INVENTORY AND CHARACTERIZATION OF EROSIVE FORMS IN THE BARBANTIÑO RIVER (MIÑO BASIN, GALICIA, NW PENÍNSULA IBÉRICA)

The existence of forms sculpted by fluvial erosion is frequent in Bedrock Rivers. Since 1999, the Area of Physical Geography of the University of Vigo (Ourense Campus) has been conducting research on these rock cavities in various reaches of the middle Miño River. The exploratory study that is presented corresponds to the case of a section upstream of the Barbantiño river waterfall (Ourense, Galicia). Carried out within the framework of a research line with the objectives of inventorying, characterizing, interpreting and evaluating the erosive forms in the rocky channels of the Miño River and its tributaries, the employed methodology included phases of field work, creation of a database, and statistical analysis. From the records in the sampled sectors of the Barbantiño River, an inventory was made with 60 erosive forms, considering quantitative variables (measurements of length, width, depth) and qualitative variables (morphology of the bottom, state of the walls, and presence of deposits). The preliminary results of the exploratory analysis provide new information on the sculpted forms in bedrock, allowing comparison with previous studies. The erosive forms of the studied section are characterized by great variability in their depth (between 2 cm and 2.7 m), length (between 7 cm and 2.5 m) and width (between 4 cm and 2 m); the strong correlation between surface and bottom dimensions (Spearman's r> 0.85); and the coexistence of cavities in an incipient state, furrows and potholes. These results contribute to the advancement of knowledge of a natural legacy that is part of the geodiversity of the Miño River basin, with a complex of values associated with its condition of geomorphological heritage.

Prevalence of Clinical Malaria in District Khairpur Mir’s Sindh, Pakistan

Aim: To evaluate the frequency of malarial parasites in different seasons at district Khairpur Mir’s, Sindh, Pakistan. Study Design: A prospective study. Place and study duration: This study was conducted at Post Graduate Diagnostic and Research Laboratory (PGRDL), Institute of Microbiology Shah Abdul Latif University (SALU), Khairpur and Bismillah Medical Center (BMC), Khairpur, from 01-Jan-2021 to 30-June-2021. Methodology: Febrile patient of all ages and both sexes were included, pre-diagnosis of malarial parasites using the Immunochromatographic test (ICT) kits, the blood samples were taken by venepuncture procedure after collecting samples in Ethylene diamine tetra acetic acid (EDTA) tubes for ICT and blood slides for microscopy. All results were entered and analyzed in SPSS 24 version. Continuous variables were presented as mean and SD and qualitative variables were presented as frequency/percentages. Probability value ≤0.05 was considered as significant. Results: In this study overall 7332 febrile patients with means age 37.8±22.54, from which male 3476 (47%) and majority of 3856 (53%) were female patients. Whereas 1908 (26%) patients were suffered from the active state of malaria and majority of 5424 (74%) population suffered from non-malarial diseases having vague symptoms including the chills, fever, body aches, abdominal cramps. The positive cases of Plasmodium vivax 1534 (20.92%) Plasmodium falciparum 316 (4%) whereas mixed cases are 58 (1%). Conclusion: The malarial parasites were observed predominantly with type of P. Vivax followed by P. falciparum and mix cases. Therefore dire need to take preventive measures by controlling the spread of plasmodium species in month of March onward till June. Keywords: Malarial Parasites (MP), Febrile Patients, Immunochromatographic Test (ICT).

Post-COVID-19 Fatigue: Demographic Distribution and Relation to Chronic Illnesses

Objective: This retrospective study examined the relationship between post-COVID (PC) fatigue and the presence of chronic illnesses. Materials and Methods: Electronic health records of 122 Parkview PC Clinic patients were reviewed for demographics (age, gender, race), chronic illnesses (diabetes, hypothyroidism, hypertension, congestive heart failure, anemia, cancer, orthostatic hypotension), obesity (weight, BMI), complaint of fatigue, and activities affected by fatigue. Data was analyzed using Chi-square tests for categorical variables (or Fisher’s exact test for small cell sizes) and t-tests for continuous variables. Open thematic coding of activities most affected by PC fatigue was performed. Results: 95 out of 122 patients (77.9%) were found to have PC fatigue. Except for measures related to obesity, none of the chronic illnesses assessed were correlated with the presence of fatigue. The weight of PC fatigue patients was significantly higher than those without fatigue (p=0.04). Examination of BMI and obesity status also indicated significantly higher BMI (p=0.01) and levels of obesity (p= 0.004) in PC fatigue groups compared to the PC non-fatigue groups. No significant differences were observed between the groups in either PT test. Examination of patient described activities effected by PC fatigue found work (30.4%), daily stamina (28.6%) and ability to exercise (16.7%) most impacted by PC fatigue. Other activities affected by PC fatigue included housework (5.6%), hobbies (3.7%), shopping (1.9%) and driving (1.9%). Conclusion: 77.9% of our PC patients showed symptoms of fatigue. This is comparable with existing literature. None of the demographic variables and PT tests, or most of the chronic health conditions investigated, were correlated with the presence of fatigue in PC patients. In contrast, measures associated with obesity, including high BMI and weight, were significantly associated with increased PC fatigue presentation. Open thematic coding of qualitative variables indicated work, daily stamina, and exercise were most affected in PC patients.

