Farmers' adaptation to climate change in Pakistan: Can their climate risk management strategies lead to sustainable agriculture?

Farming communities in many developing nations are facing the impacts of climate change, characterized by greater variability and frequency of extreme weather events, which threaten their livelihoods and the agricultural sector as a whole. Agricultural sustainability is at risk when farmers engage in off-farm activities to protect their economic future and combat climate change. This study aimed to identify the determinants of off-farm management activities adoption and highlight the issues faced by farmers after their adoption in agriculture.

Effect of probiotic toothpaste and regular toothpaste on gingival health and plaque levels of adult orthodontic patients - An open label randomized controlled trial.

Introduction: Probiotics are living micro-organisms that are likely to influence oral health by modulating the oral microbiota and offer a promising preventive approach to gum and dental disease. This approach is particularly relevant for orthodontic patients, who are more susceptible to gingival inflammation and plaque accumulation. The aim of this randomized controlled study was to compare the effects of a probiotic toothpaste versus a regular toothpaste on gingival health and plaque levels in orthodontic patients.

Epidemiological and economic consequences of lumpy skin disease outbreaks on farm households in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.

The livestock sector plays a crucial role in sustaining the livelihoods of millions of families across the world, especially in developing countries. However, farming households that rely on agriculture and livestock are particularly susceptible to the impacts of various infectious diseases and natural disasters. This study focuses on estimating the economic burden imposed on households by lumpy skin disease (LSD) in Pakistan and explores the effect of various socioeconomic factors on mortality ratio.

Effect of bonded and removable retainers on occlusal settling after orthodontic treatment: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to summarize the effectiveness of bonded and removable retainers (the Hawley and Essix retainers) in terms of improving occlusal settling (occlusal contact points/areas) after orthodontic treatment. We searched the Cochrane Library, PubMed, CINAHL Plus, and Dental & Oral Sciences Source (DOSS), as well as SIGLE, Google Scholar and ClinicalTrials.gov for eligible studies.

Validation of translated Obstetric Quality of Recovery (ObsQoR-10A) score after nonelective cesarean delivery (CD) in an Arabic-speaking population.

Background: The ObsQoR-11 is a validated scale that assesses recovery after cesarean delivery (CD). This observational study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of its Arabic version.

Methods: The original ObsQoR-11 was translated into an Arabic version (ObsQoR-10A).

Does board diversity reduce the probability of financial distress? Evidence from Chinese firms.

This paper empirically investigates the impact of cognitive board diversity in education, expertise, and tenure facets on financial distress likelihood in the emerging economy of China. This study examines how this relationship varies across State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) and Non-State-Owned Enterprises (NSOEs). Paper argues that the Chinese stock market, as a typical emerging market, is an excellent laboratory for studying the impact of board diversity on the probability of financial distress.

Effect of Online Reviews and Crowd Cues on Restaurant Choice of Customer: Moderating Role of Gender and Perceived Crowding.

This study is aimed to identify the relative (direct) effect of online review ratings and perceived crowding on purchase intentions of a consumer. Our study also investigated the contingent effect of gender and perceived crowding between the relationship of exogenous and endogenous variables. This study was conducted in the Malaysian restaurant industry.

The influence of incisor inclination and anterior vertical facial height on facial attractiveness in an Asian woman.

Introduction: Orthodontic treatment can help improve facial attractiveness through the modification of factors affecting the soft tissue profile. The objectives of this study were to determine the impact of different maxillary incisal inclinations and lower anterior facial heights (at rest and with a smile) on the facial attractiveness of an Asian woman, as perceived by different panels of raters using visual analog scale (VAS) scores.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed with 66 raters equally divided into 3 panels that consisted of general dentists, orthodontic residents, and laypersons.

3Ts of low cure rate: taxonomy, themes and theory of low cure rate in Pakistan's TB control programme and gathering a 360-degree perspective through qualitative, in-depth interviewing approach.

Objective: WHO recommends cure of tuberculosis (TB) as the best prevention strategy; however, information about factors associated with low cure rate in patients with drug-susceptible TB is limited in Pakistan. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore the factors that account for low TB cure rate.

Methodology: The present qualitative study recruited diverse informants through purposive sampling to explore low cure rate situation in Badin between March and June 2017.

Pakistan Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) Society: addressing the 'DO' component of DOHaD.

Adverse intrauterine environment could serve as an important stimulus for postnatal altered health status and for increased susceptibility to long-term non-communicable diseases (NCDs). The notion is now recognized as the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD), which was first proposed by Sir David Barker. Since then, several scientific disciplines have strived to measure the magnitude of the early fetal programming and later risk of diseases.

Frequency and determinants of intracranial atherosclerotic stroke in urban Pakistan.

Background: Intracranial atherosclerosis (ICAD) is a frequent underlying mechanism of ischemic stroke. There is little direct evidence on its frequency and determinants from regions of high prevalence. This study explores the conventional and socioeconomic risk factors of ICAD in a South Asian population.

Stroke radiology and distinguishing characteristics of intracranial atherosclerotic disease in native South Asian Pakistanis.

Background: There are no descriptions of stroke mechanisms from intracranial atherosclerotic disease in native South Asian Pakistanis.

Methods: Men and women aged ≥ 18 years with acute stroke presenting to four tertiary care hospitals in Karachi, Pakistan were screened using magnetic resonance angiography/transcranial Doppler scans. Trial of ORG 10172 in Acute Stroke Treatment criteria were applied to identify strokes from intracranial atherosclerotic disease.

In vivo dosimetry with diodes in a radiotherapy department in Pakistan.

The International Commission of Radiological Units (ICRU) sets a tolerance of ±5 % on dose delivery, with more recent data limiting the overall tolerances to ±3 %. One of the best methods for accurate dose delivery and quality check is in vivo dosimetry, while radiotherapy is performed. The present study was carried out to test the applicability of diodes for performing in vivo entrance dose measurements in external photon beam radiotherapy for pelvic tumours and its implementation as quality assurance tool in radiotherapy.

Experience of thymectomy by median sternotomy in patients with myasthenia gravis.

Objective: To determine the outcome of thymectomy in patients with myasthenia gravis and safety of median sternotomy approach.

Methodology: An observational descriptive study was conducted in the department of thoracic surgery JPMC from February 2005 to January 2009. Twenty-two patients having persistent generalized or ocular myasthenia gravis referred to our department by neurologists and general physicians, partially or not responding to medical treatment with or without thymoma, were included in the study.