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This study examines the impact of several important macroeconomic variables such as quality of education, infrastructure development, foreign direct investment inflow, and green energy transitions on economic growth. We analyzed annual time series data sample for estimation of the above macroeconomic indicators during 1990 to 2020. We use nonlinear auto-regressive distributive lag model (NARDL) approach to detect the short-term and long-term effects of undermentioned macroeconomic variables on economic growth of Pakistan. The results primarily reveal that the quality education, foreign direct investment inflow, and infrastructure development are playing a significant positive role in the economic growth of Pakistan. Similarly, in short term the foreign direct investment inflow, infrastructure, and green energy transition coefficients are significantly positive related to sustainable development goals. However, the education found as unsubstantial as contributive as other variables. Moreover, the Granger causality and structural break estimations are employed to estimate the causal association between the selected parameters and unexpected change over the economy. The estimated outcomes find the unidirectional causality from education and green energy transition towards economic growth, where education is found within relation to infrastructure. Additionally, bidirectional causal relationship is found between FDI and infrastructure towards economic growth which shows that the increase in foreign investment has the potential to boost the economic growth. Finally, all the estimated indexes are considered as important sources towards the economic growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reports on the results of using, in the context of secondary education in Pakistan, an intervention program which earlier was shown in British schools to have a substantial effect over a two-year period on the cognitive development of pupils. (Author/CCM)

A very uncommon benign synovial membrane tumor is called lipoma arborescens. It often affects a single articulation, the knee. Despite a conventional imaging assessment, the lesion's histological analysis is still required for the ultimate diagnosis. A 15-year-old boy attended the outpatient clinic of the Lahore General Hospital Lahore, Pakistan with pain and swelling in his left knee that had been steadily worsening over the previous 4 years. There were no concomitant prodromal symptoms, and the swelling was soft and non-tender while also inhibiting knee flexion. Soft tissue shadows were observed on radiographs. A large amount of subarticular erosion in the nearby tibial and femoral condyle was caused by the frond-like proliferation of fatty synovium, according to magnetic resonance imaging. Only the left knee joint showed focused areas of unusually elevated radionuclide uptake during the Technetium (Tc99m) bone scan. After an open synovectomy, the specimen underwent histological analysis, which revealed villiform fatty tissue, a hallmark of Lipoma arborescens coated by somewhat thicker synovium. Although infrequent, open synovectomy is currently the preferred course of treatment for lipoma arborescens, which should be taken into account when making a differential diagnosis of knee diseases. Approximately 3 months after surgery, the patient underwent his most recent follow-up and was asymptomatic with a small amount of joint effusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fungi are often infected by mycoviruses. Mycoviruses, like their plant and animal counterparts, can only replicate within healthy host cells. They are missing with a mobility protein that is required for animals and plant viruses. They can only spread from cell to cell through biological processes including cell division, sporulation, and fusion. The vast majority of mycoviruses are unable to infect cells through the extracellular matrix. Double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) makes up most of the mycoviruses genomes, whereas positive, single-stranded RNA (+ssRNA) makes up just a tiny percentage. Recently, DNA mycoviruses have been discovered. New mycoviruses are detected and identified using recently discovered metagenomic approaches. Although evidence of the presence of these viruses exists in nearly every phylum of fungi, the vast majority are still a mystery. Despite their significance, mycoviruses are typically asymptomatic, which makes them very useful. Uneven development, unusual colouration, and even alterations to sexual reproduction in some hosts have all been attributed to Mycoviruses. Their primary effect a reduction in the virulence of their host has given them increased significance for controlling plant diseases. The term "hypovirulence" is used to describe diminished pathogenicity. Mycoviruses have gained prominence due to the hypovirulence phenomenon, which can potentially lessen the damage to crops and trees caused by their host fungus. In Pakistan, few mycoviruses have been discovered. This review article discusses the history, taxonomy, and usage of mycoviruses as biological agents, their interaction with the fungal host, reports of mycoviruses, and challenges of research on mycoviruses in Pakistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Pakistan, groundwater resources are depleting at an alarming rate due to intensive pumping, shifting of cropping patterns, and climate change vulnerability. The present study is aimed at investigating groundwater stress in the command area of Lower Chenab Canal (LCC) and associated branch canals. Groundwater stress is determined by considering the cropping patterns, surface water availability, groundwater levels, climatic variation, and crop water requirement (CWR) in the LCC command area. The climatic data is obtained from the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) from 1990 to 2020. The records of temporal variation in cropping patterns are obtained from the Crop Reporting Service (CRS), Directorate of Agriculture, Lahore for the 1995–2020 period and classified according to Rabi season (November to April) and Kharif season (May to October). The LCC surface water flows data and groundwater levels are collected from the Punjab Irrigation Department (PID) Lahore from 2003 to 2018 and from 1995 to 2016, respectively. The CWR is estimated using the Cropwat 8.0 model and groundwater levels are estimated using the Inverse Distance Weighted (IDW) tool of ArcGIS software. It has been determined that Faisalabad, Sheikhupura, and Toba Tek Singh are highly groundwater stress cities having an average drawdown rate of 0.58 m/year. The surface water availability is also decreased from 7.75 to 4.81 billion cubic meters (Bm3) for the Kharif season whilst 4.17 to 2.63 Bm3 for the Rabi season. This study concluded that due to severe conditions in highly stressed areas, policy planners, decision-makers, and stakeholders should sincerely take some steps for maintaining groundwater levels either by capacity building workshops for the farmers or limiting the number of tubewells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose This study aimed to look into the interest in and use of WhatsApp technology among National College of Business Administration & Economics (NCBAE) University Pakistan library users. Design/methodology/approach A Google Forms questionnaire was designed and emailed to students from various departments at the National College of Business Administration and Economics University of Pakistan. SPSS 22 was used to tabulate and analyze the data for this paper. Findings According to one study, WhatsApp is a robust and cutting-edge technology that might be integrated with digital library services to reach out to library consumers. This technology will assist library patrons in receiving high-quality services. Some technological and human resource variables may impact service delivery and hence must be addressed. As a result, library management is advised to take the required steps to integrate WhatsApp with digital library services to ensure efficient and effective service delivery. Practical implications WhatsApp is one of the most widely used social networking applications, with many organizations, including libraries, using it. This technology is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to patrons on campus and in remote locations. As a result, the quality of library services will improve, and users will be more satisfied. Originality/value This research examines WhatsApp technology in the context of Pakistan's National College of Business Administration and Economics University. This is the researcher's first attempt to address a vital topic. This research will benefit the National College of Business Administration and Economics University's library patrons and the whole academic community in Lahore. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The stripe rust of wheat caused severe grain yield losses in Pakistan and all over the world. The present investigation involved two replicated experiments conducted in the research area of Bahuddin Zakriya University, Bahadur Sub campus Layyah during 2018-2019 and 2019 -2020 cropping seasons by following the Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD). In both experiments, four different fungicides viz., Metiram @ 625g/ha; Sulphur @ 2500g/ha; Propiconazole @ 625ml/ha and Difenoconazole @ 375g/ha were evaluated to determine their impact on stripe rust severity and grain yield. Data on disease severity was recorded by using the modified Cobb scale whereas; the number of grains/spike and thousand-grain weight data were recorded after harvesting the crop. All four applied fungicides reduced the stripe rust severity as compared to control. However, maximum disease was controlled by Difenoconazole during both rating seasons 2018-19 (22.2%) and 2019-2020 (21.1%) followed by Propiconazole (21.6% & 20.5%), Sulphur (20.7% & 19.9%) and Metiram (20.1% & 19.4%). Grain yield was significantly increased with the foliar application of fungicides during both successive years. Maximum number of grains/spike (47 & 46.1) and 1000-grain weight (39.98 & 38.97 g) were recorded in first and second crop seasons respectively, with the application of Difenaconazole followed by Propiconazole, Sulphar and Metiram as compared to the control respectively. The present investigation could play an important role in controlling stripe rust epidemics and to enhance grain yield in central Asian countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural gas is a vital energy resource that is used to produce the national output of Pakistan. On the other hand, since natural gas is a relatively cleaner energy resource compared to oil and coal, enhancing the level of natural gas consumption can be expected to promote economic growth while somewhat improving environmental quality in the process. Hence, it is pertinent to assess the economic growth effects associated with the consumption of such comparatively cleaner energy resources. Against this background, the main objective of this paper is to explore the asymmetric effects of natural gas consumption, controlling for financial development, on Pakistan's economic growth figure over the 1965–2019 period. The results from the Augmented Dickey–Fuller, Phillips–Perron, and Zivot–Andrews unit root tests confirm a mixed order of integration among the variables. Besides, the bounds test and the Gregory–Hansen co-integration analysis reveal evidence of long-run associations between economic growth, natural gas consumption, and financial development in the context of Pakistan. Moreover, the outcomes from the nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag model analysis show that in the short-run, positive changes in the natural gas consumption levels increase Pakistan's economic growth. On the other hand, in the long-run, positive and negative changes in natural gas consumption levels increase and decrease the nation's economic growth level, respectively. On the other hand, both positive and negative changes in the financial development level are found to reduce Pakistan's economic growth level in the long run only. Furthermore, the Hacker–Hatemi-J causality analysis verifies that natural gas consumption causally influences the economic growth level in Pakistan; thus, verifying the energy consumption-led growth phenomenon. In line with these key findings, several policy level suggestions are put forward for Pakistan to enhance its natural gas consumption level in order to boost its economic growth rate in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nitrogen (N) is deficient in more than 90% of soils of Pakistan, mainly because of low organic matter contents. The use of nitrogenous fertilizers is a common practice for sustainable and profitable crop yields. A significant portion of added fertilizers is lost through volatilization, leaching, and denitrification. The low use efficiency of these fertilizers in our climate is a serious concern because of high costs and environmental issues. The present study evaluated the novel synergistic effect of urease and nitrification inhibitors such as ammonium thiosulfate (ATS) and 2-Chloro-6-(trichloromethyl)pyridine (nitrapyrin) to reduce the urea hydrolysis in the soil of three cities of Pakistan, i.e., Faisalabad, Gujranwala, and Sheikhupura, to manage the ammonia as well as N loss. Three different combinations, such as A1, A2, and A3 of both inhibitors, were prepared with varying ratios of 1:1, 0.25:0.75, and 0.75:0.25, respectively. Results showed that the minimum urea hydrolysis of about 2.41, 2.79, and 4.68 IU/g soil was observed with A1 combination after 4th-day observation with the rate of 0.50% concentration for Faisalabad, Gujranwala, and Sheikhupura, respectively. In addition, results showed better urease activity at a pH value of 6.50, incubation time of 30 min, and temperature of 37 °C for all A1, A2, and A3 combinations with 0.50% concentration. Moreover, inhibitor-treated urea showed the maximum plant height of 111, 101, and 101 cm, and root length of 15, 11, and 5 cm, number of tillers of 14, 16, and 19 per panicle, and number of spikes of 37, 21, and 38 per panicle with A1, A2, and A3 combination at 0.50% dose respectively in Faisalabad soil. Overall, it is concluded that 0.50% inhibitor concentration showed the much impressive urease inhibition results followed by 0.25 and 0.10%. However, the application of inhibitors was a good practice to reduce the N loss from soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focus on the coordination and optimization of renewable energy power generation capacity and other multiple energy sources in the power grid and the operational efficiency of renewable energy power generation equipment. The detail description of multi-energy system model composed of high proportion of wind power generation, photovoltaic power generation, solid regenerative electric boiler, electricity-generated natural gas, gas energy storage, and thermal energy storage system (ESS), renewable energy based on different scheduling time scales. First, the proposed power generation capacity planning and profit multi-objective optimization model. Second, investigate the energy supply and consumption characteristics of multi-energy supply, transmission, and load equipment in the power grid, and establish a multienergy grid power balance model based on the uncertainty of high-ratio renewable energy generation. Finally, testing the proposed model using the actual operation data of a multienergy grid in a region of northeast Pakistan. The simulation results show that the renewable energy capacity and benefit optimization model can achieve a smaller renewable energy capacity