BioScientific Review

Frequency of Vernal Kerato-conjunctivitis (VKC) and its Complications in Patients Presenting at District Headquarter Hospital, Sheikhupura

Usman Ayub Awan — 2022-09-12

Vernal Kerato-conjunctivitis (VKC) is an allergic illness that affects the eyes and causes the inflammation of conjunctiva, which is commonly bilateral. If left untreated, it may lead to serious consequences such as redness, stinging, and watering of the eyes, resulting from papillae, Horner-Trantas spots, and punctate epithelial lesions. The current study aimed to determine the prevalence of VKC in the Out-Patient Department (OPD) of Ophthalmology at the District Headquarter Hospital, Sheikhupura. VKC was diagnosed in 40 individuals between May and June of 2021. The majority of them were young men who were less than 20 years old. Indeed, it was found that VKC is more prevalent in children and men. Around 57.5% of children in our study were boys, whereas 42.5% were girls. Almost every single one of them was less than twenty years of age. Among the various age groups, it was found that the age group (6-10 years, n=18) had the highest prevalence of VKC cases, followed by the age group (n=11) (1-5 years). To prevent patients from developing illness consequences that negatively impact their quality of life, VKC must be handled promptly and with diligent follow-up. To conclude, the current study found that VKC in Pakistan follows a pattern similar to other tropical nations, with male predominance and higher prevalence during infancy and puberty.

Association of Age and Gender with the BMI of Obese Subjects in Pakistan

Faheem Mustafa — 2022-09-13

Obesity is a rapidly increasing public health concern which is globally associated with chronic diseases, such as type II diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. The aim of the current study was to find the association among age, gender, and Body Mass Index (BMI) of obese individuals residing in Lahore, Pakistan. This cross-sectional study was carried out in January 2021. Data was collected through an electronic questionnaire. A total of 868 individuals (84.3% female and 15.7% male) of ages between 18 to 60 years participated in the current study. Convenient sampling method was used. Anthropometrics including weight, height, and age were taken in kilograms (kg), centimeters (cm) and years, respectively. The standard equation to calculate BMI was used (weight in kg/height in m²). WHO BMI cut-points for Asians were used to assess the BMI status of the selected individuals. Statistical analysis was carried out through Microsoft Excel and SPSS. It was found that the prevalence of obesity was 17.2% (12% type I obesity, while 2.6% type II and type III obesity), while 15.1% participants were found to be overweight, 22.7% were underweight, and 44.9% were determined to be normal. It was also determined that the prevalence of underweight, overweight, type I, type II, and type III obesity is more common among women (20.6%, 12.3%, 9.2%, 2.3%, and 2%, respectively) than men (2.1%, 2.8%, 2.8%, 0.3%, and 0.7%, respectively) (p-value <0.05). The highest prevalence of underweight, overweight, type I, type II, and type III obesity was observed in age group 19-21 years (11.1%, 7.3%, 7.4%, 1.5%, and 2.1%, respectively) (p-value <0.05). These results would help to develop public health programs and preventive measures to reduce the prevalence of the above risk factors for obesity and other non-communicable diseases.

Convergence of Dermoscopic and Histopathological Findings in Diagnosing Cutaneous Lichen Planus (CLP)

Sumera Hanif — 2022-09-13

Lichen planus (LP) is an immune mediated disorder that is usually diagnosed clinically. Dermoscopy is a non-invasive diagnostic technique. It can act as an alternative technique to skin biopsy that remains the gold standard for the diagnosis of the disease. The current study aimed to evaluate the degree of convergence between dermoscopy and histopathology in diagnosing LP. It is a cross-sectional study conducted at Jinnah Hospital, Lahore for six (6) months. Sixty (60) patients who met the inclusion criteria were recorded. After taking their informed consent and detailed history, clinical examination and relevant investigations were carried out and recorded in a pre-structured proforma. All patients were subjected to dermoscopic examination. A total of 4 mm punch biopsy were taken from the same site for histopathological examination and sent to JHL Histopathology lab. The results of dermoscopic and histopathological examinations were recorded. Effect of modifiers such as age, gender, and duration of disease were addressed through the stratification of data.Data was analyzed using SPSS 23. The mean age of subjects was 35 years. Of the total 60 patients, 56.6% were female and 43.3% were male. Among the subjects, 94.7% cases diagnosed on histopathology were also diagnosed on dermoscopy, while 5.3% cases were not diagnosed on dermoscopy. Kappa statistics showed a substantial convergence between the two diagnostic modalities: (X2=29.697, p=.000) and (k= .700, p =.000). It was determined that dermoscopy is as effective as hitopathology in the diagnosis of CLP.

Insecticidal Activity of Berberis Royleana: Various Extracts against Callosobruchus Maculatus

Muhammad Salman — 2022-09-13

The residents of remote areas in developing countries mostly rely on traditional plants to cure
different ailments. Berberis royleana is a rare species among the genus Berberis which
commonly comprises 500 species distributed in Nepal, Afghanistan, Siberia, and other parts of
the world. Berberis are used to make herbal medication to fight against infections, ocular
trachoma, AIDS, and diarrhea. The current study was carried out to explore the in vitro
insecticidal activity of B. royleana in various extracts by direct contact application process
against the insect Callosobruchus maculatus. The maximum mortality rate of 60% was recorded
by water fraction, whereas methanolic fraction had 50% mortality, n-Hexane had 40% mortality,
while ethyl acetate and chloroform both had 30% mortality at 72 hours. Thus, this study
indicated that from the medicinal point of view this specie is very significant, with a great
potential for insecticidal activities against C. maculatus. It is further suggested that B. royleana
could be used as a good insecticidal agent against dengue and malarial vectors. In addition, the
side effects like toxicity could be addressed to avoid any mishaps.

