visit faith healers: A hospital-based cross-sectional survey, Karachi, Pakistan.

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Khoso, Aneeta; Soomro, Rafiq Ahmed; Quraishy, Ayesha Muquim; Khan, Hammad Ali; Ismail, Saba; Nazaz, Mehrunnisa; Younus, Sana; Zainab, Saima

2018-05-01

Psychiatric illnesses have recently escalated in numbers, with patients resorting to various forms of healthcare providers, including faith healers. This delays early psychiatric treatment, resulting in further mental health deterioration of the patient. Various factors impact the mode of treatment preferred by psychiatric patients. To determine the frequency of psychiatric patients visiting faith healers, presenting at the outpatient department of Liaquat National Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan, and to explore the predictors that direct them toward visiting faith healers. This cross-sectional survey was conducted using a semi-structured pre-tested questionnaire, employing a total of 219 male and female psychiatric patients. Patients were recruited through non-random consecutive sampling technique. SPSS 18 was used for statistical analysis. About 32% of the patients had visited a faith healer in their lifetime. Frequency of current visitors declined; the most frequent reason being stated was no relief from their treatment. Students, patients of upper middle class and those coming for initial visit to a psychiatrist were more likely to visit a faith healer. Patients who knew of someone previously visiting a faith healer were less likely to have visited a faith healer. This study highlights the importance of a multisectoral approach to dealing with psychiatric patients to help in bridging the treatment gap in mental health.

Diabetes related knowledge among residents and nurses: a multicenter study in Karachi, Pakistan

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Ahmed Asma

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Assessment of knowledge among resident trainees and nurses is very important since majority of patients admitted in hospital have underlying diabetes which could lead to adverse clinical outcomes if not managed efficiently. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate and compare the knowledge related to the management of diabetes among registered nurses (RN and trainee residents of internal medicine (IMR, family medicine (FMR and surgery (SR at tertiary care hospitals of Karachi, Pakistan. Methods A validated questionnaire consisting of 21 open ended questions related to diabetes awareness was acquired through a study done at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia with the permission of primary author. Results 169 IMR, 27 FMR, 86 SR and 99 RN completed a questionnaire that assessed the knowledge related to different aspects of management of diabetes. The results were further stratified by participant's specialty and level of training. The percentage of knowledge based questions answered correctly was found to be low. The overall mean correct percentage among all the participants was 50% +/- 21. There was no statistical difference in terms of knowledge between IMR & FMR residents (64% +/- 14 vs. 60% +/- 16, p = 0.47 respectively. The total scores of SR and RN were quite low (40% +/- 16 & 31% +/- 15 respectively.SR and RN were found to have profound deficit in both inpatient and outpatient knowledge of diabetes. We did not observe any improvement in level of knowledge of FMR & SR with increase in duration of their training (p = 0.47 & 0.80 respectively. In contrast, improvement in the level of knowledge of IMR was observed from first to second year of their training (p = 0.03 with no further improvement thereafter. RN's didn't respond correctly on most of the items related to in-patient management of diabetes (Mean score 40% +/- 20. Conclusion As there are no prior studies in our setting

Diabetes related knowledge among residents and nurses: a multicenter study in Karachi, Pakistan.

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Ahmed, Asma; Jabbar, Abdul; Zuberi, Lubna; Islam, Muhammad; Shamim, Khusro

2012-09-11

Assessment of knowledge among resident trainees and nurses is very important since majority of patients admitted in hospital have underlying diabetes which could lead to adverse clinical outcomes if not managed efficiently. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate and compare the knowledge related to the management of diabetes among registered nurses (RN) and trainee residents of internal medicine (IMR), family medicine (FMR) and surgery (SR) at tertiary care hospitals of Karachi, Pakistan. A validated questionnaire consisting of 21 open ended questions related to diabetes awareness was acquired through a study done at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia with the permission of primary author. 169 IMR, 27 FMR, 86 SR and 99 RN completed a questionnaire that assessed the knowledge related to different aspects of management of diabetes. The results were further stratified by participant's specialty and level of training. The percentage of knowledge based questions answered correctly was found to be low. The overall mean correct percentage among all the participants was 50% +/- 21. There was no statistical difference in terms of knowledge between IMR & FMR residents (64% +/- 14 vs. 60% +/- 16, p = 0.47) respectively. The total scores of SR and RN were quite low (40% +/- 16 & 31% +/- 15 respectively).SR and RN were found to have profound deficit in both inpatient and outpatient knowledge of diabetes. We did not observe any improvement in level of knowledge of FMR & SR with increase in duration of their training (p = 0.47 & 0.80 respectively). In contrast, improvement in the level of knowledge of IMR was observed from first to second year of their training (p = 0.03) with no further improvement thereafter. RN's didn't respond correctly on most of the items related to in-patient management of diabetes (Mean score 40% +/- 20). As there are no prior studies in our setting evaluating knowledge related to diabetes management among

Initial results of Pakistan's first road traffic injury surveillance project.

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Shamim, Shahzad; Razzak, Junaid A; Jooma, Rashid; Khan, Uzma

2011-09-01

Our aim is to report the findings of the initial three years of road traffic injuries (RTI) surveillance at Karachi and to compare it with previously published RTI-related data from Pakistan and other low-and middle-income countries. Data were collected through the RTI surveillance programme at Karachi (RTIRP) from the five biggest emergency departments of the city, which receive almost all the major emergencies of the city for the period September 2006 till September 2009. A total of 99,272 victims were enlisted by the RTIRP during the study period. Annual incidence of RTI is calculated to be 184.3 per 100,000 populations and mortality is 5.7 per 100,000 populations. Eighty nine per cent of victims are male and 73% are between 15 and 44 years of age. Commonest road user to be affected is riders of two wheelers (45%). Only 7% of affected motorcyclists were found to be wearing helmets at the time of the accident. Trends of injuries remained uniform over the years. Most frequent injuries were external wounds, followed by orthopaedic injuries. On the basis of our surveillance system, we have presented the largest RTI-related data from a metropolitan city of Pakistan to date.

The organisation, operational dynamics and structure of female sex work in Pakistan.

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Emmanuel, Faran; Thompson, Laura H; Athar, Uzma; Salim, Momina; Sonia, Altaf; Akhtar, Naeem; Blanchard, James F

2013-09-01

Pakistan is known to have large populations of female sex workers (FSWs) with considerable geographic heterogeneity in their characteristics. In this paper, we describe the social organisation and structural patterns of female sex work in different geographic regions of Pakistan. We report geographic and network mapping data collected among FSWs in 15 cities across Pakistan in 2011 as part of the Canada-Pakistan HIV/AIDS Surveillance Project. A total number of 89 178 FSWs were estimated in the target cities for an average of 7.2 FSWs per 1000 adult males. 55% of the estimated number of FSWs concentrated in Karachi and Lahore. Based on the operations of female sex work, two major typologies of FSWs were identified: establishment-based and non-establishment-based. FSWs were further subtyped into those operating through brothels, homes, kothikhanas, streets and by cell phone. Cities varied considerably in terms of predominance of different FSW typologies. There is considerable heterogeneity among FSWs in Pakistan, geographically and in terms of operational typology. Understanding the social organisation of sex work and the influence of social-cultural and legal factors in Pakistan is essential for the design of HIV prevention programmes and other services for FSWs.

Gender differences in nonfatal suicidal behavior in Pakistan: significance of sociocultural factors.

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Khan, M M; Reza, H

1998-01-01

Suicidal behavior is an understudied subject in Pakistan. A variety of social, legal, and religious factors make reporting and data collection on suicide and nonfatal suicidal behavior difficult. To study the problem, a retrospective case-note analysis was carried out in which the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of 262 female and 185 male suicidal individuals admitted to a university hospital in Karachi, Pakistan, are compared. Three quarters of the suicidal persons were under the age of 30 years. Compared to men, women were younger and more often married. Both women and men tended to use self-poisoning with benzodiazepines, but more women used organophosphate insecticides. In Pakistani society, legal, social, and economic discrimination predisposes women to psychological distress and subsequent suicidal behavior. The study highlights the need for culture-specific research on suicidal behavior in Pakistan.

Remote sensing of aerosol characteristics and radiative forcing in Pakistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alam, K.

2011-01-01

This thesis investigates the aerosol characteristics over different cities of Pakistan through satellite borne sensors, namely the Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS), the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), and the Multi-angle Imaging Spectroradiometer (MISR), and ground-based instruments such as Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) and GRIMM 1.109 dust monitor. A Hybrid Single Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model was used for trajectory analysis in order to visualize the origins of air masses and understand the spatio-temporal variability of aerosol concentrations. An assessment of seasonal variability in aerosol optical depth (AOD) for industrial, urban, semi-urban, rural, and semi-arid areas revealed maximum AOD values during summer over all the areas under investigation. The correlation between AERONET and MODIS/MISR AODs during 2007 was also analyzed for Karachi and Lahore. The correlation coefficient for Karachi was found to be relatively high between AERONET and MISR and lower between AERONET and MODIS. In contrast, the correlation coefficient for Lahore was higher between AERONET and MODIS than between AERONET and MISR. The results suggest that the MISR sensor provides better AOD estimates near the ocean while AOD estimates from the MODIS sensor are better over terrestrial regions (especially over vegetated surfaces). The assessment of aerosol optical properties and aerosol radiative forcing (ARF) through the ground-based Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) over Lahore and Karachi has also been investigated in this study. The monthly mean of AOD at 500 nm over Lahore and Karachi ranges from 0.39 to 0.76, and the monthly mean Angstrom Exponent ranges from 0.29 to 1.22. The relationship between the Absorption Angstrom Exponent and the Extinction Angstrom Exponent provided an indication of relative proportions of urban-industrial and mineral dust aerosols over both sites. The single scattering albedo (SSA) ranged from 0

Report: a study of morbidity of induced abortion data from women belonging to Karachi, Pakistan.

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Aslam, Farah; Aslam, Muhammad

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the morbidity of induced abortion in relation to facilities, service providers and social responses of general population of women, from Karachi, Pakistan. Cross-sectional survey, conducted from February to December 2010, through a researcher-administered questionnaire from 61 randomly selected women, who underwent for Induced Abortion, aged 18-50 years. The questionnaire included open and closed ended questions, regarding demography, facilities, service providers and various complications observed. Overall, 98 immediate health problems were reported by 40 (65.5%) of the respondents, 153 late adverse effects or chronic by 46 (75.4%); while 101 mental complications had been reported by 45 (73.8%) of the 61 aborting women; respectively. Private clinics surfaced as the most frequently adopted source as reported by 40.7% of the respondents. Two third majorities had the procedure in satisfactory, good hygienic conditions by skilled professionals. Around 59% of the aborting women were aware of the religious perspective of the subject. Marked incidence of complications had been registered, regardless of type of method adopted, hygienic condition of the procedure or skill of the provider. Although, awareness of religious perspective of the subject was there, still quite a lot opted for abortion. This suggests that strong socioeconomic factors influence women to take peril of such an attempt. It also reveals the existence of a big gap for the awareness services for educating the risks involved to the women's health. Study revealed that services are easily accessible; without any legal, religious or social barriers. Semi or un-educated women, mostly from low socioeconomic sector are opting the procedure in majority, being less aware and stalwartly influenced by environmental factors; hence excessive availability of abortion services should be revisited. Lack of deep awareness of the consequences also contributes for deteriorating

Nuclear Power Plant Control and Instrumentation in Pakistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iqleem, J.; Hashmi, J.A.; Siddiqui, Z.H.

1990-01-01

Nuclear reactors generate 15% of the world's supply electric power. The substantial growth in world energy demand is inevitably continuing throughout the next century. Nuclear power which has already paid more than enough for itself and its development, will provide increasing share of electricity production both in the developed and developing countries. For Pakistan with limited natural resources such as oil, gas, and fully tapped hydel power, nuclear power is the only viable option. However, things are not simple for developing countries which embark on nuclear power program. A technical infrastructure should be established as it has been shown by the experience of Control and Instrumentation of the Karachi Nuclear Power Plant. The national report describes the program of Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission in (NPP) Computers, Control and Instrumentation for design, construction, operation, and maintenance of nuclear power plants. (author)

Spectrum of allergenic pollen in Karachi and their characterization using conventional and electron microscopy: Potential candidates for allergy vaccines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Parveen, A.; Noori, M.Y.; Qureshi, M.A.

2015-01-01

Objective: To study the distribution of naturally growing plants with possible allergenic potential and study their pollen morphology in Karachi, Pakistan. Methodology: We performed field surveys of naturally growing plants with possible allergenic potential and studied their pollen morphology using conventional (light) as well as scanning electron microscopy. Results: About 80 allergenic pollen producing species were identified which are distributed in 45 genera and 9 angiospermic families. Grasses belonging to Graminae are most abundant followed by plants from family Fabaceae (Leguminosae). Highly allergenic weeds were also found widely growing in the city areas belonging to Amaranthaceae/Chenopodiaceae family. Conclusion: Our study provides an updated information about the allergenic plants growing in Karachi city. All desensitization efforts should be designed in accordance to the available information regarding the prevalent allergens in the environment so that appropriate therapy can be given to the affected population. (author)

77 FR 14596 - Supplemental Identification Information for Thirteen Individuals and One Entity Designated...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-03-12

..., Rawalpindi, Pakistan; Jamia Masjid, Sulaiman Park, Begum Pura, Lahore, Pakistan; Office Dha'rb-i-M'unin, Z.R... Khyber Bank, Abbottabad Road, Mansehra, Pakistan; University Road, Opposite Baitul Mukaram, Gulshan-e Iqbal, Karachi, Pakistan; Opposite Jang Press, I.I. Chundrigar Road, Karachi, Pakistan; TE-365, 3rd...

Contrasting aerosol optical and radiative properties between dust and urban haze episodes in megacities of Pakistan

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Iftikhar, Muhammad; Alam, Khan; Sorooshian, Armin; Syed, Waqar Adil; Bibi, Samina; Bibi, Humera

2018-01-01

Satellite and ground based remote sensors provide vital information about aerosol optical and radiative properties. Analysis of aerosol optical and radiative properties during heavy aerosol loading events in Pakistan are limited and, therefore, require in-depth examination. This work examines aerosol properties and radiative forcing during Dust Episodes (DE) and Haze Episodes (HE) between 2010 and 2014 over mega cities of Pakistan (Karachi and Lahore). Episodes having the daily averaged values of Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) exceeding 1 were selected. DE were associated with high AOD and low Ångström Exponent (AE) over Karachi and Lahore while high AOD and high AE values were associated with HE over Lahore. Aerosol volume size distributions (AVSD) exhibited a bimodal lognormal distribution with a noticeable coarse mode peak at a radius of 2.24 μm during DE, whereas a fine mode peak was prominent at a radius 0.25 μm during HE. The results reveal distinct differences between HE and DE for spectral profiles of several parameters including Single Scattering Albedo (SSA), ASYmmetry parameter (ASY), and the real and imaginary components of refractive index (RRI and IRI). The AOD-AE correlation revealed that dust was the dominant aerosol type during DE and that biomass burning and urban/industrial aerosol types were pronounced during HE. Aerosol radiative forcing (ARF) was estimated using the Santa Barbra DISORT Atmospheric Radiative Transfer (SBDART) model. Calculations revealed a negative ARF at the Top Of the Atmosphere (ARFTOA) and at the Bottom Of the Atmosphere (ARFBOA), with positive ARF within the Atmosphere (ARFATM) during both DE and HE over Karachi and Lahore. Furthermore, estimations of ARFATM by SBDART were shown to be in good agreement with values derived from AERONET data for DE and HE over Karachi and Lahore.

Neonatal mortality and prevalence of practices for newborn care in a squatter settlement of Karachi, Pakistan: a cross-sectional study.

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Afsheen Ayaz

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: During the past two decades there has been a sustained decline in child and infant mortality, however neonatal mortality has remained relatively unchanged. Almost all neonatal deaths (99% occur in developing countries, where the majority are delivered at homes. Evidence suggests that these deaths could be prevented by simple, inexpensive practices and interventions during the pregnancy, delivery and postnatal period. In Pakistan over the last decade extensive efforts have been made by the international donors and government to implement these practices. However, limited attempts have been made to explore if these efforts have made a difference at the grass root level. This study assessed the burden of neonatal mortality and prevalence of practices for newborn care in a squatter settlement of Karachi, Pakistan. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: A community based cross-sectional study was performed. A pre-tested structured questionnaire was administered to 565 women who had recently delivered. Information was collected on neonatal morbidity, mortality and practices of women regarding care during pregnancy, child birth and for newborn, till 28th day of birth. Although 70% of women mentioned receiving antenatal care by a skilled provider, only 54.5% had four or more visits. Tetanus toxoid was received by 79% of women while only 56% delivered at a health care facility by a skilled attendant. Newborn care practices like bathing the baby immediately after birth (56%, giving pre-lacteals (79.5%, late initiation of breast feeding (80.3%, application of substances on umbilical cord (58% and body massage (89% were common. Most neonates (81.1% received BCG injection and polio drops after birth. Neonatal mortality rate was 27/1000 live births with the majority of deaths occurring during the first three days of life. CONCLUSION: Even after years of efforts by government and nongovernmental sector to reduce newborn morbidity and mortality, inadequate

Stock Price Volatility and Role of Dividend Policy: Empirical Evidence from Pakistan

OpenAIRE

Shah, Syed Akif; Noreen, Umara

2016-01-01

Despite years of empirical research, the linkage between dividend policy and stock price volatility remains controversial among the researchers and scholars. This research endeavors to figure out the relationship between stock price volatility and dividend policy of listed companies in Pakistan. A sample of fifty firms, based upon consistent dividend paying behavior, listed on Karachi Stock Exchange has been selected from non-financial sectors, for the period of 2005 to 2012. Multiple regress...

NKM Perspectives of Nuclear Education in Pakistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khan, R.; Jaffar, G.; Haq, S. M. Z.; Khosa, S. U.

2016-01-01

Full text: Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences (PIEAS), Karachi Institute of Power Engineering (KINPOE) and CHASNUPP Centre for Nuclear Training (CHASCENT) are the main institutes providing for the nuclear skilled man power demands of the country’s nuclear technology program. The PIEAS is a public sector university and offers M.Sc. and Ph.D. programmes in nuclear science and technology. The CHASCENT is the training institute which focuses on the training programmes for nuclear power, while the KINPOE offers Master programme in nuclear power engineering, post graduate training programme (PGTP) and Post Diploma Training Program (PDTP) related to nuclear power engineering and technology. The nuclear education programmes and other relevant NKM activities at PIEAS, KINPOE and CHASCENT play a key role in the information management, human resource and competence management. This paper presents the NKM perspective of nuclear education in Pakistan, its continuation and enhancement for the expanding nuclear power programme to meet the country’s energy demands. (author

Antifungal activity of aqueous and methanolic extracts of some seaweeds against common soil-borne plant pathogenic fungi

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khan, S.A.; Abid, M.; Hussain, F.

2017-01-01

Total 32 species of different seaweeds belonging to Chlorophyta, Phaeophyta and Rhodophyta were collected from the coast of Karachi, Pakistan to investigate their antifungal activity. Most of the seaweeds inhibited growth of Fusarium oxypsorum, Macrophomina phaseolina and Rhizoctonia solani. The highest antifungal activities were observed in Sargasssum tenerrimum in both aqueous and methanolic extracts as compared to other seaweeds. (author)

What Happens When "Germs Don't Get Killed and They Attack Again and Again": Perceptions of Antimicrobial Resistance in the Context of Diarrheal Disease Treatment Among Laypersons and Health-Care Providers in Karachi, Pakistan.

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Joseph, Heather A; Agboatwalla, Mubina; Hurd, Jacqueline; Jacobs-Slifka, Kara; Pitz, Adam; Bowen, Anna

2016-07-06

In south Asia, where diarrhea is common and antibiotics are accessible without prescription, antimicrobial resistance is an emerging and serious problem. However, beliefs and behaviors related to antimicrobial resistance are poorly understood. We explored laypersons' and health-care providers' (HCP) awareness and perceptions of antimicrobial resistance in the context of treatment of adult diarrheal disease in Karachi, Pakistan. In-depth, open-ended interviews were conducted with 40 laypersons and 45 HCPs in a lower-middle-class urban neighborhood. Interviews conducted in Urdu were audiotaped, transcribed, translated, and coded using applied thematic analysis. Slightly over half of laypersons and two-thirds of HCPs were aware that antimicrobial medication could lose effectiveness, but misperceptions were common. Laypersons and HCPs often believed that "the body becomes immune" or "bacteria attack more strongly" if medications are taken "improperly." Another prevalent theme was that causes and effects of antimicrobial resistance are limited to the individual taking the antimicrobial medication and to the specific diarrheal episode. Participants often attributed antimicrobial resistance to patient behaviors; HCP behavior was rarely discussed. Less than half of the HCPs were aware of treatment guidelines. To combat antimicrobial resistance in urban Pakistan, a health systems strategy and community-supported outreach campaigns on appropriate antimicrobial use are needed. © The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

An empirical study of factors influencing adoption of Internet banking among students of higher education: Evidence from Pakistan

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Abdul Kabeer Kazi

2013-05-01

Full Text Available Thispaper investigated the influence of factors on the intention to adopt Internetbanking services among students of higher education in Pakistan. Theoreticalframework used for this study has been adopted from Technology Acceptance Model(TAM with four independent variables. Convenience sampling method was usedwith a total of valid 220 respondents, which included students of Khadim AliShah Bukhari Institute of Technology (KASBIT, Karachi, Pakistan.  Data was collected through self administeredquestionnaire of two parts: Demographic and Likert scale multi-item scale forvariables under study. Results indicated that convenience, perceivedcredibility, and perceived usefulness had significant positive influence amongstudents on the intention to adopt Internet banking. The findings from thisresearch would be useful for banks in the subject area, particularly forstudents in Pakistan.

Assessing the effect of dietary calcium intake and 25 OHD status on bone turnover in women in Pakistan.

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Khan, Aysha Habib; Naureen, Ghazala; Iqbal, Romaina; Dar, Farhan Javed

2013-01-01

Bone health assessed in three towns of Karachi, Pakistan in females showed poor calcium intake, vitamin D deficiency, secondary hyperparathyroidism, and high bone turnover. Correlates of high bone turnover included females residing in Saddar Town, underweight females less than 30 years of age from low socio-economic status, and secondary hyperparathyroidism. To assess bone health and association of dietary calcium and 25 hydroxy vitamin D with bone turnover in the community-dwelling females of Karachi. Bone health was assessed in three randomly selected towns of Karachi, Pakistan. One premenopausal female fulfilling the inclusion criteria from each household was included in the study. Dietary calcium was assessed through a food frequency questionnaire and biochemical markers including calcium, phosphates, albumin, magnesium, creatinine, and SGPT, intact parathyroid hormone, 25 hydroxy vitamin D, and N-telopeptide of type I collagen were measured to assess the bone health. Three hundred and five females were included from three towns. Overall, 90.5% of females had vitamin D deficiency with 42.6 and 23.3% having secondary hyperparathyroidism and high bone turn over respectively. Prevalence of vitamin D deficiency, secondary hyperparathyroidism, and high bone turnover was significantly different among towns. Mean vitamin D levels were significantly low and iPTH levels significantly high in females with high bone turnover. Calcium intake was not significantly different among females with normal, high, and low bone turnover. Correlates of high bone turnover included females residing in Saddar Town, underweight females less than 30 years of age belonging to low socio-economic status, and secondary hyperparathyroidism. Compromised bone health is seen in community-dwelling females of Karachi. There is a need to perform large-scale community-based studies in all age groups to understand the interplay of markers in our population to understand the impact of these variables

Comparative Status of Sequestered Carbon Stock of Azadirachta indica and Conocarpus erectus at the University of Karachi Campus, Pakistan

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Amber Ajani

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Carbon sequestration by trees is one of the most cost-effective and efficient methods to remove carbon dioxide from atmosphere since trees remove and store carbon at higher rates compared to other land covers. Carbon storage by trees typically ranges from 1 to 8 MgC ha-1 yr-1.The carbon is sequestered in different parts of the trees as biomass. The measurements of biomass provide reasonably accurate estimate of the amount of carbon that was removed from lower troposphere over the years. Therefore, the present study investigates and compares the carbon stock of native Azadirachta indica and exotic Conocarpus erectus, which are extensively cultivated in the campus of the University of Karachi, Pakistan. The above-ground and below-ground biomass of 327 trees of A. indica and 253 trees of C. erectus were estimated by using non-destructive method. The average carbon content of A. indica is calculated to be 662.32 + 1144.81 Kg while that of C. erectus is 192.70 + 322.60 Kg. The independent t-test analysis showed significant difference (p < 0.001 between the means of the carbon content of both the species. The carbon contents of two different species were also correlated with bole’s diameter at breast height (DBH and tree’s height. The analysis demonstrated greater correlation between the carbon content and the DBH of both the species compared to that with their height. The study will help to understand the carbon sequestration potential of two different types of species for planting particularly in urban area of the world.INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTVolume-5, Issue-2, March-May 2016, Page: 89-97

Post-traumatic stress disorder and its predictors in emergency medical service personnel: a cross-sectional study from Karachi, Pakistan.

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Kerai, Salima Mansoor; Khan, Uzma Rahim; Islam, Muhammad; Asad, Nargis; Razzak, Junaid; Pasha, Omrana

2017-08-29

Emergency medical service (EMS) personnel who work to provide emergency medical care at the scene and during transportation are exposed to various kinds of stressors and are particularly susceptible to developing stress-reactions. This study assesses symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and its predictors among the personnel of a selected EMS in Karachi, Pakistan. Data were gathered from 518 personnel working in an EMS setting from February to May 2014. Participants were screened for post-traumatic stress symptoms using the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R). Demographic and work-related characteristics, coping styles and the social support systems of the participants were assessed. Linear regression was used on the IES-R to identify predictors of post-traumatic stress symptoms. The mean score of the IES-R was 23.9 ± 12.1. EMS personnel with a dysfunctional coping style (β = 0.67 CI 0.39 - 0.95), anxiety, and depression (β = 0.64 CI 0.52 - 0.75) were more likely to have increased severity of post-traumatic stress symptoms. Age was found to have an inverse relationship with stress symptoms (β = -0.17 CI 0.33 - -0.023), indicating the susceptibility of younger EMS personnel to stress. The EMS personnel in this setting were found to have a moderate level of post-traumatic stress symptoms. The significant predictors of post-traumatic stress symptoms in this EMS population were age, coping style, and levels of anxiety and depression. These predicting factors can be a potential avenue for interventions to improve the mental health of these frontline workers.

A university-sponsored home health nursing program in Karachi, Pakistan.

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Smego, Raymond A; Khan, Mohammad Aslam; Khowaja, Khurshid; Rafique, Rozina; Datoo, Farida

2005-11-01

This article describes a university-sponsored home health nursing program in a large urban center in Pakistan and details the essential elements needed in implementing such a program in a developing country. Compared to in-hospital treatment, home healthcare reduced hospital stay from 12.8 days to 3.9 days, and resulted in a net savings of Pakistani rupees (PRs) 5,374,135 (USD 89,569). A cost-effective home treatment program in a resource-limited country can be successfully implemented by using the hospital pharmacy as the central point for the preparation and distribution of medications and specialty nursing services.

Peaceful nuclear programme and front end nuclear fuel cycle activities in Pakistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

S. Mukhtar Ahmed

1999-01-01

Pakistan has a modest but broad based nuclear programme related to peaceful uses of atomic energy in nuclear power, agriculture, medicine and industry. While development projects in these areas form the major segment of Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission's work, complimentary activities in basic research and human resource development are also supported. PAEC through its activities has been moving towards the goal of achieving self-reliance for its existing programme in an international atmosphere of embargoes and restrictions and in pursuit of creating an infrastructure to help sustain an indigenous nuclear power programme. To solve the local needs and requirements, radioisotopes and nuclear techniques have been applied in agriculture, medicine, hydrology and industry. PAEC has one large research and development establishment in physical sciences, three R and D centers in agriculture, one in biotechnology, and ten nuclear medical centers for diagnostics and oncology treatment. Two research reactors form nucleus of research and development activities in nuclear sciences. In the power sector a 137 Mew CANDU power reactor is in operation in Karachi since 1971. Another 300 Mew PWR is under construction and is nearing completion. Front-end fuel cycle and engineering infrastructure facilities have been established to support continued operation of Karachi Nuclear Power Plant (KANUPP). To support the engineering activities it has established facilities for precision workshops, non-destructive testing center and a welding institute. (author)

Evaluation of biochemical component and antimicrobial activity of some seaweeeds occurring at Karachi coast

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ambreen, A.; Hira, K.; Ruqqia, A.; Sultana, V.

2012-01-01

Nutritionally valuable seaweeds are being used as fresh or dried vegetables or as ingredients in wide variety of prepared foods. Interest in seaweeds has increased markedly through out the world due to their value in nutrition and in medicine. In this study 16 seaweed species collected from Karachi coast were examined for the estimation of ascorbic acid (vitamin C), calcium and 9 for protein, carbohydrate and lipid contents. Lipid content was found less as compared to carbohydrate and protein in most of the brown and red seaweeds. All the seaweeds showed the presence of calcium at varying concentrations, while ascorbic acid was found in fourteen seaweeds in considerable amount. Intake of edible seaweeds having ascorbic acid and calcium may protect the human from the diseases related to deficiency of calcium and vitamin C. Microbes and microbial infection remains a threat to human life. In this study, ethanol extract of 5 seaweeds were screened for antibacterial activity, while 9 tested against root rotting fungi. Most of the brown species had shown potent antimicrobial activity followed by red algal species. The highest antibacterial activity was found in ethanol extract of brown seaweed species Dictyota dichotoma var intricata and D. indica against Salmonella typhimurium followed by D. indica and Halimeda tuna against Bacillus subtilis with a zone of inhibition of 15, 15, 14, and 14 mm respectively. Dictyota dichotoma var. intricata, D.indica, Sargassum lanceolatum and red Melanothamnus afaqhusainii produced a zone of inhibition of 11, 10, 9, 11mm respectively against gram negative bacteria Salmonella typhimurium even at lowest concentration of 2mg/disc. The ethanol extract of most of the species was found less active against tested fungi (Rhizoctonia solani, Macrophomina phaseolina, Fusarium solani and F. oxysporum). Only two brown seaweeds Sargassum ilicifolium and Cystoseira indica had shown antifungal activity to some extent. (author)

Need for multilevel strategies and enhanced acceptance of contraceptive use in order to combat the spread of HIV/AIDS in a Muslim society: a qualitative study of young adults in urban Karachi, Pakistan.

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Farid-ul-Hasnain, Syed; Johansson, Eva; Gulzar, Saleema; Krantz, Gunilla

2013-05-27

This qualitative study explored knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and perceptions of sexual and reproductive health, focusing specifically on contraceptive use and HIV prevention among young unmarried men and women, 17-21 years, in urban Karachi, Pakistan. The main theme, identified as underlying meaning in the focus group discussions was "Societal norms and perceptions create barriers to knowledge and awareness about sexual and reproductive health matters among young adults". A knowledge gap was revealed concerning HIV/AIDS and contraceptive use among young males and females, who have to rely on media and peers for information seeking. Study participants perceived that HIV/AIDS is incurable and carries a social stigma. It was further revealed, that there is an opposition towards contraceptive use from religious leaders. Young adults in Pakistan are in need of improved knowledge about HIV/AIDS and contraceptive use. Youth clinics and schools/colleges may play a significant role in this regard. The religious leaders need to be informed about the beneficial effects of contraceptives and they should be part of any family planning/contraceptive use program to ensure better community acceptance. At the structural level there is an urgent need for policies targeting the issue of sexual and reproductive health, particularly HIV/AIDS information and contraceptive use to target the young population. The health care services should be able to respond by offering relevant services.

Presentations and Outcome of Thyroiditis from a Tertiary Care Hospital of Karachi.

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Mahar, Saeed Ahmed; Shahid, Muhammad; Sarfaraz, Aqiba; Shaikh, Zuhaib-u-Ddin; Shaikh, Shiraz; Shahid, Nadia

2015-10-01

To assess the clinical presentations and short-term outcomes of patients with thyroiditis presenting to a tertiary care hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. Case series. Department of Endocrinology, Liaquat National Hospital, Karachi, from June 2014 to February 2015. Patients between 18 and 70 years of age with acute onset of thyroiditis confirmed on thyroid scan or clinical judgment presenting to the outpatient services were included in the study. Pregnant females, psychiatric patients and patients having other chronic illnesses were excluded from the study. A total of 26 patients with thyroiditis attended the endocrine clinic. Mean age of patients was 41.2 ± 11.12 years. There were 18 (69.2%) females. Clinical presentations were fever (65.4%), tender neck (23.1%), goiter (19.2%), localized tenderness in neck and palpable lymph nodes (26.9%). Major symptoms reported were: sore throat (69.2%), weight loss (38.5%), upper respiratory tract infection, thyroid pain, tremor, sweating and fever of unknown origin in 26.9% cases. All the patients had raised Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR). Low Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) 1.8 ng/dL. Complete recovery was seen in 88.5% patients while 11.5% had early hypothyroidism. Fever and sore throat were the main presenting features of thyroiditis patients. ESR was raised in all patients. A majority of patients had complete recovery with appropriate management; however, few cases developed hypothyroidism.

Pakistan: the new target of terrorism. Are Karachi's emergency medical response systems adequately prepared?

Science.gov (United States)

Siddiqui, Muhammad Ahmed; Jawad, Ahmed; Minhas, Saeed; Ansari, Asma; Siddiqui, Afrah; Mehtab, Sana

2009-07-01

To assess the efficacy and preparedness of the pre-hospital and hospital emergency medical systems and post graduate trainees in the city to deal with a massive terrorist strike. A cross-sectional survey of postgraduate trainees was conducted at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center and Civil Hospital Karachi from 21st July 2007 to 24th July 2007, to evaluate the preparedness and self identified deficiencies of doctors involved in massive trauma casualty management. To assess the pre-hospital care in Karachi, structured telephonic interviews were conducted of administrators of two private run charity based ambulance services. Out of the 90 respondents questioned regarding a self assessment of their training, only 3 (3.3%) of them were confident about their management of bomb blast victims. Eighty-seven (96.6%) of the respondents felt they required some further training (44.4%) or comprehensive training (52.2%). No simulated drills or courses had been conducted for disaster management in the emergency department of the surveyed Hospitals. Most of the ambulance drivers had no paramedic training. Ambulances are equipped with a stretcher and an oxygen cylinder only. No resuscitation measures are available in the ambulances. With an increasing number of terrorist attacks in the country, massive influx of casualties in a relatively short time span has become a regular feature of the Pakistani hospital system. Lack of adequate training at pre-hospital and in hospital levels may translate into increasing morbidities and mortalities. It is imperative that training of junior doctors and paramedical staff be conducted regularly and an effective regional communication base established for efficient interdepartmental coordination.

Regression in polio eradication in Pakistan: A national tragedy.

Science.gov (United States)

Kanwal, Sumaira; Hussain, Abrar; Mannan, Shazia; Perveen, Shazia

2016-03-01

Polio is one out of 200 infections results to lasting paralysis, usually in the legs. The year 2014 has been the saddest year for the Pakistan when the World was about to eliminate Polio from all over the World. In year 1994 Pakistan took the initiative to eliminate Polio from the country. The efforts were going well until 2005, when Pakistan was on the wedge to overcome the Disease. The hopes were high that soon Pakistan will become a polio-virus-free country, but the drone strikes in FATA and the rise of different militant groups as a reaction of the drone attacks in FATA made it difficult for the health workers to continue their vaccination campaigns in these areas. However various factors ruined the efforts made to eradicate Polio. In Pakistan, polio is widespread to three sections. These are Karachi, Quetta block (Quetta, Pishin and Killah Abdullah district) and FATA and Peshawar district. Numerous things are accountable for polio flourishing in these regions. These comprise near to the ground socioeconomic rank of the families, not having the knowledge concerning hazard caused by polio and disinformation by limited significant people concerning how polio vaccines fabricate damage. In 2014, only 3 countries in the world remain polio-endemic: Nigeria, Pakistan and Afghanistan. From year 2012-2014 the number of registered Polio cases is on rise contrary to rest of the other two Polio-endemic countries. In spite of the extensive work done by Polio workers the number of Polio cases has broken the 16 year record. The situation is getting worse because it can also be threatening to the rest of the World.

Seasonal growth, development and morphology of two species of padina adanson: padina tetrastromatica and padina pavonica from the manora coast, Karachi, Pakistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Uddin, W.; Begum, M.; Siddiqui, M. F.

2015-01-01

The study was an attempt to investigate some biological aspects dealing with seasonal growth and developmental morphology of two dominant species of brown algae Padina Adanson (Pheaophycota, Dictyotales). Manora Island near Karachi was selected as the area for collection of plants known to have very rich algal flora and Padina is one of the prominent and dominant algae at Manora and found to grow on all types of habitats and on each tide level. It is a perennial alga and shows its presence throughout the year. In order to investigate the seasonal growth and developmental morphology, changes in the plant length, breath, presence of vegetative or reproductive plants, percentage maturity of thallus during the different seasons of a year was observed of the two most common species of genus Padina namely P. tetrastromatica Hauck and P. pavonica (L.) Thivy. The peak season for growth and reproduction is winter, whereas plants found in summer were in small size and mostly in the form of juvenile or early mature stage. There was a slight difference in thallus size and reproductive structures (tetrasporophytes or gametophytes) among the two species and between different areas of the shore, but the pattern of growth and reproduction is same. Environmental factors (Mean air temperature and sea water temperature) show significant negative correlation that influence on the growth and development of Padina species. (author)

What do young adults know about the HIV/AIDS epidemic? Findings from a population based study in Karachi, Pakistan.

Science.gov (United States)

Farid-ul-Hasnain, Syed; Johansson, Eva; Krantz, Gunilla

2009-03-26

HIVAIDS is spreading globally, hitting the younger generations. In Pakistan, the prevalence of HIV in high-risk subpopulations is five per cent or higher. This poses a serious threat of a generalised epidemic especially among the younger population. In the wake of HIVAIDS epidemic this is worrying as a well informed younger generation is crucial in restricting the spread of this epidemic. This study investigated Pakistani young adults' (male and female) knowledge and awareness of the HIV/AIDS disease. A population-based, cross-sectional study of 1,650 male and female adults aged 17-21 years living in Karachi was conducted using a structured questionnaire. A multi-stage cluster sampling design was used to collect data representative of the general population in an urban area. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were performed separately for males and females. Of 1,650 subjects, 24 per cent (n = 390) reported that they had not heard of HIV/AIDS. Among the males, those with a poor knowledge were younger (AOR = 2.20; 95 per cent CI, 1.38, 3.49), with less than six years of schooling (AOR = 2.46; 1.29 4.68) and no computer at home (AOR = 1.88; 1.06 3.34). Among the females, the risk factors for poor knowledge were young age (AOR = 1.74; 1.22, 2.50), low socio-economic status (AOR = 1.54; 1.06, 2.22), lack of enrolment at school/college (AOR = 1.61; 1.09, 2.39) and being unmarried (AOR = 1.85; 1.05, 3.26). Alarming gaps in knowledge relating to HIV/AIDS were detected. The study emphasises the need to educate young adults and equip them with the appropriate information and skills to enable them to protect themselves from HIV/AIDS. However, taboos surrounding public discussions of sexuality remain a key constraint to preventive activities.

Inpatient satisfaction at different public sector hospitals of a metropolitan city in Pakistan: a comparative cross-sectional study.

Science.gov (United States)

Hussain, Mehwish; Rehman, Rehana; Ikramuddin, Zia; Asad, Nava; Farooq, Ayesha

2018-04-01

To observe inpatient satisfaction at different public sector hospitals of Karachi, Pakistan. A cross sectional study was carried out during 2010-2012 in four major public sector hospitals of Karachi. A total of 710 patients completed the study. Responses were gathered in a self-structured questionnaire that comprised of four dimensions of satisfaction with doctor, staff, administration and treatment. Average Score of each dimension was taken and compared using one way analysis of variance. Satisfaction with doctors, staff and administration of provincial and federal hospitals were comparatively similar (P > 0.05). However, satisfaction with treatment significantly differed in all four hospitals (P public sector hospitals showed satisfaction with healthcare personnel and related administration. However, treatment dimension needs to be improved to get more satisfaction.

Post partum anxiety and depression in peri-urban communities of Karachi, Pakistan: a quasi-experimental study

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Azam Iqbal S

2009-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Postpartum anxiety and depression is a major public health concern because of its adverse effects on the cognitive and social development of the infant. Globally postpartum depression has been widely investigated but as anxiety is a more prominent feature of postpartum depression we assessed the prevalence of anxiety and depression and their associated factors in post partum women. Methods A quasi-experimental study investigating the impact of postpartum anxiety and depression on child growth and development was conducted in two peri-urban, multiethnic, communities of Karachi, a mega city of Pakistan. A house to house questionnaire based survey was done by trained field workers; 420 consenting pregnant women were identified and data for socio-demographic, home environment and family relationship variables was collected between 36 weeks of pregnancy and within 10 days of childbirth. Mother's levels of anxiety and depression were assessed after one month, two months, six months and twelve months of childbirth; this was two step process: initially an indigenous, validated screening instrument Aga Khan University Anxiety and Depression Scale was used and diagnostic confirmation was done through a psychologist's interview based on DSM IV criteria. Women found to be anxious and depressed at least once out of four assessments were considered for the computation of overall prevalence of postpartum anxiety and depression as well as its risk factors. However, point prevalence's of postpartum anxiety and depression were also reported at each assessment time. Two sixty seven women could be followed for one year. Data was analyzed using SPSS. Chi-square test, simple and multiple logistic regression were used to see the association of different factors. Results The overall prevalence of postpartum anxiety and depression was found to be 28.8 percent. Domestic violence, difficulty in breast feeding at birth and unplanned current pregnancy

Fish entrapment of the seawater intake of a power plant at Karachi coast

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moazzam, M.; Niaz Risvi, S.H.

1980-01-01

The study deals with the entrapment of fishes in the intake of Karachi Nuclear Power Plant. A total of 62 species of marine fishes belonging to 43 genera were observed entrapped in the seawater intake. Therapon puta, Liza waigiensis, Abudefduf septemfasciatus, and Lagoceptalus inermis were the most common. Mass mortalities of the juveniles of Sardinella sindensis were recorded in September and October of 1974, 1975, and 1977. Commercially important fishes such as sardines, mullets and anchovies, were entrapped in the intake of the power plant in considerable numbers at various times of the year. The majority of fishes removed from the screen washes of the power plants were killed by impingement. (Auth.)

Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences: A bibliometric assessment 2001-2010.

Science.gov (United States)

Baladi, Zameer Hussain; Umedani, Loung V

2017-01-01

The aim of this study was to measure the growth of scientific research, authors' productivity, affiliation with the institute and geographic locations published in the Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences during the period of 2001 - 2010. This numerical analysis was conducted during mid-August 2016 to mid-October, 2016. The data for the study was downloaded from websites of e-journal of Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences (PJMS) and Pak Medi-Net Com. A total number of 1199 articled were covered by PJMS in 10 volumes and 40 issues with contribution of 3798 (3%) authors during 2001 - 2010. The average number of papers per issue is 30%. A gender wise contribution of males was higher 3050 (80%) than the females 748 (20%). A majority of articles were multi-authored 1052 (87%) as opposed to single author contribution 147 (13%). All 1199 articles were covered under four major disciplines i.e Basic medical sciences, medicine & allied, surgery & allied and radiological sciences and 39 sub-specialties according to medical subject headings (MeSH). It observed that 467 (39%) articles were published in Pakistan and 732 (61%) articles produced by other 32 countries. The Karachi city of Pakistan has produced 199 (16%) articles as highest as its national level and followed by Tehran (Iran) 77 (6%) as followed internationally. This study reveals that the participation of 32 countries in the PJMS publications proves it to be an internationally circulated journal to support research with the constant approach of publishing articles to each volume in basic medical sciences, biomedical, clinical and public health sciences. Abbreviations: DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals IMEMR: Index Medicus Eastern Mediterranean Region HEC: Higher Education Commission (Pakistan) PJMS: Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences MeSH: Medical Subject Headings PMDC: Pakistan Medical & Dental Council SCIE: Science Citation Index Expanded.

Karyological studies in ten different populations of desert lily aloe vera from pakistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jahan, B.; Vahidy, A.A.

2014-01-01

To enhance theoretical basis of Aloe feeding and provide cytological basement, the karyotype and morphology of mitotic chromosomes, ten different populations of Aloe vera collected from various geographical locations of Karachi, Pakistan were studied by aceto-orcein staining technique. The results showed that chromosome number of Aloe vera is 2n=14. The karyotype is bimodal and consists of 14 chromosomes (8 large and 6 small) predominantly with submedian, median and subterminal centromere. Average chromosome lengths among populations ranged from 7.95-2.36 micro m. (author)

An overview of environmental pollution status and waste treatment technology used in Pakistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Javed, T.; Qureshi, R.M.; Ahmad, S.; Sajjad, M.I.; Mashiatullah, A.; Shah, Z.

