Isolated blunt abdominal aortic injury without concomitant abdominal injuries treated with endovascular stent grafting.

Blunt injury of the abdominal aorta is a rare event, seen in only 0.07% to 0.17% of all blunt traumas.

Circulating tumor DNA to monitor treatment response and detect acquired resistance in patients with metastatic melanoma.

Repeat tumor biopsies to study genomic changes during therapy are difficult, invasive and data are confounded by tumoral heterogeneity. The analysis of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) can provide a non-invasive approach to assess prognosis and the genetic evolution of tumors in response to therapy. Mutation-specific droplet digital PCR was used to measure plasma concentrations of oncogenic BRAF and NRAS variants in 48 patients with advanced metastatic melanoma prior to treatment with targeted therapies (vemurafenib, dabrafenib or dabrafenib/trametinib combination) or immunotherapies (ipilimumab, nivolumab or pembrolizumab).

Decreased fish diversity found near marble industry effluents in River Barandu, Pakistan.

In a recently published study we observed that effluents from marble industry affected physicochemical characteristics of River Barandu in District Buner, Pakistan. These changes in water quality due to marble effluents may affect fish community. The present study was therefore conducted to evaluate the impacts of marble industry effluents on fish communities in River Barandu using abundance, richness, diversity and evenness of fish species as end point criteria.

Cancer services in Western Australia: A comparison of regional outcomes with metropolitan Perth.

Objective: To investigate whether any survival differences existed between advanced cancer patients treated in metropolitan Perth and those treated in regional Western Australia (WA).

Design: Retrospective study.

Setting: Advanced cancer patients treated through medical oncology clinics at Royal Perth Hospital and regional cancer centres (Kalgoorlie, Albany, Geraldton and Northam).

Ipilimumab in the real world: the UK expanded access programme experience in previously treated advanced melanoma patients.

Before licensing, ipilimumab was first made available to previously treated advanced melanoma patients through an expanded access programme (EAP) across Europe. We interrogated data from UK EAP patients to inform future clinical practice. Clinicians registered in the UK EAP provided anonymized patient data using a prespecified variable fields datasheet.

Human mesenchymal stem cell response to poly(ε-caprolactone/poly(methyl methacrylate) demixed thin films.

Advances in material sciences have enabled the fabrication of biomaterials which are able to provide the requisite cues to stimulate cells to behave in a specific way. Nanoscale surface topographies are well known to be able to positively influence cell-substrate interactions. This study reports on a novel series of poly(ε-caprolactone) PCL and poly(methyl methacrylate) demixed nanotopographic films as non-biological cell-stimulating cues.

Role of first-line anti-epidermal growth factor receptor therapy compared with anti-vascular endothelial growth factor therapy in advanced colorectal cancer: a meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials.

Background: Monoclonal antibodies targeting epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) or vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) have demonstrated efficacy in combination with chemotherapy in the first-line therapy of advanced colorectal cancer (CRC). Data from randomized studies comparing these monoclonal antibodies as initial therapy is conflicting, and their comparative efficacy remains unclear. We aimed to evaluate the impact of these targeted therapies on patient outcomes by combining the data from randomized clinical trials.

Impact of marble industry effluents on water and sediment quality of Barandu River in Buner District, Pakistan.

Industries play an important role in improving the living standard but at the same time cause several environmental problems. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate the impact of industries on the quality of environment. In the present study, the impact of marble industry effluents on water and sediment quality of Barandu River in Buner District, Pakistan was evaluated.

The TONK score: a tool for assessing quality in trauma and orthopaedic note-keeping.

Introduction: Medical case notes are the only lasting interpretation of a patient-physician interaction and are important for good quality patient care. Accurate, legible and contemporaneous note-keeping is important however it can be substandard. This can lead to errors in handover of patients and to medicolegal vulnerability.

Efficacy and tolerability of carbamazepine for the treatment of painful diabetic neuropathy in adults: a 12-week, open-label, multicenter study.

Objective: Anticonvulsants are increasingly being used in the symptomatic management of several neuropathic pain disorders. The present observational study was designed to evaluate the efficacy, tolerability, and quality of life (QoL) of carbamazepine use for 12 weeks in patients with painful diabetic neuropathy, in Pakistan.

Methods: This was a 12-week, multicenter, open-label, uncontrolled trial in adult type 2 diabetic patients (aged 18-65 years) suffering from clinically confirmed neuropathic pain (Douleur Neuropathique en 4 [DN4] score ≥4).

Determination of heavy metal contents in water, sediments, and fish tissues of Shizothorax plagiostomus in river Panjkora at Lower Dir, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.

The present study was conducted to investigate the contamination of water, sediments, and fish tissues with heavy metals in river Panjkora at Lower Dir, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Water, sediments, and fish (Shizothorax plagiostomus) samples were collected from September 2012 to January 2013 at three different sites (upstream site at Sharigut, sewage site at Timergara, and downstream site at Sadoo) of river Panjkora. The concentrations of heavy metals in water were in the order Zn > Cu ≈ Pb > Ni ≈ Cd with mean values of 0.

Prognostic value of systemic inflammation-based markers in advanced pancreatic cancer.

