Objective: To assess the short-term adverse effects of two inactivated coronavirus disease-2019 vaccines, and the demographic factors associated with such events. Method: The cross-sectional study was conducted in Karachi from August to October 2021 after approval from the ethics review board of Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, and comprised adults of either gender who had received at least one dose of either Sinopharm or CoronaVac vaccine. Data was collected using a predesigned online and printed survey forms. The questionnaire investigated the symptoms experienced by the participants after the administration of the vaccine dose. Data was analysed using SPSS 22. Results: Of the 1000 survey forms filled, 896 were analysed; 505(56.4percent) women and 391(43.6percent) men were included in the study. Most of the participants were aged 18-30 years 644(71.9percent). Overall, 581(64.8percent) subjects had received Sinopharm vaccine, and 315(35.2percent) received CoronaVac. The incidence of side effects after the first and second dose respectively was 63.3percent (368 out of 581) and 55.2percent (239 out of 433) for Sinopharm and 65.4percent (206 out of 315) and 61.4percent (89 out of 145) for CoronaVac. The factors associated with a higher risk of side effects were female gender and young age (p 0.05). Conclusion: Most of the reported symptoms were minor in nature, like pain at the injection site, and women and those of young age reported such symptoms more than men and the elderly. Key Words: COVID-19 vaccine, Side effects, Sinopharm, CoronaVac, SARS-CoV-2.
Introduction Animal derived surfactants are considered to be the standard treatment for neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (NRDS). However, their comparative effectiveness remains inconclusive given the multiple prior studies with inconsistent results. Therefore, we conducted a systematic review and meta analysis to compare the effectiveness of two animal extract surfactants (calfactant and beractant) for the management of NRDS. Methods We searched Pubmed, Scopus, and Google Scholar for studies comparing efficacy of calfactant and beractant for the treatment of NRDS. Mean differences (MD) and risk ratios (RR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated using Review Manager. Result We found no significant difference between calfactnat and beractant groups in the primary outcomes: neonatal mortality before the age of 28 days (RR = 1.19, 95% CI = 0.97–1.46, p = 0.09), mortality before the hospital release (RR = 1.12, 95% Cl = 0.94–1.33, p = 0.22), oxygen requirement at 28 days of age (RR = 0.97, 95% CI = 0.90–1.05, p = 0.52), and death or oxygen need at 36 weeks postmenstrual age (RR = 0.99, 95% CI = 0.91–1.08, p = 0.81). The duration of supplementary oxygen was significantly lower in calfactant users (MD = −4.95, 95% CI = −7.60–−2.30, p = 0.0002). Calfactant significantly lowered the duration of hospital stay, risk of pneumothorax and air leak syndrome whereas beractant users had lower risk of intraventricular hemorrhage (Grades 3 and 4). Conclusion There is no substantial difference in the efficacy of both surfactants in the prophylaxis and treatment of NRDS.
Background: Blood group and intelligence are both highly heritable traits unique to each individual. For the past several years, a possible correlation between these two traits has been suggested but existing studies report contrasting results in different geographical populations. Objective: To investigate a potential relationship between blood group and intelligence among consenting medical and dental students of Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi. Materials & Methods: This study is a cross-sectional study involving the MBBS and BDS students of Dow University of Health Sciences within age group of 18-21 years. The study was conducted in the department of Physiology, Dow Medical College (DUHS) from 15th February 2021 to 1st July 2021. After the Institutional Review Board’s approval, we determined the ABO and Rh blood group of the participants through test tube method (forward grouping) during the physiology practical sessions. Intelligence levels were assessed using the Stanford Binet IQ Test. SPSS 21 was used to analyze the data collected. Results: Out of 353 participants, 67 (18.98%) were male and 286 (81.01%) were female with a mean age of 20 years. We found highest IQ scores in blood group A negative (25.80±8.25) with no statistical significance (p=0.162). Moreover, there was no statistically significant difference between the intelligence of male and female participants (p=0.257). Conclusion: Blood group and intelligence of an individual are two heritable traits that are not linked with each other. There is no difference in the IQ of males and females. This finding has important implications in the educational field as it shows that male and female students of different blood groups have similar cognitive capabilities and consequently, similar educational needs.
Ceftriaxone is a well-known antibiotic belonging to the third generation of cephalosporins. This broad-spectrum drug is highly effective against gram negative and gram-positive bacterial infections and is frequently used to treat severe bacterial infections in pediatrics, including disseminated gonococcal infections, sepsis and meningitis. However, concerns have been raised regarding the drug’s safety as it is prone to various side effects like bilirubin encephalopathy, cholestasis, pseudolithiasis and rarely hepatitis and pancreatitis.1 A prospective study in 154 children published in Human and Experimental Toxicology in 2016 further validate this point.2 According to this study, out of 84, 20.9% children treated with ceftriaxone had abnormal biliary sonographic findings and 15.1% had biliary lithiasis whereas cefotaxime was found to be comparatively safer. Worrying facts related to Ceftriaxone should definitely be taken into consideration as ceftriaxone is a standard treatment for several bacterial infections in children and is being prescribed at a regular basis in many countries. In fact, a clinical study performed in a secondary care hospital of Karachi, Pakistan, declared it the most frequently prescribed antibiotic.3 Physicians should prescribe ceftriaxone with caution. Ceftriaxone should be avoided in neonates especially those with hyperbilirubinemia. Caution must be advised for the use of intravenous ceftriaxone with intravenous calcium containing solutions as their concomitant use can lead to life threatening adverse reactions.4 Patient should seek medical help if they experience diarrhea, jaundice, confusion, headache, heart palpitations etc. Similar drugs with a safer adverse effect profile should be considered as a future alternative. Continuous..
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