Knowledge, attitude and practices regarding sleep and sleep hygiene among patients presenting to out-patient and emergency room services at a teaching hospital in Karachi

To study the knowledge, attitude and practices with regards to sleep and sleep hygiene among patients visiting the Out-Patient and Emergency Room services at a teaching hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. A questionnaire-based cross-sectional survey was conducted at the Out-Patient and Emergency Room services of Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan. The questionnaire included demographic profile of the participant and questions based on the study objective. The details of the study were explained to the participants, a written Informed Consent was taken and confidentiality was assured. Those who could not read or write or understand english were assisted accordingly. Three hundred seventy six respondents were interviewed, the majority being women [57.7%] and married [62.2%]. A majority 212 [56.4%] respondents were between 25 and 49 years of age. The majority of the respondents had acquired above grade X [Matriculation] education, and were either students or housewives or in private service. The mean number of hours of sleep per day was 7.03 hours. About 60.4% of the respondents sleep 6-8 hours and 23.7% of the respondents believe sedatives should be used in case of insomnia while 9.0% of the respondents actually take sleeping pills. Only 33.8% of the respondents always feel fresh on waking up in the morning. Disruptions and snoring during sleep have been reported. About 27.1% of the respondents have rated their sleep quality as five or less, based on the rating scale 1-10 with 10 being highest quality. Sleep and sleep hygiene is a neglected area of clinical care requiring further research and intervention in terms of educational programs for patients

Correlation between seminal fluid analysis and levels of gonadotropins in serum and seminal plasma of normozoospermic men and infertile patients

Levels of serum gonadotropins have direct effects on testicular functions and spermatogenesis. Assessment of levels of serum gonadotropins from fathered subjects and infertile patients indicates wide range diversity. In this study, we tried to find out whether the levels of seminal FSH and LH affect the parameters of seminal fluid analysis [SFA] and if there is any correlation between levels of serum FSH and LH in healthy men and infertile patients. Levels of FSH and LH in serum and seminal plasma were assessed randomly, in addition to examination of seminal fluid analysis from 12 normozoospermic subjects [age range: 33-56 years] and 66 infertile patients [age range: 20-62 years] with duration of infertility [15-201 months]. Macroscopic and microscopic parameters of semen specimens were determined. Data were statistically analyzed using multiple correlation and regression, and MANOVA tests. Result of the present study observed significant positive correlation between FSH levels in serum and seminal plasma [r=0.984; p<0.001] of normozoospermic subjects as compared to other groups of infertile patients. No correlations were noticed between LH levels in serum and seminal plasma of normozoospermic subjects and groups of infertile patients. Significant and positive correlation was assessed between sperm concentration and levels of seminal FSH [r=0.822; p<0.05 and r=0.940; p<0.01] and seminal LH [r=0.989; p<0.001 and r=0.999; p<0.001] of asthenozoospermic and OAT patients respectively. In asthenozoospermic patients, significant and positive correlations were observed between seminal FSH and percentages of sperm motility, progressive motility, sperm normal morphology and total progressive motile sperm/ejaculate. This study shows a strong association and effect between seminal FSH and serum FSH and parameters of SFA for normozoospermic men and different groups of infertile patients. These finding may call for large cohorts being executed with larger population of patients that is required for this analysis to be more accurate

Level of prepatedness of patients for medical emergency

A questionnaire-based survey was conducted at the Emergency Room, The Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, during March and April 2003. One hundred patients visiting the Emergency Room for the treatment of a medical emergency were surveyed. The average age of patients was 42 years, with 54 men and 46 women. The majority was married, well educated, housewives or in private/government services. Only those patients who were well enough to respond to questions were interviewed. Seventy [70%] respondents had financial resources available to meet the expenses of the medical emergency. Patients were accompanied by someone in 89% cases. The majority was accompanied by husband [20%], son [20%], brother [14%], father [08%], wife [06%], sister [06%], mother [05%], daughter[05%] or a friend [05%]. Seventy-nine% respondents felt that experiencing the present medical emergency will enable them to be better prepared for such events in the future. Since we conducted the study at the Emergency Room of a teaching facility, and the study subjects were well-educated and socioeconomically better off, we cannot generalize the results to the population at large. We should not be surprised that 70% of the study subjects had the resources to pay for the expenses the medical emergency. Far less people in the community will be able to meet such expenses

Facets for talus on superior or proximal surface of human calcinel of Pakistani's of interior of Sindh

One Hundred Eight [108] Os calcis present in the bone bank of department of Anatomy Peoples Medical College for girls, Nawabshah, were studied macroscopically with Hand Lens. Type 1 in 66.7% showed one continuous facet on the sustentaculum extending to the distomedial calcanean corner, Type 11 in 26.8% presented two facets, one sustentacular, one distal calcanean, Type 111 in 4.6% possessed only a single sustentacular facet, and Type IV in 1.9% showed calcanei with all anterior and posterior facets confluent were seen. We conclude that variations for facets for talus on superior or proximal surface of calcanei are due to racial and regional differences

motor unit population of the rat hind limb muscles

I. To localize and estimate the size, number and segmental distribution of motoneurons whose axons form the tibial nerve [TN] and common peroneal nerve [CPN] in albino rat. II. To localize the motor end-plates on skeletal myofibres supplied by TN and CPN. Ill. The average size of motor unit was assessed as the ratio between the number of alpha motoneurons of the nerve and the motor end-plates innervated by that nerve. SETTING: Department of Anatomy, Basic Medical Sciences Institute, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Karachi. SUBJECTS: Male adult albino rats of Charles River Strain. PERIOD: One year. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Horseadish peroxidase [HRP] method of tracing neuronal technique for TN and CPN motoneurons. For localization of motor end-plates, Bromo-indigo and urea-silver method was used in adult albino rat. The motoneurons forming the TN and CPN extended between caudal part of L3 to rostral part of S1 segment of the spinal cord. The somal diameter of motoneurons for TN ranged between 18 and 54 [micro]m and for CPN between 12 and 56 [micro]m. The motoneurons measuring more than 25 [micro]m [presumably alpha neurons] were 75.3% for TN and 78.1% for CPN. A total of 690 motor units with the size of 39 skeletal myofibres innervated by TN and 396 units with the size of 28 skeletal myofibres innervated by CPN have been observed in the present study