allocation on the premise of ensuring higher investment benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the 21st century, the poultry sector is a vital concern for the developing economies including Pakistan. The summer conditions of the city of Multan (Pakistan) are not comfortable for poultry birds. Conventionally, swamp coolers are used in the poultry sheds/houses of the city, which are not efficient enough, whereas compressor-based systems are not economical. Therefore, this study is aimed to explore a low-cost air-conditioning (AC) option from the viewpoint of heat stress in poultry birds. In this regard, the study investigates the applicability of three evaporative cooling (EC) options, i.e., direct EC (DEC), indirect EC (IEC), and Maisotsenko-cycle EC (MEC). Performance of the EC systems is investigated using wet-bulb effectiveness (WBE) for the climatic conditions of Multan. Heat stress is investigated as a function of poultry weight. Thermal comfort of the poultry birds is calculated in terms of temperature-humidity index (THI) corresponding to the ambient and output conditions. The heat production from the poultry birds is calculated using the Pederson model (available in the literature) at various temperatures. The results indicate a maximum temperature gradient of 10.2 °C (MEC system), 9 °C (DEC system), and 6.5 °C (IEC systems) is achieved. However, in the monsoon/rainfall season, the performance of the EC systems is significantly reduced due to higher relative humidity in ambient air. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The urd bean (Vigna mungo (L) Hepper) is an important pulse crop produced worldwide. The Urdbean Leaf Crinkle Virus (ULCV) is a widespread disease of urdbean in Pakistan because it causes extensive damage to its yield. ULCV is infected by two most important pest, whitefly, and beetles. The environmental factors also play a vital role in the spread of disease. Among the environmental factors, the relative humidity and temperature have a significant impact on the ULCV disease. Moreover, the relationship between environmental factors, ULCV and whitefly populations is significant and shows non-remarkable interactions. It has been found that the total chlorophyll of the infected plants has increased on an average of 18.47 (12.3-24.4) which is significantly different from healthy plants. Moreover, the photosynthetic rate of the infected urdbean genotype has also increased on an average of 5.36 (4.36-8.97) compared to healthy plants 2.20 (1.42-2.95). The total phenol in the infected plants after the ULCV infection was 82.19 (74.32- 85.18) milligrams/kg which increased to 102.5 (94.2-111.5) milligrams/kg of fresh weight. In conclusion, the infected plants have higher photosynthetic rate, chlorophyll contents and total phenol content than the healthy plants. All urdbean genotypes were found to be susceptible to ULCV. Furthermore, both environmental factors and whitefly populations have a positive impact on the ULCV disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of the study was to investigate the causes of terrorism in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It aimed to find out the effects of terrorism on the behavior of secondary school students on other students and teachers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa; and also on the academic results. All the secondary school students, their parents and class teachers were the population for the study. A sample of 560 secondary school students, their parents and 112 class teachers were selected as sample for the study from seven districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa including, Peshawar, Kohat, Bannu, Nowshera, Malakand, Swat and Abottabad. Questionnaire with 5 points scale (Likert scale) was used as tool to get responses from the respondents (students, teachers and parents). Chi-Square test was administered on the data for results. The study concluded that fear was found among secondary school students due to news of blasting of schools, entrance of suicide bombers in the city, kidnapping of scholars or security officials and drone attacks. Terrorist activities made students intolerant, undisciplined, aggressive, and disheartened. Interference of foreign intelligence agencies in our county and weak national security network were the causes of terrorism. Recommendations have also been provided at the end of the study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Instruction is the actual engagement of learners with planned learning opportunities. Supervision of instruction is multifaceted interpersonal process dealing with teacher's behavior, curriculum, grouping of students and teacher's utilization of all skills for set targets. In Pakistan the instructional supervision is the duty of school principals, headmasters and the Education officers. This study was conducted to know the views of the school teachers about the strategies of instructional supervisors for the improvement of instruction. A random sample of 468 Secondary School Teachers (SST) was selected from 95 Girls High Schools of the seven Districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Data were collected through a selfconstructed questionnaire. Chi-Square test was applied to gain