Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

The Correlation Between Stone Nephrolithometry Score And Hemoglobin Drop In Patients Undergoing Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy, Mohammad Shoaib, Muhibullah Bangash, Basit Salam, Hammad Ather

Section of Urology

Objective: In this study, we aimed to determine the correlation between the STONE score [(S)ize of the stone, (T)opography or location, degree of (O)bstruction of the urinary system, (N)umber of stones, and (E)valuation of Hounsfield units] and postoperative hemoglobin drop in patients undergoing percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL).
Methods: This was a prospective observational study and all adult patients aged 18-65 years undergoing unilateral, single-tract PCNL using 26 Ch. Amplatz sheath for renal calculi were included. The five variables of the STONE nephrolithometry score were calculated prior to the procedure. The stone-free rates were assessed on imaging at four weeks and complications …

Vasopressin In Conjunction With Norepinephrine In Septic Shock: A Retrospective Cohort Study From A Low Middle-Income Country, Hussain Ahmed Raza, Ainan Arshad, Ahmed Ayaz, Mohummad H R. Raja, Fatima Gohar, Maria Khan, Bushra Jamil

Medical College Documents

Objectives: Guidelines recommend use of norepinephrine as the first-line treatment for fluid-refractory septic shock and if septic shock persists vasopressin may be initiated. Since there are limited data from low middle-income countries with high disease burden of sepsis, we aimed to compare the outcomes of using vasopressin adjunct to norepinephrine in comparison with norepinephrine alone.
Design: Retrospective cohort study.
Setting: Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan.
Patients: Six-hundred fifty-three patients diagnosed with septic shock from January 2019 to December 2019, with 498 given norepinephrine only and 155 given norepinephrine-vasopressin combination.
Interventions: None.
Measurements and main results: Primary outcome was in-hospital …

Relationship Of Spot Urine Oxalate To Creatinine Ratio And 24 Hours Urinary Oxalate Excretion In Patients With Urolithiasis, Syed Bilal Hashmi, Lena Jafri, Hafsa Majid, Jamsheer Jehangir Talati, Wajahat Aziz, Aysha Habib Khan

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Background: The evaluation of 24 h urinary oxalate excretion is the gold standard for diagnosing hyperoxaluria in patients with recurrent urolithiasis. However, 24 h urine sample collection is cumbersome. Therefore we aim to see if oxalate to creatinine ratio in random urine sample can be used as an alternative.
Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at Section of Chemical Pathology, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Aga Khan University Karachi from 1st February to December 31, 2019. A total of 62 adult patients, 18-60 years of age with history of kidney stones presenting to the clinical laboratory for …

Simulator-Based Ultrasound Training For Identification Of Endotracheal Tube Placement In A Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Using Point Of Care Ultrasound, Khushboo Qaim Ali, Sajid Bashir Soofi, Ali Shabbir Hussain, Uzair Ansari, Shaun Morris, Mark Oliver Tessaro, Shabina Ariff, Hasan Merali

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

Background: Simulators are an extensively utilized teaching tool in clinical settings. Simulation enables learners to practice and improve their skills in a safe and controlled environment before using these skills on patients. We evaluated the effect of a training session utilizing a novel intubation ultrasound simulator on the accuracy of provider detection of tracheal versus esophageal neonatal endotracheal tube (ETT) placement using point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS). We also investigated whether the time to POCUS image interpretation decreased with repeated simulator attempts.
Methods: Sixty neonatal health care providers participated in a three-hour simulator-based training session in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) …

Intracranial Mesenchymal Tumor With Fet-Creb Fusion - A Unifying Diagnosis For The Spectrum Of Intracranial Myxoid Mesenchymal Tumors And Angiomatoid Fibrous Histiocytoma-Like Neoplasms, Emily A. Sloan, Jason Chiang, Javier E. Villanueva-Meyer, Sanda Alexandrescu, Jennifer M. Eschbacher, Wesley Wang, Manuela Mafra, Nasir Ud Din, Emily Carr-Boy, Michael Watson

