Search

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between Parent to Child Maltreatment and the occurrence of anxiety disorder symptoms among Pakistani adolescents under 18 years. METHOD: A prospective study was conducted to examine the effect of frequency of Parent to child maltreatment (PTC) on the occurrence of anxiety disorders in a community setting. A sample of 800 adolescents who reported none to rare, occasional, and frequent PTC were followed for the occurrence of anxiety disorder symptoms over two years. PTC was evaluated using ICAST-C (International child abuse screening tool). Anxiety disorder symptoms were evaluated using the SCARED (Screen for children anxiety-related disorders) tool. Risk ratios were estimated using Cox Proportional Algorithm. RESULTS: The risk of occurrence of anxiety disorder symptoms in adolescents who have exposure to frequent PTC is 3.8 times (2.9, 4.9) as compared to those with none to rare exposure to PTC. Among adolescents suffering frequent PTC whose, mothers also reported a history of domestic violence, the risk of anxiety disorder symptoms is 3 times (2.2, 4.1) higher. Female gender (RR 1.5; 1.2–1.9), stressful home environment (RR 1.4; 1.1–1.8), and parental substance abuse (RR 1.6; 1.2–2.0) are significant predictors of anxiety disorder symptoms. CONCLUSION: Frequent PTC is significantly associated with the occurrence of anxiety disorder symptoms among Pakistani adolescents. Given these findings, there is a dire need to develop specific interventions to address anxiety disorder symptoms among adolescents and to develop programs to prevent parent to child maltreatment.

Several countries including Pakistan have already started deploying booster vaccinations owing to the COVID-19 pandemic yet in Pakistan populace is not fully vaccinated yet and currently Pakistan has bracied for another potential Covid-19 surge, as the number of cases in the nation has been escalating, driving the positive rate even higher. Vaccine inequity and acceptance has been an issue in Pakistan owing to lack of knowledge, lack of proximity to healthcare facilities, poor socio-economic status, etc. Also, the behaviour of the populace in Pakistan varies from that of other countries in that when COVID-19 cases declined, individuals thought the virus has been abolished and they stopped following standard operating procedures (SOPs). In this context, this article introduces the notion of mobile vaccination for everyone, which may be implemented to improve vaccination coverage.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of propolis (a natural herb) against dentine hypersensitivity and to compare their effect with the controls.Methodology: Two databases were selected and searched for the relevant articles published up to 2019. Clinical trials involving propolis with other desensitizing agents and comparing it with controls were included involving patients that possess dentine hypersensitivity along with the extracted teeth. Nine clinical trials from 1999 to 2019 met the criteria involving 169 patients who had sensitivity and 214 extracted teeth were included in this scoping review.Results: Propolis was found to have a better desensitizing results than the controls, except Recaldent ™ which showed better results than Porpolis. Conclusion: Our results support the assertion that propolis is a good option which occludes the dentinal tubules and can relieve the symptoms of dentine hypersensitivity. However more clinical trials and high quality studies are needed to confirm its results in a better way.