Mental and physical health correlates of the psychological impact of the first wave of COVID-19 among general population of Pakistan.

The primary aim was to assess the role of mental and physical health of COVID-19 and its psychological impact in the general population of Pakistan during the first wave of COVID-19. It was hypothesized that there would be a significant predictive association among socio-demographic variables, psychological impact and mental health status resulting from COVID-19, and poor self-reported physical health would be significantly associated with adverse psychological impact and poor mental health status because of COVID-19. A cross-sectional survey research design was used in which 1,361 respondents were sampled online during lockdown imposed in the country. The Impact of Events Scale-Revised (IES-R) was used to assess the psychological impact of COVID-19, and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21) was used to assess participants' mental health status. 18% of the respondents reported moderate to severe event-specific distress, 22.6% reported moderate to severely extreme depression, 29% reported moderate to extreme anxiety, and 12.1% reported moderate to extreme stress. Female gender, having graduate-level education, currently studying, and self-reported physical symptoms (persistent fever, chills, headache, cough, breathing difficulty, dizziness, and sore throat) were significantly associated with higher levels of psychological impact exhibited through higher scores on the IES-R and poorer mental health status exhibited through higher scores on the DASS-21 (Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Subscales).

Comparison of effectiveness between Haloperidol and Quetiapine in acute manic episode.

This study was conducted to compare the response rate of Quetiapine and Haloperidol in patients with acute manic episodes. A total of 120 patients with acute episode of mania with baseline Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) of more than 20 were included and randomly allocated to either Quetiapine (Group A) or Haloperidol (Group B). Each patient was assessed at baseline. YMRS was administered at the start and at follow-up visit after six weeks. Comparison of response rate (>50% reduction in YMRS) was not statistically significant between the two groups (70% vs. 71.7%; p=0.410) after six weeks in acute manic episode. Quetiapine and Haloperidol emerged as equally effective pharmacological strategies for the treatment of bipolar mania. Quetiapine may be used as an alternative to conventional antipsychotics; Haloperidol can be used as replacement of Quetiapine as well, as it is of low cost.

Amalgam phase-out, an environmental safety concern: a cross-sectional study among general dental practitioners in Pakistan

Background: Amalgam has been the gold standard for restorations in posterior teeth. Mercury, a major component of dental amalgam, is considered an environmental pollutant. The Minamata Convention on mercury recomends a reduction in the use of mercury-containing products. Since Pakistan is a signatory to the Convention, the same amalgam phase-out limitations are implemented in Pakistan. Aims: To identify and assess the use of amalgam and its waste management by dentists in Pakistan post-Minamata Convention guidelines. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Lahore among 520 general dental practitioners in 2019. Results: The sample size for the study was calculated as 500; the questionnaire was distributed among 550 dentists. Dental amalgam was used by only 41.6% of the dentists in their practice; 55.0% perceived it to be a health risk. Most of the dentists (76.3%) were unaware of the proper disposal protocols for dental amalgam and 76.5% were unaware of any guidelines regarding amalgam use and disposal. Conclusion: Although there is a gap in knowledge among the dentists regarding amalgam disposal, dentists in Pakistan are reducing their use of dental amalgam in accordance with the guidelines of the Minamata Convention.

Novel perovskite solar cell with Distributed Bragg Reflector.

This paper reports numerical modeling of perovskite solar cell which has been knotted with Distributed Bragg Reflector pairs to extract high energy efficiency. The geometry of the proposed cells is simulated with three different kinds of perovskite materials including CH3NH3PbI3, CH3NH3PbBr3, and CH3NH3SnI3. The toxic perovskite material based on Lead iodide and lead bromide appears to be more efficient as compared to non-toxic perovskite material. The executed simulated photovoltaic parameters with the highest efficient structure are open circuit voltage = 1.409 (V), short circuit current density = 24.09 mA/cm2, fill factor = 86.18%, and efficiency = 24.38%. Moreover, a comparison of the current study with different kinds of structures has been made and surprisingly our novel geometry holds enhanced performance parameters that are featured with back reflector pairs (Si/SiO2). The applied numerical approach and presented designing effort of geometry are beneficial to obtain results that have the potential to address problems with less efficient thin-film solar cells.

Age-dependent prognostic value of KRAS mutation in metastatic colorectal cancer.

Background: The age-dependent prognostic impact of KRAS status in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) is unknown. Materials & Methods: We used the National Cancer Database to evaluate the survival by KRAS status for age-groups <50, 50-69 and ≥70, adjusting for relevant patient and tumor characteristics. Results: mCRC patients (n = 26,095; 33.5%) had KRAS status reported, and 11,338 of these patients (43.4%) had mutations in the KRAS gene. Patients with KRAS mutations had worse overall survival than wild-type KRAS patients. In age-groups <50 years (23 vs 29 months; p < 0.001) and 50-69 (21 vs 23.4 months; p < 0.001), KRAS mutations were significantly associated with worse survival, whereas in the ≥70-year age-group, there was no significant association (14 vs 14 months; p = 0.34). Conclusion: We conclude that the age of patients influences the prognostic value of KRAS mutation in metastatic colorectal cancer.