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Background: Fahr's syndrome a rare neurological condition characterized by an abnormal basal ganglia calcification. The condition has both genetic and metabolic causes. Here, we describe a patient who had Fahr's syndrome and basal secondary to hypoparathyroidism, and her calcium level raised after the administration of steroid therapy. Case report: We presented a case of a 23-year-old female with seizures. Associated symptoms included headache, vertigo, disturbed sleep, and reduced appetite. Her laboratory workup revealed hypocalcemia and low parathyroid hormone level, computed tomographic (CT) scan of the brain showed diffuse calcification in the brain parenchyma. The patient was diagnosed as a case of Fahr's syndrome secondary to hypoparathyroidism. The patient was started on calcium and calcium supplementations along with anti-seizure therapy. Her calcium level raised after the initiation of oral prednisolone and she remained asymptomatic. Conclusion: Steroid could be considered as an adjunct therapy with calcium and vitamin D supplementation in patient whose Fahr's syndrome is secondary to primary hypoparathyroidism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dengue is an acute arboviral infection common in tropical and subtropical countries. Dengue has been highlighted as a public health concern in the last five decades, affecting almost 50% of the population in developing nations. Dengue infection results in a complex symptomatic disease that ranges from headache, fever, and skin rash to extreme hemorrhage fever and liver dysfunction. The diagnosis of the disease is essential for effective treatment. The early onset of the infection can be detected through viral structural peptides that act as markers for detection, including Pre‐Membrane (Pre‐M) protein. In the currently proposed research, the structural gene obtained from local isolates was targeted for studies. For this purpose, recombinant structural protein Pre‐M was amplified, cloned, and expressed in the bacterial expression system. The expression of the structural protein (Pre‐M) was scrutinized by Sodium Dodecyl Sulphate‐Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis (SDS‐PAGE) and validated by western blot and dot blot, and afterwards, the antigen was purified. The purified Pre‐M protein carries the potential for the development of in‐house diagnostic assay as well as for vaccine production. This study aimed to develop a highly specific, sensitive, and cost‐effective in‐house enzyme‐linked immunoassay (ELISA) for the detection of antibodies of Pakistani most prevalent dengue virus serotype 2 (DENV‐2). The success of this research would also pave the way toward developing novel vaccines for the future prevention of dengue infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this investigation, stagnation point flow of non-Newtonian fluid is considered under the impact of magnetohydrodynamics, porous medium, and mixed convection effects. Additionally, angular momentum and energy transport constitutive equations are also taken into account in order to explore the fluid micro-rotational effects. The fluid motion develops by virtue of linear stretching and slip factors. Furthermore, the energy transport equation is raised with the effect of viscous dissipation and heat source phenomena. Mathematical formulations lead to a set of ordinary differential equations by introducing similarity variables. The proposed model has been solved numerically using fourth-order Runge–Kutta method with shooting technique. Influence of pertinent flow parameters for the case of weak concentration of micro-elements on velocity, temperature, skin friction, and local heat flux at the surface is computed and discussed. Different ranges are chosen for the flow parameters, for example; magnetic field variation is taken [0, 0.9], micro-rotation [0,1], stretching ratio [0,0.2], surface condition [0,1], the Prandtl number [3, 12], and the Eckert number [3, 11]. The fluid velocity slows down when the magnetic number varies from 0.0 to 0.5 in the presence of weak concentration (m = 0.5) of micro-elements. In addition, the maximum increasing percentage of skin friction is obtained when the porosity parameter varies from 0.0 to 0.6. The maximum decreasing percentage of the Nusselt number is obtained when the thermal slip parameter varies from 0.0 to 0.8. The current study has multiple fascinating applications in polymeric solutions, bio-medical functions like magnetic drug targeting, heat conduction in tissues, surface roughness, and squeeze film lubrication problems between conical bearings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To determine the diagnostic utility of mean platelet volume in patients presenting with early neonatal sepsis. Materials and methods: This validation study was conducted in the Department of the Pediatrics ward, Khyber Teaching Hospital, Peshawar. After seeking parental consent, a brief history of Neonatal Sepsis and co-morbidities was obtained. The patient's clinical record was reviewed for the presence of any of the conditions indicated in the exclusion criteria for this study. A questionnaire about the patient's demographics, disease duration, and treatment records was compiled. Samples were taken and examined of such newborns with consent from the patient's guardians (n=322). 4 ml venous blood was collected from each subject. 