Correction: Acceptability and feasibility of HIV self-testing among transgender people in Larkana, Pakistan: Results from a pilot project.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

Evaluating the reliability of a microperimetry-based method for assessing visual function in the junctional zone of geographic atrophy lesions.

Purpose: To assess the repeatability of a microperimetry methodology for quantifying visual function changes in the junctional zone of eyes with geographic atrophy (GA) in the clinical trial context.

Methods: A post hoc analysis of the OAKS phase III trial was conducted, which enrolled patients with GA secondary to age-related macular degeneration. Microperimetry using a standard 10 - 2 fovea centered grid was performed at baseline and follow-up visits.

Evaluation of Anti-Angiogenic Therapy Combined with Immunotherapy and Chemotherapy as a Strategy to Treat Locally Advanced and Metastatic Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer.

Immunotherapy has made recent improvements in disease-free survival (DFS) and/or overall survival (OS) in all stages of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Here, we review the tumor microenvironment and its immunosuppressive effects and discuss how anti-angiogenic therapies may potentiate the anti-carcinogenic effects of immunotherapy. We also review all the past literature and discuss strategies of combining anti-angiogenic therapy and immunotherapy +/- chemotherapy and hypothesize how we can use this strategy for non-small-cell lung cancer in metastatic previously untreated/previously treated settings in previously treated EGFR-mutated NSCLC for the upfront treatment of brain metastases prior to radiation therapy and for the incorporation of this strategy into stage III unresectable disease.

Evaluating the Reliability of a Microperimetry-Based Method for Assessing Visual Function in the Junctional Zone of Geographic Atrophy Lesions.

To assess the repeatability of a microperimetry methodology for quantifying visual function changes in the junctional zone of eyes with geographic atrophy (GA) in the clinical trial context. A post hoc analysis of the OAKS phase III trial was conducted, which enrolled patients with GA secondary to age-related macular degeneration. Microperimetry using a standard 10-2 fovea centered grid was performed at baseline and follow-up visits.

Syphilis infection prevalence in the Middle East and North Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) that can be prevented and effectively treated; yet it continues to be a cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. There is a limited understanding of the epidemiology of syphilis in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

Methods: A systematic review conducted up to April 30, 2024 assessed the prevalence of syphilis and followed PRISMA guidelines, without language and date restrictions.

Insight into the Environmental Health Consciousness of Medical Students Regarding the Perceived Impacts of Climate Change on Human Health.

Climate change represents an unprecedented global public health crisis with extensive and profound implications. The Lancet Commission identified it as the foremost health challenge of the 21st century. In 2015, air pollution alone caused approximately 9 million premature deaths worldwide.

Correlation Between Transient Elastography and Non-invasive Biomarker Scores for the Detection of Liver Fibrosis.

Background and aim The study aimed to address the need for reliable and non-invasive biomarkers (NIBM) for detecting fibrosis among patients with chronic liver disease (CLD). Material and methods This was a diagnostic validation study executed at the Department of Gastroenterology, Jinnah Hospital, Lahore. The study was carried out from July 2023 to June 2024, enrolling a total of 88 patients using non-probability consecutive sampling.

A study of novel linear Diophantine fuzzy topological numbers and their application to communicable diseases.

The idea of linear Diophantine fuzzy sets (LDFs) is a novel tool for analysis, soft computing, and optimization. Recently, the concept of a linear Diophantine fuzzy graph has been proposed in 2022. The aim of this research is to extend topological numbers to LDFSs.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LOWER URINARY TRACT SYMPTOMS AND TREATMENT-RELATED BEHAVIOUR IN HAZARA DIVISION.

Background: Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) adversely affect the quality of life and are usually under-reported because of a stigma associated with these symptoms. Unless specifically probed for these symptoms, most patients do not report Lower urinary tract symptoms. This study focused on the treatment-seeking behaviour of otherwise healthy individuals who had LUTS.

Community-led interventions to re-engage people living with HIV into care in Pakistan.

Background: By 2021, Pakistan had an estimated 210 000 people living with HIV (PLHIV), and 27% of those initiated into treatment in 2020 had disengaged from care within one year.

Aim: We assessed the effectiveness of an intervention to re-engage PLHIV lost to follow-up into care in Pakistan.

Methods: Between September 2020 and May 2021, the Association of People Living with HIV (APLHIV) implemented a search and rescue intervention for PLHIV lost to follow-up in 2 large treatment centres in Pakistan.

Health-Related Quality of Life in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and Its Relationship With Disease Activity: A Single-Center Cross-Sectional Study From Pakistan.

Objective This study aims to determine whether disease activity was associated with health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in the Pakistani population with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted in the Rheumatology Department of the National Hospital & Medical Centre, Lahore, Pakistan, from April 2021 to June 2022. A sample of 60 patients, both male and female, diagnosed with a case of SLE was collected through the purposive sampling technique.

Understanding childhood obesity in Pakistan: exploring the knowledge, attitudes, practices of mothers, and influential factors. A cross-sectional study.

