Circulatory and Respiratory Physiology Commons^™

Heparin-Binding Protein Stratifies Mortality Risk Among Ugandan Children Hospitalized With Respiratory Distress, Hridesh Mishra, Núria Balanza, Caroline Francis, Kathleen Zhong, Julie Wright, Andrea Conroy, Robert Opoka, Quique Bassat, Sophie Namasopo, Kevin Kain

Paediatrics and Child Health, East Africa

Background Current prognostic tools do not reliably and objectively identify children with pneumonia at risk of a severe or life-threatening episode. Heparin-binding protein (HBP) is a host immune protein that is released in response to infection. We hypothesized that measuring HBP concentrations at hospital admission could help risk-stratify children with pneumonia and identify those at higher risk of an adverse prognosis.

Methods We evaluated the prognostic accuracy of HBP for predicting in-hospital mortality among children with respiratory distress, and whether HBP could improve the accuracy of validated composite clinical severity scores.

Results Of 778 Ugandan children under 5 years of …

Physician's Attitudes On Pulmonary Rehabilitation Following Covid-19: A Brief Perspective From A Developing Country, Ivan Cherrez-Ojeda, Emanuel Vanegas, Miguel Felix, María José Farfán Bajaña, Azza Sarfraz, Zouina Sarfraz, Genesis Camacho, Alanna Barrios-Ruiz, Jack Michel

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

Despite the uncertainty about the follow up of COVID-19 survivors, there is a growing body of evidence supporting specific interventions including pulmonary rehabilitation, which may lead to a reduced hospital stay and improved overall respiratory function. The aim of this short report was to assess the attitudes toward pulmonary rehabilitation following COVID-19 among Ecuadorian physicians. A cross-sectional study was conducted, in which a 5-question survey was used to assess the level of agreement to specific statements with a 5-point Likert scale. Out of the 282 participants, 48.2% (n=136) were male, with a mean of 12.6 (SD=11.3) years of experience. More …

Emergency Airway Management In Covid-19 Patients And Risk To Healthcare Workers: A Low-Middle Income Country Data From The Intubate Covid Registry, Faisal Shamim, M Nazir, Naseem A. Sheikh, Asma Salam, Badar Afzal Khan

Department of Anaesthesia

No abstract provided.

Risk Factors For Acute Respiratory Infections In Children Between 0 And 23 Months Of Age In A Peri-Urban District In Pakistan: A Matched Case–Control Study, Fatima Mir, Shabina Ariff, Maria Asif Bhura, Suhail Chanar, Aspara Ali, Muhammad Jawwad, A Hussain, Arjumand Rizvi, Muhammad Umer, Zahid Memon, Atif Habib, Sajid Bashir Soofi, Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

Background: Acute respiratory infection (ARI) accounts for nearly 15% of all childhood mortality in South Asia, with children from rural areas at higher risk due to inaccessibility to healthcare facilities. We therefore aimed to identify risk factors associated with ARI in children under 2 years of age in rural Pakistan.
Methods: A retrospective 1:2 matched case-control study was conducted between October and December 2018 in Taluka Kotri, Jamshoro District of Pakistan. Cases were identified as children between 0 and 23 months of age with a history of fever, cough, sore throat, fast breathing, difficulty breathing, or chest indrawing in the …

Almond Supplementation Reduces Serum Uric Acid In Coronary Artery Disease Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial., Humaira Jamshed, Anwar Gilani, Fateh Ali Tipoo Sultan, Faridah Amin, Jamshed Arslan Arslan, Sumaira Ghani, Madiha Masroor

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

Objective

Elevated serum uric acid (UA), a biomarker of renal insufficiency, is also an independent prognostic marker for morbidity in coronary artery disease (CAD) and poses serious health risks. This study reports the effect of almond consumption on UA in CAD patients.

Study design

A randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted with three groups: no-intervention (NI), Pakistani almonds (PA) or American almonds (AA). Patients were recruited from the Cardiology Clinics, Aga Khan University Hospital. Two follow-ups were scheduled at week-6 and week-12. 150 patients were randomly divided in three groups (50 per group). NI was not given almonds, whereas the …

Relationship Between Exercise Induced Dyspnea And Functional Capacity With Doppler-Derived Diastolic Function, Sumera Nasim, Najaf Nadeem, Aysha Zahidie, Tabbasum Sharif

Community Health Sciences

Background

Dyspnea is the frequent cause of exercise intolerance and physical inactivity among patients referred for exercise tolerance test. Diastolic dysfunction has shown significant correlation with exercise capacity and exercise induced dyspnea. To find out the frequency of diastolic dysfunction (DD) and the relationships between impaired exercise capacity and exercise induced dyspnea with DD by Doppler-derived indices among patients referred for stress test in a tertiary care hospital of Karachi.

Methods

For this study 135 consecutive patients who were referred for stress test at our non-invasive lab were screened for eligibility. Patients with valvular pathology, atrial fibrillation (AF) and coronary …

Spectrum Of Antihypertensive Therapy In South Asians At A Tertiary Care Hospital In Pakistan., Aysha Almas, Salik Ur Rehman Iqbal, Anabia Ehtamam, Aamir Hameed Khan

Department of Medicine

Background: Despite available guidelines on hypertension (HTN), use of antihypertensives is variable. This study was designed to ascertain frequency of Patients on monotherapy and > 1 antihypertensive therapy and also to ascertain proportion of Patients on diuretic therapy. Methods: It was a crossectional study conducted on 1191 adults(age > 18 yrs)hypertensive Patients selected by computerized International Classification of Diseases -9-coordination and maintenance (ICD-9-CM) presenting to a tertiary care hospital in Pakistan. Data on demographics, comorbids, type of antihypertensive drug, number of antihypertensive drug and mean duration of antihypertensive drug was recorded over 1.5 year period (2008-09). Blood pressure was recorded on admission. …

Antispasmodic, Bronchodilator And Blood Pressure Lowering Properties Of Hypericum Oblongifolium - Possible Mechanism Of Action, Arif-Ullah Khan, Munasib Khan, Fazal Subhan, Anwar Gilani

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

The crude extract of Hypericum oblongifolium (Ho.Cr), which tested positive for flavonoids, saponins and tannins caused concentration-dependent (0.1-1.0 mg/mL) relaxation of spontaneous and high K(+) (80 mM)-induced contractions in isolated rabbit jejunum preparations, suggesting a Ca(++) antagonistic effect, which was confirmed when pretreatment of the tissue with Ho.Cr produced a rightward shift in the Ca(++) concentration-response curves, like that caused by verapamil. Ho.Cr relaxed carbachol (1 mu M) and high K(+)-induced contractions in guinea pig tracheal preparations. It caused a dose-dependent (3-100 mg/kg) fall in arterial blood pressure of rats under anesthesia. In isolated guinea pig atria, Ho.Cr caused inhibition …