A Journey of Innovation: 40 years of Pioneering Medical Education at the Aga Khan University Medical College in Karachi, Pakistan.

This article presents an overview of Aga Khan University's (AKU) pioneering medical education initiatives over the past 40 years, exploring its impact on healthcare in the region and its commitment to advancing medical education and research in the developing world. Established in 1983 as the first private university in Pakistan, AKU has evolved into a global institution with a focus on improving healthcare standards and addressing healthcare needs in the developing world. The article also discusses the undergraduate and postgraduate medical education programs at AKU Medical College, Pakistan, highlighting their unique features and pioneering approaches to medical education.

Methodological analysis of a community-based training initiative using the EPIS framework: an ongoing initiative to empower 10 million bystanders in CPR and bleeding control.

Background: Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) and life-threatening bleeding from trauma are leading causes of preventable mortality globally. Early intervention from bystanders can play a pivotal role in increasing the survival rate of victims. While great efforts for bystander training have yielded positive results in high-income countries, the same has not been replicated in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) due to resources constraints.

Health data ecosystem in Pakistan: a multisectoral qualitative assessment of needs and opportunities.

Objective: Data are essential for tracking and monitoring of progress on health-related sustainable development goals (SDGs). But the capacity to analyse subnational and granular data is limited in low and middle-income countries. Although Pakistan lags behind on achieving several health-related SDGs, its health information capacity is nascent.

Leveraging COVID-19 vaccination to promote hepatitis C screening.

Health care initiatives, such as hepatitis C virus (HCV) screening, have been greatly overshadowed by the corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. However, COVID-19 vaccination programs also provide an opportunity to engage with a high volume of people in a health care setting. We collaborated with a large COVID vaccination center to offer HCV point-of-care testing followed by dried blood spot collection for HCV RNA.

The impact of COVID-19 safety interventions on creating a controlled environment on campus.

Objectives: During COVID-19 the re-opening of educational institutes was frequently debated, however with the decline in the number of COVID-19 cases, The Aga Khan University (AKU) in Karachi, Pakistan opened its campus for medical and nursing students after more than 6 months of closure. To ensure gradual resumption of activities on-campus, a combination of interventions was diligently deployed to minimize student infection rates. Scarce literature exists on students' perceptions regarding decisions implemented by university leadership.

A comparative systematic scan of COVID-19 health literacy information sources for Canadian university students.

Introduction: With the rapid spread of online coronavirus-related health information, it is important to ensure that this information is reliable and effectively communicated. This study observes the dissemination of COVID-19 health literacy information by Canadian postsecondary institutions aimed at university students as compared to provincial and federal government COVID-19 guidelines.

Methods: We conducted a systematic scan of web pages from Canadian provincial and federal governments and from selected Canadian universities to identify how health information is presented to university students.

Using Social Media as a Survey Recruitment Strategy for Post-Secondary Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic rapidly forced Canadian post-secondary students into remote learning methods, with potential implications on their academic success and health. In recent years, the use of social media to promote research participation and as a strategy for communicating health messages has become increasingly popular. To better understand how the pandemic has impacted this population, we used social media platforms to recruit students to participate in a national bilingual COVID-19 Health Literacy Survey.

Can Sound Public Health Policies Stem the Tide of Burgeoning Epidemic of Cardiovascular Disease in South Asians?

Purpose Of Review: To revisit the importance of prevention strategies and policies in reducing the burden of ischemic heart disease in South Asian countries.

Recent Findings: South Asia has seen rapid growth in its population with variable improvement in health indicators such as life expectancy at birth over the last three decades. Parallel to these improvements, there has been a stark rise in noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) but without a commensurate improvement in infrastructure/policies and health system interventions to address NCDs.

Ethanolic extract of okra has a potential gastroprotective effect on acute gastric lesions in Sprague Dawley rats.

Okra ( has various bioactive components used for the treatment of different diseases such as gastritis and ulcers. This research aims to examine the anti-inflammatory and anti-ulcer attributes of okra extract against gastric lesions. Adult Sprague Dawley male albino rats were divided into five groups.

Celiac disease associated with aplastic anemia in a 6-year-old girl: a case report and review of the literature.

Background: Celiac disease may present with hematological abnormalities including long-standing anemia. Both aplastic anemia and celiac disease have a similar underlying autoimmune process but an association between the two is seldom reported. There have only been three pediatric cases reporting this association and this case is the first reported in a female pediatric patient.

Impact of age, tumor size, lymph node metastasis, stage, receptor status and menopausal status on overall survival of breast cancer patients in Pakistan.

Background: Survival of breast cancer patients depends on a number of factors which are not only prognostic but are also predictive. A number of studies have been carried out worldwide to find out prognostic and predictive significance of different clinicopathological and molecular variables in breast cancer. This study was carried out at Nuclear Medicine, Oncology and Radiotherapy Institute (NORI), Islamabad, to find out the impact of different factors on overall survival of breast cancer patients coming from Northern Pakistan.

Epithelioid trophoblastic tumor: an unusual malignancy of ovary.

Epithelioid Trophoblastic Tumor (ETT) is a distinct but rare variety of gestational trophoblastic tumors. Misdiagnosis delays effective treatment and affects the survival. The case being reported here involved a 43 years old lady presented with 4 months history of intermenstrual per vaginal bleeding and 6 weeks amenorrhea.

Adenocarcinoma of rectum as second primary cancer after treatment of endometrium cancer.

Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of death from cancer in women in the United States. Previous epidemiologic studies have identified a 1.5 - 3 fold increased risk of colorectal cancer in women after ovarian and endometrial cancer.