COVID-19 pandemic impacted internet use and anxiety among general public during COVID-19 pandemic in Pakistan.

Objective: To determine the association between internet use and anxiety among people during the coronavirus disease- 2019 pandemic.

Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted across Pakistan from January 14 to February 21, 2021, which was the active phase of the coronavirus disease-2019 pandemic in Pakistan. The participants were aged at least 13 years having internet access regardless of gender or their location across Pakistan.

Evaluating knowledge about HIV and discriminatory attitudes among Pakistani women of reproductive age using 2017-18 Demographic Health Survey data.

A prominent issue associated with HIV is the stigma around it owing to a lack of awareness. This study aimed to find the association between HIV and AIDS-related knowledge and discriminatory attitudes amongst Pakistani women of reproductive age using the 2017-18 Pakistani Demographic Health Survey (PDHS) data. We analyzed a sample of 3381 Pakistani women of reproductive age using ordinal logistic regression for complex survey data.

Predicting the sagittal skeletal pattern using dental cast and facial profile photographs in children aged 9 to 14 years.

Objective: To quantify prediction of sagittal skeletal pattern using anteroposterior dental relationships on dental casts and facial profile photograph.

Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, from December 2016 to July 2017, and comprised orthodontic patients of either gender aged 9-14 years who attended the outpatient dental clinic. The sagittal skeletal relationship assessed on cephalometric radiographs was compared with anteroposterior dental and facial measurements on their dental cast and facial profile photographs.

Demographic and Psychosocial Factors associated with Internet Addiction among the Pakistani Population during COVID-19: A Web-Based Survey.

This study aims to determine the burden of COVID19-induced internet addiction and related psychosocial factors among the Pakistani sample. A web-based cross-sectional survey was conducted from January to March 2021. An analytical cross-sectional survey was broadcast on the internet via a Google form completed by 1145 Pakistanis.

Streptococcus mutans carriage in the saliva of mothers and its association with dental caries and Streptococcus mutans carriage in the saliva of children between 6 and 30 months old in a low-income setting in Karachi, Pakistan.

Background: Early childhood caries poses a significant health issue in children under 6 years old. It is determined that Streptococcus mutans is a primary etiological agent, likely to be transferred through maternal contact.

Objectives: To determine the association of maternal S.

The Modified Alternate Healthy Eating Index-2010 and Breast Cancer Risk among Women from Karachi, Pakistan.

Objective: To determine any relationship of diet with breast cancer risk.

Methods: The case-control study was conducted at Aga Khan University Hospital and the Karachi Institute of Radiation and Nuclear Medicine, Karachi, from February 2015 to July 2017, and comprised of cases with a confirmed diagnosis of breast cancer and healthy controls. Data was collected using the Alternate Healthy Eating Index 2010, which was modified according to the particular cultural patterns of diet in the Pakistani population.

Effect of frequency of parent to child maltreatment on symptoms of anxiety disorder in Pakistani adolescents: A community based cohort study.

Objective: To investigate the association between Parent to Child Maltreatment and the occurrence of anxiety disorder symptoms among Pakistani adolescents under 18 years.

Method: A prospective study was conducted to examine the effect of frequency of Parent to child maltreatment (PTC) on the occurrence of anxiety disorders in a community setting. A sample of 800 adolescents who reported none to rare, occasional, and frequent were followed for the occurrence of anxiety disorder symptoms over two years.

A dyadic approach to depression, resilience and quality of life on marital adjustment among infertile couples in Karachi, Pakistan: A cross-sectional study.

Background: Infertility is a major reproductive health problem in Pakistan. It has the potential to cause serious negative impact on a couple's marital life and psychological health.

Aim: This study aimed to assess the factors associated with maladjustment among infertile couples.

Burden and factors associated with perceived stress amidst COVID-19: a population web-based study in Pakistan.

Objective: This study aims to determine the burden and factors associated with perceived stress in the Pakistani population amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

Setting: A web-based cross-sectional survey was conducted from April to August 2020.

Population: This survey was broadcasted on the web using a Google form link and 1654 Pakistani residents had completed this survey.

Bonded amalgam as a fissure sealant in low-income setting: A randomised controlled trial.

Objectives: To compare one year retention rate of bonded amalgam sealants (BAS) with that of conventional resin-based sealant (RBS).

Methods: It was a parallel group, equivalence, randomised controlled trial done during March 2018 to December 2019 at the dental clinics of Dow University of Health Sciences, and the Jinnah Sind Medical University, Karachi, Pakistan on children aged 12-16 years, who were randomly assigned to one of the two treatment groups (BAS vs. RBS).

Determinants of vaccine coverage and timeliness in a northern Pakistani village.

The incidence of vaccine preventable disease in Pakistan remains high despite a long-standing Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI). We describe vaccine completeness, timeliness and determinants of coverage from a remote rural cohort (2012-2014). Vaccination histories were taken from EPI records.

The role of parent-to-child maltreatment in the pathway of self-reported depressive symptoms in Pakistani adolescents.

Background: Parent-to-child maltreatment has been demonstrated to drastically affect a child's mental well-being and plays a significant role in developing depressive symptoms. However, little is established about the effect of frequency of parent-to-child maltreatment on the development of depressive symptoms among Pakistani adolescents.

Methods: A longitudinal prospective study was conducted, from 2015 to 2017, with 800 adolescents aged 11-17 years old recruited from 32 systematically selected urban and peri-urban areas of Karachi.

