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Due to extensive global contamination of agricultural soils with cadmium (Cd), there is a dire need for cost-effective and practical methods to ensure the production of safe food. The recent introduction of micronutrients in nano form has been found to reduce the accumulation of Cd in crops. A greenhouse pot-culture experiment was done to investigate the effects of selenium nanoparticles (0, 10, 20 and 30 mgL-1) applied by seedling root dipping technique on the growth, biomass, physio-biochemical and antioxidant potential of mint grown under induced cadmium stress (25 mg kg-1of soil using CdCl2). Findings revealed that application of selenium nanoparticles considerably improved tissues biomass, photosynthesis, and antioxidant enzyme activities in the mint plants. In addition, the application of Se nanoparticles in optimal concentration improved the relative water contents (7.26%), and decreased the electrolyte leakage (32.96%) in plant tissues. Selenium nanoparticles exhibited a dose-additive effect in reducing the levels of malondialdehyde cadmium in tissues of mint plants. Selenium nanoparticles at 20 mg L-1 demonstrated more efficacy than other levels under control and Cd stressed conditions. These findings indicate that seedling root dip feeding of selenium nanoparticles is an efficient approach and could be recommended for remediation of Cd contaminated soils.

Huntington's disease (HD) is an inherited neurodegenerative disease characterized by neuropsychiatric symptoms including chorea, dementia, and depression. It is inherited in an autosomal dominant fashion and exhibits anticipation leading to earlier and more severe symptoms in the affected offspring of a patient. With a much lower prevalence in Asia than in Europe and other parts of the world, its diagnosis can be missed easily in the early stages due to mildness of the symptoms and significant overlap between its symptoms and those of other diseases. We present the case of a 38-year-old male of Pashtun ethnicity presenting with mild cognitive impairment and clumsiness who was eventually diagnosed with HD, but his mild clinical features, no documented history of HD in his parents, and his relatively young age coupled with the relatively low prevalence of HD in his geographical location presented a significant challenge in our diagnosis of his condition. This case underscores the importance of keeping a high clinical suspicion for HD in patients with chorea despite a negative parental history, especially in resource-limited areas where the parents may have gone undiagnosed and highlights the need for further research on HD's prevalence in different parts of the world as well as the barriers to its diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major cause of global morbidity and mortality, with acute exacerbations significantly worsening patient outcomes. These exacerbations often lead to hospitalizations and increased healthcare costs. Proper management, guided by the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) guidelines, is essential to improving care. However, real-world adherence to these recommendations can vary. Objective: To assess how acute COPD exacerbations were handled at a tertiary care hospital of Peshawar. Methodology: In the emergency department of Hayatabad Medical Complex Peshawar, between November 2021 and December 2023, we retrospectively examined clinical data of patients presenting with acute exacerbations of COPD. The management was assessed in light of the GOLD 2019 report's and earlier audits' recommendations. Results: Total 170 patients (mean age 73 years, range 41-95 years, 54% male) were included. GOLD risk group (A-D) was only documented in 39% of the cases. At the time of presentation, 74% of the patients had their respiratory rate evaluated, and 69% had their blood gas analysis done. In all, 95% of the patients had chest imaging performed. Short-acting bronchodilators were used as initial symptomatic management in 56% of cases. Among them, 92% had systemic steroid therapy implemented. Conclusion: The GOLD guidelines were not fully followed, particularly in relation to non-invasive breathing, early symptomatic treatment, and severity assessment. These findings highlight the significance of periodic practice revisions on a regular basis, which may raise practitioners' knowledge and enhance the standard of COPD care in the long run. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To determine frequency of hearing loss in cerebral palsy (CP) children and perception of child's hearing and brain evoked response auditory (BERA) / brainstem auditory evoked potential (BAEP) results in CP patients. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Department of Pediatric Neurology, Liaquat National Hospital, Karachi. Period: January 2022 to December 2022. Material & Methods: The parents of all the CP children having cerebral palsy and who were nor assessed for hearing screening at birth (newborn hearing screening) were included. In child neurology clinic, parents were interviewed for the perception of the hearing of the child. Parental perception, CP type and the BERA results were recorded. Results: Total 102 patients were studied with median age of 27.9 (IQR= 17 - 48) months. Majority of the patients were normally delivered (n=59, 57.8%). Nearly quarter of them underwent neonatal screening (n=22, 21.6%). Majority of mothers (n=85, 83.3%) and father (n=80, 78.4%) had perception of hearing. BERA test was normal for 44 (43.1%) children. Age was significantly higher among patients with abnormal results. Frequency mothers' perception of normal hearing was higher in abnormal BERA result. Frequency of difficult speech was higher in patients with abnormal BERA results. Conclusion: The frequency of hearing loss was high among children with CP. Frequency of mothers' perception of their CP child's normal hearing was higher when compared to the father's perception. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increased availability of streaming services and access to international content a feature of today's media consumption, can social media be used to explore the potential of global cinema to inform audiences about religion and society? As a media form, movies play a role in educating as well as entertaining society at large; narrative arcs from Bollywood, Hollywood, and beyond inform audiences about contemporary religious concepts. This research makes use of a practice-based journalistic methodology to explore the educative role movies can play in informing audiences about religious and societal concepts; the researcher produces a creative artefact appropriate for the discipline of journalism (in this instance, a social-media-based curated collection of movie reviews), with a contribution to the wider knowledge that is contextualised by this study. Using a deductive approach, the researcher narrows down an initial list of films, from a global selection of cinematic output, that covers religious and societal themes through a range of lenses (such as characters' well-being, trauma, religious practice, and cultural values). The concepts and ideologies explored through this study and the construction of a social-media-based movie database suggest that cinema can play an active role in informing audiences about religion and society, instead of merely entertaining across cultures. The concepts and ideologies explored in this paper, through the construction of a social-media-based movie database, show that religious and societal issues in movies can be an important aspect of the lives of millions in the cinema-going audience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aimed to assess the correlation between oral health and general health in children having intellectual disabilities. Study Design: Cross-sectional, questionnaire based study. Place and Duration of Study: This study was conducted at Step to Learn School, Islamabad and Rawalpindi, fromMay to June 2014. Materials and Methods: A sample of 88 children were selected from two branches of 'Step to Learn', a special school for children with intellectual disabilities. Body Mass Index (BMI) was used to assess general health, while oral health was measure by the Decayed, Missing, Filled Teeth (DMFT) index. Dental surgeons and dental students conducted the examination. Pearson's correlation coefficient was used to compare the correlation between BMI and DMFT. The data was analyzed using the software SPSS (v 17.0). Results: Out of 88 children, data of 85(96.59%) was recorded. No significant correlation was found between oral health and general health (r = -0.06). Conclusion: The general health of children with intellectual disabilities does not impact their oral health. Subsequent oral and general health educational initiatives should be conducted separately.