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Intracranial mesenchymal tumors with FET-CREB fusions are a recently described group of neoplasms in children and young adults characterized by fusion of a FET family gene (usually EWSR1, but rarely FUS) to a CREB family transcription factor (ATF1, CREB1, or CREM), and have been variously termed intracranial angiomatoid fibrous histiocytoma or intracranial myxoid mesenchymal tumor. The clinical outcomes, histologic features, and genomic landscape are not well defined. Here we studied twenty patients with intracranial mesenchymal tumors proven to harbor FET-CREB fusion by next-generation sequencing (NGS). The 16 female and 4 male patients had a median age of 14 years (range …

Predictive Modeling For Perinatal Mortality In Resource-Limited Settings, Vivek V. Shukla, Barry Eggleston, Namasivayam Ambalavanan, Elizabeth M. Mcclure, Musaku Mwenechanya, Elwyn Chomba, Carl Bose, Melissa Bauserman, Antoinette Tshefu, Sarah Saleem

Community Health Sciences

Importance: The overwhelming majority of fetal and neonatal deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries. Fetal and neonatal risk assessment tools may be useful to predict the risk of death.
Objective: To develop risk prediction models for intrapartum stillbirth and neonatal death.
Design, setting, and participants: This cohort study used data from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Global Network for Women's and Children's Health Research population-based vital registry, including clinical sites in South Asia (India and Pakistan), Africa (Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia, and Kenya), and Latin America (Guatemala). A total of 502 …

Associations Between Household-Level Exposures And All-Cause Diarrhea And Pathogen-Specific Enteric Infections In Children Enrolled In Five Sentinel Surveillance Studies, Josh M. Colston, Abu S G. Faruque, M Jahangir Hossain, Debasish Saha, Suman Kanungo, Inácio Mandomando, Muhammad Imran Nisar, Anita K. M. Zaidi, Richard Omore, Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

Diarrheal disease remains a major cause of childhood mortality and morbidity causing poor health and economic outcomes. In low-resource settings, young children are exposed to numerous risk factors for enteric pathogen transmission within their dwellings, though the relative importance of different transmission pathways varies by pathogen species. The objective of this analysis was to model associations between five household-level risk factors-water, sanitation, flooring, caregiver education, and crowding-and infection status for endemic enteric pathogens in children in five surveillance studies. Data were combined from 22 sites in which a total of 58,000 stool samples were tested for 16 specific enteropathogens using …

Telomere Length In Young Patients With Acute Myocardial Infarction Without Conventional Risk Factors: A Pilot Study From A South Asian Population, Mohit D. Gupta, Manjula Miglani, Ankit Bansal, Vardhmaan Jain, Sameer Arora, Sameer Kumar, Salim S. Virani, Ankur Kalra, Rakesh Yadav, Q Pasha

Office of the Provost

Background: There is need to identify novel markers that lead to an early occurrence of myocardial infarction (MI) in young South Asian population. This population has different risk profile as compared with others. Telomere length is known to be a marker of aging, and shorter telomeres have been reported in cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). We aimed to identify the association of telomere length in young nonsmokers and non-diabetic MI patients.
Methods: In a case-control study of 154 subjects (n = 77 cases (ages 18-45 years, non-diabetic, non-smoker patients with MI) and n = 77, age and sex matched healthy controls), DNA …

Sleep And Its Relation With Academic Performance Among Adolescents: An Analytical Cross Sectional Study In Gulshan Town, Karachi, Zainab Mohammad Anjarwala, Niloufer Sultan Ali, Kashmira Nanji, Anum Arshad Beg, Veena Kumari Karmani

