Purpose -The aim of this research is to examine the selection criteria of customers for Islamic home financing in the context of Pakistan and to examine these factors with respect to gender, age, income, and occupation. Design/methodology/approach -This study uses a quantitative approach to investigate the choice criteria for Islamic home financing. All 18 independent variables are taken from previous research; for their analysis, descriptive statistics, independent sample t-tests and ANOVA was used. Data were gathered from the customers of Islamic banking who use the services of Islamic home financing. The sample consists of 200 respondents. For the collection of data, a survey questionnaire with closed-ended questions and a five-point Likert scale was employed. The questionnaire was designed into two sections, one consisting of demographic information and the second relating to the selection criteria of Islamic home financing. Findings -The results indicate that the shariah principle, fast and efficient services, price, bank reputation, and terms and conditions of product flexibility are the five most important factors considered by customers in choosing Islamic mortgages.Research limitations/implications -The limitations relate to the sample area for the study, which is confined to Lahore, and due to the limited sample size, the findings cannot be generalized. Second, only four banks are considered. Practical implications -This study is beneficial for practitioners in Pakistan by offering insight into choice criteria for Islamic home financing. The results should also be useful for Islamic bank managers who are also policy makers, as they can study and plan for attractive schemes and policies for customers through which they can fulfill their needs and expectations. For the researcher, this study will also add to the existing body of knowledge by providing novel evidence on the selection criteria used for Islamic home financing. Originality/value -This topic has never been examined in the context of Pakistan, so this study initiates the choice criteria for Islamic home financing among Pakistani banks' customers. The paper provides potentially useful information for both customers (in selecting Islamic banks) and bank managers to identify the factors needed to attract customers.

The flare‐up in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) that emerged in December 2019 in Wuhan, China, and spread expeditiously worldwide has become a health challenge globally. The rapid transmission, absence of anti‐SARS‐CoV‐2 drugs, and inexistence of vaccine are further exacerbating the situation. Several drugs, including chloroquine, remdesivir, and favipiravir, are presently undergoing clinical investigation to further scrutinize their effectiveness and validity in the management of COVID‐19. Natural products (NPs) in general, and plants constituents specifically, are unique sources for various effective and novel drugs. Immunostimulants, including vitamins, iron, zinc, chrysin, caffeic acid, and gallic acid, act as potent weapons against COVID‐19 by reinvigorating the defensive mechanisms of the immune system. Immunity boosters prevent COVID‐19 by stimulating the proliferation of T‐cells, B‐cells, and neutrophils, neutralizing the free radicals, inhibiting the immunosuppressive agents, and promoting cytokine production. Presently, antiviral therapy includes several lead compounds, such as baicalin, glycyrrhizin, theaflavin, and herbacetin, all of which seem to act against SARS‐CoV‐2 via particular targets, such as blocking virus entry, attachment to host cell receptor, inhibiting viral replication, and assembly and release.

ObjectiveTo study frequency and associated factors for care giving among elderly patients visiting a teaching hospital in Karachi, Pakistan.MethodologyA cross sectional questionnaire-based study was conducted at the Community Health Centre (CHC), Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH) Karachi, Pakistan from September to November 2009. All individuals, visiting the CHC and aged 65 years or above were interviewed after taking written informed consent.ResultsA total of 400 elderly completed the interview. Majority were females, 65–69 years age, More than half of the individuals ie: 227 (85%) had received Care Giver experience for assistance and among these 195(72%) had care provided by an immediate family member. A large proportion of them stated that their Care Givers managed to provide less than four hours in a day for care giving. Around 37% showed substantial improvement in their relationship with the care givers. About 70% of the respondents stated that the care provided by the Care Giver improved their quality of life.ConclusionElderly care is provided by majority of the family members resulting in increased satisfaction level, however small number still not satisfied due to unfulfilled need of these older people. This demands that efforts should be made to strengthen the family support by increasing awareness regarding elderly care and arranging support system by the government.

Obesity-associated diabetes mellitus, a chronic metabolic affliction accounting for 90% of all diabetic patients, has been affecting humanity extremely badly and escalating the risk of developing other serious disorders. It is observed that 0.4 billion people globally have diabetes, whose major cause is obesity. Currently, innumerable synthetic drugs like alogliptin and rosiglitazone are being used to get through diabetes, but they have certain complications, restrictions with severe side effects, and toxicity issues. Recently, the frequency of plant-derived phytochemicals as advantageous substitutes against diabesity is increasing progressively due to their unparalleled benefit of producing less side effects and toxicity. Of these phytochemicals, dietary polyphenols have been accepted as potent agents against the dual sword “diabesity”. These polyphenols target certain genes and molecular pathways through dual mechanisms such as adiponectin upregulation, cannabinoid receptor antagonism, free fatty acid oxidation, ghrelin antagonism, glucocorticoid inhibition, sodium-glucose cotransporter inhibition, oxidative stress and inflammation inhibition etc. which sequentially help to combat both diabetes and obesity. In this review, we have summarized the most beneficial natural polyphenols along with their complex molecular pathways during diabesity