1998-01-01

There is little pollution consciousness in Pakistan. Rapid growth in population and unplanned disposal of untreated industrial, agricultural and domestic wastes has caused severe pollution problems in air, soil, drinking water and coastal marine water environments. To date, no systematic approach is being used in the domestic and industrial sectors for continuous processing and decontamination of solid, liquid and gaseous wastes prior to disposal. The two large industrial and population centers namely, the cities of Karachi and Islamabad, use small scale wastewater treatment facilities consisting of trickling filters and activated sludge process, respectively. Presently, no accelerator is being used in Pakistan for decontamination of hospital, industrial or domestic wastes. However, the prospects of Radiation Technology for waste treatment are well realized and a 250 keV ion accelerator has been developed at the Pakistan Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology (PINSTECH) for research, development and training purposes. The main emphasis is now to locally design and fabricate user dedicated electron beam machines for radiation curing and decontamination of domestic, industrial and hospital wastes

The Effect of Clinical Clerkship on Students' Attitudes toward Psychiatry in Karachi, Pakistan

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Sajid, Ayesha; Khan, Murad M.; Shakir, Murtaza; Moazam-Zaman, Riffat; Ali, Asad

2009-01-01

Objective: Attitudes of medical students toward a specialty is strongly related to their future choice of specialty. In developing countries like Pakistan, where there is a shortage of psychiatrists, there is a need to assess the effect of exposure to psychiatry on medical students. Methods: The authors conducted a survey of fourth-year medical…

Development of Government Schools in Orangi Town, Karachi

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Sumaira Zafar

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The primary school system in Pakistan needs improvement in order to provide the basic right of education to all. Government schools are not enough to cater the needs of increasing population of the country. The main goal of this study was to present a methodology for the development of government schools based on geographical information system (GIS through a case study of Orangi Town in Karachi. In this study, first the adequacy of government schools in the study area was evaluated and then the need for additional schools with their suitable locations were identified.  Data regarding school locations and students enrollments were collected from Sindh Basic Education Program of a non-profit NGO iMMAP. School building footprints were digitized from 2001 and 2013 Google Earth archived images. Population in 2013 was estimated by projecting 1998 census data downloaded from the website of the Census Bureau of Pakistan. An educated assumption of 20 % of the total population of Orangi Town was used to calculate number of primary school-aged children. Study results showed that schools existed in 2013 were not sufficient to serve all these children. This study also revealed that new schools were built during this time period, but the population growth rate was much higher than the growth rate of schools that created a big supply-demand gap. The most progressive Union Council (UC of Orangi Town was Haryana Colony where 17 new schools were constructed between 2001 and 2013 though the required number of schools still fall short. New sites for schools were also proposed to optimally serve Orangi Town’s residents using GIS proximity analysis.

Determinants of HIV sero-conversion among male injection drug users enrolled in a needle exchange programme at Karachi, Pakistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Samo, R. N.; Altaf, A.

2013-01-01

Objective: To assess the determinants of HIV sero-conversion among male injection drug users enrolled in needle exchange programme at Karachi. Methods: An unmatched retrospective case control study was conducted among male injection drug users receiving needle exchange services in Karachi. The cases and controls were identified from one drop in center providing needle exchange services. The data for the study participants was collected retrospectively from the programme. Descriptive statistics, univariate analysis, and multivariate regression analysis for determinants of HIV sero-conversion and Hosmer and Lameshow goodness of fit test for model adequacy were performed. Results: Mean age of the study participants was 34.17 +- 10.74 years. Average monthly income of the participants was US$ 125.15+-76.32. In unconditional multivariate regression analysis being unmarried (AOR: 3.0 95% CI 1.14-7.9, p=0.02), not living with family (AOR: 2.8 95% CI 1.18-6.79 p=0.02), family history of addiction (AOR: 2.5, 95% CI 1.01-6.49, p=0.04), injecting drugs in groups (AOR: 2.8, 95% CI 1.12 7.02 p=0.02), not obtaining syringes from the programme (AOR: 26.45, 95% CI 2.47-282.8 p=0.007), and history of blood transfusion (AOR: 52.9, 95% CI 1.32-2118.41 p=0.03) were significantly associated with HIV positive sero-status. Model adequacy was assessed by Hosmer and Lameshow goodness of (J: 4.95, p=0.7) indicating that the model was accurate. Conclusion: Social and drug related risky behaviours are important determinants of HIV among male IDUs in Karachi. The situation calls for programmatic initiatives for addressing the risky behaviours among IDUs for effective control of epidemic in the country. (author)

Bibliometric analysis of the Journal of Pakistan Medical Association form 2009 to 2013.

Science.gov (United States)

Ibrahim, Muhammad

2015-09-01

To conduct a bibliometric analysis of the Original articles published in the Journal of Pakistan Medical Association. The study was conducted in Peshawar and comprised all Original articles published in the Journal of Pakistan Medical Association between 2009 and2013. The articles were downloaded from the Journal website and bibliometric parameters were analysed. A total number of 913 Original articles were found in regular issues of the Journal, while leaving out six special supplements that were published during the period under study. The number of Original articles increased steadily from 148(16.2%) in 2009 to 214(23.4%) in 2013, In yearly terms, Original articles published each year ranged between 148 and 214; 510(55.9%) had 21-30 citations; 3-author contributions ranked the highest with 206(22.6%); 481(52.7%) authors were geographically affiliated to Sindh, Pakistan; Community Medicine was the most popular medical specialty with was 140(15.3%) articles; 17340(90.5%) citations were from journals; and the most productive institution was Aga Khan University, Karachi. The number of papers published in Journal of Pakistan Medical Association per issue increased from 2009 to 2013 and the main region in terms of contribution was Sindh.

Gender roles and their influence on life prospects for women in urban Karachi, Pakistan: a qualitative study

OpenAIRE

Ali, Tazeen S.; Krantz, Gunilla; Gul, Raisa; Asad, Nargis; Johansson, Eva; Mogren, Ingrid

2011-01-01

Background: Pakistan is a patriarchal society where men are the primary authority figures and women are subordinate. This has serious implications on women’s and men’s life prospects. Objective: The aim was to explore current gender roles in urban Pakistan, how these are reproduced and maintained and influence men’s and women’s life circumstances. Design: Five focus group discussions were conducted, including 28 women representing employed, unemployed, educated and uneducated women from diffe...

Physicochemical parameters and seasonal variation of coastal water from Balochistan coast, Pakistan

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Naeema Elahi

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Objective: To determine common physico-chemical parameters of coastal water. Methods: Physicochemical properties of water were determined according to the standards of the American Public Health Association. Generally, all those parameters were recorded a small variation between stations. The variation in physico-chemical parameters like salinity, temperature, dissolved oxygen and pH at Gwadar (Coastal water of Balochistan were recorded. Results: The range of air temperature of coastal water of Balochistan during 2004 and 2006 varies from 25 ºC to 37 ºC, water temperature ranged from 15.00 ºC to 33.00 ºC, pH ranged from 7.08 to 8.95, salinity ranged from 37.4‰ to 41.3‰ and dissolved oxygen ranged from 5.32 to 8.67 mg/L. Conclusions: Results showed that these parameters of Balochistan coast of Pakistan is not dangerous for marine habitat and the use of these parameters in monitoring programs to assess ecosystem health has the potential to inform the general public and decision-makers about the state of the coastal ecosystems. To save this vital important habitat, the government agencies and scientists should work with proper attention.

Impact of human mobility on the emergence of dengue epidemics in Pakistan

Science.gov (United States)

Wesolowski, Amy; Qureshi, Taimur; Boni, Maciej F.; Sundsøy, Pål Roe; Johansson, Michael A.; Rasheed, Syed Basit; Engø-Monsen, Kenth; Buckee, Caroline O.

2015-01-01

The recent emergence of dengue viruses into new susceptible human populations throughout Asia and the Middle East, driven in part by human travel on both local and global scales, represents a significant global health risk, particularly in areas with changing climatic suitability for the mosquito vector. In Pakistan, dengue has been endemic for decades in the southern port city of Karachi, but large epidemics in the northeast have emerged only since 2011. Pakistan is therefore representative of many countries on the verge of countrywide endemic dengue transmission, where prevention, surveillance, and preparedness are key priorities in previously dengue-free regions. We analyze spatially explicit dengue case data from a large outbreak in Pakistan in 2013 and compare the dynamics of the epidemic to an epidemiological model of dengue virus transmission based on climate and mobility data from ∼40 million mobile phone subscribers. We find that mobile phone-based mobility estimates predict the geographic spread and timing of epidemics in both recently epidemic and emerging locations. We combine transmission suitability maps with estimates of seasonal dengue virus importation to generate fine-scale dynamic risk maps with direct application to dengue containment and epidemic preparedness. PMID:26351662

Air quality monitoring in Pakistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ghauri, B.; Lodhi, A.

2005-01-01

Clean air is an important prerequisite for sustainable economic development and is a basic requirement for human health and welfare. The baseline information helps the policy maker in decision making and future planning such as industrial and economic development, establishment and implementation of environmental guidelines etc. Pakistan is a developing country and is confronted with a number of severe environmental problems, such as degradation of natural resources, industrial and vehicle related pollution, degradation of human health etc. SUPARCO has conducted a year long (2003-2004) baseline air quality study in the major urban areas of the country including Karachi, Lahore, Quetta, Rawalpindi, Islamabad and Peshawar in collaboration with ENERCON/ UNDP. The objectives of this study were to establish baseline levels and behavior of ambient airborne pollutants in urban centers with temporal and spatial parameters. Our study reveals that the maximum concentrations of CO were observed at Quetta (38 ppm) while other pollutants like SO/sub 2/, (52.5 ppb), NO/sub x/ (60.75 ppb), and 03 (44.8) were higher at Lahore compared to other urban areas of the country like Karachi, Peshawar etc. Maximum levels of all these pollutants were found in summer months. Comparatively lower concentrations of these pollutants were observed in Islamabad/Rawalpindi including CO (13.6 ppm), NO/sub x/ (41 ppb), SO/sub 2/ (32 ppb) and 03 (24.7 ppb). The maximum Particulate (TSP) and PM 10 levels were observed at Lahore (990,372 micro g/m3), Karachi (410, 306 micro g/m3), and in Quetta (778, 290 micro g/m3) etc. Airborne trace/ toxic metals including Pb, along with noise level were also determined. The existing levels of these pollutants were correlated with meteorological data (temperature, humidity, wind speed, wind direction) to assess the pollutant dispersion, as well as source apportionment. A data bank of the study will be prepared for air pollution impact studies. (author)

What do young adults know about the HIV/AIDS epidemic? Findings from a population based study in Karachi, Pakistan

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Johansson Eva

2009-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background HIVAIDS is spreading globally, hitting the younger generations. In Pakistan, the prevalence of HIV in high-risk subpopulations is five per cent or higher. This poses a serious threat of a generalised epidemic especially among the younger population. In the wake of HIVAIDS epidemic this is worrying as a well informed younger generation is crucial in restricting the spread of this epidemic. This study investigated Pakistani young adults' (male and female knowledge and awareness of the HIV/AIDS disease. Methods A population-based, cross-sectional study of 1,650 male and female adults aged 17–21 years living in Karachi was conducted using a structured questionnaire. A multi-stage cluster sampling design was used to collect data representative of the general population in an urban area. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were performed separately for males and females. Results Of 1,650 subjects, 24 per cent (n = 390 reported that they had not heard of HIV/AIDS. Among the males, those with a poor knowledge were younger (AOR = 2.20; 95 per cent CI, 1.38, 3.49, with less than six years of schooling (AOR = 2.46; 1.29 4.68 and no computer at home (AOR = 1.88; 1.06 3.34. Among the females, the risk factors for poor knowledge were young age (AOR = 1.74; 1.22, 2.50, low socio-economic status (AOR = 1.54; 1.06, 2.22, lack of enrolment at school/college (AOR = 1.61; 1.09, 2.39 and being unmarried (AOR = 1.85; 1.05, 3.26. Conclusion Alarming gaps in knowledge relating to HIV/AIDS were detected. The study emphasises the need to educate young adults and equip them with the appropriate information and skills to enable them to protect themselves from HIV/AIDS. However, taboos surrounding public discussions of sexuality remain a key constraint to preventive activities.

Polyester projects for India, Pakistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Siddiqi, R.

1993-01-01

India's Indo Rama Synthetics (Bombay) is planning a $186-million integrated polyester fiber and filament complex at Nagpur, Maharashtra. The complex will have annual capacities for 38,000 m.t. of polyester chips by polycondensation, 25,000 m.t. of polyester staple fiber, and 12,000 m.t. of polyester blended yarn. The company is negotiating with the main world suppliers of polycondensation technology. The first stage of the project is slated to begin production by the end of this year and be fully completed by 1994. In Pakistan, National Fibers Ltd. (PNF; Karachi) has signed a deal with Zimmer (Frankfurt) for technology, procurement, construction, and support work to expand polyester staple fiber capacity from 14,000 m.t./year to 52,000 m.t./year. The technology involves a continuous polymerization process. The project also calls for improvements to PNF's existing batch plant. It is scheduled for completion by the end of 1994. Total cost of the project is estimated at Rs1.745 billion ($70 million), out of which the foreign exchange component is Rs1.05 billion. The Islamic Development Bank (Jeddah; Saudi Arabia) has already approved a $27-million slice of the financing, while the balance of the foreign exchange loan is being arranged through suppliers credit. Local currency loans will be provided by other financial institutions in Pakistan

Perceptions of Teachers towards Assessment Techniques at Secondary Level Private School of Karachi

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Henna Fatemah

2015-12-01

Full Text Available This paper sets out to explore the perceptions of teachers towards assessment techniques at a secondary level private school of Karachi. This was conjectured on the basis of the circumstances of parallel boards in the education system of Pakistan and its effectiveness within the context with respect to the curriculum. This was gauged in line with the forms and techniques of assessment corresponding with the curriculum. A qualitative research design based on interviews was chosen for this study. Purposive sampling was used to select the teachers from a school. The findings of the study revealed that the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE is best suited to assess students’ knowledge and skills and the teachers viewed that in order for students to be accomplished in this board, the ways of assessment must take a more meaningful measure of evaluating student’s progress

Effects of Mothers' Employment on Toddlers' Cognitive Development: A Study Conducted in Karachi, Pakistan

Science.gov (United States)

Meherali, Salima Moez; Karmaliani, Rozina; Asad, Nargis

2011-01-01

Over the past several decades in Pakistan, an increasing number of women with young children are joining the workforce, which is one of the biggest social changes in the later half of the twentieth century. More children are being raised in households where mothers work for pay as compared with the scenario a generation ago. This change has…

Phytoplanktons and zooplanktons diversity in karachi coastal seawater under high and low tide during winter monsoon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yaqoob, N.; Mashiatullah, A.; Sher, N.; Javed, T.; Ghaffar, A.

2013-01-01

This paper represents the population density of phytoplanktons and zooplanktons recorded during the marine environmental studies at Karachi coast in the month of February 2011. Samples were collected by towing net, preserved and quantification and identification was carried out under light microscope. Twenty-three phytoplanktons species and nine zooplankton groups were recorded in the seawater from the sampling area of 10 square kilometers. Coscinodiscus and Copepods were dominant in the population of phytoplankton and zooplankton, respectively. Phytoplankton population density increased while zooplankton abundance decreased offshore from the coastline in the open sea. (author)

Molecular and epidemiological characterisation of clinical isolates of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii from public and private sector intensive care units in Karachi, Pakistan.

Science.gov (United States)

Irfan, S; Turton, J F; Mehraj, J; Siddiqui, S Z; Haider, S; Zafar, A; Memon, B; Afzal, O; Hasan, R

2011-06-01

The purpose of this study was to identify molecular and epidemiological characteristics of hospital-acquired carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) from two different intensive care unit (ICU) settings in Karachi, Pakistan. A cross-sectional study was performed in the adult ICUs of a private sector tertiary care hospital (PS-ICU) and of a government sector hospital (GS-ICU) between November 2007 and August 2008. Deduplicated CRAB isolates from clinical specimens were examined for carbapenemase and class 1 integrase genes. Isolates were typed using sequence-based multiplex polymerase chain reaction, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and variable number tandem repeat (VNTR). A total of 50 patients (33 from PS-ICU and 17 from GS-ICU) were recruited. There were statistically significant differences between patients in the two ICUs in terms of mean age, comorbidities, the presence of central venous pressure lines, urinary catheters, and average length of stay. bla(OxA-23-like) acquired-oxacillinase genes were found in 47/50 isolates. Class 1 integrase genes were found in 50% (25/50) of the organisms. The majority of isolates belonged to strains of European clones I and II. PFGE typing grouped the isolates into eight distinct clusters, three of which were found in both hospitals. Most of the isolates within each PFGE cluster shared identical or highly similar VNTR profiles, suggesting close epidemiological association. Irrespective of differences in risk factors and infection control policies and practices, the extent of clonality among CRAB isolates was very similar in both ICU settings. Copyright © 2011 The Healthcare Infection Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Male hypogonadism at a tertiary care hospital in Karachi, Pakistan.

Science.gov (United States)

Ram, Nanik; Asghar, Ali; Hashmi, Fauzan; Islam, Najmul

2012-01-01

Male hypogonadism is defined as 'inadequate gonadal function, manifested by deficiency in gametogenesis and/or secretion of gonadal hormones'. Signs and symptoms of hypogonadism depend primarily on the age of onset. It can be classified according to the site primarily involved: the gonads, the hypothalamus, or the pituitary gland. The objective this study was to determine the presentation and aetiology of male hypogonadism seen in a tertiary care hospital. This cross-sectional study was conducted at Endocrine Clinics, Aga Khan University Hospital Karachi. Data of male patients with hypogonadism who attended clinics during January 2009 to August 2011 were reviewed. All male patients with clinical and biochemical evidence of hypogonadism were included in the study. Patients with Diabetes Mellitus, Metabolic Syndrome, Andropause, AIDS, Chronic Renal Failure, and Cirrhosis were excluded. Mean +/- SD were computed for quantitative variables. Frequency and percentages were computed for qualitative variables. Aetiology of male hypogonadism was categorised as primary and secondary hypogonadism. A total of 85 patients with male hypogonadism attended the endocrine clinic. Mean age of patients was 25 +/- 10 years. Clinical presentations were small genitalia (65%), absent secondary sexual characteristics (53%), not attained puberty (47%), infertility (53%), erectile dysfunction (41%) and loss of libido (29%). Seventy-three (86%) patients had hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism (secondary hypogonadism) and 12 (14%) patients had hypergonadotrophic hypogonadism (primary hypogonadism). Among the patients with hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism 38 had idiopathic hypogonadotrophic hypogonadsim, 7 had pituitary adenoma, 6 had empty sella syndrome, 3 had Kallman's syndrome, and 1 patient had haemosiderosis due to thalassaemia major; 18 patients did not undergo brain imaging. Small genitalia, absent secondary sexual characteristics and infertility were the main presenting features of hypogonad

Empirical models for the estimation of global solar radiation with sunshine hours on horizontal surface in various cities of Pakistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gadiwala, M.S.; Usman, A.; Akhtar, M.; Jamil, K.

2013-01-01

In developing countries like Pakistan the global solar radiation and its components is not available for all locations due to which there is a requirement of using different models for the estimation of global solar radiation that use climatological parameters of the locations. Only five long-period locations data of solar radiation data is available in Pakistan (Karachi, Quetta, Lahore, Multan and Peshawar). These locations almost encompass the different geographical features of Pakistan. For this reason in this study the Mean monthly global solar radiation has been estimated using empirical models of Angstrom, FAO, Glover Mc-Culloch, Sangeeta & Tiwari for the diversity of approach and use of climatic and geographical parameters. Empirical constants for these models have been estimated and the results obtained by these models have been tested statistically. The results show encouraging agreement between estimated and measured values. The outcome of these empirical models will assist the researchers working on solar energy estimation of the location having similar conditions

Economical solution for the industrial waste problem of Karachi industrial area

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mubin, S.

2005-01-01

The increased rate of industrialization coupled with rapid urbanization in Pakistan has given rise to serious water pollution and environmental problems. A vast range of industries has been established in the country during the last twenty five years, including tanneries, fertilizers, textiles, refineries, chemicals, vegetable oils, paper am pulp, sugar and food. Little attention was paid towards a large scale release of wastewater from these industries. Presently wastewater produced from these industries has been considered a serious problem and research in being conducted to solve its associated problems. Recently, it has been realized that there is a significant threat of water borne diseases, degradation of fresh water quality, environmental depletion and soil deterioration from the effluent and toxic emission of industries. Being a developing country and having limited resources, it is hard to install treatment plants on the industrial effluent with every industry before discharging them into streams which are also creating disturbance in natural ecosystem. An effort has been made to solve wastewater problem by implementing statistical tools on data of Karachi industrial state, obtained from EPA JICA and PCRWR, Islamabad. (author)

Perturbations of modeling and forecast of karachi coastal region seawater

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hussain, M.A.; Abbas, S.; Ansari, M.R.K.; Zaffar, A.

2013-01-01

Global warming is now a stark reality affecting the humanity in many hazardous ways. Continuous floods in Pakistan in past two years are an eye opener in this regard. A great loss of property, agriculture and life as a result of these floods suggests for an intelligent monitoring of the future projections of climate change and global warming. This is necessary because the harmful impacts of natural hazards can be coped and alleviated with a good planning in advance. This monitoring demands for enhanced forecasting capabilities, use of better analytical techniques and a clear determination and study of the controlling factors. Karachi is a coastal city which is also the industrial hub of Pakistan. Moreover, it is among one of the largest metropolitans of the world. So expectedly is most suitable for the study of high level of complex natural and anthropogenic activities. It is peculiar in the sense that it has two summer seasons, a situation scarcely observable on the globe. Here, summer season seawater temperature fluctuations are studied with the help of Seasonal Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (SARIMA) models and short- and long-term forecasts are made. Our short-term forecasts determine months for the summer wise temperature extremes. It appears that the months of May, June, July and August are the months of extreme temperature for the first summer and October is the month of extreme temperature for the second summer. The long-term forecasts predict that 2014, 2016, 2018, and 2019 will be the years of warm summers. The analysis appearing here would be useful for coastal-urban planners in emphasizing the impact of seawater extreme temperatures on urban industrial activities, etc. (author)

Knowledge, attitude and practices of mothers regarding immunization of one year old child at Mawatch Goth, Kemari Town, Karachi

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nisar, N.; Mirza, M.; Qadri, M.H.

2010-01-01

To assess the knowledge, attitude and practices of mothers regarding immunization of one year old child at Mawatch Goth, Kemari town, Karachi, Pakistan. A cross sectional study was conducted among mothers having one year old child at Mawatch Goth, Kemari town, Karachi in February 2007. All mothers having less than one year old child were interviewed through a semi structured questionnaire regarding immunization knowledge attitude and practices. The data collected through a questionnaire entered and analyzed by using SPSS program version 15. Majority of the mothers were illiterate, belonging to low-income group and not aware about the name of diseases in EPI Program. Majority (70%) of women started routine immunization of the child. The reasons for missing vaccination schedule were lack of understanding of next appointment, non availability of health staff, mild flu and others reasons like household work. About thirty one percent mothers quit immunization after missing one dose. Health care staff was the main source of information. A positive attitude was reflected from both the parents towards immunization. A significant number stated that vaccination is contraindicated in mild illness of child. The knowledge of our mothers about vaccination was found inadequate with strong positive attitude and limited practices. (author)

HIV-1 subtype A infection in a community of intravenous drug users in Pakistan

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Khan Muhammad N

2006-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Data on the subtypes of HIV in a population help in predicting the potential foci of epidemic, tracking the routes of infection and following the patterns of the virus' genetic divergence. Globally, the most prevalent HIV infection is the HIV-1 subtype C. In Asia, predominant subtypes of HIV-1 are B, C, and CRF-01AE. During the last few years, HIV prevalence in Pakistan has taken the form of a concentrated epidemic in at least two high risk groups, namely, Intravenous Drug Users (IDUs and Male Sex Workers (MSWs. Factors that have facilitated the proliferation of HIV infection include transmission through a large number of repatriates and needle-sharing intravenous drug users, unscreened blood transfusions, and sexual illiteracy. The HIV subtypes infecting Pakistani populations have not been explored to date. In this study, we analyzed HIV-1 subtypes from in a high-risk community of IDUs in Karachi, the largest city of Pakistan. Methods Samples were collected from 34 IDUs after their informed consent. In addition, the study subjects were administered a questionnaire regarding their sexual behavior and travel history. For HIV analysis, DNA was extracted from the samples and analyzed for HIV types and subtypes using subtype-specific primers in a nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR. The results from this PCR were further confirmed using the Heteroduplex Mobility Assay (HMA. Results We found HIV-1 subtype A in all the 34 samples analyzed. A few of the study subjects were found to have a history of travel and stay in the United Arab Emirates. The same subjects also admitted to having contact with commercial sex workers during their stay abroad. Conclusion Our study therefore shows clade A HIV-1 to be prevalent among the IDUs in Karachi. As the prevalence of HIV in Pakistan continues to rise, more work needs to be done to track the infection, and to analyze the strains of HIV spreading through the country.

Length-weight relationship of eleven species of marine catfishes from the northern Arabian Sea coast of Pakistan

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Farooq, Noureen; Qamar, Nazia; Rashid, Shahnaz; Panhwar, Sher Khan

2017-09-01

This study records length-weight relationships (LWRs) for eleven commercially important marine catfish species of the family Ariidae (sea catfishes) and Plotosidae (eel catfishes) from the northern Arabian Sea coast of Pakistan. The specimens were sampled from December 2014 to November 2015, using bottom trawls with various mesh sizes by commercial vessels. The species were Nemapteryx caelatus, Sciades sona, Arius gagora, Batrachocephalus mino, Netuma thalassina, N. bilineata, Osteogeneiosus militaris, Plicofollis dussumieri, P. tenuispinis, Plotosus limbatus, and P. lineatus. Of the eleven species, two species A. gagora and N. bilineata were recorded for the first time and LWRs for four species A. gagora, N. bilineata, S. sona, and B. mino still have no data in the FishBase database. In addition, new maximum length for each of the three species N. bilineata, O. militaris and B. mino was also found.

Nuclear minerals in Pakistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mansoor, M.

2005-01-01

Strategic importance of Nuclear Minerals was recognized during early formative years of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission, and prospecting for uranium was started in Dera Ghazi Khan in collaboration with the Geological Survey of Pakistan (GSP) as early as 1961. Later, the responsibility for countrywide surveys and exploration was fully entrusted with PAEC and in this respect a Directorate of Nuclear Minerals(DNM) was established in 1966 at Lahore. Later, DNM was shifted to the Atomic Energy Centre (AEC), Lahore building and renamed as Atomic Energy Minerals Centre. It has state-of-the-art Chemistry, Mineralogy, Remote Sensing and Electronics Laboratories and an Ore Processing Pilot Plant. The Centre has Prospecting, Exploration, Geophysics, Geochemistry, Geo-tectonics, Mining and Drilling Sections. Regional Offices have been established to facilitate work at Karachi, Quetta and Peshawar. Siwaliks were recognized as a favorable geological formation of prime importance. Sandstone-shale sequence of Siwaliks Formation is exposed in all provinces of Pakistan and in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), broadly categorized into Rajanpur-Dera Ghazi Khan, Bannu Basin-Kohat Plateau and Potwar-AJK zones. Baghalchur, Nangar Nai and Taunsa uranium deposits have been discovered in the Rajanpur- D.G. Khan Zone. Qabul Khel and Shanawah Uranium deposits have been discovered in the Shanawah-Kohat Plateau Zone. Prospection and exploration is in progress. The first uranium mine was opened at Baghalchur, and uranium mill was established at D.G Khan in 1977-78 all by indigenous effort. The uranium mine was the most advanced and mechanized mine of that time in the country. Later, a second uranium mine was opened at Qabul Khel in 1992, which was based on a new and advanced in situ leach technology, developed to suit local geological and ore zone parameters. Mining of Nanganai and Taunsa Deposits was started respectively in 1996 and 2002, and is also based on in situ leach technology which is

Stressors affecting nursing students in Pakistan.

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Watson, R; Rehman, S; Ali, P A

2017-12-01

To determine factors contributing to stress experienced by preregistration nursing students in Pakistan, using the Stressors in Nursing Students scale. The aim was to explore the psychometric properties of this instrument and to investigate the effect of a range of demographic variables on the perception of stressors in nursing students. Nursing is a stressful profession, and nursing students may experience more stress due to competing demands and challenges of nursing education, assessment, placements and worries about employment prospects. In this cross-sectional survey, data from 726 nursing students from 11 schools of nursing in Karachi, Pakistan, were collected using a questionnaire. Data were analysed using descriptive as well inferential statistics. An exploratory factor analysis was also conducted. There was no apparent factor structure to the Stressors in Nursing Students scale, unlike in previous studies. The total score on the Stressors in Nursing Students scale was related to gender with males scoring higher. The score generally increased over 4 years of the programme, and students in private schools of nursing scored higher than those in public schools of nursing. Nursing students in Pakistan do not appear to differentiate between different stressors, and this may be due to cultural differences in the students and to the structure of the programme and the articulation between the academic and clinical aspects. Likewise, cultural reasons may account for differences between stress experienced by male and female students. The fact that scores on the Stressors in Nursing Students scale increased over 4 years of the programme and males scored higher than females should alert nursing schools and policymakers related to nursing education and workforce to pay attention to prevent attrition from nursing programmes. © 2017 International Council of Nurses.

Eradication and Current Status of Poliomyelitis in Pakistan: Ground Realities.

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Ghafoor, Shazia; Sheikh, Nadeem

2016-01-01

Pakistan is among the last three countries along with Afghanistan and Nigeria, where polio virus is still endemic. More or less, with some fluctuations, numbers of reported cases in the past few years have shown a rising trend. Year 2014 pushed the country into the deep sea of difficulties, as number of cases rose to red alert level of 328. Security situation has adversely affected the whole immunization coverage campaign. In a country where 40 polio vaccinators have been killed since 2012, such a big number of cases is not a surprising outcome. Worse perception of parents about polio vaccine as in Karachi and FATA, the high risk zones, makes 100% coverage a dream. Minor and perhaps delayed payments to polio workers make them frustrated, resulting in decline of trained manpower for vaccination. Strong implementation of policies is required and those found guilty of attack on polio workers need to be punished. Targeted community awareness programme, strong surveillance network, and involvement of influential religious entities can help to root out polio disease from country. Present review is aimed at analyzing all barriers on the road to success in eradication of polio from Pakistan.

Eradication and Current Status of Poliomyelitis in Pakistan: Ground Realities

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Shazia Ghafoor

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Pakistan is among the last three countries along with Afghanistan and Nigeria, where polio virus is still endemic. More or less, with some fluctuations, numbers of reported cases in the past few years have shown a rising trend. Year 2014 pushed the country into the deep sea of difficulties, as number of cases rose to red alert level of 328. Security situation has adversely affected the whole immunization coverage campaign. In a country where 40 polio vaccinators have been killed since 2012, such a big number of cases is not a surprising outcome. Worse perception of parents about polio vaccine as in Karachi and FATA, the high risk zones, makes 100% coverage a dream. Minor and perhaps delayed payments to polio workers make them frustrated, resulting in decline of trained manpower for vaccination. Strong implementation of policies is required and those found guilty of attack on polio workers need to be punished. Targeted community awareness programme, strong surveillance network, and involvement of influential religious entities can help to root out polio disease from country. Present review is aimed at analyzing all barriers on the road to success in eradication of polio from Pakistan.

Kamila Shamsie’s novel Kartoghraphy: a discourse of Karachi (Pakistani) diaspora

OpenAIRE

ZAHOOR ASMA

2015-01-01

This paper explores Kamila Shamsie’s novel Kartoghraphy as diaspora writing by using Fairclough model of Critical Discourse Analysis. Shamsie traces the turbulent history of Karachi back to the arrival of Alexander-the Great and finds a continuation of turbulence till the end of the novel in 1994. Yet in her protagonist’s voice she conveys the message that Karachi is the only city where she feels safe.Despite all her transnational movement, Karachi is the ‘home’ round which the whole discours...

Vaccine effectiveness and risk factors associated with measles among children presenting to the hospitals of karachi, pakistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aysha, Z.

2014-01-01

To determine the risk factors regarding guardian's practices associated with development of Measles and also find out effectiveness of Measles vaccine among children less than 12 years of age presenting to the hospitals of Karachi. Study Design: Matched case control study. Place and Duration of Study: Multicenter surveillance was conducted in 11 public and private sector hospitals of Karachi from January 2011 to September 2012 in consultation with World Health Organization Measles Surveillance Cell. Methodology: Cases were children aged less than 12 years with Measles presenting to the hospitals. Controls for cases were enrolled from the same hospitals without Measles, matched for age and gender. Studied variables were analyzed by multivariate conditional logistic regression analysis adjusted for age and gender. Results: Measles cases were more likely to have mothers with lower education (adjusted matched Odds Ratio or mOR: 3.2 (95% CI: 1.2 - 7.6), for < 5 years of schooling adjusted mOR: 2.2 (95% CI: 1.0 - 5.7) for 6 - 10 years of schooling). Children with Measles were also more likely to be not given breast milk in initial 2 years of life (adjusted mOR: 2.6, 95% CI 1.0 - 7.0). Cases were also more likely to have never received vaccination (adjusted mOR: 10.1, 95% CI 4.5 - 22.5) and having no other children vaccinated at home (adjusted mOR: 3, 95% CI 1.5 - 5.3). Vaccine effectiveness for single dose was found to be 87.4 (95% CI: 76.1 - 93.4), while for two doses it was approximately 93% (95% CI: 86.2 - 96.6). Conclusion: For Measles elimination, mother's education on breast feeding and appropriate weaning practices is required. (author)

A FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE COMPARISON OF GROUP AND NON-GROUP FIRMS IN TEXTILE SECTOR OF PAKISTAN

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Ishtiaq AHMAD

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Pakistan is a developing economy and business groups are key players of the Pakistan’s economy. Previous research evidence shows that in the emerging economies group affiliation creates value for the firms. This study is intended to empirically investigate to know that whether group affiliated (GA firms perform financially better than non-group affiliated firms or not? GA firms in emerging economies can have better financial performance by sharing tangible and intangible resources at group level. The financial ratio is used to compare performance of affiliated and non-group affiliated firms by using the data of 70 textile firms listed at Karachi Stock Exchange(now Pakistan Stock Exchange covering a period from 2008 to 2012. Based on mean values of return on assets (ROA, results of the study show that GA firms have higher financial performance than non-group affiliated firms in each year and over all five years.

Lessons and implications from a mass immunization campaign in squatter settlements of Karachi, Pakistan: an experience from a cluster-randomized double-blinded vaccine trial [NCT00125047

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Abu-Elyazeed Remon

2006-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Objective To determine the safety and logistic feasibility of a mass immunization strategy outside the local immunization program in the pediatric population of urban squatter settlements in Karachi, Pakistan. Methods A cluster-randomized double blind preventive trial was launched in August 2003 in 60 geographic clusters covering 21,059 children ages 2 to 16 years. After consent was obtained from parents or guardians, eligible children were immunized parenterally at vaccination posts in each cluster with Vi polysaccharide or hepatitis A vaccine. Safety, logistics, and standards were monitored and documented. Results The vaccine coverage of the population was 74% and was higher in those under age 10 years. No life-threatening serious adverse events were reported. Adverse events occurred in less than 1% of all vaccine recipients and the main reactions reported were fever and local pain. The proportion of adverse events in Vi polysaccharide and hepatitis A recipients will not be known until the end of the trial when the code is broken. Throughout the vaccination campaign safe injection practices were maintained and the cold chain was not interrupted. Mass vaccination in slums had good acceptance. Because populations in such areas are highly mobile, settlement conditions could affect coverage. Systemic reactions were uncommon and local reactions were mild and transient. Close community involvement was pivotal for information dissemination and immunization coverage. Conclusion This vaccine strategy described together with other information that will soon be available in the area (cost/effectiveness, vaccine delivery costs, etc will make typhoid fever control become a reality in the near future.

The Understanding of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD Among Medical Practitioners of Karachi, Pakistan

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Sadia Shakeel

2017-06-01

Full Text Available The World Health Organization (WHO has acknowledged the large West African Ebola virus disease (EVD outbreak to be a community health disaster of global concern, and the spread of disease demands a synchronized response. Medical practitioners have an increased risk of contracting the disease as compared to others as they are directly exposed to patients’ blood or fluids. This study evaluated the knowledge of medical practitioners in Karachi regarding EVD. It was descriptive and exploratory in nature and took place over a period of 4 months, i.e., August 2016 to November 2016. The respondents were randomly selected by convenience sampling and surveyed with a 20-item questionnaire. Overall, 403 questionnaires were included in the study and a response rate of 80.6% was achieved. The majority (56.3% considered themselves to be somewhat knowledgeable; females had more knowledge as compared to male (p < 0.003. More than 80% knew about the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa. Interestingly, the findings revealed that respondents’ knowledge about diagnosis and identification of EVD is good. Respondents considered EVD a severe disease and emphasized on the need for protective measures when contacting affected patients. Interventions should be tailored to focus on areas where respondents showed a lack of knowledge about the disease.

Spatial and Seasonal Studies of Sedimentological and Neoichnological Characteristics from Mangrove areas of Karachi, Pakistan

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Noor Us Saher

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study is to appraise the physicochemical properties of mangrove sediments and their influence on neoichnological properties produced by different crab species from Korangi Creek (S1 and Sandspit backwater areas (S2 and S3, Karachi. The significant spatial, seasonal and tidal differences (p <0.05 were examined in %moisture, %porosity and sorting coefficient Φ.The significant spatial and seasonal variations were observed in total organic matter, mean Φ, skewness Φ and kurtosis Φ of sediment. Neoichnological properties (burrow number, diameter and total burrow opening area were observed with significant differences among the macrohabitat (stations and microhabitat (tidal levels. The correlation analysis indicated that the neoichnological properties are strongly linked with sedimentological properties such as water contents, total organic matter and textural parameters. This study could be employed to distinguish between different paleoenvironmental controlling factors, predicated on similar paleoichnological features made by similar fossil organisms in a mangrove environment.

Predictors and outcome of tetanus in newborns in slum areas of Karachi City: a case control study.

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Sohaila, Arjumand; Shafiq, Yasir; Azim, Shazia; Baloch, Benazir; Akhtar, Ali Syed Muhammad; Tikmani, Shiyam Sunder; Brown, Nick

2015-08-07

Tetanus in newborns, is an under-reported public health problem and a major cause of mortality in developing countries. This study aimed to determine the predictors and outcome of tetanus in newborn infants in the slums of Bin-Qasim town, Karachi, Pakistan. We conducted a case-control study at primary health care centers of slums of Bin-Qasim town, area located adjacent to Bin Qasim seaport in Karachi, from January 2003 to December 2013. Cases were infants aged ≤30 days with tetanus, as defined by the World Health Organization. Controls were newborn infants aged ≤30 days without Tetanus, who were referred for a checkup or minor illnesses. The case to control ratio was 1:2. We analyzed 26 cases and 52 controls. The case fatality was 70.8%. We identified four independent predictors of Tetanus in newborns: maternal education (only religious education with no formal education OR 51.95; 95% CI 3.69-731), maternal non-vaccination (OR 24.55; 95% CI 1.01-131.77), lack of a skilled birth attendant (OR 44.00; 95% CI 2.30-840.99), and delivery at home (OR 11.54; 95% CI 1.01-131.77). We identified several potentially modifiable socio-demographic risk factors for Tetanus in newborns, including maternal education and immunization status, birth site, and lack of a skilled birth attendant. Prioritization of these risk factors could be useful for planning preventive and cost-effective measures.

THE PERCEPTION OF PHYSIOTHERAPISTS OF KARACHI IN THEIR ROLE TO REHABILITATE AND MANAGE OBESITY

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Muhammad Sarfraz

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Background: Physiotherapists as providers of primary health care are well placed in promoting physical activity and lifestyles changes, but the role and practice of physiotherapist towards its promotion among obese individuals has not been fully investigated. The objective of this study is to examine perceptions of Karachi physiotherapists regarding their role in management of obesity, the learning needs for, and hurdles facing by them in the rehabilitation. Methods: It was cross-sectional survey that has been conducted among 100 Physiotherapists from three tertiary care hospitals & universities of Karachi from April to June 2013. There has been used Self-administered questionnaire and sampling was Convenient Purposive sampling in qualitative research. Descriptive statistics were calculated for all variables using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS version 17. Questionnaire was intended to determine physiotherapist’s perceptions of their role and consisted of questions about respondent’s demographics profile, practice and domains related to management of obesity and associated conditions. Result: In this study 93% of participants agreed that physiotherapists has role in the management of patients with obesity by developing exercise interventions.95% plays role in functional mobility and 94%in cardio respiratory training programme. In this study participants were found less aware about weight loss management. Barrier found in patient treatment is due to lack of patient motivation. Conclusion: This study revealed physiotherapist played important role in patient rehabilitation management with obesity, especially in a area of mobility and exercise prescription for conditions associated with obesity. In future there is need to take into account the different perspectives of physical therapy and with a larger sample size representing all four states of Pakistan.

Serum ferritin levels, socio-demographic factors and desferrioxamine therapy in multi-transfused thalassemia major patients at a government tertiary care hospital of Karachi, Pakistan

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Rehman Anis

2011-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Beta thalassemia is the most frequent genetic disorder of haemoglobin synthesis in Pakistan. Recurrent transfusions lead to iron-overload manifested by increased serum Ferritin levels, for which chelation therapy is required. Findings The study was conducted in the Pediatric Emergency unit of Civil Hospital Karachi after ethical approval by the Institutional Review Board of Dow University of Health Sciences. Seventy nine cases of beta thalassemia major were included after a written consent. The care takers were interviewed for the socio-demographic variables and the use of Desferrioxamine therapy, after which a blood sample was drawn to assess the serum Ferritin level. SPSS 15.0 was employed for data entry and analysis. Of the seventy-nine patients included in the study, 46 (58.2% were males while 33 (41.8% were females. The mean age was 10.8 (± 4.5 years with the dominant age group (46.2% being 10 to 14 years. In 62 (78.8% cases, the care taker education was below the tenth grade. The mean serum Ferritin level in our study were 4236.5 ng/ml and showed a directly proportional relationship with age. Desferrioxamine was used by patients in 46 (58.2% cases with monthly house hold income significant factor to the use of therapy. Conclusions The mean serum Ferritin levels are approximately ten times higher than the normal recommended levels for normal individuals, with two-fifths of the patients not receiving iron chelation therapy at all. Use of iron chelation therapy and titrating the dose according to the need can significantly lower the iron load reducing the risk of iron-overload related complications leading to a better quality of life and improving survival in Pakistani beta thalassemia major patients. Conflicts of Interest: None

Spectrum of perforation peritonitis in Pakistan: 300 cases Eastern experience.

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Afridi, Shahida Parveen; Malik, Faiza; Ur-Rahman, Shafiq; Shamim, Shahid; Samo, Khursheed A

2008-11-08

Perforation peritonitis is the most common surgical emergency encountered by the surgeons all over the world as well in Pakistan. The spectrum of etiology of perforation peritonitis in tropical countries continues to differ from its western counter part. This study was conducted at Dow University of health sciences and Civil Hospital Karachi (DUHS & CHK) Pakistan, designed to highlight the spectrum of perforation peritonitis in the East and to improve its outcome. A prospective study includes three hundred consecutive patients of perforation peritonitis studied in terms of clinical presentations, Causes, site of perforation, surgical treatment, post operative complications and mortality, at (DUHS&CHK) Pakistan, from 1st September 2005 - 1st March 2008, over a period of two and half years. All patients were resuscitated underwent emergency exploratory laparotomy. On laparotomy cause of perforation peritonitis was found and controlled. The most common cause of perforation peritonitis noticed in our series was acid peptic disease 45%, perforated duodenal ulcer (43.6%) and gastric ulcer 1.3%. followed by small bowel tuberculosis (21%) and typhoid (17%). large bowel perforation due to tuberculosis 5%, malignancy 2.6% and volvulus 0.3%. Perforation due to acute appendicitis (5%). Highest number of perforations has seen in the duodenum 43.6%, ileum37.6%, and colon 8%, appendix 5%, jejunum 3.3%, and stomach 2.3%. Overall mortality was (10.6%). The spectrum of perforation peritonitis in Pakistan continuously differs from western country. Highest number of perforations noticed in the upper part of the gastrointestinal tract as compared to the western countries where the perforations seen mostly in the distal part. Most common cause of perforation peritonitis is perforated duodenal ulcer, followed by small bowel tuberculosis and typhoid perforation. Majority of the large bowel perforations are also tubercular. Malignant perforations are least common in our setup.

Spectrum of perforation peritonitis in Pakistan: 300 cases Eastern experience

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Ur-Rahman Shafiq

2008-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Perforation peritonitis is the most common surgical emergency encountered by the surgeons all over the world as well in Pakistan. The spectrum of etiology of perforation peritonitis in tropical countries continues to differ from its western counter part. This study was conducted at Dow University of health sciences and Civil Hospital Karachi (DUHS & CHK Pakistan, designed to highlight the spectrum of perforation peritonitis in the East and to improve its outcome. Methods A prospective study includes three hundred consecutive patients of perforation peritonitis studied in terms of clinical presentations, Causes, site of perforation, surgical treatment, post operative complications and mortality, at (DUHS&CHK Pakistan, from 1st September 2005 – 1st March 2008, over a period of two and half years. All patients were resuscitated underwent emergency exploratory laparotomy. On laparotomy cause of perforation peritonitis was found and controlled. Results The most common cause of perforation peritonitis noticed in our series was acid peptic disease 45%, perforated duodenal ulcer (43.6% and gastric ulcer 1.3%. followed by small bowel tuberculosis (21% and typhoid (17%. large bowel perforation due to tuberculosis 5%, malignancy 2.6% and volvulus 0.3%. Perforation due to acute appendicitis (5%. Highest number of perforations has seen in the duodenum 43.6%, ileum37.6%, and colon 8%, appendix 5%, jejunum 3.3%, and stomach 2.3%. Overall mortality was (10.6%. Conclusion The spectrum of perforation peritonitis in Pakistan continuously differs from western country. Highest number of perforations noticed in the upper part of the gastrointestinal tract as compared to the western countries where the perforations seen mostly in the distal part. Most common cause of perforation peritonitis is perforated duodenal ulcer, followed by small bowel tuberculosis and typhoid perforation. Majority of the large bowel perforations are also tubercular

Phasing out lead from gasoline in Pakistan: a benefit cost analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martin, R.P.; Zaman, Q.U.