Department of Family Medicine

Objective: To determine the prevalence of sleep patterns and their relationship with academic performance among adolescents.
Methods: The analytical cross-sectional study was conducted from March to August 2015 in Gulshan Town of Karachi and comprised students in grades 6 to 8 who were selected from six government and private schools. Data was collected regarding their sleeping time, wake-up time, sleep latency and total sleep duration. Paediatric Daytime Sleepiness Scale was administered to calculate daytime sleepiness. Academic performance of students was taken from school academic records. Data was analysed using SPSS 22.
Results: Of the 440 subjects, 234 (53.2%) were boys …

Validation Of Kiswahili Version Of Hoqolhivbref Questionnaire Among People Living With Hiv/Aids In Tanzania: A Cross-Sectional Study, Nuru Kondo, Tumbwene Mwansisya, Eric Aghan, Riaz Ratansi

Faculty of Health Sciences, East Africa

Background: Quality of life is an important element of surveillance in people living with HIV/AIDS. WHO has developed an HIV specific quality of life tool (WHOQOLHIV-Bref) for assessing Quality of life of HIV individuals. This tool takes into account the different cultural variations that exist worldwide and hence enable assessment of the quality of life across different cultures. Despite its preliminary sound validity and reliability from several studies, the developers recommend it to be validated in different cultures to fully assess its psychometric properties before its adaptation.

Objectives: To evaluate the validity and reliability of WHOQOLHIV-Bref questionnaire in …

State Transition Modeling Of Complex Monitored Health Data, Jörn Schulz, Jan Terje Kvaløy, Kjersti Engan, Trygve Eftestol, Samwel Jatosh, Hussein Kidanto, Hege Ersdal

Faculty of Health Sciences, East Africa

This article considers the analysis of complex monitored health data, where often one or several signals are reflecting the current health status that can be represented by a finite number of states, in addition to a set of covariates. In particular, we consider a novel application of a non-parametric state intensity regression method in order to study time-dependent effects of covariates on the state transition intensities. The method can handle baseline, time varying as well as dynamic covariates. Because of the non-parametric nature, the method can handle different data types and challenges under minimal assumptions. If the signal that is …

Breakout Of Vaping-Associated Lung Injuries (Vali) 2019: A Public Health Threat, Sadaf Sheikh, Muhammad Akbar Baig

Department of Emergency Medicine

No abstract provided.

Peer-Assisted Learning (Pal): An Innovation Aimed At Engaged Learning For Undergraduate Medical Students, Hasan Salman Siddiqi, Rehana Rehman, Farzeen Fatma Syed, Russell S. Martins, Muhammad Talal Ibrahim, Faiza Alam

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of Peer Assisted Learning in teaching at undergraduate level and to assess its effects on Peer Leaders and Peer Learners.
Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted at the Aga Khan University, Karachi, from May to October 2017, and comprised Peer Learners who were trained by faculty members in workshops and pre-run of experiments. Students were divided into two groups; Group A had Peer Learners taught by Peer Leaders, and Group B had those taught by trained lab technologists. Knowledge of the groups was assessed by a quiz using Kahoot. Post-session feedback questionnaires were also filled …

Episiotomy And Its Complications: A Cross Sectional Study In Secondary Care Hospital, Neelofur Babar Khan, Naureen Anjum, Zahra Hoodbhoy, Rabia Khoso

Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology

Episiotomy is a commonly performed procedure at the time of vaginal delivery to prevent perineal lacerations. A study was conducted to evaluate the complications of episiotomy. A sample size of 235 patients was taken. The complications were divided in two groups depending on the time of occurrence after delivery. Out of 235 patients, immediate complications were reported in 10(4.3%) patients. These included perineal tears, postpartum haemorrhage, extended episiotomy, perineal pain, inability to pass urine or stool and vaginal haematoma. Early complications including wound infection, gaping wound and resuturing of wound were reported in 21(8.9%) patients. On multivariate analysis, it was …

Availability And Affordability Of Medicines And Cardiovascular Outcomes In 21 High-Income, Middle-Income And Low-Income Countries, Clara Kayei Chow, Tu Ngoc Nguyen, Simone Marschner, Rafael Diaz, Omar Rahman, Alvaro Avezum, Scott A. Lear, Koon Teo, Karen E. Yeates, Khawar Kazmi

