Effect of providing free sputum microscopy service to private practitioners on case notification to National Tuberculosis Control Program.

Background: This study was undertaken to see whether providing free sputum microscopy services to private practitioners helps in case notification to the national tuberculosis control program. The knowledge, attitudes and practices of these practitioners regarding tuberculosis were also evaluated.

Methods: A questionnaire was administered to all the private practitioners practicing in a densely populated area of Karachi.

Coronary artery stenting in patients with severe left ventricular dysfunction.

To assess the outcome of stenting in patients with severe left ventricular dysfunction, 149 consecutive patients undergoing coronary stenting with an ejection fraction less than or equal to 40% (mean 35 +/- 10%) were analyzed. Angiographic and clinical success were achieved in all patients. At follow-up of at least 6 months (mean: 24 months), 130 patients (89%) were alive and 124 (85%) were less symptomatic than before percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

Cardiovascular health knowledge and behavior in patient attendants at four tertiary care hospitals in Pakistan--a cause for concern.

Background: Knowledge about coronary heart disease (CHD) and its risk factors is an important pre-requisite for an individual to implement behavioral changes leading towards CHD prevention. There is scant data on the status of knowledge about CHD in the general population of Pakistan. The objective of this study was to assess knowledge of CHD in a broad Pakistani population and identify the factors associated with knowledge.

An audit of the students' corner of Journal of the Pakistan Medical Association.

Objective: To analyze the pattern of the first author's institutional affiliation and the distribution of different article types published in the students' corner of the Journal of Pakistan Medical Association.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out in July 2005 and analyzed the students' corner (whenever present) of the Journal of Pakistan Medical Association from January 1998 to June 2005.

Results: For the 90 issues of the journal in the stipulated period, 96 articles were published in the students' corner.

Why medical students are crucial to the future of research in South Asia.

One long-term strategy for promoting health research in developing countries is to target medical students early in their careers.

Bilateral breast enlargement due to Trichophyton rubrum.

Gynecomastia is the most common cause of breast enlargement in males. Trichophyton rubrum is a common dermatophyte, is responsible for a variety of infections, and may rarely manifest as a dermatophytic pseudomycetoma. We report the case of a 52-year-old man who presented with progressive bilateral breast enlargement.

Primary splenic hydatid cyst: a case report with characteristic imaging appearance.

A middle-aged lady presented with pain, tenderness and swelling in the left hypochondrium since one month. She had a history of contact with dogs and grazing animals. Sonography and computed tomography showed the pathognomonic signs of hydatid disease.

Photorefractive performance of a CdSe/ZnS core/shell nanoparticle-sensitized polymer.

We report the photorefractive performance of a polymer composite sensitized by CdSe/ZnS core/shell nanoparticles, and also comprising poly(N-vinylcarbazole) and an electro-optic chromophore. The nanoparticles are characterized by absorption and photoluminescence spectroscopy, elemental analysis, transmission electron microscopy, and powder x-ray diffraction. The electro-optic response of the composite is measured independently of the photorefractive effect by transmission ellipsometry.

A case of non-resolving cough and weight loss.

Sarcoidosis is a chronic granulomatous multi-system disease with a clinical picture often mimicking tuberculosis. We present a case of a patient who presented with a clinical picture akin to both of these granulomatous disorders and was started on anti-tuberculous regimen despite the lack of any solid evidence pointing towards tuberculosis. As a result her clinical condition continued to deteriorate for months until finally a bronchoscopic biopsy established her disease process as sarcoidosis.

Salmonella typhi-infected lung hydatid cyst.

A 12-year-old girl presented with hemoptysis, fever and weight loss. She was initially diagnosed and treated for presumed tuberculosis and a lung abscess. Salmonella typhi was isolated from the abscess.

Attitudes and practices of postgraduate medical trainees towards research--a snapshot from Faisalabad.

Objective: To assess the attitudes and practices of postgraduate medical trainees towards research.

Methods: It was a self-administered questionnaire based cross-sectional survey conducted on 55 conveniently selected trainees in Allied Hospital, Faisalabad.

Results: Only 11 trainees read journals monthly, seven had written an article for a journal, 51 regarded reading literature important, 39 intended to engage in future research and 37 said they received inappropriate research training.

Cardiovascular health--behaviour of medical students in Karachi.

Objective: To assess the health behaviour and perceptions of medical students towards cardiovascular disease.

Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted on 203 Pakistani medical students enrolled in a private medical college in Karachi, Pakistan using systematic random sampling. It was based on a self-administered questionnaire.

Down-regulation of beta-catenin TCF signaling is linked to colonic epithelial cell differentiation.

The beta-catenin TCF pathway is implicated in the regulation of colonic epithelial cell proliferation, but its role in the regulation of cell differentiation is unknown. The colon carcinoma cell line, Caco-2, spontaneously undergoes G(0)/G(1) cell cycle arrest and differentiates along the absorptive cell lineage over 21 days in culture. In parallel, we show that beta-catenin-TCF activity and complex formation are significantly down-regulated.

The Sp family of transcription factors in the regulation of the human and mouse MUC2 gene promoters.

Modulation of mucin gene expression is an important component both in the early steps of colon cancer development and in later tumor progression. Previous work from our laboratory and others has suggested that the Sp family of transcription factors may play an important role in the regulation of the human MUC2 gene. To determine whether this was an essential element, we extended our work to the cloning and analysis of 3.