Digital Commons Network^™

Maternal Characteristics And Outcomes Affected By Hypothyroidism During Pregnancy (Maternal Hypothyroidism On Pregnancy Outcomes, Mhpo-1), Zareen Kiran, Aisha Sheikh, Sarwar Malik, Areeba Meraj, Maha Masood, Safana Ismail, Owais Rashid, Quratulain Shaikh, Numan Majeed, Lumaan Sheikh, Najmul Islam

Section of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism

Background: Hypothyroidism in pregnancy is an arena of ongoing research, with international conflicts regarding screening, management, and outcomes. Various studies have described the outcomes depending on geographical and international diagnostic criteria. No study has been conducted in this regard from the region of Pakistan. Therefore, we aim to report the clinical features and maternal outcomes of hypothyroid pregnancies and compare the maternal outcomes between uncontrolled and controlled TSH levels in the preconception as well as the gestational period.
Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional retrospective study on 718 cases in the Aga Khan University Hospital after ethical approval. We collected information …

Intravenous Dexamethasone Along With Caudal Block Improves Analgesic Efficacy Following Day-Case Inguinal Hernia Repair In Children: A Randomized Controlled Trial, Amjad Nadeem, Aliya Ahmed

Department of Anaesthesia

Objective: To assess the effectiveness of intravenous dexamethasone along with caudal block in improving analgesia following inguinal hernia repair in children.
Methods: The double-blind randomised controlled trial was conducted over a 6-month period from June 01, 2016 to November 30, 2016 at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, and comprised patients aged 1-5 years, scheduled for elective inguinal hernia repair. The subjects were randomised into two groups using the sealed envelope technique. Group D patients received 0.5mg/kg dexamethasone intravenous in 5ml, and group P was given placebo (5ml 0.9% saline). Assessment of postoperative pain was made through the faces, legs, …

Current State Of Knowledge Of Basic Life Support In Health Professionals Of The Largest City In Pakistan: A Cross-Sectional Study, Babar Irfan, Ibrahim Zahid, Muhammad Sharjeel Khan, Omar Abdul Aziz Khan, Shayan Zaidi, Safia Awan, Sobia Bilal, Omar Irfan

Section of Neurology

Background: Basic Life Support (BLS) is the recognition of sudden cardiac arrest and activation of the emergency response system, followed by resuscitation, and rapid defibrillation. According to WHO, Pakistan has one of the highest mortality rates from accidental deaths therefore assessment and comparison of BLS knowledge in health professionals is crucial. We thereby aim to assess and compare the knowledge of BLS in doctors, dentists and nurses.

Methods: A multi-centric cross-sectional survey was conducted in Karachi at different institutions belonging to the private as well as government sector from January to March 2018. We used a structured questionnaire which was …

Value Of Elastography In Differentiating Benign From Malignant Breast Lesions Keeping Histopathology As Gold Standard, Faryal Farooq, Syed Mubarak, Shaista Shaukat, Noman Khan, Kahkashan Jafar, Tariq Mahmood, Muhammad Arif Saeed

Department of Radiology

Background: Breast cancer is the most common cancer in females, both in developed and developing countries. Pakistan has the highest breast cancer incidence rate in Asia. Guidelines recommend screening for detecting breast cancer with mammography and ultrasonography (US). Shear-wave elastography (SWE) is a newer technique that can aid additional characterization of breast lesions.
Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the diagnostic accuracy of breast ultrasound elastography in differentiating benign from malignant breast lesions using histology diagnosis as the gold standard.
Materials and methods: The study was conducted at the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital and Jinnah Post Graduate Medical …

Illegal Motorcycle Street Racing- A Growing Threat To Public Safety, Madiha Mumshad, Aisha Ashraf

Department of Emergency Medicine

No abstract provided.