1999-01-01

Medical research has established a clear link between elevated blood lead levels nd adverse health effects in humans including the retardation of neurological development, hypertension, and cardiovascular ailments. Due to this, a large number of countries now restrict the sale of leaded gasoline. In contrast, only highly leaded gasoline is readily available in Pakistan, resulting in serious health concerns in certain areas. This paper presents the findings of a study to evaluate consumers' perceived benefits and actual costs of switching to unleaded gasoline in Pakistan. Policy implications are noted. The study indicates a concentration of adverse health effects in the major urban centers. Of special interest is the loss of approximately 2,5000 IQ points annually in Karachi and Lahore as a result of gasoline linked lead exposure. Consumers' willingness to pay for the removal of lead from gasoline, as estimated using a contingent valuation technique, is shown to be positively related to both educational attainment and income. Once consumers are informed of the adverse health effects associated with lead exposure, their willingness to pay for a switch to unleaded gasoline for exceeds the costs incurred. This suggests that significant gains in social welfare may be obtained by phasing out lead from gasoline in Pakistan. The benefits are most pronounced in urban areas, while in rural villages and small cities the costs are likely to out weight the benefits. A flexible program to restrict the sale of leaded gasoline in urban areas is thus recommended. (author)

ISO in the Construction and Manufacturing Companies: A Case Study from the Construction Industry of Hyderabad and Karachi, Pakistan

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Nafees Ahmed Memon

2011-04-01

Full Text Available Construction industry plays very important role in development of any country. The development of construction industry depends to a larger extent on quality of construction productions and projects. Quality of construction productions and projects is linked with the implementation of QMS (Quality Management System in construction organizations. ISO certification is one of the QMS which has been adopted in manufacturing and construction industry at the global level. The construction companies of developing countries have reaped many advantages from the effective implementation of ISO standards. The rate of adoption of ISO standards has remained slow in the construction sector of some developing countries like Pakistan. This paper presents the literature review of ISO in global construction industry. It highlights the advantages, disadvantages and barriers faced by construction companies in the implementation of ISO standards. This study also investigates the level of adoption of ISO standards in construction and manufacturing companies of Pakistan through a questionnaire survey. It presents the comparison of ISO standards\\\\\\' adoption in both construction and manufacturing sectors. The paper puts forward some suggestions and recommendation for the better adoption and improvement of ISO implementation in the construction sector of Pakistan. This study emphasizes that construction companies of Pakistan should learn from the benefits reaped by the construction companies of developed countries and take appropriate measures for implementing ISO standards. It also suggests that public sector clients should make it obligatory for the contractors and consultants to have ISO certification before awarding the works in order to enhance the the adoption of ISO standards in construction sector.

Using SERVQUAL for assessing and improving patient satisfaction at a rural health facility in Pakistan.

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Shaikh, B T; Mobeen, N; Azam, S I; Rabbani, F

2008-01-01

A cross-sectional study of patient satisfaction with care was conducted over a period of 1 year from March 2004 to March 2005 in a secondary-level hospital in a peri-urban area of Karachi, Pakistan. Using the SERVQUAL tool and exit interviews, data were collected quarterly from a total of 1533 patients. Results sharing and capacity-building workshops were arranged during the 4 phases of the survey to sensitize the staff of the hospital to work towards improving patient satisfaction. The level of satisfaction of the patients with the outpatient health services provided showed a gradual increase from 34.4% to 82.0% over the 1-year period.

General practitioners′ knowledge and approach to chronic kidney disease in Karachi, Pakistan

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S Yaqub

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Due to lack of adequate number of formally trained nephrologists, many patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD are seen by general practitioners (GPs. This study was designed to assess the knowledge of the GPs regarding identification of CKD and its risk factors, and evaluation and management of risk factors as well as complications of CKD. We conducted a cross-sectional survey of 232 randomly selected GPs from Karachi during 2011. Data were collected on a structured questionnaire based on the kidney disease outcomes and quality initiative recommendations on screening, diagnosis, and management of CKD. A total of 235 GPs were approached, and 232 consented to participate. Mean age was 38.5 ± 11.26 years; 56.5% were men. Most of the GPs knew the traditional risk factors for CKD, i.e., diabetes (88.4% and hypertension (80%, but were less aware of other risk factors. Only 38% GPs were aware of estimated glomerular filtration rate in evaluation of patients with CKD. Only 61.6% GPs recognized CKD as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. About 40% and 29% GPs knew the correct goal systolic and diastolic blood pressure, respectively. In all, 41% GPs did not know when to refer the patient to a nephrologist. Our survey identified specific gaps in knowledge and approach of GPs regarding diagnosis and management of CKD. Educational efforts are needed to increase awareness of clinical practice guidelines and recommendations for patients with CKD among GPs, which may improve management and clinical outcomes of this population.

Working Capital Approaches and Firm’s Returns in Pakistan

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Dr. Talat Afza

2008-09-01

Full Text Available This study investigates the relationship between the aggressive/conservative working capital policies for seventeen industrial groups of public limited companies listed at Karachi Stock Exchange for a period of 1998-2003. The ordinary least square regression model has been used to investigate into the relationship of working capital approaches and the returns of firms. The study found significant differences among their working capital investment and financing policies across different industries. Moreover, these significant differences are remarkably stable over the period of six years. The aggressive investment working capital policies are accompanied by aggressive working capital financing policies. Finally, we found a negative relationship between the profitability measures of firms and degree of aggressiveness of working capital investment and financing policies. The study would contribute a better understanding of working capital management policies in an emerging market like Pakistan.

Sampling bacterial biodiversity from a highly contaminated stream flowing through a densely populated urban area in Karachi

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Enam, S.F.; Qureshi, H.; Qureshi, S.A.

2011-01-01

Few studies have attempted to understand the complexity of microbial populations in Pakistan where infectious diseases are prevalent. This study was undertaken to assess bacterial biodiversity in Nehr-e-Khayyam a heavily polluted stream connected to the Arabian Gulf, which runs through a densely populated urban area in Karachi, Pakistan. Methods: Employing a universal pair of oligonucleotides capable of amplifying species-specific segments of 16S rRNA gene from all Eubacteria, we generated a library of PCR products using total DNA purified from the collected sample, cloned the amplifers into pGEM-T-Easy and sequenced each recombinant clone. The obtained DNA sequences were subjected to bio-informatic analyses. Results: A total of 71 recombinant clones were obtained from the amplified 16S rDNA products and sequenced. Bioinformatics analyses revealed that 54 (out of 71) were unique sequences from which 42 shared >97% and 12 shared <97% homology to their database counterparts. One sequence originated from the plastid DNA of eukaryote Pyramimonas disomata. From the remaining 53 sequences, 45 were Proteo-bacteria and 8 Fermicute in origin. Among 71 sequences, Alpha-, Beta- and Gamma-proteobacteria species constituted 86% of Proteo-bacteria identified in the sample while only 13% were Fermicutes. Conclusions: The microbial niche in Nehr-e-Khayyam is occupied predominantly by heterotrophic Proteo-bacterial and Firmicute strains, some of which are known human pathogens. (author)

Studies on transplantation of marine turtle nests at Karachi coast (Sindh), Pakistan

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Firdous, F.

2011-01-01

Egg clutches of two species of marine turtles, namely Chelonia mydas and Lepidochelys olivacea, were collected during 1974 to 1997 and transplanted to the protected enclosures. The emerging hatching were released to the natural environment. The experiment helped to produce an average of 19495.5 hatch lings per year of green and 1174.5 per year of olive ridley turtles. (author)

Assessment of sea water inundation along Daboo creek area in Indus Delta Region, Pakistan

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Zia, Ibrahim; Zafar, Hina; Shahzad, Muhammad I.; Meraj, Mohsin; Kazmi, Jamil H.

2017-12-01

Indus Deltaic Region (IDR) in Pakistan is an erosion vulnerable coast due to the high deep water wave energy. Livelihood of millions of people depends on the fisheries and mangrove forests in IDR. IDR consists of many creeks where Daboo is a major creek located at southeast of the largest city of Pakistan, Karachi. Unfortunately, there has been no detailed study to analyze the damages of sea water intrusion at a large temporal and spatial scale. Therefore, this study is designed to estimate the effects of sea water inundation based on changing sea water surface salinity and sea surface temperature (SST). Sea surface salinity and SST data from two different surveys in Daboo creek during 1986 and 2010 are analyzed to estimate the damages and extent of sea water intrusion. Mean salinity has increased 33.33% whereas mean SST decreased 13.79% from 1987 to 2010. Spatio-temporal analysis of creek area using LANDSAT 5 Thematic mapper (TM) data for the years 1987 and 2010 shows significant amount of erosion at macro scale. Creek area has increased approximately 9.93% (260.86 m2 per year) which is roughly equal to 60 extensive sized shrimp farms. Further Land Use Land Cover (LULC) analyses for years 2001 and 2014 using LANDSAT 7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) has indicated 42.3% decrease in cultivated land. Wet mud flats have spread out at the inner mouth of creek with enormous increase of 123.3%. Significant sea water intrusion has increased the area of barren land by 37.9%. This also resulted in overall decrease of 6.7% in area covered by mangroves. Therefore, this study recorded a significant evidence of sea water intrusion in IDR that has caused serious damages to community living in the area, economical losses. Additionally, it has also changed the environment by reducing creek biological productivity as reported by earlier studies over other regions of the world.

Spatial patterns monitoring of road traffic injuries in Karachi metropolis.

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Lateef, Muhammad U

2011-06-01

This article aims to assess the pattern of road traffic injuries (RTIs) and fatalities in Karachi metropolis. Assessing the pattern of RTIs in Karachi at this juncture is important for many reasons. The rapid motorisation in the recent years due to the availability of credit has significantly increased the traffic volume of the city. Since then, the roads of Karachi have continuously developed at a rapid pace. This development has come with a high human loss, because the construction of multilevel flyovers, signal-free corridors and the resulting high-speed traffic ultimately increase the severity of injuries. The reasons for this high proportion are inadequate infrastructure, poor enforcement of safety regulations, high crash severity index and greater population of vulnerable road user groups (riders and pedestrians). This research is the first of its kind in the country to have a geocoded database of fatalities and injuries in a geographical information system for the entire city of Karachi. In fact, road crashes are both predictable and preventable. Developing countries should learn from the experience of highly motorised nations to avoid the high burden of RTIs by adopting road safety and prevention measures.

Mobile phone intervention to improve diabetes care in rural areas of Pakistan: a randomized controlled trial.

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Shahid, Muhammad; Mahar, Saeed Ahmed; Shaikh, Shiraz; Shaikh, Zuhaib-u-ddin

2015-03-01

To determine the effect of mobile phone intervention on HbA1c in type-2 Diabetes Mellitus (DM) patients living in rural areas of Pakistan. Randomized controlled trial. Department of Endocrinology, Liaquat National Hospital, Karachi, from December 2013 to June 2014. A total of 440 patients in intervention and control groups were enrolled. All patients between 18 - 70 years of age, residing in rural areas of Pakistan, HbA1c ³ 8.0% and having personal functional mobile phone were included. The intervention group patients were called directly on mobile phone after every 15 days for a period of 4 months. They were asked about the self-monitoring blood glucose, intake of medications, physical activity, healthy eating and were physically examined after 4 months. However, the control group was examined initially and after 4 months physically in the clinic and there were no mobile phone contacts with these patients. Patients in intervention group showed improvement (p Mobile phone technology in rural areas of Pakistan was helpful in lowering HbA1c levels in intervention group through direct communication with the diabetic patients. Lowering LDL and following diabetic diet plan can reduce HbA1c in these patients and help in preventing future complications.

Investigation of carbon monoxide at heavy traffic intersections of Karachi (Pakistan) using GIS to evaluate potential risk areas for respiratory and heart disease

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Shareef, A.; Azam, M.

2011-01-01

Measurement of carbon monoxide in the ambient air at 36 locations on the busy roads of Karachi showed peak values of CO at 18 sites to be within the permissible limit of 10 ppm whereas up to 70 ppm at the other 18 sites. The evaluated carboxy haemoglobin (COHb) level was in the range of 1.1 to 15.8 %. (author)

Awareness, use and perceptions about E-cigarettes among adult smokers in Karachi, Pakistan.

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Sarfraz, Maryam; Rahim Khan, Hamza Abdur; Urooba, Amna; Manan, Zainab; Irfan, Omar; Nadeem, Ramlah; Baqir, Huma; Farooq, Saad; Khan, Zarrar; Khan, Javaid Ahmed; Saleem, Sarah

2018-01-01

To estimate the prevalence of awareness, current use and intention to use of e-cigarettes among adult smokers. This cross-sectional survey was carried out at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, from July to August 2016, and comprised people aged above 18 years who had smoked more than 100 cigarettes in their lifetime. Convenience sampling method was used. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data. SPSS 22 was used for data analysis.. Of the 387 participants, 359(92.8%) were male. The overall mean age was 32.4±12.6 years. Moreover, 215(55.5%) respondents belonged to the middle socio-economic class. Besides, 249(64.3%) respondents were aware of e-cigarettes while 39(10.1%) used them, and 81(20.9%) wanted to use them. Socio-economic status was the best predictor for awareness about e-cigarettes (p<0.001), while gender (p=0.001), occupation

Impact of Working Capital Management on Firm’s Profitability: A Case Study of Cement Industry of Pakistan

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Farrukh Shahzad

2015-02-01

Full Text Available The fundamental purpose behind this study is to exactly test the effect of working capital management on profitability of cement industry of Pakistan. To explore this relationship between these two, the creator gathered auxiliary information from 12 listed firms in Karachi stock exchange (KSC for the time period of 2007-2013. For this reason, in this study we utilize variable of return on assets ratio to gauge the benefit of organization and variables of CR, QR, NCA/TA, WCT and ITR as living up to expectations working capital management criteria. The consequences of the research demonstrate that there is a huge effect of the working capital management on profitability of cement industry of Pakistan. Accordingly, manager may improve the Profitability of their organizations by minimizing the inventory turnover ratio, and by diminishing working capital turnover ratio but there is no impact of expanding or diminishing the current proportion on profitability. Along these lines, the results show that through fitting working capital management the organization can expand its benefit. This study shall be helping hand for the cement industry of Pakistan in the management of their working capital in such an effective way thus, to the point that they can increase their profitability.

Monitoring and assessment of health issues at energy plant and gas station Pak steel bin Qasim Karachi

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Memon, Z.

2005-01-01

No doubt Environmental and health safety issues in big cities of Pakistan are developing havoc problems due to mechanized operations by emitting flue gases, effluent and acoustic noise, which it is my topic to discuss in detail. Acoustic noise is one of the major environmental problems in Industrial Plants. The noise study under taken in detail at feed pumps, super heater, exhausters and accumulators of Energy plant (E.P) as the regulators, control room etc. of Gas station (G.S) Pak Steel Bin Qasim Karachi. In light of permissible occupational noise exposure limits, as allowed by the ISO,EEC and other National Standards, some recommendations have been made to provide safety measures for workers against high level noise health hazards like head ache, hearing problem, Irritation, accidents at work, tension, disturbance to work and so many physiological and psychological effects, along with guidelines to overcome the break downs an improve efficiency of the plants. (Orig./A.B.)

Paediatric innovation in Pakistan: our experience and a call to action.

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Farooqi, Walid; Subhani, Faysal; Mian, Asad

2017-10-01

Standardisation in paediatric medicine may have the unintended effect of stifling innovation. Thinking outside the box becomes even more important in low-income to middle-income countries like Pakistan, where a large paediatric population requires healthcare. In addition, there is always a lack of funds, making an innovative, low-cost and high impact solution all the more necessary. While regulation and formal research is an integral part of the process, the local synthesis of a solution must start with a creative idea. To address the dearth of avenues promoting lateral thinking relevant to biomedicine and healthcare among students and faculty, the Critical Creative Innovative Thinking forum was formed at the Aga Khan University in Karachi, Pakistan, by a group consisting of students and faculty in 2014. The primary objective of the forum was to provide an arena conducive to lateral thinking and to equip biomedical professionals with the skill set to enable and promote creativity and innovation. This paper seeks to outline those efforts and discuss their potential impact on paediatric care for resource-limited settings. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

An Attempt to Design a Naturally Ventilated Tower in Subtropical Climate of the Developing Country; Pakistan

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Sohail Maha

2017-12-01

Full Text Available A large proportion of the world’s population resides in developing countries where there is a lack of rigorous studies in designing energy efficient buildings. This study is a step in designing a naturally ventilated high rise residential building in a tropical climatic context of the developing country, Pakistan. Karachi, the largest city of Pakistan, lies in the subtropical hot desert region with constant high temperature of average 32 °C throughout the summer and no particular winter season. The Design Builder software package is used to design a 25 storey high rise residential building relying primarily on natural ventilation. A final conceptual design is proposed after optimization of massing, geometry, orientation, and improved building envelope design including extensive shading devices in the form of trees. It has been observed that a reduction of 8 °C in indoor ambient temperature is possible to achieve with passive measures and use of night time ventilation. A fully naturally ventilated building can reduce the energy consumption for cooling and heating by 96 % compared to a building using air conditioning systems.

An Attempt to Design a Naturally Ventilated Tower in Subtropical Climate of the Developing Country; Pakistan

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Sohail, Maha

2017-12-01

A large proportion of the world's population resides in developing countries where there is a lack of rigorous studies in designing energy efficient buildings. This study is a step in designing a naturally ventilated high rise residential building in a tropical climatic context of the developing country, Pakistan. Karachi, the largest city of Pakistan, lies in the subtropical hot desert region with constant high temperature of average 32 °C throughout the summer and no particular winter season. The Design Builder software package is used to design a 25 storey high rise residential building relying primarily on natural ventilation. A final conceptual design is proposed after optimization of massing, geometry, orientation, and improved building envelope design including extensive shading devices in the form of trees. It has been observed that a reduction of 8 °C in indoor ambient temperature is possible to achieve with passive measures and use of night time ventilation. A fully naturally ventilated building can reduce the energy consumption for cooling and heating by 96 % compared to a building using air conditioning systems.

Fourth-generation spinal instrumentation: experience with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis at a tertiary care hospital in Pakistan

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Fazal A

2012-02-01

Full Text Available Akil Fazal1, Riaz H Lakdawala21Hospital for Joint Disease, New York University, New York, USA; 2Section of Orthopaedics, Department of Surgery, The Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, PakistanObjective: To evaluate the radiological and functional outcome of surgical treatment of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis using fourth-generation posterior spinal instrumentation at The Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan.Design: Case series.Place and duration of study: The Aga Khan University Hospital after a minimum of 2 years postoperatively.Patients and methods: A total of 20 patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis were recruited into the study and evaluated for radiological and functional outcome. The study period was from 2000 to 2005. Radiological outcome was assessed using Cobb angle measurement pre and postoperatively, hence assessing percentage correction. The lower instrumented vertebra was taken as the neutral vertebra and the level was recorded. Functional outcome was determined using the Scoliosis Research Society patient administered questionnaire. All patients were called to the clinic and asked to fill in the form. Those patients who were out of the city were mailed the forms and requested via telephone to complete and return.Results: Of the 20 patients operated on, twelve were female and eight were male. The average age at operation was 12.7 years. The mean Cobb angle was 69° preoperatively and 20° postoperatively, representing a percentage correction of 71%. The average duration of follow-up was 3.6 years. There was one major complication involving neurological injury post-op and two minor complications involving wound infection. The average Scoliosis Research Society score (on a scale of 1–5, with 5 being best for pain was 4.5, self-image was 4.2, functional status was 4.1, mental status was 3.8, and satisfaction was 4.4. There was no relationship between the percentage correction of scoliosis and the functional outcome

Comparison between Greulich-Pyle and Girdany-Golden methods for estimating skeletal age of children in Pakistan.

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Awais, Muhammad; Nadeem, Naila; Husen, Yousuf; Rehman, Abdul; Beg, Madiha; Khattak, Yasir Jamil

2014-12-01

To compare Greulich-Pyle (GP) and Girdany-Golden (GG) methods for estimation of Skeletal Age (SA) in children referred to a tertiary care hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. Cross-sectional study. Department of Radiology, The Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan, from July 2010 to June 2012. Children up to the age of 18 years, who had undergone X-ray for the evaluation of trauma were included. Each X-ray was interpreted using both methods by two consultant paediatric radiologists having at least 10 years experience, who were blinded to the actual Chronologic Age (CA) of children. A total of 283 children were included. No significant difference was noted in mean SA estimated by GP method and mean CA for female children (p=0.695). However, a significant difference was noted between mean CA and mean SA by GG method for females (p=0.011). For males, there was a significant difference between mean CA and mean SA estimated by both GP and GG methods. A stronger correlation was found between CA and SA estimated by GP method (r=0.943 for girls, r=0.915 for boys) as compared to GG method (r=0.909 for girls, r=0.865 for boys) respectively. Bland- Altman analysis also revealed that the two methods cannot be used interchangeably. Excellent correlation was seen between the two readers for both GP and GG methods. There was no additional benefit of using GP and GG methods simultaneously over using GP method alone. Moreover, although GP was reliable in estimating SA in girls, it was unable to accurately assess SA in boys. Therefore, it would be ideal to develop indigenous standards of bone age estimation based on a representative sample of healthy native children.

Comparison between greulich-pyle and girdany-golden methods for estimating skeletal age of children in pakistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Awais, M.; Nadeem, N.; Rehman, A.

2014-01-01

Objective: To compare Greulich-Pyle (GP) and Girdany-Golden (GG) methods for estimation of Skeletal Age (SA) in children referred to a tertiary care hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Radiology, The Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan, from July 2010 to June 2012. Methodology: Children up to the age of 18 years, who had undergone X-ray for the evaluation of trauma were included. Each X-ray was interpreted using both methods by two consultant paediatric radiologists having at least 10 years experience, who were blinded to the actual Chronologic Age (CA) of children. Results: A total of 283 children were included. No significant difference was noted in mean SA estimated by GP method and mean CA for female children (p=0.695). However, a significant difference was noted between mean CA and mean SA by GG method for females (p=0.011). For males, there was a significant difference between mean CA and mean SA estimated by both GP and GG methods. A stronger correlation was found between CA and SA estimated by GP method (r=0.943 for girls, r=0.915 for boys) as compared to GG method (r=0.909 for girls, r=0.865 for boys) respectively. Bland- Altman analysis also revealed that the two methods cannot be used interchangeably. Excellent correlation was seen between the two readers for both GP and GG methods. Conclusion: There was no additional benefit of using GP and GG methods simultaneously over using GP method alone. Moreover, although GP was reliable in estimating SA in girls, it was unable to accurately assess SA in boys. Therefore, it would be ideal to develop indigenous standards of bone age estimation based on a representative sample of healthy native children. (author)

The Role of Ownership Concentration, its Types and Firm Performance: A Quantitative Study of Financial Sector in Pakistan

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Kashif Rashid

2014-06-01

Full Text Available The issue of ownership concentration has attracted a lot of attention in an emerging economy. The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of ownership concentration and its different types on the performance of a firm. For this purpose a panel data of 27 firms of banking and financial services sector of Pakistan listed at Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE is used as a sample for the period from 2007 to 2011. Ownership concentration and types of ownership are used as independent variables. Tobin’s Q is used as a proxy for the firm performance. The results of regression show that ownership concentration has a negative impact on the performance of a firm. Furthermore, the results of the study suggest that bigger size, individual and family ownership and bank and institutional ownership improve the value of shareholders in the selected market. The types of ownership have a positive relationship with the firm performance supporting stewardship theory. On the contrary, higher leverage and aged firms deteriorate the shareholder’s value in Pakistan. The results of incremental regression analysis show that the firm size is the most important variable in affecting the value of a firm. These results are valuable to researchers and policy makers in Pakistan.

Ground-Based Remote Sensing of Aerosol Properties over a Coastal Megacity of Pakistan

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Salman Tariq

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Atmospheric aerosols are considered to be an important constituent of Earth’s atmosphere because of their climatic, environmental, and health effects. Therefore, while studying the global climate change, investigation of aerosol concentrations and properties is essential both at local and regional levels. In this paper, we have used relatively long-term Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET data during September 2006–August 2014 to analyze aerosol properties such as aerosol optical depth at 500 nm (AOD, Ångström exponent (440–870 nm (AE, refractive index (RI, and asymmetry parameter over Karachi, a coastal megacity of Pakistan. The average annual values of AOD and AE were found to be 0.48 ± 0.20 and 0.59 ± 0.29, respectively. The peak (0.88 ± 0.31 AOD was recorded in July with corresponding AE of 0.30 ± 0.22 representing reasonably higher concentration of coarse size particles over Karachi. The cluster analysis using the scatter plot between absorption AE and extinction AE revealed that desert dust prevailed in the atmosphere of Karachi in spring and summer, while biomass burning aerosols dominate in autumn and winter. The peak values of volume concentrations of coarse and fine-mode particulate matter were found in summer and autumn, respectively. Also, we found significant growing trend in single-scattering albedo with wavelength, indicating the domination of dust particles during summer and spring. The peak value of the real part of the RI was observed in spring (1.53 and modest in winter (1.50. On the contrary, the peak value of the imaginary part of the RI was observed to be constantly elevated in winter and lesser in spring.

Medical students' perspectives on gender and smoking: a mixed methodology investigation in Karachi, Pakistan.

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Mubeen, Syed Muhammad; Morrow, Martha; Barraclough, Simon

2011-08-01

To explore the gender dimensions on influences of tobacco uptake on medical students using both qualitative and quantitative methods. A phased mixed-method study design was used with in-depth interviews followed by a survey questionnaire in a 'smoke-free' medical college campus in a private university of Karachi. Eight in-depth interviews were conducted to under-pin themes that were further used for developing the questionnaire. Tabulation and analysis of the quantitative data was done using SPSS software version 12. All the ethical issues for the research were taken into consideration. One hundred and sixty-five (72 male, 93 female) students participated in the study. Mean age was 21.57 +/- 1.66 years. The survey results reported perceived reasons for male smoking as stress relief (74%), image (62%), companionship (54%), leisurely independence (46%) and male power and masculinity (44%). Among reasons for women for not smoking by the majority was that it was frowned upon (87%) while the reasons for smoking clustered around concepts of images (65%), western culture (66%), stress relief (51%) and advertising (36%). A large proportion (55%) of students felt bad and bothered by male and female smoking. Despite being medical students, the anti-tobacco future role models, traditional concepts of gender were frequently involved that explains smoking and non-smoking gendered behaviours.

Microbial and chemical analysis of illicit drugs samples confiscated from different areas of PakistanMicrobial and chemical analysis of illicit drugs samples confiscated from different areas of Pakistan.

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Hussain, Shahzad; Khattak, Zainab; Mahmood, Sidra; Malik, Farnaz; Riaz, Humayun; Raza, Syed Atif; Khan, Samiullah

2016-09-01

The microbial and chemical analysis of illicit drug samples from different areas of Pakistan i.e. Quetta, Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad was conducted in a cross-sectional study at National Institute of Health, Islamabad. The drug samples were confiscated by Anti Narcotics Force (ANF), Pakistan. Microbial analysis was done by estimating bioburden which revealed the presence of gram negative and positive bacteria's, fungus, Streptococcus, Staphylococcus species. Trypton soya agar was used for total aerobic count, MacConkey agar for gram-negative bacteria, Sabouraud dextrose agar for fungus and Vogel-Johnson agar for Streptococcus and Staphylococcus species. Colour tests were applied to identify the drug samples. Qualitative and quantitative analysis of suspected samples of Heroin, morphine, cocaine and acetic anhydride was made by employing different chromatographic techniques i.e. Thin-layer chromatography (TLC) and High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The samples were found to be adulterated with paracetamol, diazepam and Dextromethorphen. Acetic anhydride was adulterated with hydrochloric acid (HCl). There is lack of information providing structured advice on responses to the consequences of illicit drug adulteration. Robust and rehearsed interventions and communication strategies would provide a basis for response for a wide variety of organisations. Research into the usefulness of media warnings about adulteration of illicit drugs is required.

Bystander Tactics: Life on Turf in Karachi

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Tania Ahmad

2012-03-01

Full Text Available This article posits an analytic of the bystander, as a supplement to studies of perpetrators and victims, in relation to political affiliation, mobilization and violence in Karachi. In particular, I use ethnographic findings to elucidate the tactics of anticipation used by Karachi residents of neighborhoods widely considered the turf of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM. The examples of students’ and teachers’ reactions to a college rumble between rival groups, parents’ attempts to keep their sons from being recruited into party politics, and young people confident in their ability to navigate an economy of affiliation demonstrate a range of bystander tactics, in which subjection and subversion are aligned. Although metanarratives of democratization frequently elide the everyday activity of standing by, it constitutes a pervasive mode of participation in Karachi’s political landscape.

Status of higher education in nuclear technology in Pakistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sadiq, A.

2007-01-01

Pakistan's nuclear power program was formally launched in 1959 with the establishment of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC). The first research reactor, the Pakistan Research Reactor (PARR1), went critical in 1965, while the first nuclear power plant, the Karachi Nuclear Power Plant (KANUPP), was connected to the grid in 1972. PARR1, a 5 MW highly enriched uranium swimming pool reactor, has been upgraded to 10 MW low enriched reactor and KANUPP is a 137 MWe CANDU reactor. Later during the mid eighties PAEC added another small research reactor, PARR2, a miniature neutron source, and in 2000 a 325 MW PWR at Chashma, the Chashma Nuclear Power Plant (CHASHNUPP). Thus PAEC currently owns and operates two nuclear power plants and two research reactors. KANUPP has completed its design life of 30 years and is now undergoing the re-licensing process. CHASNUPP has just completed its first refuelling outage. Negotiations for the third nuclear power plant, also a 300 MW PWR from China, are continuing. The training and education programs in nuclear technology were initiated in the early 1960's soon after the establishment of PAEC. Initially the cream of fresh graduates in engineering, medicine and natural sciences, who were inducted in PAEC were given short training before they were sent for higher studies abroad. The availability of a nucleus of highly qualified professionals in nuclear power and allied disciplines, the lack of adequate facilities in the local educational institutions in these fields and the realization that many more professionals will be needed than could be trained abroad led to the establishment of coherent indigenous training and education program in the late sixties. Given below is a brief description of the centers set up by the PAEC for providing manpower for its nuclear power program

Genomic epidemiology of Vibrio cholerae O1 associated with floods, Pakistan, 2010.

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Shah, Muhammad Ali; Mutreja, Ankur; Thomson, Nicholas; Baker, Stephen; Parkhill, Julian; Dougan, Gordon; Bokhari, Habib; Wren, Brendan W

2014-01-01

In August 2010, Pakistan experienced major floods and a subsequent cholera epidemic. To clarify the population dynamics and transmission of Vibrio cholerae in Pakistan, we sequenced the genomes of all V. cholerae O1 El Tor isolates and compared the sequences to a global collection of 146 V. cholerae strains. Within the global phylogeny, all isolates from Pakistan formed 2 new subclades (PSC-1 and PSC-2), lying in the third transmission wave of the seventh-pandemic lineage that could be distinguished by signature deletions and their antimicrobial susceptibilities. Geographically, PSC-1 isolates originated from the coast, whereas PSC-2 isolates originated from inland areas flooded by the Indus River. Single-nucleotide polymorphism accumulation analysis correlated river flow direction with the spread of PSC-2. We found at least 2 sources of cholera in Pakistan during the 2010 epidemic and illustrate the value of a global genomic data bank in contextualizing cholera outbreaks.

Genomic Epidemiology of Vibrio cholerae O1 Associated with Floods, Pakistan, 2010

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Shah, Muhammad Ali; Mutreja, Ankur; Thomson, Nicholas; Baker, Stephen; Parkhill, Julian; Dougan, Gordon; Bokhari, Habib

2014-01-01

In August 2010, Pakistan experienced major floods and a subsequent cholera epidemic. To clarify the population dynamics and transmission of Vibrio cholerae in Pakistan, we sequenced the genomes of all V. cholerae O1 El Tor isolates and compared the sequences to a global collection of 146 V. cholerae strains. Within the global phylogeny, all isolates from Pakistan formed 2 new subclades (PSC-1 and PSC-2), lying in the third transmission wave of the seventh-pandemic lineage that could be distinguished by signature deletions and their antimicrobial susceptibilities. Geographically, PSC-1 isolates originated from the coast, whereas PSC-2 isolates originated from inland areas flooded by the Indus River. Single-nucleotide polymorphism accumulation analysis correlated river flow direction with the spread of PSC-2. We found at least 2 sources of cholera in Pakistan during the 2010 epidemic and illustrate the value of a global genomic data bank in contextualizing cholera outbreaks. PMID:24378019

National Level Assessment of Mangrove Forest Cover in Pakistan

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Abbas, S.; Qamer, F. M.; Hussain, N.; Saleem, R.; Nitin, K. T.

2011-09-01

Mangroves ecosystems consist of inter tidal flora and fauna found in the tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Mangroves forest is a collection of halophytic trees, shrubs, and other plants receiving inputs from regular tidal flushing and from freshwater streams and rivers. A global reduction of 25 % mangroves' area has been observed since 1980 and it is categorized as one of to the most threatened and vulnerable ecosystems of the world. Forest resources in Pakistan are being deteriorating both quantitatively and qualitatively due to anthropogenic activities, climatic v and loose institutional management. According to the FAO (2007), extent of forest cover of Pakistan in 2005 is 1,902,000 ha, which is 2.5% of its total land area. Annual change rate during 2000-2005 was -2.1% which is highest among all the countries in Asia. The Indus delta region contains the world's fifth-largest mangrove forest which provides a range of important ecosystem services, including coastal stabilisation, primary production and provision of nursery habitat for marine fish. Given their ecological importance in coastal settings, mangroves receive special attention in the assessment of conservation efforts and sustainable coastal developments. Coastline of Pakistan is 1050km long shared by the provinces, Sind (350km) and Baluchistan (700 km). The coastline, with typical arid subtropical climate, possesses five significant sites that are blessed with mangroves. In the Sindh province, mangroves are found in the Indus Delta and Sandspit. The Indus Delta is host to the most extensive mangroves areas and extends from Korangi Creek in the West to Sir Creek in the East, whereas Sandspit is a small locality in the West of Karachi city. In the Balochistan province, mangroves are located at three sites, Miani Hor, Kalmat Khor and Jiwani. Contemporary methods of Earth observation sciences are being incorporated as an integral part of environmental assessment related studies in coastal areas

Better physician-patient communication; an important milestone in control of hypertension, a multicenter study from karachi, pakistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Almas, Y.; Bhamani, F.

2014-01-01

Control of hypertension is an important cornerstone in prevention of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. This study was designed to compare physician encounter score in patients with controlled and uncontrolled hypertension. It was conducted at three tertiary care hospitals in Karachi. Patients were categorized into controlled and uncontrolled hypertension based on their initial blood pressure readings on presentation. Primary outcome variable was control of hypertension and physician encounter score (a composite score of 12 item question) was the main candidate variable. Higher scores reflected favorable encounter with physician. Mean age of participants was 57.7 +- 12 years; 224 (50.1%) were men. Controlled hypertension was present in 72.3% (323) and uncontrolled hypertension was present in 27.4% (124). Mean physician encounter score in uncontrolled hypertensive was 7.25 +- 2.64 versus 7.83 +- 2.22 (p=0.02) in controlled hypertensive. Patient-physician encounter is an important milestone in control of hypertension in hypertensive patients and directly translates into better adherence to antihypertensives in these patients. (author)

Board Size and Board Independence: A Quantitative Study on Banking Industry in Pakistan

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Kashif Rashid

2014-12-01

Full Text Available This paper aims to investigate the relationship of board independence and board size with productivity and efficiency of the listed banks on the Karachi Stock Exchange, Pakistan. There is a lack of consensus regarding impact of corporate governance practices in correspondence to number of board members and board independence in banking sector. The derived results of the study show that there is a positive relationship between board independence and bank profitability and efficiency. Independent directors play a crucial role in providing genuine advice during executive decision making process which is an important source for improving overall corporate governance. Moreover, results regarding the role of control variables suggest a positive relationship of the total assets and deposits of the firm with the firm’s performance supporting stewardship theory in the market.

Experience from construction and operation of Karachi nuclear power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zaidi, S.M.N.

1977-01-01

failures. As a nuclear power plant takes 4-5 years to attain a reasonable degree of maturity after commissioning, KANUPP is still in its maturing phase. Many technical problems have been met and wholly or partially resolved. As such problems must be expected at this stage of nuclear technology, KANUPP's overall performance has been quite satisfactory. During the first four years of commercial operation it has maintained an average availability of about 75% and contributed about 1/3 of the total energy requirements of the grid serving Karachi and environs. It is operated and maintained solely by Pakistani engineers. Thus from a technological standpoint, KANUPP represents a notable success for a developing country like Pakistan

Are our people health conscious? Results of a patients survey in Karachi, Pakistan.

Science.gov (United States)

Qidwai, Waris; Saleheen, Danish; Saleem, Sadia; Andrades, Marie; Azam, Syed Iqbal

2003-01-01

Life style is known to influence health and may be responsible for certain diseases. There is a need to document the life style on health among the Pakistani population. The study was conducted on patients visiting the Family Practice Center, the Aga Khan University, Karachi. A questionnaire was used to collect information on the demographic profile, and the life style on health. The ethical requirements for conducting the study were met. 393 patients were surveyed. The majority were young married men, in either private or government service. Preference for consumption of fats/oils, sweets, spicy foods, salt, fruits/vegetables, tea, coffee, cola drinks and alcohol was found among 103 (26%), 84 (22%), 86 (22%), 110 (28%), 239 (61%), 319 (81%), 117 (30%), 253 (64%) and 13 (03%) respondents respectively. Hand washing after defecation, before eating food and after work was seen among 341 (87%), 296 (75%) and 256 (65%) respondents respectively. Brushing of teeth after eating food, before breakfast and bedtime was seen in 56 (14%), 346 (88%) and 176 (45%) respondents respectively. Preventive dental check-up was practiced by 102 (26%) of the respondents. Sleep of less than 6 hours per day among 74 (19%), water consumption of less than 1 liter daily among 84 (21%) and fish consumption on once a week basis among 173 (44%) respondents was found. Tobacco and betel nuts use was found among 69 (17%) and 79 (20%) respondents. We have documented a clear need to raise public awareness on the issue of life style on health. There is a need and we strongly recommend debate and further research, along with interventional strategies in line with the available evidence on healthy life style.

Advertising value of mobile marketing through acceptance among youth in Karachi

OpenAIRE

Syed Akbar, Suleman; Azam, Rehan; Muhammad, Danish

2012-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the key influencing factors towards mobile marketing acceptance among youth in Karachi. It further analyzes the impact of mobile marketing acceptance on its advertising value. To achieve the objective of this study a convenient sample of 247 respondents from University students, Government officials and business organizations in Karachi is taken over a two-week period during the spring of 2012. After validating the instrument, correlation analysis i...

Status and potential of small and medium power reactors in Pakistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Butt, P.; Ahmad, M.

1998-01-01

Pakistan's interest in nuclear technology dates back to the late 1950s, when Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) was established with the responsibility of promoting peaceful uses of nuclear technology for the development of national economy. A beginning was made in the field of nuclear power generation by commissioning the 137 MW Karachi Nuclear Power Plant (KANUPP) in 1971. In addition to KANUPP, the other activities during this period included studies for nuclear power and sea water desalination in the coastal areas. This was followed by a series of feasibility and long term planning studies (1969-1981) to study and firm up the prospects of nuclear power in the country, using the ever-improving analytical tools and data base. An Energy and Nuclear Power Planning Study for Pakistan has just been completed as a technical cooperation project of the IAEA to provide a sound basis for the formulation of the strategy for future development of nuclear power. The successful functioning of KANUPP and the 300 MW NPP (CHASNUPP) presently being built by China have given the country great confidence and a sense of direction to plan more nuclear units in future, in the S and MR range, in a manner that would progressively lead to a high degree of self-reliance. A large number of studies have been carried out in the past all over the world to investigate the possibility of using nuclear generated heat for the purpose of desalting seawater. It is now proposed that IAEA may initiate a programme to install an International Demonstration Nuclear Desalination Plant (IDNDP) in some developing country to provide hands on experience in this field. (author)

The role of family configuration in early childhood intellectual development in the context of an extended family system in Pakistan

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Avan B

2007-01-01

Full Text Available Context: The confluence theory of intelligence by Zajonc and Markus emphasizes that individual intellectual difference of children manifests itself in the context of family configuration. Instead of assuming its generalizability, careful scientific work is required before applying the model to South Asian cultures where, predominantly, an extended family type exists. Aims: To assess the role of extended family configuration on the child′s intellectual development in a South Asian setting. Settings and Design: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 4-5-year-old preschool children residing in Karachi, Pakistan. Materials and Methods: Three hundred and forty-two child and mother dyads were assessed through a validated cognitive psychometric tool and through a structured questionnaire. Children who were registered at the main Mother and Child Health Centres (MCH of the Aga Khan Health Services, Pakistan (AKHSP Karachi and who were born between July 1st 1993-June 30th 1994 with traceable birth records at the maternity homes, were considered for this study. Statistical Analysis: Multivariate linear regression models were used to identify the individual effect of family configuration on the intellectual scores. Results: Family configuration variables such as number of co-residents ( P < 0.05 and the number of siblings ( P < 0.01 in the house were significantly correlated with the psychometric score. Even after controlling for gender, socio-economic status, birth order and birth intervals, significant differentials were observed in favor of an extended family system on a child′s intellectual development. Conclusion: The findings suggest the positive role of co-residents of an extended family environment on the intellectual development in early childhood.

Patellar resurfacing versus nonresurfacing in total knee arthroplasty for osteoarthritis: experience at a tertiary care institution in Pakistan

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Lakdawala RH

2012-02-01

Full Text Available Akil Fazal1, Riaz H Lakdawala21Clinical Fellow, NYU Hospital for Joint Disease, New York, US; 2Associate Professor and Chief, Section of Orthopedics, Department of Surgery, The Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, PakistanObjective: To determine the effect of patellar resurfacing in patients offered total knee arthroplasty for osteoarthritis.Design: Randomized control study.Place and duration of study: The Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan from January 3, 2005 to January 9, 2010.Patients and methods: Patients undergoing primary total knee arthroplasty for osteoarthritis were assigned to either the patellar resurfacing or nonresurfacing arm using systematic sampling. This consisted of patients undergoing unilateral and bilateral knee arthroplasty. Preoperatively, Knee Society Knee and Function Scores were calculated. After a minimum of 3 years postoperatively Knee Society Knee and Function Scores as well as the Clinical Anterior Knee Pain Rating were calculated and analysis done to check for differences.Results: Seventy-five patients were recruited in each arm; 135 patients had bilateral and 15 had unilateral knee arthroplasty. The mean preoperative knee score was 40.4 for the resurfacing group and 40.60 for the nonresurfacing group (P = 0.45. This improved postoperatively to 93.67 and 94.23 respectively, with no difference between the two groups (P = 0.67. The mean preoperative function score was 45.50 for resurfaced patellae and 45.83 for nonresurfaced. This improved to 89.67 and 90.50, respectively, again with no difference (P = 0.51. Postoperative Clinical Anterior Knee Pain Rating was a mean of 0.1 for resurfaced and 0.13 for nonresurfaced patellas, with no difference on analysis (P = 0.06. However, patients who had bilateral knee arthroplasty had a slightly higher Clinical Anterior Knee Pain Rating than those who had single knee surgery (P = 0.046 irrespective of whether the patellar was resurfaced or not.Conclusion: In

An evaluation of wind energy potential at Kati Bandar, Pakistan

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ullah, Irfan [Department of Mechanical Engineering, NWFP University of Engineering and Technology, Peshawar (Pakistan); Chaudhry, Qamar-uz-Zaman [Pakistan Meteorological Department, Sector H-8/2, Islamabad (Pakistan); Chipperfield, Andrew J. [Computational Engineering and Design Group, School of Engineering Sciences, University of Southampton, Highfield, Southampton SO17 1BJ (United Kingdom)

2010-02-15

As a developing nation of energy-starved people, Pakistan urgently needs new sources of affordable, clean energy. Wind energy is potentially attractive because of its low environmental impact and sustainability. This work aims to investigate the wind power production potential of sites in south-eastern Pakistan. Wind speed data measured over a one-year period at a typical site on the south-east coast of Pakistan are presented. Frequency distributions of wind speed and wind power densities at three heights, seasonal variations of speed, and estimates of power likely to be produced by commercial turbines are included. The site investigated is found to be a class 4 wind power site with annual average wind speed of 7.16 m/s and power density of 414 W/m{sup 2} at 50 m height. The site is, therefore, likely to be suitable for wind farms as well as small, stand-alone systems. (author)

Determinants of Dividend Payout Policy: A Case of Pakistan Engineering Sector

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Kashif Imran

2011-09-01

Full Text Available The return on investment can be divided in capital gain and dividend payouts. It is a difficult task for management to allocate a sufficient amount in both segments, especially to prevent from agency problems. The firms pay dividends only when enough amounts have after meeting their requirements and short term needs. The purpose of the present study is to empirically investigate the factors determine the dividend payout decisions in the case of Pakistan’s engineeringsector by using the data of thirty-six firms listed on Karachi Stock Exchange from the period 1996 to 2008. By employing various panel data techniques like fixed and random effects, the results suggest that the previous dividend per share, earnings per share, profitability, cash flow, sales growth, and size of the firm are the most critical factors determining dividend policy in the engineering sector of Pakistan.

Peaceful Economies: Assessing the Role of the Private Sector in Conflict Prevention in Pakistan

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Safwan A Khan

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Pakistan today seems to be embroiled in a number of conflicts that have both domestic as well as international dimensions. Conflicts of course vary, ranging from household disputes to increasing crime resulting from disparities. However, at an aggregated level, conflicts have a societal connotation that reflects deep-rooted divisions within a society. On a macro-level, these conflicts suppress a country’s potential and inhibit future prosperity. Hence, investor confidence has declined in Pakistan as have market opportunities. The poor law and order situation in Karachi over the last few years, for example, has significantly affected the income of daily wage earners, while investors have taken a back seat. Moreover, entrepreneurial activity becomes even more difficult to pursue for those with less capital or access to financing. With the rise in conflicts across the country coupled with a bleak economic situation, communities and businesses have suffered alike. Economic disparities often breed sustained conflicts. In this context, what is needed in Pakistan is an economic environment that engenders strategic peace. The two are complementing factors, and neglecting either can seriously undermine the effectiveness of measures taken for the other. This research study, conducted by Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI in 2013, undertook an analysis of the private sector’s role in achieving sustainable peace in Pakistan. It is important to note that as far as sustainable peace is concerned, the private sector is just one of many actors. In that, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR initiatives by businesses can certainly play an important role. Their main contribution, however, can be to influence public policy in favor of strategic peace across the country. While approaches such as dispute resolution (formal and informal and CSR are important in terms of conflict mitigation, long-term peace is contingent upon a just and equitable system

Genomic Surveillance Elucidates Persistent Wild Poliovirus Transmission During 2013-2015 in Major Reservoir Areas of Pakistan.

