Publications by authors named "N Afzal"

Introduction: While various factors leading to prolonged length of stay (LOS) have been identified for emergency general surgery (EGS), there is limited literature on specific factors for individual emergent specialties. This study aimed to identify patient factors and in-hospital complications associated with prolonged LOS for gastrointestinal (GI) and non-GI-related EGS presentations in a low-resource setting.

Methods: Data from 2010 to 2019 were retrieved from one of the largest tertiary care centers in Pakistan.

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Background And Aims: Patients with very early-onset inflammatory bowel disease (VEO-IBD), with an age of onset < 6 years, can present with severe manifestations and may require biologic therapy. Infliximab and adalimumab are approved for induction and maintenance in pediatric IBD patients but are licensed only above the age of 6 years. Effectiveness and safety data on adalimumab in this patient population are lacking.

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Glucose-dependent insulin delivery systems have been recognized as a promising approach for controlling blood sugar levels in individuals with diabetes mellitus (DM). Recently, titanium dioxide nanoparticles have garnered huge attention in scientific research for their small size and effective drug delivery capabilities. In this study, we developed alizarin (AL)-capped phenylboronic acid (PBA)-functionalized titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO) for glucose-sensitive insulin delivery (TiO-PBA-INS-AL) aiming to manage both blood sugar levels and its associated organ pathology in DM.

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Article Synopsis
  • A study was conducted to compare the effectiveness and tolerability of a new retinoid, oleyl adapalenate (OA) at 0.5%, against traditional retinol at 0.5% for treating facial photoaging effects like wrinkles and pigmentation.
  • After 12 weeks, OA showed a significantly greater improvement in wrinkle severity (9.45%) compared to retinol (4.11%), and also reduced facial redness and water loss more effectively.
  • Overall, OA was found to be better tolerated than retinol, indicating its potential as a more favorable option in skincare for photoaging.
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Purpose: To evaluate the current communication skills of resident physicians and identify areas for improvement.

Study Design: Using a cross-sectional design, data from medical students, residents, fellows, and faculty were assimilated at one of the largest academic medical centers in a low-and-middle-income country via a self-administered, validated survey with a 5-point LIKERT scale. One-way ANOVA was used to compare intra-group means, followed by the Bonferroni test, with a p-value <0.

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