Section of Cardiology

Objectives: We aimed to examine the relationship between access to medicine for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) among people at high risk of CVD in high-income countries (HICs), upper and lower middle-income countries (UMICs, LMICs) and low-income countries (LICs) participating in the Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology (PURE) study.
Methods: We defined high CVD risk as the presence of any of the following: hypertension, coronary artery disease, stroke, smoker, diabetes or age >55 years. Availability and affordability of blood pressure lowering drugs, antiplatelets and statins were obtained from pharmacies. Participants were categorised: group 1-all three drug types …

Inspire : Vol 3, Issue 11, Department Of Medicine

INSPIRE – Department of Medicine Archives

Content

• Message from the Chair
• Medicine at National and International Forums
• In Depth- Section: featuring Dr Asif Imam
• Featured Faculty: Dr. Farhala Baloch “…Remain dedicated, stay persistent and be honest with your goals both here and after…”
• What are Academics Around the World Reading This Month?
• Publications

Health Care Workers’ Perspectives Of The Influences Of Disrespectful Maternity Care In Rural Kenya, Adelaide Lusambili, Stefania Wisofschi, Constance Shumba, Jerim Obure, Kennedy Mulama, Lucy Nyaga, Terrance J. Wade, Marleen Temmerman

Obstetrics and Gynaecology, East Africa

While disrespectful treatment of pregnant women attending health care facilities occurs globally, it is more prevalent in low-resource countries. In Kenya, a large body of research studied disrespectful maternity care (DMC) from the perspective of the service users. This paper examines the perspective of health care workers (HCWs) on factors that influence DMC experienced by pregnant women at health care facilities in rural Kisii and Kilifi counties in Kenya. We conducted 24 in-depth interviews with health care workers (HCWs) in these two sites. Data were analyzed deductively and inductively using NVIVO 12. Findings from HCWs reflective narratives identified four areas …

Scalp Myiasis In An Ulcerated Abscess In A 7-Year Old Child, Abdullah Khan, Faheem Ullah Khan, Jawad Ahmad, Hameed Ullah, Wiqar Ahmad

Department of Radiology

No abstract provided.

Adenoma Detection Rate As A Quality Indicator For Colonoscopy: A Descriptive Cross-Sectional Study From A Tertiary Care Hospital In Pakistan, Mian Shah Yousaf, Shameel Shafqat, Roger Christopher Gill, Asfia Arham Khursheed, Om Parkash

Section of Gastroenterology

Background and study aims: Adenoma detection rate (ADR) is validated for measuring quality of colonoscopy, however there is lack of colorectal cancer (CRC) screening program in South Asia. The purpose of this study is to analyze and review the polyp detection rate (PDR) and ADR and provide insight into the factors that influence them in Pakistan.
Patients and methods: This retrospective, cross-sectional study was performed at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan, on patients ≥ 18 years, who underwent colonoscopy between January 1, 2017 and June 30, 2018.
Results: Of 1985 patients, 59 % were male and 41 % …

Overview Of Antiretropulsion Devices For Prevention Of Inadvertent Stone Migration During Pneumatic Lithotripsy For Ureteric Stone, Ali Akbar Zehri, Miten Patel, Philip Adebayo, Authar Ali

General Surgery, East Africa

The purpose of the present chapter is to provide an update about the use of preventive devices used to stop retrograde stone migration during pneumatic lithotripsy for ureteric stone management. The aim to reduce the cost, ancillary procedure, reduce the operative time and improve the stone free rate. The hunt for ideal cadget to stop retrograde stone migration is still continue in 21 century.

