Expanding the scope of bis(catecholato)germane catalysis: hydrosilylation, hydroboration, Friedel-Crafts alkylation and oligomerization.

Various applications of bis(catecholato)germanes in catalysis were examined. The hydrosilylation of benzaldehydes, hydroboration of phenylacetylene derivatives, and Friedel-Crafts alkylation using arylalkenes and either diphenylamine or anisole was achieved. Furthermore, the recently reported oligomerization of α-methylstyrene catalyzed by bis(catecholato)germanes with weak donor ligands was examined further.

Uncontrolled diabetes mellitus: prevalence and risk factors among people with type 2 diabetes mellitus in an Urban District of Karachi, Pakistan.

Aims: This study aimed to explore the prevalence of, and factors associated with, uncontrolled diabetes mellitus (UDM) in a community setting in Pakistan.

Methodology: A single-center, cross-sectional study, conducted in a community-based specialized care center (SCC) for diabetes in District Central Karachi, in 2003, registered 452 type 2 DM participants, tested for HbA1c and interviewed face-to-face for other information. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify factors associated with UDM.

A conversation on health in Canada: revisiting universality and the centrality of primary healthcare.

In 2006, British Columbia launched a public consultation on how to strengthen the health system. We report on the processes and the inputs and views submitted and examine the perceived importance of universality and primary healthcare (PHC). Public response revealed strong support for the Canada Health Act, which upholds 5 principles: public administration, comprehensiveness, universality, portability, and accessibility, and also a need for the system to be more open to innovation.

Hepatitis B and C infection in first-time blood donors in Karachi--a possible subgroup for sentinel surveillance.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and C virus (HCV) are major public health concerns in Pakistan. We conducted a baseline analysis of first-time replacement blood donors at the blood bank of Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre in the year 2000 with the view to developing low-cost sentinel surveillance for these infections. Among 7325 such donors, 264 (3.

Survey and surveillance development in settings with low human immunodeficiency virus prevalence.

In most countries, during the early phases of a human immunodeficiency virus epidemic, independently initiated surveys of perceived high-risk groups tend to precede the development of formal surveillance systems. Unfortunately, in low-prevalence settings, small sample sizes produce unreliable estimates of prevalence and trends, with an inevitable tendency towards positive results. In our study, we present sample size calculations and typical samples used in actual surveys, with Pakistan as our example.

Coverage and factors associated with tetanus toxoid vaccination status among females of reproductive age in Peshawar.

Objective: To estimate the coverage and determine the factors associated with tetanus toxoid vaccination status among females of reproductive age.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Place And Duration Of Study: District Peshawar, NWFP, from July to September 2002.

Quality of pharmacies in Pakistan: a cross-sectional survey.

Objective: To estimate the proportion of pharmacies meeting licensing requirements and to identify factors associated with these pharmacies in urban Rawalpindi, Pakistan.

Design: Cross-sectional questionnaire survey conducted during July-September 2001, of 311 pharmacies selected from a drug company list of 506.

Setting: Free-standing licensed and unlicensed pharmacies in urban Rawalpindi.

Assessing obesity and overweight in a high mountain Pakistani population.

Objectives: To estimate the prevalence of obesity and overweight among adults in a high mountain rural population of Pakistan, and to determine the correlates of excess body weight. Design Cross-sectional study.

Methods: A random sample of 4203 adults (aged 18 years and over) was selected by stratified random sampling from 16 villages in north Pakistan.

Prevalence of and risk factors associated with Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection in prisoners, North West Frontier Province, Pakistan.

Background: This cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the prevalence of and identify factors associated with latent Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) infection in prisoners of North West Frontier Province (NWFP).

Methods: A stratified random sampling technique was used to select a sample of 425 from a total of 6607 male prisoners aged 18-60 years from the five central prisons of NWFP, Pakistan (Peshawar, Dera Ismail Khan, Haripur, Kohat, and Mardan). The selected inmates were interviewed using a structured pre-tested questionnaire; a Mantoux tuberculin skin test (TST) was also performed.

Clinical decision making Part I: errors of commission and omission.

Clinical decision making refers to any act of diagnosis that leads to a decision regarding prognosis, treatment, referral or counseling. It has long been recognized that diagnostic probabilities influence perceptions and judgements in medical practice. However, so do ethical values affect clinical judgements, even if these lead to adverse consequences: for example, to judge a well person sick is considered "more ethical" than to judge a sick person well.

Evaluation of a water, sanitation, and hygiene education intervention on diarrhoea in northern Pakistan.

Objective: Inadequate water and sanitation services adversely affect the health and socioeconomic development of communities. The Water and Sanitation Extension Programme (WASEP) project, undertaken in selected villages in northern Pakistan between 1997 and 2001, was designed to deliver an integrated package of activities to improve potable water supply at village and household levels, sanitation facilities and their use, and awareness and practices about hygiene behaviour.

Methods: A case-control study was conducted during July-September 2001 to evaluate whether, after selected confounders were controlled for, children aged <6 years with diarrhoea were more or less likely to reside in villages that participated in the project than in villages that did not participate.

The obesity pandemic--implications for Pakistan.

Background: Adverse health outcomes are associated with overweight and obesity. In February 2000, the WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific, the International Association for the Study of Obesity and the International Obesity Task Force published provisional recommendations for adults for the Asia-Pacific region: overweight at Body Mass Index (BMI) > or = 23 and obesity at BMI > or = 25.

Methods: Data from the National Health Survey of Pakistan, 1990-94 were reanalyzed using BMI cut-offs recommended for Asians to reassess prevalence of overweight and obesity in the adult Pakistani population.

Survey and surveillance development in settings with low human immunodeficiency virus prevalence.

In most countries, during the early phases of a human immunodeficiency virus epidemic, independently initiated surveys of perceived high-risk groups tend to precede the development of formal surveillance systems. Unfortunately, in low-prevalence settings, small sample sizes produce unreliable estimates of prevalence and trends, with an inevitable tendency towards positive results. In our study, we present sample size calculations and typical samples used in actual surveys, with Pakistan as our example.

Status of national diabetes programmes in the Americas.

Reported are the responses in the latter half of 1997 of all ministries of health in the Region of the Americas to the Declaration of the Americas on Diabetes, which was adopted by the Directing Council of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) in 1996 as a basis for national programme development in diabetes. The short-term targets were the designation of national focal points, the preparation of national estimates of the disease burden, and the development and implementation of national strategies and plans to deal with diabetes. The survey found that most countries recognized diabetes as a significant public health problem.

Antibiotic prophylaxis post-tonsillectomy: is it of benefit?

The decision to prescribe antibiotics post-tonsillectomy still remains controversial. However, recent changing trends in the tonsillar tissue microflora have been widely reported, with Haemophilus influenzae, Staphylococcus aureus and anaerobic organisms all being implicated. All of the above are beta-lactamase producers and thus render lactamase prone antibiotics inactive.

Capture-recapture: reconnaissance of a demographic technique in epidemiology.

The objective of this paper is to review capture-recapture (CR) methodology and its usefulness in epidemiology. Capture-recapture is an established and well-accepted sampling tool in wildlife studies, and it has been proposed as a cost-effective demographic technique for conducting censuses. However, the application of CR in the field of epidemiology requires consideration of relevant factors such as the nature of the condition under surveillance, its case definition, patient characteristics, reporting source and propensity for misdiagnosis and underdiagnosis.

Thermal injury to the upper aerodigestive tract after microwave heating of food.

Microwave-heated food may cause serious injury if it is not allowed to cool before consumption. We describe a case in which a hypopharyngeal burn occurred following consumption of a microwave-heated potato immediately after cooking.