Virtual patients versus standardized patients for improving clinical reasoning skills in ophthalmology residents. A randomized controlled trial.

Background: History taking and clinical reasoning are important skills that require knowledge, cognition and meta-cognition. It is important that a trainee must experience multiple encounters with different patients to practice these skills. However, patient safety is also important, and trainees are not allowed to handle critically ill patients.

Estimation of population variance under ranked set sampling method by using the ratio of supplementary information with study variable.

In biological and medical research, the cost and collateral damage caused during the collection and measurement of a sample are the reasons behind a compromise on the inference with a fixed and accepted approximation error. The ranked set sampling (RSS) performs better in such scenarios, and the use of auxiliary information even enhances the performance of the estimators. In this study, two generalized classes of estimators are proposed to estimate the population variance using RSS and information of auxiliary variable.

A comparison of SRK/T formula with Hill RBF 2 and Barrett Universal II in the calculation of intraocular lens power.

Objective: To compare the accuracy of SRK/T, Barrett Universal II and Hill radial basis activation function-2 formulas in intraocular lens power calculation using different axial lengths.

Methods: The retrospective study was conducted at the Lahore General Hospital, Lahore, Pakistan, and comprised data from June to December 2020 of patients who underwent phacoemulsification with non-toric, monofocal intraocular lens implantation. Data was sorted in 3 groups on the basis of axial length; group 1 22-25mm, group 2>25mm, and group 3 <22mm.

Role of serum VEGF-A biomarker for early diagnosis of ovarian cancer instead of CA-125.

Objective: To assess the significance of serum vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A) as a potential biomarker for the diagnosis of ovarian cancer instead of cancer antigen-125 (CA-125).

Methods: The case-control study was conducted at the obstetrics departments of Sir Ganga Ram Hospital and Jinnah Hospital, Lahore, Pakistan, from April to September 2018, and comprised cases of epithelial ovarian tumour and healthy female controls. Serum VEGF-A and CA-125 levels were evaluated using Luminex multi-analyte profiling technology and enzyme immunoassays technique.

Optimization of antibacterial activity of ethanolic extracts of Eucalyptus tereticornis and Nigella sativa: Response surface Methodology.

The screening of plants for medicinal purposes represents an effort to discover newer, safer, and possibly more effective drugs. Design of the present study was made aiming to the optimization of the antibacterial activity of ethanolic extracts of Eucalyptus tereticornis (leaves) and Nigella sativa (seeds) against bacteria belongings to both Gram-positive (Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram-negative (Escherichia coli) spectrum by using response surface methodology. 20 g powder of each E.

Evidence of male hypogonadism at an early age as a familial risk of type 2 diabetes.

Objective: Previous investigations provide evidence of an association of hypogonadism with type 2 diabetes in men, and low testosterone levels have been regarded a risk factor for the disease. Since a strong genetic predisposition to type 2 diabetes has been demonstrated, here we investigate a possible tendency towards hypogonadism in young male offspring of diabetic parents.

Material And Methods: The study compares 32 male offspring of diabetic parents with 31 male offspring of nondiabetic parents matched by age.

Assessment of biochemical and antioxidative status in patients suffering from dengue fever.

A multi-centred study was designed to collect dengue epidemiologic data from government and registered private hospitals/clinics and maintained archive of frozen specimens in bio-bank to be used for future dengue epidemic control program, and assess the epidemiology of dengue fever (DF) by evaluating biochemical and oxidative status of patients. ELISA IgM antibodies test was done to confirm DF. From August 2010 to December 2011, 101 confirmed blood samples of DF patients referred to pathology lab of Jinnah Hospital Lahore were subjected to the epidemiologic assessment by evaluating the biochemical and physiological indices and alterations of circulating antioxidants.

Comparative Study of Alterations in Tri-iodothyronine (T3) and Thyroxine (T4) Hormone Levels in Breast and Ovarian Cancer.

Objective : The present study was designed to investigate variations in the levels of thyroid hormones (T3, T4) in breast and ovarian cancers patients. Methods : A total 120 subjects were recruited (without thyroid history) divided into three groups; A, B and C. Group A as control with healthy individuals.

Changes in levels of peripheral hormones controlling appetite are inconsistent with hyperphagia in leptin-deficient subjects.

Congenital leptin deficiency, a rare genetic disorder due to a homozygous mutation in the leptin gene (LEP), is accompanied by extreme obesity and hyperphagia. A number of gastrointestinal hormones have been shown to critically regulate food intake but their physiological role in hyperphagic response in congenital leptin deficiency has not been elucidated. This study is the first to evaluate the fasting and postprandial profiles of gut-derived hormones in homozygous and heterozygous carriers of LEP mutation.

Tooth loss in institutionalized coronary heart disease patients of Punjab Institute of Cardiology, Lahore, Pakistan.

Objective: To observe frequency and possible association of tooth loss with prevalent coronary heart disease in Pakistani population.

Methodology: Angiographically determined coronary heart disease (CHD) patients of Punjab Institute of Cardiology, Lahore, Pakistan, and healthy individuals were enrolled for status of tooth loss.

Results: Nine hundred and thirty six CHD patients and 595 healthy subjects with mean age of 51.