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Retraction Notice, Editorial Team Pjns

Pakistan Journal of Neurological Sciences (PJNS)

Retraction Notice

Khan MI, Khan JI, Ahmed SI, Ali S. The epidemiology of stroke in a developing country (Pakistan). Pak J Neurol Sci. 2018;13(3):30-44.

A reader brought to our attention that the article titled “The epidemiology of stroke in a developing country (Pakistan)”, published in Volume 13, Issue 3, of Pakistan Journal of Neurological Sciences (PJNS) was a redundant (duplicate) publication. We investigated this complaint and found out that prior to its submission to PJNS on February 11 2018, this article had already been published almost verbatim in Journal of Neurology & Stroke on January 23, 2018.

Assessment Of Cardiac, Vascular, And Pulmonary Pathobiology In Vivo During Acute Covid‐19, Shirjel R. Alam, Sudhir Vinayak, Adeel Shah, Jeilan Mohamed, Redemptar Kimeu, Felix Riunga, Sylvia Gachoka, Rodney Adam, Mariah Obino, Khalid Makhdomi, Kevin Ombati, Edward Nganga, Samuel Gitau

Imaging & Diagnostic Radiology, East Africa

Background: Acute COVID‐19–related myocardial, pulmonary, and vascular pathology and how these relate to each other remain unclear. To our knowledge, no studies have used complementary imaging techniques, including molecular imaging, to elucidate this. We used multimodality imaging and biochemical sampling in vivo to identify the pathobiology of acute COVID‐19. Specifically, we investigated the presence of myocardial inflammation and its association with coronary artery disease, systemic vasculitis, and pneumonitis.

Methods and Results: Consecutive patients presenting with acute COVID‐19 were prospectively recruited during hospital admission in this cross‐sectional study. Imaging involved computed tomography coronary angiography (identified coronary disease), cardiac 2‐deoxy‐2‐[fluorine‐18]fluoro‐D‐glucose positron emission …

A Call For Prudent Taxation Of Cannabis Corporates To Fund Mental Health Programmes, Cyprian Mostert, Jasmit Shah, Lukoye Atwoli, Zul Merali, Manasi Kumar

Brain and Mind Institute

Cannabis consumption increases the incidence of psychotic disorders, violence, and cognitive impairments [1]. Governments need to implement progressive tax legislation, such as that which requires the cannabis sector to accept responsibility and account for its contribution to the worsening of these mental health conditions in developing countries. Excise taxes are rarely imposed on the cannabis sector [2], despite the lucrative wealth amassed by this industry. For example, current estimates show that the global cannabis sector was valued at $25 billion in 2021 and is projected to reach $176 billion by 2030, driven solely by cannabis inhalation demands [3]. The projected …

Factors Shaping Good And Poor Nurse-Client Relationships In Maternal And Child Care: A Qualitative Study In Rural Tanzania, Kahabi Isangula, Eunice Pallangyo, Columba Mbekenga, Eunice Ndirangu, Constance Shumba

School of Nursing & Midwifery, East Africa

Background: Evidence indicates that poor nurse‐client relationships within maternal and child health (MCH) continues to impact trust in formal healthcare systems, service uptake, continuity with care and MCH outcomes. This necessitates contextualized innovative solutions that places both nurses and clients at the forefront as agents of change in optimizing intervention designs and implementation. This study explored nurses and clients’ perspectives on the factors shaping nurse‐client relationships in MCH care to generate evidence to guide subsequent steps of human centered design (HCD) that involve designing effective strategies for improving therapeutic relationships in Shinyanga, Tanzania.

Methods: Qualitative descriptive design was …

Unit Knowledge And Practice Of Emergency Nursing Interventions At A Tertiary Public Cardiac Health Center In Uganda, Harriet Namukwaya, Cliff Asher Aliga, Grace Nakate, Judith Mutyabule

School of Nursing & Midwifery, East Africa

Background: Research suggests that many of the millions of deaths and long-term disabilities resulting from acute cardiovascular events and other emergency conditions are preventable if effective emergency care services were readily available. Effective emergency care requires trained and competent staff, including registered nurses. Most educational pathways do not adequately prepare nurses to deliver sensitive health care services for those with acute illness and injury. This includes Uganda, where few capacity-building initiatives have targeted emergency nursing care delivery, leading to knowledge and practice gaps.

