Poliomyelitis, commonly known as “polio” is a paralytic and perilous disease caused by the poliov... more Poliomyelitis, commonly known as “polio” is a paralytic and perilous disease caused by the poliovirus. Due to its highly contagious nature, the virus was a challenge to the world in the late 1980s. . Since 1988 the collective work of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and World Health Organization (WHO) through immunizations, communication awareness, and monitoring have helped the world exonerate polio. The mission of polio-free Pakistan was herculean and had confronted enormous challenges in different ways but came out with positive results. In 2019, with only two remaining polio-endemic countries, Pakistan and Afghanistan, GPEI launched an “Endgame strategy 2019-2023” which aims to eradicate polio globally, with a targeted focus, especially on polio-endemic countries, the plan emphasizes the early detection of polio cases for complete eradication and to restrict the spread of polio. Pakistan has achieved a milestone in ...
Background Chronic non-healing or refractory pancreatic fistulae are rare complications of pancre... more Background Chronic non-healing or refractory pancreatic fistulae are rare complications of pancreatic surgery (pancreaticoduodenectomy, distal pancreatectomy) or pancreatitis. Materials and Methods We conducted a thorough literature search of electronic databases such as PubMed, Google Scholar, BioMed Central, and Cochrane Library using the keywords and medical subject headings (MeSH) terms “chronic pancreatic fistula”, “post-operative fistula”, “fistula management” and “refractory pancreatic fistula”. The purpose of this review is to evaluate the management options for refractory pancreatic fistula (PF). Results Literature reveals that refractory pancreatic fistulae have been managed by techniques like endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided techniques like transmural puncture by clamping, puncture of the fistula tract, transmural placement of pigtail stent, and EUSguided pancreaticogastrostomy. Other techniques are postoperative endoscopic pancreatic stent placement in Grade C pancreat...
In the recent past, due to the pandemic and humanitarian crisis, the healthcare system has dived ... more In the recent past, due to the pandemic and humanitarian crisis, the healthcare system has dived into turmoil, especially regarding core facilities for women and maternal health. Afghanistan has the highest maternal mortality rate globally according to the WHO, with a startling 638 deaths per 100,000 live births. In such a decrepit system, regime changes resulted in major donors withdrawing from the national primary care service program leading to serious consequences for Afghani women such as women being compelled to deliver babies at home instead of hospitals increasing the risk of infections and maternal mortality. Major challenges faced by the Afghan healthcare system include the cessation of international funding due to the humanitarian crisis, the shortage of medicines, and the failure to deliver salaries to healthcare workers. According to the UNFPA, due to these challenges, more than 90% of healthcare facilities are at risk of closure, leading to an estimated 4.8 million una...
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) causing coronavirus disease 2019 (CO... more Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) causing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been a rising concern since its declaration as a pandemic by the World Health Organization on 11 March 2020. Recently, its association with multiple underlying organs has been identified that includes cardiac, renal, gastrointestinal, nervous systems, and cutaneous manifestations. Cutaneous COVID-19 findings have been supposedly classified into the following categories: vesicular (varicella-like), papulo-vesiculsar, chilblains-like (“COVID toes”) maculopapular, and urticarial morphologies. In this review, we aim to focus on the proposed pathophysiology behind the various dermatological manifestations associated with COVID-19 and their associated management. We also included prevalence and clinical features of the different COVID-19-related skin lesions in our review. A comprehensive narrative review of the literature was performed in PubMed databases. Data from case reports, ...
Most instances of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) are caused by immunological stimulation and are d... more Most instances of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) are caused by immunological stimulation and are discovered after vaccinations for tetanus toxoid, oral polio, and swine influenza. This systematic study investigated GBS cases reported after receiving the COVID-19 vaccination.
This article aims to comment on pandemic preparedness strategies, especially for refugees and int... more This article aims to comment on pandemic preparedness strategies, especially for refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Yemen, and the obstacles that may hinder their success. Yemen is currently undergoing the largest humanitarian crisis worldwide, with 283,000 refugees from the Middle East and Africa, and 3.6 million internally displaced inhabitants. Basic needs including food, water and shelter have been compromised, in the setting of political unrest and financial instability. The effects of healthcare discrimination and inadequate healthcare facilities have intensified in the setting of the COVID-19 pandemic, where healthcare resources are of the utmost significance. This amounts to a wake-up call for concerned international bodies and charitable organizations to intensify their efforts in view of the rising infection rate. Since March 2020, numerous endeavors have been made by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and partners, such as the Inter...