Depression, Anxiety and Stress among Medical and Non Medical Female Students of Pakistan

Objective: To find out the level of depression, anxiety and stress on the basis of education among female medical and non medical students. Study Design: Cross sectional descriptive study. Study place and duration: Study was conducted at Nishtar medical college, Multan and Bahaudin Zakarya University Multan from October 2020 to October 2021. Methodology: The study was conducted on 100 medical students and 100 non medical students from two institutions of Multan. Depression and Anxiety stress scale (DASS) was used for evaluation of outcomes. SPSS version 23 was used for data analysis. T-test was applied to assess score differences of depression, anxiety and stress between medical and non medical students. Quantitative variables were presented as mean and standard deviation, whereas qualitative variables were presented as frequency and percentages. Probability value≤0.05 was considered as significant. Results: Mean age of participants was 24.2±1.80 years and 14.5% were living away from their families. Mean score for depression in medical students were: 13.96±7.289 and for depression in non medical students were: 16.02±6.374, for anxiety in medical students were: 17.15±6.936 for anxiety in non medical students were: 14.33±5.829, for stress in medical students were: 14.61±5.148 and for stress in non medical students were:14.73±6.078. Correlation of stress with depression was significant: r =.045, p<0.05, whereas correlation of stress with anxiety was non-significant r=.131, p˃0.05. Conclusion: Female medical students had low level of depression but high level of anxiety and stress as compared to non medical students. Presence of stress was correlated with presence of depression among medical and non medical students. Keywords: Depression, Anxiety, stress, Medical students, Non medical students, Pakistan

Comparison of Cryosurgery and Peripheral Glycerol Injection in Treatment of Trigeminal Neuralgia

Background: Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is a unique debilitating ailment due to its typical symptoms and wide array of surgical treatment modalities available for TN and it is important to select the most appropriate surgical procedure. Aim: To compare the efficacy of peripheral glycerol injection and cryosurgery in the remission of pain in the treatment of trigeminal neuralgia. Methodology: A randomized controlled trial (RCT) study was started after taking ethical approval, total of 80 patients of both gender were included in this study at Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Nishtar Institute of Dentistry Multan from July 2017-January 2018. Patients were divided in two equal groups randomly, group A was treated with peripheral glycerol injection and group B with cryosurgery. Patients were followed up for 3rd month to evaluate the efficacy. All results were entered and analyzed in SPSS 24 version. Outcome variables were presented as mean and SD and qualitative variables were presented as frequency/percentages. Probability value ≤0.05 was considered as significant. Results: The efficacy of cryosurgery was observed as (75%), while the efficacy of anhydrous glycerol was noted as (37.5%). This study results support the cryosurgery rather than peripheral glycerol injection in the treatment of trigeminal neuralgia as cryosurgery has higher efficacy and low recurrence rate in controlling pain than peripheral glycerol injection. Efficacy in both groups with age in 40-65 years (p=0.003) was significant. Efficacy in both groups with type of nerve in mental nerve (p=0.030) and inferior alveolar (p=0.039) were significant and infraorbital (p=0.197) and lingual nerve (p=0.386) were not significant. Conclusion: Our study results were supported to the cryosurgery rather than the injection of peripheral glycerol for treatment of trigeminal neuralgia. Keywords; Trigeminal Neuralgia, Peripheral Glycerol injection, Cryosurgery.

The impact of hedonic and utilitarian dimension in mobile service banking quality towards relationship quality

<p>Service quality is vital for retail banking institutions nowadays to have a competitive advantage against their competitors. One of the ways was developing a mobile banking application. By relying on the mobile banking application, the banking institutions would serve their existing customers better and attract new potential customers. The purpose of this research was to investigate the effect of mobile banking service quality empirically in terms of the utilitarian and hedonic dimensions on the relationship quality variables, namely commitment, trust, and satisfaction. The research focused on 220 respondents from university students in Indonesia who are at least 17 years old and using a mobile banking application on their smartphones. The method for collecting data is based on convenience sampling. The Structural Modelling Equation was also used to analyze the data result. The findings show that trust significantly and positively influences commitment/satisfaction. Furthermore, the dimensions of mobile 'banking. Service quality (Security/ Privacy, Practicality, Design/Aesthetics, and Enjoyment) has a low-moderate effect on relationship qualitative variables (Trust, Satisfaction, and Commitment). The dimensions of mobile banking service quality positively influence the relationship quality, except PPracticalitydoes not affect Commitment, Design/Aesthetics does not influence trust, and enjoyment does not influence commitment.</p>