reliable results through the SPSS software program. Major findings of the study indicated that all instructional supervisors had proper knowledge and skills to perform their role as instructional leaders but due to their hectic schedules they could not manage to supervise the schools properly. Moreover, lack of budget and other facilities was found to be the main hurdle in promotion of effective teaching practices. Thorough knowledge of instructional objectives was required to be communicated to the supervisors and the subject teachers. New methods of teaching and evaluation are likely to be adopted. Measures need to be taken to improve the parent's involvement in the process of teaching and learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pakistan is facing severe energy crises from the last decade resulting daily electric blackouts from 8 to 12 h. The limited fossil fuel reserves and its environmental consequences have led to boost research and development of alternate energy resources. A huge amount of fossil fuels and electricity is being consumed for the generation of low to medium temperature heat energy for domestic, residential, agro-industrial and processing units. This low to medium temperature heat energy required can easily be fulfilled using solar collectors. This paper focus on the development of a flat plate collector using local infrastructure to reduce its initial cost. The collector consists of a window glass, absorber plate coated with black matt paint, copper tubes, inlet and outlet pipes, rockwool insulation and a wooden frame. The results showed that the average efficiency of the solar collector was found to be 47.06%. The complete collector unit has been developed using indigenous resources to reduce its initial cost without compromising on its efficiency. Due to ideal climatic conditions of Pakistan for solar thermal energy, this system can be used for domestic, residential, and agro-industrial applications especially in rural and remote areas having no access to natural gas or electricity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The formation and implementation of policies are different issues in theoretical and practical terms. Implementation is more complicated, being concerned with political, financial, administrative and socio-economic issues. It requires motivation, proper lobbying, and technical, professional and administrative support. A profession can directly and indirectly be a driving force for the implementation of policies. LIS in Pakistan lacks influence, recognition and the coordination to play such a role. It can be developed through socialisation, playing a broader part, developing more commitments with the profession and providing practical support to authorised agencies for policy implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The overall purpose of the proposed study was to investigate questioning leading to critical thinking in the classrooms setting. It was focused to determine the levels of questions keeping in view the Bloom's Taxonomy. The study was an observational type of the descriptive method. The target population composed of 21965 teachers at Secondary Level in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Using proportional allocation of population (Walpole, 1968), 176 Secondary School teachers were observed in their classrooms during their teaching. Using simple random sample technique, the study was conducted in districts Peshawar, Kohat, D.I. Khan, Mansehra, Mardan, Malakand, and Swat. To achieve the objectives of the study, the instrument "observation guide using Bloom's Taxonomy" was used. The teachers' asked questions were observed and was also audio recorded. The questions were then categorized on the observation sheet as knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis and evaluation. The study results revealed that teachers practice of asking questions was very weak, majority of the teachers asked dominantly lower order and convergent questions at secondary level which could not help to develop the habit of critical thinking among students. It was recommended that the use of multiple types of questions in the classroom is crucial for promoting students' critical thinking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the current situation and future prospects of cleaner energy production through concentrated solar power (CSP) plants in Pakistan are analyzed. The assessment of required resources, evaluation of techno-economic feasibility, analysis of existing policy framework, and potential barriers in adopting the concentrated solar thermal technologies in Pakistan are presented. Six potential sites for installing solar thermal power plants are selected on the basis of solar resource assessment, land availability, and feasible infrastructure. A case study of a 100 MW parabolic trough collector (PTC) solar thermal power plant is simulated for these potential sites by using the System Advisor Model (SAM) software. The optimization of solar field size and thermal energy storage is performed to obtain the minimum Levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) for each potential site. Results indicate that the LCOE under the optimized configuration of the PTC solar thermal power plant