Association Between Maxillary Transverse Discrepancy And Occurrence Of Potentially Impacted Maxillary Canines In Mixed Dentition Patients, Farhana Ghaffar, Rashna Hoshang Sukhia, Mubassar Fida

Section of Dental-Oral Maxillofacial Surgery

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the association between transverse maxillary discrepancy and occurrence of potentially impacted maxillary canines in mixed dentition patients.
Material and methods: This cross-sectional analytical study was conducted on 85 Pakistani subjects (32 males and 53 females) aged between 8 to 13 years, having good quality orthopantomographs and dental casts. Maxillary transverse discrepancy was assessed by subtracting the mandibular intermolar width from the maxillary intermolar width on dental cast. Maxillary lateral incisors and canines were traced from orthopantomographs, and canines were placed into sector classification. Chi-square test was used to determine the difference …

Vitamin D Status And Risk Of Incident Tuberculosis Disease: A Nested Case-Control Study, Systematic Review, And Individual-Participant Data Meta-Analysis, Omowunmi Aibana, Chuan-Chin Huang, Said Aboud, Alberto Arnedo-Pena, Mercedes C. Becerra, Juan Bautista Bellido-Blasco, Ramesh Bhosale, Roger Calderon, Rabia Hussain, Najeeha Talat Iqbal

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Background: Few studies have evaluated the association between preexisting vitamin D deficiency and incident tuberculosis (TB). We assessed the impact of baseline vitamins D levels on TB disease risk.
Methods and Findings: We assessed the association between baseline vitamin D and incident TB in a prospective cohort of 6,751 HIV-negative household contacts of TB patients enrolled between September 1, 2009, and August 29, 2012, in Lima, Peru. We screened for TB disease at 2, 6, and 12 months after enrollment. We defined cases as household contacts who developed TB disease at least 15 days after enrollment of the index patient. …

Study Of Environmental Enteropathy And Malnutrition (Seem) In Pakistan: Protocols For Biopsy Based Biomarker Discovery And Validation, Najeeha Talat Iqbal, Sana Saeed, Kamran Sadiq, Marium N. Khan, Junaid Iqbal, Jennie Z. Ma, Fayaz Umrani, Sheraz Ahmed, Elizabeth A. Maier, Lee A. Denson, Shahida Qureshi, Syed Asad Ali

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

Background:
Environmental Enteropathy (EE), characterized by alterations in intestinal structure, function, and immune activation, is believed to be an important contributor to childhood undernutrition and its associated morbidities, including stunting. Half of all global deaths in children < 5 years are attributable to under-nutrition, making the study of EE an area of critical priority.
Methods:
Community based intervention study, divided into two sub-studies, 1) Longitudinal analyses and 2) Biopsy studies for identification of EE features via omics analyses. Birth cohorts in Matiari, Pakistan established: moderately or severely malnourished (weight for height Z score (WHZ) < − 2) children, and well-nourished (WHZ > 0) children. Blood, urine, and fecal samples, for evaluation of potential biomarkers, will be collected at various time points from all participants (longitudinal …

Performance Of The Timi Risk Score In Predicting Mortality After Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention In Elderly Women: Results From A Developing Country, Shumaila Furnaz, Musa Karim, Tariq Ashraf, Sajjad Ali, Izza Shahid, Sara Ali, Uzzam Ahmed Khawaja, Muhammad Tanzeel Ul Haque, Muhammad Shariq Usman, Tariq Jamal Siddiqi

Section of Internal Medicine

Background: Despite women undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) having a higher rate of adverse outcomes than men, data evaluating prognostic risk scores, especially in elderly women, remains scarce. This study was conducted to validate the predictive value of Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) risk score in elderly female patients.

Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of elderly (>65 years) female patients who underwent PPCI for ST-elevated myocardial infarction (STEMI) from October 2016 to September 2018. Patients' demographic details and elements of TIMI risk score including age, co-morbidities, Killip classification; weight, anterior MI and total ischemic time …

Blood Film Says It All! Rare Case Of Congenital Ttp Misdiagnosed As Itp, Ayesha Majeed Memon, Natasha Ali

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

We report a case of a 16-year-old female who presented with bleeding diathesis. Peripheral blood film examination was consistent with microangiopathic hemolytic anemia with 7% fragmented red blood cells. The ADAMTS13 level was 40 ng/ml (reference range: 630-850 ng/ml). She responded to plasma exchange therapy and methylprednisolone and was discharged in a stable condition.

