Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Soothing The Threatened Brain: Leveraging Contact Comfort With Emotionally Focused Therapy, Susan M. Johnson, Melissa Burgess Moser, Lane Beckes, Andra Smith, Rebecca Halchuk, Karen Hasselmo, Paul S. Greenman, Zul Merali, James A. Coan

Brain and Mind Institute

Social relationships are tightly linked to health and well-being. Recent work suggests that social relationships can even serve vital emotion regulation functions by minimizing threat-related neural activity. But relationship distress remains a significant public health problem in North America and elsewhere. A promising approach to helping couples both resolve relationship distress and nurture effective interpersonal functioning is Emotionally Focused Therapy for couples (EFT), a manualized, empirically supported therapy that is strongly focused on repairing adult attachment bonds. We sought to examine a neural index of social emotion regulation as a potential mediator of the effects of EFT. Specifically, we examined …

Stress And Eating: A Dual Role For Bombesin-Like Peptides, Zul Merali, S. Graitson, J. C. Mackay, P. Kent

Brain and Mind Institute

The current obesity "epidemic" in the developed world is a major health concern; over half of adult Canadians are now classified as overweight or obese. Although the reasons for high obesity rates remain unknown, an important factor appears to be the role stressors play in overconsumption of food and weight gain. In this context, increased stressor exposure and/or perceived stress may influence eating behavior and food choices. Stress-induced anorexia is often noted in rats exposed to chronic stress (e.g., repeated restraint) and access to standard Chow diet; associated reduced consumption and weight loss. However, if a similar stressor exposure takes …

Long Term Effectiveness Of Cognitive Behavior Therapy For Treatment Of Postpartum Depression: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Tahira Perveen, Sajid Mahmood, Ibrahim Gosadi, Jaishri Mehraj, Sana Sadiq Sheikh

Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology

Background: The existing trials on the long term effectiveness of cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) for the treatment of postpartum depression have conflicting results. Therefore, we performed a systematic review to summarize the current evidence.
Methodology: Literature search was performed using electronic databases Medline, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), and PsychINFO were explored from January 2000 to March 2013.
All peer-reviewed English-published randomized controlled trials were eligible if they assessed the long term (at least at 24 weeks post partum) effectiveness of CBT versus standard postpartum care for prevention of postpartum depression. Data from eligible studies were …

Impact Of Postpartum Anxiety And Depression On Child’S Mental Development From Two Peri-Urban Communities Of Karachi, Pakistan: A Quasi-Experimental Study, Niloufer Sultan Ali, Sadia Mahmud, Asia Khan, Badar Sabir Ali

Department of Family Medicine

Background

Postpartum anxiety and depression has detrimental effects on the overall mental development of children. This study aims to assess the impact of postpartum anxiety and depression on children’s mental development on all sub-scales in a Pakistani population.

Methods

A quasi-experimental study was conducted in two peri-urban communities of Karachi, a mega city of Pakistan, to assess the impact of postpartum anxiety and depression on children’s growth and mental development. A total of 420 women were enrolled, who had given consent out of 651 pregnant women identified, during February 2004 to December 2005. Data for socio-demographic, home environment and family …

Illuminating The Dark Side-Vitamin D Status In Different Localities Of Karachi, Romaina Iqbal, Lena Jafri, Ali Haroon, Aysha Habib Khan

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Abstract

This study was conducted to determine the association between place of residence (grouped into neighbourhoods), and 25-hydroxy D (25[OH]D) levels of individuals of Karachi. Addresses of 4788 individuals tested for 25[OH]D at the clinical laboratory of the Aga Khan University (AKU), Karachi, from January 2007 to June 2008 were reviewed. The neighbourhoods were categorized into ten, based on locality attributes. A high overall prevalence (74%) of vitamin D deficiency (VDD) was observed. There was a significant difference (p-value < 0.01) between mean log 25[OH]D levels amongst neighbourhoods grouped according to distinct housing structure attributes and localities. A high frequency of VDD in all the studied localities of an urban city warrant dietary vitamin D supplementation and food fortification.