Purpose: This study aimed to assess emergency nursing knowledge and clinical practice at a tertiary …

Resilience: Key Factors Associated With Resilience Of Older People In Botswana, Magen Mhaka-Mutepfa, Sheila Shaibu

School of Nursing & Midwifery, East Africa

This study aims to determine key factors that predict resilience in older people. A cross-sectional design and quantitative methods were used for this study. Four districts were selected in Botswana using cluster random sampling. Data on resilience from 378 older adults aged 60 years+ [Mean Age (SD) = 71.1(9.0)] was collected using snowballing technique. Data on socio-demographics, protective and risk factors were also collected from urban and rural areas. CHAID (Chi-squared Automatic Interaction Detection) analysis was used to predict the strengths of the relationships among resilience and all predictor variables because the data were skewed. Five major predictor …

Preadmission Testing For Covid-19 As A Screening Strategy: A Retrospective Chart Review From A Tertiary Hospital In Kenya, David Odada, James Ndai, Jemimah Kimeu, Jasmit Shah, Reena Shah

School of Nursing & Midwifery, East Africa

Background: Since COVID-19 was declared a pandemic in March 2020, hospitals and patient care facilities have faced challenges in protecting healthcare workers and patients from being exposed to the infection. The main challenge has been how exposure to COVID-19 can be controlled when asymptomatic patientscan transmit the infection. This study aims to evaluate pre-admission testing of COVID-19 in patients at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi as a screening strategy for understanding, preventing and controlling exposure to COVID-19.

Methods: This was a descriptive retrospective chart review study that analysed the incidence of COVID-19, incidental detection of laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 …

The Covid-19 Pandemic And Disruptions To Essential Health Services In Kenya: A Retrospective Time-Series Analysis, Helen Kiarie, Marleen Temmerman, Mutono Nyamai, Nzisa Liku, Wangari Thuo, Violet Oramisi, Lilly Nyaga, Janette Karimi, Phidelis Wamalwa, Gladwell Gatheca

Obstetrics and Gynaecology, East Africa

Background: Public health emergencies can disrupt the provision of and access to essential health-care services, exacerbating health crises. We aimed to assess the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on essential health-care services in Kenya.

Methods: Using county-level data routinely collected from the health information system from health facilities across the country, we used a robust mixed-effect model to examine changes in 17 indicators of essential health services across four periods: the pre-pandemic period (from January, 2018 to February, 2020), two pandemic periods (from March to November 2020, and February to October, 2021), and the period during the COVID-19-associated health-care workers’ …

Exploring The Impact Of Health Worker Strikes On Maternal And Child Health In A Kenyan County, Abdu Mohiddin, Eva Langat, James Orwa, Violet Naanyu, Marleen Temmerman

Obstetrics and Gynaecology, East Africa

Background: Studies of the impact of health care workers’ strikes tend to look at facility-level activity rather than populations, with evidence from low and middle-income countries relatively sparse. This study explored the effect of national strikes on maternal and child health. It looked at the impact on health system activity in both public and non-public sectors (e.g. private, faith-based), on health promotion investments like immunisation, and on disease detection like post-partum haemorrhage (PPH). A 100 day doctors’ strike started in December 2016, a 150 day nurses strike from June 2017 and then the clinical officers for 21 days that …

Symptoms Of Maternal Psychological Distress During Pregnancy: Sex-Specific Effects For Neonatal Morbidity, Sandra J. Weiss, Joseph Musana

Obstetrics and Gynaecology, East Africa

Objectives: Maternal psychological distress during pregnancy has been associated with preterm birth. However, little is known about the relationship of a woman’s psychological symptoms during pregnancy to the infant’s morbidity at birth or any differential effects of these symptoms on female vs. male fetuses. Our research aims addressed these gaps.

Methods: A total of 186 women were enrolled between 24 and 34 weeks gestation when demographic information was acquired and they completed the Brief Symptom Inventory to measure psychological distress. Data on gestational age at birth, fetal sex, and neonatal morbidity was extracted from the medical record. To control for …

Prevalence, Distribution, And Histopathological Features Of Malignant Tumors Reported At Tertiary Level In Afghanistan: A 3-Year Study, Haider Ali Malakzai, Ahmed Maseh Haidary, Saleema A. Gulzar, Mujtaba Haidari, Abdul Sami Ibrahimkhil, Ramin Saadaat, Ahmadullah Hakimi, Sayed Murtaza Sadat Hofiani, Soma Rahmani, Jamshid Abdul Ghafar