Gelatin Extracted from Rahu (Labeo rohita) and Silver Carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) Scales and their Beads Efficacy as a Carrier of Inoculum and Secondary Metabolites

Roheela Yasmeen — 2022-09-13

The amount of biological waste is increasing day by day due to over population. At the same time, the researchers are striving to use biological waste in an effective way and to convert this waste into useful products. In this study, the scales of rohu (Labeorohita) and silver carp (Hypophthalmichthysmolitrix) were used for the extraction of gelatin. Chemical extraction method was applied in the presence and absence of microbes respectively to obtain gelatin from varying amount of scales. Microbial isolates namely SCC5 from silver carp and SEY from Labeorohita were used for microbial extraction. Beads were prepared from the extracted gelatin using three different types of oils and later used as carriers of inoculum. The results showed that both isolates were positive for gelatin liquefaction and did not result in solidification, evenwhen kept in the refrigerator at low temperature. The amount of the extracted gelatin from fish scales was less than 50%. A pronounced increase was recorded when more than 30 grams of fish scales were used for extraction. It was noticed that beads prepared with natural gelatin remained stable after washing and were not degraded as compared to commercial gelatin. FTIR analysis of the extracted gelatin showed the presence of peaks at 700, 1600, and 3400 nm. The recorded peaks were in line with the peak trend of commercial gelatin. Beads were coated with an antibiotic by soaking in the antibiotic dilution. Keeping in view the zones of the formation of beads supplemented with antibiotics, it was observed that zone diameter increased as the amount of antibiotic increased. It indicates that the beads have the capacity to carry the antibiotics. Moreover, t For this purpose, the beads of extracted gelatin were injected with a different inoculum of bacterial isolatesgelatin beads allow them to be used as carriers of fertilizers in agriculture, which is a recent advancement in the field of agriculture.

Evaluation of Methyl Eugenol Doses against Bactrocera zonata S. (Diptera: Tephritidae) in Ber fruit Orchard in Bahawalpur, Pakistan

Allah Bakhs — 2022-09-13

Among the fruit flies, Bactrocera zonata S. (Diptera: Tephritidae) is native to South and Southeast Asia. It is commonly found in India and Pakistan but it is also found in more than 20 countries in Asian and African regions. In this study, fruit fly male annihilation traps containing different doses of methyl eugenol (ME) attractant, ranging from 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.75, 1.0 ml dose, and a control treatment (water only) were analyzed. Additionally, a uniform application of one milligram of toxicant Trichlorfon applied in all traps was installed in a Ber orchard in Bahawalpur, Pakistan. The prime purpose of this study was to evaluate the relative efficacy of ME doses against B. zonata in this region. Apart from this, knowledge of seasonal population change could help in controlling these pest insects. Therefore, experiment data for the population was recorded on fortnightly basis from Feb 7, 2018-April 04, 2018 and onward on a weekly basis till May16, 2021 after which the population started to decline. No fruit fly adults were attracted to traps containing water only during all observed dates. Maximum population of B. zonata on Feb 7, 2018, was 3 at ME concentrations of 0.2 ml, 0.75 ml, and 1.0 ml, on Feb 21, 2018, its population was 0.667 at 0.2 ml concentration, on March 07, 2018 the population was 14.667 at 1.0 ml concentration, on March 21, 2018, the population was 3.667 at 0.5 ml concentration, on April 04, 2018, the population was 60.333, on April 11, 2018, the population was 69.000 at 1.0 ml concentration, on April 18, 2018, the population was 94.667 at 0.5ml concentration, on April 26, 2018, the population was 400.670, on May 02,2018, the population was 247.333, on May 9, 2018, the population was 181.667, and on May16, 2018, population was 20.667 at 1.0 ml concentration of methyl eugenol. Thus, more concentrations of ME usually attracted more flies. B. zonata population remained low in February and March. In April the population started to build up and reached its peak at the end of April. In May, the population started to decrease and it declined after mid-May. Correlation with weather factors showed that temperature had a positive while relative humidity showed a negative effect on B. zonata population. This above collected data gave useful information about the population dynamics of fruit flies in the Asian region and an effective attractant dose for the better management of these fruit flies.

Narrative Review of Factors Affecting Lower Back Pain among Workers in Pakistan

Ayesha Arooj — 2022-09-13

According to the world health organization (WHO), lower back pain (LBP) is the most common health
hazard among workers and is among the top ten health hazards around the globe. The Global Burden of
Disease (GBD) 2010 stated LBP as amongst the top 6 diseases which cause disability injuries and other
chronic diseases. This is the impairment that poses the most economic burden on society as a whole,
including individuals, businesses, and the government. This study aims to find out the factors that affect
lower back pain among workers associated with different professions in Pakistan. Data were collected
from different databases, such as PubMed, Google scholar, and PEDro by using a predefined search
strategy with proper Boolean terms ‘AND’ or ‘OR’ or ‘NOT’. The data were collected from the
literature available for past 10 years. Additionally, articles with relevant material and titles were
reviewed for conducting the current research review. The most common risk factors that were seen
almost among all professions were static position and prolonged working hours, any work that demands
prolonged standing or sitting, bending or twisting, and improper lifting. Several professional workers are
at high risk for developing LBP but among all the professions physiotherapists, sonographers, bankers,
and shopkeepers were at higher verge for developing LBP. It was found that the prevalence of LBP is
increasing day by day and significantly affecting workers in every profession. Therefore, timely
trainings with proper ergonomic techniques could decrease LBP and increase economic productivity in
Pakistan. It can be said that good ergonomics for good economics.