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Background: Maternal nutrition is critically important for the well-being of both the mother and the developing fetus. Multiple micronutrient (MMN) supplements have the added advantage of addressing nutritional deficiencies. This study aimed to review the effects of MMN supplementation trials to prevent maternal and fetal complications from the preconception period to the post-natal phase by incorporating adequate micronutrients into the daily diet. Methodology: A comprehensive review of online literature was conducted following PRISMA guidelines. Three databases--PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar--were searched for clinical trials from 2019 to 2023. MeSH terms such as "maternal," "micronutrient supplementation," "Pakistan," "trials," "clinical trials," and "micro-element supplementation" were used with Boolean operators "AND" and "OR." Titles and abstracts of the articles were screened initially, followed by full-text reviews in the second round. A total of seven articles meeting the inclusion criteria and diagnostic accuracy (STARD) were selected. Results: Risk of bias and quality assessment of clinical trials were evaluated using a 23-item questionnaire, with scores ranging from 0 to 2. Conclusion: Nutritional supplements were found to be most effective when taken daily for three months before conception and continued throughout the first trimester of pregnancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE: Endodontically treated teeth undergo loss of tooth structure, resulting in increased fracture susceptibility as compared to unrestored vital teeth. The final restoration following the root canal treatment is of paramount importance. This study aimed to determine current concepts, opinions, and techniques used to restore Endodontically Treated Teeth among dentists of Islamabad and Rawalpindi and compare their knowledge with their clinical practice to determine the gap between their understanding and application. METHODOLOGY: A cross-sectional study was conducted at Rawal Institute of Health Sciences, Islamabad, from February to June 2022 after ethical approval. A convenience sampling technique was used. About 235 dentists, including house officers, general dentists, postgraduate trainees, and consultants of Endodontics of Islamabad/Rawalpindi, participated. Data was collected by a structured questionnaire widely accepted with Cronbach's alpha of 0.75 through electronic media. Its first part included demographics, while the second part included questions regarding understanding and practice of endodontically treated teeth restoration. Statistical analysis was done by using SPSS 2, the chi-square test, and Fisher's exact test were applied. RESULTS: The mean age of study participants was 29.0±4.54 years. Out of 235 participants, 76(32.3%) were males and 159(67.75%) were females. The responses regarding technical management of endodontically treated teeth showed significant differences with p-value≤0.001 in the understanding and applications of general dental practitioners and endodontists. CONCLUSION: A significant difference was found among dentists regarding their understanding and practice of restoring endodontically treated teeth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE: Smartphones have become an essential part of our life, serving multiple functions like messages, calls and navigation. Smartphone users will increase up to 7.5 billion by 2026. Overuse of smartphones not only causes time wastage and health hazards but also have effects on physical activity and academics. Evaluation of these effects was the need of time, so this study was conducted to assess duration of smartphone usage in undergraduate medical students, and their association with physical activity and academic performance was determined. METHODOLOGY: A cross-sectional survey among 384 undergraduates was conducted from April to August 2019 in Islamabad Medical and Dental College, Islamabad. Convenient sampling technique was done. Structured questionnaire containing socio-demographic information along with a smartphone addiction scale was used. IPAQ long form was also used to determine physical activity among the participants. Academic performance was determined through marks percentage obtained in Annual Professional examination. Data was collected and analyzed by using SPSS 21. Frequencies and percentages were calculated and tests of significance were applied. RESULTS: It was observed that smartphone addiction was more pronounced in male participants 112(64.4%) than in females 109(51.9%). Thus, more male participants were found overweight (16.6%) than females (13.8%). Excessive smartphone usage was found to be significantly associated with physical activity (p-value 0.03). However, excessive smartphone usage had insignificant association with academic performance (p-value=0.250). CONCLUSION: A strong association between excess smartphone usage with reduced physical activity was found. However, smartphone usage had no association with the academic performance of students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To determine the frequency of childhood adversities among the university students of Islamabad and Rawalpindi and compare those adversities with their current mental health by measuring depression and anxiety. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: Quaid-e-Azam University (QAU), Islamabad and ARID Agricultural University, Rawalpindi Pakistan from May to Aug 2019. Methodology: Survey data of 388 students between 19-25 years of age group was collected from 2 universities in the twin cities using a simple random sampling method for data collection in the form of questionnaires. First, frequencies of adverse childhood experiences (ACE) were determined, followed by a comparison of ACE with common mental disorders, i.e., depression using Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and anxiety using Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) using the chi-squared test. Results: The frequency of adverse childhood experiences (ACE) was found to be highest among those students who had an ACE score of 1-3 (74.7%), followed by those with an ACE score of 4-6 (24.7%). Overall, females had more ACE (66.8%) than males (33.2%). Strong association of ACEs with depression (p-value <0.05) and anxiety (p-value <0.005) was found. Conclusion: Childhood adversity has adverse results not only on the affected individual's life but also on the people around that individual. For example, early life trauma in children of different age groups results in depression for a lifetime, anxiety disorders, cognitive dysfunctions, and lack of effective communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To assess symptomatology and spread of corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in children. Study Design: Literature review. Place and Duration of Study: Online literature search was carried out from Jan 2020 to May 2020 using online search engines available including Google Scholar, Science Direct and Pub Med with the help of key words. Methodology: This resulted in retrieval of 201 articles after removing duplicated ones. Following, which these articles were scrolled down, articles with incomplete information and covering comorbidities were not included. Case reports, case series, letters or editorials were also excluded. Articles related to clinical features and spread of corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in children were included. Six articles were finally selected for the review. Result: This review observed that although children are less affected by COVID-19 but they can play an important role in its spread especially to elderly population having comorbidities. Conclusion: Children might be asymptomatic carriers of COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objective: A set of new studies is offering perspective and guidance on the differences between using Real Time Reverse Transcriptase-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) and chest Computerized tomography (CT) in terms of sensitivity and specificity. This review paper addresses the comparative diagnostic potential of CT chest and RT-PCR for COVID-19. Method: An online literature search was carried out from Jan. 2020 to Apr. 2020 from Google -Scholar, Web of Science, Science Direct and PubMed using the MeSH key words. Twenty-five articles were retrieved. Articles with incomplete information and covering other factors like ethnicity were excluded and only the articles with comparison between two clinical diagnostic methods were included. Avoiding the duplication of issues, 5 articles were finally selected for review. Result: This review observed 98% pooled sensitivity of CT-chest being much higher than that of RT-PCR (75%). Conclusion: Patients with suspicion of COVID-19 should be screened using CT scan chest as a more sensitive technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To check the variation of space available in the mandibular dental arch using different tools, i.e., Vernier caliper and brass wire with a millimeter ruler. Study Design: Comparative cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Orthodontics, Armed Forces Institute of Dentistry (AFID), Rawalpindi Pakistan, from Sep to Dec 2019. Methodology: Seventy-five dental casts of patients, with an age range between 12-25 years were included in the study. The variation of the space available using two different measuring tools (Vernier calliper and brass wire with millimetre ruler) in the mandibular arch was determined by the same observer to assess random and systematic errors. The examiner recorded the measurements, and then the same examiner repeated the measurements after ten days by taking two readings each using the blinding technique to minimize bias. Random and systematic errors were analyzed with the use of two methods. Results: Systematic errors were found to be significant with brass wire with millimetre ruler method only (p-value=0.02). For random errors, the Vernier calliper can be considered a better method to measure reproducibility and repeatability. However, brass wire with a millimetre ruler method can be considered better for measuring repeatability than reproducibility since the value to measure random errors was less than 1mm but in the upper limits (p-value=0.091). Conclusion: In the current study, it is concluded that the Vernier calliper is more precise in measuring the readings in orthodontics for arch space measurement than that of brass wire with a millimetre ruler. However, brass wire with a millimetre ruler method can also take the readings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Dentistry, also known as "Dental Medicine" is opted for various reasons like prestige, socioeconomic status or personal desire. However, some join dentistry just to fulfil the wishes of their parents. Students who choose dentistry by their own choice excel better in this field. Another general impression is that mostly female students prefer it. To have a true picture of these impressions in our society, we planned this study to identify the reasons and motives of undergraduate dental surgeons for joining dentistry. Methods: A cross-sectional study, was conducted on 278 students at Margalla College of Dentistry, from December 2020 to April 2021 after the approval of the Ethical review committee of the institute. - The probability judgmental sampling technique was used. Students who consented were included in the study. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data which was analyzed using SPSS 21. Results: In this study, about 48.4% of students selected dentistry as their first choice but out of these only 48.9% did prior career planning. Female students 76 (49.6%) opted for dentistry as compared to male students 12 (30.7%). However, there was an insignificant difference regarding career choice between both genders (p=0.591). Prominent motivating factors were flexible work patterns (63.5%), self-employment (63%), financial security (44.8%) and parents wish (25%). Conclusion: Students chose Dentistry not only due to their interests but also because of flexible work patterns, financial security and self-employment. Both genders have more or less the same inclination towards dentistry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this research was to study violence faced by rural women due to gender discrimination, and to identify what challenges and risks rural women are facing to respond against this violence. What is the role of Government and NGO's in this whole situation that how much effectively they are helping these rural women against challenges and risks faced by them. In this study three villages of Malakand Division which comes under Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were taken under consideration such as Batkhela, Amandara and Alladand Dehri. Total of 150 women were selected, ages between 25-45, 50 from each village, interviews were conducted and through KWIC (Keys words in context) method followed by word count analysis was used for results interpretation .The main challenges reported by these women were, lack of support system, lack of transport system, lack of opportunities, lack of education, early and forced marriages and no ownership in land/property. By interviewing all these women it was easily concluded that government institutions and NGO's (national/international) are putting very less focus on these areas because these are rural areas which can easily be ignored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objective: Dental study casts play a vital role in the diagnosis and treatment planning of various orthodontic cases. This study was carried out to compare the tooth widths, arch widths, and arch lengths in Class-I normal dentition to those in Class-I and Class-II crowded dentition in an effort to improve treatment planning and to eventually reduce treatment duration., Methods: Total 170 patients, 12 to 40 years of age with a complete set of permanent teeth till 1 st molars; who presented to the Orthodontics Department at Armed Forces Institute of Dentistry (A.F.I.D), Rawalpindi from Sep 2019 to Feb 2020, were included in the study. Non-probability purposive method of sampling was used. The dental casts obtained were used to measure tooth widths, arch widths, and arch lengths. Subjects were classified into Class-I normal and Class-I and Class-II crowded occlusion and comparison of the sum of tooth widths, arch widths, and arch length discrepancies were determined among the three occlusion groups. Data was analyzed in SPSS version 21 and independent samples t-test was used to differentiate the variables of interest., Results: Out of 170 subjects, 73 (42.9%) subjects had Class-I normal occlusion while 97 (57%) had Class-I and Class-II crowded occlusions. No statistical difference was found between the occlusal groups with regard to the sum of tooth widths, inter-canine widths, inter-first premolar widths, inter-second premolar widths and inter-molar widths. However, a remarkable difference was observed between the occlusal groups with respect to arch perimeters and arch length discrepancies (p = 0.000 and 0.000 respectively)., Conclusions: Results of the current study indicate that crowding of teeth occurs as a consequence of decreased arch perimeters which may lead to increased arch length discrepancies. However, no prominent difference was noticed in the sum of tooth widths and arch widths among different occlusal groups., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interests: None., (Copyright: © Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences.)

Introduction Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a disease of carbohydrate, protein, and fats metabolism that results in hyperglycemia. It may also result from defects in the secretion of insulin from beta cells or in its action on target cells or both. Objective To determine the levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and glycated hemoglobulin (HbA1c) with the progression of retinopathy. Methodology The study was done on 80 patients who were divided into four groups (A, B, C, D), with 20 individuals each, on the basis of their diabetic status and fundoscopic findings. Serum BDNF levels were measured by using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit (Glory Science Co., Taichung City, Taiwan). Results On analysis, a significant decline was seen in serum BDNF levels in diabetics as compared with non-diabetics (p < 0.001), but a significant reduction in levels with the progression of retinopathy was observed (p < 0.001). Statistical analysis All the data were processed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) v20.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY). Conclusion There is a significant decline in serum BDNF levels in type 2 diabetics with retinopathy in comparison with the healthy control group., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright © 2020, Rashid et al.)