From Dissertation to Original Paper: A Journey Towards Quality and Standards in Research.

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Task Oriented Assessment of Clinical Skills (TOACS): A Modified Form of OSCE.

College of Physicians and Surgeons, Pakistan (CPSP) is a premier postgraduate medical institution of the country. It introduced Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) in the 1990s, and later came up with its modified form known as Task Oriented Assessment of Clinical Skills (TOACS). This modified assessment has been incorporated in clinical examinations of its majority fellowship programmes.

Balancing the Scale: Reconsidering the Overemphasis on Electronic Scaling in Dentistry.

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Optimum Working Hours for College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan Fellowship Residents of General Medicine and General Surgery Disciplines.

Objective: To determine the optimum working hours per week for CPSP trainees of Fellowship Programmes in the disciplines of General Surgery and General Medicine.

Study Design: Mixed-methods, explanatory study. Place and Duration of the Study: Department of General Medicine and Department of General Surgery, Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, Karachi, from February to August 2023.

Impact of Treviamet® & Treviamet XR® on quality of life besides glycemic control in type 2 DM patients.

Background: Maintaining the quality of life is the main objective of managing type 2 diabetes (T2DM) (QoL). Since it is a key factor in patient motivation and adherence, treatment-related QoL has always been considered when choosing glucose-lowering medicines. The objective of the study was to evaluate the quality of life besides glycemic control among type 2 diabetes mellitus patients receiving Treviamet® & Treviamet XR® (Sitagliptin with Metformin) in routine care.

Beyond the Citation Counts: An Insight into Altmetrics.

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Role of Metformin in the Management of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome-Associated Acne: A Systematic Review.

Metformin, a biguanide hypoglycemic agent that is safe and effective for treating acne in women with the polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), has shown growing evidence of improving insulin resistance, hyperandrogenism, dyslipidemia, overall cardiovascular health, quality of life, psychological wellbeing, and general health outcomes. This study aims to identify and summarize the effects of metformin in patients with PCOS-associated acne. This systematic review was based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines.

Comparison of Critical Thinking among undergraduate medical students of Conventional and Integrated curricula in Twin Cities.

Objectives: To compare critical thinking of undergraduate medical students of institutes following traditional and integrated curriculum at Twin cities.

Methods: The current cross-sectional study was conducted in medical colleges of Twin Cities from February 2021 till August 2021. Two medical colleges one with conventional and other with integrated mode of curriculum were included.

Association between glycemic control and the outcome in hospitalized patients with COVID-19.

Purpose: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) clinical outcome and disease severity affected by several factors; deterioration of glycemic control is one of them. Therefore, achieving optimum blood glucose parameters is hypothesized for better consequences of COVID-19. However, varying data supporting this hypothesis is available in literature.

From tradition to Simulation: An experience of team training on management of shoulder dystocia.

Objective: To determine if simulation-based team training improves the management of shoulder dystocia compared to traditionally taught obstetrical emergencies.

Methods: The prospective mixed-method study was conducted at the Centre for Innovation in Medical Education at the Aga Khan University, Karachi, from June to August 2018, and comprised doctors and nurses having up to five years of labour and delivery experience. The subjects were divided into two equal groups which were further subdivided into four equal teams.

Literature search strategies in dental education and research.

A well-organized literature search is a fundamental requirement for research-based dental education. The execution of a literature search is not beneficial unless researchers possess basic knowledge about it. In this article, all basic strategies and research tools essentially required for a literature search, including Boolean operators, correct use of keywords, database selection, and the evaluation of filtered data and limitations, are discussed.

Journal Prestige Index: Expanding the Horizons of Assessment of Research Impact.

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Heterogeneity in cardio-metabolic risk factors and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease among Asian groups in the United States.

Objective: The Asian American population in the U.S. comprises various, ethnically diverse subgroups.

A Diagnostic Dilemma of Dysphonia: A Case Report on Laryngeal Myasthenia Gravis.

An autoimmune neuromuscular junction disorder, myasthenia gravis, occurs when antibodies are produced against postsynaptic membrane acetylcholine receptors. Late-onset myasthenia gravis, a rare variant of the disease found in the elderly, has become a diagnostic challenge on account of its atypical presentation. We proffer a case of a 60-year-old man that presented with progressive dysphonia and weakening of cough, which was eventually followed by difficulty in swallowing and nasal regurgitation.

