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The government’s aim to accomplish social and economic development is realized through the optimal use of infrastructure. In this context, an infrastructure index is developed to investigate the role of infrastructure quality in Pakistan's economic growth from 1975 to 2018 particularly. The ARDL bounds testing cointegration with structural breaks confirm the presence of a long-run relationship amid the variables; economic growth, labour force, physical capital, and quality of infrastructure. Long-run findings indicate a positive and significant relationship between infrastructure quality and economic growth in Pakistan. From a policy standpoint, this analysis recommends that improvements in the existing infrastructure stock and utilizing the available resources efficiently would be extremely beneficial for Pakistan’s economy.

Background and Aim: Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome is an endocrine problem and its prevalence is on rise day by day in Pakistan, so the study aimed to determine occurrence of Anxiety and Depression among women with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome and to check whether quality of life gets poor or not in relation to Polycystic Ovarian syndrome. Methodology: It was a descriptive cross-sectional study, data was sampled using non-probability convenient sampling technique and analyzed on SPSS v. 20.0. Study was done on 150 participants, from Fauji Foundation Hospital and different private setups of Rawalpindi/Islamabad. Data was collected through Beck Depression Inventory, Beck Anxiety Inventory and SF-36 Questionnaires respectively. Results: Mean age of the all patients was (24.7±5.9), and BMI was (23±5.1). Out of 150 participants, (40%) were normal, (20.60%) had mild mood disturbance, (17.3%) had moderate depression and (2.66%) had extreme depression. Similarly, (69.3%) of the participants had normal anxiety level and only (6.60%) had potentially concerning levels of anxiety. Mean and standard deviation for different domain of SF-Questionnaire was: physical functioning (70.1±25), physical health limitations were (50±34), emotional problems limitations (42.9±37), energy/fatigue (49.7±15.2), for emotional wellbeing was (55±14.7), for social functioning was (65±24.5), pain (65.6±23), and general health were (51.2±18) respectively. Conclusion: Study concluded that occurrence of anxiety and depression among women with poly cystic ovarian syndromes was low, hence and their quality of life was not much affected.

South Asia is a hub for encompassing air contamination, with 37 of the top tiers of the 40 most contaminated urban communities around the globe (IQAIR, 2020). From this perspective, this research aims to explore the validity of the Environmental Kuznets Curve while controlling for the impacts of technological innovation and energy consumption on the sustainable economic growth–environmental pollution nexus in the backdrop of South Asian economies by using panel dataset from 1998 to 2018. Therefore, this analysis adopts a fully modified ordinary least square (FMOLS) approach for examination, which affirms the EKC hypothesis existence, suggesting that the environment in South Asia is deteriorating while technological innovations have moderated the impact. Moreover, the empirical findings indicate that energy consumption as well as technological innovations both have a significant positive impact on the CO2 emanations, which harms biodiversity.

Background: Agility is considered as one of the important components of physical fitness. In older adults, it is of utmost importance in response to any stimulus. The objective of this study was to determine normative values of agility in elderly population of Islamabad. Methods: A Cross-Sectional Survey was conducted in community settings of Islamabad from February–July 2019 after approval by the Ethical Review Committee of Foundation University Islamabad. The calculated sample size was found to be 267, but due to missing data, analysis was done on 250(100 females and 150 males). Participants were selected by convenient sampling. Physically independent participants were included and diseased population (severe musculoskeletal, neurological, and cardiopulmonary disorders), decreased functional status affecting hearing, vision, memory recall was excluded from the study. PAR-Q was utilized in uncovering any possible health risks linked to exercise. For evaluation of agility, the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance (AAHPERD) Agility Test was performed. Agility scoring is based on time in seconds, with higher score representing less agility, and agility score of less than 62 represents good agility. Data were analyzed through SPSS version 21. Results: The mean age, BMI and agility score of participants were 60.7±5.81 years, 26±4.30 kg/m² and 22.42±5.2 respectively. There was significant difference (P30 and all age categories. Conclusion: Elderly population of Pakistan has good agility score