Science.gov (United States)

Alam, Muhammad Masroor; Sharif, Salmaan; Shaukat, Shahzad; Angez, Mehar; Khurshid, Adnan; Rehman, Lubna; Zaidi, Syed Sohail Zahoor

2016-01-15

Despite tremendous efforts in the fight against polio, Pakistan bears the highest proportion of poliomyelitis cases among the 3 endemic countries including Afghanistan and Nigeria. Apart from insecurity and inaccessibility challenges, the substantial shift of unimmunized children from North Waziristan due to recent military operations was presumed to favor the widespread poliovirus infection in Pakistan. To better understand the current epidemiological situation, we analyzed the virologic data of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) strains detected in Pakistan during 2013-2015. Five genetic clusters (A-E) were identified with at least 5% nucleotide divergence in the viral protein 1 (VP1) coding region. Peshawar, Quetta, and Karachi were found to be the major endemic foci where multiple discrete genetic lineages of WPV1 were detected. Phylogenetic analysis suggests that wild poliovirus strains from endemic regions were genetically distant (with 5%-15% VP1 nucleotide divergence) from those detected in North Waziristan cases, excluding the possibility of a recent progenitor of WPV1 instigating single-source transmission across the country. Orphan lineages detected in Rawalpindi, Lahore, Hyderabad, Sukkur, and Jacobabad revealed silent transmission and the need for vigilant surveillance. Sustenance of analogous genetic lineages over a period of 3 years highlights multiple unimmunized foci present to maintain viral genetic diversity. Our findings are inconsistent with the hypothesis that impoverished populations from North Waziristan serve as a possible determinant of widespread poliomyelitis infection in Pakistan and further emphasize the need to scale-up clinical and environmental surveillance as well as immunization activities. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press for the Infectious Diseases Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, e-mail journals.permissions@oup.com.

Missed Immunization Opportunities Among Children Under 5 Years Of Age Dwelling In Karachi City.

Science.gov (United States)

Khaliq, Asif; Sayed, Sayeeda Amber; Hussaini, Syed Abdullah; Azam, Kiran; Qamar, Mehak

2017-01-01

Immunization is the safest and effective measure for preventing and eradicating various communicable diseases. A glaring immunization gap exists between developing and industrialized countries towards immunization, because the developing countries including Pakistan are still striving to provide basic immunization to their children. The purpose of this study was to access the prevalence and factors of missing immunization among under 5-year children of Karachi.. A cross sectional study was conducted from June 2015 to October 2015 among different outpatient clinics of Karachi. Parents who had child less than 5 year of age were approached by non-probability purposive sampling. Data was analysed by using Statistical Package of Social Sciences. There were around 59.09% (n=156) and 64.43% (n=165) parents who have correctly responded regarding the number of essential immunization visit during the first and second year of their child life respectively. About 28.12% (n=108) parents responded that they do not know about the name and number of missed doses of vaccines. 31.78% (n=122) parents responded that their children have missed either one or more than one doses of routine immunization vaccines. Of which 34.42% (n=42) children have missed more than one vaccine. Lack of knowledge regarding immunization schedule 28.68% (n=34), concern about vaccine side effects 21.31%, (n=26), child sickness 17.21% (n=21), and lack of trust about government 10.65%, (n=13) were the major barriers identified by parents for missed immunization opportunities. Parents have inadequate knowledge regarding routine immunization visits, immunization schedule and vaccine doses. The practices of parents for routine childhood immunization are also poor. Parents refuse to immunize their child because of lack of immunization visit knowledge and also because of their doubts regarding vaccine potency and side effects. A proper system of immunization promotion, advocacy and reminder systems with proper

Managing ageing of Karachi nuclear power plant (KANUPP)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hoda, M. Qamrul; Jamal-ur-Rahman

2002-01-01

Full text: Karachi Nuclear power Plant (KANUPP), a 137 MWe CANDU plant, was built on a turn-key basis by the Canadian General Electric (CGE) in the late sixties. The plant with a design life of thirty years went into commercial operation in October, 1972. After nearly three decades of operation, KANUPP like all other plants has faced the problem of equipment ageing and obsolescence. KANUPP has been striving hard to combat these problems with the assistance from IAEA, COG and WANO. During early eighties IAEA expert missions were called at KANUPP on various safety issues and on their recommendations various projects such as Safe Operation of KANUPP, Technical Upgradation Project, Balancing, Modernization and Rehabilitation project were initiated to combat equipment ageing and obsolescence. KANUPP has made substantial progress in the implementation of the tasks under these projects and the operating life of the plant is expected to be extended by 15 years. Three IAEA expert missions were invited at KANUPP during 1999-2000 to carry out assessment of the ongoing activities related to plant ageing management. On the basis of their recommendations an ageing Management Programme has been formally established at KANUPP to manage age-related degradation of plant systems, structures and components important to safety and to ensure that the required safety functions are available for the extended life of the plant. Being close to completion of its nominal design life in October 2002, KANUPP has already applied to Pakistan Nuclear Regulatory Authority for renewal of operating license. This paper briefly describes the activities related to ageing management of KANUPP to fulfil the requirement for its continued operation beyond its design life. (author)

Prevalence of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Due to Community Violence Among University Students in the World's Most Dangerous Megacity: A Cross-Sectional Study From Pakistan.

Science.gov (United States)

Khan, Abdul Ahad; Haider, Ghani; Sheikh, Maryam Rahim; Ali, Ambreen Fatima; Khalid, Zain; Tahir, Muhammad Munaim; Malik, Tayyaba Maqbool; Salick, Muhammad Musa; Lakhani, Laila Saleem; Yousuf, Fatimah Sireen; Khan, Muhammad Babar; Saleem, Sarah

2016-08-01

Community violence among the youth can lead to a number of adverse psychiatric outcomes including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, little research has been conducted in non-Western countries to assess this problem. This study aims to fill the void by assessing the lifetime exposure to traumatic events and burden of probable PTSD among university students in Karachi, Pakistan. A cross-sectional study was conducted at four private institutions in Karachi. Self-administered questionnaires were filled out by 320 students. Lifetime exposure and symptoms of PTSD were assessed using modified Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist-Civilian Version (PCL-C) questionnaires, respectively. A PCL-C score of 44 or above was used as cutoff for probable PTSD. Pearson chi-square test was used to assess the association between PTSD and different variables at a level of significance of 5%. Ninety-three percent of the respondents reported having lifetime exposure to at least one traumatic event with sudden unexpected death of a loved one (n = 187) and assaultive violence (n = 169) being the commonest reported traumatic events. Positive association for PTSD was seen with enduring physical attacks and motor vehicle accidents. Over a quarter of the students screened positive for probable PTSD, among them almost one third were male and 17% were female. Our results indicate a high exposure to violent events and elevated rates of lifetime PTSD among urban youth. Reduction in violence and better access to mental health facilities is warranted to decrease the health burden of PTSD in Pakistan. © The Author(s) 2015.

Prevailing trends of climatic extremes across Indus-Delta of Sindh-Pakistan

Science.gov (United States)

Abbas, Farhat; Rehman, Iqra; Adrees, Muhammad; Ibrahim, Muhammad; Saleem, Farhan; Ali, Shafaqat; Rizwan, Muhammad; Salik, Muhammad Raza

2018-02-01

This study examines the variability and change in the patterns of climatic extremes experienced in Indus-Delta of Sindh province of Pakistan, comprising regions of Karachi, Badin, Mohenjodaro, and Rohri. The homogenized daily minimum and maximum temperature and precipitation data for a 36-year period were used to calculate 13 and 11 indices of temperature and precipitation extremes with the help of RClimDex, a program written in the statistical software package R. A non-parametric Mann-Kendall test and Sen's slope estimates were used to determine the statistical significance and magnitude of the calculated trend. Temperatures of summer days and tropical nights increased in the region with overall significant warming trends for monthly maximum temperature as well as for warm days and nights reflecting dry conditions in the study area. The warm extremes and nighttime temperature indices showed greater trends than cold extremes and daytime indices depicting an overall warming trends in the Delta. Historic decrease in the acreage of major crops and over 33% decrease in agriculture credit for Sindh are the indicators of adverse impacts of warmer and drier weather on Sindh agriculture. Trends reported for Karachi and Badin are expected to decrease rice cultivation, hatching of fisheries, and mangroves forest surrounding these cities. Increase in the prevailing temperature trends will lead to increasingly hotter and drier summers resulting to constraints on cotton, wheat, and rice yield in Rohri and Mohenjodaro areas due to increased crop water requirements that may be met with additional groundwater pumping; nonetheless, the depleted groundwater resources would have a direct impact on the region's economy.

Comparative Analgesic and Anti-inflammatory Activities of Two ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

(Sigma, USA) and gum tragacanth (Merck,. Germany) were procured through local sources. (Ahmad Dealers, Lahore). The tested herbal poly-pharmaceutical tablet preparations aujaie. (Hamdard Laboratories, Karachi, Pakistan) and surangeen (Qarshi Laboratories, Lahore,. Pakistan) were purchased from local pharmacy.

The effects of industrial soil pollution on prosopis juliflora swartz growth around karachi

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rehman, S.A.U.; Iqbal, M.Z.

2009-01-01

Study of the effect of soils of towel, garment, rubber and ply-wood factories of Korangi and Landhi industrial estates of Karachi and that of the University of Karachi on the growth of Prosopis juliflora Swartz plants growing in these areas demonstrated detrimental effect of industrial soils on the growth of plants of all the areas particularly on the plants growing at the University site. (author)

Risks of drowning and safety concerns at the beaches of Karachi--perspective from lifeguards.

Science.gov (United States)

Shaikh, Masood Ali

2014-05-01

Going to beaches is a popular pastime for many people in Karachi. Lifeguards have been deployed on many beaches for the safety and protection of beachgoers. This cross-sectional survey was conducted to study the opinions and experiences of lifeguards posted at eight beaches of Karachi. Ignorance among beachgoers about how dangerous it could be at seaside, was reported by 19 (61.3%) out of 31 lifeguards interviewed. Lifeguards had to put up with verbal and physical abuse while discharging their duties, with verbal abuse being the universal experience. Improved record keeping of drowning and near-drowning data would help make better evidence-informed beach-safety decisions in Karachi for reducing the morbidity and mortality burden owing to drowning.

Corporate Governance and Environmental Reporting in Pakistan

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Muhammad Ali Rafique

2017-06-01

Full Text Available The focus of the present study is to investigate the association between environmental reporting and corporate governance traits in Pakistan. The prior studies related to the association between environmental disclosure and corporate governance characteristics show fickle findings. This study fills the gap by using cross sectional data of 100 randomly selected firms registered at Karachi Stock Exchange for the year 2015. The results of the present research showed a positive association between the level of environmental disclosure and fraction of independent directors on the board. Negative relationship was found between environmental disclosure and institutional investors. The result shows a positive association between the level of environmental reporting and board size. It confirms a positive association. The analysis revealed a lack of association between level of environmental reporting and fraction of female directors on a board. In case of control variables, positive relationship was found between firms profitability and level of environmental disclosure, whereas, no correlation was found between firm size and the level of environmental reporting. Moreover, the results of incremental regression indicate that ownership concentration is the most important independent variable among all the independent variables in the model.

The Clinical Spectrum of Plumbism; an Experience from a Tertiary Care Hospital in Karachi, Pakistan

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Lena Jafri

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Background:Lead toxicity continues to remain a concerning health problem for developing nations like Pakistan. Due to the lack of studies, we aim to highlight the clinical spectrum of lead poisoning in patients presenting to an urban-based tertiary care hospital in Pakistan. Method:This is a retrospective review of patients admitted form January 2011 to December 2014 using a structured questionnaire for recording demographics, comorbidities, clinical findings, biochemical abnormalities, clinical findings and treatment provided. Patients were categorized as children (≤18yrs and adults (>18yrs, further divided into three groups; desired blood lead levels (BLLs [lead levels 70ug/dl]. Result: A total of 86 patients were included in the final analysis, majority (69.6% of whom were adult males with median age of 35 yrs. Median (IQR BLL was 6.3 ug/dl (12.8-2.7 in all age groups with BLL in children and adults of 4.2 ug/dl (3.1-5.7 and 6.5 ug/dl (2.6-14.7, respectively. 72% of the children had complaints related to the central nervous system with majority complaining of irritability. The gastrointestinal system was most commonly implicated in adults (93% with most common complaint of abdominal pain. The commonest risk factor showing a positive correlation with BLLs was battery handling in adults [median (IQR BLL 18.4ug/dl (8.35-36.1] and pica eating in children with BLLs in high but non-toxic range [median (IQR BLL 5.2ug/dl (2.7-5.7]. The highest BLLs were observed to lie within the high but non-toxic range group in one adult herbal medicine user (54.4 ug/dl and in children observed in the toxic range group (>10ug/dl due to occupational battery work exposure and residence in a congested zone.   Conclusion:Lead toxicity continues to be hazardous due to unchecked environmental and occupational exposure. Increasing awareness is tantamount in order to find a solution.

Planning and implementation of a cardiovascular prevention strategy in a lower middle class community in Pakistan - a preliminary report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aziz, K.; Faruqui, A.M.A.; Manolio, T.; Davis, C.E.; Denis, B.H.; Burke, G.L.

2000-01-01

Cardiovascular risk factors (RF) and coronary heart diseases (CHD) are increasing in Pakistan. The National Inst. of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD), Karachi, in collaboration with National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) in Bethesda, Maryland, USA, designed a 5-year diet intervention study (MHS) for modification of RF. This was done by education, designed to increase knowledge and attitudes regarding CHD and by modifying the diet in 400 households in Metrovitte, which is a lower middle class community in Karachi. The Department of preventive cardiology of NICVD trained doctors, social workers including volunteers from the community for data collection and recording. The education was imparted in health fairs and home conferences and diet modification was achieved by 14 home visits of social workers over a 28-month period with a final goal of reducing salt by 28% and replacement of ghee with vegetable oils and reducing fat by 33%. Community center was used for data collection and involved demographic, blood pressure, serum cholesterol, hemoglobin and blood glucose data at base line and at screening 11(280) households. All phases of the study have been successfully implemented and results are being analyzed. Various aspects of the methods of implementation are discussed. (author)

Prevalence of diabetic retinopathy in type II diabetic patients in a ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Prevalence of diabetic retinopathy in type II diabetic patients in a health facility in Karachi, Pakistan. ... Conclusion: DR is prevalent in the target population and, therefore, emphasis should be on the education of the local population of New Karachi Township on how to attain euglycemic state with regular medication, diet and ...

Dengue infection severity score – improvised disease management

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Mahmood SU

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Syed Uzair Mahmood,1 Maryam Jamil Syed,1 Aisha Jamal,1 Maria Shoaib2 1Sindh Medical College, Jinnah Sindh Medical University, Karachi, Pakistan; 2Dow Medical College, Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, PakistanWe would like to add our views regarding the paper “Validation of Dengue infection severity score” by Pongpan et al.1 As the paper outlines, the purpose of the Dengue Severity Score is to classify individuals with dengue infection into three levels of severity with clinically acceptable underestimation or overestimation. View the original paper by Pongpan and colleagues. 

Dengue transmission based on urban environmental gradients in different cities of Pakistan.

Science.gov (United States)

Khalid, Bushra; Ghaffar, Abdul

2015-03-01

This study focuses on the dengue transmission in different regions of Pakistan. For this purpose, the data of dengue cases for 2009-2012 from four different cities (Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Lahore, and Karachi) of the country is collected, evaluated, and compiled. To identify the reasons and regions of higher risk of Dengue transmission, land use classification, analysis of climate covariates and drainage patterns was done. Analysis involves processing of SPOT 5 10 m, Landsat TM 30 m data sets, and SRTM 90 m digital elevation models by using remote sensing and GIS techniques. The results are based on the change in urbanization and population density, analysis of temperature, rainfall, and wind speed; calculation of drainage patterns including stream features, flow accumulation, and drainage density of the study areas. Results suggest that the low elevation areas with calm winds and minimum temperatures higher than the normal, rapid increase in unplanned urbanization, low flow accumulation, and higher drainage density areas favor the dengue transmission.

Diabetic retinopathy awareness and practices in a low-income suburban population in Karachi, Pakistan

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Rubina Hakeem

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Purpose: This study presents observations about knowledge, attitude and practices of people with diabetes living in Chanesar Goth, which is a suburban area of Karachi. Methodology: Data were collected by trained lady health workers during their home visits of the families. The responses in most cases were open ended and later categorised according to themes and purpose for asking specific questions. Results: The sample consisted of 59 (31.6% males and 128 (68.4% females. The mean age of males and females was 56 years and 49 years, respectively. The mean duration of diabetes for females and males was 6.8 years and 8.34 years, respectively. Frequency of correct answers to question about treatment of diabetes-related eye disease was relatively low (24% male, 20% female. Proportion of patients having good awareness was significantly higher among those who had diabetes for 10 or more years (60% as compared to those who had diabetes for shorter duration (42%, P < 0.026. Only half of the patients had a firm belief that diabetes is preventable and about one-third had belief that diabetes is treatable. Patients'' eye testing practices were associated strongly with their attitude towards eye testing and their knowledge about the relation of eye problems to diabetes. Proportion of patients who had got their eyes checked more than twice since the diagnosis of diabetes was highest among patients with both knowledge and belief about eye testing (35.3%, followed by those who only had a firm belief (19.7% and was lowest than among those who neither had belief nor knowledge (9.1% (P = 0.008. The level of awareness was higher among females and those who had diabetes for a longer duration. Conclusion: Educational interventions should focus on inculcating positive attitudes and firm belief in the importance of self-care.

Gender roles and their influence on life prospects for women in urban Karachi, Pakistan: a qualitative study.

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Ali, Tazeen S; Krantz, Gunilla; Gul, Raisa; Asad, Nargis; Johansson, Eva; Mogren, Ingrid

2011-01-01

Pakistan is a patriarchal society where men are the primary authority figures and women are subordinate. This has serious implications on women's and men's life prospects. The aim was to explore current gender roles in urban Pakistan, how these are reproduced and maintained and influence men's and women's life circumstances. Five focus group discussions were conducted, including 28 women representing employed, unemployed, educated and uneducated women from different socio-economic strata. Manifest and latent content analyses were applied. TWO MAJOR THEMES EMERGED DURING ANALYSIS: 'Reiteration of gender roles' and 'Agents of change'. The first theme included perceptions of traditional gender roles and how these preserve women's subordination. The power gradient, with men holding a superior position in relation to women, distinctive features in the culture and the role of the extended family were considered to interact to suppress women. The second theme included agents of change, where the role of education was prominent as well as the role of mass media. It was further emphasised that the younger generation was more positive to modernisation of gender roles than the elder generation. This study reveals serious gender inequalities and human rights violations against women in the Pakistani society. The unequal gender roles were perceived as static and enforced by structures imbedded in society. Women routinely faced serious restrictions and limitations of autonomy. However, attainment of higher levels of education especially not only for women but also for men was viewed as an agent towards change. Furthermore, mass media was perceived as having a positive role to play in supporting women's empowerment.

Inter-Relationship between Profitability, Growth and Size: A Case of Non-Financial Companies from Pakistan

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Rehana Kouser

2012-12-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this paper is to provide an in-depth description of the inter-relationship between firm size, growth, and profitability of non-financial companies listed at Karachi stock exchange. The study is based on the sample of 70 (seventy non-financial companies listed at Karachi Stock Exchange of Pakistan, selected on the basis of their market capitalization. Panel data techniques were employed using 700 observations of each of the variables of study; size(log natural of total assets, growth (sustainable growth rate for firm and profitability (return on assets. Observations are collected for ten years (2001-2010. The study concluded thatthere is study reveals that all the profitability has strong positive relationship with the growth of the firm; however size has less significant and negative impact on the profitability. Onesuggestion for further research would be to replicate the study in order to get more cases. Furthermore, it would be valuable to take a more long-term focus to examine the described relationships in the long run. The paper highlights the importance of these measures which are generally used for performance evaluation. Paper sets out the criteria that under which situations the company should focus which of the measure, so that company may derive its strategies on that way. This paper improves our preferences about the three major measures of the firm. Moreover, it contributes to the literature of financial management that how these three measures have trade-off between them.

Length-Weight Realtionship and Seasonal Distrubition of Magalaspis cordyla (Linnaeus 1758 fish Size frequency Variation from Karachi Coast

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Quratulan AHMED

2013-09-01

Full Text Available The study of seasonal variation in distribution of 167 fishes of magalaspis cordyla from the Karachi fish harbour collected seasonally (pre-monsoon, mon-soon, post-monsoon between September 2011-August 2012. The highest catch of fish (68 was recorded in pre-monsoon season and the lowest catch of fish (47 was recorded in monsoon season. The highest mean length (38.6+ 0.746 and weight (288+ 21.90 was measured during pre-monsoon season and lowest mean length (22.5+ 0.671 and weight (120.5+ 2.73 was measured during mon-soon season. The highest mean condition factor (1.192+ 0.817 and minimum (0.500+ 0.038 was recorded in pre-monsoon season. Fish estimated negative and positive allometric growth because b values larger and less then 3 in pre-monsoon and monsoon season but post-monsoon season showed positive allometric growth because b value larger then 3 in all size classes

Mass burden and estimated flux of heavy metals in Pakistan coast: sedimentary pollution and eco-toxicological concerns.

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Ali, Usman; Malik, Riffat Naseem; Syed, Jabir Hussain; Mehmood, Ch Tahir; Sánchez-García, Laura; Khalid, Azeem; Chaudhry, Muhammad Jamshed Iqbal

2015-03-01

Heavy-metal contamination in coastal areas poses a serious threat to aquatic life and public health due to their high toxicity and bio-accumulation potential. In the present study, levels of different heavy metals (Cu, Cd, Cr, Ni, Co, Pb, Zn, and Mn), their spatial distribution, geochemical status, and enrichment indices (Cu, Cd, Cr, Ni, Co, Pb, Zn) were investigated in the sediment samples from 18 coastal sites of Pakistan. The analyses of coastal sediments indicated the presence of heavy metals in order such as Cr > Zn > Cu > Pb > Ni > Mn > Co > Cd. Geo-accumulation index (I geo), enrichment factor (EF), and contamination factor (CF) showed diverse range in heavy-metal enrichment site by site. Pollution load index (PLI) has shown that average pollution load along the entire coastal belt was not significant. Based on the mean effect range medium quotient, coastal sediments of Pakistan had 21% probability of toxicity. The estimated sedimentary load of selected heavy metals was recorded in the range of 0.3-44.7 g/cm(2)/year, while the depositional flux was in the range of 0.07-43.5 t/year. Heavy-metal inventories of 9.8 × 10(2)-3.8 × 10(5) t were estimated in the coastal sediments of Pakistan. The enrichment and contamination factors (EF and CF) suggested significant influence of anthropogenic and industrial activities along the coastal belt of Pakistan.

Swine Flu: Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices Survey of Medical and Dental Students of Karachi.

Science.gov (United States)

Hasan, Fariha; Khan, Mohammad O; Ali, Mukarram

2018-01-09

Introduction Pakistan is extremely susceptible to an influenza outbreak, as it shares borders with the most affected countries, namely China and India. The medical and dental students come into direct contact with the affected population and should be aware of the risk factors and signs and symptoms pertaining to swine influenza virus (SIV). Hence, this survey was conducted to assess the knowledge, perceptions and self-care practices of the medical and dental students with regards to this pandemic. Methods A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted to evaluate the swine flu-related knowledge, attitudes and practices of the medical and dental students at various institutions in Karachi, Pakistan. We approached 613 students that were available on the dates of this survey, keeping a medical to dental student ratio of 75:25. All students from first to final year comprised of the study population, and no internists or medical personnel were included. The questionnaire was divided into three sections, namely knowledge, attitudes and, practices. All questions were based on a multiple choice format. The data were entered and interpreted using the IBM Statistical Package for the Social Sciences 23.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, New York). Results The majority of the students were aware that the swine flu is a transmittable disease (n=485, 80.8%). Most students identified the signs and symptoms correctly; however, diarrhea (15.5%) and vomiting (32.2%) were the least correct answers (n=93, n=193 respectively). Most of the preventative measures were reported accurately by the participants. Despite this, only 15.5% students (n=93) reported the use of a facemask when suffering from fever, cough and a runny nose. Conclusion There is a dire need for the routine integration of the awareness and management programs in the medical and dental schools. There exists a gap between the policy and practice, and it is high time we bridge the divide. The students should also be vaccinated

Frequency of colistin and fosfomycin resistance in carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae from a tertiary care hospital in Karachi

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Qamar S

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Salima Qamar, Najma Shaheen, Sadia Shakoor, Joveria Farooqi, Kauser Jabeen, Rumina Hasan Clinical Microbiology, Department of Pathology And Laboratory Medicine, Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan Introduction: Management of infections with carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE is challenging. In recent times, agents such as colistin and fosfomycin have been used in combination with other antibiotics to treat such infections. In this study, we aim to seek frequency of colistin and fosfomycin resistance in CRE from Pakistan.Methods: This study was conducted at clinical laboratories, Aga Khan University Hospital. In total, 251 CRE were included in the study. Colistin minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs were performed using broth microdilution (BMD method and VITEK® 2 system, whereas fosfomycin susceptibility was performed using Kirby–Bauer method. MIC50 and MIC90 were calculated for colistin and agreement between VITEK and BMD was also calculated.Results: Out of 251 strains colistin MIC of ≥4 µg/mL was seen in 40 (15.9%. Of these strains 20 (50% were Klebsiella pneumoniae. Colistin MIC50 and MIC90 were found to be 0.5 and 16 µg/mL, respectively. BMD and VITEK 2 showed 100% categorical agreement. Essential agreement was 88.5% with kappa score 0.733 indicating strong agreement between VITEK and BMD. 31 out of 251 (12.3% CREs were resistant to fosfomycin.Conclusion: Study shows frequency of colistin and fosfomycin resistance to be 15.9% and 12.3%, respectively. In countries where rate of CREs is high, emerging resistance against these last resort antibiotics is alarming as it leaves clinicians with almost no options to manage such multidrug resistant and extensively drug resistant infections. Keywords: emerging drug resistance, colistin resistance, fosfomycin resistance, carbapenam resistant enterobacteriaceae, salvage antibiotics 

Trends in Transfusion Transmitted Infections Among Replacement Blood Donors in Karachi, Pakistan

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Syed Mohammad Irfan

2013-06-01

Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of Hepatitis-B, Hepatitis-C and Human Immunodeficiency infections in replacement blood donors. METHODS: From January 2004 to December 2011, 108,598 apparently healthy donors donated blood at our Blood Bank. Screening was done by Microparticle Enzyme Immuno Assay (MEIA method on Axsym System (Abbott Diagnostic, USA and in year 2011 by Chemiluminescent Immunoassay (CIA method on Architect i2000 (Abbott Diagnostic, USA. From 2010 onward, HIV reactive donors were advised for confirmatory tests and reported back with the results. RESULTS: Of the 108,598 total donors, 108,393 (99.8% were replacement donors with a mean age of 28.92 (17-55 years. Of this, only 164 (0.15% were females. Among the replacement donors, 4,906 (4.5% were found to be reactive for Hepatitis-B, C and Human Immunodeficiency Virus. All the reactive patients, except one, were males. HbsAg was positive in 2,068 (1.90% and anti-HCV in 2832 (2.61% donors, while 111 (0.10% were positive for Human Immunodeficiency Virus. Co-infectivity was observed in 103 (0.09% cases. The prevalence appeared to be higher in younger age group (17-30 yrs. Only 16.6% cases should be patients returned with results of the confirmatory tests for HIV and were found positive. CONCLUSION: Hepatitis-B and C sero-prevalence in our series of replacement donors appears high compared to most studies from neighboring countries and relatively low in comparison to earlier studies from Pakistan. Prevalence of HIV, however, appears low and turn out of HIV positive cases for confirmatory tests is low.

Estimating risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases in non-atherosclerotic Pakistani patients: Study conducted at National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Karachi, Pakistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ashraf, T.; Achakzai, A.S.; Farooq, F.; Memon, M.A.

2017-01-01

This cross-sectional study was carried out at the National Institute of Cardiovascular Disease, Karachi, from July 2014 to March 2015, and comprised male and female subjects with multi-ethnic background, aged 20-79 years and having non-atherosclerotic disease. SPSS 22 was used for data analysis. Results: Of the 437 participants, 174(39.8%) were men and 263(60.2%) were women. The overall mean age was 42.65+-11.45 years. The mean age of men was 43.3+-12.1 years and that of women was 42.2+-10.8 years. Moreover, ten-year and lifetime risk assessment rates were higher in men (50[28.2%] and 86[49.4%] respectively) compared to women (28[10.6%] and 84[31.9%], respectively). Conclusion: Urdu-speaking Pakistanis were found to be at higher risk from atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

Intellectual wellness in medical university teachers: Gender based comparison.

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Syed, Sadiqa; Rehman, Rehana; Hussain, Mehwish; Shaikh, Saifullah

2017-05-01

A cross section, questionnaire based study was carried out from January 2012 till December 2014 to compare intellectual wellness (IW) awareness on the basis of gender in teachers of basic sciences at medical universities of Karachi, Pakistan. Data was collected from 3 public and 5 private medical universities of Karachi, Pakistan. Questionnaire was tailored from "Wellness Wheel" and responses were aggregated for eight questions in the dimension of IW to obtain aggregate IW score. Reliability of the questionnaire was measured using Cronbach's alpha. The average intellectual score was 24.99 ± 3.93 with a minimum score of 8 and maximum 32.The frequency of keeping informed about research updates was significantly higher in males (p = 0.043) that emphasized significantly better IW awareness of male medical teachers involved in teaching of medical sciences in both public and private medical universities of Pakistan.

Electrophysiological changes in patients with liver cirrhosis in a tertiary care hospital in karachi, pakistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Parkash, O.; Mohyuddin, G.R.; Ayub, A.; Nazir, I.

2017-01-01

Electrophysiological changes in cirrhosis are well known but least investigated especially in our country hence we wanted to see electrophysiological changes especially QT interval in cirrhotic patients. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at Aga Khan University Hospital Karachi (AKUH) in which medical records (duration 2008-2010) of cirrhotic patients were reviewed. Results: Three hundred and eighty cirrhotic patients' charts were studied, 227 (59.7 percent) were male and mean age of this cohort was 52.8+-12.6 years. The most common cause for CLD was Hepatitis C (CHC) in 260 (68.4 percent), NBNC in 56(14.7 percent) and HBV in 51 (13.4 percent). Only 225 had complete ECG workup, the mean corrected QT interval was 0.44+-0.067 sec. Among the electrophysiological abnormalities, 79 (35 percent) had a prolonged corrected QT interval, 7 (3.1 percent) had a prolonged PR interval (>0.22s) and prolonged QRS duration was seen in 23 (10.4 percent) patients. QT prolongation was seen in 1 of the 5 patients with Child Class A (20 percent), 22 of the 73 patients with Child Class B (30.1 percent), and 25 of the 61 patients with Child Class C (41 percent). However, this difference however was not statistically significant. (p value=.331). Conclusion: We conclude that QT prolongation is more frequent in patients with liver cirrhosis especially when the disease is more advanced like in Child C hence these patients are more prone to sudden cardiac death. Moreover, this study shows that the risk associated with QT prolongation is present through all classes of liver cirrhosis. We recommend that routine cardiac screening with ECG of all cirrhotic patients be performed. (author)

Bomb blast injuries: an exploration of patient characteristics and outcome using Pakistan National Emergency Departments Surveillance (Pak-NEDS) data.

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Khan, Irum; Khan, Nadeem; Naeem, Rubaba; Kerai, Salima; Allen, Kate; Zia, Nukhba; Shahbaz, Sana; Afridi, Shiraz; Siddiqui, Emaduddin; Khan, Uzma; Hyder, Adnan A; Razzak, Junaid A

2015-01-01

Bomb blast injuries result in premature deaths and burdening of healthcare systems. The objective of this study was to explore the characteristics and outcome of patients presenting to the emergency departments in Pakistan with bomb blast injuries. Active surveillance was conducted in seven major emergency departments of Pakistan from November 2010-March 2011. All the sites are tertiary care urban centers. All the patients who presented to the hospital's emergency department (ED) following a bomb blast injury as per self-report or the ambulance personnel were included in the study. Frequency of demographics, injury pattern, and outcomes were calculated. A total of 103 patients with bomb blast injuries presented to the selected emergency departments. The median age of patients was 30 years. Around three-fourth of the patients were males (n = 74, 74.7%). Most of the bomb blast patients were seen in Peshawar (n = 41, 39.8%) and Karachi city (n = 31, 30.1%) and the most common mode of arrival was non-ambulance transport (n = 71, 76.3%). Upper limb injuries (n = 12, 40%) were common in the under 18 age group and lower limb injuries (n = 31, 39.2%) in the 18 years and above group. There were a total of 8 (7.7%) deaths reported out of these 103 patients. Bomb blast injuries in Pakistan generally affect young males. Non-ambulance transport is the most common way to access emergency departments (ED). Overall ED mortality is high and capturing data during a disaster in an emergency department is challenging.

Economic and environmental impact analysis of new road network project, connecting the inland metropolitan cities with port city of Karachi in Pakistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brohi, K.M.; Uqaili, M.A.; Harijan, K.

2005-01-01

Most of the developing countries face a lack of infrastructure facilities, where the road transport network is one of them. In this paper, firstly impacts of new road network project connecting with port city and inland metropolitan cities or northwest part of Pakistan are analyzed by using Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) model. Secondly, for the estimation of economic and environmental impacts of this project, a multi-regional CGE model is proposed. It is found that construction of this project is going to change the industrial structure, especially in production of manufacturing sector, and it will also change the Equivalent Variation (EV). It is also observed that remarkable economic and environmental impacts appeared in the inland metropolitan cities or northwest region than the rest of Pakistan. After analysis of these impacts, it is easy for government to make proper policy for maintaining economic impacts and reducing environmental impacts on national and regional level. (author)

A multi-criteria decision-making approach to rank supplier selection criteria for hospital waste management: A case from Pakistan.

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Ishtiaq, Palvisha; Khan, Sharfuddin Ahmed; Haq, Moiz-Ul

2018-04-01

To address environmental issues and cost effectiveness, waste management is necessary for healthcare facilities. Most importantly, segregation of hazardous and non-hazardous waste must be done as in many developing countries; disposal of both types of healthcare waste is done together, which is an unsafe practice. Waste generated in hospitals needs proper management to minimise hazards for patient and healthcare workers. At the same time, it is quite difficult for hospitals to find a systematic way to select appropriate suppliers for hospital waste management. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to identify, validate, and rank criteria that are essential for hospital waste management suppliers' selection. The analytical hierarchal process approach has been used and a survey from Pakistan's largest city (Karachi) has been considered to rank the most appropriate criteria that is necessary to select the supplier, especially in a developing country like Pakistan. Results show that waste management cost (45.5%) and suppliers' details (31.5%) are the top two main criteria for supplier selection; and storage cost (15.7%), waste handling cost (14.7%), and qualification of the suppliers (10.9%) are the top three most important overall sub-criteria for supplier selection for hospital waste management.

Dietary modification, Body Mass Index (BMI), Blood Pressure (BP) and cardiovascular risk in medical students of a government medical college of Karachi

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Raza, S.; Sheikh, M.A.; Hussain, M.F.A.; Siddiqui, S.E.; Muhammad, R.; Aziz, S.; Qamar, S.; Saleem, M.A.; Waki, N.; Faruqi, H.; Zia, A.

2010-01-01

Objective: To determine the prevalence of major risk factors including dietary modification, Body Mass Index (BMI), Blood Pressure (BP) and physical activity in medical students of government teaching hospitals of Karachi. Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted on students of Dow Medical College, Karachi, Pakistan through a structured pre-tested questionnaire. Non-probability purposive sampling was used. Smoking, hypertension, family history of cardiovascular disease (CVD), overweight and low physical activity levels are risk factors the presence of which can lead to development of CVD. Prevalence of these risk factors was determined by asking appropriate questions and through measurement of BMI and blood pressure for overweight and hypertension respectively. Awareness of risk factors was determined through knowledge of the effect of various food substances on development of CVD and of adoption of dietary changes keeping in mind the risk of developing CVD. SPSS 16.0 was used for statistical analysis. Results: A total of 132 medical students were included in the study of which 57 (43.2%) and 75 (56.8%) were male and female respectively with mean age of 20.85 +- 1.21 years. About 15.9% of students had elevated blood pressure i.e. > 140/90 mmHg. Twenty eight percent of the total students were found to be underweight and 17.4% were overweight, 5% had some history of CVD, 56.8% had family history of CVD, 9.4% were smokers and 29.5% had high physical activity level. About 87.1% had modified their diet for preventing CVD. Most of the students had adequate knowledge about the cardiovascular risk factors Conclusion: Majority of students were not overweight. A high prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors; family history and elevated blood pressure was present. Awareness in terms of knowledge was satisfactory but implementation in terms of diet modification and adequate physical activity was lacking. (author)

Feasibility of conducting intradermal vaccination campaign with inactivated poliovirus vaccine using Tropis intradermal needle free injection system, Karachi, Pakistan.

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Yousafzai, Mohammad Tahir; Saleem, Ali Faisal; Mach, Ondrej; Baig, Attaullah; Sutter, Roland W; Zaidi, Anita K M

2017-08-01

Administration of intradermal fractional dose of inactivated poliovirus vaccine (fIPV) has proven to be safe and immunogenic; however, its intradermal application using needle and syringe is technically difficult and requires trained personnel. We assessed feasibility of conducting an intradermal fIPV campaign in polio high risk neighborhood of Karachi using Tropis needle-free injector. During the one-day fIPV campaign, we measured average "application time" to administer fIPV with Tropis, collected ergonomic information and measured vaccine wastage. Eleven vaccinator teams, after two-day training, immunized 582 children between 4 months and 5 years of age. Average "application time" ranged from 35-75 seconds; the "application time" decreased with the number of children vaccinated from 68 to 38 seconds between 1st and 30th child. 10/11 (91%) vaccinator teams found no ergonomic issues; 1/11 (9%) assessed that it was not easy to remove air bubbles when filling the device. There was 0% vaccine loss reported. No adverse events following immunizations were reported. We demonstrated that it is feasible, safe and efficient to use Tropis for the administration of fIPV in a campaign setting.

[Karachi Nuclear Power Plant (KANUPP), Safety Management

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hasan, S M [Karachi Nuclear Power Plant (KANUPP), Karachi (Pakistan)

1997-12-01

The present regime for CANDU safety management in Pakistan has evolved in line with contemporary international practice, and is essential adequate to ensure the continued safety of KANUPP and other future CANDU reactors, as confirmed by international reviews as well. But the small size of Pakistan nuclear power program poses limitations in developing - expert judgment in analysis of in-service inspection data; and own methodology for CANDU safety analysis.

[Karachi Nuclear Power Plant (KANUPP), Safety Management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hasan, S.M.

1997-01-01

The present regime for CANDU safety management in Pakistan has evolved in line with contemporary international practice, and is essential adequate to ensure the continued safety of KANUPP and other future CANDU reactors, as confirmed by international reviews as well. But the small size of Pakistan nuclear power program poses limitations in developing - expert judgment in analysis of in-service inspection data; and own methodology for CANDU safety analysis

Adolescent's perspective on reproductive health: a study from Karachi

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shahid, A.; Nasim, S.; Memon, A.A.; Mustafa, M.A.

2012-01-01

Objectives: To determine the existing knowledge, attitude and behavior about reproductive and sexual health in adolescents of Karachi and seek their opinion about reproductive health education. Study type, settings and duration: A cross sectional study was conducted on adolescents (17-19 years) of both gender studying in colleges of Karachi during 2010. Subject sand Methods: Using stratified sampling procedure, a cross sectional study was carried out. After informed consent and ensuring confidentiality an anonymous quantitative questionnaire was completed to ascertain the knowledge of adolescents on reproductive health. Results: A total of 912 adolescents (470 males and 442 females) of 12 public and private sector colleges of Karachi participated in the study. Acquaintance to reproductive health was present in 75% males and 71% females and most participants confirmed discussing reproductive health issues with friends. About 81% males and 91 % females affirmed for a need for enhanced reproductive health education and awareness while over 50% of the respondents were of the opinion that the right age for reproductive health education was 16 to 18 years. Confining sexual activity to one partner and avoiding exposure to blood and needles for the prevention of AIDS was known to 38% males and 44% females but the prevention of sexually transmitted infections using condoms, was known to only 1/3 rd of the respondents. Although 70% of the respondents of both genders knew that pregnancy can be avoided but only 20% knew about contraceptives. Conclusions: Most adolescents' knew about the reproductive cycle but were not well aware of how to avoid exposures to sexually transmitted infections and pregnancies. Policy message: Reproductive health education is insufficient in adolescents should be gender specific and socio culturally sensitive. (author)

Sexual abuse, social stigma and HIV vulnerability among young feminised men in Lahore and Karachi, Pakistan.

Science.gov (United States)

de Lind van Wijngaarden, Jan W; Schunter, Bettina T; Iqbal, Qasim

2013-01-01

This study describes the experiences of 10 young feminised men in Pakistan. They face high levels of stigma, violence and sexual abuse. The average age of first sex was 11 years old and all reported having been been raped during childhood and early adolescence, often several times. While some mothers and siblings were quietly supportive, young feminised men often end up running away from home, finding support as a member of a hijra dera, a 'pseudo-household' led by an older feminised man or guru, in which they find employment as dancers or sex workers. After their entry into sex work there is little or no opportunity to use condoms. The hijra dera offer an important entry point for improved social support and sexual health programmes, including efforts to ensure young feminised men postpone their sexual debut and/or improve their sexual health, retain access to education, explore alternative forms of employment and improve access to health care.

Distribution and diversity of airborne microflora under mangrove forest at sandspit area karachi, pakistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nazim, K.; Khan, M.U.; Ali, Q.M.; Ahmed, M.; Shaukat, S.S.; Sherwani, S.K.

2012-01-01

Fungi and bacteria are heterotrophic decomposers that grow on organic matter and occupy various habitats in mangrove forests. This paper deals with the distribution and diversity of air-borne microbiota (fungi and bacteria) under a mangrove forest at Sandspit, Pakistan. A permanent stand was set up at Sandspit to observe the qualitative and quantitative variations throughout the year, using petri plate techniques. During the study, a total of 16 fungal species, viz., Aspergillus niger, A. fumigatus, A. sulphureus, A. terreus, A. wentii, A. flavus, Alternaria alternata, A. maritima, A. porri, Alternaria sp., Rhizopus varians, Mucormucedo, Penicillium sp., P. notatum, Dreshellera biseptata, Exosporiella fungorum, Cladosporium oxysporum and 14420 +- 267 bacterial colonies were recorded from the selected site. The study revealed that the fungi were the major component of airborne microflora in mangrove environment. It was observed that both fungal species and number of bacterial colonies were higher in summer than in winter. It is anticipated that the temperature and salinity of sea-water directly affect the diversity of fungi and bacteria in mangroves environment. The maximum diversity H' (1.906) was recorded in August whereas the minimum H' (1.053) was recorded in March. It is hoped that this research will add to our knowledge pertaining to the distribution and diversity of the airborne microbiota (bacteria and fungi) in mangrove ecosystem. (author)

How Pakistan Works

OpenAIRE

Lieven, Anatol; Global Policy Institute

2008-01-01

The title for this essay comes from the fact that contrary to the general Western perception, Pakistan does actually work as a country, not as well as many, but better than some; and that it is in no immediate danger of collapse, except as a result of misguided and reckless US policies. Pakistan is in many ways surprisingly tough as a state and political society. The loss of Bangladesh in 1971 does not set a precedent for present-day Pakistan. The Pakistan of 1947-71, two regions with very di...

Pakistan.

Science.gov (United States)

1987-03-01

This information sheet about Pakistan, by the U.S. State Dept., summarizes its geography, political history, government, economy and international relations. Pakistan, lying on the Arabian Sea between Iran and India, and neighboring Afghanistan and China, has been independent from British control since 1947. Her people, 98 million, come from several Indo-European ethnic groups, but are 97% Muslim. Most live in the fertile Indus river valley; 53% work in agriculture; 13% in industry; mean per capita income is $331. The infant mortality rate is about 119/1000; life expectancy around 51 years. The country is endowed with resources, besides farmland, of oil, gas, coal, iron and hydroelectric power. It produces cotton, rice, fruits and vegetables as well for export. Pakistan's history is filled with strife, armed or political, marked by the independence of East Pakistan, now Bangladesh, in 1970, and rivalry for power by military and democratic factions, ending with a real election of Benazir Bhutto in 1986. Despite basic resources and a net export of food and textiles, the country has a significant debt and runs a deficit, and supports a rapidly growing young population (3.1% growth rate). Pakistan partakes in a complicated net of international relations due to the alignment of countries on her borders. Religious and ethnic conflicts with India, ideological difficulties and millions of refugees flowing from Afghanistan, but good relations with Iran and China make up this pattern.