Aim: This systematic review aims to assess the safety profile of oxcarbazepine during pregnancy. ... more Aim: This systematic review aims to assess the safety profile of oxcarbazepine during pregnancy. Methods: Observational studies that included women who took oxcarbazepine anytime during pregnancy were included in our systematic review. The review did not include non-English articles, reviews, meta-analyses, case reports, and animal studies. Different online sources such as MEDLINE, Cochrane library, Virtual Health library etc. were searched for published and unpublished literature. Assessment of risk of bias of observational studies was done using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. The meta-analyses were performed using a random-effect model. GRADE was used for the evaluation of the quality of evidence for the primary outcomes. Results: We included 19 cohort studies with a total number of 5,071,137 patients, of which 2,450 were exposed to oxcarbazepine either as monotherapy or polytherapy. The summary odds ratio (OR) was 1.69 (95% CI, 0.95-2.98) for congenital malformations following in-ut...
Proceedings of Shaikh Zayed Medical Complex Lahore, 2021
Introduction: The corona virus pandemic has brought with it psychological problems like anxiety, ... more Introduction: The corona virus pandemic has brought with it psychological problems like anxiety, stress, and depression. Research studies are urgently required to generate data that would help formulate strategies to manage the ensuing psychiatric and psychological maladies at societal level. Aims & Objectives: The aim of our study is to better comprehend the initial psychological response of society to COVID-19 outbreak though a survey. Place and duration of study: This cross-sectional study was conducted in King Edward Medical University, Lahore from April 2020 to October 2020. Material & Methods: An online questionnaire comprising of 20 items including the Zung self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) was disseminated to three fifty (350) participants. Two hundred and seventy-one (n=271) responses were received. Collected data was entered and analyzed using the SPSS software version 20. Categorical variables were presented as frequencies and percentages. Relationships between categorical ...
Poliomyelitis, commonly known as “polio” is a paralytic and perilous disease caused by the poliov... more Poliomyelitis, commonly known as “polio” is a paralytic and perilous disease caused by the poliovirus. Due to its highly contagious nature, the virus was a challenge to the world in the late 1980s. . Since 1988 the collective work of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and World Health Organization (WHO) through immunizations, communication awareness, and monitoring have helped the world exonerate polio. The mission of polio-free Pakistan was herculean and had confronted enormous challenges in different ways but came out with positive results. In 2019, with only two remaining polio-endemic countries, Pakistan and Afghanistan, GPEI launched an “Endgame strategy 2019-2023” which aims to eradicate polio globally, with a targeted focus, especially on polio-endemic countries, the plan emphasizes the early detection of polio cases for complete eradication and to restrict the spread of polio. Pakistan has achieved a milestone in ...
Background Chronic non-healing or refractory pancreatic fistulae are rare complications of pancre... more Background Chronic non-healing or refractory pancreatic fistulae are rare complications of pancreatic surgery (pancreaticoduodenectomy, distal pancreatectomy) or pancreatitis. Materials and Methods We conducted a thorough literature search of electronic databases such as PubMed, Google Scholar, BioMed Central, and Cochrane Library using the keywords and medical subject headings (MeSH) terms “chronic pancreatic fistula”, “post-operative fistula”, “fistula management” and “refractory pancreatic fistula”. The purpose of this review is to evaluate the management options for refractory pancreatic fistula (PF). Results Literature reveals that refractory pancreatic fistulae have been managed by techniques like endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided techniques like transmural puncture by clamping, puncture of the fistula tract, transmural placement of pigtail stent, and EUSguided pancreaticogastrostomy. Other techniques are postoperative endoscopic pancreatic stent placement in Grade C pancreat...
