Patients' and family members' views on pacemaker reuse: An international survey.

Introduction: The reuse of cardiac implantable electronic devices may help increase access to these therapies in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). No published data exist regarding the views of patients and family members in LMICs regarding this practice.

Methods And Results: An article questionnaire eliciting attitudes regarding pacemaker reuse was administered to ambulatory adult patients and patients' family members at outpatient clinics at Centro Nacional Cardiologia in Managua, Nicaragua, Indus Hospital in Karachi, Pakistan, Hospital Carlos Andrade Marín, and Hospital Eugenio Espejo in Quito, Ecuador, and American University of Beirut Medical Center in Beirut, Lebanon.

Sensitivity and Specificity of Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Detection Kits - Comparison and Agreement between Fifteen Different Assays.

Accurate and rapid diagnosis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is critical for proper care and identification of affected individuals. This led to early availability of many serological assays in the market, but with limited validation. In this study, we aimed to validate the serological assays based on different techniques.

Self-medication among people visiting outpatient clinics of a Tertiary care hospital, Karachi.

Background And Aim: "Self-medication" is the self-use of medicines for treatment of illnesses. Inappropriate use of medicines without prescription leads to unwanted adverse effects, harmful drug interactions, and antibiotic resistance which is an emerging concern in developing countries due to escalating burden of infectious diseases. This study aims at identifying the frequency and contributing factors of self-medication, nature of illness, and types of medicines used without doctor's prescription.

Parental perception on screen time and psychological distress among young children.

Objective: We aimed to assess the parent-reported screen time of children, identify the perceived risk factors for increased screen time and its relationship to psychological distress in children.

Materials And Method: A cross sectional study was conducted at a teaching hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. A total of 230 employees from medical and non-medical departments were included.

Impact of hand hygiene intervention on hand washing ability of school-aged children.

Background: To assess the current knowledge related to hand washing and efficiency of intervention on hand washing techniques amongst school children.

Methodology: A randomized control trial was conducted amongst class II students of a private school in Korangi, Karachi. Pre-intervention assessment including baseline knowledge and observed practices of hand washing in comparison with World Health Organization (WHO) standard hand washing techniques was done.

Relationship of FIB-4 index with transient elastography in chronic hepatitis C patients having APRI ≥ 0.5 - ≤2 in a resource-limited setting in Pakistan.

Objective: We aimed to study the extent of liver fibrosis in chronic hepatitis C patients with indeterminate APRI score of ≥ 0.5 - ≤2 (between higher and lower cut off value) and correlate it to transient elastography (TE) and FIB 4 index.

Method: A cross-sectional study, 80 patients with CHC mono infection, APRI score ≥ 0.

Serum amoxicillin levels in young infants (0-59 days) with sepsis treated with oral amoxicillin.

Background: WHO recommends simplified antibiotics for young infants with sepsis in countries where hospitalisation is not feasible. Amoxicillin provides safe, Gram-positive coverage. This study was done to determine pharmacokinetics, drug disposition and interpopulation variability of oral amoxicillin in this demographic.

The impact of structured counselling on patient knowledge at a private TB program in Karachi.

Objective: To assess the impact of structured counselling on the knowledge of patients and families attending the Tuberculosis (TB) clinic at the Indus Hospital, Karachi.

Methods: This was a case control study conducted from 17th December 2018 to 28th December 2018 at The Indus Hospital, Karachi. We evaluated the baseline knowledge regarding TB in 60 patients and families, 30 of whom had undergone at least one counselling session at the TB clinic.

Five-year Audit of Infectious Diseases at a Tertiary Care Hospital in Karachi, Pakistan.

Purpose To estimate the burden of infectious diseases and the seasonality of mosquito-borne diseases seen at The Indus Hospital, Karachi (TIH). Methodology We performed a retrospective data analysis of all infectious diseases (ID) cases, retrieved from medical records over a five-year period starting from 1 January 2012 till 31 December 2016 at The Indus Hospital (TIH), which is a 150-bed, charity-based, tertiary-care health facility. The collected data has been categorized into three groups: (A) public health-related diseases, including community and environmental IDs, i.

Development of Growth Charts of Pakistani Children Aged 4-15 Years Using Quantile Regression: A Cross-sectional Study.

Background Growth charts are essential tools used by pediatricians as well as public health researchers in assessing and monitoring the well-being of pediatric populations. Development of these growth charts, especially for children above five years of age, is challenging and requires current anthropometric data and advanced statistical analysis. These growth charts are generally presented as a series of smooth centile curves.

Perceptions of gender equality, work environment, support and social issues for women doctors at a university hospital in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is an Islamic monarchy and was established in 1932. Saudi women first entered the medical field in 1975 and the country has since seen a steady increase in women pursuing medicine. However, there is limited data on gender related issues for women doctors practicing in Saudi Arabia.

Reported Male Circumcision Practices in a Muslim-Majority Setting.

