Impact of the Early COVID-19 Pandemic on the Quality of Obstetric Care in a Tertiary Care Center in Karachi, Pakistan.

Objective This study aimed to assess the indirect impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on obstetric quality measures. Materials and methods This cross-sectional study was conducted at a private-sector tertiary care hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. Data were collected for specific antenatal, intrapartum, and postpartum care indicators during the initial six months of the COVID-19 phase (March to August 2020) and compared with baseline measures from the preceding six months before the COVID-19 phase (September 2019 to February 2020) using frequencies and percentages.

"A systematic review of risk factors of postpartum depression. Evidence from Asian culture ".

Objectives: One of the largest health concerns, postpartum depression (PPD), has detrimental effects on new mothers, their child, and their family. Investigating under-researched risk factors for postpartum depression in Asian women is the goal of this review of the literature.

Methods: The literature was searched using a number of electronic research databases.

Identification of a Single Nucleotide Polymorphism of Vitamin D Receptor (VDR) and Vitamin D Binding Protein (VDBP) Gene and Its Dysregulated Pathway Through VDR-VDBP Interaction Network Analysis in Vitamin D-Deficient Infertile Females.

Introduction: The prevalence of female infertility in Pakistan is currently estimated at 22%, and emerging research suggests that vitamin D (VD) deficiency (VDD) may play a significant role in influencing female fertility. The focus of this study was to investigate the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) patterns within the VD binding protein (VDBP). The study aimed to explore dysregulated pathways and gene enrichment through an interaction network analysis, specifically focusing on the interplay between the VD receptor (VDR) and VDBP in females experiencing unexplained infertility (UI) coupled with VDD.

Comparison of pre and post Foley catheter Bishop's Score: A retrospective record review at Aga Khan University Hospital Karachi, Pakistan.

Objective: To compare pre and post Foley's catheter Bishop Score during labour induction.

Methods: This study was a retrospective study conducted at the Aga Khan University Hospital Karachi, Pakistan after approval from ethical review board. All women who underwent induction of labour with Foley's Catheter at gestation of 37 weeks or more from September 2014-October 2015 were included.

Design and development of new inhibitors against breast cancer, Monkeypox and Marburg virus by modification of natural Fisetin via in silico and SAR studies.

The natural Fisetin and its derivatives have been shown to have effective bioactivity and strong pharmacological profile, which is continuously drawing the interest of therapeutic applications to the development of new biomolecules against Breast cancer and Monkeypox, and Marburg viral infection, while computational approaches and the study of their structure-activity relationship (SAR) are the most eloquent and reliable platform for performing their hypothetical profile renovation. So, the main perspective of this investigation is to evaluate dual function of Fisetin and its derivatives against both virus and cancerous target. First and foremost, the prediction of activity spectra for materials (PASS) valuation has provided preliminary data on the antiviral, antibacterial, antiparasitic, and anti-cancer possibilities of the mentioned compounds.

Stigmatization, panic disorder, and death anxiety among patients of Covid-19: Fourth wave of pandemic in Pakistan.

Background: In Pakistan, the fourth wave of COVID-19 is causing an increasing number of positive cases. This fourth wave may be a risky aspect of mental health issues for COVID-19 patients. This quantitative study is designed to understand the stigmatization, and panic disorder and to explore the mediating role of death anxiety among patients of COVID-19 during the fourth wave of novel coronavirus.

Knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) towards COVID-19 pandemic among pregnant women in a tertiary hospital in Karachi, Pakistan.

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) of the pregnant population during the COVID-19 pandemic in a tertiary care hospital.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan. KAP towards COVID-19 was assessed using 21-item questionnaires.

Evaluation of the whole proteome to design a novel mRNA-based vaccine against multidrug-resistant .

, a Gram-negative bacterium, is one of the known disease-causing pathogens. It is resistant to ampicillin, macrolides, cephalosporins, cefotaxime, and ceftazidime. The only antibiotic that has been proven to be effective against is gentamicin.

