Hoarseness Caused by a Penetrating Proximal Descending Thoracic Aortic Ulcer and Pseudoaneurysm.

We present a case of an 87-year-old female with new-onset hoarseness of unclear etiology. Imaging demonstrated a penetrating aortic ulcer (PAU) in the proximal descending thoracic aorta with an associated pseudoaneurysm that enlarged to a depth of 32 mm over 2 years. This patient was diagnosed with hoarseness being secondary to left recurrent laryngeal nerve (LRLN) palsy, a variant of Ortner syndrome.

The Role of Neighborhood Environment in Promoting Risk Factors of Cardiovascular Disease among Young Adults: Data from Middle to High Income Population in an Asian Megacity.

Background: Modifiable risk factors of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) have their triggers in the neighborhood environments of communities. Studying the environmental triggers for CVD risk factors is important to understand the situation in a broader perspective. Young adults are influenced the most by the environment profile around them hence it is important to study this subset of the population.

Professionalism in medical students at a private medical college in Karachi, Pakistan.

Objective: To determine levels of professionalism in undergraduate medical students at a private medical college and assess how changes emerge during their training.

Methods: The study was conducted at Aga Khan University, a tertiary care teaching hospital, during November and December 2011. Freshmen, Year 3 and Year 5 students were requested to fill out a questionnaire.

Infectious diseases in the aftermath of monsoon flooding in Pakistan.

Pakistan is ranked 9th in terms of flood-affected countries worldwide. In the summer of 2010, the northern province of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa received more than 312 mm of rain in a 56 hour period. This resulted in over 1 600 deaths across the region.