Plastic bronchitis is a rare condition characterized by the formation of bronchial casts that form in airways with the potential to cause obstruction. It is most commonly seen in pediatric patients with cyanotic heart disease; it is rare in the adult patient. The pathophysiology is unclear, but recently it has been suggested there is an association with abnormal pulmonary lymphatic flow seen on advanced imaging. We present a patient with plastic bronchitis with a possible family history and an illdefined thrombocytosis and leukocytosis. CASE PRESENTATION: A 41 y/o woman presented to the ED complaining of waking up gasping for air. She reported that she coughed up bloody phlegm the size of her hand and shaped like a "Christmas tree". For the previous two weeks she had a cough with pleuritic chest pain. Her past medical history included HTN and chronic leukocytosis and thrombocytosis, which despite evaluation by a hematologist with flow cytometry and bone marrow biopsy, remains undefined. She is not a smoker. She reported an aunt who had similar issues coughing up large-volume phlegm shaped similarly.No relevant relationships by Supraja Thunuguntla, source¼Web Response

Aging, a fundamental physiological process influenced by innumerable biological and genetic pathways, is an important driving factor for several aging‐associated disorders like diabetes mellitus, osteoporosis, cancer, and neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. In the modern era, the several mechanisms associated with aging have been deeply studied. Treatment and therapeutics for age‐related diseases have also made considerable advances; however, for the effective and long‐lasting treatment, nutritional therapy particularly including dietary polyphenols from the natural origin are endorsed. These dietary polyphenols (e.g., apigenin, baicalin, curcumin, epigallocatechin gallate, kaempferol, quercetin, resveratrol, and theaflavin), and many other phytochemicals target certain molecular, genetic mechanisms. The most common pathways of age‐associated diseases are mitogen‐activated protein kinase, reactive oxygen species production, nuclear factor kappa light chain enhancer of activated B cells signaling pathways, metal chelation, c‐Jun N‐terminal kinase, and inflammation. Polyphenols slow down the course of aging and help in combatting age‐linked disorders. This exemplified in the form of clinical trials on specific dietary polyphenols in various aging‐associated diseases. With this context in mind, this review reveals the new insights to slow down the aging process, and consequently reduce some classic diseases associated with age such as aforementioned, and targeting age‐associated diseases by the activities of dietary polyphenols of natural origin.

Polydatin or 3-O-β-d-resveratrol-glucopyranoside (PD), a stilbenoid component of Polygonum cuspicadum (Polygonaceae), has a variety of biological roles. In traditional Chinese medicine, P. cuspicadum extracts are used for the treatment of infections, inflammation, and cardiovascular disorders. Polydatin possesses a broad range of biological activities including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and hepatoprotective, neuroprotective, and immunostimulatory effects. Currently, a major proportion of the population is victimized with cervical lung cancer, ovarian cancer and breast cancer. PD has been recognized as a potent anticancer agent. PD could effectively inhibit the migration and proliferation of ovarian cancer cells, as well as the expression of the PI3K protein. The malignancy of lung cancer cells was reduced after PD treatments via targeting caspase 3, arresting cancer cells at the S phase and inhibiting NLRP3 inflammasome by downregulation of the NF-κB pathway. This ceases cell cycle, inhibits VEGF, and counteracts ROS in breast cancer. It also prevents cervical cancer by regulating epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), apoptosis, and the C-Myc gene. The objective of this review is thus to unveil the polydatin anticancer potential for the treatment of various tumors, as well as to examine the mechanisms of action of this compound.

Pneumonia is a respiratory disease that can be life-threatening when worsened or not treated properly. There are various standard guidelines, including WHO guidelines for the management of Pneumonia, for both children and adults as well as for the geriatric patients, based upon individualized therapy to each patient. These guidelines ensure the rational use of medications so as to target and achieve definite patient outcomes. Further reading will take towards such standard guidelines specifically for the management of paediatric Pneumonia and will assess the extent to which the stated guidelines are followed in different areas of Pakistan. Moreover, this review article will also emphasize the gaps that lead to irrational use of the medications in Pakistan and will highlight the strategies and plans that can be adopted at community and national levels to implement rational drug use for direct patient care and definite patient outcomes.