Importance of Development of Rare Cancers National Tumour Board.

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Financial Toxicity Tumor Board: A Multi-disciplinary Team Activity Required in Low and Middle-income Countries (LMIC).

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Reconstruction of post burn scalp alopecia by using expanded hair-bearing scalp flaps.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Tissue expansion is a time-tested and frequently used procedure for utilizing local tissue to replace large defects. We aimed to assess the success & complications of tissue expansion in correction of post burn scalp alopecia. METHODS: In this study, 30 patients of scalp burn alopecia of 5 to 35 years age group were treated with tissue expansion of the scalp at Bahawal-Victoria Hospital from January 2013 to December 2014. The area of the scalp loss was within 1/5 to 2/5. Our technique employed an insertion site distal to the area needed to be expanded, attempting to minimize complication like extrusion & wound dehiscence. The patients were followed-up weekly during first month and then fortnightly for next four months. RESULT: Our study involved 8 male (26.67%) and 22 female subjects (73.33%) with a mean age of 21years. Flame burn accounted for the mostly 53.3% (n=16) of scalp burns & parieto-temporal region was most commonly affected in 33.4% (n=10) of subjects. Desired aesthetic results were achieved in all the patients without any major complication. Minor complication included mild infection in 8 (26.67%), seroma in 4 (13.33%) & wound dehiscence in 2 (6.67%) patients. CONCLUSION: Tissue expansion is a simple, safe, & efficient technique for aesthetic scalp reconstruction. With a simple modification of distal incision and tunneling, we succeeded in minimizing complications. Versatile design of the expanded scalp flap can distribute the expanded hair-bearing scalp properly in the reconstructed recipient site.

Prevalence of examination related anxiety in a private medical college.

BACKGROUND: To assess examination related anxiety among first professional medical students and to determine the factors contributing to this kind of anxiety among them. METHODS: A cross-sectional study using structured self-administered questionnaire was carried out over 10 days in Frontier Medical and Dental College, Abbottabad, in December 2012, using sample size of 200 students,. Survey questionnaire consisted of twenty questions regarding life style, study style, psychological and social problems, and results were analyzed by Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). RESULT: A total of 200 students out of 220 (90.90%) filled in the questionnaire. There were 61.50% male and 38.50% female students. The average maximum Examination related Anxiety marked on VAS was 47 +/- 21. Among different factors contributing to exam anxiety, inadequate rest (89%), irrational thoughts (67.50) and excessive course load (60%) were the most important factors reported by the students. Most of the students were aware of anxiety-reduction techniques but seldom implement them. CONCLUSION: On a VAS, examination, in its own right, has been established as a definite cause of anxiety, although the magnitude is not alarming. Students who regularly participate in class tests and perform well there, are least affected by this anxiety.

Body mass index and dynamic lung volumes in office workers.

OBJECTIVE: To measure the association of body mass index (BMI) to lung volumes assessed by spirometer. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional analytical study. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY: Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, University of Health Sciences, Lahore, from February to August 2009. METHODOLOGY: Two hundred and twenty-five apparently healthy adult office workers of either gender aged > 20 years were recruited. Height and weight were measured and BMI was calculated as kg/m2. Subjects were categorized as normal (BMI=18.5 to 24.9 kg/m2); overweight (BMI=25 to 29.9 kg/m2); and obese Class 1 (BMI=30 to 34.9 kg/m2) on the basis of BMI. Lung volumes were measured by digital spirometer and were reported as percentage of predicted values for forced vital capacity (FVC%), forced expiratory volume in first second (FEV1%) and ratio of FEV1 to FVC (FEV1:FVC). Groups were compared using t-test and ANOVA, correlation was assessed by Pearson's 'r'. RESULTS: Significant differences in lung volumes were found in different BMI categories. Obese subjects had significantly lower FVC% (p < 0.0001), as well as significantly lower FEV1% (p = 0.003) as compared to normal subjects. There were significant linear relationships between obesity and PFTs. BMI had significant negative linear association with FVC% in overweight (r = -0.197) and obese (r = - 0.488); and with FEV1% in obese subjects (r = -0.510). Gender and age had no significant effect on mean values of PFTs. CONCLUSION: Obese individuals in this sample had significant decline in lung volumes.