In the recent past, due to the pandemic and humanitarian crisis, the healthcare system has dived ... more In the recent past, due to the pandemic and humanitarian crisis, the healthcare system has dived into turmoil, especially regarding core facilities for women and maternal health. Afghanistan has the highest maternal mortality rate globally according to the WHO, with a startling 638 deaths per 100,000 live births. In such a decrepit system, regime changes resulted in major donors withdrawing from the national primary care service program leading to serious consequences for Afghani women such as women being compelled to deliver babies at home instead of hospitals increasing the risk of infections and maternal mortality. Major challenges faced by the Afghan healthcare system include the cessation of international funding due to the humanitarian crisis, the shortage of medicines, and the failure to deliver salaries to healthcare workers. According to the UNFPA, due to these challenges, more than 90% of healthcare facilities are at risk of closure, leading to an estimated 4.8 million una...
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) causing coronavirus disease 2019 (CO... more Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) causing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been a rising concern since its declaration as a pandemic by the World Health Organization on 11 March 2020. Recently, its association with multiple underlying organs has been identified that includes cardiac, renal, gastrointestinal, nervous systems, and cutaneous manifestations. Cutaneous COVID-19 findings have been supposedly classified into the following categories: vesicular (varicella-like), papulo-vesiculsar, chilblains-like (“COVID toes”) maculopapular, and urticarial morphologies. In this review, we aim to focus on the proposed pathophysiology behind the various dermatological manifestations associated with COVID-19 and their associated management. We also included prevalence and clinical features of the different COVID-19-related skin lesions in our review. A comprehensive narrative review of the literature was performed in PubMed databases. Data from case reports, ...
Most instances of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) are caused by immunological stimulation and are d... more Most instances of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) are caused by immunological stimulation and are discovered after vaccinations for tetanus toxoid, oral polio, and swine influenza. This systematic study investigated GBS cases reported after receiving the COVID-19 vaccination.
This article aims to comment on pandemic preparedness strategies, especially for refugees and int... more This article aims to comment on pandemic preparedness strategies, especially for refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Yemen, and the obstacles that may hinder their success. Yemen is currently undergoing the largest humanitarian crisis worldwide, with 283,000 refugees from the Middle East and Africa, and 3.6 million internally displaced inhabitants. Basic needs including food, water and shelter have been compromised, in the setting of political unrest and financial instability. The effects of healthcare discrimination and inadequate healthcare facilities have intensified in the setting of the COVID-19 pandemic, where healthcare resources are of the utmost significance. This amounts to a wake-up call for concerned international bodies and charitable organizations to intensify their efforts in view of the rising infection rate. Since March 2020, numerous endeavors have been made by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and partners, such as the Inter...
Aim: This systematic review aims to assess the safety profile of oxcarbazepine during pregnancy. ... more Aim: This systematic review aims to assess the safety profile of oxcarbazepine during pregnancy. Methods: Observational studies that included women who took oxcarbazepine anytime during pregnancy were included in our systematic review. The review did not include non-English articles, reviews, meta-analyses, case reports, and animal studies. Different online sources such as MEDLINE, Cochrane library, Virtual Health library etc. were searched for published and unpublished literature. Assessment of risk of bias of observational studies was done using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. The meta-analyses were performed using a random-effect model. GRADE was used for the evaluation of the quality of evidence for the primary outcomes. Results: We included 19 cohort studies with a total number of 5,071,137 patients, of which 2,450 were exposed to oxcarbazepine either as monotherapy or polytherapy. The summary odds ratio (OR) was 1.69 (95% CI, 0.95-2.98) for congenital malformations following in-ut...
Proceedings of Shaikh Zayed Medical Complex Lahore, 2021
Introduction: The corona virus pandemic has brought with it psychological problems like anxiety, ... more Introduction: The corona virus pandemic has brought with it psychological problems like anxiety, stress, and depression. Research studies are urgently required to generate data that would help formulate strategies to manage the ensuing psychiatric and psychological maladies at societal level. Aims & Objectives: The aim of our study is to better comprehend the initial psychological response of society to COVID-19 outbreak though a survey. Place and duration of study: This cross-sectional study was conducted in King Edward Medical University, Lahore from April 2020 to October 2020. Material & Methods: An online questionnaire comprising of 20 items including the Zung self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) was disseminated to three fifty (350) participants. Two hundred and seventy-one (n=271) responses were received. Collected data was entered and analyzed using the SPSS software version 20. Categorical variables were presented as frequencies and percentages. Relationships between categorical ...
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