An Overview Of The Predictors Of Depression Among Adult Pakistani Women, Aysha Zahidie, Tanzil Jamali

Community Health Sciences

Diseases of women that are due to their gender specific roles and responsibilities result from cultural and social factors prevalent in the environs. World Health Organization has put special emphasis on research need regarding gender related factors for diseases disproportionately affecting women in developing countries. The objective of this write up was to determine the prevalence of depression and the associated risk factors among adult women in Pakistan. PubMed was searched using key words depression, risk factors, women and Pakistan. Out of 20 initially retrieved articles, 12 were directly related to depression and its risk factors among Pakistani women within …

Nutrition Political Economy, Pakistan. Province Report:Sindh, Shehla Zaidi, Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta, Rozina Mistry, Gul Nawaz, Noorya Hayat, Shandana Khan Mohmand, Andres Mejia Acosta

Community Health Sciences

No abstract provided.

Access To Essential Medicines In Pakistan: Policy And Health Systems Research Concerns., Shehla Zaidi, Maryam Bigdeli, Noureen Aleem, Arash Rashidian

Community Health Sciences

NTRODUCTION:

Inadequate access to essential medicines is a common issue within developing countries. Policy response is constrained, amongst other factors, by a dearth of in-depth country level evidence. We share here i) gaps related to access to essential medicine in Pakistan; and ii) prioritization of emerging policy and research concerns.

METHODS:

An exploratory research was carried out using a health systems perspective and applying the WHO Framework for Equitable Access to Essential Medicine. Methods involved key informant interviews with policy makers, providers, industry, NGOs, experts and development partners, review of published and grey literature, and consultative prioritization in stakeholder's Roundtable. …

Impact Of Water And Sanitation And Health Education Interventions On Health And Hygiene Behaviors: A Study From A Northern Pakistani Village, Aysha Zahidie, Fauziah Rabbani

Community Health Sciences

Introduction: Water and sanitation interventions were delivered in the northern areas of Pakistan as a joint venture of the Aga Khan University and the Aga Khan Health Systems Oshikhandass Diarrhea and Dysentery Project (1989-96) followed by the Aga Khan Water, Sanitation, Health and Hygiene Studies Program (WSHHSP). Through these interventions water treatment plants, new pit latrines along with a component of health education were introduced. Objectives: To explore perceptions, knowledge and practices of inhabitants of Oshikhandass village in Gilgit related to water quality, latrine use and hand washing following the intervention. Methods: Through a cross-sectional study during June-July 2012, six …

Substance Use Among Inmates At The Eldoret Prison In Western Kenya, Daniel Wc Kinyanjui, Lukoye Atwoli

Internal Medicine, East Africa

Background:Criminal activity and social problems are recognized as important outcomes of substance use and abuse. Little research has been carried out on substance use among prison inmates in Kenya. General population surveys that have examined drug use usually omit this‘hidden’population which may offer insight into drug related morbidity and invaluable preventive measures. This study is set out to determine the lifetime prevalence and factors associated with substance use, including the most frequently used substances, among inmates at a government prison in Western Kenya.

Methods:Design: A cross-sectional descriptive study, using the WHO model questionnaire and an additional drug use …

Genetics Of Non-Syndromic Autosomal Recessive Mental Retardation, Bushra Afroze, Bushra Chaudhry

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

Non-syndromic mental retardation is one of the most serious neurodevelopmental disorders, which has a serious impact not only on the affected individuals and their families but also on the health care system and society. Previously research has been more focused on the X-linked mental retardation and only recently studies have shown that non-syndromic autosomal recessive mental retardation is extremely heterogeneous and contributes much more than the X-linked mental retardation. But very little is known about the genes and loci involved in nonsyndromic autosomal recessive mental retardation than the X-linked mental retardation. To date only thirty loci and ten genes have …

Meckel Gruber Syndrome: Second Trimester Diagnosis Of A Case In A Non-Consanguineous Marriage, Areej Alam, Mehreen Adhi, Raffat Bano, Aisha Zubair, Ammara Mushtaq

Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology

Meckel-Gruber Syndrome (MKS) is a rare, autosomal recessive genetic disorder, incompatible with life. It is characterized by enlarged polycystic kidneys and post axial polydactyly. Foetal or neonatal death is caused by pulmonary hypoplasia. We report a case of a 35 year old woman who presented at 7 weeks of gestation of her sixth pregnancy. A transabdominal anomaly ultrasound performed for her current pregnancy at 18 weeks of gestation showed features consistent with MKS. The termination of pregnancy was declined and a live newborn female was delivered via an emergency caeserean section at 34 weeks of gestation due to previous history …