The transition of C. albicans from unicellular yeast form to filamentous form i.e., pseudohyphae and hyphae is referred to as morphogenesis. C. albicans has the ability to respond to environmental conditions and accordingly changing its cell morphology. Three main morphological forms of C. albicans are unicellular yeast, pseudohyphae and hyphae. The effect of different growth media (Horse serum medium, RPMI-1640, MSGB), incubation temperatures (34˚C, 37˚C, 40˚C) and pH values (5.4, 6.4, 7.4) on germ tube production by C. albicans was evaluated. Horse serum medium noticeably promotes filamentation while RPMI-1640 medium shows moderate filamentation and MSGB media shows moderately low filamentation. The germ tube of C. albicans developed early in 1.5 hr at high temperature i.e., 40˚C. Incubation temperature of 37˚C was associated with highest germ tube formation while 34˚C shows low filamentation. A pH of 5.4 also induces low filamentation, pH 6.4 gives moderately lower than pH 7.4. A pH of 7.4 was best suited for germ tube induction. The peak of mycelium production appears between 1.5 and 6 hr after inoculation of C. albicans culture. These results suggested that environmental factors are important in selectively favoring yeast or hyphal form, most important being the growth medium, incubation temperature and external pH value.

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Background: Hand hygiene is one of the primary measures to reduce healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs). There is a need to explore the concept of hand hygiene among the medical graduates. Objective: To assess the knowledge and perception of hand hygiene among house officers in a tertiary health care centre.

Background: Reduced fetal movements (RFM) define as the decrease in the normal movement of a developing fetus in the womb. It is important to monitor fetal movements during pregnancy because these can be an indication of the baby's health and wellbeing. The management of RFM in the third trimester includes fetal monitoring Study design: It is a prospective observational study conducted for the duration of one year from June 2021 to May 2022. Material and Methods: The study was conducted on 150 patients who visited Obs/ Gynae department of LUMHS Hyderabad, Jamshoro and MBBS Medical College Mirpur Azad Kashmir during the course of 1 year. Average age of patients was 32 years with 30 of them reported to have primary education while the remaining had secondary or higher level of studies. The BMI of 40 patients was more than 30 kg/m2 while 35 had BMI between 25-30 kg/m2. Results: The neonatal outcomes in patients were evaluated after reduced fetal growth. There were 60 patients with one episode of RFM and 72 were with multiple RFM episodes. Mortality rate, abnormal CTG (Cardiotocography), neonatal unit (NNU) admission, severe morbidity, low Apgar score and Birth weight <10th centile were some of the outcomes studied Conclusion: RFM leads to high risk of still birth, Caesarean and severe morbidity for the new born. Although on episode of RFM can’t be considered as a necessary evidence of compromised birth but multiple episodes indicates towards several risks related to pregnancy. Keywords: Reduced fetal movements, neonatal outcomes and third trimester.