Karachi Cancer Registry (Kcr): Age-Standardized Incidence Rate By Age-Group And Gender In A Mega City Of Pakistan, Shahid Pervez, Adnan Jabbar, Ghulam Haider, Shamvil Ashraf, Muhammad Asif Qureshi, Fouzia Lateef, Imtiaz Bashir, Manzoor Zaidi, Mohammad Khurshid, Mohammad Saeed Quraishy

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Objectives: To estimate the cancer incidence by age group and gender for the population of Karachi Division by analyzing the Karachi Cancer Registry data of 2017-19.
Settings: The population of Karachi division is 16.1 million according to national census 2017. 'Karachi Cancer Registry' which is a part of 'National Cancer Registry' is collecting data from eight major hospitals in Karachi since 2017. For outcome measures, cancer counts and the age standardized incidence rates (ASIR) per 100,000 population were computed for age groups (0-14, 15-19 and ≥20 years), in both genders and all cancer site/type.
Methods: The population denominators were based …

Implementation Of Surgical Site Infection Surveillance In Low- And Middle-Income Countries: A Position Statement For The International Society For Infectious Diseases, Shaheen Mehtar, Anthony Wanyoro, Folasade Ogunsola, Emmanuel A. Ameh, Peter Nthumba, Claire Kilpatrick, Gunturu Revathi, Anastasia Antoniadou, Helen Giamarelou, Anucha Apisarnthanarak

Pathology, East Africa

Surgical site infection (SSI) rates in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) range from 8 to 30% of procedures, making them the most frequent healthcare-acquired infection (HAI) with substantial morbidity, mortality, and economic impacts. Presented here is an approach to surgical site infection prevention based on surveillance and focused on five critical areas identified by international experts. These five areas include 1. Collecting valid, high-quality data; 2. Linking HAIs to economic incapacity, underscoring the need to prioritize infection prevention activities; 3. Implementing SSI surveillance within infection prevention and control (IPC) programs to enact structural changes, develop procedural skills, and alter healthcare …

Adverse Health Effects Associated With Household Air Pollution: A Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis, And Burden Estimation Study, Kuan Ken Lee, Rong Bing, Joanne Kiang, Sophia Bashir, Nicholas Spath, Dominik Stelzle, Kevin Mortimer, Anda Bularga, Dimitrios Doudesis, Michael Chung

Internal Medicine, East Africa

Background: 3 billion people worldwide rely on polluting fuels and technologies for domestic cooking and heating. We estimate the global, regional, and national health burden associated with exposure to household air pollution.

Methods: For the systematic review and meta-analysis, we systematically searched four databases for studies published from database inception to April 2, 2020, that evaluated the risk of adverse cardiorespiratory, paediatric, and maternal outcomes from exposure to household air pollution, compared with no exposure. We used a random-effects model to calculate disease-specific relative risk (RR) meta-estimates. Household air pollution exposure was defined as use of polluting fuels (coal, wood, …

3d - Printed Patient Specific Instrumentation In Corrective Osteotomy Of The Femur And Pelvis: A Review Of The Literature, Njalalle Baraza, Chris Chapman, Sima Zakani, Kishore Mulpuri

General Surgery, East Africa

Background: The paediatric patient population has considerable variation in anatomy. The use of Computed Tomography (CT)-based digital models to design three-dimensionally printed patient specific instrumentation (PSI) has recently been applied for correction of deformity in orthopedic surgery. This review sought to determine the existing application of this technology currently in use within paediatric orthopaedics, and assess the potential benefits that this may provide to patients and surgeons.

Methods: A review was performed of MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CENTRAL for published literature, as well as Web of Science and clinicaltrials.gov for grey literature. The search strategy revolved around the research …

Global Safety In Anaesthesia And Surgery: Implications For Anaesthesia In Pakistan, Fauzia Khan

Department of Anaesthesia

The Lancet Commission report in 2015 highlighted the role of safe surgery and anaesthesia. They also gave a framework of recommendations, indicators and targets to achieve universal access to safe surgery. This article explores the applicability of these indicators in Pakistan namely; access to timely surgery, specialist surgical workforce diversity, surgical volumes, perioperative mortality rate, protection against impoverishing expenditure and protection against catastrophic expenditure.