School of Nursing & Midwifery

Purpose: Cancer is one of the leading causes of mortality and morbidity, and therefore, tremendous research work is continuously being done around the world with consideration of etiopathogenesis as well as identification of therapeutic targets. Decades of continuous war in Afghanistan has left the medical infrastructure of the country in a miserable situation. There is a serious deficiency in research work in the fields of pathology and oncology at the moment with minimal data available to elaborate about the demographic characteristics of various malignant disorders in the country, which would be indispensable to pave the way for further research and …

Are Women With Disabilities Less Likely To Utilize Essential Maternal And Reproductive Health Services?-A Secondary Analysis Of Pakistan Demographic Health Survey, Shafaq Mahmood, Waqas Hameed, Sameen Siddiqi

Community Health Sciences

Background: People with disabilities deal with widespread exclusion from healthcare services, including sexual and reproductive health (SRH) rights. Studies analyzing the relationship between disability and key SRH utilization outcomes have often reported mixed findings. In Pakistan, very little to no literature is available on this topic, therefore we aim to determine inequalities in the utilization of essential maternal and reproductive health services between women with and without disabilities in Pakistan.
Methods: This was a secondary analysis of Pakistan Demographic Health Survey 2017-18 performed on a weighted sample of 6,711 women aged 15-49 years with a live birth in the 5 …

Association Of Respiratory Symptoms And Lung Function With Occupation In The Multinational Burden Of Obstructive Lung Disease (Bold) Study, Jate Ratanachina, Andre F S Amara, Sara De Matteis, Herve Lawin, Kevin Mortimer, Daniel O. Obaseki, Imed Harrabi, Meriam Denguezli, Emiel F M Wouters, Asaad Ahmed Nafees

Community Health Sciences

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease has been associated with exposures in the workplace. We aimed to assess the association of respiratory symptoms and lung function with occupation in the Burden of Obstructive Lung Disease study. We analysed cross-sectional data from 28,823 adults (≥40 years) in 34 countries. Eleven occupations were considered and grouped by likelihood of exposure to organic dusts, inorganic dusts and fumes. The association of chronic cough, chronic phlegm, wheeze, dyspnoea, FEV1/FVC and FVC with occupation was assessed, per study site, using multivariable regression. These estimates were then meta-analysed. Sensitivity analyses explored differences between sexes and gross national income …

Igg Antibodies To Sars-Cov-2 In Asymptomatic Blood Donors At Two Time Points In Karachi, Muhammad Hasan, Bushra Moiz, Shama Qaiser, Kiran I. Masood, Zara Ghous, Areeba Hussain, Natasha Bahadur Ali, Syed Hani Abidi, Kulsoom Ghias, Erum Khan, Zahra Hasan

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Introduction: An estimated 1.5 million cases were reported in Pakistan until 23 March, 2022. However, SARS-CoV-2 PCR testing capacity has been limited and the incidence of COVID-19 infections is unknown. Volunteer healthy blood donors can be a control population for assessment of SARS-CoV-2 exposure in the population. We determined COVID-19 seroprevalence during the second pandemic wave in Karachi in donors without known infections or symptoms in 4 weeks prior to enrollment.
Materials and methods: We enrolled 558 healthy blood donors at the Aga Khan University Hospital between December 2020 and February 2021. ABO blood groups were determined. Serum IgG reactivity …

Immunohistochemical Detection And Prognostic Significance Of P53, Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor, Murine Double Minute 2, And Isocitrate Dehydrogenase 1 In Glioblastoma Multiforme Patients Of Pakistan, Syed Muhammad Adnan Ali, Muhammad Shahzad Shamim, Syed Ather Enam, Zubair Ahmad, Yumna Adnan, Hasnain Ahmed Farooqui

Department of Surgery Docs

Introduction: Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is one of the deadliest cranial tumors occurring in adults. Various biomarkers have been tested for their significance in diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of GBM. Some well-studied markers in GBM are Isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1), Murine double minute 2 (MDM2), Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR), and p53. The aim of this study was to investigate the protein expression of these markers in GBM patients of Pakistan.
Methods: A total of 102 surgically resected formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded specimens from patients diagnosed and treated at Aga Khan University Hospital were included in this study. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) for IDH1, MDM2, …

'Empty Toe' Phenomenon: A Unique Trauma Case, Sadaf Sheikh, Junaid Khan, Rizwan Haroon Rashid

Section of Orthopaedic Surgery

No abstract provided.