(Forssk.) Moq: A Good Source of Phytochemicals with Antibacterial, Antioxidant, and Antidiabetic Potential.

is medicinally used to treat various diseases. In this study, was initially subjected to extraction, and the resultant extracts were then evaluated for their antimicrobial, antioxidant, and antidiabetic potentials. After obtaining the methanolic extract, it was subjected to a silica gel column for separation, and fractions were collected at equal intervals.

Obstetric triage improvement process using the Donabedian model of quality care: a quality improvement initiative.

Obstetric triage has become one of the most crucial innovations in the field of perinatal care in the past 15 years. In lower- middle- income countries (LMICs), the pregnant patients are seen in a conventional way based on the time of their arrival; this divergent, unbalanced and inequitable approach results in delayed initial evaluation, prolonged length of stay (LOS) and affected clinical outcomes.This project aimed at implementing an effective and efficient obstetric triage system with improved throughput and care processes within six months to facilitate timely decision making according to the individualized needs of pregnant patients.

Subchorionic hematoma and pregnancy outcomes in patients with threatened miscarriage.

Objective: To compare maternal and perinatal outcomes in patients with threatened miscarriage with or without subchorionic hematoma (SCH) at a tertiary care hospital.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study was conducted at Aga Khan University Hospital. The study included 200 patients of <20 weeks singleton pregnancy with threatened miscarriage from January 2016 till December 2018.

Bio-Molecular analysis of selected food derived Lactiplantibacillus strains for CLA production reveals possibly a complex mechanism.

Lactiplantibacillus is among the most extensively studied bacterial specie belonging to the genus Lactobacillus with proven probiotic and health promoting effects. These beneficial effects are generally strains specific but the underlying molecular mechanisms are still not fully understood. Dissecting the determinants behind probiotic topographies of this bacterium is of particular interest since it would help select strains that stand the best chance of success in clinical trials and potential industrial applications.

A Comprehensive Review on the Medicinal Importance; Biological and Therapeutic Efficacy of Lagenaria siceraria (Mol.) (Bottle Gourd) Standley Fruit.

Herbal remedies have been employed for the treatment and management of different diseases for ages. Herbal medicines are a promising choice over modern synthetic drugs because of their low side effects and are thus considered to be safe and effective in treating human diseases. Lagenaria siceraria (Mol.

Bio-Potency and Molecular Docking Studies of Isolated Compounds from J.R. Drumm. ex Burret.

In the study, two novel compounds along with two new compounds were isolated from . The novel compounds have never been reported in any plant source, whereas the new compounds are reported for the first time from the studied plant. The four compounds were characterized as: 5,5,7,7,11,13-hexamethyl-2-(5-methylhexyl)icosahydro-1H-cyclopenta[a]chrysen-9-ol (), docosanoic acid (), methanetriol mano formate () and 2,2'-(1,4-phenylene)bis(3-methylbutanoic acid .

Pharmacological evaluation and modeling study of compounds isolated from .

Medicines derived from plants are preferred over synthetic therapeutic agents in treating different diseases. (a member of Rhamnaceae family) is a medicinal plant used as a remedy of different diseases in Greek and Ayurveda medical systems. roots were shade dried and then subjected to extraction of bioactive compounds using different solvent systems and silica gel.

Bioavailability and hepatoprotection enhancement of berberine and its nanoparticles prepared by liquid antisolvent method.

The study was devised to prepare berberine nanoparticles by anti-solvent precipitation method and were assessed for their hepatoprotective effect in Male Sprague-Dawley rats against carbon tetrachloride. The pharmacokinetic parameters of the prepared nanoparticles and berberine were evaluated in rabbits. Histopathological studies and blood biochemical analyses were carried out to evaluate the role of both forms of berberine in the experimental animals.

glucose-6-phosphatase inhibitory, toxicity and antidiabetic potentials of 2-picolylamine thioureas in Swiss albino mice.

