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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Fsh/Lh Ratio In Females And Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection, Rehana Rehman, Hareem Syed, Najeeha Talat Iqbal, Sara Arif, Saeeda Sheharyar Dec 2015

Fsh/Lh Ratio In Females And Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection, Rehana Rehman, Hareem Syed, Najeeha Talat Iqbal, Sara Arif, Saeeda Sheharyar

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

Objective: To observe the effect of follicle stimulating hormone-luteinizing hormone ratio on oocyte parameters, quality of embryo, implantation and clinical pregnancy rate after intracytoplasmic sperm injection.
Methods: The retrospective study was conducted at a fertility clinic in Islamabad, Pakistan, and comprised data of primary infertile females who underwent intracytoplasmic sperm injection from June 2011 to March 2013. All subjects had duration of infertility more than two years, and age range was 20-40 years. Follicle stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone were estimated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay on day 3 of the cycle and the ratio was calculated. Groups were stratified on …


Effect Of Raised Body Fat On Vitamin D, Leptin And Bone Mass, Syeda Sadia Fatima, Saad Farooq, Maaida Asif Tauni, Omar Irfan, Faiza Alam Dec 2015

Effect Of Raised Body Fat On Vitamin D, Leptin And Bone Mass, Syeda Sadia Fatima, Saad Farooq, Maaida Asif Tauni, Omar Irfan, Faiza Alam

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

Objective: To estimate leptin, vitamin D and bone mineral density levels in individuals with high fat mass, and to assess any correlation.Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted at the Basic Medical Sciences Institute, Jinnah Post Graduate Medical Centre, Karachi, and Aga Khan University, Karachi, from August 2012 to July 2014, and comprised healthy male volunteers between the ages of 18-60 years. Body fat percentage was determined using bioelectrical impedance analysis and the participants were classified as: Group A (15-21.9); Group B (22-27.9); and Group C ( > 28). Bone mineral density was calculated by ultrasound bone densitometer (T-score between +1 and …


Short Communication: Lack Of Association Between Mthfr Gene Polymorphisms And Response To Methotrexate Treatment In Pakistani Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis, Mohammad Perwaiz Iqbal, Azra Arif Ali, Naseema Mehboobali, Khalida Iqbal Sep 2015

Short Communication: Lack Of Association Between Mthfr Gene Polymorphisms And Response To Methotrexate Treatment In Pakistani Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis, Mohammad Perwaiz Iqbal, Azra Arif Ali, Naseema Mehboobali, Khalida Iqbal

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene polymorphisms have been reported to be associated with response to methotrexate (MTX) in certain populations of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). This study aims at investigating any relationship of two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in MTHFR gene, C677T and A1298C with response to therapy with MTX in Pakistani RA patients. Allelic frequencies of the two polymorphisms (C677T and A1298C) were determined in 67 RA patients (9 males and 58 females; mean age 42.87 ± 13.5 years) who had previously participated in a prospective clinical trial. Fifty-one patients had received MTX and were followed up for response …


Producing Financially Literate Medical Graduates -- A National Need For A Brighter Pakistan, Rehana Rehman, Shah Jahan Katpar, Mehwish Hussain, Rakhshaan Khan Aug 2015

Producing Financially Literate Medical Graduates -- A National Need For A Brighter Pakistan, Rehana Rehman, Shah Jahan Katpar, Mehwish Hussain, Rakhshaan Khan

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

Objective: To compare the awareness of financial wellness between male and female medical students.Methods: The cross-sectional questionnaire-based survey was conducted from February to December 2011 and comprised first year medical students belonging to different medical colleges of Karachi. Students from both genders, aged 19-24 years, belonging to all ethnic groups willing to participate were included. A close-ended questionnaire evaluated aspects of financial wellness, using four-point Likert's scale: never, sometimes, mostly, and always from 0 to 4. Besides, factor analysis was performed to investigate common financial wellness among the participants.Results: Of the total 800 students approached, complete responses were received from …


Thyroxine Replacement In Patients On Parenteral Nutrition: A Clinical Conundrum, Abdul Rehman, Noor Ul-Ain Baloch, Muhammad Awais Jun 2015

Thyroxine Replacement In Patients On Parenteral Nutrition: A Clinical Conundrum, Abdul Rehman, Noor Ul-Ain Baloch, Muhammad Awais

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

No abstract provided.


The Artificial Divide Between Biomedical Sciences And Clinical Medicine In Undergraduate Medical Education, Abdul Rehman, Noor Ul-Ain Baloch, Muhammad Awais Feb 2015

The Artificial Divide Between Biomedical Sciences And Clinical Medicine In Undergraduate Medical Education, Abdul Rehman, Noor Ul-Ain Baloch, Muhammad Awais

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

No abstract provided.