Breast imaging reports for malignant lesions: are we maintaining recommended BI-RADS® lexicon standards?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Masroor, Imrana; Azeemuddin, Muhammad; Sakhawat, Saima; Beg, Madiha; Sohail, Saba; Ahmed, Rashid; Irfan-Ul-Haq; Mehboob, Javed

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate mammography reports for diagnosed breast cancer cases in major government and private centers in Karachi, Pakistan, with respect to concordance with the Breast Imaging Reports And Data System (BI-RADS ® ) lexicon. A prospective, descriptive, multicenter study was conducted in the radiology sections of the Aga Khan University Hospital, Pakistan Naval Station Shifa Hospital, Advanced Radiology Clinic, Karachi Institute of Radiotherapy and Nuclear Medicine, and Civil Hospital Karachi between May and October 2010 after approval from the ethical review committee of Aga Khan University. Mammograms reported as BI-RADS category 4 and 5 were included in the study. Mammograms reported as BI-RADS category 0, 1, 2 and 3 were excluded. Fifty reports were collected from each center. Data were collected about the clinical indication, breast density, location and description of the lesion, calcification, and comments on axillary lymph nodes. This description was compared with the BI-RADS lexicon. The mean age of the patients was 50 ± 12 years. The clinical indication, breast parenchymal density, lesion location, and presence of calcification were better described by the private centers, while description of lymph node status was better stated by the government centers. This difference was statistically significant, except for lesion description. The description of masses by the two reporting groups was comparable. Mammographic reporting of malignant breast lesions in the private sector is more in line with the BI-RADS lexicon, as compared with government sector hospitals in Karachi, Pakistan. Lymph node documentation was better in government sector reports

Assessment of characteristics of patients with cholelithiasis from economically deprived rural Karachi, Pakistan

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Naeem Muhammad

2012-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Gallstones have been regarded as one of the most expensive diseases in Gastroenterology, posing a great economic burden on developing nations. The majority of Pakistani people live in rural areas where healthcare facilities are not available or are very primitive. We aim to assess the characteristics among cholelithiasis patients from rural Karachi so that a prevention campaign can be launched in rural underprivileged settings to reduce the economic burden of this preventable disease. Method A total of 410 patients were included in the study after giving verbal consent as well as written consent. Variables such as age, weight, height, body mass index (BMI, blood pressure, waist circumference, number of children, monthly family income, number of siblings, and number of family members, were considered in this questionnaire. All data was analysed by SPSS ver. 16.0. Mean and standard deviation (SD were calculated for continuous variables. Frequency and percentages were calculated for categorical variables. Results Nearly 85.4% of the participants were female. The mean ± S.D. for age was 43.8 ± 9.59. Nearly 61% of the patients were illiterate. All of our patients were from low socioeconomic status and their mean salary ± S.D. was 6915 ± 1992 PKR (1 US $ = 90.37PKR. 75% of them were smokers with mean consumption ± S.D. of 7.5 ± 10 cigarettes per day. Fibre in diet was not used by 83.65% of patients. 40.2% were living in combined families. 61% were living in purchased homes. A positive history of diabetes mellitus was given by 45.1%, family history of cholelithiasis by 61% and history of hypertension by 31.7% of subjects. Soft drink consumption was given by 45.1% of patients; while only 8.5% used snacked daily. Tea was consumed by 95.1% of the subjects. Daily physical activity for 30 minutes was reported by only 13.4% of participants. Conclusion In conclusion, rural dwellers from low socioeconomic

Adherence to the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) guidelines for chronic heart failure - A national survey of the cardiologists in Pakistan

Science.gov (United States)

2011-01-01

Background The aims of this study were to evaluate the awareness of and attitudes towards the 2005 European Society of Cardiology (ESC) guidelines for Heart Failure (HF) of the cardiologists in Pakistan and assess barriers to adherence to guidelines. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted in person from March to July 2009 to all cardiologists practicing in 4 major cities in Pakistan (Karachi, Lahore, Quetta and Peshawar). A validated, semi-structured questionnaire assessing ESC 2005 Guidelines for HF was used to obtain information from cardiologists. It included questions about awareness and relevance of HF guidelines (See Additional File 1). Respondents' management choices were compared with those of an expert panel based on the guidelines for three fictitious patient cases. Cardiologists were also asked about major barriers to adherence to guidelines. Results A total of 372 cardiologists were approached; 305 consented to participate (overall response rate, 82.0%). The survey showed a very high awareness of CHF guidelines; 97.4% aware of any guideline. About 13.8% considered ESC guidelines as relevant or very relevant for guiding treatment decisions while 92.8% chose AHA guidelines in relevance. 87.2% of respondents perceived that they adhered to the HF guidelines. For the patient cases, the proportions of respondents who made recommendations that completely matched those of the guidelines were 7% (Scenario 1), 0% (Scenario 2) and 20% (Scenario 3). Respondents considered patient compliance (59%) and cost/health economics (50%) as major barriers to guideline implementation. Conclusion We found important self reported departures from recommended HF management guidelines among cardiologists of Pakistan. PMID:22093082

The constant threat of terrorism: stress levels and coping strategies amongst university students of Karachi.

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Ahmed, Ayesha Ejaz; Masood, Komal; Dean, Sohni Vicky; Shakir, Tanzila; Kardar, Ahmed Abdul Hafeez; Barlass, Usman; Imam, Syed Haider; Mohmand, Mohammad Ghawar Khan; Ibrahim, Hussain; Khan, Imad Saeed; Akram, Usman; Hasnain, Farid

2011-04-01

To assess the levels of stress in the face of terrorism and the adopted coping strategies, amongst the student population of universities in Karachi. A descriptive, cross sectional study was conducted on undergraduate students from four universities of Karachi. Self-administered questionnaires were filled out by 291 students. Pearson Chi-Square test was used to assess associations between stress levels and different variables at a level of significance of 0.05%. A total of 65.8% of the students had mild stress levels, 91.5% of university students were exposed to terrorism through television, while only 26.5% students reported personal exposure to terrorism. 67.4% students were forbidden by their parents to go out (p = 0.002). Most of those who had self exposure to an attack were the ones whose parents forbade them from going out (p = 0.00). Most commonly used coping strategy was increased faith in religion. Irritability was the most common stress symptom. A majority of students studying in universities of Karachi had mild stress levels due to the constant threat of terrorism whereas a minority had severe stress levels. Possible reasons for resilience and only mild stress levels could be the history of Karachi's internal conflicts and its prolonged duration of being exposed to terrorism. These students who are positive for stress need to be targeted for counseling either through the media or through their universities. More extensive research is needed in this area.

Rationale, design, and cohort enrolment of a prospective observational study of the clinical performance of the new contraceptive implant (Femplant in Pakistan

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Azmat SK

2014-05-01

Full Text Available Syed Khurram Azmat,1 Waqas Hameed,1 Anja Lendvay,2 Babar Tasneem Shaikh,3 Ghulam Mustafa,1 Muhammad Ahmed Siddiqui,1 Sajid Brohi,1 Asif Karim,1 Muhammad Ishaque,1 Wajahat Hussain,1 Mohsina Bilgrami,1 Paul J Feldblum2 1Research, Monitoring and Evaluation Department, Marie Stopes Society, Karachi, Pakistan; 2FHI 360, Durham, NC, USA; 3Health Services Academy, Islamabad, Pakistan Introduction: The use of hormonal implants has gained positive traction in family planning programs in recent times. Compared to other popular methods, such as long-term reversible intrauterine devices, the use of hormonal implants as a family planning method has distinct advantages in terms of long-term efficiency and better user compliance and availability. This paper presents a study protocol to document and evaluate the efficacy, safety, and acceptability of Femplant (contraceptive implant in Pakistan during the first year of its use among married women of reproductive age (18–44 years at clinics in two provinces of Pakistan (Sindh and Punjab. Materials and methods: A total of 724 married women were enrolled in a noncomparative prospective observational study. The study involved six government clinics from the Population Welfare Department in Sindh Province and 13 clinics run by the Marie Stopes Society (a local nongovernmental organization in both provinces. The participation of women was subject to voluntary acceptance and medical eligibility. All respondents were interviewed at baseline and subsequently at each scheduled visit during the study period. Side effects, complications and adverse events, if any, were recorded for every participant at each visit to the facility. Discussion: Over the next 5-year period (2013–2018, 27 million hormonal implants will be made available in lower- to middle-income countries by international donors and agencies. The evidence generated from this study will identify factors affecting the acceptability and satisfaction of end

Effect of organizational structures and types of construction on perceptions of factors contributing to project failure in pakistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gazder, U.; Khan, R.A.

2018-01-01

The construction industry is viewed as the regulator of national economy globally. Its importance in Pakistan has increased greatly because of the involvement of international funding agencies in infrastructure projects. The feasibility of such projects is largely dependent upon the satisfaction of multiple stakeholders. Hence, it is important to explore the factors considered by different construction organizations in evaluating the failure of their projects. This study focuses on providing a rating of factors affecting construction project failures in the construction industry of Karachi. In addition to that, difference in perception between professionals belonging to different construction projects and organizational structures has also been evaluated. The results of this study show that factors related to project planning and management are rated higher by professionals in general. Secondly, it was also observed that client satisfaction and its related factors were rated higher by organizations with project based management structures. (author)

Association of Socio-demographic Characteristics with Pattern of Health Seeking Behavior among Hepatitis C Patients in Pakistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pirani, S.; Ali, T.S.; Allana, S.; Ismail, F.W.

2017-01-01

Objectives: To identify association between socio-demographic characteristics and pattern of health seeking behavior among hepatitis C patients in Karachi, Pakistan. Study design, settings and duration: A descriptive, cross-sectional study done at Aga Khan University Hospital and the Civil Hospital Karachi between March and May 2013. Patients and Methods: Hepatitis C patients who were coming for treatment at the above 2 sites underwent a filling of questionnaire by the researcher. The questionnaire collected basic demographic information and their health seeking behavior i.e. visit to traditional healer or spiritual healer or medical doctor. Sample size of 250 patients was calculated. Analysis was done by using Chi square test and Fisher's exact test. p-value of 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Results: A total of 250 hepatitis patients were interviewed. The study showed that patient's occupation and educational level had significant association with their first visit either to a spiritual healer or traditional healer. More educated group consulted the medical doctor while those with none or low education initially went to see spiritual healers (p < 0.008) and second visit was made to traditional healers (p < 0.002). Patients with larger number of children went less often to visit a medical doctor on their second visit (p = 0.007), and family members belonging to the medical field were more likely to make their first visit to doctors (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Socio-demographic characteristics greatly influence the pattern of health seeking behavior among hepatitis C patients. (author)

Rising threat of terrorist bomb blasts in Karachi--a 5-year study.

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Mirza, Farhat Hussain; Parhyar, Hamid Ali; Tirmizi, Syed Zubair Ahmed

2013-08-01

This study aims to determine the frequency of injuries and fatalities associated with terrorist bomb explosions in the city of Karachi from 1 January 2007 to 31 December 2011. Moreover, this study is aimed to determine age and sex vulnerability among the victims of blast explosion. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted. The study was carried out at mortuaries and medicolegal sections at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center, Civil Hospital and Abbasi-Shaheed Hospital Karachi, the three main hospitals, which cater to all these cases of Karachi. The study included all bomb blast victims examined and autopsied from January 2007 to December 2011 at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center, Civil Hospital and Abbassi Shaheed Hospital Karachi. Details of 1142 cases were collected for those medicolegal deaths and injured persons, identified to be the victims of bomb blasts from January 2007 to December 2011. Data were collected on a preformed proforma from the mortuaries and medicolegal sections of these three public sector hospitals. The variables investigated include age, gender, year-wise distribution of the injured and the dead along with the cause of death and body parts injured in survivors. Out of the total 11,109 autopsies during the study period, 249 (2.24%) were carried out on deaths due to bomb blasts. Similarly, 135,065 injury cases were reported during the study period out of which 893 (0.66%) cases were due to bomb blasts. An initial peak in the year 2007, followed by a decline in 2008 and since then a steady rise of bomb blast incidences with casualties and fatalities, has been observed. The highest numbers of injured victims were reported in the year 2010 and fatalities in 2007. Among 1142 cases, 95.18% were male and 4.82% female with a male to female ratio of 19.76:1. Persons of ages between 15 and 45 years were chiefly involved. Shock due to multiple injuries was the leading cause of death, followed by head injury with or without haemorrhage. The

Publications | Page 17 | CRDI - Centre de recherches pour le ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

... facteurs de violence liée au sexe en milieu urbain au Pakistan. Dans les centres urbains au Pakistan, le sexe et la violence interagissent de manière inattendue et influencent profondément la vie des femmes et des hommes, comme le démontre une étude menée à Karachi par l'Institute of Business Administration.

The Approach of Pharmacy Students Towards Communication of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Communication of Medication Errors in Karachi, Pakistan. Wajiha Iffat1* ... patient information, poor communication, self administration of ... Pearson chi square test and logistic regression .... Washington, DC: Department of Health and Human.

JPRS Report, Near East and South Asia, Pakistan

Science.gov (United States)

1992-08-06

present troubles, the things that were allowed to happen in Karachi brand with infamy not only the MQM but a large part of the country’s leadership...native Sindhis (who were them- selves something of an underdog until Bhutto came on the scene) but with the migrant labour from the North. However, at...Karachi and Hyderabad. It is convenient to brand them traitors. No government has bothered to address the root cause of why a Pakistani community no

Why women go to medical college but fail to practise medicine: perspectives from the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

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Moazam, Farhat; Shekhani, Sualeha

2018-07-01

Female medical students outnumber men in countries such as Saudi Arabia, India and Pakistan, yet many fail to practise medicine following graduation. In Pakistan, 70% of medical students are women, yet it is estimated that half of them will not pursue medicine following graduation. This is considered a major reason for physician shortages in the country. We conducted a qualitative study drawing upon the 'role strain' theory to explore the views of final-year medical students from four medical colleges in Karachi, Pakistan, on female graduates not entering the medical field. Data were obtained through 20 individual in-depth interviews and two focus group discussions. Themes were developed inductively from the data using the constant comparison method. Pakistani parents actively channel daughters into medical education, considering medicine to be the most 'respectable' field. However, in a patrilocal society with norms of early, arranged marriages for daughters, there is a significant influence of in-laws and a husband on a woman's professional future. Parents perceive the medical degree as a 'safety net' should something go wrong with the marriage, rather than a step toward a medical career. Female respondents experience significant role conflict between their socially rooted gender roles as homemakers and mothers and their careers in medicine. Postgraduate training systems that are unfriendly to women provide further deterrents for women wishing to work. Contrary to popular belief, women not practising medicine is not the sole contributor to physician shortages. A significant factor appears to be male graduates migrating abroad for better training and financial prospects. Acceptance of traditional cultural values, including entrenched gender roles in society, deters women from practising medicine. To enable greater participation of women in the medical field, steps are required that will allow women to better manage family and work conflicts. © 2018 John Wiley

Characteristics of smokers and their knowledge about smoking at a teaching hospital in Karachi

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Qidwai, W.; Zahid, N.

2005-01-01

Objective: To study the characteristics of smokers and their knowledge about smoking, among Family Practice Patients, at a teaching hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. Main outcome measures: Age at starting smoking, duration and number of cigarettes smoked, started smoking under influence of friends, colleagues, family members or self motivation, number of friends and colleagues who smoked, whether smoking is unhealthy, and actual chance of harm to an individual due to smoking is very rare or not. Results: One hundred patients who visited Family Practice Center were interviewed. Sixty one percent were young married men, well educated and either student, in private service, self employed or unemployed. Eighty-four (84%) smokers started smoking between 16-25 years of age, and smoked 6-20 cigarettes daily for two to twenty five years. Sixty-nine (69%) of them started smoking under the influence of friends and had 3-5 friends and colleagues who smoked. 91% of smokers believed that smoking is unhealthy and were aware that it causes lung cancer and heart disease. Majority of them (69%) believed that the actual harm of smoking to an individual is not very rare. Conclusion: We have documented the characteristics of smokers and their knowledge about smoking among Family Practice patients. Majority of the respondents started smoking at a young age under the influence of friends though they were aware of its harmful effects. Though the sample size is small but it does give an indication about the responsible factors to plan interventional preventive strategies. (author)

Adherence to the European Society of Cardiology (ESC guidelines for chronic heart failure - A national survey of the cardiologists in Pakistan

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Shoukat Sana

2011-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The aims of this study were to evaluate the awareness of and attitudes towards the 2005 European Society of Cardiology (ESC guidelines for Heart Failure (HF of the cardiologists in Pakistan and assess barriers to adherence to guidelines. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted in person from March to July 2009 to all cardiologists practicing in 4 major cities in Pakistan (Karachi, Lahore, Quetta and Peshawar. A validated, semi-structured questionnaire assessing ESC 2005 Guidelines for HF was used to obtain information from cardiologists. It included questions about awareness and relevance of HF guidelines (See Additional File 1. Respondents' management choices were compared with those of an expert panel based on the guidelines for three fictitious patient cases. Cardiologists were also asked about major barriers to adherence to guidelines. Additional file 1 Questionnaire. Description: Questionnaire that was administered to participants. Click here for file Results A total of 372 cardiologists were approached; 305 consented to participate (overall response rate, 82.0%. The survey showed a very high awareness of CHF guidelines; 97.4% aware of any guideline. About 13.8% considered ESC guidelines as relevant or very relevant for guiding treatment decisions while 92.8% chose AHA guidelines in relevance. 87.2% of respondents perceived that they adhered to the HF guidelines. For the patient cases, the proportions of respondents who made recommendations that completely matched those of the guidelines were 7% (Scenario 1, 0% (Scenario 2 and 20% (Scenario 3. Respondents considered patient compliance (59% and cost/health economics (50% as major barriers to guideline implementation. Conclusion We found important self reported departures from recommended HF management guidelines among cardiologists of Pakistan.

Effects of education on reproductive behavior: lessons from Pakistan.

Science.gov (United States)

Greenspan, A

1992-12-01

Evidence from the Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey 1990/91 (PDHS) and a 1987 study by Zeba A. Sathar and Karen Oppenheim on women's fertility in Karachi and the impact of educational status, corroborates the correlation between improved education for women and fertility decline. PDHS revealed that current fertility is 5.4 children/ever married woman by the end of the reproductive period. 12% currently use a contraceptive method compared to 49% in India, 40% in Bangladesh, and 62% in Sri Lanka. The social environment of high illiteracy, low educational attainment, poverty, high infant and child and maternal mortality, son preference, and low status of women leads to high fertility. Fertility rates vary by educational status; i.e., women with no formal education have 2 more children than women with at least some secondary education. Education also affects infant and child mortality and morbidity. Literacy is 31% for women and 43% for men. 30% of all males and 20% of all females have attended primary school. Although most women know at least 1 contraceptive method, it is the urban educated woman who is twice as likely to know a source of supply and 5 times more likely to be a user. The Karachi study found that lower fertility among better educated urban women is an unintended consequence of women's schooling and deliberate effort to limit the number of children they have. Education-related fertility differentials could not be explained by the length of time women are at risk of becoming pregnant (late marriage age). Fertility limitation may be motivated by the predominant involvement in the formal work force and higher income. The policy implications are the increasing female schooling is a good investment in lowering fertility; broader improvements also need to be made in economic opportunities for women, particularly in the formal sector. Other needs are for increasing availability and accessibility of contraceptive and family planning services and increasing

Bacteriological investigation of ground water sources in selected ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

cml

2012-06-16

Jun 16, 2012 ... Microbial contamination of ground water sources is a common problem in all the big cities, which endangers ... include leakage of pipes, pollution from sewerage pipes ..... and Quality Control Authority, Karachi, Pakistan.

Prevalence and Severity of Depression among Undergraduate ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Undergraduate Students in Karachi, Pakistan: A Cross. Sectional Study ... questionnaire to appraise the presence and extent of depression among the participants. Their socio- ..... and disability by cause 1990-2020: Global burden of disease ...

Thermal Performance of Typical Residential Building in Karachi with Different Materials for Construction

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Nafeesa Shaheen

2016-04-01

Full Text Available This research work deals with a study of a residential building located in climatic context of Karachi with the objective of being the study of thermal performance based upon passive design techniques. The study helps in reducing the electricity consumption by improving indoor temperatures. The existing residential buildings in Karachi were studied with reference to their planning and design, analyzed and evaluated. Different construction?s compositions of buildings were identified, surveyed and analyzed in making of the effective building envelops. Autodesk® Ecotect, 2011 was used to determine indoor comfort conditions and HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, Air-Conditioning and Cooling loads. The result of the research depicted significant energy savings of 38.5% in HVAC loads with proposed building envelop of locally available materials and glazing.

Pakistan's Approach Towards Cem-Bio Issues

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khan, M. A.; Iqbal, J.

2007-01-01

Pakistan ratified the BWC and CWC as a non-possessive state at that time when international environment were fraught with uncertainties about Chem-Bio threat. The geographical location of Pakistan faces a serious multidimensional WMD threat which includes threat from, non-state actors and her neighbours especially after declaration of chemical weapons during process of ratification of CWC. Pakistan never pursued such chem-bio program with the aim to use it as a mean of deterrence in overall context of security policy and always encouraged any move regarding strengthening of national/international institutional efforts to counter potential misuse of chem-bio technology. Pakistan's position has consistently been positive, pragmatic and supportive. For better implementation of BWC and CWC in Pakistan, comprehensive policies have been formulated and National Authority has been established to work as National point of contact on CWC affairs. Pakistan CWC Act 2000, Pakistan Bio Safety Rules 2005 and Pakistan Export Control Act 2004 are the evidences of Pakistan's sincerity to the implementation of CWC and BWC. Pakistan has declared 15 industries involved with chemicals, out of which 06 have already been inspected by OPCW Inspectors. Pakistan has declared its national protective program and pursuing all possible measures to enhance the national capacity and potential to guard against chem-bio threats. Pakistan has proved that it is committed to the principles of disarmament, which could serve as confidence building measures and may help reducing distrust and regional tension.(author)

Current Status and Future Suggestions for Improving the Pharm. D Curriculum towards Clinical Pharmacy Practice in Pakistan

Science.gov (United States)

Malhi, Saima Mahmood; Ajmal, Kiran; Shamim, Sumbul; Ata, Saniya; Farooq, Salman; Sharib, Syed Muhammad; Muntaha, Sidrat-ul

2017-01-01

Objectives & Background: Good curriculum is reflected as the backbone for standard universities to develop competitive professionals having great potential. Pharmacy education in Pakistan has gone through the same developmental stages as in other countries, but is still striving for improvement. In the present study, we want (i) to know the opinion on whether the current pharmacy curriculum requires any improvement in order to meet the training needs of pharmacy professionals regarding clinical knowledge and pharmacy practice; and (ii) to present some humble suggestions to decision-making authorities in order to improve it with respect to patient-focused programs (PFP). Methods: The study was conducted in two sessions. In first session, a questionnaire was distributed to pharmacy students of eight public/private sector universities of Karachi (N = 354) offering Pharm. D degrees. The second session dealt with the pharmacy teachers, deans, and practicing pharmacists in health care facilities (who are in any ways also related to academia), in order to take their opinions on and suggestions for the development of a better Pharm. D curriculum (N = 135). Results: Our results showed that 75.2% of respondents agree that the Pharm. D curriculum does not meet the international standards of practice, and 88.4% of respondents support the addition of more clinical aspects than industrial ones, as Pharm. D could be both clinically and industrially oriented, according to the needs of the Pakistani people. Furthermore, 80.2% of respondents are of the view that an apprenticeship should be included in last two years, while 88.4% demand a ‘paid residency program’ to facilitate the hospital, clinical and compounding areas of pharmacy. In addition, we also received a number of verbal suggestions for improving the Pharm. D curriculum being followed in Pakistan. Discussion & Conclusions: We conclude that our Pharm. D curriculum needs additions in terms of clinical practice by

Is Pakistani Equity Market Integrated to the Equity Markets of Group of Eight (G8 Countries? An Empirical Analysis of Karachi Stock Exchange

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Syed Muhammad Aamir Shah

2012-09-01

Full Text Available This study looks at the dynamic relationship between the Pakistani equity market and equity markets of Group of Eight countries (G8 which includes Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, UK and USA by using weekly time series data starting from June 2004 to May 2009. Multivariate Co-integration approach by Johnson and Julius (1990 shows there exists no long-term relationship between the G8 and Pakistani equity market. Vector error correction (VECM model suggests that 100% of the lag periods disequilibrium has been corrected in the current period. Pairwise Granger Causality test shows that there exist a unidirectional causality between the equity market of Pakistan and the markets of France, Germany, Italy, Japan and United Kingdom. Impulse response analysis and variance decomposition analysis reveal that most of the shocks in Pakistani equity market are due to its own innovation and behave like exogenous. However, the markets of France, Japan, Germany and United Kingdom are exerting a little pressure on Pakistani equity markets. Therefore, by investing in Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE the fund manager of G8 countries especially Canada, Italy, Russia and USA is capable of getting the advantage of portfolio diversification.

Energy dynamics of Pakistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Azhar, M.I.; Sultan, A.; Nouman, A.; Javed, A.

2011-01-01

The paper analyzes energy requirements of Pakistan and the rate at which these requirements are increasing. Various energy sources in Pakistan are analyzed and their potentials and limitations are presented. Global trends suggest that the world will depend more on renewable energy resources in the future. So Pakistan should also consider these sources. The way this situation is handled will have a great effect on the future development of Pakistan. The worst and best case scenarios are presented. Solutions to the problem and some methods to deal with the situation are also suggested with keeping 2025 in view. (author)

Automated Versus Manual Blood Pressure Measurement: A Randomized Crossover Trial in the Emergency Department of a Tertiary Care Hospital in Karachi, Pakistan: Are Third World Countries Ready for the Change?

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Mansoor, Kanaan; Shahnawaz, Saba; Rasool, Mariam; Chaudhry, Huwad; Ahuja, Gul; Shahnawaz, Sara

2016-09-15

Hypertension has proven to be a strong liability with 13.5% of all mortality worldwide being attributed to elevated blood pressures in 2001. An accurate blood pressure measurement lies at the crux of an appropriate diagnosis. Despite the mercury sphygmomanometer being the gold standard, the ongoing deliberation as to whether mercury sphygmomanometers should be replaced with the automated oscillometric devices stems from the risk mercury poses to the environment. This study was performed to check the validity of automated oscillometric blood pressure measurements as compared to the manual blood pressure measurements in Karachi, Pakistan. Blood pressure was recorded in 200 individuals aged 15 and above using both, an automated oscillometric blood pressure device (Dinamap Procare 100) and a manual mercury sphygmomanometer concomitantly. Two nurses were assigned to each patient and the device, arm for taking the reading and nurses were randomly determined. SPSS version 20 was used for analysis. Mean and standard deviation of the systolic and diastolic measurements from each modality were compared to each other and P values of 0.05 or less were considered to be significant. Validation criteria of British Hypertension Society (BHS) and the US Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) were used. Two hundred patients were included. The mean of the difference of systolic was 8.54 ± 9.38 while the mean of the difference of diastolic was 4.21 ± 7.88. Patients were further divided into three groups of different systolic blood pressure 120 to = 150 and > 150, their means were 6.27 ± 8.39 (p-value 0.175), 8.91 ± 8.96 (p-value 0.004) and 10.98 ± 10.49 (p-value 0.001) respectively. In our study 89 patients were previously diagnosed with hypertension; their difference of mean systolic was 9.43 ± 9.89 (p-value 0.000) and difference of mean diastolic was 4.26 ± 7.35 (p-value 0.000). Systolic readings from a previously validated device are not reliable

CERN and Pakistan consolidate their partnership

CERN Multimedia

2006-01-01

During the President of Pakistan's visit to CERN, the Laboratory and Pakistan decided to strengthen their collaboration. The President of Pakistan, Pervez Musharraf, the Chairman of PAEC, Parvez Butt, and CERN's Director-General, Robert Aymar, exchange congratulations following the signing of the letter of intent to strengthen partnership between CERN and Pakistan.The President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Pervez Musharraf, during his speech in the Council Chamber. The President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, General Pervez Musharraf, visited CERN on 27 January this year, accompanied by an important delegation of five ministers from the Pakistani Government, the Chairman of Pakistan's Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC), Parvez Butt, and an eminent former Chairman of the Commission, Ishfaq Ahmad, who pioneered cooperation with CERN. Welcomed by CERN's Director-General, Robert Aymar, the President visited the CMS experiment to which Pakistan is making a substantial contribution. The presidential pa...

Heterogeneity of BCR-ABL rearrangement in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia in Pakistan.

Science.gov (United States)

Tabassum, Najia; Saboor, Mohammad; Ghani, Rubina; Moinuddin, Moinuddin

2014-07-01

Breakpoint cluster region-Abelson (BCR-ABL) rearrangement or Philadelphia (Ph) chromosome in Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) is derived from a reciprocal chromosomal translocation between ABL gene on chromosome 9 and BCR gene on chromosome 22. This chimeric protein has various sizes and therefore different clinical behaviour. The purpose of this study was to determine the heterogeneity of BCR-ABL rearrangement in patients with Ph(+)CML in Pakistan. The study was conducted at Civil Hospital and Baqai Institute of Hematology (BIH) Karachi. Blood samples from 25 patients with CML were collected. Multiplex reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was performed to identify various BCR-ABL transcripts. All 25 samples showed BCR-ABL rearrangements. Out of these, 24 (96%) patients expressed p210 BCR-ABL rearrangements i.e. 60% (n=15) had b3a2 and 32% (n=8) had b2a2 rearrangements. Co-expression of b3a2 /b2a2 rearrangement and p190 (e1a3) rearrangement was also identified in two patients. It is apparent that majority of the patients had p210 BCR-ABL rearrangements. Frequency of co-expression and rare fusion transcripts was very low.

Regional variation in identified cancer care needs of early-career oncologists in China, India, and Pakistan.

Science.gov (United States)

Lyerly, H Kim; Fawzy, Maria R; Aziz, Zeba; Nair, Reena; Pramesh, C S; Parmar, Vani; Parikh, Purvish M; Jamal, Rozmin; Irumnaz, Azizunissa; Ren, Jun; Stockler, Martin R; Abernethy, Amy P

2015-05-01

Cancer incidence and mortality is increasing in the developing world. Inequities between low-, middle-, and high-income countries affect disease burden and the infrastructure needs in response to cancer. We surveyed early-career oncologists attending workshops in clinical research in three countries with emerging economies about their perception of the evolving cancer burden. A cross-sectional survey questionnaire was distributed at clinical trial concept development workshops held in Beijing, Lahore, Karachi, and Mumbai at major hospitals to acquire information regarding home-country health conditions and needs. A total of 100 respondents participated in the workshops held at major hospitals in the region (India = 29, China = 25, Pakistan = 42, and other = 4). Expected consensus on many issues (e.g., emergence of cancer as a significant health issue) was balanced with significant variation in priorities, opportunities, and challenges. Chinese respondents prioritized improvements in cancer-specific care and palliative care, Indian respondents favored improved cancer detection and advancing research in cancer care, and Pakistani respondents prioritized awareness of cancer and improvements in disease detection and cancer care research. For all, the most frequently cited opportunity was help in improving professional cancer education and training. Predominantly early-career oncologists attending clinical research workshops (in China, India, and Pakistan) identified needs for increasing clinical cancer research, professional education, and public awareness of cancer. Decision makers supporting efforts to reduce the burden of cancer worldwide will need to factor the specific needs and aspirations of health care providers in their country in prioritizing health policies and budgets. ©AlphaMed Press.

Prevalence of diabetic retinopathy in type II diabetic patients in a ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

patients in a health facility in Karachi, Pakistan. Humera Ishaq1* ... regular medication, diet and exercise to avoid development and progress of DR. Keywords: Diabetes .... levels for likelihood on participants that they will develop diabetic ...

Soil borne gungi associated with different vegetable crop in sindh, pakistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Usman, F.; Abid, M.; Hussain, F.

2014-01-01

Different soil-borne fungi are responsible for reducing the yield of vegetables throughout the world including Pakistan. There are several soil borne fungal pathogens which aggressively infect vegetable crops. Surveys conducted during September 2010 to October 2011, demonstrated that a great diversity of soil borne plant pathogens associated with different vegetables prevail in vegetable growing areas of Sindh such as Tando Allahayar, Mirpurkhas, Ghotaki, Khairpur, Kunri, Umerkot and Karachi, etc. Our study noted in total thirteen different genera of fungi isolated from vegetable crops (cabbage, brinjal, tomato, radish and spinach). Isolated fungi identified included Alternaria solani, Aspergillus flavus, A. fumigatus, A. niger, A. oryzae, A. terrus, Aeromonium fusidiocles, Cladosporium sp., Drechselra hawaiiensis, Eurotium berbanbrum, Fusarium oxysporum, Macrophomina phaseolina, Penicillium commune, Rhizoctonia solani, Trichoderma harzianum, Ulocladium sp., and unidentified black mycelium from the soil and roots of vegetable crops. In addition, it was found that soil is commonly infected by soil-borne fungi and eventually results in heavy losses of vegetable yield in the vegetable growing areas of Sindh province. The infection rapidly increased due to many factors such as, presence of moisture, excess of water and infection may be caused by winds, gales and dust storms as well as by mechanical vectors. (author)

Pakistan and the bomb

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khalilzad, Z.

1980-01-01

Pakistan is thought to be the next candidate for the nuclear club. A civilian program inevitably greatly reduces the incremental time and cost for further steps that might be taken toward military uses. Pakistani leaders realized that a civilian nuclear program could bring their country close to a nuclear weapons capability, and that emphasis on the non-military importance and economic necessity of certain civilian technologies can provide a cover for essentially military programs. In 1975, Pakistan announced its energetic nuclear plan for the remainder of this century, in which it called for the installation of a 600-MW reactor in 1980 and 10 more reactors in the decade following. In 1976, Pakistan signed an agreement with France for the purchase of a nuclear reprocessing facility. With reprocessing and testing and construction of the non-nuclear parts of nuclear devices a nonweapon state can come anywhere from a few hours to a few days within putting a nuclear device together, depending on the technical capabilities of the countries concerned. But, Pakistan's interest in reprocessing has been taken as a serious indicator of a desire to be able to produce nuclear weapons. The effects and the impact of 1974 Indian explosion on Pakistan are examined. If India's 1974 explosion results in the production of nuclear weapons, Pakistan will probably follow suit. Pakistan has refused to become a party to the Partial Test Ban and the Non-Proliferation Treatly. 28 references

Impact of today's media on university student's body image in Pakistan: a conservative, developing country's perspective

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Khan Hussain I

2011-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Living in a world greatly controlled by mass media makes it impossible to escape its pervading influence. As media in Pakistan has been free in the true sense of the word for only a few years, its impact on individuals is yet to be assessed. Our study aims to be the first to look at the effect media has on the body image of university students in a conservative, developing country like Pakistan. Also, we introduced the novel concept of body image dissatisfaction as being both negative and positive. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among 7 private universities over a period of two weeks in the city of Karachi, Pakistan's largest and most populous city. Convenience sampling was used to select both male and female undergraduate students aged between 18 and 25 and a sample size of 783 was calculated. Results Of the 784 final respondents, 376 (48% were males and 408 (52% females. The mean age of males was 20.77 (+/- 1.85 years and females was 20.38 (+/- 1.63 years. Out of these, 358 (45.6% respondents had a positive BID (body image dissatisfaction score while 426 (54.4% had a negative BID score. Of the respondents who had positive BID scores, 93 (24.7% were male and 265 (65.0% were female. Of the respondents with a negative BID score, 283 (75.3% were male and 143 (35.0% were female. The results for BID vs. media exposure were similar in both high and low peer pressure groups. Low media exposure meant positive BID scores and vice versa in both groups (p Conclusions Our study confirmed the tendency of the media to have an overall negative effect on individuals' body image. A striking feature of our study, however, was the finding that negative body image dissatisfaction was found to be more prevalent in males as compared to females. Likewise, positive BID scores were more prevalent amongst females.

Attitude of teaching faculty towards statistics at a medical university in Karachi, Pakistan.

Science.gov (United States)

Khan, Nazeer; Mumtaz, Yasmin

2009-01-01

Statistics is mainly used in biological research to verify the clinicians and researchers findings and feelings, and gives scientific validity for their inferences. In Pakistan, the educational curriculum is developed in such a way that the students who are interested in entering in the field of biological sciences do not study mathematics after grade 10. Therefore, due to their fragile background of mathematical skills, the Pakistani medical professionals feel that they do not have adequate base to understand the basic concepts of statistical techniques when they try to use it in their research or read a scientific article. The aim of the study was to assess the attitude of medical faculty towards statistics. A questionnaire containing 42 close-ended and 4 open-ended questions, related to the attitude and knowledge of statistics, was distributed among the teaching faculty of Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS). One hundred and sixty-seven filled questionnaires were returned from 374 faculty members (response rate 44.7%). Forty-three percent of the respondents claimed that they had 'introductive' level of statistics courses, 63% of the respondents strongly agreed that a good researcher must have some training in statistics, 82% of the faculty was in favour (strongly agreed or agreed) that statistics was really useful for research. Only 17% correctly stated that statistics is the science of uncertainty. Half of the respondents accepted that they have problem of writing the statistical section of the article. 64% of the subjects indicated that statistical teaching methods were the main reasons for the impression of its difficulties. 53% of the faculty indicated that the co-authorship of the statistician should depend upon his/her contribution in the study. Gender did not show any significant difference among the responses. However, senior faculty showed higher level of the importance for the use of statistics and difficulties of writing result section of

The vespid fauna of Pakistan.

Science.gov (United States)

Rafi, Muhammad Ather; Carpenter, James M; Qasim, Muhammad; Shehzad, Anjum; Zia, Ahmed; Khan, Muhammad Rafique; Mastoi, Muhammad Ishaque; Naz, Falak; Ilyas, Muhammad; Shah, Mazafar; Bhatti, Abdul Rauf

2017-12-04

This study provides the first annotated check list of the Vespidae of Pakistan. It is based on the National Insect Museum collection and various studies in Pakistan. Among 105 identified taxa, 77 species and 28 subspecies are recorded in the four subfamilies Eumeninae, Masarinae, Polistinae and Vespinae. Three new records for the fauna of Pakistan are added, namely Anterhynchium mellyi, Antepipona ovalis and Eumenes coronatus coronatus. Among the total, 12 species/subspecies are endemic to Pakistan, namely Ancistrocerus pakistanus, Antepipona luteipes, Antodynerus flavescens karachiensis, Celonites nursei, Cyrtolabulus karachiensis, Eustenancistrocerus (Parastenancistrocerus) baluchistanensis, Katamenes dimidiatus watsoni, Knemodynerus lahorensis, Leptochilus (Neoleptochilus) hina, Leptochilus (Neoleptochilus) mirificus, Leptochilus (Neoleptochilus) umerolatus and Tachyancistrocerus pakistanus. Antepipona varentzowi (Morawitz, 1896) and Polistes rothneyi quatei van der Vecht, 1968 were incorrectly reported from Pakistan.

Effect of strong electrolytes on edible oils part II: vViscosity of maize ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

DR. MIKE HORSFALL

dioxane in the presence of HCl, NaOH and NaCl at different temperatures. 1A. RASHEED KHAN; 2SHAMA, REHANA SAEED; 2*FAHIM UDDIN. 1Department of Chemistry, Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science & Technology,. Karachi Pakistan.

Impact of socioeconomic conditions on perinatal mortality in Karachi.

Science.gov (United States)

Aziz, S; Billoo, A G; Samad, N J

2001-10-01

To study and compare the perinatal mortality (PNM) in hospitals located in various socio-economic areas of Karachi. A prospective review of all births was done from May 1996 to April 1997. Precoded proformas were provided to each hospital and the birth and details of each mother and baby delivered recorded. All mothers and their newborn delivered during the time period mentioned. Comparison of PNM in hospitals located in various socio-economic areas of Karachi. A total of 4957 proformas were filled, 63.5% by doctors, 32% by LHVs, 2.9% by administrator and 2.3% by paramedics. Overall 92.3% mothers were housewives, less than 45% of the mothers received primary/secondary education; 42% mothers were of the age 21 to 25 years. More than 52.3% fathers were unskilled labourers. Only 27% mothers were booked while the rest were unbooked or came to deliver on walk in basis. Majority (62%) of the mothers had a > 37 week duration of pregnancy and 51% newborns were male and 49% female. Twenty three percent of the newborns weighed 2500 grams but less than 4500 grams; 24.5% newborns died on day one of birth. The PNM per 1000 births in the high, middle and low socioeconomic hospital was 16.4 +/- 23.6, 24.9 +/- 51.20 and 80.4 +/- 177.78 respectively. A statistical significance (p mother, hence the fetus.

Clinical profile, outcomes and improvement in symptoms and productivity in rhinitic patients in Karachi, Pakistan

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Sherwani Ubaid

2009-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Rhinitis can cause a heavy toll on patients because of its bothersome effects on productivity. This retrospective study was conducted to explore the clinical profile, outcomes and improvement in the symptoms and productivity resulting from treatment of allergic rhinitis in Pakistan. Methods We carried out a retrospective file review of all allergic rhinitis patients who presented to the Ear, Nose, Throat Consulting Clinic from January, 2006 to June, 2008 using a structured proforma especially designed for this purpose. Data was entered and analyzed using SPSS v. 16.0. Results The charts of 169 patients were reviewed. The mean age of the patients was 35.2 ± 9.1 years. Sixty percent patients were male. Ninety eight patients (58% reported allergy symptoms to be present at both home and work. One hundred and two patients (60.4% had symptoms severe enough to cause absence from work or academic activities. Up to seventy one percent patients were spending between 1000 - 3000 Pakistani Rupees (1 US$= 83.3 Pakistani rupees on the treatment of allergic rhinitis per year. One hundred and fifty one patients (89.3% reported an improvement in rhinitic symptoms and productivity while 18 patients (10.7% didn't. This improvement was significantly associated with satisfaction with treatment (p Conclusion Allergic rhinitis, a ubiquitous disease, was seen to cause a strain on patients in the form of recurrent treatment-related expenses as well as absenteeism from work or other daily activities. Symptoms and productivity improved significantly after treatment.

AFJU OFC 18(3).indd

African Journals Online (AJOL)

imac-3

a Department of Radiology, Aga Khan Medical University, Karachi, Pakistan b Rhode Island Hospital, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA c Department of Surgery, Aga .... In defense of IVU, Saeed et al. [12] noted that the addition of ...

Physician migration at its roots: a study on the factors contributing towards a career choice abroad among students at a medical school in Pakistan

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Sheikh Asfandyar

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Physician migration, also known as “brain drain,” results from a combination of a gap in the supply and demand in developed countries and a lack of job satisfaction in developing countries. Many push and pull factors are responsible for this effect, with media and internet playing their parts. Large-scale physician migration can pose problems for both the donor and the recipient countries, with a resulting reinforcement in the economic divide between developed and developing countries. The main objectives of our study were to determine the prevalence of migration intentions in medical undergraduates, to elucidate the factors responsible and to analyze the attitudes and practices related to these intentions. Methods This was a cross-sectional, observational, questionnaire-based study, conducted at Dow Medical College of Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, between January, 2012 and May, 2012. A total of 323 students responded completely. The questionnaire consisted of 3 sections, and was aimed at collecting demographic details, determining students’ migratory intentions, evaluating reasons for and against migration and assessing attitudes and practices of students related to these intentions. Results Out of 323 respondents, 195 wanted to pursue their careers abroad, giving a prevalence rate of 60.4% in our sample. United States was the most frequently reported recipient country. The most common reasons given by students who wished to migrate, in descending order, were: lucrative salary abroad followed by quality of training, job satisfaction, better way of life, relatives, more opportunities, better working environment, terrorism in Pakistan, harassment of doctors in Pakistan, desire to settle abroad, more competition in Pakistan, better management, peer pressure, longer working hours in Pakistan, religious reasons, parent pressure, political reasons and favoritism in Pakistan. A considerable number of respondents

Physician migration at its roots: a study on the factors contributing towards a career choice abroad among students at a medical school in Pakistan

Science.gov (United States)

2012-01-01

Background Physician migration, also known as “brain drain,” results from a combination of a gap in the supply and demand in developed countries and a lack of job satisfaction in developing countries. Many push and pull factors are responsible for this effect, with media and internet playing their parts. Large-scale physician migration can pose problems for both the donor and the recipient countries, with a resulting reinforcement in the economic divide between developed and developing countries. The main objectives of our study were to determine the prevalence of migration intentions in medical undergraduates, to elucidate the factors responsible and to analyze the attitudes and practices related to these intentions. Methods This was a cross-sectional, observational, questionnaire-based study, conducted at Dow Medical College of Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, between January, 2012 and May, 2012. A total of 323 students responded completely. The questionnaire consisted of 3 sections, and was aimed at collecting demographic details, determining students’ migratory intentions, evaluating reasons for and against migration and assessing attitudes and practices of students related to these intentions. Results Out of 323 respondents, 195 wanted to pursue their careers abroad, giving a prevalence rate of 60.4% in our sample. United States was the most frequently reported recipient country. The most common reasons given by students who wished to migrate, in descending order, were: lucrative salary abroad followed by quality of training, job satisfaction, better way of life, relatives, more opportunities, better working environment, terrorism in Pakistan, harassment of doctors in Pakistan, desire to settle abroad, more competition in Pakistan, better management, peer pressure, longer working hours in Pakistan, religious reasons, parent pressure, political reasons and favoritism in Pakistan. A considerable number of respondents had already started studying

Professor Tariq Solaija, Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission

CERN Multimedia

Patrice Loïez

2002-01-01

Photo 01: Dr Austin Ball, CMS Deputy Technical Coordinator, discussing a section of CMS with Mr Tariq Solaija, National Centre of Physics, Pakistan, in charge of Pakistan's contribution to the Muon detector (Resistive Plate Chambers). Photo 02: Dr Austin Ball, CMS Deputy Technical Coordinator (right) presents neutron absorber panels for the CMS detector to (right-to-left) Mr Syed Shaukat Hasan, Minister Technical, Pakistan Mission in Geneva; Mr Tariq Solaija, National Centre of Physics, Pakistan and Dr Diether Blechschmidt, Non-Member States Relations, CERN. Photo 03: Mr Syed Shaukat Hasan, Minister Technical, Pakistan Mission in Geneva; Mr Tariq Solaija, National Centre of Physics, Pakistan; Dr Diether Blechschmidt, Non-Member States Relations, CERN and Austin Ball, CMS Deputy Technical Coordinator (right) looking up to the CMS detector. Photo 04: Mr Syed Shaukat Hasan, Minister Technical, Pakistan Mission in Geneva; Mr Tariq Solaija, National Centre of Physics, Pakistan listen to a presentation of the CMS d...

