Balanced diet; balanced life

Objective: Non-pharmacological intervention to manage the health by healthy balanced diet and life style modifications

Study Design: Randomized Cross sectional Study

Place and Duration: Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research [PCSIR] laboratory Karachi from March 2012 to June 2013

Material and Methods: In this study, 210 volunteers were included [137 male and 73 female] aged between 25-60 years. The study was conducted with the questionnaire being filled at PCSIR labs, Karachi. The study period included from March to May 2012. One year later the same group of volunteers were re-examined from March to June 2013, who managed to alter the diet and life style for one year. The questionnaire was filled by an expert well versed in collecting the data from the patients who attended the OPD at PCSIR labs

Results: The results indicate that a lot of people in our population lead a sedentary life style and do not take part in physical activity which leads to health problems due to comparatively less energy / calories expenditure

Conclusion: Efforts should be made globally to create a public awareness and provide healthy environment to the people about pursuing healthy lifestyles. Several life style behaviors may influence to maintain energy balance over long term. The primary approach for achieving weight loss is lifestyle changes which includes reduced intake of calories and increase in physical activity. Regular, moderate intensity physical activity enhances long term weight maintenance and balance between energy input and output

Incidence of anemia in pregnancy. A randomized study at PMC hospital Nawabshah

In this part of the world anemia is one of the major public health problems especially in pregnant women. In our country the most important cause of anemia is poor diet repeated pregnancies and lack of awareness about contraception. Anemia can easily be managed with well nourish diet, with supplements of iron folic acid and multivitamin tablets. In our areas socio-economic problem is one of the causes which can be cope with help of Government and Non- Governmental Organizations by providing iron tablets and iron fortified foods to the population as a prophylaxis. To improve their health, pregnant women should regularly visit the clinics of Obs and Gynae and follow instructions of attending doctors and practice birth spacing in between the pregnancies. To determine the incidence of anemia in pregnant women in different socioeconomic classes in rural areas. Cross-sectional observational study. This study was conducted at the Department of Gynae and Obs, Peoples Medical College Nawabshah, and Sindh Pakistan from 1[st] March 2009to 30[th] June 2009. 850 pregnant ladies were included in the study who came to attend the antenatal clinic; where their history and clinical examination were recorded on a Performa. The ladies were divided into three socioeconomic classes, the higher, middle and lower class. 3ml of blood sample was taken from all the ladies for hemoglobin estimation and other necessary Lab test. A total number of 850 participants were included in this study, out of those 329 pregnant women were having hemoglobin [Hb] below 9 gm/dl, declared as anemic, the incidence as observed was 38.77% and the highest incidence was found in lower socioeconomic class. It can be concluded from this study that anemia is one of the major problem in pregnant women of rural areas. The incidence observed was 38.77% which was least [0.6%] in higher class and was highest [60.2%] in lower socioeconomic class

An evaluation of door to needle time (DNT) of thrombolytic therapy following acute myocardial infarction in three large tertiary referral hospitals in Dhaka City.

This study was conducted in three tertiary hospitals in Dhaka city at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) and National Institute of Cardiovascular Disease (NICVD) as a part of Inter-Heart Study. Secondary data was obtained from the standard questionnaires to determine door to needle time (DNT) following thrombolytic therapy in patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction (AMI) in coronary care units at three large tertiary referral hospitals in Dhaka city. Of total 192 patients studied in three centres, 156 (81.2%) received thrombolytic therapy. In BSMMU, 33 out of 45 (73.33%) patients received thrombolysis. Mean DNT was 147 minutes. Eighteen (55%) patients received thrombolysis within 90 minutes and 9 patients (27%) received with in 91-180 minutes, 6 patients (18%) received thrombolysis after 180 minutes. In DMCH, 44 out of 57 patients (77.1%) received thrombolysis. Mean DNT was 210 minutes. Five patients (11%) received within 90 minutes, 19 (43%) received thrombolysis between 91 to 180 minutes and 20 patients (46%) received thrombolysis outside the range of 180 minutes. In the NICVD, 79 out of total 90 (87.7%) patients received thrombolysis. Mean DTN was 64 minutes. Sixty seven (82%) patients received therapy within 90 minutes, 6 patients (9%) received between thrombolysis 91-180 minutes and 6 (9%) patients received after 180 minutes of reaching hospital. Inspite of overall improvement in the management of patients with AMI in coronary care units of major teaching hospitals, there seem to remain certain difficulty in our system which causes delay in thrombolysing patients with AMI. In this study, the mean DNT for thrombolysis was quickest (64 minutes) at NICVD and slowest (210 minutes) at DMCH. Although the study was conducted almost four years ago, it gives some insight regarding strength and weaknesses in the infrastructure of public sector hospitals in our country.