BackgroundVitamin D (Vit-D) plays a central role in calcium homeostasis and maintains skeletal integrity. Housewives in Quetta, Pakistan are at increased risk of vitamin D deficiency (VDD). They spend a greater part of their day in cleaning, washing, cooking, managing daily groceries, and other household chores. Thus, little time is left for self-care and outdoor activities. They wear hijab and have very little exposure to sunlight. In addition, their diet is deficient in Vit-D-rich food items, rendering them at high risk of VDD. Fear of getting tanned, melasma, and preference for a fair complexion further limit their sun exposure. This study evaluates the prevalence of VDD in housewives and determines its various risk factors to recommend screening guidelines for VDD. MethodsA cross-sectional study was performed between November 2020 and April 2021 and recruited housewives aged >18 from the outpatient department of a tertiary care hospital in Quetta. Informed consent was obtained from all participants. VDD was defined as a serum 25(OH)-D level <20 ng/mL (50 nmol/L). Sociodemographic variables and information about the dietary habits, perception, attitudes towards sunlight, and daily duration of sunlight exposure were collected. Mean and standard deviation (SD) were calculated for continuous variables and counts, and proportions were calculated for categorical variables like education, age. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to determine the risk factors and associations of VDD. Data were analyzed by SAS/STAT software (version 9.4).
Dementia is a syndrome of cognitive impairment that affects an individual’s ability to live independently. The number of people living with dementia worldwide in 2015 was estimated at 47.47 million. The American Academy of Neurology (AAN) criteria for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-associated dementia (HAD) require an acquired abnormality in at least two cognitive (non-motor) domains and either an abnormality in motor function or specified neuropsychiatric/psychosocial domains. HIV is the most common cause of dementia below 60 years of age. Citation frequencies are commonly used to assess the scholarly impact of any scientific publication in bibliometric analyses. It helps depict areas of higher interest in terms of research frequency and trends of citations in the published literature and identify under-explored domains of any field, providing useful insight and guidance for future research avenues. We used the database “Web of Science” (WOS) to search for the top 100 cited articles on HIV-associated dementia. The keywords “HIV dementia” and “HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders” (HAND) were used. The list was generated by two authors after excluding articles not pertaining to HIV dementia. The articles were then assigned to authors to extract data to make tables and graphical representations. Finally, the manuscript was organized and written describing the findings of the bibliometric study. These 100 most cited articles on HIV dementia were published between years 1986 and 2016. The highest number of the articles was from 1999 (n=9). The year 1993-2007 contributed consistently two publications to the list. The articles are from 42 journals, and among them, the Annals of Neurology (n=16) and the Journal of Neurology (n=15) published most of the articles. Justin C. McArthur with 25 publications contributed the highest number of papers to the list by any author. The USA collaborated in the highest number of publications (n=87). American institutes were leading the list with the most publications. The Johns Hopkins University collaborated on 37 papers. The most widely studied aspect of HIV dementia was pathogenesis. Incidence and prevalence, clinical features, and pre- and post-highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) era were also discussed in the articles. Beyond America, the research should be expanded to low-income countries and those affected more by HIV. Therefore, other countries and their institutes should participate more in HIV-associated dementia research. Anticipating the rising resistance to existing antiretrovirals, we should develop new therapeutic options. There is room for research in many aspects of HIV dementia care.
BACKGROUND Endometriosis is defined as the presence of ectopic endometrial tissue outside the uterine cavity and is characterized by recurrent episodes of pelvic pain and dysmenorrhea. The high prevalence of the disease along with its recurrent persistent nature poses a significant burden on the healthcare system of a country. Considering the enormity of the healthcare burden and the impact it has on the quality of life of the patients, here was a need to develop a marker which may help in the definitive diagnosis of this dreadful disease. The aim of this study is to corroborate the histopathological diagnosis of endometriosis with the immunohistochemical staining for CD10 and to find out the diagnostic efficacy of CD10 for endometriosis among clinically diagnosed patients of endometriosis. METHODS Patients admitted with suspected endometriosis and planned for operation in the Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, at North Bengal Medical College and Hospital in that year who gave informed consent for the study were included in the study provided they satisfied the inclusion and exclusion criteria. A representative histological block from each of the biopsy specimen harvested during the surgery of patients of endometriosis was chosen for immunohistochemistry for CD10. Correlation of CD-10 antigen expression was done with the post-operative histopathological findings. RESULTS Immunohistochemistry with CD10 increased the diagnostic yield of endometriosis cases. Cases diagnosed as endometriosis by routine histopathology were found to be positive for CD10. In others, CD10 positivity was also seen in those characterised by haemorrhagic cysts and endometriotic stroma. CONCLUSIONS CD10 immunostaining can be used to give a definitive diagnosis in cases where previously the pathologist would report as being "consistent with endometriosis" even in the absence of endometrial epithelium. We strongly recommend the use of CD10 IHC to confirm or exclude the diagnosis in cases of presumptive endometriosis and in those mistaken for this entity.
To determine the pattern of microbes responsible for urinary tract infections and their susceptibility to different antibiotics. MethodThis is a cross-sectional study conducted at Quetta, Pakistan. The urine samples of 400 patients were collected and sent for culture and sensitivity analysis. The results were recorded on an excel datasheet. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the data. ResultsOut of 400 urine samples, 266 samples were culture positive for microorganisms. The most common organism on analysis was Escherichia coli 123/266 (46.24%) followed by Staphylococcus saprophyticus 59/266 (22.18%) and Klebsiella pneumonia 49/266 (18.42%). Gram-negative microorganisms were most susceptible to fosfomycin, cefoperazone/sulbactam, and meropenem. Gram-positive microorganisms were most susceptible to fosfomycin, cefoperazone/sulbactam, meropenem, and amoxicillin/clavulanate. High rates of resistance in E. coli were observed to most commonly prescribed broad-spectrum antibiotics; ceftriaxone (64.35%), cefotaxime (76.54%), ceftazidime (49.43%), cefepime (53.44%), levofloxacin (71.26%), and amoxicillin/clavulanate (70.31%). E. coli was the major multidrug-resistant organism. ConclusionHigh rates of antibiotic resistance and multi-drug resistance were revealed in this study due to the widespread and injudicious use of broad-spectrum antibiotics. Thus, it is highly recommended to regulate the pharmacies. Physicians should judiciously prescribe antibiotics and practice the culture and sensitivity of urine samples rather than blind prescription. Continued surveillance on uropathogens prevalence and resistance, new and next-generation antibiotics, and rapid diagnostic tests to differentiate viral from bacterial infections is the need of time.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.