Background: The prognostic significance of various systemic inflammation-based markers has been explored in different cancers. These markers can be used to assist with decision-making in oncology clinics.

Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the prognostic significance of three systemic inflammation-based factors: neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and modified Glasgow Prognostic Score (mGPS) in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer.

In vitro phytochemical, antibacterial, and antifungal activities of leaf, stem, and root extracts of Adiantum capillus veneris.

Adiantum capillus veneris is a medicinally essential plant used for the treatment of diverse infectious diseases. The study of phytochemical and antimicrobial activities of the plant extracts against multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria and medically important fungi is of immense significance. Extracts from the leaves, stems, and roots of Adiantum capillus veneris were extracted with water, methanol, ethanol, ethyl acetate, and hexane and screened for their antimicrobial activity against ten MDR bacterial strains and five fungal strains isolated from clinical and water samples.

A Prospective Randomized Control Study on Patient's Recall of Consent after Hand Surgery: How Much They Want to Know?

Informed consent implies that the person undergoing an intervention thoroughly understands its pros and cons. We conducted a randomized control trial to evaluate patients' recall of complications after day case hand surgery and how this can be influenced by age and/or socioeconomic factors. Patients' wishes on the extent and type of provided information were also evaluated.

Bone Glue Modified Asphalt: A Step towards Energy Conservation and Environment Friendly Modified Asphalts.

Asphalt has been modified for the past several decades using various additives, including synthetic polymers. Polymer modification improves structural and engineering characteristics of the binder, which is a result of improvement in rheological characteristics of binder as well as its adhesion capability with the aggregate. Such enhancement inevitably enhances the performance characteristics of hot mix asphalts (HMA) such as fatigue life, resistance to rutting, and thermal cracking.

Survey of Patients with Cervical Cancer in Hospital UniversitiSains Malaysia: Survival Data Analysis with Time-Dependent Covariate.

Background: Cervical cancer is the third most common cancer among women in Malaysia. The objective of this study was to estimate the effect of explanatory variables on survival time of cervical cancer patients receiving treatment at a hospital in Malaysia.

Methods: In this retrospective record review study, cervical cancer data obtained from Hospital UniversitiSains Malaysia (HUSM) was analysed.

Application of the Reverse Line Blot Assay for the Molecular Detection of Theileria and Babesia sp. in Sheep and Goat Blood Samples from Pakistan.

Background: The present study was designed to detect the presence of tick-borne parasites (Theileria and Babesia spp.) in 196 blood samples collected from apparently healthy sheep and goats from two provinces, Punjab and Khyber Pukhtoon Khwa, in Pakistan.

Methods: Reverse line blot (RLB) assay was applied for the parasitic detection by the amplification of hypervariable V4 region of the 18S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene.

Recipient's unemployment restricts access to renal transplantation.

Equitable distribution of a scarce resource such as kidneys for transplantation can be a challenging task for transplant centers. In this study, we evaluated the association between recipient's employment status and access to renal transplantation in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). We used data from the United States Renal Data System (USRDS).

Degradation of polyester polyurethane by a newly isolated soil bacterium, Bacillus subtilis strain MZA-75.

A polyurethane (PU) degrading bacterial strain MZA-75 was isolated from soil through enrichment technique. The bacterium was identified through 16S rRNA gene sequencing, the phylogenetic analysis indicated the strain MZA-75 belonged to genus Bacillus having maximum similarity with Bacillus subtilis strain JBE0016. The degradation of PU films by strain MZA-75 in mineral salt medium (MSM) was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy (FT-IR) and gel permeation chromatography (GPC).

Potential drug-drug interactions in internal medicine wards in hospital setting in Pakistan.

Background: Multiple drugs therapies may be the potential source of drug-drug interactions that can result in alteration of therapeutic response and/or increase untoward effects of many drugs.

Objective: To identify the frequency and levels of potential drug-drug interactions (pDDIs) in internal medicine wards and their association with patients' age, gender, length of hospital stay and number of prescribed medications; and to describe management of frequently identified major or moderate pDDIs.

Setting: Internal medicine wards of two major tertiary care hospitals of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.

Targeted therapy and immunotherapy in advanced melanoma: an evolving paradigm.

Metastatic melanoma is one of the most challenging malignancies to treat and often has a poor outcome. Until recently, systemic treatment options were limited, with poor response rates and no survival advantage. However, the treatment of metastatic melanoma has been revolutionized by developments in targeted therapy and immunotherapy; the BRAF inhibitor, vemurafenib, and anticytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen 4 antibody, ipilimumab, are the first agents to demonstrate a survival benefit.

Sequential therapy with targeted agents in metastatic renal cell carcinoma: beyond second-line and overcoming drug resistance.

Renal cell carcinoma comprises 2-3% of all adult malignancies and its incidence is increasing. Overall survival of patients with advanced disease has increased over the last decade due to the development of many effective targeted agents. Unfortunately, most patients inevitably develop resistance to these agents.

Ipilimumab activity in advanced uveal melanoma.

Uveal melanoma (UM) is a rare disease with a distinct molecular profile. About half of the patients with UM eventually develop metastatic disease. The prognosis of these patients remains poor.