Background: Good oral health during pregnancy can not only improve the health of the pregnant mother, but also potentially the health of her child. There is inconclusive and contrasting nature of evidence regarding the effect of pregnancy on oral health. So the purpose of this study was to systematically review the dental considerations during Pregnancy for further investigation. Methods: For the identification of the studies included in this review, we devised the search strategy for each database. The search strategy used a union of controlled vocabulary and free text terms. The main electronic database used to access the studies were PubMed, PubMed Central, Cochrane Review, Embase and Google Scholar. Results: A total of 28 articles fulfilled the criteria and were selected for the review. Some prenatal oral health conditions have adverse effects on the child. Periodontitis is associated with preterm birth, low birth weight infants and high level of cariogenic bacteria in pregnant mother can lead to increased risk of dental caries in the infant. Oral lesions such as gingivitis and pregnancy tumours are benign in nature and require only reassurance and monitoring. Conclusion: It has been suggested that some oral conditions may have adverse consequences on their children awareness related to oral health during pregnancy. Oral health care services should be routinely integrated with prenatal care services for all the pregnant women and specific preventive oral health care program should be made an integral part of antenatal care.

Madam, Stroke is a leading cause of death and disability around the globe and particularly in low- and middle-income countries, and this burden is increasing. (1) Its incidence in Pakistan, is also increasing daily and shares a significant burden by contributing to an exponential expenditure of resources, finances, community manpower, health services and overall economy. (2) Overall disability burden can be reduced remarkably, if early recovery prediction can be formulated for stroke parameters such as upper limb impairment, swallowing, Shoulder Abduction and Finger Extension (SAFE) score, Motor Evoked Potential (MEP) status, National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scoring. Existing relevant evidences for the early prediction of stroke recovery, reported the use of blood biomarker as an objective indicator. And among them, some serve as a guide in decision-making for clinical practice, such as: Brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), D-Dimer, and have potential in improving the diagnosis and the management of patients with stroke. MRI findings have also made an accurate prognosis about behavioral outcomes after stroke based on the severity of cognitive impairments. (3) For predicting recovery after stroke, various algorithms approaches have also been done since last 10 years and among Predict Recovery Potential (PREP2), (GRAVo) and (PRESS) models of prediction, studies have supported that the PREP2 algorithm was regarded as potentially valid. To date, only one approach has combined biomarkers within the first few days after stroke to make predictions for individual patients. The Predict Recovery Potential (PREP) algorithm predicts upper-limb functional outcomes by combining biomarkers, neurophysiological and neuroimaging measures to make a prognosis. PREP2 algorithm is probably the easiest approach to operationalize among predictive models and serves as a benchmark for predicting motor recovery after stroke. (4) So, till now, there is no consensus among both clinicians and scientists on how to apply a specific predictive model in clinical routine or research protocols, in which biological and psycho-social factors can be collectively incorporated with Artificial intelligence. Hence these steps are mandatory to be implemented in predictive models considering all the factors mentioned above- and including other factors like cost, knowledge, interface development, resources, time and expertise of both scientists and clinicians. ---Continue

Objective: To review and study the oral health status among visually and hearing-impaired individuals. Data Sources and extraction: A literature was performed in main databases like- Pub Med Central, Cochrane Library, Embase and Google Scholar from year 2001 to 2020. This systematic review study was done according to PRISMA guideline. Data synthesis: It was found that disabled individuals had poor oral health status as compared to the non-disabled individuals. Blind children experienced more caries than hearing-impaired children in permanent, whereas it was opposite in primary dentition. Braille language and text instructions can be very useful for visually impaired individuals irrespective of the degree of blindness and can help them to maintain oral hygiene. Hearing impaired individuals are taught with actions and visualisations. Conclusion: As a public health personnel, the fact, it is extremely difficult to change people's attitudes rapidly. The sighted must know how to deal with the blind individuals and learn to overcome their own ambiguity, or their undesirable attitudes may be implemented and talk of social acceptance should not be felt in mind. Keywords: Oral health status, Disability, Oral health related quality of life, Hearing impaired, Visually impaired

