Assessment of the relationship between self-esteem and academic score of undergraduate medical students of Azad Kashmir, Pakistan

Objective: To assess the relationship between self-esteem and the academic score of undergraduate medical students of Azad Kashmir, Pakistan. Methods: This cross-sectional observational study was performed from June 2018 to June 2019. The study area was Poonch Medical College, Azad Kashmir. The data collection tool was well-verified and widely used Rosenberg self-esteem scale. The study questionnaire was electronically distributed to all Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery students on the Poonch Medical College. The total student was 500 and out of the 253 completed and submitted the questionnaire (response rate of 50.6%). Results: The mean academic score of all students was 66.61 ± 5.42 and the mean RSE score was 28.66 ± 3.98. A statistically significant correlation was not found between age, academic score, and RSE score. Female students had slightly higher academic performance scores and RSE scores compared to the male students, but this difference was not statistically significant. Conclusion: This study did not reveal any significant relationship between academic score and self-esteem of undergraduate medical students. However, both academic scores and self-esteem can be further improved. Future studies are invited to find out the other factors responsible for better academic performance. Keywords: RSE scale, academic performance, medical student, Pakistan Continuous...

Faunistic analysis of insects of Deva Vatala National Park and agroecosystem of Gujrat Pakistan

Insect biodiversity drives ecological functioning and provides ecosystem services in different landscapes. Protected areas with the least anthropogenic disturbances provide resources with the least disturbance in habitat favouring insect species belonging to different guilds to coexist and contribute to the ecosystem processes. Studies have highlighted the significance of anthropogenic landscapes including agricultural ecosystems for harboring rich native biodiversity. To understand the species composition and abundance agricultural landscape, we explored insect fauna in Deva Vatala National Park (DVNP), Bhimber (Azad Kashmir), and associated croplands of Gujrat, Punjab, Pakistan. We aimed to assess the abundance, richness and diversity of the insect orders, families and species found in the two habitats i.e. national park and croplands. Fortnightly surveys were conducted during 2017-2019. Sampling methodology consisted of handpicking, using sweep nets, light traps, pitfall traps and insect collection was identified by using taxonomic keys. A total of 239 insect species representing 10 orders and 69 families were collected and identified from both habitat types. For both diversity and abundance, we detected a significant difference in community composition at species, family and order levels. Several insect orders and families demonstrated significant differences (p< 0.05) in either abundance or richness or both between the two types of habitats. Several families of Coleoptera, which contains dung beetles, ground beetles, ladybird beetles showed greater richness in DVNP. However, we also detected that several insect orders showed greater richness in the croplands of Gujrat. But we observed the pattern of the greater abundance of insect orders in DVNP. Both types of habitat can have important consequences on insect fauna having great importance in the ecosystem services and functions. Protected areas nearby associated croplands have the potential to contribute immensely to biodiversity conservation and ecosystem service provision both at the local scale and the landscape scale.

Multilingualism in Migrant Contexts in Pakistan and the UK: Transcending Physical, Social and Symbolic Borders in Transnational Social Spaces

This paper is based on a four-year ethnographic study of multilingualism in transnational Mirpuri families in Azad Kashmir (Pakistan) and Lancashire (United Kingdom). Data were collected in a range of physical settings in Pakistan and the UK as well as social spaces online. Migrants’ literacy practices are often related to the standard language variety of the country to which the migrant is moving. However, this paper suggests that migration requires different kinds of literacies, not all of which relate to standard writing system use. The study sought to understand how these literacies are shaped in Pakistan before they are taken up in the UK, by seeing them as part of migrants’ everyday translanguaging. This perspective involves exploring how different language varieties (such as Punjabi, Urdu and English) and different linguistic resources (such as scripts, styles and registers) are appropriated by migrants at different stages of their migration trajectories alongside migrants’ own perspectives on these practices. The findings demonstrate how migrant families counter discrimination in their everyday multilingualism as part of the translingual practices which transcend physical, social and symbolic borders.

Politics of Power-Sharing in Disputed Territories: A Case Study of the 13th Amendment in the Constitution of Azad Jammu and Kashmir

The proper functioning of the government and administration of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) is taken care of by Pakistan through the successive installment of courts and a series of acts that inter alia include the 1962 Act, the 1970 Act, and the Interim Constitution Act 1974. This paper discusses power-sharing arrangements in AJK, and makes connections to asymmetrical federalism and liminality. It further dissects the matrix of the 13th amendment in the constitution of Azad Kashmir and how it changed the nature of the relationship between AJK and Pakistan. The paper also underscores the contemporary contours of state and polity in AJK and the debate on the 14th amendment.