Frequency of JAK2 V617F mutation in patients with Philadelphia positive Chronic Myeloid Leukemia in Pakistan.

Science.gov (United States)

Tabassum, Najia; Saboor, Mohammed; Ghani, Rubina; Moinuddin, Moinuddin

2014-01-01

Co-existence of myeloproliferative disorders (MPD) and Janus associated kinase 2 mutation (JAK2 V617F) is a well-established fact. Only few case reports are available showing presence of JAK2 V617F mutation in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). Purpose of this study was to determine the frequency of JAK2 V617F mutation in Philadelphia Chromosome positive (Ph (+)) CML patients in Pakistan. The study was conducted from August 2009 to July 2010 at Civil Hospital and Baqai Institute of Hematology (BIH) Karachi. Blood samples from 25 patients with CML were collected. Multiplex reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was performed for Breakpoint Cluster Region - Abelson (BCR-ABL) rearrangement. Conventional PCR was performed for JAK2 V617F mutation on BCR-ABL positive samples. All 25 samples showed BCR-ABL rearrangement. Out of these 11 samples (44%) had JAK2 V617F mutation; the remaining 14 (56%) cases showed JAK2 617V wild type. It is concluded that the co-existence of Ph (+)CML and JAK2 V617F mutation is possible.

Changing trend of viral hepatitis -- 'A twenty one year report from Pakistan medical research council research centre, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Karachi'

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ahmed, W.; Qureshi, H.; Arif, A.; Alam, S.E.

2010-01-01

To determine the frequency and pattern of Hepatitis B and C over the past twenty one years, in a liver research unit of Karachi. Retrospective analysis of the records of PMRC, Research Centre, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Karachi, from 1987 to 2007 were reviewed. A special flow sheet was made where information of all patients with viral liver disease was entered. Patients having complete information of viral markers were included in the analysis. Cases with HBsAg, Anti HBc IgM positive and raised ALT were considered as acute Hepatitis B. HBs Ag/ Anti HBc IgG positive were considered as chronic Hepatitis B. Delta antibody positive with or without HBsAg were considered as Delta Hepatitis. Anti HCV positive and raised ALT more than ten times for less than 6 months were considered as acute Hepatitis C, whereas Anti HCV and HCV-RNA positive with or without raised ALT for more than six months were considered as chronic Hepatitis C. Anti HEV IgM and Anti HAV IgM positive were considered as acute Hepatitis E and A respectively. A total of 5193 cases fulfilling all criteria of viral hepatitis were seen in the past 21 years. Of the total 3247 (62.5 %) were males and 1946 (37.5 %) females giving a male to female ratio of 1.7:1 Hepatitis C was the most common infection seen in 2896 cases (55.8 %), followed by Hepatitis B in 1691 cases (32.6 %). Seventy five percent cases of Hepatitis B were males and 25 % females while 55% Hepatitis C cases were males and 45 % females. Hepatitis B was seen a decade earlier in different age groups than hepatitis C. Overall, out of the total 5193 cases, 2294 (44.2%) were of chronic hepatitis, 1430 (27.5%) cirrhosis, 1083 (20.8%) carriers and 346 (6.7%) had acute hepatitis (hepatitis B; 214 (61.8%), hepatitis C; 21 (6.0%). While hepatitis B and hepatitis C both were present in 3 (1.3%). Hepatitis E was 70 (20.2%) hepatitis A 12 (3.5%) and all markers were negative in 26 (7.5%) cases). Forty cases (0.8%) were of Hepatocellular carcinoma

Test of Random Walk Behavior in Karachi Stock Exchange

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Muhammad Mudassar

2013-05-01

Full Text Available Study was carried out to check the random behavior of the Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE 100 Index during the period of past three financial years to know whether investors could generate abnormal profits during the period or otherwise. Tests used were Runs Test, ADF Test, PP Test and Autocorrelation Function Test. During the study it was found that the performance of KSE 100 Index remained in weak form of inefficiency and investors have been able to generate excessive returns on their investment most of the times.

Multi-Objective Analysis of a CHP Plant Integrated Microgrid in Pakistan

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Asad Waqar

2017-10-01

Full Text Available In developing countries like Pakistan, the capacity shortage (CS of electricity is a critical problem. The frequent natural gas (NG outages compel consumers to use electricity to fulfill the thermal loads, which ends up as an increase in electrical load. In this scenario, the authors have proposed the concept of a combined heat & power (CHP plant to be a better option for supplying both electrical and thermal loads simultaneously. A CHP plant-based microgrid comprising a PV array, diesel generators and batteries (operating in grid-connected as well as islanded modes has been simulated using the HOMER Pro software. Different configurations of distributed generators (DGs with/without batteries have been evaluated considering multiple objectives. The multiple objectives include the minimization of the total net present cost (TNPC, cost of generated energy (COE and the annual greenhouse gas (GHG emissions, as well as the maximization of annual waste heat recovery (WHR of thermal units and annual grid sales (GS. These objectives are subject to the constraints of power balance, battery operation within state of charge (SOC limits, generator operation within capacity limits and zero capacity shortage. The simulations have been performed on six cities including Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, Quetta and Gilgit. The simulation results have been analyzed to find the most optimal city for the CHP plant integrated microgrid.

IUD discontinuation rates, switching behavior, and user satisfaction: findings from a retrospective analysis of a mobile outreach service program in Pakistan

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Azmat SK

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Syed Khurram Azmat, Waqas Hameed, Ghulam Mustafa, Wajahat Hussain, Aftab Ahmed, Mohsina BilgramiMarie Stopes Society, Research and Metrics Department, Technical Services, Karachi, Sindh, PakistanBackground: In Pakistan, the uptake rate for the intrauterine device (IUD is very low at 2.5%. The most popular modern contraceptive methods in Pakistan are female sterilization and use of condoms. The Marie Stopes Society established its mobile outreach service delivery program with the aim of increasing use of modern quality contraceptive services, including the long-term reversible IUD, by women living in hard-to-reach areas. The present study attempts to assess IUD discontinuation rates and associated factors, including switching behavior and level of satisfaction with this type of service delivery.Methods: Using a cross-sectional approach, we contacted 681 women who had received an IUD from the Marie Stopes Society mobile outreach program during July and August 2009. Successful interviews were conducted with 639 of these women using a structured questionnaire. The data were analyzed with Stata 11.2 using simple descriptive Chi-square and Cox proportional techniques.Results: Analysis revealed that 19.4% (95% confidence interval 16.3–22.5 of the women discontinued use of their IUD at 10 months and, of these women, the majority (69.4% cited side effects as the main reason for discontinuation. Other factors, such as geographical catchment province, age of the woman, history of contraceptive use before IUD insertion, and side effects following insertion of the device, were found to be significantly associated with IUD. Amongst the women who had their IUD removed, 56.5% did not switch to any other contraceptive method, while 36.3% switched to either short-term or traditional methods, such as withdrawal, rhythm, and folk methods. Degree of satisfaction with the device was also significantly associated with discontinuation.Conclusion: Early

China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC): Benefits For Pakistan And Comparison With Suez And Panama Canals

Science.gov (United States)

2017-12-01

ECONOMIC CORRIDOR (CPEC): BENEFITS FOR PAKISTAN AND COMPARISON WITH SUEZ AND PANAMA CANALS by Hanif Ullah Khan December 2017 Thesis...DATE December 2017 3. REPORT TYPE AND DATES COVERED Master’s thesis 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE CHINA PAKISTAN ECONOMIC CORRIDOR (CPEC): BENEFITS FOR...The China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is part of China’s “One Belt, One Road” initiative and joins two major economic corridors: The Silk Road

Association of hypercapnia on admission with increased length of hospital stay and severity in patients admitted with community-acquired pneumonia: a prospective observational study from Pakistan.

Science.gov (United States)

Iqbal, Nousheen; Irfan, Muhammad; Zubairi, Ali Bin Sarwar; Awan, Safia; Khan, Javaid A

2017-06-15

To determine whether the presence of hypercapnia on admission in adult patients admitted to a university-based hospital in Karachi, Pakistan with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) correlates with an increased length of hospital stay and severity compared with no hypercapnia on admission. A prospective observational study. Tertiary care hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. Patients who met the inclusion criteria were enrolled in the study. The severity of pneumonia was assessed by CURB-65 and PSI scores. An arterial blood gas analysis was obtained within 24 hours of admission. Based on arterial PaCO 2 levels, patients were divided into three groups: hypocapnic (PaCO 2 45 mm Hg) and normocapnic (PaCO 2 <35-45 mm Hg). The primary outcome was the association of hypercapnia on admission with mean length of hospital stay. Secondary outcomes were the need for mechanical ventilation, ICU admission and in-hospital mortality. A total of 295 patients of mean age 60.20±17.0 years (157 (53.22%) men) were enrolled over a 1-year period. Hypocapnia was found in 181 (61.35%) and hypercapnia in 57 (19.32%) patients. Hypercapnic patients had a longer hospital stay (mean 9.27±7.57 days), increased requirement for non-invasive mechanical ventilation (NIMV) on admission (n=45 (78.94%)) and longer mean time to clinical stability (4.39±2.0 days) compared with the other groups. Overall mortality was 41 (13.89%), but there was no statistically significant difference in mortality (p=0.35) and ICU admission (p=0.37) between the three groups. On multivariable analysis, increased length of hospital stay was associated with NIMV use, ICU admission, hypercapnia and normocapnia. Hypercapnia on admission is associated with severity of CAP, longer time to clinical stability, increased length of hospital stay and need for NIMV. It should be considered as an important criterion to label the severity of the illness and also a determinant of patients who will require a higher level of hospital

Determinants of Poverty in Pakistan

OpenAIRE

Huma Yousaf; Imran Ali

2014-01-01

This research discusses impact of macroeconomic variables on poverty in Pakistan. In this article five variables are used and two models are run. The ordinary least squares approach is applied. In first model we check the impact of budget deficit, government expenditure and unemployment on poverty in Pakistan. Budget deficit and government expenditure shows negative relationship with poverty in Pakistan while unemployment has positive relationship with poverty. In second model we check the im...

Conventional clinical and prognostic variables in 150 oral squamous cell carcinoma cases from the indigenous population of Karachi.

Science.gov (United States)

Alamgir, Muhammad Mohiuddin; Jamal, Qamar; Mirza, Talat

2016-01-01

To analyze clinical and prognostic variables of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC) cases from the indigenous population of Karachi and to correlate with the common risk factor of tobacco habit. The study was conducted at Ziauddin University, Karachi. One hundred fifty OSCC cases were collected from the Oncology Department of Ziauddin University Hospital, North Nazimabad, Karachi and Otolaryngology ward of Civil Hospital, Karachi, during 2011 and 2015. The reporting included demographic details and variables like intra-oral subsites, clinical stage and histological grade. Recurrence of tumor after initial resection was also documented. The patient's population comprised of 98 males and 52 females. The mean age was 47.1± 12.22 (range:20-78 years). Maximum numbers were seen in the 41-50 years age group. Urdu-speaking community was the most affected ethnic group (n=75). Clinico-pathological analysis revealed that majority of cases were moderately differentiated (59%) and were either clinical stage II (35%) or IV (29%) tumors. The most common intra-oral subsite came out to be buccal mucosa of cheeks (56%) followed by lateral borders of tongue (21%), lips (13%), alveolar (6%), palate (2.6%) floor of mouth (1.3%), etc. Recurrence was observed in 08 out of 150 cases. All patients underwent primary resection±neck dissection and reconstruction where possible. Overall experience with oral squamous cell carcinoma shows that it has a high tendency for local invasion as well as dissemination to regional lymph nodes, i.e. cervical lymph nodes, both are associated with a poor prognosis. Preventable risk factor of tobacco chewing has been observed in majority of these cases.

Job Satisfaction for Employees: Evidence from Karachi Electric Supply Corporation

OpenAIRE

Frukh, Nousjheen; Herani, Gobind M.; Mohammad, Mahmud; Mohammad, Tariq

2009-01-01

Research has been conducted in order to critically evaluate and examine the level of employees’ satisfaction as well as the factors of dissatisfaction among the employees of Karachi Electric supply Corporation (KESC). The purpose of this study is also to observe and analyze the factors which create job dissatisfaction especially among the hardworking managers, and to find out the reasons which make them realize that they don not have a clear career path along working with KESC. The primary da...

The Approach of Pharmacy Students Towards Communication of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Purpose: To assess pharmacy students' knowledge of communicating medication errors in Karachi, Pakistan. Methods: The study design was cross-sectional and conducted from February to May 2014. A previously validated questionnaire was adopted, modified and distributed to final year pharmacy students in four ...

Pakistan’s Earthquake and Tsunami Hazards Potential Impact on Infrastructure

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GEORGE PARARAS-CARAYANNIS

2011-06-01

Full Text Available Interaction of the Indian, Arabian and Eurasian tectonic plates has resulted in the formation of major active fault systems in South Asia. Compression along the tectonic boundaries results in thrust or reverse type of faulting and zones of crustal deformation characterized by high seismic activity and continuing Orogenesis. The more intense seismic activity occurs near regions of thrust faulting which is developing at the Himalayan foothills. In northern Pakistan, the Hindu Kush Mountains converge with the Karakoram Range to form a part of the Himalayan mountain system. Northern, western as well as southern Pakistan, Kashmir and northern India and Afghanistan are along such zones of high seismic activity. In Pakistan, most of the earthquakes occur in the north and western regions along the boundary of the Indian tectonic plate with the Iranian and Afghan micro-plates. The active zone extends from the Makran region in the southwest to the Hazara-Kashmir syntaxial bend in the north. Southwest Pakistan is vulnerable to both earthquake and tsunami hazards. In 2005, earthquakes devastated northern Pakistan and Kashmir and severely affected the cities of Muzaffarabad, Islamadad and Rawalpindi, causing severe destruction to the infrastructure of the northern region. A major earthquake along an extensive transform fault system in 1935 destroyed the city Quetta and the adjoining region. A major earthquake along the northern Arabian sea in 1945 generated a very destructive tsunami along the coasts of Baluchistan and Sindh Provinces. The region near Karachi is vulnerable as it is located near four major faults where destructive earthquakes and tsunamis have occurred in the past. Given Pakistan’s vulnerability and extensive infrastructure development in recent years, the present study reviews briefly the earthquake and tsunami risk factors and assesses the impact that such disasters can have on the country’s critical infrastructure - which includes

Moral Education in Pakistan.

Science.gov (United States)

Haq, Shafiqua

1980-01-01

This report describes formal and informal methods of moral education operative in Pakistan. The nation's Islamic environment is explained; school policy, objectives, and practices are outlined; and informal moral education efforts through the mass media are noted. Problems in moral education in Pakistan and proposals for the future are discussed.…

Detection of multiple cocirculating wild poliovirus type 1 lineages through environmental surveillance: impact and progress during 2011-2013 in Pakistan.

Science.gov (United States)

Alam, Muhammad Masroor; Shaukat, Shahzad; Sharif, Salmaan; Angez, Mehar; Khurshid, Adnan; Malik, Farzana; Rehman, Lubna; Zaidi, Syed Sohail Zahoor

2014-11-01

The environmental surveillance has proven to be a useful tool to identify poliovirus circulation in different countries and was started in Pakistan during July 2009 to support the acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) surveillance system. Sewage samples were collected from 27 environmental sampling (ENV) sites and processed for poliovirus isolation through 2-phase separation method. Poliovirus isolates were identified as Sabin-like or wild type through real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Wild-type strains were subjected to VP1 gene sequencing and phylogenetic analysis performed using MEGA 5.0. During 2011-2013, a total of 668 samples were collected from 4 provinces that resulted in 40% of samples positive for wild poliovirus type-1 (WPV-1). None of the samples were positive for WPV-3. The areas with high frequency of WPV-1 detection were Karachi-Gadap (69%), Peshawar (82%), and Rawalpindi (65%), whereas the samples from Quetta and Sukkur remained negative for WPV during 2013. Phylogenetic analysis revealed 3 major clusters with multiple poliovirus lineages circulating across different country areas as well as in bordering areas of Afghanistan. Environmental surveillance in Pakistan has been proven to be a powerful tool to detect WPV circulation in the absence of poliomyelitis cases in many communities. Our findings emphasize the need to continue and expand such surveillance activities to other high-risk areas in the country. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Infectious Diseases Society of America. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Allometric growth pattern, sexual dimorphism and size at the onset of sexual maturity in Opusia indica (Brachyura: Ocypodoidea: Camptandriidae from mangrove areas of Pakistan

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Noor Us Saher

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Size at sexual maturity and patterns of somatic growth are important aspects of reproductive history of crab. The main purpose of this study is to provide an estimate for the onset of morphological sexual maturity in mangrove crab, Opusia indica from a population located in Korangi creek intertidal mud flat (Karachi, Pakistan based on relative growth. The crabs were monthly collected through quadrat method from March 2001 to February 2002. A total of 1702 crabs was obtained, of which 764 were males, 939 were female. The morphometric measurement of carapace, abdomen, cheliped and male gonopod was related to carapace width. Based on carapace width males were significantly larger than female, indicating sexual dimorphism. The size at onset of sexual maturity in males was estimated as 5.51 mm carapace width and 5.3 mm carapace width in females. The positive allometric growth of female abdominal width were likely related to the incubation process.

Impact of today's media on university student's body image in Pakistan: a conservative, developing country's perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Khan, Amad N; Khalid, Salema; Khan, Hussain I; Jabeen, Mehnaz

2011-05-24

Living in a world greatly controlled by mass media makes it impossible to escape its pervading influence. As media in Pakistan has been free in the true sense of the word for only a few years, its impact on individuals is yet to be assessed. Our study aims to be the first to look at the effect media has on the body image of university students in a conservative, developing country like Pakistan. Also, we introduced the novel concept of body image dissatisfaction as being both negative and positive. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 7 private universities over a period of two weeks in the city of Karachi, Pakistan's largest and most populous city. Convenience sampling was used to select both male and female undergraduate students aged between 18 and 25 and a sample size of 783 was calculated. Of the 784 final respondents, 376 (48%) were males and 408 (52%) females. The mean age of males was 20.77 (+/- 1.85) years and females was 20.38 (+/- 1.63) years. Out of these, 358 (45.6%) respondents had a positive BID (body image dissatisfaction) score while 426 (54.4%) had a negative BID score. Of the respondents who had positive BID scores, 93 (24.7%) were male and 265 (65.0%) were female. Of the respondents with a negative BID score, 283 (75.3%) were male and 143 (35.0%) were female. The results for BID vs. media exposure were similar in both high and low peer pressure groups. Low media exposure meant positive BID scores and vice versa in both groups (p media exposure and negative body image dissatisfaction. Finally, we looked at the association between gender and image dissatisfaction. Again a statistically significant association was found between positive body image dissatisfaction and female gender and negative body image dissatisfaction and male gender (p media to have an overall negative effect on individuals' body image. A striking feature of our study, however, was the finding that negative body image dissatisfaction was found to be more prevalent in

Hope or Despair? Learning in Pakistan's Primary Schools.

Science.gov (United States)

Warwick, Donald P.; Reimers, Fernando

This book reports on the research findings of the Pakistan Study, a collaboration between the Harvard Institute for International Development and other organizations in Pakistan. The focus is primarily on what affects student learning in Pakistan's government-sponsored primary schools. Chapter 1 discusses primary schools in Pakistan and the…

The role of NDT in nuclear power development in Pakistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Asghar Ali Khan; Sabir Choudhary, M.; Arif Iftikhar, M.; Afaque, A. S.; Yousaf Raza Zaidi, S.

2003-01-01

Pakistan has two operating nuclear power plants namely, Karachi Nuclear Power Plant (KANUPP) which is 137 MW Candu type Canadian reactor using natural uranium fuel and the Chashma Nuclear Power Plant (CHASNUPP) which is a 300 MW PWR type Chinese built reactor using 3% enriched uranium fuel. A third nuclear power plant is being negotiated for construction. This would most probably be the twin unit of CHASNUPP and the construction might begin early next year.Non destructive testing (NDT) has an important role in the development and safe operation of the nuclear power plants by providing the Pre-Service Inspection (PSI) services during the manufacturing and installation phase, and the In-Service Inspection (ISI) services during the operation and maintenance phase. ISI of various components of nuclear power plants is an essential activity which has to be carried out either on emergency basis on as and when required basis or periodically at regular intervals described in the quality assurance QA manuals of the plant. There are numerous components and systems in the nuclear power plants working together. The failure of one system affects the performance of the whole plant. There are two main divisions, called the Nuclear Island and Conventional Island. Main components of Nuclear Island are reactor pressure vessel, reactor core, steam generators, pressurizer, primary coolant pumps and primary piping, etc. and the main components in Conventional Island are turbine, condensers, pre-heaters, moisture separators, secondary heat treatment system and piping etc. (Author)

Effect of gender and age on the knowledge, attitude and practice regarding hepatitis B and C and vaccination status of hepatitis B among medical students of Karachi, Pakistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khan, N.; Ahmed, S.M.; Khalid, M.M.; Siddiqui, S.H.; Merchant, A.A.

2010-01-01

Objectives: To determine the vaccination status for hepatitis B and knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) regarding hepatitis B and C among medical students of Karachi and to evaluate the effects of gender and age on the responses, regarding vaccination and KAP for Hepatitis B and C. Methods: This cross sectional study was conducted in 7 medical colleges/ universities of Karachi. Convenient sampling was used to collect the information. Questionnaire regarding awareness about prevention, transmission, diagnosis, treatment and vaccination availability for hepatitis B and C was completed from each individual. In addition, vaccination status of hepatitis B and the awareness of students regarding post exposure prophylaxis was also documented. One thousand five hundred and nine students participated in this study. Results: The mean age of medical students (1509) was 20.35 +- 1.72 years. Female participants were 1075 (71.2%) and 937 62.1%) of the respondents were studying in public institutions. Eighty five percent of the respondents indicated that they were aware of availability of a vaccine for hepatitis B. Only 57.1% medical students showed excellent knowledge regarding the route of spread of hepatitis B and C. Students showing good knowledge of treatment procedures for hepatitis B and C were 48.2%. Half of the respondents (49.8%) showed good knowledge regarding spread of hepatitis by dental procedures. Seventy six percent of participating medical students did not have any knowledge about the post exposure prophylaxis for hepatitis B and C. Seventy four percent indicated that the hepatitis patients should not be isolated. Seventy nine percent of the students reported that they were vaccinated for hepatitis B and 70.6% of them were completely vaccinated (3 doses). About half of the respondents (49.4%) indicated that they were screened for hepatitis B and only 27.1% were screened for hepatitis C. Half of the students reported that they have had needle pricks in their

Postoperative use of drain in thyroid lobectomy – a randomized clinical trial conducted at Civil Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan

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Memon Zahid

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Thyroidectomy is a common surgical procedure, after which drains are placed routinely. This study aims to assess the benefits of placing postoperative drains, its complications and affects on postoperative stay, in thyroid lobectomy. Methodology Randomized Clinical Trial of 60 goitre patients undergoing lobectomy was conducted at Civil Hospital Karachi, during July’11-December’11. Patients were randomly assigned into drain and non drain groups. Patient demographics, labs and complications were noted. Ultrasound of neck was performed on both groups. For drain group, the amount of fluid present in the surgical bed and redivac drain was added to calculate fluid collection while in non drain group it was calculated by ultrasound of neck on first and second post-op days. Data was entered and analyzed on SPSS v16 using Independent T tests. Result The mean total drain output for 2 days in non-drain group was significantly lower 10.67 (±9.072 ml while in drain group was 30.97 (±42.812 ml (p = 0.014. The mean postoperative stay of drain group (79.2 ±15.63 hours was significantly higher, as compared to mean postoperative stay of non drain group (50.4 ±7.32 hours. Mean Visual Analogue Score (VAS for pain day 1 (6.2 ±0.997 and day 2 (4.17 ±0.95 in drain group were significantly higher compared to day 1 (2.6 ±1.163 and day 2 (1.3 ±0.877 of non drain group. From drain group, 2 patients complained of stridor, dyspnea on Day 1 which subsided by Day 2 and 1 case of voice change, with no such complains in non drain group. No patients from both groups developed seroma, wound infection or hematoma. Conclusion In uncomplicated surgeries especially for lobectomy, use of drain can be omitted.

Mobility and access to services are key drivers of gendered violence ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

2016-09-15

Sep 15, 2016 ... In Pakistan's urban centres, gender and violence interact in unexpected ways ... to a study led by the Institute for Business Administration in Karachi. ... For example, because women have seating restrictions on public transport, ... The silence surrounding sexual violence in South Asia has been shattered.

Heavy metals concentration in the soil from flower beds, parks and green areas of Karachi

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hashmi, D.R.; Khan, F.A.; Shareef, A.; Abbasi, F.A.; Ahmed, I.; Munshi, A.B.

2012-01-01

Environmental pollution of heavy metals from automobiles has attained much attention in recent past. The present research was conducted to study the heavy metal contamination in road side soils of Karachi. Road side soil samples were collected from 29 sites and analyzed for heavy metals like Lead, Copper, Manganese and Zinc respectively. Lead concentration was the highest in the soil and ranged from 70 to 361 mg/kg, copper from 42 to 144 mg/kg, manganese from 43 to 128 mg/kg and zinc concentration from 51 to 213 mg/kg respectively. The gravitational sedimentation and impact on vegetation of coarse fraction is responsible for the high lead contamination of vegetation and soils. The data collected shows that almost all the pollution is being generated by automobile exhaust in urban areas of Karachi. Soil act as important sink for pollutants released through different activities. (author)

Knowledge, perceptions and myths regarding infertility among selected adult population in Pakistan: a cross-sectional study

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Ali Syed F

2011-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The reported prevalence of infertility in Pakistan is approximately 22% with 4% primary and 18% secondary infertility. Infertility is not only a medical but also a social problem in our society as cultural customs and perceived religious dictums may equate infertility with failure on a personal, interpersonal, or social level. It is imperative that people have adequate knowledge about infertility so couples can seek timely medical care and misconceptions can be rectified. We aim to assess the knowledge, perception and myths regarding infertility and suggest ways to improve it. Methods A cross-sectional survey was carried out by interviewing a sample of 447 adults who were accompanying the patients at two tertiary care hospitals in Karachi, Pakistan. They were interviewed one-on-one with the help of a pretested questionnaire drafted by the team after a thorough literature review and in consultation with infertility specialists. Results The correct knowledge of infertility was found to be limited amongst the participants. Only 25% correctly identified when infertility is pathological and only 46% knew about the fertile period in women's cycle. People are misinformed that use of IUCD (53% and OCPs (61% may cause infertility. Beliefs in evil forces and supernatural powers as a cause of infertility are still prevalent especially amongst people with lower level of education. Seeking alternative treatment for infertility remains a popular option for 28% of the participant as a primary preference and 75% as a secondary preference. IVF remains an unfamiliar (78% and an unacceptable option (55%. Conclusions Knowledge about infertility is limited in the population and a lot of misconceptions and myths are prevalent in the society. Alternative medicine is a popular option for seeking infertility treatment. The cultural and religious perspective about assisted reproductive technologies is unclear, which has resulted in its reduced

Knowledge, perceptions and myths regarding infertility among selected adult population in Pakistan: a cross-sectional study.

Science.gov (United States)

Ali, Sumera; Sophie, Raafay; Imam, Ayesha M; Khan, Faisal I; Ali, Syed F; Shaikh, Annum; Farid-ul-Hasnain, Syed

2011-10-04

The reported prevalence of infertility in Pakistan is approximately 22% with 4% primary and 18% secondary infertility. Infertility is not only a medical but also a social problem in our society as cultural customs and perceived religious dictums may equate infertility with failure on a personal, interpersonal, or social level. It is imperative that people have adequate knowledge about infertility so couples can seek timely medical care and misconceptions can be rectified. We aim to assess the knowledge, perception and myths regarding infertility and suggest ways to improve it. A cross-sectional survey was carried out by interviewing a sample of 447 adults who were accompanying the patients at two tertiary care hospitals in Karachi, Pakistan. They were interviewed one-on-one with the help of a pretested questionnaire drafted by the team after a thorough literature review and in consultation with infertility specialists. The correct knowledge of infertility was found to be limited amongst the participants. Only 25% correctly identified when infertility is pathological and only 46% knew about the fertile period in women's cycle. People are misinformed that use of IUCD (53%) and OCPs (61%) may cause infertility. Beliefs in evil forces and supernatural powers as a cause of infertility are still prevalent especially amongst people with lower level of education. Seeking alternative treatment for infertility remains a popular option for 28% of the participant as a primary preference and 75% as a secondary preference. IVF remains an unfamiliar (78%) and an unacceptable option (55%). Knowledge about infertility is limited in the population and a lot of misconceptions and myths are prevalent in the society. Alternative medicine is a popular option for seeking infertility treatment. The cultural and religious perspective about assisted reproductive technologies is unclear, which has resulted in its reduced acceptability.

Bioethics on the subcontinent: the Sindh Institute in Karachi.

Science.gov (United States)

Lombardo, Paul A

2011-03-01

In this personal narrative the author recounts his experiences teaching bioethics in Pakistan. He notes the different moral, cultural and legal environments of Pakistan as compared to the United States, and in particular, the ways in which subtle interpretations of Sharia law shape bioethical reflections as well as the biomedical legal environment. As he argues, any attempt to export models of bioethics from one country to another with no attention to social and cultural differences is a recipe for failure. To presume that all ethical considerations are universal is to devalue moral traditions that differ from our own, and dismiss cultural values of other societies.

The Pakistan Experiment and the Language Issue

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Schendel, W.; Guhathakurta, M.; van Schendel, W.

2013-01-01

The partition of 1947 created two new independent states, India and Pakistan. The eastern part of Bengal joined Pakistan. Pakistan was a highly ambitious experiment in twentieth-century state making. And yet, from the beginning the state was beset with enormous challenges. This excerpt from a recent

Ambient air quality of karachi city as reflected by atmospheric particulate matter (PM/sub 10/) concentrations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hashmi, D.R.; Shareef, A.

2016-01-01

The present study examines the variation of ambient aerosol (PM/sub 10/) concentrations in Karachi, city. Samples were collected from ten different locations, representative of urban background, residential, traffic and industrial areas from 2007 to 2011. At each location, PM/sub 10/) was measured continuously from 08:00 am to 06:00 pm at local time. The maximum 10 h average particulate matter (PM/sub 10/) mass concentrations were found at Tibet Centre (440.1 mg/m/sup 3/) and minimum at PCSIR Campus (21.7 mg/m/sup 3/) during 2008. A rising trend during 2008 may be due to the civil works for bridges and extension of roads at different locations in Karachi. The results also suggest that urban traffic and industrial areas appeared to have higher PM/sub 10/) concentration than residential and background areas. (author)

Reforms for competitive markets in Pakistan

OpenAIRE

Haque, Nadeem; Ahmed, Vaqar; Shahid, Sana

2011-01-01

While Pakistan has taken several steps to promote competition in its markets, further reforms are required in improving domestic commerce, agricultural markets and industries. With increasing risks and cost of doing business due to deteriorating law and order situation as well as massive energy shortages, Pakistan needs to compensate its entrepreneurs and investors by enhancing its investment and business climate. By adopting certain administrative and legal reforms, Pakistan can considerably...

Pakistan strong industrial base urged for economic progress

CERN Multimedia

2001-01-01

A conference organized by Pakistan Nuclear Society urged that Pakistan should develop a strong industrial base and capability to export equipment for economic progress. The chairmen of PAEC pointed out that Pakistan is already showing remarkable progress in export of science-related equipment to CERN. He also asked scientists to wage a war against Pakistans inability to acquire indigenous technology (1 page).

RESPIRATORY SYNDROME: A MAJOR THREAT TO THE LIVESTOCK FARMERS AND ITS ECONOMIC IMPACT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. B. ZAHUR, U. FAROOQ, M. HUSSAIN1, S. H. HASHMI2 AND R. MUNEER

2007-10-01

Full Text Available Epidemiology of a respiratory syndrome was studied at Landhi Dairy Colony (LDC, Karachi, Pakistan and its economic impact was estimated. Among 5889 buffaloes examined, 2.3% animals were suffering from this syndrome. From some of the sick animals, Pasteurella multocida, the causative agent of haemorrhagic septicaemia, was isolated. In the present study, an average loss of Rs. 0.2 million per farm was calculated and the extrapolated values for 0.2 and 0.8 million animals present in LDC and other dairy colonies in Karachi were Rs. 225.6 and Rs. 1128.1 million, respectively.

A Qualitative Study from Pakistan

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Purpose: To explore medical practitioners' perceptions towards irrational malaria treatment practices in Pakistan. Methods: A qualitative study was designed to explore the perceptions of medical practitioners regarding antimalarial prescribing practices in two major cities of Pakistan, namely, Islamabad (national capital) and ...

Patients Comprehension of Pharmaceutical Package Inserts ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research December 2015; 14 (12): ... Available online at http://www.tjpr.org ... patients/consumers about PPI. ... the perception of outpatients of Karachi about ... Do you store the medication at the temperature specified in the package insert ... drugs available in local market of Pakistan was.

An audit of the quality of care indicators for the management of diabetes in family practice clinics in karachi, pakistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dhanani, R.; Mustafa, M.; Qureshi, R.

2008-01-01

Management of diabetes is a painstaking and careful approach. This study was aimed to evaluate the quality of care for the management of diabetes provided by family practitioners to their patients having diabetes. This is a retrospective audit of medical records conducted in a tertiary care teaching hospital of private sector in Karachi for one month. For this study, 150 medical records of patients with type 2 diabetes that visited family practice clinics for their diabetes care were examined. A total of 88 patient's medical records were selected and analyzed who attended the studied clinics for at least one year and had minimum of four out-patient visits. Majority (68%) of the audited medical records were of females. Of the total medical records analyzed, only one-quarter of the cases qualified the criteria of excellent or good diabetes care. Monitoring of body weight of the patient was only one indicator which was according the recommendations in 100% case at every visit. The other nearest quality of care indicator documented was blood glucose advice at every visit in 79.5% (95% CI: 71.1-87.9) of cases. Physical activity advised/reinforced at every visit was least observed (27.3%; 95% CI: 18.0-36.6). In addition, blood sugar control was reported in less than a quarter (23.9%) with 95% CI of 15.0-32.8. This work has identified a big gap in the management of type 2 diabetes provided by family practitioners. In addition, majority of the patients found to have poor glycemic control. Interventions are suggested to improve the quality of diabetes care. More such audits and research are recommended at the larger scale. (author)

Coal development potential in Pakistan

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Khan, M N; Pelofsky, A H [eds.

1986-01-01

A total of 48 papers were presented, and covered the following topics: the current situation in Pakistan with respect to development and utilization of coal resources; the policies that have been responsible for the development and utilization of coal resources in Pakistan; coal development and utilization in other developing nations e.g. Indonesia, Greece, Philippines, China, Thailand and Haiti; and technological developments in coal exploration; extraction, handling, transport and utilization which could accelerate future development of Pakistan's coal resources. Specific subjects covered include the use of coal in the cement industry of Pakistan; the production of briquettes for domestic use, development and training of personnel for the coal industry; and sources of finance for coal development projects. Particular emphasis is given throughout the conference to the Lakhra coal mine/power plant project which aims to develop and effectively utilize the lignite reserves of Sind Province. 47 papers have been abstracted separately.

Comparison of vibrational noise, between thermal power station (T.P.S.) Jamshoro and thermal power plant (T.P.P.) Pakistan Steel Bin Qasim Karachi

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zaheer-ud-Din Memon

2003-01-01

Vibrational Noise is one of the major environmental problems in Industrial Plants. The Noise study has been under taken in (Japanese Unit) Thermal Power Station (TPS) Jamshoro, which generates 250 MW since Jan: 1990 and Russian Unit Thermal Power Plant (TPP) Pak Steel Bin Qasim Karachi, generates 165 MW since 1984. The prevailing Noise has been recorded in detail; at Basement area feed pumps, Turbines, Boilers F.D.F, I.D.F and Compressor houses. Comparing these two Plants, the Noise Level found more Intensive i.e. 97- 114 dB(A) at TPP Pak Steel Bin Qasim as against 91.4 -96.3 dB(A) at TPS Jamshoro, which was even higher one in the light of ISO and other National Standards. In the light of permissible Occupational Noise exposure limits, as allowed by the ISO and other National Standards, some recommendations have been made to provide safety measures for workers against high level noise health hazards like head ache, hearing problem, irritation, accidents at work, tension, disturbance to work and so many psychological effects, along with guidelines to improve the efficiency of the plants. (author)

English-Teaching Institutions in Pakistan.

Science.gov (United States)

Rahman, Tariq

2001-01-01

Discusses English medium teaching in Pakistan and suggests that at the moment it is an elitist preserve and a stumbling block for Pakistanis not taught through English. Indicates that exposing other students to English could counteract growing cultural and religious intolerance in Pakistan. (Author/VWL)

Increasing usage of rapid diagnostics for Dengue virus detection in Pakistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hasan, Z.; Razzak, S.; Farhan, M.; Rahim, M.; Islam, N.; Samreen, A.; Khan, E.

2017-01-01

To evaluate the trends in usage of dengue virus diagnostics in Pakistan. Methods: This retrospective study was conducted at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, and comprised data for specimens tested for dengue virus from January 2012 to December 2015. Test for dengue virus ribonucleic acid by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, dengue virus antigen by immunochromatic assay and for human immunoglobulin M against dengue virus by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay were reviewed. SPSS 17 was used for data analysis. Results: Overall, 33,577 specimens tested for dengue virus. Of them, 11,995 (35.7%) were positive. among them, 1,039(8.66%) were reported in 2012; 5,791(48.28%) in 2013; 1,027(8.56%) in 2014; and 4,138(34.49%) in 2015. In 2012, 966(93%) of the positive samples were diagnosed by immunoglobulin M-based method and 73(7%) by non-structural protein-1 antigen. In 2013, 4,401(76%) samples were tested positive by immunoglobulin M, 1,332(23%) by antigen and 58(1%) by polymerase chain reaction. The trend continued in 2014, but in 2015, 2,111(51%) of all dengue positive tests were determined by antigen testing, 1,969(47.6%) by immunoglobulin M and 58(1.4%) by polymerase chain reaction. Conclusion: There was a shift in usage of direct virus identification for rapid diagnosis of dengue virus compared with host immunoglobulin M testing. (author)

Challenges and Opportunities for Libraries in Pakistan

OpenAIRE

Shafiq UR, Rehman; Pervaiz, Ahmad

2007-01-01

Abstract: This paper, based on review of literature, observation, and informal conversations, discusses various challenges regarding finance, collection development, ICTs, human resources, library education, library association and research & development faced by library profession in Pakistan. The opportunities to meet these challenges have also been explored. Keywords: Library challenges and opportunities (Pakistan); Librarianship (Pakistan); Library issues; Library profession in Pa...

Credit where credit is due: Pakistan?s role in reducing the global burden of reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health (RMNCH)

OpenAIRE

Ghaffar, Abdul; Qazi, Shamim; Shah, Iqbal

2015-01-01

Factors contributing to Pakistan?s poor progress in reducing reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health (RMNCH) include its low level of female literacy, gender inequity, political challenges, and extremism along with its associated relentless violence; further, less than 1% of Pakistan?s GDP is allocated to the health sector. However, despite these disadvantages, Pakistani researchers have been able to achieve positive contributions towards RMNCH-related global knowledge and evidence ...

Parental perceptions surrounding polio and self-reported non-participation in polio supplementary immunization activities in Karachi, Pakistan: a mixed methods study.

Science.gov (United States)

Khowaja, Asif Raza; Khan, Sher Ali; Nizam, Naveeda; Omer, Saad Bin; Zaidi, Anita

2012-11-01

To assess parent's knowledge and perceptions surrounding polio and polio vaccination, self-reported participation in polio supplementary immunization activities (SIAs) targeting children aged questionnaire was administered to assess parental knowledge of polio and participation in polio SIAs conducted in September and October 2011. Additionally, 30 parents of Pashtun ethnicity (a high-risk group) who refused to vaccinate their children were interviewed in depth to determine why. Descriptive and bivariate analyses by ethnic and socioeconomic group were performed for quantitative data; thematic analysis was conducted for qualitative interviews with Pashtun parents. Of 1017 parents surveyed, 412 (41%) had never heard of polio; 132 (13%) did not participate in one SIA and 157 (15.4%) did not participate in either SIA. Among non-participants, 34 (21.6%) reported not having been contacted by a vaccinator; 116 (73.9%) reported having refused to participate, and 7 (4.5%) reported that the child was absent from home when the vaccinator visited. Refusals clustered in low-income Pashtun (43/441; 9.8%) and high-income families of any ethnic background (71/153; 46.4%). Low-income Pashtuns were more likely to not have participated in polio SIAs than low-income non-Pashtuns (odds ratio, OR: 7.1; 95% confidence interval, CI: 3.47-14.5). Reasons commonly cited among Pashtuns for refusing vaccination included fear of sterility; lack of faith in the polio vaccine; scepticism about the vaccination programme, and fear that the vaccine might contain religiously forbidden ingredients. In Karachi, interruption of polio transmission requires integrated and participatory community interventions targeting high-risk populations.

Practice Nurses and Pharmacists: A Perspective on the Expectation and Experience of Nurses for Future Collaboration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abdul Nabeel Khan

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Objectives: To explore the nurses’ expectations and experience about pharmacists in private sector hospitals of Karachi, Pakistan. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from June to September 2012 in five private sector hospitals of Karachi, Pakistan. A convenient sample of nurses (n=377 were enrolled in this study. Data was obtained through a previously validated questionnaire. Responses were statistically analyzed using SPSSv.17. Results: Questionnaires were returned giving a response rate of 63.6% of which 20 were unusable (n=240. Out of the remaining 220, 24.1% (n=53 responded that they never or rarely interacted with a pharmacist. Respondents who expect pharmacists to collaborate with nurses to solve drug related problems were 45% (n=99. Nurses’ experience of pharmacists was not substantial as only 44.5% (n=98 respondents consider pharmacists as a reliable source of clinical drug information. Conclusion: The role of pharmacists is not well appreciated among nurses in Pakistan. Hence, pharmacists must bridge the observed gap and use a more strategic and consistent approach to build a more positive image in line with other healthcare professionals and in providing patient-centred pharmaceutical care. This research would impress upon the pharmacists the need to redefine their role in the healthcare settings.

Identifying Core Vocabulary for Urdu Language Speakers Using Augmentative Alternative Communication

Science.gov (United States)

Mukati, Abdul Samad

2013-01-01

The purpose of this research is to identify a core set of vocabulary used by native Urdu language (UL) speakers during dyadic conversation for social interaction and relationship building. This study was conducted in Karachi, Pakistan at an institution of higher education. This research seeks to distinguish between general (nonspecific…

Pharmacokinetic Study of Nifedipine in Healthy Adult Male Human ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Erah

obtained from the volunteers. Nifedipine (Adalat® capsules, 10 mg, Bayer. Pharmaceuticals, Karachi, Pakistan) was the drug used. The study was conducted in the same subjects in two phases separated by a washout period of one week. Twelve data sets were obtained. Drug administration and blood sampling. A blank ...

Schools as potential vaccination venue for vaccines outside regular EPI schedule: results from a school census in Pakistan.

Science.gov (United States)

Soofi, Sajid Bashir; Haq, Inam-Ul; Khan, M Imran; Siddiqui, Muhammad Bilal; Mirani, Mushtaq; Tahir, Rehman; Hussain, Imtiaz; Puri, Mahesh K; Suhag, Zamir Hussain; Khowaja, Asif R; Lasi, Abdul Razzaq; Clemens, John D; Favorov, Michael; Ochiai, R Leon; Bhutta, Zulfiqar A

2012-01-06

Vaccines are the most effective public health intervention. Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) provides routine vaccination in developing countries. However, vaccines that cannot be given in EPI schedule such as typhoid fever vaccine need alternative venues. In areas where school enrolment is high, schools provide a cost effective opportunity for vaccination. Prior to start of a school-based typhoid vaccination program, interviews were conducted with staff of educational institutions in two townships of Karachi, Pakistan to collect baseline information about the school system and to plan a typhoid vaccination program. Data collection teams administered a structured questionnaire to all schools in the two townships. The administrative staff was requested information on school fee, class enrolment, past history of involvement and willingness of parents to participate in a vaccination campaign. A total of 304,836 students were enrolled in 1,096 public, private, and religious schools (Madrasahs) of the two towns. Five percent of schools refused to participate in the school census. Twenty-five percent of schools had a total enrolment of less than 100 students whereas 3% had more than 1,000 students. Health education programs were available in less than 8% of public schools, 17% of private schools, and 14% of Madrasahs. One-quarter of public schools, 41% of private schools, and 43% of Madrasahs had previously participated in a school-based vaccination campaign. The most common vaccination campaign in which schools participated was Polio eradication program. Cost of the vaccine, side effects, and parents' lack of information were highlighted as important limiting factors by school administration for school-based immunization programs. Permission from parents, appropriateness of vaccine-related information, and involvement of teachers were considered as important factors to improve participation. Health education programs are not part of the regular school curriculum

Schools as potential vaccination venue for vaccines outside regular EPI schedule: results from a school census in Pakistan

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Soofi Sajid

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Vaccines are the most effective public health intervention. Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI provides routine vaccination in developing countries. However, vaccines that cannot be given in EPI schedule such as typhoid fever vaccine need alternative venues. In areas where school enrolment is high, schools provide a cost effective opportunity for vaccination. Prior to start of a school-based typhoid vaccination program, interviews were conducted with staff of educational institutions in two townships of Karachi, Pakistan to collect baseline information about the school system and to plan a typhoid vaccination program. Data collection teams administered a structured questionnaire to all schools in the two townships. The administrative staff was requested information on school fee, class enrolment, past history of involvement and willingness of parents to participate in a vaccination campaign. Results A total of 304,836 students were enrolled in 1,096 public, private, and religious schools (Madrasahs of the two towns. Five percent of schools refused to participate in the school census. Twenty-five percent of schools had a total enrolment of less than 100 students whereas 3% had more than 1,000 students. Health education programs were available in less than 8% of public schools, 17% of private schools, and 14% of Madrasahs. One-quarter of public schools, 41% of private schools, and 43% of Madrasahs had previously participated in a school-based vaccination campaign. The most common vaccination campaign in which schools participated was Polio eradication program. Cost of the vaccine, side effects, and parents' lack of information were highlighted as important limiting factors by school administration for school-based immunization programs. Permission from parents, appropriateness of vaccine-related information, and involvement of teachers were considered as important factors to improve participation. Conclusions Health

Mobile Application Testing in Pakistan: A Survey

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Muhammad Saqib

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Research regarding MAT (Mobile Application Testing in Pakistan is hard to discover and to the best of our knowledge, no work has been done in surveying MAT in Pakistan. In this work, we have examined the current trend and status of MAT in Pakistan. Main objective was to investigate to what extent MAT is currently applied in Pakistan software companies and what experience the companies have with using MAT. Furthermore, efforts were made to find out what testers think about MAT, e.g. issue, advantages and disadvantages of MAT, what factors affects MAT and how they plan to improve MAT. In order to achieve our objectives, we used a comprehensive online survey so we converted our research questions into correspondence survey questions. We served a questionnaire of the survey to 66 testing relevant officials of leading software companies in different cities of Pakistan to develop a model study about general trend and status of MAT which can be generalized all over Pakistan. We received 56 replies in total after over 2 months. After that, we used SPSS tool to analyze the replies of this questionnaire. Cross-Tabulation Analysis and Pearson Chi-square tests have been computed to examine the results. We found some interesting results on current status and practice of MAT in Pakistan software companies.