Behavioural Support And Nicotine Replacement Therapy For Smokeless Tobacco Cessation: Protocol For A Pilot Randomised-Controlled Multi-Country Trial, Faraz Siddiqui, Linda Bauld, Ray Croucher, Cath Jackson, Ian Kellar, Mona Kanaan, Subhash Pokhrel, Rumana Huque, Romaina Iqbal, Javaid Ahmed Khan

Community Health Sciences

Background: Smokeless tobacco (ST) is consumed globally by more than 350 million people, with approximately 85% of all users based in South and Southeast Asia. In this region, ST products are cheap and easily accessible. Evidence-based interventions to people quit ST use are lacking. This study aims to test the feasibility of conducting a future definitive trial of ST cessation, using a culturally adapted behavioural intervention, and/or nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) in three South Asian countries.
Methods: We will conduct a factorial design, randomised-controlled pilot trial in Bangladesh, India and Pakistan. Daily ST users will be recruited from primary health …

Practical Approaches To Improve Vancomycin-Related Patient Outcomes In Pediatrics- An Alternative Strategy When Auc/Mic Is Not Feasible, Kashif Hussain, Muhammad Sohail Salat, Shahzad Rauf, Manoj Rathi, Midhat Khan, Fizzah Naz, Wasif Ahmed Khan, Rahila Ikram, Gul Ambreen

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

Background: Anecdotal experience and studies have shown that most pediatric patients fail to reach target therapeutic vancomycin trough levels (VTLs) and required higher total daily doses (TDD). This retrospective study aims to evaluate the frequency of hospitalized children who achieved target VTLs with a vancomycin (VNCO) dosing regimen of 40-60 mg/kg/d q6h and to assess the VNCO-TDD required to attain the target and their effects on clinical outcomes in pediatric patients.
Methods: After ethical approval, patients of 3 month-12 years were evaluated in this chart review study who received ≥ 3 intravenous-VNCO doses and appropriately drawn blood samples of VTLs …

Cmv And Ebv Co-Infection In Hiv-Infected Children: Infection Rates And Analysis Of Differential Expression Of Cytokines In Hiv Mono- And Hiv-Cmv-Ebv Co-Infected Groups, Fizza Nazim, Hammad Afzal Kayani, Aspara Ali Nathwani, Fatima Mir, Syed Hani Abidi

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

Background: CMV and EBV co-infections can affect the HIV disease progression by modulating the immune system. The disease dynamics can differ in HIV-positive adults and children. In Pakistan, HIV is rapidly expanding, especially in children; however, the prevalence of CMV and EBV co-infection and the effect on immune modulation in HIV-positive children are not known. This study aimed to bridge this gap by estimating the rate of active CMV and EBV co-infection in HIV-positive children, followed by the analysis of differential expression of cytokines in HIV mono- and HIV/CMV/EBV co-infected children.
Methods: DNA samples from 319 HIV-positive children, previously recruited …

Barriers And Facilitators To Exclusive Breastfeeding In Rural Pakistan: A Qualitative Exploratory Study, Atif Riaz, Shelina Bhamani, Sheraz Ahmed, Fayyaz Umrani, Sadaf Jakhro, Abdul Khaliq Qureshi, Syed Asad Ali

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

Background: Exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) of children until six months of age is considered one of the most critical interventions in tackling childhood undernutrition. EBF rates are suboptimal in Pakistan, particularly in rural areas where child undernutrition is most prevalent. This study aimed to explore barriers to EBF in a rural context of Pakistan.
Methods: The study was conducted in the rural district Matiari of Sindh, Pakistan, during Jan-March 2020. We used a qualitative exploratory study design and conducted 36 focus group discussions (FGDs). Participants were purposively selected mothers who had not practiced EBF during their previous childbirth, their spouses and …

Omicron Spike Function And Neutralizing Activity Elicited By A Comprehensive Panel Of Vaccines, John E. Bowen, Amin Addetia, Ha V Dang, Cameron Stewart, Jack T. Brown, William K. Sharkey, Kaitlin R. Sprouse, Kumail Ahmed, Asefa Shariq Ansari, Najeeha Talat Iqbal

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Omicron variant of concern comprises several sublineages, with BA.2 and BA.2.12.1 having replaced the previously dominant BA.1 and with BA.4 and BA.5 increasing in prevalence worldwide. We show that the large number of Omicron sublineage spike mutations leads to enhanced angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) binding, reduced fusogenicity, and severe dampening of plasma neutralizing activity elicited by infection or seven clinical vaccines relative to the ancestral virus. Administration of a homologous or heterologous booster based on the Wuhan-Hu-1 spike sequence markedly increased neutralizing antibody titers and breadth against BA.1, BA.2, BA.2.12.1, BA.4, and …