Implications Of Genetic Variation Of Common Drug Metabolizing Enzymes And Abc Transporters Among The Pakistani Population, Nasir Ali Afsar, Henrike Bruckmueller, Anneke Nina Werk, Muhammad Kashif Nisa, H R. Ahmad, Ingolf Cascorbi

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

Genetic polymorphism of drug metabolizing enzymes and transporters may influence drug response. The frequency varies substantially between ethnicities thus having implications on appropriate selection and dosage of various drugs in different populations. The distribution of genetic polymorphisms in healthy Pakistanis has so far not been described. In this study, 155 healthy adults (98 females) were included from all districts of Karachi. DNA was extracted from saliva and genotyped for relevant SNVs in CYP1A1, CYP2B6, CYP2C9, CYP2C19, CYP2D6, CYP3A4 and CYP3A5 as well as ALDH3A1, GSTA1, ABCB1 and ABCC2. About 64% of the participants were born to parents who were unrelated …

Khat Use And Psychotic Symptoms In A Rural Khat Growing Population In Kenya: A Household Survey, Linnet Ongeri, Fredrick Kirui, Erastus Muniu, Veronica Manduku, Leah Kirumbi, Lukoye Atwoli, Safari Agure, Peter Wanzala, Lydia Kaduka, Mercy Karimi, Richard Mutisya, Elizabeth Echoka, Joseph Mutai, David Mathu, Charles Mbakaya

Internal Medicine, East Africa

Background:Khat is an amphetamine like psychostimulant chewed by over 10 million people globally. Khat use is thought to increase the risk of psychosis among its chewers. The evidence around this however remains inconclusive stemming from the scanty number of studies in this area and small study sample sizes. We undertook a large household survey to determine the association between psychotic symptoms and khat chewing in a rural khat growing and chewing population in Kenya.

Methods:For this cross-sectional household survey, we randomly selected 831 participants aged 10 years and above residing in the Eastern region of Kenya. We used …

Childhood Oral Infections And Subclinical Atherosclerosis In Adulthood: Should We Wait For Causality Or Just Treat?, Anwar T. Merchant, Salim S. Virani

Office of the Provost

No abstract provided.

Orthokeratinized Odontogenic Cyst (Ooc): Clinicopathological And Radiological Features Of A Series Of 10 Cases, Nasir Ud Din, Maha Zubair, Jamshid Abdul-Ghafar, Zia Ullah Khan, Zubair Ahmad

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Background: Orthokeratinized Odontogenic Cyst (OOC) is a rare, developmental odontogenic cyst which was considered in the past to be a variant of Odontogenic keratocyst (OKC) later renamed as keratocystic odontogenic tumor (KCOT). The treatment of OOC is by enucleation and the prognosis, following enucleation is excellent with a recurrence rate of less than 2%. On the other hand, OKC has a recurrence rate between 8 and 25% after enucleation. Thus it is important to differentiate between the two entities.
Methods: All cases reported in our section as OOC during the period 2013 to 2018 were retrieved from the surgical pathology …

Designing Ethakul: A Mobile Just-In-Time Learning Environment For Bioethics In Pakistan, Azra Naseem, Kulsoom Ghias, Sohail Bawani, Mohammad Ali Shahab, Sameer Nizamuddin, Waqar Kashif, Kausar S. Khan, Tashfeen Ahmad, Murad Khan

Institute for Educational Development, Karachi

In developing countries such as Pakistan, bioethics has not been included in mainstream thinking in medical education. The authors’ experiences suggest that current methods of teaching bioethics are problematic as students are unable to translate theory to practice. Alternative pedagogies, such as just-in-time learning (JiTL) using mobile devices, may be able to foster the development and implementation of ethical reasoning among nurses, doctors, and medical and nursing students. This research was conceived to determine the effectiveness of mobile JiTL – anytime, anyplace learning through mobile devices – for teaching bioethics. After obtaining ethical clearance, a participatory design (PD) approach was …

Antimicrobial Susceptibility Patterns Of Salmonella Species In Southern Pakistan, Ghulam Shabbir Laghari, Zahid Hussain, Syed Zohaib Maroof Hussain, Haresh Kumar, Syed Mohammad Mazhar Uddin,, Aatera Haq

Section of Internal Medicine

Introduction Typhoid fever is a major infectious disease among the pediatric population of Pakistan. With inappropriate use of antibiotics and rising trends of multidrug-resistant (MDR) and extended drug-resistant (XDR) typhoid, it is becoming a public health emergency. This study evaluated the current trends in antibiotic susceptibilities to Salmonella (S) typhi and paratyphi A, B, and C in southern Pakistan. Materials and methods This cross-sectional study, conducted in the Pediatrics Department, Civil Hospital, Jamshoro from July to December 2018, included children with S. typhi and S. paratyphi A and B strains isolated from the laboratory-based culture of blood samples. Results There …

