ABSTRACT
Objective: to determine the disparities and the priorities of basic health scientists and clinicians while assessing a manuscript
Study Design: cross-sectional study
Place and Duration of Study: the study was conducted at Karachi, from January to April 2014
Methodology: the study was a proforma-based research, employed convenient sampling for data collection, in which 100 reviewers belonging to clinical and basic health science background were selected. The questionnaire used was a selfadministered one with close-ended questions. The results were analysed using SPSS software
Results: out of 100 respondents, 50 were from Basic Health Sciences Reviewers [BRs] and 50 Clinicians Reviewers [CRs]. The results depicted grammatical and improper referencing amongst formatting mistakes as the most common observation by the reviewers. The reviewers also raised concerns regarding validity of statistical analysis, use of outdated references and lack of acknowledgment of the sources of funding utilised by the authors. There were elements of manuscripts that BRs and CRs reviewers agreed upon and prioritised, but there were elements of the manuscript that they approached mostly in methods, results and conclusion components
Conclusion: the priorities of reviewers from Basic Health Sciences and Clinical background differed markedly in certain respects. This impacts how they review the manuscripts
ABSTRACT
To determine diagnostic accuracy [in terms of sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value] of electrocardiography for left ventricular hypertrophy [LVH]. Cross sectional validation type. Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences [PIMS] from 1 January 2013 to 30 June 2013. A cross-sectional study was conducted at department of cardiology. Two hundred and fifty hypertensive patients, both male and female were included in the study. The data was collected by non-probability, purposive sampling. A performa was filled indicating their bio-data, history and clinical examination. All the patients were then subjected to 12 lead electrocardiogram [ECG] and echocardiography to detect LVH. Sokolow Lyon product index and Cornell product index was calculated on ECG to detect LVH. Data was analysed using SPSS 11. Out of 250 hypertensive patients, a total of 110 [44%] patients had LVH by echocardiography Out of these 110 patients, 60 [54.5%] patients had both positive Sokolow Lyon and Cornell product indices and 50 [45.5%] had negative both Sokolow Lyon and Cornell product indices. The calculated sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and overall diagnostic accuracy of combined Sokolow Lyon and Cornell product indices were 54.5%, 97.9%, 95.2%, 73.3% and 78.8% respectively. The ECG criteria of combined Sokolow Lyon and Cornell product indices had a high specificity and PPV for the detection of left ventricular hypertrophy using echocardiography as a gold standard. However ECG has low sensitivity and NPV for LVH and hence is not a reliable screening tool for detection of LVH
ABSTRACT
Aging is a natural complex process that is regulated at genetic, cellular, molecular and systemic levels and leads to the development of a variety of changes including structural, chemical and genetic in the senescent brain. The major goal of the present study was to investigate the age associated cognitive dysfunction and other behavioral changes and their association with age related alterations in levels of neurotransmitters, such as dopamine [DA] and serotonin [5- HT] in the hippocampal region. Twelve male Albino Wistar rats were taken for the study including six young rats [04-05 months old] and six aged [20-22 months old] rats in each group. The learning and memory performance of rats was assessed by passive avoidance test [PA] and novel objective recognition task [NOR]. Ambulatory activity was monitored by Open field test. Light/Dark transition test was used to monitor anxiety, whereas depression like symptoms was examined by Forced Swim Test [FST]. Results showed that aged rats exhibited learning and memory impairment in PA and NOR. There was a negative relation between aging process and locomotion, consistent with previous findings. Moreover, an augmented increase in level of anxiety and depression was also observed in senescent rats. A marked decrease in DA and 5-HT was observed in the hippocampus of aged rats. Similarly, levels of 5-HIAA and DOPAC were also found to be decreased in aged rats. It is therefore concluded that age has a negative influence on cognitive function, depression, anxiety and locomotion in rats. Cells in all brain regions, especially hippocampus are affected by aging. In general aging exhibits a decline in sensory, motor and cognitive functions. These behavioral changes or functional deficits may be attributed to the age related decline in the levels of different neurotransmitters in brain /hippocampus. The present findings of behavioral deficits and altered neurotransmission in hippocampus of aged rats suggest a relationship between senescence, altered brain neurotransmitters and behavioral deficits
ABSTRACT
In order to observe the correlation between the serum ferritin and blood haemolgobin in anemic patients determination of haemoglobin levels was carried out in uncoagulated blood using Sysmex K1000. The remaining 2 ml blood was used to separate serum by centrifugation, which was then analyzed for determination of ferritin by Elecsys 2010, through electrochemilluminescence technique. Data were compared using correlation analysis and significant correlations were observed in case of male patients, as well as the patients when studied collectively, before distribution into genders. Female patients did not exhibit any significant correlations, when studied separately. The results of the present study show that elevation or decrease in serum ferritin level is a very significant factor in causing anaemia