Objective: To assess the knowledge, attitude and practices of first aid management among school teachers of Karachi. Study design and setting: This cross-sectional study was conducted at 4 schools in Karachi, from April to September 2018. Methodology: School teachers of class 1st to class 8th were included and teachers of coaching centers and academies were excluded. Data was collected through non-probability, convenient sampling technique. Data was obtained using aselfadministered closed-ended questionnaire. Data was entered and analyzed using SPSS version 23. Frequencies were calculated. Informed consent was obtained and anonymity of the subjects was maintained. Results: Total 162 participants aged 20-40 years participated in this study.Among the participants, 84% were females. Participants had inadequate knowledge of first aid and attitude towards first aid management was found to be positive and more than 90% of the respondents were ready to be trained for First Aid management. Data showed unsatisfactory results to manage common childhood injuries at school.Most of participants had poor knowledge regarding the management of epistaxis, choking, fainting and knocked out tooth. Conclusion: Although the overall attitude of the school teachers regarding first aid practices was favorable, levels of knowledge as well as practice of first aid found to be inadequate and many recognized the need for the introduction of the formal first aid training program at the school level

Novel coronavirus outbreak which started in Wuhan in December 2019 has spread across the globe at a high pace. This infection can be transmitted through droplets, close contacts, aerosols and other forms. Both uninfected patients and healthcare professionals are hesitating in seeing each other being scared of catching this viral disease. To overcome this upcoming gap between healthcare professionals and patients, there is a need to find out a way to answer their concerns and reinforce their confidence. As no specific treatment for this pandemic exists, one can only rely on infection control measures to prevent further spread of this disease. The aim of this review is to focus on specific guidelines in order to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission in dental clinics and hospitals.

Banana Bunchy top virus (BBTV) is a multipartite circular single strand DNA virus that belongs to genus Babuvirus and family Nanoviridae. It causes significant crop losses worldwide and also in Pakistan. BBTV is present in Pakistan since 1988 however, till now only few (about twenty only) sequence of genomic components have been reported from the country. To have insights into current genetic diversity in Pakistan fifty-seven genomic components including five complete genomes (comprises of DNA-R, -U3, -S, -M, -C and -N components) were sequenced in this study. The genetic diversity analysis of populations from Pakistan showed that DNA-R is highly conserved followed by DNA-N, whereas DNA-U3 is highly diverse with the most diverse Common Region Stem-loop (CR-SL) in BBTV genome, a functional region, which previously been reported to have undergone recombination in Pakistani population. A Maximum Likelihood (ML) phylogenetic analysis of entire genomes of isolates by using sequence of all the components concatenated together with the reported genomes around the world revealed deeper insights about the origin of the disease in Pakistan. A comparison of the genetic diversity of Pakistani and entire BBTV populations around the world indicates that there exists a correlation between genetic diversity and recombination. Population genetics analysis indicated that the degree of selection pressure differs depending on the area and genomic component. A detailed analysis of recombination across various components and functional regions suggested that recombination is closely associated with the functional parts of BBTV genome showing high genetic diversity. Both genetic diversity and recombination analyses suggest that the CR-SL is a recombination hotspot in all BBTV genomes and among the six components DNA-U3 is the only recombined component that has extensively undergone inter and intragenomic recombination. Diversity analysis of recombinant regions results on average one and half fold increase and, in some cases up to four-fold increase due to recombination. These results suggest that recombination is significantly contributing to the genetic diversity of BBTV populations around the world.

The linkage between renewable energy resources and environmental influences on economic growth among selected Asian economies play a vital role in sustainable economic development. This study encompasses the panel data sets for eight selected Asian countries, and the period starts from 1990 to 2018. This research relies on the panel vector error correction model (PVECM) for data estimation. The overall findings indicate that biomass, geothermal, and wind power sources of energy have a positive and significant impact on the economic advancement of Asian economies. Besides that, as opposed to the other two renewable energy sources, windpower has a greater impact on economic development. Furthermore, the empirical findings of current research have significant implications towards selected Asian countries' energy policy related to both private and public sector enterprises as it helps in identifying the industrial sectors which have greater contribution towards the economy and their energy requirements in long term.

