Common pediatric surgical conditions and associated health-seeking behaviors in Pakistan: An urban and rural comparative assessment.

Approximately five billion people do not have access to necessary surgical treatment globally and up to 85% of children in LMICs are affected with conditions requiring surgical care by the age of 15 years. It is crucial to identify common surgical conditions in children in Pakistan to inform healthcare professionals and policymakers for effective resource allocation. This representative cross-sectional household survey conducted on children aged 5-10 years assessed existing surgical diseases and healthcare-seeking behaviors in the two largest provinces (Sindh and Punjab) of Pakistan.

Effectiveness of Proximal Femur Nail in the Management of Unstable Per-Trochanteric Fractures: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Background  Intertrochanteric (IT) fractures in the elderly demand surgical intervention for optimal recovery. While dynamic hip screw (DHS) is standard for stable fractures, its use in unstable cases is debated. Proximal femur nail (PFN) addresses unstable per-trochanteric fractures, boasting biomechanical advantages.

Developing and piloting an online course on osteoporosis using a multidisciplinary multi-institute approach- a cross-sectional qualitative study.

Introduction: Postgraduate medical trainees (PGs) in developing nations face various educational hurdles due to limited access to quality resources and training facilities. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of e-learning, particularly Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), within postgraduate medical education. It involved the development of a customized online course focused on osteoporosis for PGs and an examination of their perspectives and preferences concerning online learning methods like Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) platforms.

Development of PCR based SSR markers for Wilsonomyces carpophilus and a PCR based diagnosis protocol for the early detection of shot hole disease in stone fruit crops.

Background: The conidial Ascomycota fungus Wilsonomyces carpophilus causing shot hole in stone fruits is a major constraint in the production of stone fruits worldwide. Shothole disease symptoms appear on leaves, fruits, and twigs. Successful isolation of the pathogen from different hosts on synthetic culture medium is a time consuming and tedious procedure for identification of the pathogen based on morpho-cultural characterization.

Mistletoe Eradicator - A Novel Tool for Simultaneous Mechanical and Chemical Control of Mistletoe.

Some species of mistletoes, an aerial plant hemiparasites, play a Janus-like role in ecosystems by being rich biodiversity hotspots due to their trophic and topic associations with various organisms and at the same time acting as biological pirates, exhausting the host trees by stealing water and nutrients via the haustorium. Many crop and timber trees are attacked by mistletoes, for example, dwarf mistletoes parasitize conifers, representatives of genus Tapinanthus target guava, and Phoradendron mistletoe target pecans. Recently, an increasing infestation of the European mistletoe (Viscum album subsp.

Quantitative response of wheat to sowing dates and irrigation regimes using CERES-Wheat model.

An experiment was conducted at Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana during 2014-15 and 2015-16, keeping four sowing dates {25th Oct (D), 10th Nov (D), 25th Nov (D) and 10th Dec (D)} in main plots and five irrigation schedules {irrigation at 15 (FC), 25 (FC), 35 (FC) and 45 (FC) % depletion of soil moisture from field capacity (FC) and a conventional practice} in sub plots. The objective of the study was to evaluate the performance of CERES-Wheat model for simulating yield and water use under varying planting and soil moisture regimes. The simulated and observed grain yield was higher in D, with irrigation applied at FC as compared to all other sowing date and irrigation regime combinations.

Functional and radiological outcomes of atypical femur fractures among elderly in Karachi, Pakistan.

Objective: To assess the functional and radiological outcomes in a unique class of fractures i.e. atypical femur fractures and to assess the effects of osteoblastic agents in healing.

Frequency of angular malalignment after intramedullary nailing for femur shaft fractures - A cross-sectional study.

Objective: To determine the frequency of angular malalignment of femur in patients undergoing Intra Medullary nailing for femur shaft fracture by measuring axis on immediate postoperative plain radiographs.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at the Section of Orthopaedics, Department of Surgery, Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi from 1st January 2019 till 30th June 2019. All patients between the ages of 15 to 80 years who underwent IM nailing for femur shaft fractures were included.

Explicating genetic diversity based on ITS characterization and determination of antioxidant potential in sea buckthorn (Hippophae spp.).

Background: Sea buckthorn (Hippophae) is in the focus of interest mainly for its positive effects on health of both human and animal organisms. Due to the similarities in vegetative morphology, Hippophae species are often misidentified. Therefore, current study was focused on ITS based sequence characterization of sea buckthorn species and comparative biochemical evaluation for its antioxidant properties.

Nesting behaviour and foraging characteristics of (Hymenoptera: Andrenidae).

The current studies were carried out in the three experimental locations of Kashmir valley during 2013 to 2016. The species formed the dense nest aggregations in plan grounds, barren lands and hilly areas near the fruit orchards and other landscapes with clay loam soil type. The species start flying and foraging in the orchards from April till July.

Mating behaviour and behavioural ecology of a Predatory Wasp, (de Saussure) (Hymenoptera: Eumeninae).

This paper represents an attempt to investigate the mating behaviour of , explaining the willingness of male to mount and copulate. The male displays including mode and frequency of antennation and position while copulating, the displays further comprises of intensity and frequency of rejecting behaviour. The presence of the male's copulatory and postcopulatory courtship studies, understands the maintenance of monandry.