An ethnobotanical study of wetland flora of Head Maralla Punjab Pakistan

Background Wetlands are biologically diverse and highly productive ecosystems that support one-third of all threatened and endangered plants of the world. Wetland plants have been studied ethnobotanically much less than terrestrial plants, including in Pakistan, thus information about the uses of local wetland plants in traditional healthcare system is scare. Head Maralla is a non-recognized wetland with diversified flora that has been focused of the current study. Methods The ethnobotanical data were collected from four sites viz., River Tavi, Upstream Chenab, River Manawarwala Tavi, and Bhalolpur through questionnaire and interviews during field trips. Quantitative indices including informant consensus factor (ICF), cultural significant indext (CSI), relative frequency of citation (RFC), and use value (UV) were used to analyze the data. Results On the whole, 119 plant species were identified belonging to 54 families, of which 87 species were dicot, 12 monocots, 11 aquatic, 5 ferns, and 4 species were bryophytes. Of these, 50% of the plant species were utilized for therapeutic purposes, followed by leaves which had more than 20% usage of total consumption. Herbs were the primary source of medicine (73 spp) followed by trees (22 spp), weeds (11 spp), shrubs (9 spp), foliose (2 spp) and thaloids (2 spp) in the area. Fic ranged from 0.66 to 0.93 for constipation and respiratory disorders with an average Fic of 0.87 reflecting a high consensus among the informants about the use of plants to treat particular ailment. Major ailments viz., urination (14%), cough (8.40%), cold (6.70%), stomach (5.90%), asthma (5.90%), skin infection (5%), constipation (5%), and diarrhea (4%) etc., were treated with local plant recipes. The highest CSI value was found for A. vesica (7.55) widely used in respiratory disorders and in digestive problems. RFC ranged from 0.92 to 0.15 with the maximum value obtained for R. communis (0.95). The use values ranged from 0.03 to 0.90 with the maximum use value for R. communis (0.90). A positive correlation was found between CSI and RFC (r = 0.29), and CSI and UV (r = 0.29). The JI values ranged from 7.14 to 0.14 indicating strong affinity with Samahani valley, Azad Kashmir, Pakistan. Unique species Osmunda regalis was first time reported from Pakistan with novel uses for renal and blood purifier. Fifteen percent (15%) plants contribute as fodder species consumed by local community for livestock while almost 6.7% species were utilized for timber and fuel purposes. Conclusion The ecosystem of Head Maralla provide a complex habitat for aqauatic, terrestrial, and agriculture wetland vegetation. It is suggested that conservation efforts should be made to conserve the ethnoecological knowledge of these areas and pharmacological studies should be conducted for noval drug synthesis in future.

Efficacy of Combination Therapy Sofosbuvir, Daclatasvir and Ribavirin in Patients of Hepatitis C

Aim: To determine the effectiveness of antiviral drugs such as sofosbuvir, daclatasvir and ribavirin in hepatitis C patients and frequency of complications associated to antiviral therapy. Study Design: Prospective study. Place and Duration: This study was conducted at the department of Gastroenterology and General Medicine AK CMH / Sheikh Khalifa bin Zaid Al Nahyan Hospital Rawalakot Azad Kashmir for one year duration from 5th July 2020 to 5th July 2021. Methodology: 150 patients of both genders presented with hepatitis C were included. Patient’s ages were ranging from 25 to 70 years. After taking informed consent from all the patients, detailed medical history including age, sex, residence and education were recorded. Quantitative PCR test was obtained before starting the antiviral therapy, kit method was used. Treatment response was examined after completion of therapy. All the statistical data was analyzed by SPSS 24.0. Results: 88 (58.67%) patients were males while 62 (41.33%) patients were females. Mean age of patients was 48.52±9.38 years. At the end of treatment, 132 (88%) patients were cured and 15 (10%) patients were not cured, 3 (2%) patients had lost to follow-up. Complications associated to therapy were noted as anemia, ascites, hepatic encephalopathy and liver cirrhosis in 40 (26.67%), 20 (13.33%), 7 (4.67%) and 6 (4%) patients respectively. Conclusion: Combination antiviral therapy with Sofosbuvir, daclatasvir and ribavirin shows better results in patients with Hepatitis C with 88% cure rate. Anemia was the most frequent complication found at end of therapy. Keywords: Hepatitis C, Sofosbuvir, Daclatasvir, Ribavirin