Cancer And How The Patients See It; Prevalence And Perception Of Risk Factors: A Cross-Sectional Survey From A Tertiary Care Centre Of Karachi, Pakistan, Saira Saeed, Javaid Khan, Nousheen Iqbal, Sana Irfan, Alviya Shafique, Safia Awan

Section of Pulmonary & Critical Care

Background: The incidence of cancer is rising but data available regarding prevalence of cancer and patient perception of the disease in Pakistan is limited. It is difficult to deal with Cancer if the main causes are negligence towards risk factors and bizarre myths. This study was aimed to investigate common cancer presentations at a government sector hospital and to gain insight into patient knowledge of the disease.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted on cancer patients from Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre. A self-made questionnaire was used to assess the norms related to cancer prevalence in our society, associated myths, …

Comparison Of The Depth Of Cure Of Flowable Composites Polymerized At Variable Increment Thicknesses And Voltages: An In Vitro Study, Sadia Tabassum, Muhammad Hasan Hameed, Farhan Raza Khan

Section of Dental-Oral Maxillofacial Surgery

Objectives: The aim of this study is to compare the depth of cure of two composite materials (SDR and Filtek bulk-fill) cured at variable increment depths (2, 4, and 6 mm) and voltages (180 and 220 volts).
Materials and Methods: Each sample of the composite material was packed in a mold of 2 mm, 4 mm, and 6 mm and curing light (quartz tungsten halogen) of optimal intensity was exposed for 20 s at 2 different voltages on each specimen. After curing, the specimens were removed and the composite on the nonexposed end was scraped with a plastic instrument. The …

Endovascular Coiling Versus Neurosurgical Clipping For Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Syed Ijlal Ahmed, Gohar Javed, Syeda Beenish Bareeqa, Syeda Sana Samar, Ali Shah, Arwa Giani, Zainab Azam, Abeer Tasleem, Syed Hasham Humayun

Section of Neurosurgery

Background: Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage is a frequently devastating condition with a reported incidence of between 10 and 15 people per 100,000 in the United States. Currently, according to the best of our knowledge, there are not enough meta-analyses available in the medical literature of the last five years which compare the risks and benefits of endovascular coiling with neurosurgical clipping.
Methods: Twenty-two studies were selected out of the short-listed studies. The studies were selected on the basis of relevance to the topic, sample size, sampling technique, and randomization. Data were analyzed on Revman software.
Results: Mortality was found to be …

Rationale And Protocol For Estimating The Economic Value Of A Multicomponent Quality Improvement Strategy For Diabetes Care In South Asia, Kavita Singh, Mohammed K. Ali, Raji Devarajan, Roopa Shivashankar, Dimple Kondal, Vamadevan S. Ajay, V. Usha Menon, Premlata K. Varthakavi, Vijay Viswanathan, Qamar Masood

Section of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism

Background: Economic dimensions of implementing quality improvement for diabetes care are understudied worldwide. We describe the economic evaluation protocol within a randomised controlled trial that tested a multi-component quality improvement (QI) strategy for individuals with poorly-controlled type 2 diabetes in South Asia.

Methods/Design: This economic evaluation of the Centre for Cardiometabolic Risk Reduction in South Asia (CARRS) randomised trial involved 1146 people with poorly-controlled type 2 diabetes receiving care at 10 diverse diabetes clinics across India and Pakistan. The economic evaluation comprises both a within-trial cost-effectiveness analysis (mean 2.5 years follow up) and a microsimulation model-based cost-utility analysis (life-time horizon). …

Assessment Of Clinical Outcomes In Patients Presenting With Transverse Myelitis: A Tertiary Care Experience From A Developing Country, Aijaz Ali, Syeda Beenish Bareeqa, Amir Riaz, Syed Ijlal Ahmed,, Muhammad Hassan Shaikh, Muhammad Ishaq Ghauri

Department of Medicine

Background: Transverse myelitis (TM) is an inflammatory disorder of spinal cord, characterized by acute or sub-acute dysfunction of spinal cord affecting the motor, sensory, and autonomic systems. It may be idiopathic or related to other diseases. Although some patients recover from TM with minor or no residual problems, others suffer permanent impairments that affect their ability to perform ordinary tasks of daily living. Our objective was to determine the frequency of different clinical outcomes in patients presenting with TM.