in Pishin and Quetta can be minimized to 14.7 cents/kWh and 15.3 cents/kWh, respectively. Although the LCOE is the lowest in Pishin, the better availability of the desired infrastructure including transmission lines, water facility, and grid stations in Quetta makes it a more favorable site for installing the PTC solar thermal power plant. Furthermore, a discussion of government policies, along with major barriers (financial, political, infrastructural, technical, and social) that hinder the development of concentrated solar thermal technologies in Pakistan, is presented in detail. In order to overcome these barriers, several recommendations, including the introduction of financial incentives to investors, promoting private stakeholders, the establishment of research facilities in the country, and educating the general population regarding the benefits of clean energy are also outlined. • Potential and viability of CSP generation in Pakistan is evaluated. • Solar, infrastructural, and land resource assessment for CSP generation is presented. • Techno-economic evaluation of 100 MW PTC solar thermal power plant is performed. • Pishin and Quetta are techno-economically favorable regions for CSP generation. • Policy framework and potential barriers for CSP generation in Pakistan are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural gas is a vital energy resource that is used to produce the national output of Pakistan. On the other hand, since natural gas is a relatively cleaner energy resource compared to oil and coal, enhancing the level of natural gas consumption can be expected to promote economic growth while somewhat improving environmental quality in the process. Hence, it is pertinent to assess the economic growth effects associated with the consumption of such comparatively cleaner energy resources. Against this background, the main objective of this paper is to explore the asymmetric effects of natural gas consumption, controlling for financial development, on Pakistan's economic growth figure over the 1965-2019 period. The results from the Augmented Dickey-Fuller, Phillips-Perron, and Zivot-Andrews unit root tests confirm a mixed order of integration among the variables. Besides, the bounds test and the Gregory-Hansen co-integration analysis reveal evidence of long-run associations between economic growth, natural gas consumption, and financial development in the context of Pakistan. Moreover, the outcomes from the nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag model analysis show that in the short-run, positive changes in the natural gas consumption levels increase Pakistan's economic growth. On the other hand, in the long-run, positive and negative changes in natural gas consumption levels increase and decrease the nation's economic growth level, respectively. On the other hand, both positive and negative changes in the financial development level are found to reduce Pakistan's economic growth level in the long run only. Furthermore, the Hacker-Hatemi-J causality analysis verifies that natural gas consumption causally influences the economic growth level in Pakistan; thus, verifying the energy consumption-led growth phenomenon. In line with these key findings, several policy level suggestions are put forward for Pakistan to enhance its natural gas consumption level in order to boost its economic growth rate in the future., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Background: Breast cancer has the highest incidence rate among all types of cancer worldwide. There is strong evidence that delay in presentation to an oncologist may lead to a decrease in survival., Aims: This study explores factors causing diagnostic and treatment delays among the breast cancer patients enrolled in Jinnah Hospital, Lahore, from 2016 to 2018., Methods: Data from 372 patients were collected, including tumour characteristics, first symptoms, knowledge and experience of breast cancer, first visit to a doctor, etc. We calculated the patient, physician, treatment, system and total delay intervals., Results: Breast cancer cases showed longer mean patient delay in older women (> 50 years) in comparison with younger women. Women with painless lump as the initial symptom showed the longest delay with median total delay 280 days (25th and 75th percentiles 140 and 410 days respectively). Initial symptoms were correlated with total delay (P = 0.036). Educated women showed shorter delay in treatment compared with illiterate women (P = 0.068). Rural residence showed significant delay (P = 0.007). Lump size showed correlation with delay (P = 0.039). Patients with low household income (< Rs 10 000) had greater delay in diagnosis (P = 0.027) and actively employed women showed shorter delay (P < 0.0001). Unmarried women were diagnosed earlier than married (P < 0.001)., Conclusions: Women showed delay in presentation due to lack of resources and lack of awareness about the disease. They presented late due to fear of surgery and chemotherapy. Using traditional treatment methods leads to diagnosis of the disease at more advanced stages., (Copyright © World Health Organization (WHO) 2021. Open Access. Some rights reserved. This work is available under the CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/igo).)