. Male circumcision is a recommended practice in Muslim tradition. It is important to ensure that this procedure is performed as safely as possible in these communities.

Unusual case of non-resolving necrotizing pneumonia: A last resort measure for cure.

To our knowledge, this is an unusual case of a community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) with sepsis secondary to Streptococcus pneumoniae that required lung resection for a non-resolving consolidation. A 74 year old previously healthy woman, presented with acute fever, chills and pleuritic chest pain in Emergency Department (ED). A diagnosis of CAP was established with a Pneumonia Severity Index CURB-65 score of 5/5.

Reducing Cost of Rabies Post Exposure Prophylaxis: Experience of a Tertiary Care Hospital in Pakistan.

Background: Rabies is a uniformly fatal disease, but preventable by timely and correct use of post exposure prophylaxis (PEP). Unfortunately, many health care facilities in Pakistan do not carry modern life-saving vaccines and rabies immunoglobulin (RIG), assuming them to be prohibitively expensive and unsafe. Consequently, Emergency Department (ED) health care professionals remain untrained in its application and refer patients out to other hospitals.

Severity of burn and its related factors: A study from the developing country Pakistan.

Background: Burns are leading cause of fatal injuries and major cause of morbidity and mortality in developing countries. The major obstacle in controlling severity is factors related to burn. This study determines frequency of burns and the factors related to it in Karachi, Pakistan.

Impact of maternal education about complementary feeding on their infants' nutritional outcomes in low- and middle-income households: a community-based randomized interventional study in Karachi, Pakistan.

This cluster-randomized interventional trial at periurban settings of Karachi was conducted to evaluate the impact of maternal educational messages regarding appropriate complementary feeding (CF) on the nutritional status of their infants after 30 weeks of educational interventions delivered by trained community health workers. Mothers in the intervention group received three education modules about breastfeeding (BF) and appropriate CF at a baseline visit and two subsequent visits 10 weeks apart. The control group received advice about BF according to national guidelines.

Community-based assessment of surgical symptoms in a low-income urban population.

Background: The global burden of surgical disease has not been well quantified, but is potentially immense. Given the enormity of the problem and the relative paucity of data, definition and monitoring of surgical burden of disease is an essential step in confronting the problem. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of non-acute surgical disease symptoms in a low-income population.

Clinical manifestations and treatment outcomes in HIV-1-infected children receiving antiretroviral therapy in Karachi, Pakistan.

Introduction: The impact of antiretroviral (ARV) therapy on immunological and growth parameters in HIV-positive children in Pakistan has not been reported to date.

Methodology: A retrospective chart review of children diagnosed with HIV at the Sindh AIDS Control Proigramme (SACP) and registered at the Aga Khan University, Karachi, between January 2005 and 2013 was conducted, evaluating clinical and laboratory profiles of HIV+ ARV+ children for ARV impact (serial height and weight CD4 and viral counts).

Results: Twenty-four children were diagnosed and registered as HIV positive over five years, and 20 were started on ARV.

Prevalence and risk factors of kidney disease in urban Karachi: baseline findings from a community cohort study.

Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is being increasingly recognized as a leading public health problem. However, there are limited data available with respect to prevalence of CKD in Pakistan, a developing South Asian country. The study presents the baseline findings of prevalence and risk factors for adult kidney disease in a Pakistani community cohort.

Four years of experience with antiretroviral therapy in adult patients in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan.

The Sindh AIDS Control Program (SACP) in Pakistan began dispensing combination antiretroviral therapy (ART) in May 2006 in Karachi. This study aimed to assess the management and outcomes of ART-treated patients. Data were extracted from medical records of adult patients registered with the SACP who received ART between May 2006 and May 2010.

Barriers to accessing surgical care: a cross-sectional survey conducted at a tertiary care hospital in Karachi, Pakistan.

Background: The need for surgical care far exceeds available facilities, especially in low income and poor countries. Limited data are available to help us understand the extent and nature of barriers that limit access to surgical care, particularly in the Asian subcontinent. The aim of this study was to understand factors that influence access to surgical care in a low-income urban population.

Development and validation of sunlight exposure measurement questionnaire (SEM-Q) for use in adult population residing in Pakistan.

Background: Vitamin D deficiency has been identified as a major public health problem worldwide. Sunlight is the main source of vitamin D and its measurement using dosimeters is expensive and difficult for use in population-based studies. Hence, the aim of this study was to develop and validate questionnaires to assess sunlight exposure in healthy individuals residing in Karachi, Pakistan.

Targeting vulnerability after the 2005 earthquake: Pakistan's livelihood support cash grants programme.

The 7.6 magnitude (Richter scale) earthquake that struck northern Pakistan on 8 October 2005 was devastating. This paper gauges success in targeting vulnerable families during the transition from relief to reconstruction through cash assistance provided by the Livelihood Support Cash Grants (LSCG) programme.