Methods: It was a prospective cohort clinical study conducted from May 2018 till October 2018. Study was conducted in the Department …

Medical Doctors' Offline Computer-Assisted Digital Education: Systematic Review By The Digital Health Education Collaboration, Hayfaa Abdelmageed Wahabi, Samia Ahmed Esmaeil, Khawater Hassan Bahkali, Maher Abdelraheim Titi, Yasser Sami Amer, Amel Ahmed Fayed, Amr Jamal, Nasriah Zakaria, Amna Rehana Siddiqui, Monika Semwal

Community Health Sciences

Background: The widening gap between innovations in the medical field and the dissemination of such information to doctors may affect the quality of care. Offline computer-based digital education (OCDE) may be a potential solution to overcoming the geographical, financial, and temporal obstacles faced by doctors.
Objective: The objectives of this systematic review were to evaluate the effectiveness of OCDE compared with face-to-face learning, no intervention, or other types of digital learning for improving medical doctors' knowledge, cognitive skills, and patient-related outcomes. Secondary objectives were to assess the cost-effectiveness (CE) of OCDE and any adverse effects.
Methods: We searched major bibliographic …

Association Between Leptin, Obesity, Hormonal Interplay And Male Infertility, Sofia Amjaad, Mukhtiar Baig, Nida Zahid, Sundus Tariq, Rehana Rehman

Department of Surgery

Male infertility is a major health problem worldwide. We investigated a possible association between leptin, obesity, hormonal interplay and male infertility. This cross-sectional study of 313 males (178 infertile and 135 fertile) was carried out in 2017. The subjects were categorised by body mass index (BMI) and body fat percentage (BF%) into normal weight, overweight and obese. Significantly higher levels of BMI and BF% (p-value < 0.001) and lower levels of FSH, LH, testosterone, and SHBG (p-value < 0.001) were found in infertile males. However, no significant difference was observed in leptin levels (p-value = 0.35). Leptin levels were significantly higher, and all the sex hormones were significantly lower (p-value < 0.001) in obese subjects, whereas according to BF% only leptin, FSH and SHBG were significantly different. Leptin showed a significant positive correlation with BMI and BF% (p < 0.001). A strong positive link to serum testosterone was found with age, FSH, and LH (p < 0.001) and a negative one with BMI and BF% (p < 0.001). In mutivariable anlaysis, after adjusting for the other covariates, a significant association between FSH and testosterone (p-value <0.001) was found. Serum leptin levels did not differ significantly in fertile and infertile groups, and no association was found with infertility. Furthermore, male obesity was found to be associated with infertility with the decrease in levels of sex hormones.

Primary Malignant Melanoma Of Brainstem Medulla Mimicking As Cavernoma, Adnan Naeem, Fatima Mubarak

Department of Radiology

Aim of this case report is to present a rare case of primary malignant melanoma of brain stem at the region of medulla oblongata mimicking as cavernoma. 40-year-old male presented with vertigo, headache, dizziness for 1 month. MRI showed pear shaped T1 hyperintense lesion at medulla oblongata and predominantly hypointense on T2 with focal area of hemorrhage. Lesion showed diffuse enhancement on postcontrast images. On plain CT lesion was Hyperdense. It was initially reported as Cavernoma. Surgical excision of lesion was done with per-op findings of solid, dark maroon colored lesion with hemorrhage. Histopathology showed neoplastic lesion with abundant melanin …

Association Between Asthma And Dental Caries Amongst 12 - 15 Years Old Children: A School-Based Cross-Sectional Study In Karachi, Pakistan, Wajeeha Zahid, Shafquat Rozi, Farhan Raza Khan, Nida Zahid, Muhammad Masood Kadir

Community Health Sciences

Objective: The study aimed to determine an association between dental caries and asthma among 12 to 15 years old children.
Methods: This is a school-based cross-sectional study conducted from January to February 2016. A random sample of 544 children aged 12 - 15 years were enrolled from five private schools of Karachi. Dental caries was assessed using DMFT Index (Decayed, Missing, Filled teeth). The main exposure variable was asthma and information on it was collected through the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) questionnaire.
Results: The data was analyzed using Cox Proportional Hazard algorithm. Crude and adjusted …

