Pak J Med Sci
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Malaria is an arthropod-borne infectious disease transmitted by the mosquito Anopheles and claims millions of lives globally every year. Reasons for failure to eradicate this disease are multifactorial. The seasonality of the malaria is principally determined by climatic factors conducive for breeding of the vector. We aimed to study the relationship between climatic variability and the seasonality of malaria over an eight-year duration. ⋯ There is a marked seasonal variation of malaria in Karachi, influenced by various environmental factors. Identification of the 'the concentrated period' of malaria can be helpful for policymakers to deploy malaria control interventions.
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To study and compare the clinical effects of azithromycin and erythromycin on children with mycoplasma pneumonia. ⋯ Compared with erythromycin, azithromycin is more effective in the treatment of mycoplasma pneumonia in children. Azithromycin can further shorten the improvement time of clinical symptoms and signs and has few adverse reactions and high safety. It is worth clinical application.
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There are growing concerns towards the quality of medical education in Pakistan. To help strengthen accreditation processes, this study identifies the challenges towards quality assurance of Basic Medical Education in Pakistan. ⋯ Quality assurance of Basic Medical Education in Pakistan involves various systemic, resource and personnel related challenges. The accrediting body needs to bring major reforms in its accreditation system and strengthen its regulatory and technical educational capacity to ensure the quality of medical education in nearly 168 medical and dental colleges of the country.
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Pakistan is experiencing a "double burden'' of disease. Under-development is associated with illnesses like infections and nutritional deficiency, and is accompanied with diseases linked with development, such as diabetes, hypertension, cancer and chronic kidney disease. In Pakistan, renal and genitourinary diseases are an important, unaddressed health issues. ⋯ Of the numerous mycotoxins, zearalenone and ochratoxin are well-known for their hazardous effects on genitourinary and renal parenchyma respectively. We reviewed the literature using PubMed and Google Scholar databases for levels of these toxins in various constituents of chicken farming like chicken feed, meat, litter and human drinking water contamination in various parts of the country. We found that these toxins are in higher levels than recommended.
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Chronic rhino sinusitis (CRS) is an inflammatory condition of the paranasal sinuses and the nasal passage lasting more than three months either with or without sinonasal polyps. This study aimed to report the common sinonasal lesions associated with CRS according to the histopathology results, to compare between clinical and histopathological diagnoses, and to compare between radiological and histopathological diagnoses of the sinonasal lesions. ⋯ Inflammatory and allergic polyps are the most common benign bilateral lesions associated with chronic rhinosinusitis, which can be correctly diagnosed clinically in most cases. Unilateral nasal polyps have high rates of malignancies and should be check carefully by endoscopy and histopathology. Computed tomography has some pitfalls in diagnosing of fungal sinusitis.