Leveraging Clinical Digitized Data To Understand Temporal Characteristics And Outcomes Of Acute Myocardial Infarctions At A Tertiary Care Medical Centre In Pakistan From 1988-2018 - Methods And Results, Zainab Samad, Ali Aahil Noorali, Awais Farhad, Safia Awan, Nada Qaiser Qureshi, Mushyada Ali, Laiba Masood, Ghurfan Adnan, Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta, Javed Tai

Section of Cardiology

Background and objective: Few data exist on trends in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patterns spanning recent epidemiological shifts in low middle-income countries (LMICs). To understand temporal disease patterns of AMI characteristics and outcomes between 1988-2018, we used digitized legacy clinical data at a large tertiary care centre in Pakistan.
Methods: We reviewed digital health information capture systems maintained across the Aga Khan University Hospital and obtained structured elements to create a master dataset. We included index admissions of patients >18 years that were discharged between January 1, 1988, and December 31, 2018, with a primary discharge diagnosis of AMI (using …

The Global Network Socioeconomic Status Index As A Predictor Of Stillbirths, Perinatal Mortality, And Neonatal Mortality In Rural Communities In Low And Lower Middle Income Country Sites Of The Global Network For Women's And Children's Health Research, Archana B. Patel, Carla M. Bann, Cherryl S. Kolhe, Adrien Lokangaka, Antoinette Tshefu, Melissa Bauserman, Lester Figueroa, Nancy F. Krebs, Fabian Esamai, Sarah Saleem

Community Health Sciences

Background: Globally, socioeconomic status (SES) is an important health determinant across a range of health conditions and diseases. However, measuring SES within low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) can be particularly challenging given the variation and diversity of LMIC populations.
Objective: The current study investigates whether maternal SES as assessed by the newly developed Global Network-SES Index is associated with pregnancy outcomes (stillbirths, perinatal mortality, and neonatal mortality) in six LMICs: Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guatemala, India, Kenya, Pakistan, and Zambia.
Methods: The analysis included data from 87,923 women enrolled in the Maternal and Newborn Health Registry of the NICHD-funded …

Association Between The Baseline Gene Expression Profile In Periapical Granuloma And Periapical Wound Healing After Surgical Endodontic Treatment, Muhammad Adeel Ahmed, Fizza Nazim, Khalid Ahmed, Muhammad Furqan Bari, Abdulaziz Abdulwahed, Ahmed A. Almokhatieb, Yaseen Alalvi, Tariq Abduljabbar, Muhammad Nouman Mughal, Syed Hani Abidi

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

In this study, we have investigated the association between the baseline gene expression profile in periapical granuloma and periapical wound healing after surgical endodontic treatment. Twenty-seven patients aged between 15 and 57 years underwent periapical surgery. The retrieved periapical tissue sample was used for mRNA expression analysis of COL1A1, VTN, ITGA5, IL-4, TNF, ANGPT, VEGFA, and CTGF. All patients were recalled after 6 and 12 months for periapical healing evaluation. Healing was then correlated with baseline gene expression. Healing was observed in 15 patients at the end of 6 months, which increased to 21 patients after 12 months. Six patients …

Covad Survey 2 Long-Term Outcomes: Unmet Need And Protocol, Zoha Zahid Fazal, Parikshit Sen, Mrudula Joshi, Naveen Ravichandran, James B. Lilleker, Vishwesh Agarwal, Sinan Kardes, Minchul Kim, Jessica Day, Ashima Makol

Medical College Documents

Vaccine hesitancy is considered a major barrier to achieving herd immunity against COVID-19. While multiple alternative and synergistic approaches including heterologous vaccination, booster doses, and antiviral drugs have been developed, equitable vaccine uptake remains the foremost strategy to manage pandemic. Although none of the currently approved vaccines are live-attenuated, several reports of disease flares, waning protection, and acute-onset syndromes have emerged as short-term adverse events after vaccination. Hence, scientific literature falls short when discussing potential long-term effects in vulnerable cohorts. The COVAD-2 survey follows on from the baseline COVAD-1 survey with the aim to collect patient-reported data on the long-term …

Hypertension In Women: A South-Asian Perspective, Fatima Farrukh, Amin Abbasi, Misbah Jawed, Aysha Almas, Tazeen Jafar, Salim S. Virani, Zainab Samad