COVID-19 has now become a global epidemic, prevailing over 213 countries of the world including Pakistan. To date, there have been more than 12000 cases and above 220 deaths reported in Pakistan. The outbreak is caused by a β-coronavirus called SARS-CoV-2, similar in characteristics to the SARS and MERS-CoV. It shows symptoms like pneumonia and may lead to death. Despite lockdown and possible isolation system, it is spreading rapidly. Lack of precautionary measures, specific vaccine and delayed diagnosis may be the major reasons for its spread. Several researches on COVID-19 have described its various features to extend its knowledge in order to help the scientific world in preparation of vaccine. Current review aimed to cover all essential data such as clinical characteristics, pathology, detailed morphology and structure, antigenicity of COVID-19 virus, role of structural proteins in anti-viral drug development and possible treatments being used. This manuscript would be helpful to select the best possible treatment depending on the availability and condition of the patient. Moreover, further research is needed for assistance in designing a virus-specific drug or vaccine.

Background: Aging is an inevitable process which has to take place at any costand is experienced by all of us, as a true reality of life. So, this stage of life; is quite pleasurablefor some elderly people whereas for some it becomes miserable. They become more fragileand prone towards diseases which greatly impact their health and limits activities of daily living.This decline increases day by day and becomes a cause of death. Objectives of Study: Toevaluate the relationship of physical activity on quality of life of elderly people. To determinewhether how many of them are still active and to find the reasons that makes an elderly personresponsible for being active or inactive which directly impacts the quality of life of an individual.Design: A Descriptive Cross Sectional survey. Period: It was 6 months of duration from January2014 till June 2014. Setting: A Descriptive Cross Sectional survey was conducted in elderlypopulation. This study was conducted from elderly people living in Rawalpindi, Islamabad.For these OPDs of the hospitals of Rawalpindi, Islamabad had been visited. Methods: Thesample size was 700 elderly individuals including males & females of ages 65 years & above.A structured questionnaire was designed and finalized after peer review. This questionnairewas “The Lawton Instrumental Activities of daily living Scale” that consisted of 15 questions,out of which 7 were close ended questions & 8 questions taken from the scale. Then, thedata had been be analyzed on SPSS-20 software. Results: The results of Lawton’s scale(which measures the level of effectiveness of physical activity) show that out of 700 total elderlypopulations, 564(80.5%) participants are physically active whereas 136 (19.4%) participants arethe ones who are not at all active. Among elderly population of 439 male participant 283(64.4%)of them are active that is they achieved the score 5/5 which is maximum independent scoreas described by Lawton for males. Whereas out of 261female participants 84 (32.2%) of themare independent and active as their score is 8/8. The result regarding diseases of our geriatricpopulation show that 200 (28.6%) of them are the ones having no disease at all. Whereas inthe case of diseased population, 119 (17%) of them are having cardiovascular & Hypertension,128 (18%) among them have the diseases present in combination of two. 76 (10.9%) amongthem are having Arthritis, which cannot be ignored. Conclusion: Physical activity has shownto have extremely positive benefits on health, mind, body & quality of life of an individual. Thesame implies with the elderly population because physical activity is a very powerful tool todelay the degenerative process which inevitably take place in the body. As the process ofaging is delayed, it produces many beneficial effects on almost all the systems of the body.Physical activity is proved to be extremely cardio protective in elders. Delay the disease process& protect them against many harmful effects of aging which would otherwise make elderly bedstrickenfrom the very beginning of aging process in geriatric population.

This study examines the causal relationship between loan guarantee and firm’s performance through a moderate role of corporate social responsibility (CSR). This study used 350 non-financial firms of China for data analysis. This study used annual panel data set from non-financial firms starting from 2009 to 2019. The findings show that a positive significant association exists among the relationship between loan guarantee and firm’s performance. Moreover, a moderate role of Corporate Social Responsibility also strengthens the relationship between the loan guarantee and firm’s performance. Furthermore, the logit regression results show that the loan guarantee, financial performances and CSR are negatively affecting the long-term zero-debts through all combinations. Also, the financial performances and loan guarantees are negatively influencing the constraints of firms in China, which shows that the financial performances and loan guarantee improvement of the firms lead to removing the constraints of firms in China.

