Knowledge, attitude, and awareness of cardiopulmonary resuscitation among university enrolled medical and non-medical students of Pakistan: An online study.

Objective: To evaluate the awareness, attitude and knowledge of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) among university-enrolled medical and non-medical undergraduate students of Pakistan. Methods: Cross-sectional online survey-based study was conducted across institutes in Pakistan from December, 2022 to January, 2023. The study involved university-enrolled undergraduate students across the country. The structured questionnaire was disseminated via Google forms. For statistical analysis, SPSS version 20 was used to analyze the data by applying independent sample t-tests and ANOVA. Results: A total of 249 responses were received. After the exclusion of two responses, the overall awareness score of participants was found to be 2.49 ± 1.33, attitude score of 4.09 ± 1.74, and knowledge score of 3.51 ± 2.13. Female respondents, medical students, unmarried (single), private institutes, and respondents with educated parents achieved relatively higher scores. The overall difference in awareness scores among different regions of Pakistan was also significant (p <0.05). Gender, region, and parental literacy rate also showed effects on participants' basic life support (BLS) and CPR knowledge (p <0.05). Conclusions: Overall knowledge and awareness were unsatisfactory and inadequate in university-enrolled undergraduate students, with no one getting a complete score on very basic knowledge questions. Significant differences in awareness, attitude, and knowledge among different regions, genders, and parental literacy rates were found.

Self-reported attitudes and behaviours of medical students in Pakistan regarding academic misconduct: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Honesty and integrity are key attributes of an ethically competent physician. However, academic misconduct, which includes but is not limited to plagiarism, cheating, and falsifying documentation, is common in medical colleges across the world. The purpose of this study is to describe differences in the self-reported attitudes and behaviours of medical students regarding academic misconduct depending on gender, year of study and type of medical institution in Pakistan. METHODS: A cross sectional study was conducted with medical students from one private and one public sector medical college. A pre-coded questionnaire about attitudes and behaviours regarding plagiarism, lying, cheating and falsifying documentation was completed anonymously by the students. RESULTS: A total of 465 medical students filled the questionnaire. 53% of private medical college students reported that they recognize copying an assignment verbatim and listing sources as references as wrong compared to 35% of public medical college students. 26% of private medical college students self-report this behaviour as compared to 42% of public medical college students. 22% of private versus 15% of public medical college students and 21% of students in clinical years compared to 17% in basic science years admit to submitting a fake medical certificate to justify an absence. 87% of students at a private medical college believe that cheating in an examination is wrong as compared to 66% of public medical college students and 24% self-report this behaviour in the former group as compared to 41% in the latter. 63% of clinical year students identify cheating as wrong compared to 89% of their junior colleagues. 71% of male versus 84% of female respondents believe that cheating is wrong and 42% of males compared to 23% of females admit to cheating. CONCLUSIONS: There are significant differences in medical students' attitudes and behaviours towards plagiarism, lying, cheating and stealing by gender, seniority status and type of institution. The ability to identify acts of academic misconduct does not deter students from engaging in the behaviour themselves, as evidenced by self-reporting.

Serum leptin levels correlation with high blood pressure in adult females.

OBJECTIVE: To measure serum leptin levels and compare them in lean and obese subjects and to identify correlation between serum leptin levels, heart rate and hypertension in lean and obese subjects among adult females. DESIGN: A case control study. PLACE AND DURATION: Jinnah Medical and Dental College Hospital's Outpatient Department (OPD) during the calender year 2003. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Seventy female subjects with different body mass indices were selected from OPD of Jinnah Medical and Dental College Hospital (OPD), Karachi. Heart rate was counted manually; blood pressure was measured by mercury sphygmomanometer while serum leptin was measured using enzyme-linked immunoassay. The outcomes hypertension and heart rate were correlated to risk factor leptin. RESULT: Mean heart rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure and serum leptin levels of obese people were 90 +/- 1, 142 +/- 2, 89 +/- 1 and 24.13 +/- 1.7 respectively, which were significantly higher as compared to lean subjects (p<0.05). All the parameters correlated positively and significantly with increasing BMI. CONCLUSION: There was a relationship of tachycardia and hypertension with high serum leptin levels in obesity. Serum leptin levels increase with the level of obesity. Hyper-leptinemia is associated with tachycardia and increases in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure in obesity via complex mechanisms.

Cord blood leptin levels in Pakistani newborns: relationship with birth weight, length and occipitofrontal circumference.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the serum leptin levels in cord blood of Pakistani newborns and to ascertain the relationship between serum leptin and anthropometric parameters i.e. birth weight, length and OFC. STUDY DESIGN: A cross-sectional study. PLACE AND DURATION: Lady Dufferin Hospital and Ziauddin Hospital, Karachi from 1999 to 2000. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Leptin concentration was measured in 110 newborns of mothers of normal antenatal history from venous cord blood, using Active Elisa Kit (DSL-10-23100). Samples were selected according to availability. RESULTS: Mean birth weight, length and occipitofrontal circumference (OFC) were 3.0+/-0.4 kg, 48.7+/-2.3 cms and 33.1+/-0.8 cms, respectively. Mean serum leptin levels was 10.0+/-7.5 ng/ml. Serum leptin levels were found to be positively correlated with birth weight (r=0.16, p=0.04), and OFC (r=0.33, p<0.01), whereas no significant relationship was found with length of the babies. CONCLUSION: The reported results suggest that leptin may play role in newborns body weight and energy expenditure as in adults and children.