The 2-picolylamine is a simplest analogue of the alkaloid that has secondary and tertiary nitrogen function in its cyclic structure like that of alkaloids that can be derivatized to a number of biologically active compounds. In connection to our previous work, in the present work, three thiourea derivatives ( 1,3-(2-benzyl-3-phenyl-1-(pyridine-2-yl) propyl) thiourea,  1,3-bis (pyridin-2-ylmethyl) thiourea, and  1-(2-benzyl-3-phenyl-1-(pyridine-2-yl) propyl)-3-phenylthiourea) were synthesized using 2-picolylamine template which is a readily available synthetic analogue of naturally occurring alkaloid. The biological effect of the synthesized derivatives were monitored on the activity of glucose-6-phosphatase in Swiss albino mice (21-days).

Dose-Dependent Internalization and Externalization Integrity Study of Newly Synthesized Tc-Thymoquinone Radiopharmaceutical as Cancer Theranostic Agent.

Thymoquinone (TQ) is a bioactive phytochemical isolated from and has been investigated for biochemical and biological activities in both in vitro and in vivo models. It is best known for its anticancer activities. Thymoquinone accomplishes anticancer activities through targeting multiple cancer markers including PPAR-γ, PTEN, P53, P73, STAT3, and generation of reactive oxygen species at the cancer cell surface.

Isolation of Quercetin from , Their Concentration through NF/RO Membranes, and Recovery through Carbon Nanocomposite. A Pilot Plant Study.

In this study, an attempt has been made to devise a method for a large-scale production of quercetin from a medicinal plant. The natural products are first isolated from plants and then synthesized commercially. During their synthesis, a number of impurities or side products are also formed, most of which are carcinogenic.

Enzyme Inhibitory, Antioxidant And Antibacterial Potentials Of Synthetic Symmetrical And Unsymmetrical Thioureas.

Background: In this study, 2 symmetrical and 3 unsymmetrical thioureas were synthesized to evaluate their antioxidant, antibacterial, antidiabetic, and anticholinesterase potentials.

Methods: The symmetrical thioureas were synthesized in aqueous media in the presence of sunlight, using amines and CS as starting material. The unsymmetrical thioureas were synthesized using amines as a nucleophile to attack the phenyl isothiocyanate (electrophile).

Comparison of foeto-maternal outcome in pregnant women with hepatitis E - A review of 12 years.

Objective: To compare adverse maternal and foetal outcome in pregnant women with hepatitis E immunoglobulin M reactive versus non-reactive.

Methods: This retrospective study was conducted at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, and comprised records of pregnant patients at any gestational age with clinical and biochemical evidence of hepatitis E from January 2002 and December 2014. .

Investigation of repressive and enhancive effects of fruit extracts on the activity of glucose-6-phophatase.

Glucose-6-phosphatase is a key enzyme of glucose metabolic pathways. Deficiency of this enzyme leads to glycogen storage disease. This enzyme also plays a negative role in diabetes mellitus disorder in which the catalytic activity of this enzyme increases.

Cytotoxic, antibacterial and antioxidant activities of extracts of the bark of Melia azedarach (China Berry).

Nature provides a variety of drugs and medicinal agents derived from plants. This study was conducted to determine antimicrobial, antioxidant and cytotoxic activities of extracts of Melia azedarach bark with methanol/water (9:1 v/v), chloroform, butanol, hexane, water and ethyl acetate. For the determination of the antimicrobial activities, the agar well diffusion method was employed.

Antibacterial, antifungal and antioxidant activities of honey collected from Timergara (Dir, Pakistan).

In this study honeys of Acacia modesta, Prunus persica, Zizyphus sativa and Isodon rogosus plants were tested against two Gram-positive bacterial strains (Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus cereus), two Gram-negative bacterial strains (Klebsilla pneumonia and Escherichia coli) and two fungal strains (Alternaria alternata and Trichoderma harzianum) through Agar well diffusion method. The tested honeys showed high antimicrobial activities to the tested bacterial and fungal strains. All the tested honeys were more active against Gram-negative bacterial strains than the Gram-positive bacterial strains.