1.Association of post-traumatic stress disorder and work performance: A survey from an emergency medical service, Karachi, Pakistan
Kerai SALIMA ; Pasha OMRANA ; Khan UZMA ; Islam MUHAMMAD ; Asad NARGIS ; Razzak JUNAID
World Journal of Emergency Medicine 2017;8(3):214-222
BACKGROUND: 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. METHODS: 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. RESULTS: 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 (RRadj 0.99; 0.98–1.00), days absent (RRadj 0.98; 0.96–0.99), days sick (RRadj 0.99; 0.98–1.00), adherence to protocol (ORadj 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. CONCLUSION: No statistically significant association was found between PTSD and work performance amongst EMS personnel in Karachi, Pakistan.
2. Synthesis of silver and gold nanoparticles from leaf of Litchi chinensis and its biological activities
Uzma MURAD ; Uzma BARKATULLAH ; Shafqat Ali KHAN ; Umbreen KHATTAK ; Muhammad IBRAR ; Sami ULLAH
Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Biomedicine 2018;8(3):142-149
Objective: To synthesize and isolate silver and gold nanoparticles from Litchi chinensis leaf methanolic extract, and to evaluate its comparative biological activities including muscles relaxant, analgesic, anti-inflammatory and antidiarrheal. Methods: The gold and silver nanoparticles were synthesized by dissolving methanolic extract in gold chloride and silver nitrate solution separately which were confirmed by colour change and UV-Vis spectroscopy, and pellets were collected through centrifugation. Biological activities of the extract were conducted on BALB/c mice through various standard methods and the data were subjected to One-way ANOVA. Results: The colorless gold chloride solution changed to purple soon after the addition of plant extract, demonstrating that the reaction took place and gold ions were reduced to gold nanoparticles, while colorless silver nitrate solution changed to light and dark brown that was indicative of silver nanoparticles. The muscles relaxant activity showed that silver nanoparticles were more effective than gold nanoparticles and methanolic extract in traction test. The analgesic activity showed that silver and gold nanoparticles showed highest percentage decrease in acetic acid induced writhing at the doses of 50, 100 and 150 mg/kg b.w. The highest anti-inflammatory activity was produced by gold nanoparticles followed by silver nanoparticles, while low activity was observed in methanolic leaf extract. Only the crude methanolic extract showed significant antidiarrheal activity as compared to the standard drug atropine sulphate, while antidiarrheal activities of gold and silver nanoparticles were non-significant. Conclusions: The present work concludes that isolated silver and gold nanoparticles from leaf methanolic extract shows strong muscles relaxant, analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities while crude methanolic extract possesses good antidiarrheal activity.
3.A Retrospective Analysis on the Cystic Echinococcosis Cases Occured in Northeastern Punjab Province, Pakistan
Aisha KHAN ; Sarmad ZAHOOR ; Haroon AHMED ; Uzma MALIK ; Rabia Amin BUTT ; Muhammad Sultanul MUZAM ; Seyma Gunyakti KILINC ; Noorulain NOOR ; Saroosh ZAHOOR ; Muhammad Sohail AFZAL ; Hamza MANSUR ; Shumaila IRUM ; Sami SIMSEK
The Korean Journal of Parasitology 2018;56(4):385-390
A retrospective study was performed to report the case occurrence of cystic echinococcosis (CE) in three hospitals of north-eastern region in Punjab Province, Pakistan. We reviewed retrospectively the clinical records of patients in 4 hospitals which were diagnosed with CE during 2012–2017. A total of 198 cases, 82 (41.4%) male and 116 (58.6%) females were detected as CE. The most Highest incidence was revealed in.... 21–30 years-old group (24.2%) followed by 41–50 (22.7%), 31–40 (16.2%), 11–20 (13.6%), 51–60 (8.1%), below 10 (5.5%), over 71 (5.1%) and 61–70 year-old group (4.5%). CE was detected in various organs of infected individuals. However, most of CE cases were detected in the liver (47.4%) and lung (18.6%). The present study indicated that CE is more or less prevalent in surveyed areas and one of the most important public health problems in Punjab Province, Pakistan.
Echinococcosis
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Epidemiology
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Female
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Humans
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Incidence
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Liver
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Lung
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Male
;
Pakistan
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Public Health
;
Retrospective Studies
4.A recurrent homozygous missense mutation in CCDC103 causes asthenoteratozoospermia due to disorganized dynein arms.
Muhammad ZUBAIR ; Ranjha KHAN ; Ao MA ; Uzma HAMEED ; Mazhar KHAN ; Tanveer ABBAS ; Riaz AHMAD ; Jian-Teng ZHOU ; Wasim SHAH ; Ansar HUSSAIN ; Nisar AHMED ; Ihsan KHAN ; Khalid KHAN ; Yuan-Wei ZHANG ; Huan ZHANG ; Li-Min WU ; Qing-Hua SHI
Asian Journal of Andrology 2022;24(3):255-259
Asthenoteratozoospermia is one of the most severe types of qualitative sperm defects. Most cases are due to mutations in genes encoding the components of sperm flagella, which have an ultrastructure similar to that of motile cilia. Coiled-coil domain containing 103 (CCDC103) is an outer dynein arm assembly factor, and pathogenic variants of CCDC103 cause primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD). However, whether CCDC103 pathogenic variants cause severe asthenoteratozoospermia has yet to be determined. Whole-exome sequencing (WES) was performed for two individuals with nonsyndromic asthenoteratozoospermia in a consanguineous family. A homozygous CCDC103 variant segregating recessively with an infertility phenotype was identified (ENST00000035776.2, c.461A>C, p.His154Pro). CCDC103 p.His154Pro was previously reported as a high prevalence mutation causing PCD, though the reproductive phenotype of these PCD individuals is unknown. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) of affected individuals' spermatozoa showed that the mid-piece was severely damaged with disorganized dynein arms, similar to the abnormal ultrastructure of respiratory ciliary of PCD individuals with the same mutation. Thus, our findings expand the phenotype spectrum of CCDC103 p.His154Pro as a novel pathogenic gene for nonsyndromic asthenospermia.
Asthenozoospermia/pathology*
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Dyneins/genetics*
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Homozygote
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Humans
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Male
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Microtubule-Associated Proteins
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Mutation
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Mutation, Missense
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Sperm Tail/metabolism*