Post-traumatic stress disorder in patients with acute burn injury.

Objective: To determine the risk of PTSD in patients with acute burn incidents.

Method: This was an observational prospective cross-sectional study conducted in admitted patients in Burns Ward of Civil Hospital, Karachi during a period of 6 months from January 1 to June 30, 2011. Data was collected through questionnaire having socio demographic variables and the Impact of Event-Scale (IES-R) was used to determine the risk of PTSD.

Audit of custodial deaths in Karachi--an autopsy-based study.

Objective: To assess the causes and manner of custodial deaths in Karachi, and to determine the factor of negligence on the part of the custodians behind such deaths.

Methods: The cross-sectional study involved the deaths in custody undergoing autopsy at Civil Hospital, Karachi, from January 2005 to December 2010. Autopsy was followed by histological examination, X-ray or CT scan wherever required.

Oesophageal duplication cyst presenting as haemoptysis.

Duplications of the alimentary tract include a variety of cysts, diverticula, and tubular malformations, all believed to have embryological origin. The cysts are most commonly found in children, and the diagnosis is made in infancy in the majority of patients. We report a case of a two-and-a-half year old child, presenting with the history of repeated episodes of haematemesis.

Frequency of HBsAg positivity: a laboratory data analysis.

The objective of the study was to evaluate the current frequency ratio of HBsAg seropositivity in a laboratory-based setting. It was a retrospective study, conducted during September 2009 and November 2010 at Dr. Essa's Diagnostic Laboratory and its branches in Karachi, Pakistan.

Exhumation - Nuisance to the dead, justified?

Objective: Exhumation stands as a very significant feature of forensic investigations. The legal excavation of dead bodies for ascertainment of the cause of death has always aided the law enforcement agencies to comprehend the anonymity of any suspicious case and further convict the criminal in cases of homicides. This study analyses the different aspects of the exhumations which were carried out and were autopsied in Karachi during the study period.

Eating disorders in medical students of Karachi, Pakistan-a cross-sectional study.

Background: To assess the incidence of high-risk population of medical students with eating disorders in Karachi by using validated self-administered questionnaires. The earlier these disorders are diagnosed and assessed, the better the chances are for enhanced treatment and fuller recovery. Therefore, we intended to undertake a study to find out the frequency of such disorders among medical students of Karachi and design strategies to overcome them.

Audit of sharp weapon deaths in metropolis of Karachi--an autopsy based study.

Background: Sharp weapons are one of the most violent and abhorrent means of deaths. This study assesses the frequency of sharp weapon deaths in Karachi.

Methods: This was a cross sectional study, and involves the deaths by sharp weapons autopsied in Karachi during Mar 2008-Feb 2009.