Determinants of hepatitis B vaccination status in health care workers of two secondary care hospitals of Sindh, Pakistan: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Health care workers (HCWs) are at high risk of Hepatitis B virus (HBV) transmission. Hepatitis B vaccination is effective in protecting against HBV infection. Different factors influence HCW vaccination status such as lack of knowledge & awareness, cost, availability, and hesitancy.

Examining the relationships between early childhood experiences and adolescent and young adult health status in a resource-limited population: A cohort study.

Background: Adolescence is a critical point in the realization of human capital, as health and educational decisions with long-term impacts are made. We examined the role of early childhood experiences on health, cognitive abilities, and educational outcomes of adolescents followed up from a longitudinal cohort study in Pakistan, hypothesizing that early childhood experiences reflecting poverty would manifest in reduced health and development in adolescence.

Methods And Findings: Adolescents/young adults previously followed as children aged under 5 years were interviewed.

Concentrations of Lead, Mercury, Arsenic, Cadmium, Manganese, and Aluminum in the Blood of Pakistani Children with and without Autism Spectrum Disorder and Their Associated Factors.

Background: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder with early onset in utero or childhood. Environmental exposure to six metals (Pb, Hg, As, Cd, Mn, Al) is believed to be associated with ASD directly or interactively with genes. : To assess the association of ASD among Pakistani children with the six metals and genotype frequencies of three GST genes (, , ).

Longitudinal association between parental-to-child-Maltreatment and self-reported Generalized Anxiety Disorder symptoms in Pakistani Adolescents.

Background: Parent-to-child maltreatment is considered one of the risk factors for Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) symptoms, but this hypothesis has not been adequately tested in Pakistani settings.

Aim: This study aimed to examine the association between parent-to-child maltreatment and the risk of developing GAD symptoms among adolescents.

Methods: The association of none to rare, occasionally, and frequently parent-to-child maltreatment with the incidence of GAD symptoms was investigated in a sample of 800 adolescents aged 11-17 years who were followed for two years.

Impact of social isolation on mortality and morbidity in 20 high-income, middle-income and low-income countries in five continents.

Objective: To examine the association between social isolation and mortality and incident diseases in middle-aged adults in urban and rural communities from high-income, middle-income and low-income countries.

Design: Population-based prospective observational study.

Setting: Urban and rural communities in 20 high income, middle income and low income.

Relationship Between Foot Length and Gestational Age in Pakistan.

Preterm births have a high risk of mortality. Therefore, knowledge of the gestational age (GA) at birth is crucial to guide the appropriate management of a newborn. Common methods for estimating GA such as the last menstrual period, ultrasonography, and post-natal Ballard scoring have some limitations.

Impact of the societal response to COVID-19 on access to healthcare for non-COVID-19 health issues in slum communities of Bangladesh, Kenya, Nigeria and Pakistan: results of pre-COVID and COVID-19 lockdown stakeholder engagements.

Introduction: With COVID-19, there is urgency for policymakers to understand and respond to the health needs of slum communities. Lockdowns for pandemic control have health, social and economic consequences. We consider access to healthcare before and during COVID-19 with those working and living in slum communities.

Lifestyle changes and glycemic control in type 1 diabetes mellitus: a trial protocol with factorial design approach.

Background: Type 1 diabetes (T1D) has been increasing globally over the past three decades. Self-monitoring of blood glucose is a challenge in both developed as well as developing countries. Self-management guidelines include maintaining logbooks for blood glucose, physical activity, and dietary intake that affect glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and a multitude of life-threatening acute complications.

Validation of the Recent Life Changes Questionnaire (RLCQ) for stress measurement among adults residing in urban communities in Pakistan.

Background: Recent Life Changes Questionnaire (RLCQ) developed by Richard Rahe has enabled quantification of stress by analyzing life events. The overall aim of the study was to create a reliable version of the Rahe's RLCQ for measuring stress in individuals living in developing countries and assess its validity. This paper discusses criterion validation of the adapted RLCQ in urban communities in Pakistan.

Predicting the bracket bond failure rate in orthodontic patients: A retrospective cohort study.

The aim of this study was to determine the risk factors associated with orthodontic bracket bond failure and to develop a prediction equation for orthodontic bracket bond failure rate using the risk factors. This was a retrospective cohort study conducted on a sample of 690 brackets in orthodontic patients aged 10 to 28 years old (mean age 17.97±5.

Physical Maltreatment and Its Associated Factors Among Adolescents in Karachi, Pakistan.

In many developing countries, physical child maltreatment is considered as an acceptable disciplinary strategy. The aim of this study was to identify factors associated with physical maltreatment among adolescents in Karachi, Pakistan. A survey of 800 adolescents was done using a structured questionnaire adopted by The International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect.

Intergenerational transmission of child maltreatment: Predictors of child emotional maltreatment among 11 to 17 years old children residing in communities of Karachi, Pakistan.

Objective: Families where parents had childhood history of victimization may likely to abuse their children; hence contributing as an important predictor of child emotional maltreatment (CEM). This study aimed to determine the relationship of intergenerational abuse with CEM among 11-17 years old children residing in peri-urban and urban communities of Karachi, Pakistan.

Method: Structured interviews were conducted with 800 children and parents-pair using validated questionnaire "International Child Abuse Screening Tool for Child (ICAST-C)" comprised of 4 domains.