Background: Childhood obesity is a significant public health issue with far-reaching implications. The World Health Organization reported that in 2020, around 38 million children under five were overweight or obese globally, and in 2016, 340 million children and adolescents aged 5-19 were affected. In Pakistan, the situation is alarming; 66.

Advancements in skin cancer treatment: focus on photodynamic therapy: a review.

Some of these include basal cell carcinoma (BCCs), squamous cell carcinoma (SCCs), and melanoma; skin cancer is a leading global health problem due to its high prevalence and possibly due to its serious health implications. Conventional and known therapies like surgeries, radiation therapies and chemotherapy although helpful are sometime deleterious and do not specifically attack the cancers. New advancement is half-breed technique has recently been recognized that photodynamic therapy (PDT) can be considered as a potentially effective modality by using photosensitizers which work through the generation of localized ROS on exposure to light.

Lymphatic vascular invasion: Diagnostic variability and overall survival impact on patients undergoing surgical resection.

Objective: The diagnostic criteria of lymphatic vascular invasion have not been standardized. Our investigation assesses the factors associated with lymphatic vascular invasion positive tumors and the impact of lymphatic vascular invasion on overall survival for patients with non-small cell lung cancer undergoing (bi)lobectomy with an adequate node dissection.

Methods: The National Cancer Database was queried from the years 2010 to 2015 to find surgical patients who underwent lobectomy with at least 10 lymph nodes examined (adequate node dissection) and with known lymphatic vascular invasion status.

Exploring Betel Quid Chewing Among Orang Asli: A Qualitative Study.

Betel quid chewing is a culturally significant practice among the indigenous people (Orang Asli) in Malaysia, but it poses serious health risks, including oral cancer and systemic diseases. Studies on betel quid chewing are limited, making it difficult to develop effective public health interventions. This study aimed to explore the cultural significance, perceived health effects, and misconceptions surrounding betel quid chewing among the indigenous people, assess their awareness of health risks, and explore factors influencing their intentions to quit or reduce betel quid chewing.

Factors Contributing to Lack of Adherence to Antihypertensive Medications Among Patients at Nishtar Hospital in Multan, Pakistan.

Background: Hypertension affects 26.7% of Pakistan's population, with only 6% achieving control. This study investigates antihypertensive medication adherence in Multan, focusing on socioeconomic and patient-related factors influencing non-adherence to study the lack of adherence to antihypertensive medications in hypertensive patients and its associated factors at Nishtar Hospital in Multan, Pakistan.

Enhancing Wheat Tolerance to Cadmium Stress through Moringa Leaf Extract Foliar Application.

Cadmium, a hazardous heavy metal prevalent in plants and soil, poses a significant threat to human health, particularly as approximately 60% of the global population consumes wheat, which can accumulate high levels of Cd through its roots. This uptake leads to the translocation of Cd to the shoots and grains, exacerbating the potential health risks. However, promising results have been observed with the use of moringa leaf extract (MLE) foliar spray in mitigating the adverse effects of Cd stress.

QUANTIFICATION OF CAPILLARY BLOOD FLOW SPEEDS IN DIABETIC RETINOPATHY USING VARIABLE INTERSCAN TIME ANALYSIS OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY ANGIOGRAPHY.

Purpose: To investigate retinal capillary plexus capillary flow speed and vessel density in diabetic retinopathy and normal subjects using variable interscan time analysis optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA).

Methods: High speed swept source OCTA imaging using multiple interscan times was performed over a 5 mm × 5 mm field-of-view with 600 kHz A-scan rate. Second-generation variable interscan time analysis OCTA was used to measure a surrogate marker for capillary blood flow speed, variable interscan time analysis flow speed (VFS), in the superficial and intermediate capillary plexuses VFS , and deep capillary plexus VFS .

A Plasmacytoid Variant of Urothelial Carcinoma: A Rare Entity.

A rare histological variant of transitional cell urothelial carcinoma, the plasmacytoid variant, was recently included in the World Health Organization classification of urothelial tract tumors. This variant has a morphological resemblance to other tumors, which poses a diagnostic challenge for identifying this tumor and may often lead to misdiagnosis. Vigilant histopathological analysis and immunostaining are required to delineate the correct diagnosis.

Inhibition of the Germination of Root Parasitic Plants by Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework-8.

Crystalline ZIF-8 (C-ZIF-8) and amorphous ZIF-8 (Am-ZIF-8) were prepared and investigated to control the germination of Striga hermonthica, a root parasitic plant, which threatens cereal crops production particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. We have demonstrated that Am-ZIF-8 shows a better performance than C-ZIF-8 in inhibiting Striga seeds germination. This efficient performance of Am-ZIF-8 materials can be attributed to the incomplete deprotonation of 2 methylimidazole (2MIM) during amorphization, leading to the presence of unsaturated Zn-N coordination with the uncoordinated -NH groups available to undergo hydrogen bonding with the strigolactone analog GR24 forming a more stable Am-ZIF-8⋅⋅⋅GR24 hydrogen bonded network.