2 ml was used for blood culture, and 2 ml was used for Mean Platelet Volume estimation each at hours 0, 24, and 48. Data was collected and analyzed using the SPPS 24. Results: A total of 322 newborns (154 males, 168 females) were enrolled. The Sepsis group as diagnosed by blood culture, had 201 cases while the control group had 121 participants. There was a significant difference (p-value less than 0.05) between the two groups for Mean Platelet Volume. The values for sensitivity, specificity, and negative and positive predictive values as compared to blood culture as the gold standard were 77.58, 55.31, 50.00, and 81.08 percent, respectively. Conclusion: The mean platelet volume has high diagnostic utility in patients with neonatal sepsis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents the findings of a study that utilized a panel ARDL (autoregressive distributive lag) model to scrutinize the association of foreign direct investment (FDI), trade, human capital, government expenditures, with tourism in the BRICS nations. The research analyzed data spanning the period from 1995 to 2020 and unveiled crucial insights into the dynamics influencing tourism development in these countries. The results revealed that FDI, trade, and human capital demonstrated positive associations with the tourism sector, in the short and long time period. These factors played a significant role in boosting tourism activities within the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, China, India & South Africa) nations. However, an inverse correlation was observed between government expenditures and tourism during the same time frame, suggesting the need for careful allocation and optimization of public funds to enhance the sector's growth and performance. This study sheds light on the complex interplay between various determinants of tourism development in BRICS countries, providing valuable implications for policymakers and industry stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prisons mean any jail or place for the confinement of prisoners who are exclusively in the custody of the police. The Pakistani prison system has gone through several transformations. As time passed, the worsening condition of the prison drew the attention of the government and human rights organizations. This led them to realize the crucial connection between prisoner's treatment during incarceration and their likelihood of committing more crimes. This paper aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of the prison conditions in Pakistan and the extent to which the human rights of prisoners are protected within the country's correctional facilities. This research work utilizes a qualitative research method, including document analysis and face-to-face interviews with prisoners to gather data and provide a holistic understanding of the situation. The findings of this research contribute to the existing literature on prison conditions and human rights in Pakistan and inform policymakers about the necessary measures to enhance the well-being and rights of prisoners. By examining the legal framework, prison conditions, and the prevalence of human rights violations, this research seeks to identify the challenges faced by prisoners and propose recommendations for improving the protection of their rights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To overcome environmental problems and the energy crisis, water splitting through solar energy for the production of hydrogen fuel is a promising technique. Efficient and low-cost photocatalyst are highly desired. In the recent era, van der Waal (vdW) heterostructures have gained considerable attention due to their promising properties. Hybrid density functional theory is used to calculate the electronic and photocatalytic properties of BX-MSSe (X = P, As and M = Mo, W) vdW heterostructures. Most stable stacking is figured out among different stacking from their relaxation energy. The stability of the stable stacking is confirmed through phonon calculations. Calculated band structure shows that BAs-MoSSe and BP-WSSe have direct band gap nature while the BP-MoSSe and BAs-WSSe have indirect band gap nature. BAs-MoSSe has Type-I band alignment while BP-MoSSe, BAs-WSSe and BP-WSSe have type-II band alignment. The creation of heterostructures broadened the optical absorption from the infrared to the ultraviolet region of the solar spectrum. To tune the properties of these heterostructures compressive and tensile strain is applied. Switching in band alignment is predicted in these heterostructures with the applications of strain. Based on valence and conduction band edges potentially the photocatalytic behavior for pH = 0 is investigated, which confirms that in unstrained conditions BP-MSSe (M = Mo, W) heterostructures are efficient photocatalyst. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The succession planning significance with the performance and sustainability of small-medium enterprises through an undergone number of conceptual and empirical studies is examined in our study. As per the assessment succession planning can help in promoting equitable development and economic growth through sustaining the small and medium enterprises. Besides, this paper attempts to highlight the aspects of succession planning practices in small-medium enterprises. SMEs have proven to be a source of economic growth for countries across the globe. The sustainability of SMEs is of significance and it is possible through executing appropriate succession planning practices in order to deal with the uncertainties like Covid 19. Succession planning is a way forward for the sustainability of SMEs and execution of these practices is highly favorable for the local and international small-medium enterprises. Thus, the future timing of the upcoming pandemic