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Objectives: To determine the different types of non-pharmacological remedies adopted by the patients with type 2 diabetes. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Karachi from Oct 2018 to Nov 2019. Methodology: A total of 280 type 2 diabetes patients were enrolled in the study. All patients with multiple comorbidities and type 1 diabetes were excluded from the study. A pre-designed questionnaire was used to collect data using face to face interviews. The questionnaire was related to the biodata of the patients and the use of non-pharmacological measures to control the diabetes. Data was analyzed by using SPSS version 24. Results: The mean age of the patients was 54.7 ± 9.77 years. About 256 (91.4%) stated that they used non-pharmacological measures along with their medications to control diabetes. Most of the patients 248 (96.8%), were only on dietary modifications; regular exercise 82 (32%) and various types of medicinal herbs/spices were used by 65 (25.3%) patients. Regular walking was the most common exercise chosen by patients and most of them preferred to walk 30 minutes daily. Out of 241 (97%) patients altered their diet to low carbohydrates and rice consumption, increased use of fruits and vegetables 29 (11.6%) and cereals by 24 (9.6%) patients. Conclusion: The study concluded that patients were highly inclined towards the use of non-pharmacological measures to control their illness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The objective of the study was to investigate the knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) regarding novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) among healthcare workers in Karachi Pakistan. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted at medical unit 3, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Karachi by using a self-reported questionnaire-based survey from March 2020 to May 2020. A convenience sampling technique was used to recruit the consenting HCWs of all categories (doctors, nurses, pharmacists and technicians) who were currently providing services at different hospitals of Karachi. The non-consenting and unavailable doctors were excluded from this study. The questionnaire was developed by using the frequently asked questions from the WHO and Centre for Disease Control (CDC). The healthcare workers knowledge, attitude and practices related to COVID-19 were used as outcomes. Healthcare workers were approached by investigators and survey instrument was made accessible through a link on social media (WhatsApp, Facebook, and emails). Binary logistic regression analysis was performed to estimate the odds ratio with 95% confidence interval for KAP of HCWs regarding COVID-19. P-values less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results: A total of 553 subjects completed the study questionnaire. However, data of 547 (98.9%) participants was selected for inclusion in final analysis after excluding 6 respondents. HCWs gross category and clinical setting were found to be statistically associated with overall KAP (P<0.001 and P=0.048, respectively). Upon logistic regression analysis, KAP scores statistically differed across genders (β coefficient=2.115, SE =0.179 and P<0.001), age groups (β coefficient=2.098, SE =0.138 and P<0.001) and HCWs gross category (β coefficient=2.053, SE=0.135 and P<0.001). The nurses and technicians were found less likely for good KAP with reference to COVID-19 as compared to doctors and pharmacists. These results were found to be statistically significant with P-value less than 0.05; the odds for nurses and technicians were 0.35 and 0.10, respectively. Conclusion: The study demonstrated that HCWs had good knowledge, optimistic attitude and decent practice towards recent COVID-19 pandemic. However, their source of information regarding COVID- 19 is not reliable and can adversely influence the KAP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To compare platelet indices among patients with low and high levels of cholesterolemia and triglyceridemia Methodology: This cross-sectional study was conducted from January 2011 to May 2012 at the departments of pathology, PNS Rahat and Baqai medical and dental university, Karachi. A total of 867 subjects presenting for estimation of fasting triglycerides and total cholesterol were selected after excluding patients receiving anti-platelet or lipid medication, pregnancy, acute infectious disorders. They were interviewed, examined and sampled for measurement of total cholesterol, triglycerides and platelet indices including total platelet count, mean platelet volume (MPV), platelet distribution width (PDW) and platecrit (PCT). Results: The results of platelet count and mean platelet volume were found to be significantly different among subjects with normal cholesterolemia (<5.2 mmol/L), borderline raised cholesterol group (5.2-6.3 mmol/L) and hypercholesterolemia (>6.3 mmol/L); however, post-hoc comparison did not show any significant difference between all groups. Using age as a variable and segregating total cholesterol results into 7 groups, starting from very low cholesterol values (<4.0 mmol/L) to highest (>6.5 mmol/L), in a univariate general linear model, higher mean platelet volume were observed at the extremes of cholesterolemia groups [p=0.039]. A similar trend was observed for platelet count after adjusting for age, where low levels of platelet levels were associated with hypocholesterolemia and hypercholesterolemia (p=0.021). Conclusion: Higher MPV and low total platelet counts were associated with the observed extremes of cholesterol range. No significant differences were observed for platelet indices across various groups formulated based upon fasting triglycerides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wind energy is gaining popularity, especially across the countries with strong and continuous wind currents. Pakistan is bestowed with multiple wind corridors with prospective energy extraction, mainly concentrated along the coastline. This work aims to analyze the effectiveness and feasibility of wind energy potential in Pakistan coastline by choosing four unique zones (Karachi, Ormara, Pasni, and Gawadar) through analysis and demonstration for a 50 MW wind farm. Four years of seasonal data is used for the selected zones, reflecting the wind effectiveness in wind speed, wind density, and wind directions. Computer-based predictive models and artificial neural networks are also implemented to forecast the wind effectiveness, primarily based on the observed wind seasonal data. The wind farm's feasibility is proposed through a comparative evaluation for various turbine designs considering both geographical, installation, operational and financial factors. The factors of energy output, economic feasibility, environmental impact, and fuel-saving are analyzed for multiple locations and turbine designs. Critical observations, data, and findings are presented and discussed in detail for all zones. Zone 1 has a highest capacity factor of 46% followed by 40.4% (Zone 2), 29.3% (Zone 3), 37.5% (Zone 4). The study revealed that Karachi is the best-suited location for a 50 MW wind farm with the highest wind speed and the lowest variation in wind direction annually. It also represented the highest internal rate of return, benefit-to-cost ratio, and annual saving with a minimum payback period (4.5–7.2 years) for various commercially available turbine designs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]