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Objective: The aim was to gain insight on patient factors and administrative shortcomings in the dental health department that prevent patients from seeking timely dental care. Study Design: Cross Sectional Survey. Setting: Punjab Dental Hospital, Lahore, Pakistan. Period: 7 January 2020 to 28 February 2020. Material & Methods: A structured close ended questionnaire was filled by information obtained from 400 patients that presented in the Exodontia OPD requiring extractions due to irreversible tooth damage. The data was collected from 244 (61%) females and 156 (39%) males. It was analyzed using SPSS version 20.0 and post stratification chi-square test was applied to see the significance of all comparative statistics. P value of <0.05 was taken as significant. Results: Out of 400 patients, 350 had not visited a dentist when the symptoms first appeared. Of these n=213 (60.86%) were females and n=137 (39.14%) were males. Majority of the patients were in the age range of 40-65 years and belonged to the low socioeconomic class n=213 (60.9%). The main causes of patients presenting now were pain and swelling. The major reasons reported for delayed visit were: “Self-medication” n=113 (24.57%),” Symptoms will resolve on their own” n=79 (17.17%),” No awareness” n=64 (13.91%),” Non serious and lazy attitude” n=39 (8.48%) and “Busy schedule” n=36 (7.83%). Conclusion: Our findings suggested that only a small proportion of people visited the dentist when the symptoms first appeared. Most of the patients ignored their symptoms to such an extent that the only possible treatment that could be offered was extraction of the concerned tooth. There was a general misconception that dental diseases are not very serious and can be resolved by over the counter medications. Thus, more dental awareness programs should be incorporated in the government health policy to increase focus on oral health.

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Introduction: Neonatal sepsis is a clinical syndrome characterized by multiple symptoms and signs of infection during the first month of life. The objective of this study is to determine the frequency of commonly isolated bacteria from patients of neonatal sepsis and their susceptibility patterns in POF hospital at Wah. Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out in POF Hospital Neonatal intensive care unit and Microbiology laboratory from January 2018 to December 2019. The blood samples of patients suspected with neonatal sepsis were processed as per standard methodology. Results: Out of ninety blood samples, fifty-one (56.7%) yielded the growth of Gram-negative rods and thirty-nine (43.3%) yielded Gram-positive cocci. Among Gram-positive bacteria, coagulase-negative staphylococci were the most common pathogen isolated from 53.8% cases followed by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (15.3%). Among Gram-negative bacteria, Klebsiella pneumoniae (54.90%) was the most frequently identified bacteria followed by Serratia marcescens (27.45%). The Gram-positive cocci were the most susceptible to linezolid (100%) followed by vancomycin (87.2%). The Gram-negative rods depict remarkable resistance to ciprofloxacin (92.2%), gentamicin (100%), and meropenem (54.9%). Conclusions: The study concluded a predominance of Gram-negative bacteria as a causative agent of neonatal sepsis in our setup. The bacterial isolates are highly resistant to commonly prescribed oral as well as injectable antibiotics. Implementation of infection control policies is a dire need to combat the grave situation of increasing antibiotic resistance.

This research aimed to explore factors influencing purchase intention towards fashion jewellery in Pakistan. Due to the dearth of research in this domain, an inductive research approach based on qualitative research methodology was adopted. Data was collected through semi-structured in-depth interviews and netnography. In-depth interviews were conducted with 30 consumers of fashion jewellery in the twin cities of Pakistan (i.e. Islamabad and Rawalpindi). Netnography was based on an analysis of online reviews and blogs of fashion jewellery products. The findings of this research identified several products, brand, and customer/market factors that are believed to contribute positively towards purchase intentions towards fashion jewellery. Product-related factors include durability, level of differentiation, fashion innovativeness, fine finishing, and price promotions. Brand factors were based on brand reputation, available variety, perceived authenticity, and the online presence of brands. In terms of market dynamics, factors such as individualistic culture, increasing trend of purchase of fashion jewellery, and celebrity endorsements are playing their positive role towards positive purchase intentions of fashion jewellery products. The findings of this research have added to the missing literature regarding fashion jewellery in Pakistan. Further, it has provided insight into fashion jewellery brands regarding critical factors, which they can focus on to positively influence the purchase intention of potential buyers.