Spontaneously Recanalised Coronary Thrombus in the Left Anterior Descending Artery Presenting as Ventricular Tachycardia.

Spontaneously recanalized coronary thrombus (SRCT), also known as honeycomb, lotus root or Swiss-cheese lesion, is an increasingly recognised finding in patients undergoing coronary angiography. It is thought to arise from partial resorption of an initially occlusive thrombus. Most patients present with angina or exertional breathlessness.

Mobile phones in the orthopedic operating room: Microbial colonization and antimicrobial resistance.

Background: Surgical site infections are a major cause of morbidity and mortality following orthopedic surgery. Recent efforts to identify sources of contamination in the operating rooms have implicated mobile phones.

Aim: To investigate microbial colonization on the mobile phones of health care professionals in the orthopedic operating room.

Microbial Colonization of Pneumatic Tourniquets in the Orthopedic Operating Room.

Background The rate of surgical site infections following orthopedic procedures is approximately 2% globally. Potential sources of contamination in the operating room include pneumatic tourniquets, blood pressure cuffs, and stethoscopes, among others. Our study aims to investigate microbial colonization on reusable pneumatic tourniquets stored and used in the orthopedic department of our institution and evaluate the efficacy of the cleaning protocols employed.

Does surgical approach affect outcome after fixation of intra-articular fractures of distal humerus? Retrospective cohort study from a level-1 trauma centre in a metropolitan city.

Introduction: Fractures around the distal humerus fractures make up to 2% of all fractures. Complex intra-articular distal humerus fractures present as challenge to restore of painless, stable and mobile elbow joint. Surgical exposure to all critical structures is of paramount importance to achieve anatomic reduction.

Management of stress fractures of the proximal tibia in patients with advance knee osteoarthritis. A case series.

To evaluate the outcome of one stage long stem total knee arthroplasty (TKA) of patients with stress fracture of the proximal tibia of the knee joint. Record of 15 patients, 14 females and one male who underwent one stage long stem TKAfrom the year January 2008 till December 2014 were reviewed retrospectively. Outcome variable was fracture healing which was seen clinically (pain free and postop ambulation) as well as radiologically (union of three out of four cortices).

Outcomes of internal hemipelvectomy for pelvic tumors: a developing country's prospective.

Introduction: Previously, external hemipelvectomy was the mainstay of treatment for pelvic tumors. However, with technological advancements, limb salvage procedures such as internal hemipelvectomy have emerged as a viable alternative. However, there is limited literature available on long-term outcomes and complications of internal hemipelvectomy, especially from developing countries.

Proximal Femur Locking Plate for Sub-Trochanteric Femur Fractures: Factors Associated with Failure.

Introduction: Proximal femur locking compression plates (PF-LCP) have gained popularity since their inception due to superior biomechanical stability and durability but clinical experience has shown conflicting results including implant failure.

Objective: To study the incidence of implant failure in patients with sub-trochanteric fractures managed with proximal femoral locking compression plate and identify potential risk factors associated with the failure.

Materials & Methods: Fifty patients with sub-trochanteric fractures, operated upon with titanium PF-LCP were included in the study from January 2012 to December 2014.

Ilizarov hip reconstruction osteotomy - A review.

Hip joint instability can be secondary to congenital hip pathologies like developmental dysplasia (DDH) or acquired such as sequel of infective or neoplastic process. An unstable hip is usually associated with loss of bone from the proximal femur, shortening, abnormal gait, and pain. Many authors have suggested proximal femoral valgus osteotomy for the treatment of unstable hip joints.

Outcome of Judet's quadricepsplasty for knee contractures and the effect of local infiltration of epinephrine on reducing blood loss.

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of Judet's quadricepsplasty for treatment of knee contractures and to identify the effect of local infiltration of epinephrine on blood loss associated with this procedure.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted in which all cases of knee contractures managed with Judet's quadricepsplasty from 1st January 2009 to 31st December 2013 were included and were divided into two groups. The epinephrine group included patients who were infiltrated with diluted epinephrine (1:400,000) along with xylocaine, around the operative field 15 min prior to the incision time, while the control group did not receive any infiltration.

Rotational Mal-Alignment after Reamed Intramedullary Nailing for tibial shaft fracture.

Intra-medullary (IM) nailing is standard of care for unstable tibial shaft fractures. Malrotation is very common but it is under-recognised, inpart because of variation in normal anatomy and partly due to difficulty in accurately assessing rotation. This study was planned to evaluate the frequency of rotational mal-alignment after reamed tibia IMnailing.

Does obesity affects early infection after total knee arthroplasty. A comparison of obese vs non obese patients.

Surgical site infection (SSI) is a disastrous complication after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) which can cause prosthesis loosening and may end up in septicaemia. The incidence of infection reported to be in the range of 0.3-12.

Two incision mini open carpal tunnel release- a minimally invasive alternative to endoscopic release.

Surgical techniques for carpal tunnel release are constantly evolving to reduce complications. This retrospective study was planned to identify the outcome and complications associated with a new operating technique for release of carpal tunnel using two incisions. It was conducted at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, and comprised patients undergoing surgical release of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) between January 2011 and December 2014.