Glycyrrhiza glabra L. (Family: Fabaceae) is one of the important traditional medicinal plant used extensively in folk medicine. It is known for its ethnopharmacological value in curing a wide variety of ailments. Glycyrrhizin, an active compound of G. glabra, possesses anti-inflammatory activity due to which it is mostly used in traditional herbal medicine for the treatment and management of chronic diseases. The present review is focused extensively on the pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, toxicology, and potential effects of Glycyrrhizic Acid (GA). A thorough literature survey was conducted to identify various studies that reported on the GA on PubMed, Science Direct and Google Scholar.

Objective: Mostly older patients suffer from cerebral ischemic stroke (CIS). To decreasing inability in patient which occurs due to CIS commonly used statins. The objective of our research work to study the effect of statins on the cerebral ischemic stroke patients. Methodology: The patients of CIS were admitted in Allied Hospital Faisalabad confirmed by the clinical and Para clinical findings during 2018 were enrolled. Before the CIS all participant is using statins up to three months, recovered patient did not use it after recovery. Modified Rankin Scale (MRS) measured method was used for Motor activity. During hospital stay MRS was compared at admission & during discharge time. If the result of motor was same during both condition than it to be consider poor effect. Results: 230 CIS participants (one thirty women) the average age of all patients was seventy-one years. Those patients who MRS score was less than four was substantially higher in statin group than controls between the duration of admission & during discharge. (All P values is grater 0.001) The total of participants with poor effect was substantially lower in statin group than controls. (P value is grater 0.001) The outcome was uniform when the statin and control patients were adjusted for hypercholesterolemia. Conclusion: that patient who taking statins in the initial stage of CIS show better result as compared to those patient who had never taken its. It seems sensible to advised statin to decrease motor inability and minimized the risk of CIS in patients. Key Words: Cerebral Ischemic Stroke, Motor Activity, Modified Rankin Scale (MRS), Patients, Stroke.

Objective: The purpose of this research work is to find out the occurrences of the infections due to malarial parasites in the populations of Multan city. Methodology: The parasites of malaria were diagnosed in the slides of blood of patients of these infections from the start of July 2016 to June 2018 and this research included three thousand four hundred and seventy-one patients. Both procedures of PCS (Passive Case Detection) & ACD (Active Case Detection) were in utilization for the diagnosis of malaria patients. Results: Out of three thousand four hundred and seventy-one malaria patients, about thirty-eight percent participants found + for the parasites of malaria in the smear slides of blood. Out of + patients, four hundred and fifty-one patients discovered with the infection of Plasmodium vivax & eight hundred and sixty patients had the infection of P. falciparum. P. falciparum infection was very common in the district of Multan. We found no infection of Plasmodium malariae & P. ovale found in this research work. Conclusion: The infection of the malaria is very common in district of Multan, which is one of the hot areas of Punjab, the province of Pakistan. In medically supposed patients of malaria, the observation of high slide rate of positivity occurred. The rate of prevalence of 65.5% of P. falciparum creates a serious danger to health because not p. falciparum but with P. vivax infection of 34.4% may cause the serious diseases as malaria of cerebral malaria. The high rate infection due to malaria should be a concern for the officials of program of malaria control in the country. Key Words: Parasite, malaria, infection, patient, P. falciparum, P. vivax, common, prevalence.