Background: Loss of function mutations in the spermine synthase gene (SMS) have been reported to cause a rare X-linked intellectual disability known as Snyder-Robinson Syndrome (SRS). Besides intellectual disability, SRS is also characterized by reduced bone density, osteoporosis and facial dysmorphism. SRS phenotypes evolve with age from childhood to adulthood., Methods: Whole exome sequencing was performed to know the causative gene/pathogenic variant. Later we confirmed the pathogenic variant through Sanger sequencing. Furthermore, we also performed the mutational analysis through HOPE SERVER and SWISS-MODEL. Also, radiographs were also obtained for affected individual to confirm the disease features., Results: In this article, we report the first Pakistani family consisting of three patients with SRS and a novel missense pathogenic variant in the SMS gene (c.905 C > T p.(Ser302Leu)). In addition to the typical phenotypes, one patient presented with early-onset seizures. Clinical features, genetic and in-silico analysis linked the affected patients of the family with Snyder-Robinson and suggest that this novel mutation affects the spermine synthase activity., Conclusion: A novel missense variant in the SMS, c.905C > T p. (Ser302Leu), causing Snyder- Robinson Syndrome (SRS) is reported in three members of Pakistani Family.

Objective: To determine the prevalence of excessive daytime sleepiness among medical students and establish a relationship between self-perceived sleepiness and psychological distress., Methods: In a cross-sectional study, 441 medical students from a public-sector university in Pakistan completed a questionnaire from August to December 2018. The questionnaire included the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), which measured daytime sleepiness, and the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12), which measured mental health. Pearson correlations and student t tests were used for comparisons with a significance level of P < .05., Results: Many of the students (44.9%) obtained a high score (≥ 10) on the ESS (ie, experience excessive daytime sleepiness). On average, higher scores on the ESS correlated with higher scores on the GHQ-12. A statistically significant correlation (P < .05) between ESS scores and GHQ-12 scores was obtained when the students with higher (≥ 10) ESS scores were compared with students with lower (< 10) ESS scores., Conclusions: Excessive daytime sleepiness is frequent among medical students and significantly associated with psychological distress. Thus, careful investment in planning appropriate university policies and class schedules is required to encourage healthy and adequate sleep among students, which could have a significant impact on learning, academic performance, and health of medical students., (© Copyright 2020 Physicians Postgraduate Press, Inc.)

Sale of medicines is not rigorously controlled in Pakistan. Therefore, medical students start prescribing drugs and advising diagnostic tests before they graduate. This cross-sectional study investigated the frequency of independent medical prescription by 180 stratified, randomly selected final year medical students from 3 public medical colleges in Punjab, Pakistan. Data were obtained by self-administered questionnaire. One hundred and twelve students had prescribed medicines independently without any supervision; 38 had performed a physical examination before prescribing; and 74 had advised and 49 interpreted diagnostic tests independently. Forty-four students had administered injectable drugs and one third of these were administered without seeing expiry dates. The most frequently prescribed drugs were nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (92%) and antibiotics (73%). The most frequently advised tests were complete blood cell count, chest X-ray and urine detailed reports. One hundred and twenty-seven participants thought that medical students should not prescribe drugs. There was a significant relationship between gender and household income and prescription practices. Many final year medical students had prescribed drugs and advised diagnostic tests before graduation.

Since 2005, mango has been damaged by a group of new pests, the gall midges, in all mango-growing areas of Pakistan. Little is known about these pests in Pakistan. In this report, we present information on the occurrence, damage patterns, methods for monitoring, and management of Procontarinia mangiferae (Felt), a mango gall midge found in the country. At the study site (Rahim Yar Khan, a district of the province Punjab, Pakistan), the pest was active from January/February to April as eggs, larvae, and adults on mango inflorescence buds, branches (axillaries), and immature fruits. Females of P. mangiferae oviposited in inflorescence tissues, and larvae, after feeding on plant tissues, dropped to the soil under the mango trees for pupation from February to April. Mango trees in commercial orchards were more heavily damaged by P. mangiferae than were isolated trees in farmer fields (66.7%). The adults of P. mangiferae were captured on sticky traps of all tested colors, and were in flight from January to May. Captures per trap were highest on yellow traps, followed by green, blue, and clear traps. Control of mango gall midge was effectively provided by the synthetic insecticide bifenthrin (Talstar 10 EC) and also by application of neem seed kernel extract on the tree canopy if integrated with raking the soil under the mango tree canopy., (© The Authors 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)