Medical College Documents

Introduction: Hypertension is an important contributor to cardiovascular disease related morbidity and mortality. Despite the magnitude of its negative impact on cardiovascular outcomes, treatment and control of hypertension remain suboptimal in both men and women.
Materials and methods: Numerous databases, i.e., PubMed, ScienceDirect, etc., were searched using keywords to identify relevant studies to our narrative review. The findings from the most pertinent articles were summarized and integrated into our narrative review on hypertension in women.
Results: The pathophysiology of essential hypertension is still being delineated in both men and women; there are multiple sex specific factors in association with the …

Esophageal Carcinoma And Associated Risk Factors: A Case-Control Study In Two Tertiary Care Hospitals Of Kabul, Afghanistan, Ramin Saadaat, Jamshid Abdul-Ghafar, Ahmed Maseh Haidary, Nooria Atta, Tazeen Saeed Ali

Community Health Sciences

Purpose: Esophageal cancer (EC) is the most common cancer among males in Afghanistan, thus we aimed to conduct a case-control study to determine the associated risk factors with EC in two tertiary care hospitals of Kabul, Afghanistan.
Patients and methods: We enrolled 132 EC cases and 132 controls and used conditional logistic regression to estimate the odds ratio (OR) with consideration of 95% confidence interval (CI).
Results: The results of our study revealed that esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) was the predominant type of EC constituting 75.8% of the cases. The results of the multivariate logistic analysis showed that males …

Continuum Of Maternal And Newborn Health In Sierra Leone: A 2019 National Survey, Quraish Sserwanja, Mutisya M. Linet, Lilian Nuwabaine, Kassim Kamara, Ronald Mutebi, Milton W. Musaba

School of Nursing & Midwifery, East Africa

Introduction

Globally, Sierra Leone has some of the worst maternal and child health indicators. The situation is worsened by a dearth of evidence about the level of continuum of care, an evidence-based intervention aimed at reducing maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. Hence this study aimed to assess the level of and factors associated with continuum of maternal and newborn care in Sierra Leone.

Method

This study analyzed secondary data from the 2019 Sierra Leone Demographic Health Survey. Analysis was restricted to women who had a live birth in the 5 years preceding the survey (n = 7326). Complete …

Psychometric Properties Of The Urdu Version Of The Eortc Qlq-H&N35 (European Organization For Research And Treatment Of Cancer Head And Neck Module) Quality Of Life Tool, Nida Zahid, Russell Seth Martins, Wajeeha Zahid, Iqbal Azam Syed, Mubasher Ikram, Aneesa Hassan, Shireen Shehzad Bhamani, Adnan Abdul Jabbar, Nargis Asad, Shabbir Akhtar, Moghira Iqbaluddin Siddiqui, Mohammad Sohail Awan, Khabir Ahmad

Department of Surgery Docs

Background: We translated and validated the Urdu version of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life (QoL) Questionnaire's Head and Neck (H&N) Cancer Module (EORTC QLQ-H&N35) and assessed its convergent and discriminant validity by examining correlations of QoL with depression, anxiety, and resilience.
Methods: We translated the EORTC QLQ-H&N35 according to EORTC instructions. Patients at a tertiary care hospital in Pakistan completed a survey consisting of Urdu versions of EORTC QLQ-C30 (core QoL tool), QLQ-H&N35, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and Wagnild and Young Resilience Scale (RS-14). Content validity, convergent validity, discriminant validity, and reliability …

Neither Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes Nor Cytotoxic T Cells Predict Enhanced Benefit From Chemotherapy In The Dbcg77b Phase Iii Clinical Trial, Elahe Shenasa, Elisabeth Specht Stovgaard, Maj-Britt Jensen, Karama Asleh, Nazia Riaz, Dongxia Gao, Samuel Leung, Bent Ejlertsen, Anne-Vibeke Laenkholm, Torsten O. Nielsen

Section of General Surgery

Recent studies have shown that immune infiltrates in the tumor microenvironment play a role in response to therapy, with some suggesting that patients with immunogenic tumors may receive increased benefit from chemotherapies. We evaluated this hypothesis in early breast cancer by testing the interaction between immune biomarkers and chemotherapy using materials from DBCG77B, a phase III clinical trial where high-risk premenopausal women were randomized to receive chemotherapy or no chemotherapy. Tissue microarrays were evaluated for tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) assessed morphologically on hematoxylin and eosin-stained slides, and by immunohistochemistry for CD8, FOXP3, LAG-3, PD-1 and PD-L1. Following REMARK reporting guidelines, data …