Arsenic levels in ten species of fish from the east coat of the Arabian Sea, Pakistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jaffar, M.; Tariq, J.; Ashraf, M.

1994-01-01

Arsenic concentrations are estimated in ten marine fish species from the East Coast of the Arabian Sea, Pakistan, by the atomic absorption method. The following species are included in the study: Picnic seabream, Indian scad, Indian ariomma; Bigeye scad, Threadfins Cornet fish; Lefteye flounder, Goldband goatfish, Smooth dwarf monoclebream and half mourning coraker. A total of 716 fish samples within a preselected narrow weight range and comprising of 5-7 specimens of each species are analysed. Of all the species investigated the maximum concentration (17.602) micro g/g dry weight was found in goldband goatfish. (author)

Risk profile for breast carcinoma and tumour histopathology of medical uninsured patients in Pakistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Raza, U.; Haque, S.U.

2011-01-01

Breast carcinoma is an unpredictable disease in the sense that some patients may die at early disease stage due to wide-spread metastasis within six months to one year, while others may survive longer. This study was aimed to evaluate the risk factors for breast carcinoma occurrence and histopathological features of breast carcinoma developed in the social and economical conditions of Pakistan. Methods: A total of 224 female breast cancer diagnosed patients with uncovered medical insurance visiting at the Oncology clinic of a teaching hospital at Karachi, Pakistan were selected for the study. Two hundred and twenty-four (224) healthy female subjects free of any cancer diagnosis were selected as control from different areas of the city. Information on stress, occupation, life history, and life style was obtained through personal interviews. Breast tumour pathology was evaluated for histological grade, lymph node metastasis and hormone receptor status by using standard methods. Student's t-test, Chi-square test and ANOVA were used for comparison. Results: Breast cancer patients in significantly high percentage reported early marriages, abortion occurrence, stressful life style, family cancer history and past disease suffering from diabetes and hypertension. Life style including aerosol chewing and fat rich food intake was significantly high among the patients (p<0.05). On histopathological analysis, patients at the age of 40 years and below were identified in significantly high percentage with tumour grade III, 1-3 lymph node metastasis and hormone receptor negative type. Increasing age was associated with low tumour grade and less percentage of lymph node metastasis. Significantly high percentage of patients were presented with hormone receptor positive tumour (p<0.05). Conclusion: The contributing factors for breast carcinoma occurrence were related to life history and life-style of the patients. Medical insurance uncovered patients at initial diagnosis were

Macroeconomic variables and stock prices in a small open economy: The case of Pakistan

OpenAIRE

Jahangir, Abbas

2010-01-01

This paper is an attempt to determine empirically the relationship between the Karachi stock exchange and macroeconomic variables; discount rate (DR), inflation (CPI), industrial production (IPI), foreign exchange rate (FX Rate) and foreign exchange reserves (FX Res). The general objective of the study is to investigate the efficiency of the Karachi Stock Exchange as a semi strong market in light of the Efficient Market Hypothesis (EMH) over the period 1980 to 2007. Furthermore, we investigat...

Roundtable. Women's magazines under the guise of being frank about sexual problems are sensationalizing them to boost readership.

Science.gov (United States)

Khawar, H

1995-01-01

Women's magazines in Pakistan edit their content to avoid matters related to female sexuality. Instead, they focus on fashion, child care, general health, and social problems. Only a few stories have emerged about sex clinics in Karachi, the covert homosexual culture, and exploits of well-known people. This reticence makes the dissemination of information about contraception and AIDS difficult. Even the cover models on the magazines must appear clothed in a manner deemed proper. Foreign magazines are available in Pakistan, but they cost more than the local publications.

U.S. Arms Sales to Pakistan

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Grimmett, Richard F

2008-01-01

This report briefly reviews the issue of U.S. arms sales to Pakistan. It provides background details regarding recent major weapons transactions between the United States and Pakistan, as well as the rationale given for such sales...

U.S. Arms Sales to Pakistan

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Grimmett, Richard F

2007-01-01

This report briefly reviews the issue of U.S. arms sales to Pakistan. It provides background details regarding recent major weapons transactions between the United States and Pakistan, as well as the rationale given for such sales...

Pakistan's Madrassas -- Weapons of Mass Instruction?

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Bell, Paul M

2007-01-01

.... The madrassas are not unique to Pakistan, but are found throughout the Muslim world. However, Pakistan is a particularly interesting case since it was the staging ground for the CIA-led opposition to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan...

Chaos in power: Pakistan's electricity crisis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kessides, Ioannis N.

2013-01-01

Pakistan is facing a severe electricity crisis due to a persistent and widening gap between demand and available system generating capacity. The worsening of power shortages has become a major political issue, reflecting the hardships for individuals and businesses. It threatens to undermine the credibility and legitimacy of government and to further stress the social fabric of the country. The power crisis did not emerge suddenly. It is the direct result of imprudent and reckless energy policies over the last three decades. These policies have impeded the development of cheap and abundant domestic energy sources. They have also resulted in very inefficient fuel-mix choices, compromising energy and economic security. Pakistan's energy bankruptcy is ultimately due to massive institutional and governance failure. This paper analyzes the problems confronting Pakistan's electricity sector and identifies the key elements of a potential policy response to address the country's severe power crisis. - Highlights: ► We analyze the structure, conduct, and performance of Pakistan's electricity sector. ► The causes and economic impacts of Pakistan's electricity shortages are analyzed. ► We identify the potential policy response to the power crisis

Human Resource Management Strategies and Teacher's Efficiency within Schools: A Co-Relational Study

Science.gov (United States)

Hashmi, Kiran

2014-01-01

The aim of the paper is to study Human Resource Management and Development (HRMD) strategies and their effect on teachers' efficiency within the Catholic Board of Education (CBE) schools of Pakistan whose teachers are graduates in educational leadership courses from a private teacher education institutes in Karachi. The study endeavored to build a…

Individual, social and environmental determinants of smokeless tobacco and betel quid use amongst adolescents of Karachi: a school-based cross-sectional survey.

Science.gov (United States)

Hussain, Azmina; Zaheer, Sidra; Shafique, Kashif

2017-11-28

With 600 million people using betel quid (BQ) globally, and smokeless tobacco (SLT) use being more wide-spread; the duo is an uphill public health concern in South Asian countries. SLT and/or BQ use increases the risk for morbidity and mortality from oral cancer. Because SLT and/or BQ use is initiated during adolescence, it renders this group more vulnerable; and particular attention is needed to curb SLT and/or BQ use to reduce related disease burden. We aimed to observe the differential individual, social and environmental features amongst SLT and/or BQ users to determine the key influencers of its use in adolescents. This study was a cross-sectional survey of 2140 adolescents from secondary schools of Karachi, Pakistan. The main outcome measure was SLT and/or BQ use based on their consumption in the past 30 days. Univariate and multivariate regression binary logistic analyses were employed while reporting results in both crude form and adjusted odds ratio (after adjusting for all remaining individual, social and environmental level variables) with 95% confidence level. A p-value of co-education schools. Students whose peers (OR = 6.79, 95% CI 4.67-9.87, p-value co-education, parents and peers use, lack of knowledge based sessions on harmful health effects of SLT and/or BQ, and easy availability of the product from hawkers outside school all contribute towards enhanced risk of SLT and/or BQ use in adolescents.

Bacterial contamination of groundwater in urban area of Karachi

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zubair, A.; Rippey, B.

1999-01-01

Well-water samples (in=193) were collected from urban areas of five districts of Karachi during the period 1993 to 1995 to evaluate its bacteriological quality and their impact on city environment and morbidity patterns of inhabitants. Samples were analyzed by the standard method American Public Health Association. The bacteriological contamination level suggest that the groundwater of Chaahi is mainly affected by contamination of wastewater containing high levels of coliform and faecal coliform bacteria. This study points towards serious need to control the seepage from sewerage system and use of contaminated well-water should be discouraged to reduce the incidence of water-borne diseases in order to improve the quality of life and health. (author)

Eradication of dracunculiasis from Pakistan.

Science.gov (United States)

Hopkins, D R; Azam, M; Ruiz-Tiben, E; Kappus, K D

1995-09-02

In 1986 the World Health Organization targeted dracunculiasis (Guinea-worm disease), which seriously impairs socioeconomic development in 16 African countries, India, Pakistan, and Yemen, to be eradicated globally. The target date for eradication by the end of 1995 was established in 1991. Pakistan eradicated dracunculiasis from the country in October, 1993, after a national campaign which began in 1987 with a nationwide village-by-village search for cases. The infection, which is transmitted by drinking water from ponds containing infected water fleas, was eradicated by using health education, cloth filters, and the cyclopsicide, temephos; and in the later stages, by case containment. Methods pioneered in Pakistan's National Guinea Worm Eradication Program are now being applied in remaining endemic countries.

Energy policy formulation for Pakistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Riaz, T.

1981-01-01

Pakistan is a low income, low energy consumption country. In view of the close interdependence between economic growth and energy consumption, she will need increasing energy supplies in order to maintain her economic growth. This paper develops an energy sector optimization model for the Pakistan economy, which consists of production models for five energy industries, ie oil, gas, coal, electricity (including electricity generated in nuclear power plants) and non-commercial fuels. The model is first used to forecast energy balances for the period 1975 - 2006. The model is then employed to formulate a long-term comprehensive energy policy for Pakistan. Finally the suggested policy is compared with the current official energy programme. (author)

Impact of Working Capital Management on Profitability of Textile Sector of Pakistan

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sumaira Tufail

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Working capital can be considered as source of existence for a financial body and management of working capital is regarded as one of the most essential part of business management. This study aims to find out the impact of working capital policies on profitability. Return on assets is used as a measure of profitability. Current assets to total assets ratio is used to compute the investment policy of working capital management and to determine financing policy of working capital management current liabilities to total assets ratio is used. Other variables that are used in this study are quick ratio, debt to equity ratio and size of the firms. Secondary data of 117 textile firms listed on Karachi stock exchange is taken for a period of six years i.e. 2005-2010 to calculate all these variables. Results of the regression analysis show that aggressiveness of working capital management policies is negatively associated with profitability. Moreover liquidity and size of the firm have positive relation profitability whereas debt to equity ratio is negatively correlated with profitability. Textile sector is one of the majors sectors of Pakistan. It needs due consideration regarding the management of assets and liabilities. So, the aim of this study is to provide some useful recommendations for the people responsible for the management of this sector. This study also establishes the basis for future research in this area of business.

Pakistan's Nuclear Weapons: Proliferation and Security Issues

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Kerr, Paul; Nikitin, Mary B

2007-01-01

Pakistan's nuclear arsenal consists of approximately 60 nuclear warheads. Pakistan continues fissile material production for weapons, and is adding to its weapons production facilities and delivery vehicles...

Canadian firms hear pitch from Pakistan

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lorenz, A.

2000-12-11

A high Pakistani government official recently paid a visit to Canadian resource exploration and investment companies to assure them that Pakistan is open for business. The government is carrying through a massive privatization campaign and is about to finalize a Canadian government-sponsored regulatory agency modeled on Alberta's Energy and Utilities Board; a further indication of a more secure environment for private sector investment. The Pakistani government intends to privatize all formerly government-owned exploration and production companies and sell up to 51 per cent of each company. The delegation hopes to entice Husky Oil, Talisman Energy, Bow Valley Industries, Enbridge Pipelines and BC Gas to look closely at the potential in Pakistan. With a domestic market of 142 million and energy-hungry neighbours on all sides who are willing to buy any oil or gas that Pakistan can produce, and total proven recoverable reserves estimated at 643 million barrels, with remaining recoverable reserves of 240 million barrels, the prospects for a healthy oil and natural gas industry in Pakistan are very good, indeed. On the gas side, about 24 Tcf of gas remains of the 40 Tcf discovered. Pakistan currently exports 10,000 barrels of waxy crude each day which their refineries can't handle. The remainder of domestic production is consumed locally, but it satisfies only about 20 per cent of the nation's current needs. The balance is imported from Saudi Arabia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates. All natural gas produced within Pakistan is consumed domestically, but currently only 16 per cent of the population has access to natural gas. Since October 1999, 33 new wells have been drilled resulting in some excellent discoveries. These will add about one bcf of gas to the current average daily production of 2.3 bcf. Despite the good prospects and the appeal of the privatization plan, Pakistan remains a hard sell. The risk of political unrest and deadly violence is high

Trapped waves of the 27 November 1945 Makran tsunami: observations and numerical modeling

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Neetu, S.; Suresh, I.; Shankar, R.; Nagarajan, B.; Sharma, R.; Shenoi, S.S.C.; Unnikrishnan, A.S.; Sundar, D.

the Makran coast and at Karachi were the result of trapping of the tsunami-wave energy on the continental shelf off the Makran coast and that these coastally-trapped edge waves were trapped in the alongshore direction within a approx 300-km stretch...

Population and population policy in Pakistan.

Science.gov (United States)

Mauldin, W P

1963-02-01

Pakistan is a divided country with different religious groups represented. Since independence in 1941, the Muslim population has increased more rapidly than the Hindu population, the West Pakistan population more rapidly and steadily than the East Pakistan population. In the late 1950s the Pakistan government initiated a family planning program. The program has trained medical and paramedical personnel in family planning, added family planning services to existing medical centers, planned for a National Research Institute of Family Planning, employed mobile units to reach outlying areas, conducted limited clinical studies on some contraceptives, and used mass media advertising. Only India and Japan are doing more with government-sponsored family planning. A weak organizational structure and an inadequate number of trained personnel are the main weakness of the program. It is too early to assess the success of the program. A 10-point reduction in annual birth rates will be considered successful.

Abuse among school going adolescents in three major cities of Pakistan: is it associated with school performances and mood disorders?

Science.gov (United States)

Khawaja, Saleem; Khoja, Adeel Akbar; Motwani, Komal

2015-02-01

To assess the proportion of various types of abuses and their association with school performances and psychological stress among adolescents from three major cities of Pakistan. The cross-sectional school survey was conducted from March to September 2009, comprising adolescent students at six schools in Karachi, Lahore and Quetta. Data was collected using a self-administered and pre-tested questionnaire by trained medical students. SPSS 16 was used for statistical analysis. Of the 414 subjects in the study, there were 223 (54%) boys and 191 (46%) girls with an overall mean age of 14.36 ± 1.08 years. In all, 140 (33.7%) participants were physically abused and 236 (57%) participants were verbally abused in the preceding 12 months. Besides, 245 (59.2%) were involved in physical fight and 195 (47.1%) had suffered injury during the preceding year. There were 171 (41.4%) subjects having suffered bullying during the same period. Verbal abuse (p = 0.05), physical fight (p = 0.05) and bullying (p poor school performances among adolescents. Physical abuse (p = 0.05), verbal abuse (p = 0.003), injury (p = 0.02) and bullying (p poor school performance and poor mental health.

Pakistan liberalises the petroleum sector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1992-01-01

With the independence of the Indian sub-continent, Pakistan was declared a Dominion on 14 August 1947. Following political turbulence, East Pakistan declared itself an independent state, Bangladesh in December 1971. Although Pakistan has some coal, oil, natural gas and hydroelectricity (the huge Tarbela Dam on the Indus) it is an importer of energy. Many of the population of 90 million live in the 44000 villages only about half of which have mains electricity supplies. About 85 percent of the energy consumption in rural areas is provided by non-commercial sources such as dung and firewood. To replace these non-commercial fuels, even with considerable increases in energy efficiency, would mean a trebling of the present levels of burning kerosine and gas oil consumption. (?)

Pulluterina karachiensis sp.n. (Cestoda: Anaplocephalidae) from the Wild Pigeon Columba livia Gmelin

OpenAIRE

GHAZI, Rafia Rehana

2014-01-01

A new species, Pulluterina karachiensis, is described from the common pigeon Columba livia Gmelin in Karachi. The new species is characterized by possessing small suckers; a longer neck; fewer testes, smaller in size, and the comparatively smaller size of ova. This is the second species of the genus from Pakistan and third in the literature.

Impact of CNG Crisis on Student's Academic Life

Science.gov (United States)

Azeem, Kiran; Nadeem, Wajiha; Zia, Afsa; Shehzad, Shiza; Anwar, Zara

2017-01-01

The goal of this study is to determine the impact of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) crisis on Student's Academic Life of Karachi Pakistan. This research helps in observing the behavior of students and their educational progress includes depression and anxiety, rate of absenteeism and undesirable results in exams threatens due to CNG crisis and…

Pakistan's Nuclear programme for peaceful purposes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hilali, A.Z.

1994-01-01

Pakistan's nuclear programme is peaceful purposes and as the foregoing analysis shows, it is essential for its economic development. Nuclear power provides affordable energy for development of Pakistan economy and for meeting the minimum requirements of the people. Growing conventional energy requirements reflect Pakistan's expanding industrial demand for energy intensive appliances. Prospects for developing domestic sources of oil, natural gas, coal and hydro power are limited and the search for natural resources is slow due to lack of foreign aid and capital. Nuclear technology is an immensely powerful factor in the achievement of socio-economic development and elimination of poverty. (Orig./A.B.)

Seroprevalence rate of Poliovirus antibodies among the Healthy and Protein Energy Malnutrition children.

Science.gov (United States)

Yousuf, Aliya; Syed Shah, Skindar Ali; Syed Jaffery, Imtiaz Ahmed; Ahmed, Syed Azher; Khan, M A Basit; Aslam, Mohammad

2015-01-01

To study the association between Protein energy malnutrition and polio-specific immunoglobulin G antibodies production among children in Gadap Town Karachi, Pakistan. Comparative cross sectional survey conducted at fixed EPI center and Pediatric OPD of a tertiary care hospital Karachi. Children were selected by convenient sampling method during the period from 17 March to 17 May 2013. It was ensured that they must have received more than seven oral polio vaccine doses as eligibility criteria for the study. A total of 170 blood samples were collected and tested for the presence of polio-specific IgG antibodies using Poliomyelitis IgG ELISA Test Kit produced. Statistically significant relation was found between PEM and IgG antibodies production OR (P = 0.000). Overall Seroprevalence rate among the study population was 98.8%, PEM group 97.6% and healthy group 100%. The study demonstrated that there is a need to focus on the protein energy malnutrition among the children as an immunization strategy for the 100% seroprevalence rate in all population against polio in Pakistan.

Prime Minister of Pakistan visits CERN

CERN Multimedia

Anaïs Schaeffer

2016-01-01

On Saturday, 23 January 2016, CERN welcomed Mr Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, Prime Minister of Pakistan.   From left to right: Minister of Finance Mr Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, CERN Director-General Fabiola Gianotti and CMS national contact physicist Hafeez Hoorani. Mr Muhammad Nawaz Sharif arrived at Point 5 in Cessy, where he was welcomed onto French soil by the sous-préfet of Cessy, Stéphane Donnot, and, representing CERN, Director-General Fabiola Gianotti, Directors Eckhard Elsen and Charlotte Warakaulle, and Rüdiger Voss, the adviser for relations with Pakistan. It was the first visit by a head of government of Pakistan since the country became CERN's latest Associate Member State in July 2015. The Prime Minister then had the opportunity to visit the CMS underground experimental area accompanied by the CMS Spokesperson, Tiziano Camporesi, and the CMS collaboration’...

Analysis of india and Pakistan's nuclear capacity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Zhimin

1999-07-01

The development and capacity of both India and Pakistan's nuclear weapons are described in production of weapon-grade materials, nuclear testing, weaponization engineering and delivery systems. India is capable of designing and manufacturing both small yield tactic nuclear weapons and big yield strategic ones and also possesses the technique to design and manufacture H-bombs. Weapon-grade plutonium constitutes the primary fission material for India's nuclear weapon and it has plutonium enough to make 70 to 100 nuclear weapons. India can also produce some tritium. India has already possessed delivery systems but it has not yet mounted nuclear warheads on its ballistic missiles even though its missiles, which India has already owned or is under development, have the ability to carry nuclear warheads. Pakistan also has the ability to make both tactic nuclear weapons and strategic ones. With its weapon-grade uranium, 20 to 30 nuclear weapons can be made. Besides the uranium production facility. Pakistan also has the facility to produce tritium. It is supposed that Pakistan has the ability to carry nuclear weapons with airplane, but it has a long way to go if it wants to mount nuclear weapon, especially bit yield ones, on its own missile. As a whole, India's nuclear force is stronger than Pakistan's, and its development far more advanced than Pakistan's

An AOGCM based assessment of interseasonal variability in Pakistan

Science.gov (United States)

Asmat, U.; Athar, H.; Nabeel, A.; Latif, M.

2018-01-01

The interseasonal variability of two basic climatic parameters (precipitation and temperature) is assessed, over vulnerable and data sparse region of Pakistan (23° to 37°N and 60° to 75°E), for two Coupled Model Intercomparison Project 3 (CMIP3) based Atmospheric-Oceanic General Circulation Model (AOGCM) versions: CM2.0 and CM2.1 by Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL), and two CMIP5 based AOGCM versions: CM2p1 and CM3.0. A recent historical 50-year period (1951-2000) is analyzed and compared with APHRODITE for precipitation and National Centers for Environmental Prediction/National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCEP/NCAR) re-analysis based gridded datasets for temperature for the following four seasons: DJF, MAM, JJA, and SON. The study area is divided into three regions: all Pakistan, northern Pakistan, and southern Pakistan. The interseasonal variability of the precipitation and the temperature are derived from all three (five) runs of CM2.0 (CM2.1) and from all ten (five) runs of CM 2p1 (CM3.0). The bias, root mean square error (RMSE), one-sigma standard deviation (SD) and correlation coefficient (CC) are used as assessing metrics. The following individual runs have positive CC with respect to APHRODITE at ≤1% Confidence Level (CL). On seasonal basis for CMIP5 based GFDL models during DJF: CM2p1R5 (for all Pakistan), CM2p1R5 (for northern Pakistan), and during MAM: CM2p1R5 (for southern Pakistan; this run has the lowest centered RMSE of 0.11 mm/day), whereas on annual basis: CM3.0R3 (for all Pakistan). However, out of these four runs, only CM2p1 (for southern Pakistan) has SD Pakistan has SD Pakistan, in respective seasons. A variance based bias adjustment when applied displays considerable interseasonal bias reduction both in precipitation and temperature in long term mean with no change in trend.

Energy - efficient buildings in pakistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sohail, M.; Qureshi, M.U.D.

2011-01-01

Pakistan is one of the countries with the highest energy consumption for domestic use. Annual energy consumption by the domestic sector is 45.9 % of the total, while the industrial sector, consumes about 27.5%. About half of the total energy consumed is used in buildings and/or heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) and lighting appliances. The energy consumed for the same purposes in China and UK is 25 to 30 % and 40 %, respectively, even in extreme weather conditions. Energy deficiency in Pakistan is approximately 5,000 MWe, which results in worst load-shedding in summers and, lately, even in winters. Building new energy sources like dams, coal power plants and renewable energy power projects are some possible solutions, but these are time taking and need at least 2 to 6 years to complete, depending upon the nature of the project. Fast development of energy-efficient buildings is, therefore, necessary to deal with exacerbating energy-crisis and related environmental impact in Pakistan. Innovations in the prevailing building-design will help the country in reducing the energy burden. These innovations may include improved architectural designs, energy-efficient building materials, electrical appliances and implementation of building energy-efficiency codes. In 1987, the National Energy Conservation Centre (ENERCON), was established under Ministry of Environment, Government of Pakistan, with the aim to build awareness among the masses for energy conservation, and to make policies regarding energy-conservation structures in the country. But no policy regarding building energy codes has been introduced by ENERCON till now. In collaboration with Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC), ENERCON has recently finalized the Building Energy Code of Pakistan Energy Provisions 2011 for which statutory notification is under process for necessary amendment in the building by-laws. The implementation of this Energy Code will result in 25 to 30 % of energy savings in the

Environmental laws in Pakistan with case la w analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khan, M.S.

2005-01-01

Laws of Nature should be respected in the interest of the human race. It is very hard to go against them. Doing so will only result in the subsequent devastation of this earth and its inhabitants. The literal meaning of environment is 'life around us in which we all exist'. The word environment caught world attention after various protest and demonstrations by environmentalists' during the early 70s. Issues like Deforestation, Industrialization and Pollution in the urban cities of Pakistan are constantly increasing and are affecting the quality of life significantly. Increasing drudgeries regarding environmental issues have forced governing bodies and jurists to take some pragmatic action in the form of environmental laws. The legislature, executive and judiciary of Pakistan have yet not adequately and effectively realized this hard fact. It is also aggravating that the courts of law are reluctant to take a stand on this hard-core issue of environmental protection and preservation. The era from 1983 to 1997 appears to be the period of heightened environmental awareness in Pakistan. The very first Environmental Protection Ordinance 1983 was promulgated in this period, which laid the foundation stone of a new environmental legal system for Pakistan. A campaign started which worked hard for the enactment of Environmental Protection Act, 1997. This Act is not the last step but the best prevailing and available remedy for environment control in Pakistan. This research paper aims to analyze the development of environmental laws in Pakistan, important environmental statutes enacted in Pakistan, implementation and enforcement mechanisms contained in the Pakistan Environmental Protection Act, 1997, environmental treaties effective for Pakistan, public interest litigation, judicial activism, conclusions and suggestions. Specific emphasis will be on case law and the interpretation of environmental issues by the Pakistani Courts. In the end the repercussions of environment

PREFACE: 1st International Conference on Sensing for Industry, Control, Communication & Security Technologies

Science.gov (United States)

Shuja Syed, Ahmed

2013-12-01

The 1st International Conference on Sensing for Industry, Control, Communication & Security Technologies (ICSICCST-2013), took place in Karachi, Pakistan, from 24-26 June 2013. It was organized by Indus University, Karachi, in collaboration with HEJ Research Institute of Chemistry, University of Karachi, Karachi. More than 80 abstracts were submitted to the conference and were double blind-reviewed by an international scientific committee. The topics of the Conference were: Video, Image & Voice Sensing Sensing for Industry, Environment, and Health Automation and Controls Laser Sensors and Systems Displays for Innovative Applications Emerging Technologies Unmanned, Robotic, and Layered Systems Sensing for Defense, Homeland Security, and Law Enforcement The title of the conference, 'Sensing for Industry, Control, Communication & Security Technologies' is very apt in capturing the main issues facing the industry of Pakistan and the world. We believe the sensing industry, particularly in Pakistan, is currently at a critical juncture of its development. The future of the industry will depend on how the industry players choose to respond to the challenge of global competition and opportunities arising from strong growth in the Asian region for which we are pleased to note that the conference covered a comprehensive spectrum of issues with an international perspective. This will certainly assist industry players to make informed decisions in shaping the future of the industry. The conference gathered qualified researchers from developed countries like USA, UK, Sweden, Saudi Arabia, China, South Korea and Malaysia etc whose expertise resulting from the research can be drawn upon to build an exploitable area of new technology that has potential Defense, Homeland Security, and Military applicability. More than 250 researchers/students attended the event and made the event great success as the turnout was 100%. An exceptional line-up of speakers spoke at the occasion. We want

Human exposure to pollutants - part: 1 blood lead and cadmium in a sample of population of Karachi

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yousufzai, A.H.K.; Khalid, Q.; Sultana, L.

1994-01-01

A study was carried out to see the blood lead and cadmium levels in fifty employees working at PCSIR Laboratories Complex, Karachi. These employees belonged to various socio-economic groups and had their residences in different areas of Karachi. Sixty two percent staff had blood lead level between 100-200 micro g/L. The highest blood lead level(>400 micro g/L) was found in volunteers working as garage staff. No significant difference was found between the blood lead levels of volunteers belonging to different socio-economic and age groups, only 8% of the staff had blood lead levels below 100 micro g/L. Lead in the dust collected from the residences of the volunteers was also estimated for lead and correlated with blood lead levels. Blood cadmium levels were also estimated. These were found to be higher in smokers and tobacco chewers. A definite correlation was observed between blood cadmium levels and smoking habits. (author)

Tidal Flushing Characteristics of Municipal and Industrial Waste in the Karachi Coastal Waters and Simulation of Waste Field Dilution at Sewage Outfall

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khan, T. M. A.; Abid, K.; Jaffery, S.; Ali, I.; Zakai, H. M. A.

2015-01-01

The deterioration of Karachi coast and the marine environment near to it cannot be ignored. Effluents from industries and untreated sewage discharge into the coastal waters through Malir and Lyari Rivers and this ultimately have a negative impact on marine life and also to human health. The toxicants present in the industrial wastewater play a vital role in declining the marine population and also cause contamination. The knowledge of flushing and residence times of estuaries and creeks is very important. However, the estimated flushing time by using the freshwater fraction method ranges 15-20 days at both sites. The freshwater fraction method is considered to be a reasonable estimation method as in this method salinity variation in the estuary and open sea are also incorporated in the calculation. Discharging the effluents in the estuary results the destruction of the ecosystem of the area. Thus the discharge of polluted water directly in the deep offshore water certainly improves the quality of life in the coastal areas. Therefore, submarine outfall construction is an effective way to discharge the sewage far away from the coast where diffusion, dispersion and dilution are enhanced. This paper deals with the estimation of flushing time scales and marine environmental parameters in the offshore waters of HawkesBay and Gizri creek/DHA coastlines. The outfall model, DESCAR, is used to determine the spreading and dilution of pollutants under different oceanographic and meteorological forcing. The other outfall parameters such as Initial dilution and Froude numbers and return back travel time are also estimated by using USEPA spread sheet and the ocean-atmosphere archived data. (author)

La mobilité et l'accès aux services sont des principaux facteurs de ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

23 sept. 2016 ... A young boy dumps household waste into the main sewage canal in Karachi's Machar Colony,. Balazs Gardi. Dans les centres urbains au Pakistan, le sexe et la violence interagissent de manière inattendue et influencent profondément la vie des femmes et des hommes, comme le démontre une étude ...

Contact lens use and its compliance for care among healthcare workers in Pakistan

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Muhammed Hamza Khan

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Poor care and hygiene of contact lens (CL results in eye problems and infections. Healthcare workers have an important role in advocating correct lens care. Objectives: To determine the practices of CL care and the adverse consequences of poor CL care among healthcare workers. Setting and Design: A cross-sectional study in one public and three private sector hospitals in Karachi, Pakistan, in 2009-2010. Materials and Methods: We questioned 500 healthcare workers of all ages and both sexes, who wore CL, about compliance with advice on care and any complications due to improper hygiene practices. Ethical approval was obtained. Chi-square tests were used to determine significance and p-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Of the total CL users, 385 (77% were females. Most (75% respondents wore CL to correct myopia, whereas 54% wore CL only occasionally. Surprisingly, only 24% knew the CL cleaning protocol. Lens solution was changed daily by 33% of users and after more than 2 weeks by 42%. Although 412 (82% participants practised reasonable hand hygiene before inserting CL, 88 (18% did not. Infection and eye dryness were statistically significantly (P < 0.01 associated with sex, hand-washing, and frequency of CL use. Conclusion: Noncompliance with the CL protocol was common among healthcare workers in our society. This behavior calls for targeted health education and awareness programs for healthcare workers.

Development of agriculture biotechnology in Pakistan.

Science.gov (United States)

Zafar, Yusuf

2007-01-01

Agriculture plays an important role in the national economy of Pakistan, where most of the rapidly increasing population resides in rural areas and depends on agriculture for subsistence. Biotechnology has considerable potential for promoting the efficiency of crop improvement, food production, and poverty reduction. Use of modern biotechnology started in Pakistan since 1985. Currently, there are 29 biotech centers/institutes in the country. However, few centers have appropriate physical facilities and trained manpower to develop genetically modified (GM) crops. Most of the activities have been on rice and cotton, which are among the top 5 crops of Pakistan. Biotic (virus/bacterial/insect) and abiotic (salt) resistant and quality (male sterility) genes have already been incorporated in some crop plants. Despite acquiring capacity to produce transgenic plants, no GM crops, either produced locally or imported, have been released in the country. Pakistan is signatory to the World Trade Organization, Convention on Biological Diversity, and Cartagena protocols. Several legislations under the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights have been promulgated in the country. National Biosafety Guidelines have been promulgated in April 2005. The Plant Breeders Rights Act, Amendment in Seed Act-1976, and Geographical Indication for Goods are still passing through discussion, evaluation, and analysis phases. Meanwhile, an illegal GM crop (cotton) has already sneaked into farmer's field. Concerted and coordinated efforts are needed among various ministries for implementation of regulation and capacity building for import/export and local handling of GM crops. Pakistan could easily benefit from the experience of Asian countries, especially China and India, where conditions are similar and the agriculture sector is almost like that of Pakistan. Thus, the exchange of information and experiences is important among these nations.

Child health inequalities and its dimensions in Pakistan.

Science.gov (United States)

Murtaza, Fowad; Mustafa, Tajammal; Awan, Rabia

2015-01-01

Poverty and inequality in health is pervasive in Pakistan. The provisions and conditions of health are very dismal. A significant proportion of the population (16.34%) of Pakistan is under 5 years, but Pakistan is in the bottom 5% of countries in the world in terms of spending on health and education. It is ranked the lowest in the world with sub-Sahara Africa in terms of child health equality. The objective of this study was to examine child health inequalities in Pakistan. We analyzed data from Pakistan Integrated Household Survey/Household Integrated Economic Survey 2001-2002, collected by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, Government of Pakistan. Coverage of diarrhea and immunization were used as indicators of child health. Stata 11.0 was used for data analysis. Descriptive statistics including frequency distribution and proportions for categorical variables and mean for continuous variables were computed. Children under 5 years of age account for about 16.34% of the total population, 11.76% (2.5 million) of whom suffered from diarrhea in 1-month. The average duration of a diarrheal episode was 7 days. About 72% of the children who had diarrhea lived in a house without pipe-borne water supply. Around 22% children who had diarrhea had no advice or treatment. More than one-third of the households had no toilet in the house, and only 29% of the households were connected with pipe-borne drinking water. About 7.73% (1.6 million) children had never been immunized. The main reason for nonimmunization was parents' lack of knowledge and of immunization. Child health inequalities in Pakistan are linked with several factors such as severe poverty, illiteracy, lack of knowledge, and awareness of child healthcare, singularly inadequate provision of health services, and poor infrastructure.

Child health inequalities and its dimensions in Pakistan

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fowad Murtaza

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Background and Objective: Poverty and inequality in health is pervasive in Pakistan. The provisions and conditions of health are very dismal. A significant proportion of the population (16.34% of Pakistan is under 5 years, but Pakistan is in the bottom 5% of countries in the world in terms of spending on health and education. It is ranked the lowest in the world with sub-Sahara Africa in terms of child health equality. The objective of this study was to examine child health inequalities in Pakistan. Materials and Methods: We analyzed data from Pakistan Integrated Household Survey/Household Integrated Economic Survey 2001-2002, collected by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, Government of Pakistan. Coverage of diarrhea and immunization were used as indicators of child health. Stata 11.0 was used for data analysis. Descriptive statistics including frequency distribution and proportions for categorical variables and mean for continuous variables were computed. Results: Children under 5 years of age account for about 16.34% of the total population, 11.76% (2.5 million of whom suffered from diarrhea in 1-month. The average duration of a diarrheal episode was 7 days. About 72% of the children who had diarrhea lived in a house without pipe-borne water supply. Around 22% children who had diarrhea had no advice or treatment. More than one-third of the households had no toilet in the house, and only 29% of the households were connected with pipe-borne drinking water. About 7.73% (1.6 million children had never been immunized. The main reason for nonimmunization was parents′ lack of knowledge and of immunization. Conclusion: Child health inequalities in Pakistan are linked with several factors such as severe poverty, illiteracy, lack of knowledge, and awareness of child healthcare, singularly inadequate provision of health services, and poor infrastructure.

Comparison of different methods of helicobacter pylori detection in symptomatic gastroduodenal patients of Karachi

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hanif, M.; Zaidi, P.; Hameed, A.; Rasool, A.

2009-01-01

Helicobacter pylori is a principal cause of chronic gastritis (CG), gastric and duodenal ulcers and a major risk factor for gastric cancer in humans. The objective of this study was to determine and compare the prevalence of H. pylori by different detection methods in symptomatic patients of Karachi. A total of 227 biopsy samples were collected from patients having complaints of peptic ulcer disease (PUD), chronic gastritis and/or abdominal discomfort (AD) from three different health providing institutions of Karachi during 2004- 2006 and analyzed for the presence of H. pylori. Comparative evaluation of three different conventional diagnostic techniques with that of a highly specific PCR amplification of ureC gene were carried out and found H. pylori in 62.5%, 64.7%. 68.7% and 59% by PCR, histology, rapid urease test and culture respectively. Out of 227 biopsy samples collected, 120 (52.8%) were H. pylori positive by all methods comprising 62 male patients and 58 female patients. A significant association between H. pylori infection and gastro duodenal diseases was observed. Among 120 H. pylori infected patients 56 were comprised of PUD, 37 with CG, 19 with AD and 8 with Gastric cancer (GCa). The epidemiology of H. p)1/ori infection is also discussed. (author)

Girl child marriage and its effect on fertility in Pakistan: findings from Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey, 2006-2007.

Science.gov (United States)

Nasrullah, Muazzam; Muazzam, Sana; Bhutta, Zulfiqar A; Raj, Anita

2014-04-01

Child marriage (before 18 years) is prevalent in Pakistan, which disproportionately affects young girls in rural, low income and low education households. Our study aims to determine the association between early marriage and high fertility and poor fertility health indicators among young women in Pakistan beyond those attributed to social vulnerabilities. Nationally representative data from Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey, 2006-2007, a cross-sectional observational survey, were limited to ever-married women aged 20-24 years (n = 1,560; 15% of 10,023) to identify differences in poor fertility outcomes [high fertility (three or more childbirths); rapid repeat childbirth (marriage. Associations between child marriage and fertility outcomes were assessed by calculating adjusted odds ratios (AORs) using logistic regression models after controlling for demographics, social equity indicators (education, wealth index, rural residence), contraception use, marriage duration and culture-specific factors (husband's desire for more children, son preference). Overall, 50% of ever-married women aged 20-24 years in Pakistan were married before the age of 18 years. Girl child marriage was significantly (p marriage was significantly associated with high fertility (AOR 6.62; 95% CI 3.53-12.43), rapid repeat childbirth (AOR 2.88; 95% CI 1.83-4.54), unwanted pregnancy (AOR 2.90; 95% CI 1.75-4.79), and pregnancy termination (AOR 1.75; 95% CI 1.10-2.78). Girl child marriage affects half of all ever-married women aged 20-24 years in Pakistan, and increases their risk for high fertility and poor fertility health indicators, highlighting the need of increasing the age of marriage among women in Pakistan. Efforts to eliminate girl child marriage by strict law enforcement, promoting civil, sexual and reproductive health rights for women can help eliminate girl child marriage in Pakistan.

China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Boyce, Tucker [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

2017-01-01

International trade and related economic activities in Central and South Asia are increasing as developing economies, particularly India and Pakistan, grow. China continues to emerge as a major regional and global power and has embarked upon numerous regional economic and political initiatives . A major development is the China - Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a host of infrastructure and trade projects worth over 40 billion American dollars . This report analyzes CPEC a nd its potential regional effects, including the trade security implications of the port and land infrastructure developments . As trade increase s in the reg ion and the major CPEC infrastructure projects are completed, there will be numerous implications on trade security and geopolitics within South Asia. CPEC projects uniquely intersect numerous regional situations, including territorial disputes in Kashmir, the Afghanistan/Pakistan border, and Chinese foreign policy a mbitions. A nuanced understanding of these effects can influence future policy adjustments in this region . The views expressed in this report are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of Sandia National Laboratories or the author's current and past institutions.

Pakistan and Antarctic research - an overview

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rizvi, S.H.

1993-01-01

The paper describes the significance of Antarctica and the necessity of conducting scientific research for the understanding of the global environment and through various environmental processes operative in Antarctica. The paper presents a review of the Pakistan's activities and research interests in Antarctica focussing on the salient features of the Pakistan's Antarctic Research Programme and objectives. It summarises the significance of Antarctica, Antarctic Research and the interests of the world in Antarctica and international co-operation for Antarctic Research. The paper also highlights the philosophy of Antarctic Science and provides some guidelines for the development of Antarctic Research programmes for Pakistan and for the newcomers in Antarctica particularly for the developing countries. (author)

Toward an Innovation Policy for Pakistan

OpenAIRE

Speakman, John; Afzal, Kiran; Yuge, Yasuhiko; Hanna, James

2012-01-01

This policy paper aims to assist policy makers, as they develop the Pakistan Innovation Policy, with an independent assessment of where Pakistan stands now, an international perspective on policy priorities, a review of policy options and some implementation and institutional perspectives. The paper begins with a review of the key lessons of international experience together with a study of ...

Fluoride in the drinking water of Pakistan and the possible risk of crippling fluorosis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. A. Tahir

2013-02-01

Full Text Available To explore the possibility of fluoride toxicity, 747 water samples were collected from surface water and groundwater sources of 16 major cities of Pakistan, adopting a uniform sampling design with distribution of samples: Lahore (79, Kasur (46, Faisalabad (30, Khushab (50, Chakwal (51, Mianwali (30, Jhelum (53, Bahawalpur (60, Karachi (60, Mirpur Khas (55, Peshawar (38, Risalpur (35, Quetta (81, Ziarat (21, Loralai (21, and Mastung (37. Comparison of analytical findings with WHO Guidelines of Drinking Water for Fluoride (i.e., 1.5 ppm has concluded that 16% of the monitored water sources have fluoride concentration beyond the permissible safe limit of 1.5 mg L−1 falling in the concentration range of 1.6–25 mg L−1. The highest fluoride contamination (22% is detected in the Balochistan province followed by 19% in Punjab province. Comparatively higher fluoride levels of > 20% in the groundwater sources like hand pumps supported the possibility of increased groundwater contamination as excessive fluoride concentrations are expected to come from calcium-poor aquifers and in areas where fluoride-bearing minerals are common or where cation exchange of sodium for calcium occurs. Field observations have also indicated the prevalence of fluoride-associated health implications in the study areas with excessive fluoride in water sources. Findings of this study have provided bidirectional vision for the epidemiological investigations as well as to mitigate the issues in the affected vicinities of fluoride-rich areas.

Teaching children road safety through storybooks: an approach to child health literacy in Pakistan.

Science.gov (United States)

Ahmad, Haris; Naeem, Rubaba; Feroze, Asher; Zia, Nukhba; Shakoor, Amarah; Khan, Uzma Rahim; Mian, Asad Iqbal

2018-02-07

Road traffic injuries (RTIs) commonly affect the younger population in low- and-middle-income countries. School children may be educated about road safety using storybooks with colorful pictures, which tends to increase the child's interest in the text. Therefore, this study assessed the use of bilingual pictorial storybooks to improve RTI prevention knowledge among school children. This pretest-posttest study was conducted in eight public and nine private schools of Karachi, Pakistan, between February to May 2015. Children in grades four and five were enrolled at baseline (n = 410). The intervention was an interactive discussion about RTI prevention using a bilingual (Urdu and English) pictorial storybook. A baseline test was conducted to assess children's pre-existing knowledge about RTI prevention followed by administration of the intervention. Two posttests were conducted: first immediately after the intervention, and second after 2 months. Test scores were analyzed using McNemar test and paired sample t-test. There were 57% girls and 55% public school students; age range 8-16 years. Compared to the overall baseline score (5.1 ± 1.4), the number of correct answers increased in both subsequent tests (5.9 ± 1.2 and 6.1 ± 1.1 respectively, p-value education sessions may be incorporated into school curricula using storybooks as teaching tools. Potential exists to create similar models for other developing countries by translating the storybooks into local languages.

Clinical course, complications and predictors of mortality in patients with tuberculous meningitis - an experience of fifty two cases at civil hospital karachi, pakistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Salekeen, S.; Mahmood, K.; Naqvi, I.H.; Baig, M.Y.; Akhtar, S.T.; Abbasi, A

2013-01-01

Objective: To assess the clinical course, complications and predictors of mortality in reducing the consequent morbidity and mortality in patients with tuberculous meningitis. Methods: A prospective study was carried out at Civil Hospital Karachi from January 2009 to January 2011. Fifty-two confirmed cases of tuberculous meningitis were included. The entire clinical course with complications and predictors of mortality were assessed. Data was analyzed using kSPSS version 17.0. Results: The mean age of the patients was 36.29+-16.7 years with an equal gender distribution. The presenting complaints were fever 51 (98.1%), neck-stiffness 44 (84.61%), and altered level of consciousness 40 (76.9%), headache 31 (59.6%), vomiting 19 (36.5%) and focal weakness 10 (19.2%). Among CNS signs, 47 (90.4%) patients had signs of meningeal irritation, 14 (26.9%) had cranial nerve palsies with abducent nerve being the most commonly involved cranial nerve (25%). Mean GCS was 11.4+-2.9 and most of the patients presented with medical research council Stage 2 of tuberculous meningitis (which is minimally altered level of consciousness with minor focal neurological signs). Overall mortality was 21.1%. Univariate analysis revealed old age; advanced stage of tuberculous meningitis, serum sodium 9000/mL development of hydrocephalus and use of mechanical ventilation as major predictors of mortality. Conclusion: Tuberculous meningitis is a frequently reported problem in our part of the world. Hydrocephalus along with other sequelae are common complications. All patients should be assessed for the presence of risk factors affecting mortality of the disease. (author)

Vertical and lateral flux on the continental slope off Pakistan: correlation of sediment core and trap results

Science.gov (United States)

Schulz, H.; von Rad, U.

