Ethnomedicinal and traditional uses of the Ferns of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Abstract Ferns are often used by indigenous people in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. This study was designed to collect the ethnomedicinal and traditional knowledge of these locals about this group of vascular plants. Forty taxa belong to nineteen genera and ten families are used in the treatment of different diseases. The Pteridaceae was the most representative family with twelve taxa (30%), followed by Athyriaceae and Dryopteridaceae with six taxa each (30%), and Thelypteridaceae with five taxa (12.5%). Regarding the genera, Adiantum, Asplenium and Dryopteris ranked first with four taxa each (30%), followed by Aleuritopteris, Diplazium, Pteris and Equisetum with three taxa each (30%), followed by Athyrium, Oeosporangium, Polystichum and Pseudophegopteris with two taxa each (20%). These taxa were commonly used in the treatment of respiratory disorders i.e. asthma, bronchitis, emphysema, pneumonia; intestinal ulcer, stomach, urinary ailments and skin disorders by the methods of decoction and infusion. Traditional knowledge about ethnomedicinal plants is a valuable and essential source for the discovery of allopathic, herbal and homeopathic medicines.

Resumo As samambaias são frequentemente usadas pelos indígenas em Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Paquistão. Este estudo foi desenhado para coletar o conhecimento etnomedicinal e tradicional desses moradores sobre este grupo de plantas vasculares. Quarenta táxons pertencem a dezenove gêneros, e dez famílias são utilizadas no tratamento de diferentes doenças. Pteridaceae foi a família mais representativa com doze táxons (30%), seguida por Athyriaceae e Dryopteridaceae com seis táxons cada (30%), e Thelypteridaceae com cinco táxons (12,5%). Em relação aos gêneros, Adiantum, Asplenium e Dryopteris ficaram em primeiro lugar com quatro táxons cada (30%), seguidos por Aleuritopteris, Diplazium, Pteris e Equisetum com três táxons cada (30%), e Athyrium, Oeosporangium, Polystichum e Pseudophegopteris com dois táxons cada (20%). Estes táxons foram comumente usados no tratamento de distúrbios respiratórios, isto é, asma, bronquite, enfisema, pneumonia; úlcera intestinal, estômago, doenças urinárias e doenças da pele pelos métodos de decocção e infusão. O conhecimento tradicional sobre plantas etnomedicinais é uma fonte valiosa e essencial para a descoberta de medicamentos alopáticos, fitoterápicos e homeopáticos.

Ethnomedicinal and traditional uses of the Ferns of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan / Usos etnomedicinais e tradicionais das samambaias de Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Paquistão

Abstract Ferns are often used by indigenous people in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. This study was designed to collect the ethnomedicinal and traditional knowledge of these locals about this group of vascular plants. Forty taxa belong to nineteen genera and ten families are used in the treatment of different diseases. The Pteridaceae was the most representative family with twelve taxa (30%), followed by Athyriaceae and Dryopteridaceae with six taxa each (30%), and Thelypteridaceae with five taxa (12.5%). Regarding the genera, Adiantum, Asplenium and Dryopteris ranked first with four taxa each (30%), followed by Aleuritopteris, Diplazium, Pteris and Equisetum with three taxa each (30%), followed by Athyrium, Oeosporangium, Polystichum and Pseudophegopteris with two taxa each (20%). These taxa were commonly used in the treatment of respiratory disorders i.e. asthma, bronchitis, emphysema, pneumonia; intestinal ulcer, stomach, urinary ailments and skin disorders by the methods of decoction and infusion. Traditional knowledge about ethnomedicinal plants is a valuable and essential source for the discovery of allopathic, herbal and homeopathic medicines.

Resumo As samambaias são frequentemente usadas pelos indígenas em Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Paquistão. Este estudo foi desenhado para coletar o conhecimento etnomedicinal e tradicional desses moradores sobre este grupo de plantas vasculares. Quarenta táxons pertencem a dezenove gêneros, e dez famílias são utilizadas no tratamento de diferentes doenças. Pteridaceae foi a família mais representativa com doze táxons (30%), seguida por Athyriaceae e Dryopteridaceae com seis táxons cada (30%), e Thelypteridaceae com cinco táxons (12,5%). Em relação aos gêneros, Adiantum, Asplenium e Dryopteris ficaram em primeiro lugar com quatro táxons cada (30%), seguidos por Aleuritopteris, Diplazium, Pteris e Equisetum com três táxons cada (30%), e Athyrium, Oeosporangium, Polystichum e Pseudophegopteris com dois táxons cada (20%). Estes táxons foram comumente usados ​​no tratamento de distúrbios respiratórios, isto é, asma, bronquite, enfisema, pneumonia; úlcera intestinal, estômago, doenças urinárias e doenças da pele pelos métodos de decocção e infusão. O conhecimento tradicional sobre plantas etnomedicinais é uma fonte valiosa e essencial para a descoberta de medicamentos alopáticos, fitoterápicos e homeopáticos.