Background: The enriched learning and effective teaching is one of necessary aspect to develop competent health professionals. In literature number of studies presents the best qualities of an effective teacher. There are different descriptive surveys depicting the rating of student and expert professional opinion. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine the top qualities of a good teacher in health sciences. Materials and Study Design: A descriptive cross sectional study. Methods: Setting: Riphah College of rehabilitation sciences. Period: January - February 2014. Methods: 179 students were recruited in sample. A structured questionnaire was prepared and twenty qualities were selected after the detail review of literature. A scale ranging from 1 to 5 were described against each qualities from strongly disagree to strongly agree. Results: The result showed that the top qualities ranked by the students were effective communication skills score 112, encourage students 103, sound knowledge 100 and good presentation skills 99. The lowest score qualities were constructive criticism 28 and sense of humor 53. The 49% students want to be teacher while 51% don't want to be teacher in future. Conclusion: A good teacher has vital role in producing a good student. According to the perception of students a good teacher must have strong and effective communication skill, ability to motivate students and must have sound knowledge of subjects. This study suggests the basic training program for teacher to enhance the student teacher relationship. Further study should be done to explore the teacher's perception of a good teacher.

peer-reviewed Social media have numerous positive benefits for students‘ learning (Hwang, Kessler, & Francesco, 2004). Besides their easy access, social media platforms enable students to improve communications and language skills, because their different forms of interactive media facilitate interaction among users via the Internet. Recently, SNS users have increasingly availed of the advances and facilities that social media provide. The aim of this doctoral dissertation is to investigate the role of social media as an English language learning autonomy tool among foreign language learners (EFL) in Libya. Specifically, the thesis looks at the extent to which Libyan university students use and access social networking sites (SNSs) to learn English and determine whether these social platforms contribute to the development of their English language skills. Moreover, it explores the opportunities and challenges of integrating SNSs for English language learning in the Libyan context. A mixed-methods approach was used in the research to examine the extent to which EFL university students access and use different social media platforms for language learning purposes. The data collection methods used were questionnaires, diaries and interviews. The data indicates that Libyan university students‘ engagement with and use of SNSs and digital technologies is widespread, although at a less sophisticated level than in other countries, with this being partly due to the local context. Libyan university students highly value the importance of SNSs as a means to improve their English language skills. According to the English teachers, integrating the Internet and SNSs in the classroom have significant positive effects on learning English; however, it would appear that they do not implement the use of such tools in their teaching. This goes back to infrastructural, institutional and cultural factors, including teachers‘ poor ICT experience of modern educational methods. A mixed-methods approach was used in the research to examine the extent to which EFL university students access and use different social media platforms for language learning purposes. The data collection methods used were questionnaires, diaries and interviews. The data indicates that Libyan university students‘ engagement with and use of SNSs and digital technologies is widespread, although at a less sophisticated level than in other countries, with this being partly due to the local context. Libyan university students highly value the importance of SNSs as a means to improve their English language skills. According to the English teachers, integrating the Internet and SNSs in the classroom have significant positive effects on learning English; however, it would appear that they do not implement the use of such tools in their teaching. This goes back to infrastructural, institutional and cultural factors, including teachers‘ poor ICT experience of modern educational methods. The data in the results indicate a much stronger trend towards undirected autonomous learning on the part of students, as a by-product of using social media, than directed autonomous learning, which is lacking in the current context.

In the developing world, the energy needs of the household sector have grown manifold, due to rapid urbanization and the introduction of affordable technology. However, constraints in the power supply and underutilization of renewable resources, coupled with inefficient fuel use and obsolete technology, have increased the average energy usage cost and emissions. Hence, the current study provides a long-term sustainable energy management plan for the urban household, in terms of energy savings, social cost, and greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation. To address energy security and climate change challenges, a demand-side management scenario (DSM) is proposed through integration of efficient policies and nationally determined contributions. On the basis of policy analysis and energy consumption patterns, macro-economic modeling was carried out for the period 2011&ndash, 2050, using the Long-range Energy Alternative Planning (LEAP) modeling tool. Results show that the &ldquo, efficient water heating&rdquo, scenario offers the maximum energy-saving potential (up to 270 M.TOE) whereas &ldquo, efficient space cooling&rdquo, is the lowest-cost scenario. To achieve the best-fit mitigation scenario (MIT), targets for renewable energy supply were also incorporated. Findings were weighed against the reference scenario (REF), which reveals a huge GHG reduction under the DSM. Moreover, the cost required to implement MIT is estimated to be 3.4 US $/tonne of carbon dioxide-equivalent, less than the REF.