Prevalence of microalbuminuria with relation to glycemic control in type-2 diabetic patients in Karachi

Diabetes is one of the most common endocrine disorders characterized by hyperglycaemia. Diabetic nephropathy is a consequence of long standing diabetes. The prevalence of microalbuminuria predicts progression to diabetic nephropathy. The present study was conducted to determine the prevalence of microalbuminuria in relation to duration of diabetes, BMI, Serum Creatinine and HbA1c in an ethnic group of Type 2 diabetes mellitus residing in Karachi. This cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out in a community diabetic centre, located at Garden East Karachi from July to December 2007. One hundred known Type 2 diabetic patients with age 30- 70 years were included in the study. Informed consent and a structured questionnaire of each patient were recorded. Fasting venous blood and morning urine sample was collected for analysis of creatinine, HbA1c and microalbuminuria respectively. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS version 13.0. Pearson correlation was applied to observe association of microalbuminuria with different parameters. All p-values <0.05 were considered as statistically significant. Microalbuminuria had a highly significant correlation with duration of diabetes, serum creatinine [p<0.001], HbA1c [p<0.05] and BMI [p<0.024]. A strong correlation exists between age and serum creatinine [r=0.73]. The present study found an early onset of microalbuminuria in the selected community which could be due to poor glycaemic control [high HbA1c>7%] or heredity factors. Screening for microalbuminuria and HbA1c test should be done in both newly and already diagnosed Type 2 diabetic patients as an early marker of renal dysfunction and glycaemic control

Antimicrobial susceptibility and plasmid profile study of Clinical Shigella isolates in Pakistan

The antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of nine .Shigella isolates from clinical sources in Pakistan, were analyzed. The commonly used antibiotics Chloramphenicol, Vancomycin, Velosef, Septran and Rocephin were used in this study. The Shigella isolates showed high resistance against all antibiotics except Vancomycin while 100% resistance was observed for antibiotic, Septran. Most of the Shigella isolates [88.8%] were multiple drug resistant and four different antibiograms were observed among these resistant Shigella isolates. Plasmid profile analysis showed no plasmid in the Shigella isolates and it was presumed that the resistance determinants of Shigella for these antibiotics were located on the chromosomal DNA

Relatyive yields of crops and crop losses due to weed competition in bangladesh

An estimate of crop losses due to weed competition has been done on the basis of experimental data available in the country. The relative yields of 27 crop species are calculated and the ranking of competitive power of the crop species has been established. On average 37.33% of crop produce is damaged if weeds are not controlled in Bangladesh. Crops valued at approximately Taka 59665.70 million might be lost annually due to unrestricted growth of weeds in the country. The pest may cause a loss of 9.66 million tons of food valued at Taka 56711.12 million [$1383 million] every year if they are not controlled in the crop fields. Production losses may also occur due to weeds as 33.16% in food crops, 41.26% in cereals, 3 1.88% pulses, 40.82% in oilseeds, 34.23% in fibre crops and 40.28% in rice crops in the country. However, an average of 13.1% of crop produce is actually lost in the farmers field even after adopting traditional weed controls in Bangladesh. On this basis, crops valued at Taka 20,938.13 million is lost every year due to weeds. More than 2.5 million tons of food grain [cereals, pulses and oilseeds] valued at Taka 17232.80 million is lost per annum. Of the crop species investigated, tea and khesari are the most competitive crops followed by sugar-cane and lentil. Onion is the least competitive crop against weeds

clinical study of asthma in children

Fifty children with bronchial asthma were studied. Male female ratio was 2:1 and age of onset was above 2 years in 70%. The disease presented as an acute attack in 74% cases. Commonest precipitating factors were exercise, cold air, cold drinks and rice. Symptoms were more prominent during the night and in winters in 56%. Chest deformity was noted in 24% and eosinophilia in 71%. PEFR was lower than 80% of predicted in 67%, spirometry showed obstructive pattern in all those tested. Disease was mild in 48%, moderate in 40% and severe in 12%. Severity of the disease was statistically unrelated to known risk factors. Expected weight of the patients was significantly affected by the severity of the disease but height remained unaffected