Systemic Inflammatory Markers Among Waterpipe Smokers, Cigarette Smokers, and Nonsmokers.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the levels of neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR) among exclusive groups of waterpipe (WP) smokers, cigarette smokers, and nonsmokers. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted among adults, apparently healthy individuals, aged between 18 and 40 years of either gender. NLR and PLR as measures of systemic inflammation were studied in association with individuals' sociodemographic, health, and tobacco use related characteristics. The results of linear and logistic regression models were reported as crude and adjusted beta coefficients and odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS: Out of 190 participants, 34.2% (n = 65) exclusively smoked WP, 32.6% (n = 62) smoked cigarettes, and 33.2% (n = 63) were nonsmokers. The mean NLR and PLR were significantly higher among WP smokers when compared with nonsmokers; however, the comparison between WP smokers and cigarette smokers for both NLR and PLR was not statistically significant. The odds of raised NLR was 4.40 times higher (AOR = 4.40, 95% CI = 1.97, 9.85), and the odds of raised PLR was 3.48 times higher (AOR = 3.48, 95% CI = 1.60, 7.57) for WP smokers compared to nonsmokers. CONCLUSIONS: WP smoking has a significant association with systemic inflammation as measured by NLR and PLR. The study and existing evidence implicate an urging need to regulate WP industry and its policies.

Violence Against Health Care Providers: A Mixed-Methods Study from Karachi, Pakistan.

BACKGROUND: Violence against health care providers (HCPs) remains a significant public health problem in developing countries, affecting their performance and motivation. OBJECTIVES: To report the quantity and perceived causes of violence committed upon HCPs and identify strategies intended to prevent and de-escalate it. METHODS: This was a mixed-methods concurrent study design (QUAN-QUAL). A structured questionnaire was filled in on-site by trained data collectors for quantitative study. Sites were tertiary care hospitals, local nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) providing health services, and ambulance services. Qualitative data were collected through in-depth interviews and focus group discussions at these same sites, as well as with other stakeholders including media and law enforcement agencies. RESULTS: One-third of the participants had experienced some form of violence in the last 12 months. Verbal violence was experienced more frequently (30.5%) than physical violence (14.6%). Persons who accompanied patients (58.1%) were found to be the chief perpetrators. Security staff and ambulance staff were significantly more likely to report physical violence (p = 0.001). Private hospitals and local NGOs providing health services were significantly less likely to report physical violence (p = 0.002). HCPs complained about poor facilities, heavy workload, and lack of preparedness to deal with violence. The deficiencies highlighted predominantly included inadequate security and lack of training to respond effectively to violence. Most stakeholders thought that poor quality of services and low capacity of HCPs contributed significantly to violent incidents. CONCLUSION: There is a great need to design interventions that can help in addressing the behavioral, institutional, and sociopolitical factors promoting violence against HCPs. Future projects should focus on designing interventions to prevent and mitigate violence at multiple levels.

Assessment of postgraduate educational environment in public and private hospitals of Karachi.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the environment of postgraduate fellowship training in teaching hospitals of an urban centre. METHODS: The cross-sectional study was conducted at one public-sector and two private-sector teaching hospitals in Karachi from December 2014 to June 2015. Data was collected by using a modified version of Postgraduate Hospital Educational Environment Measure, a validated questionnaire, for which clinical residents were selected through convenience sampling. Data was analyzed using SPSS 16. RESULTS: Of the 302 participants, 168(55.6%) were males and 134(44.4%) were females. The overall mean age of the respondents was 28.46±3.03 years. The internal reliability of the questionnaire was good with a Cronbach's alpha of 0.92. The overall mean score of 93.96±20.79suggested more positive than negative perception with room for improvement. After adjusting for all important socio-demographic and residency co-variates, residency in a private hospital was positively associated with Postgraduate Hospital Educational Environment Measure score (p<0.01) compared to residency in public hospitals. CONCLUSIONS: There is an urging need to standardise postgraduate training in terms of teaching, autonomy and social support in public and private hospitals of Karachi.