Kacip Fatimah also known as Labisia pumila (Myrsinaceae), is a traditional herbal medicine with a long history in the Malay community. It has been used by many generations of Malay women to induce and facilitate childbirth as well as a post-partum medicine. We tested the genotoxic potential of Kacip Fatimah in bone marrow cells obtained from Sprague-Dawley rats using micronuclei formation as the toxicological endpoints. Five groups of five male rats each were administered orally for two consecutive days with doses of 100, 700 and 2000 mg/kg body weight of Kacip Fatimah extract dissolved in distilled water. Micronucleus preparation was obtained from bone marrow cells of the animals following standard protocols. No statistically significant increase in micronucleated polychromatic erythrocytes (MNPCEs) was observed at any dose level and sacrifice/harvest time point (24, 48 and 72h). However, a significant decrease in polychromatic erythrocytes/normochromatic erythrocytes (PCE:NCE) ratio was observed from the highest dose level (2000 mg/kg of body weight) at 48h harvest time point. In this study, we investigated the effect of Kacip Fatimah on mammalian bone marrow cells using micronuclei formation to assess the genotoxicity of the herb.
Micronuclei ; Erythrocytes ; Bone Marrow ; in vivo ; assay

This is a survey of 120 children for scabies and head lice infestations in a welfare home in Pulau Pinang. Children from this welfare home (Rumah Kanak-Kanak Taman Bakti, Kepala Batas, Pulau Pinang) were randomly selected. Majority of them were Malays (72.5%) and the rest were Indians. The infestation rates were highest in the 10-12 years age group with 46% and 70% for scabies and head lice respectively. Head lice was more commonly seen in girls (65%) than boys (29%). Scabies was more commonly seen in boys (50%) than girls (16%). Overall prevalence rate for scabies was 31% and for head lice infestation was 49%.

There is a need to design and develop an affordable motorized vehicle for better mobility among physical disabilities. This study aimed is to initiate appropriate and affordable materials to develop an accessible motorized wheelchair. It includes the feasibility study of the existing used wheelchair, the system used and the characteristic of the physical disabilities symptom. Through the observation, an existing motorized wheelchair uses stainless steel as the main structure, manipulating the shelves heavy-duty accessories, electrical component, heavy-duty battery and car pulley system in which the weight accumulates approximately 100 kg. The heavyweight wheelchair cannot be folded and put inside the car. It also needs to have a special carrier to carry the wheelchair. The field research has also been conducted to evaluate the existing wheelchair system in the market with various systems used, components, and motors material used in the area of technical, usability and comfort before start to redesigning the wheelchair. The results of the study would include the background needs of the characteristic of physical disabilities. The available high-grade aluminium materials will be used to support the mobility and their relevant properties. The design will be done all the way and the specification will be used as an instrument data for the motorized vehicle. The selection of design features, documentation of design procedures and results will be used to create a P.O.C (Prove of Concept) prototype for the meant vehicle. The user will use the preliminary prototyping test and the data (result) will be used to improvise the wheelchair prototype. The second improvised prototype will undergo the second user testing in the area of reliability, stabilization of system, and ease of usage. The results expected will be observed and tested by the user to lead towards the recommendation of the motorized wheelchair design.

COVID-19 ; Delivery of Health Care ; Humans ; Pakistan ; SARS-CoV-2 ; Telemedicine

Rationale: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been recognized as highly pathogenic. The current pandemic of SARS-CoV-2 has been spread globally and infected more than 200 countries. Patient concerns: We report the first confirmed fatal case of COVID-19 in Pakistan. A 50-year-old man returned from Saudi Arabia on March 09, 2020 and presented with cough, fever, malaise, poor appetite and difficulty in breathing to the Pulmonologist at District Headquarter Hospital Mardan. Diagnosis: The patient was initially diagnosed as COVID-19 suspected case. A oropharyngeal swab sample was positive by realtime RT-PCR tests. Lessons: This report highlights the importance of close coordination between clinicians and public health authorities as well as the importance of early laboratory-based confirmation of COVID-19 cases.

From 2013 to 2015, the National Institute of Health, Pakistan, received 1,270 blood samples of suspected dengue cases reported from inpatient and outpatient departments of various hospitals in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) province. In this study, we determined the circulating dengue virus (DENV) serotypes using real-time reverse transcriptase (RT)-PCR to understand the serotype-based epidemiology of DENV. All four serotypes (DENV-1 [6%], DENV-2 [33%], DENV-3 [47%], and DENV-4 [0.1%]) were found circulating during the study period. Our findings suggest the need for an active surveillance system coupled with the laboratory diagnosis, especially in the chronic endemic areas of the country. Public awareness programs are needed for effective control and prevention of outbreaks in the future.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Dengue/diagnosis/*epidemiology/virology ; Dengue Virus/genetics/*isolation & purification ; Disease Outbreaks ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pakistan/epidemiology ; RNA, Viral/genetics/metabolism ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Serogroup ; Young Adult

Childhood obesity is an established problem in many countries and emerging in others. Epidemiological data on obesity in children is essential in order to plan public health policy and services. A study was conducted to determine the prevalence of obesity in schoolchildren in the fifth grade of elementary school (10-12 years old) in the district of Kuala Selangor. Ten schools of which five are in urban and five in rural areas were selected consisting of 699 eleven year old schoolchildren from the three major ethnic groups. Using international cut-off points for obesity, we report an overall prevalence of obesity of 7.2%. Prevalence of obesity in urban children is 7.2% whereas in rural children it is 7.0 %. Analysed by gender, there were 8.9% obese boys and 5.3% obese girls. Among the 3 major ethnic groups, the Malays had the highest prevalence of obesity at 9.3% followed by the Chinese with 6.6% while among Indians 3.0%. The data obtained from this study suggests that obesity in Kuala Selangor children is a cause for concern in urban and rural areas.
Obesity ; seconds ; Child ; Prevalence aspects ; rural area

No abstract available.
Humans ; Ichthyosis ; Ichthyosis, Lamellar

Objective To study the seroprevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis delta virus (HDV) infections in patients visiting outpatient department of a major tertiary care hospital in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region of Pakistan. Methods Blood samples were collected from non-hospitalized patients. Serological analysis was done by ELISA and viral DNA was amplified by PCR. The amplified DNA was analyzed by agarose gel electrophoresis. Results Altogether, 946 blood samples were screened, overall percentage of HBsAg-positive patients remained 22.41% (prevalence: 224.10/1 000; CI: 0.197 5 ± 0.250 7) with the highest incidence rates among relatively younger age groups (20–29 years). The prevalence of HBV–HDV co-infection was found to be 46.75/1 000; CI: 0.031 8 ± 0.061 7. In HBsAg-positive patients, anti-HBc-total was detected in 86.79% while 25.00% were positive for anti-HBc-immunoglobulin M. Similarly, among these patients, HBV DNA was detected in 64.13% and 10.85% were co-infected with HDV. Different symptoms were associated with the prevailing infection, including malaise (62%), anorexia (66%) and fatigue (73%). The most commonly associated symptom was abdominal discomfort. Among these patients, certain risk factors, including surgery, visit to dentist and intravenus infusions were frequently associated with the infection (χ