The Spectrum of Clinical Characteristics and Complications of Tetanus: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Study From a Developing Nation.

Introduction While tetanus has largely been eradicated with the advent of the tetanus vaccine, its prevalence in Pakistan remains alarmingly high due to insufficient uptake of the vaccination program. The clinical presentations that the disease elicits range from mere opisthotonos to more sinister complications, including respiratory failure and death, often posing an insurmountable challenge for hospitals. Methods A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted and analyzed the medical charts of 43 patients with a confirmed diagnosis of tetanus infection.

Early Complications of Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt in Pediatric Patients With Hydrocephalus.

Objective Ventriculoperitoneal shunt (VPS) is the most commonly used procedure for the treatment of hydrocephalus (HDC), especially in children. However, this is prone to many complications, and requires repeated surgeries, which as such increases the morbidity of the patients. It is estimated that majority of the complications occurs in the immediate post-operative period and the rate of complications decreases over the time, with no impunity to these, though.

Prognostic value of GRACE score for in-hospital and 6 months outcomes after non-ST elevation acute coronary syndrome.

Background: The aim of this study was to determine the predictive value of the Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events (GRACE) score for predicting in-hospital and 6 months mortality after non-ST elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS).

Results: In this observational study, 300 patients with NSTE-ACS of age more than 30 years were included; 16 patients died during the hospital stay (5.3%).

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https://bit.ly/3dFJPTS.

COVID-19-Induced Mesenteric Thrombosis.

Gastrointestinal symptoms, such as diarrhea (most common among gastrointestinal symptoms), nausea/vomiting, anorexia, abdominal pain, abnormal liver enzymes, and pancreatitis, are being increasingly recognized in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Moreover, COVID-19 has also been implicated in coagulopathy, especially in patients with severe disease. Here, we report a case of acute intestinal ischemia secondary to superior mesenteric thrombosis in a young female patient with mild COVID-19.

Vitamin D Levels and Bone Mineral Density in Premenopausal Women Compared to Postmenopausal Women: A Multi-Centre Study From Pakistan.

Introduction Despite the sunny climate, women in Pakistan are prone to vitamin D deficiency and subsequent low bone mineral density. The current study explores the extent of this deficiency in both pre- and postmenopausal women in our setting.  Methodology A cross-sectional study was conducted at the outpatient departments of Lady Reading Hospital and Hayatabad Medical Complex Peshawar, Pakistan during the time period between March 2018 and June 2019.

Arrhythmia in Acute Myocardial Infarction: A Six-Month Retrospective Analysis From the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases.

Introduction Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is a devastating medical emergency that requires immediate pharmacological and radiological intervention. With the advent of techniques such as percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), pacemakers, and percussion pacing, survival rates have improved significantly. However, there are certain factors and complications associated with AMI that still lead to a high mortality rate, such as old age, advanced heart disease, diabetes mellitus (DM), and arrhythmias.

The sclerosing Sertoli cell tumor of the testis is an extremely rare entity.

We present the case of a 31-year-old single male patient, who was admitted through emergency unit with painless hard nodule of his left testis of 6 months' duration. Ultrasound scan of the scrotum showed a fairly well-defined hypo echoic area in the left testicular parenchyma in its middle part, measuring approximately 10 × 9 mm in size. We performed left inguinal radical orchidectomy.

Wernicke's Encephalopathy Associated With Transient Gestational Hyperthyroidism and Hyperemesis Gravidarum.

Wernicke's encephalopathy (WE) is a potentially reversible yet severe neurological manifestation caused by thiamine (vitamin B1) deficiency. It is commonly associated with heavy alcohol consumption. Other rare causes include severe and prolonged vomiting, starvation, and prolonged intravenous feeding.

Salivary IgA as a Useful Biomarker for Dental Caries in Down's Syndrome Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to critically analyze and summarize studies reporting association of salivary immunoglobulin A (IgA) levels as a biomarker for dental caries in Down syndrome (DS) patients. Using the keywords salivary [All Fields] AND IgA [All Fields] AND ("down syndrome" [MeSH Terms] OR ("down"[All Fields] AND "syndrome" [All Fields]) OR "down syndrome" [All Fields]), an electronic search was conducted via PubMed and Scopus databases by two authors, H. H.