Cellulose Degradation: A Therapeutic Strategy In The Improved Treatment Of Acanthamoeba Infections, Sahreena Lakhundi, Ruqaiyyah Siddiqui, Naveed Ahmed Khan Jan 2015

Cellulose Degradation: A Therapeutic Strategy In The Improved Treatment Of Acanthamoeba Infections, Sahreena Lakhundi, Ruqaiyyah Siddiqui, Naveed Ahmed Khan

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

Acanthamoeba is an opportunistic free-living amoeba that can cause blinding keratitis and fatal brain infection. Early diagnosis, followed by aggressive treatment is a pre-requisite in the successful treatment but even then the prognosis remains poor. A major drawback during the course of treatment is the ability of the amoeba to enclose itself within a shell (a process known as encystment), making it resistant to chemotherapeutic agents. As the cyst wall is partly made of cellulose, thus cellulose degradation offers a potential therapeutic strategy in the effective targeting of trophozoite encased within the cyst walls. Here, we present a comprehensive report …


How Pakistan's Media Spreads The Message About Reproductive And Sexual Health, Syed H. Abidi, Muhammad Raees, Syed Ali Jan 2015

How Pakistan's Media Spreads The Message About Reproductive And Sexual Health, Syed H. Abidi, Muhammad Raees, Syed Ali

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

Abstract, issue, and pagination are not provided by the author/publisher


Severe Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome Complicated By Stenotrophomonas Maltophilia Peritonitis: A Case Report And Literature Review, Abdul Rehman, Noor Ul-Ain Baloch, Muhammad Awais Jan 2015

Severe Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome Complicated By Stenotrophomonas Maltophilia Peritonitis: A Case Report And Literature Review, Abdul Rehman, Noor Ul-Ain Baloch, Muhammad Awais

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) is an iatrogenic disorder resulting from ovulation induction. Although the occurrence of this disorder is rare, it can be potentially life-threatening in its most severe forms. We herein present the case of a young nulliparous woman who presented with features of abdominal compartment syndrome and was subsequently diagnosed with severe OHSS. All physicians, in particular critical care doctors, must be aware of this rare, but potentially life-threatening iatrogenic disorder.


Stress Management In Cyst-Forming Free-Living Protists: Programmed Cell Death And/Or Encystment, Naveed Ahmed Khan, Junaid Iqbal, Ruqaiyyah Siddiqui Jan 2015

Stress Management In Cyst-Forming Free-Living Protists: Programmed Cell Death And/Or Encystment, Naveed Ahmed Khan, Junaid Iqbal, Ruqaiyyah Siddiqui

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

In the face of harsh conditions and given a choice, a cell may (i) undergo programmed cell death, (ii) transform into a cancer cell, or (iii) enclose itself into a cyst form. In metazoans, the available evidence suggests that cellular machinery exists only to execute or avoid programmed cell death, while the ability to form a cyst was either lost or never developed. For cyst-forming free-living protists, here we pose the question whether the ability to encyst was gained at the expense of the programmed cell death or both functions coexist to counter unfavorable environmental conditions with mutually exclusive phenotypes.


Prevalence Of Obesity And Overweight, Its Clinical Markers And Associated Factors In A High Risk South-Asian Population, Faridah Amin, Syeda Sadia Fatima, Najmul Islam, Anwar H. Gilani Jan 2015

Prevalence Of Obesity And Overweight, Its Clinical Markers And Associated Factors In A High Risk South-Asian Population, Faridah Amin, Syeda Sadia Fatima, Najmul Islam, Anwar H. Gilani

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

Background: Obesity is a global epidemic, which is a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases and metabolic abnormalities. It is measured by body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), waist-hip ratio (WHR), body fat (BF) distribution and abdominal fat mass, each having its own merits and limitations. Variability in body composition between ethnic groups in South-Asians is significant and may not be truly reflected by BMI alone, which may result in misclassification. This study therefore, aims to determine the frequency of obesity, body fat composition and distribution, in a high risk population of an urban slum of Karachi, Pakistan. This survey …


Increased Body Mass Index May Lead To Hyperferritinemia Irrespective Of Body Iron Stores, Faiza Alam, Abdul Shakoor Memon, Syeda Sadia Fatima Jan 2015

Increased Body Mass Index May Lead To Hyperferritinemia Irrespective Of Body Iron Stores, Faiza Alam, Abdul Shakoor Memon, Syeda Sadia Fatima

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

Objective: Obesity causes subclinical inflammation which results in the secretion of various bioactive peptides that are key players in metabolic regulation of iron homeostasis. We sought to establish correlation of one such peptide (ferritin) with marker of subclinical inflammation (CRP) in various BMI.
Methods: Total 150 subjects between the ages of 20-60 years were included in the cross-sectional study conducted at Basic Medical Sciences Institute, Jinnah Post Graduate Medical Centre, Karachi, Pakistan. Body Mass Index (BMI) was calculated by weight (kg) /height (m(2)). The given values were used as reference for Group A: normal weight (18.0-22.9 kg/m2), Group B: overweight …