Diagnosing isolated hepatosplenic tuberculosis in an immunocompetent patient: a case report.

For many years, tuberculosis (TB) has been endemic in Pakistan; many rare and unusual presentations have been reported. There is a myriad of non-specific symptoms which always requires a high index of clinical suspicion for TB. World Health Organization data suggest that Pakistan ranks as the fifth highest country burdened with TB and has the fourth highest prevalence of multi-drug resistant TB globally. With an annual incidence of 277 cases per 100,000, the importance of early diagnosis and treatment is self-evident. We present a case where a strong suspicion of isolated hepatosplenic TB in an immunocompetent patient justified a directed approach.

Assessing Acceptability of Short Message Service Based Interventions towards Becoming Future Voluntary Blood Donors.

All blood bank services, especially those of developing countries, face a major shortfall of blood donations due to lack of voluntary blood donors. Our study aims to evaluate the acceptability of Short Message Service based interventions towards becoming voluntary blood donors among medical university students of Karachi, Pakistan. Methods. A total of 350 medical students were approached in medical universities of Karachi, Pakistan, using a nonprobability convenient sampling technique. Data collectors administered a self-made questionnaire to each participant using an interview based format. All data was recorded and analyzed on SPSS 16. Results. 350 participants, having a mean age of 21.47 ± 1.36, were included in our study with 30.6% (107/350) being males and 69.4% (243/350) being females. 93.4% (327/350) of participants agreed that donating blood was healthy, but only 26% had donated blood in the past with 79.1% donating voluntarily. 65.7% (230/350) of the participants agreed to take part in Short Message Service based behavioral interventions to become voluntary blood donors with 69.7% (244/350) also agreeing that Short Message Service reminders will promote them to donate blood more often. Conclusion. With university students willing to become voluntary blood donors, Pakistani blood banks can carry out Short Message Service based interventions to encourage them to donate blood.

Knowledge and practices of barbers regarding HIV transmission in Karachi: a cross-sectional study.

A barber shop is a potential place for non-sexual transmission of deadly blood borne diseases such as acquired immuno-deficient syndrome. Few researches have been conducted to assess the knowledge of barbers regarding human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission in Pakistan. With majority of the population visiting roadside saloons, it is imperative to have local data in this regard. The objective of this study was to investigate the knowledge and practices of barbers with reference to razor use and steps taken to sterilize their instruments. A total of 300 barber saloons were conveniently selected for this cross-sectional study during a time period of 5 months from May 2012 till September 2012. The shops were categorized into three groups: big saloons, small saloons and roadside saloons based on the inclusion criteria. One barber was randomly selected as a representative from each saloon. Data collection from each barber shop was carried out by an interviewer using a pre-coded questionnaire. Majority of the barbers had low school education. Awareness regarding sharing of blades as a route of HIV transmission was known by 90 % (n = 90) of big saloon barbers with awareness decreasing in small (n = 55) and roadside saloon barbers (n = 27). Only 60.3 % (n = 181) of the barbers used new blades between customers. In comparison to big saloon barbers, the majority (n = 53) of roadside saloon barbers used tap water for cleaning purposes. Only 40 % of the roadside barbers used antiseptic after shaving. The results of our study indicate that roadside saloon barbers, to whom majority of Pakistani population visit, have inadequate awareness regarding HIV transmission. Their poor barbering practices were mainly due to their low education. This potentiates a great risk for aggravating the HIV endemic in Pakistan.