Oral Cancer Awareness Among University Students From Karachi, Pakistan, Dnyanesh Limaye, Patrick Ziesenis, Vaidehi Limaye, Mansoor Ahmad, Farah Saeed, Mahboob Alam, Ramla Rizvi, Atul Kapadi, Sushama Sathe, Gerhard Fortwengel

Section of Dental-Oral Maxillofacial Surgery

Background: Oral cancers (OC) are malignant lesions occurring in the oral cavity that include squamous cell carcinomas (SCC), salivary gland and odontogenic neoplasms. Even though it is the eighth most common malignancy globally but in Pakistan it is the second commonest type of cancer. Lack of awareness about ill-effects of preventable risk factors of oral cancer increases the burden of disease due to the associated high cost of treatment, permanent impairment and high mortality. Hence, awareness can be very helpful in prevention, control and early diagnosis of oral cancer.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out among university students from …

Enhancing Cognitive Engagement Of Pre-Clinical Undergraduate Medical Students Via Video Cases And Interactive Quizzes In Problem-Based Learning, Syeda Sadia Fatima, Kulsoom Ghias, Kauser Jabeen, Saniya Sabzwari

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

Background: Problem-based learning (PBL) is one of the main pedagogical approaches utilized in the undergraduate medical education (UGME) program at a private medical college in Karachi, Pakistan. Video-enhanced cases and formative assessments were introduced at the end of PBL sessions to evaluate their effectiveness in enhancing student engagement.
Methods: A mixed methods study was conducted with Year 2 medical students (n=102; divided into 11 groups) and faculty (n=11) facilitating the PBL process. Of the 10 PBL cases, five were converted to video-enhanced cases and five were kept as paper-based, “traditional” cases. “Micro” videos were used to introduce clinical scenarios, augmented …

Use Of Intraarticular Injections Of Platelet-Rich Plasma In The Treatment Of Knee Osteoarthritis: A Review Article, Naveed Baloch, Obada Hasan, Zain Baig, Umme-E-Hani Abdullah, Mohammad Atif, Hiroshi Ohuchi

Section of Orthopaedic Surgery

Osteoarthritis is one of the most common degenerative conditions affecting knee joint. As our understanding in the disease pathogenesis is evolving, so do the treatment modalities. One of the postulated mechanisms suggests the production of inflammatory cytokines secondary to repeated micro trauma than in turn lead to cartilage damage overtime. Cartilage being avascular structure has limited potential for repair. Based on this, recent studies have been focusing on stimulating cartilage-healing process by growth factors. This is where platelet-rich plasma comes in to light. Literature is showing promising results of platelet-rich plasma in treating knee osteoarthritis. In this review we have …

Blended Learning Mediated Fostering Of Students’ Engagement In An Undergraduate Medical Education Module, Lena Jafri, Hafsa Majid, Salman Siddiqi, Najmul Islam, Faraz Khurshid

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Introduction: The study investigated students’ perception of introducing blended learning strategies to engage and motivate them towards lecture halls and Problem Based Learning (PBL) sessions for improving the quality of the overall students’ learning experience.
Methods: A prospective study was conducted at the Aga Khan University Medical College involving a total of one hundred four (104) year II medical students for the Endocrine and Reproduction module in the academic year 2018. This module ran for six weeks. Modifications in teaching methods were made for this module introduced after approval from Endocrine & Reproduction module, year II and curriculum committees. Written …

Needs Assessment Regarding Occupational Health And Safety Interventions Among Textile Workers: A Qualitative Case Study In Karachi, Pakistan, Numan Hussain, Muhammad Masood Kadir, Asaad Ahmed Nafees, Rozina Karmaliani, Tanzil Jamali

Community Health Sciences

Objective: To determine the perceived health and safety needs identified by textile workers, managers and experts as well as direct observation of the prevailing health and safety practices in the textile industry.
Methods: The qualitative study using the needs assessment conceptual framework was conducted in July-August 2015 in Karachi, and comprised focus group discussions with textile workers, in-depth interviews with factory managers and health and safety officers, and key informant interviews with relevant stakeholders and experts. A walk-through survey was also conducted in selected mills for which the Checklist of hazards in textiles was used.
Results: A total of 6focus …