Use of Biological Treatments in Elderly Patients with Skin Psoriasis in the Real World

Biological drugs have prompted a revolution in the treatment of patients with psoriasis because of their favourable efficacy/risk profile. The aims of our study are to determine whether there is any difference in the pattern of use of biological treatments for older (65+ years) and younger patients diagnosed with plaque psoriasis by the Dermatology Service of the Hospital Universitario de Asturias (HUCA), to understand the survival of these drugs, and to identify the factors that predict the discontinuation of treatments. We report a retrospective observational hospital-based study of 300 patients registered at HUCA’s Dermatology Service who were receiving one of the following biological treatments for psoriasis on 30 November 2020: adalimumab, ustekinumab, secukinumab, or ixekizumab. The age groups were compared using Student’s t-test for quantitative variables and the chi-squared test for qualitative variables. We used the Kaplan–Meier estimator to estimate the survival function and the log-rank test to measure differences. No statistically significant differences in the frequency of use were noted between the younger and older groups, for any of the drugs studied. Survival on a drug regime, globally and individually, was similar in the two age groups. Factors predicting lower overall survival were being female, obesity, and having undergone previous biological treatment. The first three factors were influential in the under-65-year-old group, while arthritis was a significant factor for the older group.

Work Related Physical Health Challenges Faced by Physical Therapists

Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. Objectives: To find the prevalence of work related musculoskeletal problems among the physical therapist. Study Design: Associational, correlational, causal-comparative. Methodology: The Physical therapists from clinical setups (private and public) in Lahore, Pakistan, were enrolled taking a sample size of 131. The sample size calculated was by keeping margin of error equal to 13% and level of significance equal to 5%. Statistical analysis: Data was analyzed by SPSS software, version 25 as qualitative variables were expressed as frequencies and percentages. Results: There was a significant relation of physical problems related to work of physical therapist as per daily routine of repetitive movements while giving a treatment to the patient. Conclusion: We concluded that experts of the field either switch to the academic side or more preventive nature of job to manage the economic needs along with their profession. Keywords: Work Related Musculoskeletal Disorders and Physical Health Problems.

Students Feedback Regarding the Effectiveness of Think Pair Share Strategy in the Anatomy Class

Lectures are a major part of a university student’s learning experience and are an effective means of transferring knowledge and concepts to large groups in less time and with minimal resources. Objectives: To find the effects of lectures alone and when lectures are combined with strategy of think-pair-share, on the 1st and 2nd year medical student’s participation, confidence, critical thinking and involvement in learning activities during the Anatomy class. Study Design: Descriptive Cross sectional study. Methodology: Present study enrolled 200 participants involving both genders. Online feedback Performa based on 5 questions was developed and collected data from students before and after the 10-week treatment program. Statistical analysis: Data was analyzed by SPSS software, version 19 as qualitative variables were expressed as percentages. Results: There was a significant benefit to majority of students by applying think-pair-share technique during their Anatomy lectures. Conclusion: We concluded that think pair share strategy in lectures kept the students more actively involved in the class discussion and they felt more confident in sharing their ideas with the peers. It also promoted critical thinking among the students and they received feedback more frequently from the teacher. Keywords: Lectures, Think Pair Share Strategy, Critical Thinking and Anatomy Class.

Postoperative Visual Outcome: Sling procedure with prolene sutures in children with simple congenital ptosis

Objective: To assess the visual outcome after sling procedure using prolene sutures in children with simple congenital ptosis. Methods: A descriptive case series study was performed in the Department of Ophthalmology of Jinnah Post Graduate Medical Centre, for a duration of six months in which 20 patients aged 3-10 years were selected with either unilateral or bilateral congenital ptosis. They were thoroughly examined and visual acuity and degree of ptosis were measured pre-operatively. Frontalis sling surgery was performed using prolene sutures on all patients after which their visual acuity and degree of ptosis were measured once again after three months post-operatively. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 20.0. For qualitative variables, frequency and percentages were calculated. Mean and Standard deviation was commutated for the quantitative variable. Results: The mean age of the patients was 8.15±1.75. 11 (55%) male and 9 (45%) female participants were included in the study. Visual acuity improved in all the patients with all the patients attaining a visual acuity of 6/6 (n=12, 60%), 6/9 (n=7, 35%), and 6/12 (n=1, 5%). The degree of ptosis post-operatively was not found in any patient either. Conclusion: Sling procedure helped in eliminating ptosis and improved visual acuity in patients with simple congenital ptosis. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.38.1.4359 How to cite this:Shamim N, Hayat N, Cheema A. Postoperative Visual Outcome: Sling procedure with prolene sutures in children with simple congenital ptosis. Pak J Med Sci. 2022;38(1):---------. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.38.1.4359 This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.