is uncertain as the Covid 19 is changing the variants which affect different countries distinctly. While the Covid 19 spread can result in creating chaos via disrupting businesses and communities. In order to ensure sustainability as well as creating opportunities for others through adopting and executing the above-mentioned practices to become more resilient to face the pandemic with efficiency and effectiveness. This paper highlights the key practices of succession planning which influence both levels including the performance and sustainability of SMEs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a clinically prevalent bacterium and is resistant to many drugs. Genetic factors such as mec genes are considered to be responsible for this resistance. Recently, Staphylococcal Cassette Chromosome mec (SCCmec) element mutations produced mecC, a new genetic variant that encodes a transpeptidase enzyme (63% similarity with mecA-encoded PBP2a). This cross-sectional study was conducted to establish the prevalence of the mecA and mecC genes among phenotypically identified MRSA and their effectiveness against different antibiotics in clinical specimens. The prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus was 10.2% (n = 102) in the total number of clinical specimens collected (n = 1000). However, the prevalence of MRSA was 6.3% (n = 63) of the total samples collected, while it was 61.8% among total Staphylococcus aureus isolates. mec genes were confirmed in 96.8% (n = 61) isolates of MRSA, while 3.2% (n = 2) were found to be negative for mec genes. The combination of mecA and mecC was detected in 57.1% (n = 36) of the MRSA isolates. The prevalence of lone mecA was 31.8% (n = 20) and that of lone mecC was 7.9% (n = 5) among all the MRSA samples. Penicillin and amoxicillin/clavulanic acid were the most resistant antibiotics followed by norfloxacin (91.2%), levofloxacin (87.1%), ciprofloxacin (83.9%), azithromycin (78.6%), erythromycin (77.4%), moxifloxacin (69.8%), and sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim (54.9%). On the other hand, vancomycin and teicoplanin (98.4%) were more effective drugs against MRSA followed by linezolid (96.7%), clindamycin (84.6%), chloramphenicol (83.7%), fusidic acid (70.6%), gentamicin (67.7%), and tetracycline (56.8%). In conclusion, a significant prevalence of mecA and mecC has been found among MRSA isolated from clinical specimens, which is likely responsible for antibiotic resistance in MRSA in our clinical settings. However, vancomycin, teicoplanin, and linezolid were found the top three most effective drugs against MRSA in our clinical settings. Thus, MRSA endemics in local areas require routine molecular and epidemiological investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abies pindrow is a keystone tree species of temperate forests in the Himalayan range with immense ecological significance. The current study was designed to investigate the spatial distribution, population structure, associated flora, and sustainability of Abies pindrow in the temperate forests of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Pakistan. Vegetation data were collected from 48 forest sites distributed in six districts of AJK with respect to the geography, microclimates, and vegetation structure by employing a systematic quadrate-based methodology. Abies pindrow populations were characterized by an average stem density of 183.9 trees/ha with an average basal area cover of 789 cm. A. pindrow populations showed a regeneration value of 555.6 seedlings/ha. A digital elevation model revealed that A. pindrow exhibited a large extent of distribution in an altitudinal range of 1800–3400 m. GIS analysis identified that north-facing slopes with a moderate degree of slope steepness constitutes the preferred habitat of the species in the Kashmir mountains. A floristic analysis revealed that a total of 282 species from 74 plant families comprised the associated flora of A. pindrow-dominated forests with Pinus wallichiana, Picea smithiana, Aesculus indica, and Viburnum grandiflorum as codominant companion species. A. pindrow forests exhibited significant levels of species diversity and richness with average values of Simpson's diversity as 0.94, Shannon's diversity as 3.09, species richness as 1.45, and maturity index value as 45.9%. The A. pindrow populations in the study area were found to be subjected to significant deforestation pressure along with overgrazing and erosion impacts. Results provide valuable scientific information for the conservation management of A. pindrow populations, ensuring the sustainability of temperate forest ecosystems in the Western Himalayan region of Kashmir. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poliomyelitis has been eliminated from all countries of the world except Pakistan and Afghanistan. One of the major reasons is the stigmas associated with the polio vaccine that has been repetitively discussed in literature, and governments of both the countries are already making serious efforts to control this public health challenge, but till this moment, the state officials have not introduced any surveillance strategy for the security of polio workers in National Emergency Action Plan (NEAP) for Polio Eradication. This report highlights the issue of targeted killing and terrorism attacks on polio vaccinators in Pakistan and also devises a surveillance strategy to provide security to polio workers at immediate possible because the current chaos in Afghanistan will ultimately lead to more terrorist attacks on polio vaccinators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]