Reliability And Validity Of The Rs14 In Orphaned And Separated Adolescents And Youths In Western Kenya, Sarah C. Sutherland, Harry S. Shannon, David Ayuku, David L. Streiner, Olli Saarela, Lukoye Atwoli, Paula Braitstein

Internal Medicine, East Africa

Purpose: The 14-item Resilience Scale (RS14) is a tool designed to measure psychological resilience. It has been used effectively in diverse populations. However, its applicability is largely unknown for Sub-Saharan adolescent populations and completely unknown for orphaned and separated adolescents and youths (OSAY), a highly vulnerable population for whom resilience may be critical. This study assesses the RS14's psychometric properties for OSAY in Uasin Gishu County, Kenya.

Methods: Survey responses from a representative sample of 1016 OSAY (51.3% female) aged 10-25 (mean = 16; SD = 3.5) living in institutional and home-based environments in Uasin Gishu County were analyzed. The …

Factors Related To Maternal Adverse Outcomes In Pregnant Women With Cardiac Disease In Low-Resource Settings, Philippe Amubuomombe Poli, Elkanah Omenge, Ann Mwangi, Felix Ayub Barasa

Obstetrics and Gynaecology, East Africa

Background: Cardiac disease is an important life-threatening complication during pregnancy. It is frequently seen in pregnant women living in resource-limited areas and often results in premature death.

Aim: The aim of this hospital-based longitudinal study was to identify factors related to adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes in pregnant women with cardiac disease in low-resource settings.

Methods: The study enrolled 91 pregnant women with congenital or acquired cardiac disease over a period of 2 years in Kenya.

Results: Maternal and early neonatal deaths occurred in 12.2% and 12.6% of cases, respectively. The risk of adverse outcomes was significantly …

Childhood Medulloblastoma, Naureen Mushtaq, Shahzadi Resham, Muhammad Shahzad Shamim, Bilal Mazhar Qureshi, Quratulain Riaz, Eric Bouffet

Section of Haematology/Oncology

Medulloblastoma is the most common malignant brain tumour in children and is a major cause of mortality and morbidity, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. It has been risk-stratified on the basis of clinical (age, metastasis and extent of resection) and histological subtypes (classic, desmoplastic and anaplastic). However, recently medulloblastoma has been sub-grouped by using a variety of different genomic approaches, such as gene expression profiling, micro-ribonucleic acid profiling and methylation array into 4 groups, namely Wingless, Sonic hedgehog, Group 3 and Group 4. This new sub-grouping has important therapeutic and prognostic implications. After acute leukaemia, brain tumour is the …

Air Pollution And Non Communicable Diseases, Zafar Fatmi, Shafaq Mahmood, Zainab Samad, Mohammad Wasay

Community Health Sciences

No abstract provided.

Feasibility And Acceptability Of Implementing Early Infant Diagnosis Of Hiv In Papua New Guinea At The Point Of Care: A Qualitative Exploration Of Health Worker And Key Informant Perspectives, Yasmin Mohamed, Martha Kupul, Janet Gare, Steven G. Badman, Selina Silim, Andrew J. Vallely, Stanley Luchters, Angela Kelly-Hanku

Population Health, East Africa

Introduction: Early infant diagnosis (EID) of HIV and timely initiation of antiretroviral therapy can significantly reduce morbidity and mortality among HIV-positive infants. Access to EID is limited in many low-income and middle-income settings, particularly those in which standard care involves dried blood spots (DBS) sent to centralised laboratories, such as in Papua New Guinea (PNG). We conducted a qualitative exploration of the feasibility and acceptability of implementing a point-of-care (POC) EID test (Xpert HIV-1 Qualitative assay) among health workers and key stakeholders working within the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) programme in PNG.

Methods: This qualitative substudy was …