Association of online screen media exposure and burnout among adolescent senior high school students enrolled in different online curricula in Metro Manila: An analytic cross-sectional study / The Health Sciences Journal

Introduction@#Due to COVID-19 pandemic, it became imperative for the education sector to shift to online curriculum and eventually hybrid education. However, this policy posed challenges to educators and students, such as increased workload, prolonged screen time, and burnout. This study determined the association of online screen media exposure and burnout among adolescent senior high school students enrolled in different online curricula in Metro Manila.@*Methods@#This analytic cross-sectional study identified adolescent senior high school students in Metro Manila who were recruited via non-probability convenience sampling. Online screen media exposure was assessed based on the cut off value of four (4) or more hours of device usage related to online schooling, and participants answered the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI) to ascertain presence or absence of said condition. Data analysis included cross-tabulation for prevalence rate ratio (PRR), and Chi-square test for statistical significance.@*Results@#Of the 117 respondents, most had significant online screen media exposure (75.21%). For the CBI, 51 study subjects garnered a score of 50 and above, suggesting that 43.59% of the adolescents might be suffering from burnout. In addition, PRR was calculated to be 3.9 (p-value of .002).@*Conclusion@#Among adolescent senior high school students with significant online screen media exposure of four hours or more, there was 3.9 higher risk of exhibiting burnout symptoms, and this was statistically significant.

Desordenes mentales entre los incas del antiguo Perú / Mental disorders among the Incas of ancient Peru

El trabajo de los cronistas ha servido como fuente de información sobre la ocurrencia de enfermedades mentales entre los incas. A partir de esta fuente, pareciera que entre los desórdenes mentales, la melancolía era, de lejos, la enfermedad más importante. La enfermedad no sólo afectaba a los habitantes comunes: la melancolía era más bien frecuente entre la familia del Inca. Al igual que otras enfermedades, los incas trataban a las enfermedades mentales con una mezcla de productos medicinales mágicos y empíricos. Esto últimos eran principalmente de naturaleza vegetal, aunque también se aplicaban algunos minerales para tratar los desórdenes depresivos. Algunos síndromes típicos de la medicina folklórica contemporánea, tales como el "susto" y los malestares que se relacionan con él, no han sido mencionados por los cronistas.

Fine needle aspiration of intra-abdominal masses for cytodiagnosis.

Fine needle aspiration cytology was performed in 50 consecutive patients who presented with palpable intra-abdominal mass. Ninety-four per cent (47/50) of the aspirations yielded adequate material for cytological interpretation. Histopathological confirmation was made in all the 50 cases by means of laparotomy and various surgical procedures. Of the 45 proven malignant lesions, fine needle aspirates were diagnosed as positive in 44 (97.33%) cases. There was no false positive result and no complication was encountered.

Pattern of cancer at Srinagar (Kashmir).

A total number of 3310 cancer cases were diagnosed out of 12969 biopsies and 4051 tumours received in the Department of Pathology, Sher I Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, Soura, Srinagar during the period January 1983 to June 1987. The peak incidence of cancer in both sexes was found to be between 41-50 years of age. Cancer was more common in males (66.97 percent) than in females (33.03 percent). Cancer of the digestive system was the commonest cancer in both sexes, followed by lymphnodes, genitourinary tract and respiratory system in males and cancer of the breast and genitourinary system in females. Cancer of the oral cavity, larynx, pharynx and cancer of the cervix had a very low incidence.

Ultrasound guided percutaneous fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) of intraabdominal and retroperitoneal masses.

The diagnostic role of ultrasound guided fine needle aspiration biopsy (USG FNAB) was studied in 178 patients with clinically suspected intraabdominal and retroperitoneal masses (liver 81, gall bladder 47, pancreas 21, miscellaneous sites 29). A cytological diagnosis of neoplastic or non-neoplastic lesions was made in 125 patients, giving an overall accuracy of 70.0%. The cytological accuracy in hepatic lesions was 83.9% (68/81), in gall bladder lesions 72.3% (34/47), pancreas 76.1% (16/21) and miscellaneous sites 24.1% (7/29). USG FNAB provides a reliable morphologic diagnosis safely and rapidly. This may be especially helpful in patients with advanced unresectable intraabdominal malignancies, and may avoid diagnostic surgical intervention.