2014-06-01

Due to the lack of bioturbation, the varve-laminated muds from the oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) off Pakistan provide a unique opportunity to precisely determine the vertical and lateral sediment fluxes in the nearshore part of the northeastern Arabian Sea. West of Karachi (Hab area), the results of two sediment trap stations (EPT and WPT) were correlated with 16 short sediment cores on a depth transect crossing the OMZ. The top of a distinct, either reddish- or light-gray silt layer, 210Pb-dated as AD 1905 ± 10, was used as an isochronous stratigraphic marker bed to calculate sediment accumulation rates. In one core, the red and gray layer were separated by a few (5-10) thin laminae. According to our varve model, this contributes water column above. All traps on the steep Makran continental slope show exceptionally high, pulsed winter fluxes of up to 5000 mg m-2 d-1. Based on core results, the flux at the seafloor amounts to 4000 mg m-2 d-1 and agrees remarkably well with the bulk winter flux of material, as well as with the flux of the individual bulk components of organic carbon, calcium carbonate and opal. However, due to the extreme mass of remobilized matter, the high winter flux events exceeded the capacity of the shallow traps. Based on our comparisons, we argue that high-flux events must occur regularly during winter within the upper OMZ off Pakistan to explain the high accumulations rates. These show distribution patterns that are a negative function of water depth and distance from the shelf. Some of the sediment fractions show marked shifts in accumulation rates near the lower boundary of the OMZ. For instance, the flux of benthic foraminifera is lowered but stable below ~1200-1300 m. However, flux and sedimentation in the upper eastern Makran area are dominated by the large amount of laterally advected fine-grained material and by the pulsed nature of the resuspension events at the upper margin during winter.

Privatisation electric power sector in Pakistan: some important issues

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ghafoor, A.; Weiss, J.

1998-01-01

This discussion paper highlights important issues relating to the privatisation of Pakistan's electric power sector. Salient features of the electric power sector in Pakistan, factors affecting the economic performance of this sector, the partial privatisation policy adopted by Pakistan, ongoing private power projects, and current privatisation policy are examined. The arguments for competition are raised, and alternative policy reforms the are considered

Financial management practices and their impact on organizational performance

OpenAIRE

Butt, Babar Zaheer; Hunjra, Ahmed Imran; Rehman, Kashif-Ur-

2010-01-01

This study measures the relationship between organizational performance and financial management practices like capital structure decision, dividend policy, investment appraisal techniques, working capital management and financial performance assessment in Pakistani corporate sector. Sample of the study consisted of forty companies operating in Pakistan, related to different sectors and listed at Karachi Stock Exchange. The finance executives and financial analysts of the companies respon...

7. Eurasia Conference on Chemical Sciences (abstracts)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Atta-ur-Rahman; Choudhary, M.I.

2002-01-01

The 7th Eurasia Conference on Chemical sciences (EuAs/sub 2/S-7) was held from 8-12 March, 2002 at Karachi, Pakistan. Scientists from thirty different countries had participated in this conference. Several topics from chemical world were highlighted in this conference including use of radioisotopes in different fields and specially environment which have been included here. (A.B)

An overview of poultry industry in Pakistan.

Science.gov (United States)

Hussain, J; Rabbani, I; Aslam, S; Ahmad, H A

2015-12-01

The poultry sector is an important and vibrant segment of agriculture in Pakistan with a significant contribution to the national GDP (1.3%). Commercial poultry production in Pakistan started in the 1960's and has been providing a significant portion of daily proteins to the Pakistani population ever since. During its evolution the industry enjoyed promotional policies of the Government, but has faced several challenges such as disease outbreaks and retail price fluctuations. Despite its important role in the country's economy, not a single scientific study is available on its evolutionary history. The data available in this regard are scattered and lack reliability. This review is an effort to encompass the history of the overall growth of the poultry industry in Pakistan, its present status (2012 statistics) and future directions and challenges. This article may serve as the basic source of information on Pakistan's poultry industry achievements. It will also guide poultry experts and policy makers for developing strategic planning for further growth of the industry.

Pakistan's Afghanistan Policy

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Hussain, Khawar

2005-01-01

.... Since 1947 both countries have interfered in each other's domestic affairs. The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan forced Pakistan to wage a proxy war in Afghanistan, garnering the support of Western and Arab allies...

An evaluation of current EIA system in Pakistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shah, I.A.; Romano, R.R.

2004-01-01

The challenge of reducing poverty and increasing economic growth has often led Pakistan to overlook environmental sustainability. Consequently, Pakistan, is suffering from severe environmental problems. This has spurred an increasing demand for and effective Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) System with environmental management tools and techniques that can help the country to adequately diagnose their risks and suggest mitigation options. In the past few years Pakistan has begun implementing EIA' s as a preventive tool. However, given the judiciary, institutional and structural predicament, the outcome of the EIA process has resulted in great disparities. Given the growing regional environmental problems it is now a priority to seek an effective EIA systems, principles, and procedures in the country. This paper seeks to distinguish the Pakistan EIA strengths and weaknesses; it also focuses on identifying common positive and negative characteristics of the Pakistan EIA system. Furthermore, differences between the interested parties of the EIA system in the country were evaluated via a survey to ensure a good understanding of the factors of a comprehensive and effective EIA system. Analytical comparisons were made among the different interested parties of the EIA system in Pakistan. Statistical methods were used to analyze the data received and recommendations were made based on the outcome of the data results. These results will assist: (i) Pakistan to improve its EIA system (ii) other South Asian countries which may have a similar EIA systems in developing policy, planning and reforms and (iii) International organizations that work or invest in the region to enhance the attainment of environ- mental protection objectives on a broader, more cost effective, and realistic scale than current practices. (author)

Development of sewage system for mega-city Karachi

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Talat, B.; Ahsan-Ullah

2005-01-01

The growth of mega-cities in recent times has brought to the fore a large number of issues with respect environmental conditions such as development of slum areas, poor localities, solid waste disposal, management of sewage system, lack of open spaces and health facilities. One of the major issues effecting environment proper disposal of sewage and development of sewage system including recycling of sewage water and its use. The heavy pressure of population calls for adequate provision of sewage disposal in the new areas and remodeling of systems in the old areas of the cities to ensure a pollution-free environment. Recycling of sewage and prevention of sewage discharge into natural water channels and the sea has to be undertaken on urgent bases. The paper seeks to outline the present status of sewage system of the city of Karachi, the problems involved and the proposals for management and development of the system compatible with the need and requirement of mega-city population. (author)

Country watch: Pakistan.

Science.gov (United States)

Toll, K; Agha, S

1999-01-01

In Pakistan, which has a high fertility rate, affordable prices of condoms and family planning services attract low-income residents. This was shown by the two projects: the condom distribution scheme and the family planning franchise. A condom social marketing (CSM) program started by Population Services International (PSI) increased contraceptive use in urban areas and sold low-priced condoms. However, in 1991 the price doubled in order to recover the costs, which resulted in a decline in sales. Thus, in 1995 PSI and Social Marketing Pakistan franchised the Green Star project that aimed to raise the quality of private sector family planning clinics serving low-income women and to increase the availability and use of female-controlled contraception. By 1996, the CSM project was selling over 80 million condoms annually.

Current trends in treatment of obesity in Karachi and possibilities of cost minimization.

Science.gov (United States)

Hussain, Mirza Izhar; Naqvi, Baqir Shyum

2015-03-01

Our study finds out drug usage trends in over weight and obese patients without any compelling indications in Karachi, looks for deviations of current practices from evidence based antihypertensive therapeutic guidelines and identifies not only cost minimization opportunities but also communication strategies to improve patients' awareness and compliance to achieve therapeutic goal. In present study two sets were used. Randomized stratified independent surveys were conducted in hospital doctors and family physicians (general practitioners), using pretested questionnaires. Sample size was 100. Statistical analysis was conducted on Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS). Opportunities of cost minimization were also analyzed. One the basis of doctors' feedback, preference is given to non-pharmacologic management of obesity. Mass media campaign and media usage were recommended to increase patients awareness and patients' education along with strengthening family support systems was recommended for better compliance of the patients to doctor's advice. Local therapeutic guidelines for weight reduction were not found. Feedbacks showed that global therapeutic guidelines were followed by the doctors practicing in the community and hospitals in Karachi. However, high price branded drugs were used instead of low priced generic therapeutic equivalents. Patient's education is required for better awareness and improving patients' compliance. The doctors found preferring brand leaders instead of low cost options. This trend increases cost of therapy by 0.59 to 4.17 times. Therefore, there are great opportunities for cost minimization by using evidence-based clinically effective and safe medicines.

Testing the Weak Form Efficiency of Karachi Stock Exchange

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Muhammad Arshad Haroon

2012-12-01

Full Text Available In an efficient market, share prices reflect all available information. The study of efficient market hypothesis helps to take right decisions related to investments. In this research,weak form efficiency has been tested of Karachi Stock Exchange—KSE covering the period of 2nd November 1991 to 2nd November 2011. Descriptive statistics indicated the absence of weak form efficiency while results of non-parametric tests, showed consistency as well. We employed non-parametric tests were KS Goodness-of-Fit test,run test and autocorrelation test to find out serial independency of the data. Results prove that KSE is not weak-form-efficient. This happens because KSE is an emerging market and there, it has been observed that information take time to be processed. Thus it can besaid that technical analysis may be applied to gain abnormal returns.

Status and outlook of solar energy use in Pakistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mirza, U.K.

2003-01-01

Pakistan is an energy deficient country, where a large fraction of the population still does not have access to modern day energy services such as electricity. This is due to very limited fossil fuel resources and poor economy, which restrains the import of fossil fuels on a large scale. To overcome energy shortage, Pakistan needs to develop its indigenous energy resources like hydropower, solar and wind. Pakistan lies in an area of one of the highest solar insolation in the world. This vast potential can be exploited to produce electricity, which could be provided to off-grid communities in the northern hilly area and the southern and western deserts. Applications other than electricity production such as solar water heaters and solar cookers also have vast applications. All this will help in both reducing the import of fossil fuels and dependency of people on fuel wood, which in turn will provide some respite for the dwindling forest reserves of Pakistan. Accordingly, the status and outlook of solar energy use in Pakistan is discussed in this paper. In addition, the role of R and D organizations in the promotion of solar energy technologies in Pakistan is also presented including a description of some proposed projects. It is concluded that the current infrastructure has not been able to advance the status of solar energy of Pakistan. Significant efforts are needed to effectively utilize this cheap renewable energy source. (author)

Evaluation of physico-chemical and antioxidant properties in different varieties of banana (musa acuminata), indigenous to pakistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Azizuddin, A.; Ghafoor, S.; Mahmood, T.

2014-01-01

The antioxidant capacity, phenolic and flavonoid contents, and physico-chemical analysis on the pulp of three different varieties of Musa acuminata, were studied namely Cavendish basrai, Grand naine and Plantain, collected from Gharo, Adam Khas Kheli Road near Karachi (Pakistan). DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) radical scavenging, reducing power (RPA) and phosphomolybdenum assays were used for determination of their antioxidant capacity. Cavendish basrai characterized the highest antioxidant capacity among three varieties, DPPH (82.46 % inhibition at 0.1 mM conc.), RPA (43.59 mg/100 g) and phosphomolybdenum (38.90 mg/100 g) in methanolic extract and DPPH (67.27 % inhibition at 0.1 mM conc.), RPA (27.03 mg/100 g) and phosphomolybdenum (24.27 mg/100 g) in water extract. The phenolic (83.04 mg/100 g, 19.50 mg/100 g) and flavonoid contents (11.66 mg/100 g, 4.77 mg/100 g) were also high in Cavendish basrai in methanolic and water extracts, respectively showed the direct relation of antioxidant capacity to the phenolic and flavonoid contents, and the DPPH assay revealed more power full assay for determination of antioxidant capacity among these assays. In correlation with antioxidant capacity, Plantain showed comparatively high physico-chemical characteristics revealed high nutritional contents such as total dry matter, total sugar contents, TSS, titratable acidity and % NaCl. (author)

Prevalence of microalbuminuria with relation to glycemic control in type-2 diabetic patients in Karachi

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sheikh, S.A.; Baig, J.A.; Iqbal, T.; Kazmi, T.; Baig, M.; Husain, S.S.

2009-01-01

Diabetes is one of the most common endocrine disorders characterized by hyperglycaemia. Diabetic nephropathy is a consequence of long standing diabetes. The prevalence of microalbuminuria predicts progression to diabetic nephropathy. The present study was conducted to determine the prevalence of microalbuminuria in relation to duration of diabetes, BMI, Serum Creatinine and HbA1c in an ethnic group of Type 2 diabetes mellitus residing in Karachi. Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out in a community diabetic centre, located at Garden East Karachi from July to December 2007. One hundred known Type 2 diabetic patients with age 30 - 70 years were included in the study. Informed consent and a structured questionnaire of each patient were recorded. Fasting venous blood and morning urine sample was collected for analysis of creatinine, HbA1c and microalbuminuria respectively. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS version 13.0. Pearson correlation was applied to observe association of microalbuminuria with different parameters. All p-values 7%) or heredity factors. Screening for microalbuminuria and HbA1c test should be done in both newly and already diagnosed Type 2 diabetic patients as an early marker of renal dysfunction and glycemic control. (author)

On 25 January Pervez Musharraf, president of Pakistan, visited CERN

CERN Multimedia

Maximilien Brice

2006-01-01

Pervez Musharraf, president of Pakistan, visited CERN with five government ministers, Parvez Butt, president of Pakistan's Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC), and an eminent former president of the Commission, Ishfaq Ahmad, who pioneered co-operation with CERN.The President of Pakistan, Pervez Musharraf, the Chairman of PAEC, Parvez Butt, and CERN's Director-General, Robert Aymar, exchange congratulations following the signing of the letter of intent to strengthen partnership between CERN and Pakistan.

Highest priority in Pakistan.

Science.gov (United States)

Adil, E

1968-01-01

Responding to the challenge posed by its population problem, Pakistan's national leadership gave the highest priority to family planning in its socioeconomic development plan. In Pakistan, as elsewhere in the world, the first family planning effort originated in the private sector. The Family Planning Association of Pakistan made a tentative beginning in popularizing family planning in the country. Some clinics were opened and some publicity and education were undertaken to emphasize the need for family limitation. It was recognized soon that the government needed to assume the primarily responsibility if family planning efforts were to be successful. For the 1st plan period, 1955-60, about $10 million was allocated by the central government in the social welfare sector for voluntary family planning. The level of support continued on the same basis during the 2nd plan, 1960-65, but has been raised 4-fold in the 1965-70 scheme of family planning. Pakistan's Family Planning Association continues to play vital collaborative roles in designing and pretesting of prototype publicity material, involvement of voluntary social workers, and functional research in the clinical and public relations fields. The real breakthrough in the program came with the 3rd 5-year plan, 1965-70. High priority assigned to family planning is reflected by the total initial budget of Rs.284 million (about $60,000,000) for the 5-year period. Current policy is postulated on 6 basic assumptions: family planning efforts need to be public relations-oriented; operations should be conducted through autonomous bodies with decentralized authority at all tiers down to the grassroots level, for expeditious decision making; monetary incentives play an important role; interpersonal motivation in terms of life experience of the clientele through various contacts, coupled with mass media for publicity, can produce a sociological breakthrough; supplies and services in all related disciplines should be

Unusual rainfall shift during monsoon period of 2010 in Pakistan ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Floods due to “blocking event” in the jet stream during 2010 caused intense rainfall and flash floods in northern Pakistan which resulted to riverine flooding in southern Pakistan. In the beginning of July 2010, changes in summer monsoon rainfall patterns caused the most severe flooding in Pakistan history. Process control ...

Severity of acute hepatitis and its outcome in patients with dengue fever in a tertiary care hospital Karachi, Pakistan (South Asia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Akhtar Jaweed

2010-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Liver injury due to dengue viral infection is not uncommon. Acute liver injury is a severe complicating factor in dengue, predisposing to life-threatening hemorrhage, Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation (DIC and encephalopathy. Therefore we sought to determine the frequency of hepatitis in dengue infection and to compare the outcome (length of stay, in hospital mortality, complications between patients of Dengue who have mild/moderate (ALT 23-300 IU/L v/s severe acute hepatitis (ALT > 300 IU/L. Methods A Cohort study of inpatients with dengue viral infection done at Aga Khan University Hospital Karachi. All patients (≥ 14 yrs age admitted with diagnosis of Dengue Fever (DF, Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever (DHF or Dengue Shock Syndrome (DSS were included. Chi square test was used to compare categorical variables and fischer exact test where applicable. Survival analysis (Cox regression and log rank for primary outcome was done. Student t test was used to compare continuous variables. A p value of less than or equal to 0.05 was taken as significant. Results Six hundred and ninety nine patients were enrolled, including 87% (605 patients with DF and 13% (94 patients with DHF or DSS. Liver functions tests showed median ALT of 88.50 IU/L; IQR 43.25-188 IU/L, median AST of 174 IU/L; IQR 87-371.5 IU/L and median T.Bil of 0.8 mg/dl; IQR 0.6-1.3 mg/dl. Seventy one percent (496 had mild to moderate hepatitis and 15% (103 had severe hepatitis. Mean length of stay (LOS in patients with mild/moderate hepatitis was 3.63 days v.s 4.3 days in those with severe hepatitis (P value 0.002. Overall mortality was 33.3% (n = 6 in mild/moderate hepatitis vs 66.7% (n = 12 in severe hepatitis group (p value Conclusion Severe hepatitis (SGPT>300IU in Dengue is associated with prolonged LOS, mortality, bleeding and RF.

Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty: options before nuclear Pakistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pattanaik, Smruti S.

1998-01-01

The post-nuclear period has rendered Pakistan's strategic calculations more vulnerable. The decision to go nuclear after seventeen days of debate have started proving costly to Pakistan. This is revealed by the economic crisis resulting out of the foreign currency shortage, leading the country to default on the payment of debts. The pressure imposed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank and their patrons to sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) have exposed Pakistan's economic vulnerability. Under this growing pressure, many have started questioning the decision to go nuclear

Relationship between Corporate Governance Indicators and Firm Value: A Case Study of Karachi Stock Exchange

OpenAIRE

Javed, Attiya Y.; Iqbal, Robina

2007-01-01

We investigated whether differences in quality of firm-level corporate governance can explain the firm-level performance in a cross-section of companies listed at Karachi Stock Exchange. Therefore, we analysed the relationship between firm-level value as measured by Tobin’s Q and total Corporate Governance Index (CGI) and three sub-indices: Board, Shareholdings and Ownership, and Disclosures and Transparency for a sample of 50 firms. The results indicate that corporate gover...

Hepatitis B virus subgenotypes D1 and D3 are prevalent in Pakistan

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Chakravarty Runu

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background As the hepatitis B genotyping is important for assessing its clinical implications and geographical distribution, the sub-genotypes have been found useful for determination of specific genomic markers related to hepatocarcinogenesis. In Pakistan, there is no reported data on molecular evolutionary analysis of HBV. A study was, therefore, much needed to evaluate the spectra of mutations present in the strains prevalent here. Findings to confirm specificity of PCR typing, phylogenetic analysis of the pre-S1 region and the divergence was studied through 13 sequences of 362 bp (accession number EF432765 – EF432777. A total of 315 serum samples, selected from HBsAg positive patients representing the major ethnic groups, residing in Karachi, Sindh were tested for genotyping. Genotype D (219/315 was found to be the most prevalent (70% amongst our patients. The rest of the genotypes A and a mixture of A and D (AD were distributed as 20%, and 10% respectively. Phylogenetic tree demonstrated clustering of 11 samples with subgenotype D1 sequences and the remaining two strains on a branch within D3 samples. All samples intermixed with strains from other countries and were found to be closely related to Indian, Iranian and Egyptian HBV strains with 98.7 – 99.0% homology. Conclusion This study confirms the predominance of genotype D in southeastern Asia and presence of subgenotypes DI and D3 in the Pakistani infected patients. More studies are required to investigate the reason for fewer inclusions of D3 compared to the D1 in Pakistani HBV strains.

Higher Education and Women's Empowerment in Pakistan

Science.gov (United States)

Malik, Samina; Courtney, Kathy

2011-01-01

This paper summarises the findings of a 2005 doctoral study by Malik which explored to what extent participation in higher education offers empowerment to women in Pakistan. A survey instrument was used to question female faculty members and female students from 10 public universities in Pakistan; 1290 students and 290 faculty members responded.…

On 25 January Pervez Musharraf, president of Pakistan, visited CERN

CERN Multimedia

Maximilien Brice

2006-01-01

CERN consolidates links with Pakistan. Pervez Musharraf, president of Pakistan, visited CERN with five government ministers, Parvez Butt, president of Pakistan's Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC), and an eminent former president of the Commission, Ishfaq Ahmad, who pioneered co-operation with CERN

DIGITAL PAKISTAN: OPPORTUNITIES & CHALLENGES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ghulam Muhammad Kundi

2008-12-01

Full Text Available ABSTRACT IT has revolutionized the social and organizational life around the globe. Given the newness of IT as a technology, there is a lot of potential that needs to be explored. It is however, argued that as IT can revolutionize the economic development, by the same coin, although its mismanagement in adoption process can end up in problems or even straight failure of the technology at the business-end. This study was conducted with reference to opportunities and challenges in the IT adoption process in Pakistan. The aim of the study was to point out the barriers that are impeding the country’s computerization process in order to provide facts to the policy makers for smooth computerization. The primary data collected through structured questionnaires was analyzed and tested through correlation, regressions analysis and t-test. Out of 10 hypotheses, 3 were accepted while in the rest null hypotheses were not substantiated. Based on primary and secondary data analysis this study has found that all independent bureaucratic, political, education and social and cultural variables are mutually correlated and have significant impact on shaping and reshaping of IT in Pakistan, while the Pakistan IT policy is inconsistent, administrative machinery attitude is negative and non cooperative, procedures are cumbersome and implementation is weak and ineffective, not to mention the lack of IT knowledge on the bureaucratic side. The political environment is instable and law and order is worse which is discouraging the investment. Moreover, physical and legal infrastructure is insufficient and the country is lacking good quality IT professionals. IT organization alignment is another serious issue in Pakistan. However, government incentives and growing interest from the private sector indicate positive attitude towards computerization of the country.

DIGITAL PAKISTAN: OPPORTUNITIES & CHALLENGES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ghulam Muhammad Kundi

2008-10-01

Full Text Available IT has revolutionized the social and organizational life around the globe. Given the newness of IT as a technology, there is a lot of potential that needs to be explored. It is however, argued that as IT can revolutionize the economic development, by the same coin, although its mismanagement in adoption process can end up in problems or even straight failure of the technology at the business-end. This study was conducted with reference to opportunities and challenges in the IT adoption process in Pakistan. The aim of the study was to point out the barriers that are impeding the country’s computerization process in order to provide facts to the policy makers for smooth computerization. The primary data collected through structured questionnaires was analyzed and tested through correlation, regressions analysis and t-test. Out of 10 hypotheses, 3 were accepted while in the rest null hypotheses were not substantiated. Based on primary and secondary data analysis this study has found that all independent bureaucratic, political, education and social and cultural variables are mutually correlated and have significant impact on shaping and reshaping of IT in Pakistan, while the Pakistan IT policy is inconsistent, administrative machinery attitude is negative and non cooperative, procedures are cumbersome and implementation is weak and ineffective, not to mention the lack of IT knowledge on the bureaucratic side. The political environment is instable and law and order is worse which is discouraging the investment. Moreover, physical and legal infrastructure is insufficient and the country is lacking good quality IT professionals. IT organization alignment is another serious issue in Pakistan. However, government incentives and growing interest from the private sector indicate positive attitude towards computerization of the country.

3. SEGMITE International Symposium on Sustainable Development of Surface and Ground Water Resources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tabrez, A.R.

1999-01-01

The Society of Economic Geologist and Mineral Technologist (SEGMITE), National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) and Association of Geo-scientists for International Development with the collaboration of Export Promotion Bureau, Government of Pakistan has organised this symposium. The third Segmite International Symposium on Sustainable Development of surface and ground water resources was held on 8-10 march 1999 at Karachi, Pakistan. This book gives the conference information, brochure and abstracts of papers presented in the conference. There are about 38 abstracts submitted for the conference and related nature of the materials. Out of these 38 papers 16 are of nuclear oriented which are presented here separately. (A.B.)

Counterinsurgency and Counterterrorism: Sharing Experiences in Afghanistan and Pakistan

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Thomas Galasz; Syed, Mahroona Hussain; Vestenskov, David

This study has been undertaken as the first ever joint research publication between defence institutions in Denmark and Pakistan. Given the development in international security politics in the last few years, it is fair to argue that both Denmark and Pakistan are at a point where future security...... from Afghanistan and Pakistan with the objective of promoting sustainable regional peace building and developing military and civilian cooperation strategies for counterinsurgency and counterterrorism....

Viable circumstances for financial negotiations in Pakistan contracting process

OpenAIRE

Nazir, Ejaz; Nadeem, Faisal

2015-01-01

Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited In Pakistan, competitive forms of procurement include only two-step sealed bidding. In the United States, negotiated procurement falls under competitive forms of procurement. Pakistan established the Pakistan Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) in 2002 on the recommendations of the World Bank and enacted PPRA rules in 2004 based on the 1994 UNCITRAL model procurement law. The purpose of PPRA rules in 2004 was twofold: First, it imp...

Haematological and genetic features of delta beta-thalassaemia in Pakistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ahmad, S.; Anwar, M.

2006-01-01

Objective: To describe the hematological and genetic features of delta beta-thalassaemia in Pakistani patients. Design: Descriptive case series. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Pathology, PNS Shifa, Karachi and Department of Hematology, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, Rawalpindi, from January 1994 to April 2004. Patients and Methods: Thirteen individuals from six unrelated Pakistani families with a hematological diagnosis of delta beta-thalassaemia were studied. A brief clinical history, and the results of blood counts, absolute values, Hb-F, Hb-A/sub 2/, and hemoglobin electrophoresis were recorded. The DNA from each subject was first screened for the delta beta-thalassaemia mutations found in the Pakistani population. The samples were then screened for the Invl Del sup G/gamma(sup A/gamma delta beta). Results: The subjects included six heterozygote, six homozygotes and one compound heterozygote of delta beta and delta beta-thalassaemia. All heterozygote and 4/6 homozygotes were asymptomatic. One homo zygote had thalassaemia intermedia while another had transfusion dependent anemia. The mean Hb, TRBC, MCV, MCH, Hb-F and Hb-A/sub 2/ in delta beta-thalassaemia heterozygote were 11.6 g/dl, 5.37 x 1012/L, 70.9 fl, and 21.7 pg, 14% and 2.6% respectively. The same values in the four un transfused homo zygote were 10.6 g/dl, 5.34x1012/L, 69.211, and 20.8pg, 100% and 0% respectively. The mutation analysis revealed that all 13 individuals had the same Invl Del sup G/gamma(sup A/gamma delta beta). Conclusion: delta beta-thalassaemia is a rare disorder in Pakistan. Although the clinical picture is very mild its combination with delta beta-thalassaemia trait can produce a sever transfusion dependent thalassaemia. The DNA based diagnosis is possible in the prenatal as well as the postnatal period. (author)

Export boost of Textile Industry of Pakistan by availing EU’s GSP Plus

OpenAIRE

Wagan, Shah Mehmood

2015-01-01

Pakistan is commonly known as agriculture based economy where vast areas of cultivated lands are producing cotton. This enabled to establish and flourish textile industries in Pakistan, therefore Pakistan is vital part of cheap and quality based textile products exporting country. Recently Pakistan is granted European Union's Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP) Plus status as a year from January 2014 by European Union because of that Pakistan's Textile exports surged to $14.22 billion in ...

Forecasting electricity consumption in Pakistan: the way forward

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hussain, Anwar; Rahman, Muhammad; Memon, Junaid Alam

2016-01-01

Growing shortfall of electricity in Pakistan affects almost all sectors of its economy. For proper policy formulation, it is imperative to have reliable forecasts of electricity consumption. This paper applies Holt-Winter and Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) models on time series secondary data from 1980 to 2011 to forecast total and component wise electricity consumption in Pakistan. Results reveal that Holt-Winter is the appropriate model for forecasting electricity consumption in Pakistan. It also suggests that electricity consumption would continue to increase throughout the projected period and widen the consumption-production gap in case of failure to respond the issue appropriately. It further reveals that demand would be highest in the household sector as compared to all other sectors and the increase in the energy generation would be less than the increase in total electricity consumption throughout the projected period. The study discuss various options to reduce the demand-supply gap and provide reliable electricity to different sectors of the economy. - Highlights: • We forecast total and component wise electricity consumption for Pakistan. • Electricity shortfall in Pakistan will increase in future if same situation exists. • Various options exist to cope with the electricity crisis in the country. • Holt-winter model gives best forecasts for electricity consumption in the country.

Pakistan/USAID to start CSM project.

Science.gov (United States)

1984-01-01

Pakistan, with the assistance of funds for the US Agency for International Development (USAID), is about to start its novel approach to contraceptive social marketing (CSM). This new effort suggests a marked policy shift on the part of the Pakistan government toward intensifying its family planning activities. The program will be government-operated and supported by AID over the next 5 years with $20 million, more than double the cost of similar CSM projects elswhere. Distribution of a condom on a pilot project basis is expected to begin by December 1984. Sales of a low-dose oral contraceptive (OC) could begin in test market areas by mid-1985, with national launching of both products tentatively scheduled for January 1986. The Pakistan/USAID agreement represents the 1st time since the formation of India's Nirodh project in the late 1960s that a CSM program is being established without the involvement of either an international social marketing contractor or a country's family planning association. The Pakistan CSM program will be managed by a policy board composed of representatives from the government's Ministries of Planning, Health and Education; a resident advisor from USAID; and a local company responsible for product marketing and distribution. The approach has received a skeptical response among international social marketing experts about the program's chances for success. Their doubts extend to 2 other aspects of the proposed design: an official of the Ministry of Planning's Population and Welfare Division expects the CSM program to generate sufficient revenues to cover all operating costs following the 5-year subsidy period, while also providing attractive profit margins for the marketing/distribution company; and the government prohibits mass media advertising of contraceptives. According to AID, the issue of mass media contraceptive advertising has not yet been resolved, and a national survey will be conducted to determine what communication needs are

Eddy current and ultrasonic fuel channel inspection at Karachi Nuclear Power Plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mayo, W.R.; Alam, M.M.

1997-01-01

In November of 1993 and in-service inspection was performed on eight fuel channels in the Karachi Nuclear Power Plant (KANUPP) reactor. The workscope included ultrasonic and eddy current volumetric examinations, and eddy current measurement of pressure-to calandria tube gap. This paper briefly discusses the planning strategy of the ultrasonic and eddy current examinations, and describes the equipment developed to meet the requirements, followed by details of the actual channel inspection campaign. The presented nondestructive examinations assisted in determining fitness for service of KANUPP reactor channels in general, and confirmed that the problems associated with channel G12 were not generic in nature. (author)

Surgery, public health, and Pakistan.

Science.gov (United States)

Zafar, Syed Nabeel; McQueen, K A Kelly

2011-12-01

Surgical healthcare is rapidly gaining recognition as a major public health issue. Surgical disparities are large, with poorest populations receiving the least amount of emergency and essential surgical care. In light of recent evidence, developing countries, such as Pakistan, must acknowledge surgical disease as a major public health issue and prioritize research and intervention accordingly. We review information from various sources and describe the current situation of surgical health care in Pakistan and highlight areas of neglect. Pakistan suffers an annual deficit of 17 million surgeries. Surgical disease kills more people than infectious diseases inclusive of tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, diarrheal disease, and childhood infections. The incidence of trauma and maternal mortality ratio are staggeringly high. There is a severe dearth of surgical and anesthesia-related epidemiological data. Important information that would help to drive policy and planning is not available. Corruption and neglect have led to a dilapidated health care infrastructure. Surgical care is largely inaccessible to the poor, especially those living in rural areas. The country faces a dearth of healthcare professionals, especially paramedics, anesthetists, and surgeons. Unsafe surgery and anesthesia poses a significant risk to patients. There is no national policy on surgical illness and the preventive aspects of surgery are nonexistent. Consistent with other underdeveloped countries, surgical care in Pakistan is dismal. Neglecting surgery and safe anesthesia has led to countless deaths and disability. Physicians, researchers, policy makers, and the government health care system must engage and commit to provide access to emergency, essential, and safe surgical care.

Perception and understanding of dental practitioners in provision of dental treatment to pregnant women in Karachi, Pakistan

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aisha Wali

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Aim: The aim of the study was to that assess the perceptions and understanding of dental practitioners in the provision of dental treatment to pregnant women. Materials and Methods: The study was a quantitative, cross-sectional type. A sample size of 200 dental practitioners were included in the study between the period of 6 months, i.e. June–December. A cluster sampling technique was employed covering four different dental institutes. A structured questionnaire was designed to assess the perception and understanding of dental practitioners in providing treatment to the pregnant women. Statistical Analysis: Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 19. Chi-square test was done to analyze the association of perception of dental practitioners in treating pregnant women in relation to gender. Results: A total of 200 dental practitioners filled the questionnaire out of which 43% (86 were males and 57% (114 were females. Eighty-two percent of the total participants said that it is safe to provide dental treatment during pregnancy, almost 90.4% of the total dentist interviewed was aware of the special position in which to place a pregnant woman on a dental chair. 85.5% of the study population do not prefer taking radiographs of a pregnant woman, 63% of the entire dentist surveyed prefers to use local anesthesia before any dental procedure on a pregnant patient. 96.5% care to educate their pregnant patient about improving dental health care. 59.5% of the dental practitioners said that they would consult the patient's gynecologist as a mandatory requirement before treating the patient. 57% of the dental practitioners answered with gingivitis. 70.5% agreed on scaling. The majority of the dentists prescribed paracetamol 85.5%. Conclusion: Little is known about the perception and utilization of dental practitioners in providing dental treatment to pregnant women in Pakistan. The present survey concluded that dental practitioners lack

Does academic assessment system type affect levels of academic stress in medical students? A cross-sectional study from Pakistan

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Madiha Ali

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Stress among medical students induced by academic pressures is on the rise among the student population in Pakistan and other parts of the world. Our study examined the relationship between two different systems employed to assess academic performance and the levels of stress among students at two different medical schools in Karachi, Pakistan. Methods: A sample consisting of 387 medical students enrolled in pre-clinical years was taken from two universities, one employing the semester examination system with grade point average (GPA scores (a tiered system and the other employing an annual examination system with only pass/fail grading. A pre-designed, self-administered questionnaire was distributed. Test anxiety levels were assessed by The Westside Test Anxiety Scale (WTAS. Overall stress was evaluated using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS. Results: There were 82 males and 301 females while four did not respond to the gender question. The mean age of the entire cohort was 19.7±1.0 years. A total of 98 participants were from the pass/fail assessment system while 289 were from the GPA system. There was a higher proportion of females in the GPA system (85% vs. 59%; p<0.01. Students in the pass/fail assessment system had a lower score on the WTAS (2.4±0.8 vs. 2.8±0.7; p=0.01 and the PSS (17.0±6.7 vs. 20.3±6.8; p<0.01, indicating lower levels of test anxiety and overall stress than in students enrolled in the GPA assessment system. More students in the pass/fail system were satisfied with their performance than those in the GPA system. Conclusion: Based on the present study, we suggest governing bodies to revise and employ a uniform assessment system for all the medical colleges to improve student academic performance and at the same time reduce stress levels. Our results indicate that the pass/fail assessment system accomplishes these objectives.

The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) in Pakistan.

Science.gov (United States)

Nadeem, Nighat Jahan

2016-11-01

The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) has significantly reduced the worldwide incidence of poliomyelitis. However, polio remains endemic in Pakistan which poses a threat to the success of the GPEI. Issues faced by Pakistan relate to politics, terrorism, war, natural disasters, funding constraints, misconceptions and inadequate infrastructure. These contribute in hampering the aims of the GPEI and allow the deadly poliovirus to maintain its reservoir in Pakistan. Until polio is completely eradicated, all countries remain at risk of its re-emergence and this is of grave concern as potentially it could reverse the polio-free certified status of a whole World Health Organisation (WHO) region. With the increase in global travel and international migration, even the smallest potential risk should not be taken lightly. Recommendations are made to help to improve the state of polio in Pakistan to make full use of the GPEI investment and move towards a polio-free world.

Pakistan [Population education in countries of the region].

Science.gov (United States)

1982-06-01

The scope of formal population education in Pakistan covers the entire academic system, beginning from the primary level to the university and professional colleges. The government initiated action in 1980 to integrate population education in the formal and nonformal education sectors. General as well as specific behavioral objectives for population education were developed by the National Committee on Population Education. These objectives were further broken down for primary, middle, and lower and higher secondary school levels. The National Committee on Population Education prepared a curriculum for the training of primary, middle, and lower secondary school teachers which was used in training the master trainers. Textbooks in Pakistan were written in 1975 following the concepts and guidelines provided in the new curricula. Curriculum development specialists prepared model lessons on the integration of population education with social studies, Pakistan studies, Urdu, health and physical education, and nursing and general science for the guidance of textbook writers and teachers. The Allama Iqbal Open University has developed a 24-unit course to orientate primary school teachers in the philosophy and content of new curricula provided for in the new education policy of Pakistan. The Population Planning Division of Pakistan and the Family Planning Association of Pakistan periodically develop materials which serve as supplementary readers; an orientation program for teachers began on a limited scale following the inception of population education in Pakistan. Some research and evaluation projects have been undertaken periodically to study the effectiveness of some of the family planning programs. To ensure systematic and comprehensive coverage of population education through the existing formal and nonformal education programs the government is planning to undertake in collaboration with the UN Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA) and other bilateral and

Pakistan's Domestic Political Developments

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Kronstadt, K. A

2005-01-01

.... The September 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States and Musharraf's ensuing withdrawal of support for the Afghan Taliban regime, however, had the effect of greatly reducing Pakistan's international isolation...

Nuclear programs in India and Pakistan

Science.gov (United States)

Mian, Zia

2014-05-01

India and Pakistan launched their respective nuclear programs in the 1940s and 1950s with considerable foreign technical support, especially from the United States Atoms for Peace Program. The technology and training that was acquired served as the platform for later nuclear weapon development efforts that included nuclear weapon testing in 1974 and in 1998 by India, and also in 1998 by Pakistan - which had illicitly acquired uranium enrichment technology especially from Europe and received assistance from China. As of 2013, both India and Pakistan were continuing to produce fissile material for weapons, in the case of India also for nuclear naval fuel, and were developing a diverse array of ballistic and cruise missiles. International efforts to restrain the South Asian nuclear build-up have been largely set aside over the past decade as Pakistani support became central for the U.S. war in Afghanistan and as U.S. geopolitical and economic interests in supporting the rise of India, in part as a counter to China, led to India being exempted both from U.S non-proliferation laws and international nuclear trade guidelines. In the absence of determined international action and with Pakistan blocking the start of talks on a fissile material cutoff treaty, nuclear weapon programs in South Asia are likely to keep growing for the foreseeable future.

Nuclear programs in India and Pakistan

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mian, Zia [Program on Science and Global Security, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey (United States)

2014-05-09

India and Pakistan launched their respective nuclear programs in the 1940s and 1950s with considerable foreign technical support, especially from the United States Atoms for Peace Program. The technology and training that was acquired served as the platform for later nuclear weapon development efforts that included nuclear weapon testing in 1974 and in 1998 by India, and also in 1998 by Pakistan - which had illicitly acquired uranium enrichment technology especially from Europe and received assistance from China. As of 2013, both India and Pakistan were continuing to produce fissile material for weapons, in the case of India also for nuclear naval fuel, and were developing a diverse array of ballistic and cruise missiles. International efforts to restrain the South Asian nuclear build-up have been largely set aside over the past decade as Pakistani support became central for the U.S. war in Afghanistan and as U.S. geopolitical and economic interests in supporting the rise of India, in part as a counter to China, led to India being exempted both from U.S non-proliferation laws and international nuclear trade guidelines. In the absence of determined international action and with Pakistan blocking the start of talks on a fissile material cutoff treaty, nuclear weapon programs in South Asia are likely to keep growing for the foreseeable future.

Nuclear programs in India and Pakistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mian, Zia

2014-01-01

India and Pakistan launched their respective nuclear programs in the 1940s and 1950s with considerable foreign technical support, especially from the United States Atoms for Peace Program. The technology and training that was acquired served as the platform for later nuclear weapon development efforts that included nuclear weapon testing in 1974 and in 1998 by India, and also in 1998 by Pakistan - which had illicitly acquired uranium enrichment technology especially from Europe and received assistance from China. As of 2013, both India and Pakistan were continuing to produce fissile material for weapons, in the case of India also for nuclear naval fuel, and were developing a diverse array of ballistic and cruise missiles. International efforts to restrain the South Asian nuclear build-up have been largely set aside over the past decade as Pakistani support became central for the U.S. war in Afghanistan and as U.S. geopolitical and economic interests in supporting the rise of India, in part as a counter to China, led to India being exempted both from U.S non-proliferation laws and international nuclear trade guidelines. In the absence of determined international action and with Pakistan blocking the start of talks on a fissile material cutoff treaty, nuclear weapon programs in South Asia are likely to keep growing for the foreseeable future

Effects of Exchange Rate Instability on Imports and Exports of Pakistan

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Atif Kafayat

2014-04-01

Full Text Available The instability in exchange rate (appreciation and depreciation in home currency is an important factor indetermination of trade balance of a country. Fluctuating exchange rates impacts the decision making of investors and traders, it shatters their confidence which ultimately leads to the slowness of trade process. In this research paper the effect of exchange rate instability is measured on imports and exports of Pakistan. For this purpose Regression analysis is used and it is calculated that if instability is created due to depreciation in home currency (Pak rupee then it has positive impact on Pakistan‘s exports, while it has absolutely no effect on imports of Pakistan. Since Pak rupee has very limited appreciation during last 20 years so appreciation effect of home currency can not be calculated on Imports and exports of Pakistan. In theoretical prospective the devaluation of home currency should decrease the volume of imports, because it will cost more for Pakistan to import goods from other countries. But our empirical findings show that, this is not the case between exchange rate and imports of Pakistan. The imports of Pakistan grew even in large figure as the home currency depreciated against other currencies. So this shows that depreciation of home currency do not effect the imports in of Pakistan. Our findings through regression analysis show that by decrease in value of home currency imports of Pakistan increase. So depreciation in home currency has no effect on imports volume.

Perceptions of Hospital Pharmacist's Role in Pakistan's Healthcare ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Purpose: To investigate hospital pharmacists' perception of their current clinical role in Pakistan's healthcare system. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study in a population that consisted of hospital pharmacists in Islamabad, Faisalabad and Lahore which are three cities in Punjab State, Pakistan. A sample of 116 ...

Women's Perspectives of Peace: Unheard Voices from Pakistan

Science.gov (United States)

Habib, Zehra

2013-01-01

Pakistan is currently impacted by rampant terrorism and is simultaneously grappling with intrastate ethnic and sectarian violence. The focus of this dissertation was on examining grassroots Pakistani women's perspectives on peace and women's contributions to peace in Pakistan. The study was centered on grassroots women because their voices remain…

COMPREHENSIVE ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN (CED STUDIO IN TWO ARCHITECTURE SCHOOLS IN KARACHI: EVOLUTION, PROCESS AND IMPACTS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Noman Ahmed

2010-03-01

Full Text Available Since 1979, a studio module was introduced in the final year studies of Bachelor of Architecture programme at the Dawood College of Engineering and Technology, Karachi which was the only architecture school in the city at that time. A key objective of this studio module was to sensitize the ‘architects in making’ about context of the built environment, the process through which it was shaped and the forces that contributed in its shaping. The students were assigned to study a micro urban area for indepth investigation and analysis. At the conclusion, analytical presentations followed that also included basic proposals for addressing problems that were identified in the studio exercise. Begun in Dawood College, the studio was adopted by many schools of architecture in the country including the NED University, Karachi. This studio had multiple impacts. Understanding the realities behind creation of urban built environment, realization of multiple roles for professional contribution to ongoing metamorphosis and appreciation of diverse fields of studies within the domain of architectural education and practice were some of the vital aspects. The objectives of this paper are to document the evolution and process of CED studio work. The paper also aims to study the affects of CED work on the perception, understandings and professional orientation of architects who graduated from the schools where CED studio was conducted.

Women's status and children's food security in Pakistan

OpenAIRE

Guha-Khasnobis, Basudeb; Hazarika, Gautam

2006-01-01

This study examines the role of women’s intra-household status relative to men in children’s food security in Pakistan. Data from the 1991 Pakistan Integrated Household Survey (PIHS) yield a measure of evidence of a positive relation between women’s intra-household status and children’s food security.

The Relationship between Corporate Governance Indicators and Firm Value: A Case Study of Karachi Stock Exchange

OpenAIRE

Attiya Y. Javed; Robina Iqbal

2007-01-01

We investigated whether differences in quality of firm-level corporate governance can explain the firm-level performance in a cross-section of companies listed at Karachi Stock Exchange. Therefore, we analysed the relationship between firm-level value as measured by Tobins Q and total Corporate Governance Index (CGI) and three sub-indices : Board, Shareholdings and Ownership, and Disclosures and Transparency for a sample of 50 firms. The results indicate that corporate governance does matter ...