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Hypertension (HTN) is a very prevalent health issue around the world. Many factors influence HTN and some of those include diabetes, obesity, gender, age, and diet. Impact of diet on hypertension, is understudied in our region, therefore, this study was set to manifest the effect of diet on HTN prevalence. This cross-sectional study was performed among local Islamabad of population, Pakistan in 3 months from November 2019 to January 2020. 138 people were recruited in study via a developed criterion. Data was collected by self-designed proforma. Data analysis was done by applying IBM SPSS version 25. Descriptive statistics were used for quantitative variables. As data was non-parametric, so we applied non-parametric statistical tests like Mann Whitney test, Kruskal–Wallis test and Spearman correlation analysis were applied to assess, the difference in means of both systolic and diastolic BP between female and male, difference in means of both systolic and diastolic BP among three consumption frequency levels, and association, direction, and strength of between HTN and foods consumption. Present study indicates overall high prevalence of HTN (39.86%) among study population. Means of age, systolic and diastolic BP for study population were 43.42 (with SD of ±8.30) years, 138.01mmHg (with SD of ±19.37), and 89.38mmHg (with SD of ±7.10) respectively. Difference in means of both systolic and diastolic between females and males was not significant (p=0.093 and p=0.078 respectively) although these were higher among males and gender was not associated with HTN significantly (p=0.069). Strength and direction for association between fast food and HTN was strong and positive, for association between snack food and HTN was strong and positive while for association between fresh fruits and raw vegetables was strong and negative with correlation coefficients (+0.690 for diastolic, +0.710 for systolic), (+0.651 for diastolic, +0.661 for systolic), (-0.712 for diastolic, -0.712 for systolic) respectively. In short, present study concludes that HTN was more prevalent among males, fast food, snack foods eaters and fresh fruits and raw vegetables non-eater in contrast to females, fresh fruits and raw vegetables eaters and non-eaters of fast foods and snack foods. Higher consumption of fast foods and snack lead to higher prevalence of HTN and vice versa whereas higher consumption of fresh fruits and raw vegetables bring decline in the incidence of HTN incidence and vice versa. So, we are dependent on awareness among people about the influence of food on HTN and gender specific measures for each gender to reduce HTN incidence.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common sleep related disorder, and it is affected by number of factors including age, gender, obesity, educational status and menopause. However, in the presence of conflicting findings regarding impact of menopause on OSA, our study was aimed to check the prevalence of OSA in women and impact on it of menopause. This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in around 3months from August 2020 to October 2020 in a rural area of Punjab, Pakistan. 205 participants were recruited according to set criteria of our study. Women with age from above 30 years to 60 years, who had regular menstrual cycles or had cessation of menses since at least one last year were enrolled in the study whereas women who had irregular menstrual cycles and were not willing to participate were excluded from the study. Data was collected by two questionnaires including self-structured proforma and STOP Questionnaire. Data analysis was done with the help of SPSS version 25. Different tests including Chi-square test and Independent Sample t-test were applied to evaluate the study variables. In general, current study indicates high prevalence (28.3%) of high risk of OSA among women, however, STOP score was higher among postmenopausal women (1.641 with SD±0.908) as compared to premenopausal women (1.073 SD±0.693)) which means that postmenopausal women had higher risk of development of OSA in comparison with premenopausal women. The association between OSA risk and menopause was statistically significant (p=0.001). The difference of score between premenopausal women and postmenopausal women was significant statistically (p=0.0001). In short, prevalence of OSA high risk is higher among postmenopausal women in comparison with premenopausal women and menopause affects OSA but the mechanism is still not clear.

Happiness is a collection of various kinds of emotions including positive and negative because of satisfaction in life. Happiness affects almost every aspect of life, however, among students, its most important impact is on their academic performance. Academic performance is positively affected by happiness and subsequently their performance as a physician. Therefore, our current study is set to assess the impact of happiness on academic performance among final-year medical students of Rawalpindi Medical University Pakistan. This may provide us a new way to bring improvement in academic performance of medical students. This descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out among final-year medical students of Rawalpindi Medical University in January 2020. Collection of data was accomplished with the help of two questionnaires including Oxford Happiness Questionnaire for happiness assessment and self-structured questionnaire which was developed to obtain required data about demographic details and marks in last professional examination. Students who had diagnosed any physical and mental illness were excluded. From total of 223 students who were enrolled at the beginning of study, only 186 returned correctly filled questionnaires so final sample size became 186. Data analysis was completed through SPSS v.25.0. Different statistical tests including Independent sample t-test, Chi-square test, Pearson’s correlation, and linear regression were used to assess the study variables. Statistically significant and strong positive association was noted between happiness and academic performance of students (p = 0.000). To evaluate the direction and strength of association between happiness and academic performance, Pearson’s correlation coefficient was calculated, and it was 0.809 with p-value 0.000). Difference in happiness score between male students and female students (p=0.015) and between boarder students and non-boarder students (p=0.000) was statistically significant. Likewise, the difference in academic performance that was assessed through marks in last professional examination was also statistically significant between male student and female students (p=0.001) and between boarder students and non-boarder students (p=0.000) was also statistically significant. With p-value of 0.000 for F test, simple linear regression model was valid. Value of unstandardized regression Coefficient (B) was 61.40. R² was 0.655 (65.5%). Our study overall shows higher happiness score and better academic performance among female and non-boarder students relative to male and boarder students. This current study also indicates statistically significant and strong positive association between happiness and academic performance, which means that increase in happiness increases the academic performance of students and vice versa. So, with the implementation of appropriate measures for the increase in happiness we can bring enhancement in academic performance of medical students.

Acute otitis media (AOM) is the commonest disease of childhood. High incidence of AOM might be due to immature Eustachian Tube and immaturity of immune system. Exclusive breast feeding is protective against acute otitis media, however, improper breastfeeding position can increase AOM occurrence in infants. This study aims to assess the association of improper breastfeeding position with occurrence of Acute otitis media in infants and to assess association of Maternal educational levels with feeding positions. 220 breastfed infants satisfying inclusion criteria with diagnosed AOM were enrolled. Study was conducted over a period of 6 months from August 2019 to January 2020. Demographic details and Detailed history regarding feeding positions and maternal educational levels were obtained through a Self-structured proforma from parents. Data analysis was done through descriptive statistics and chi square test and p value less than 0.5 was set significant. Out of 220 infants, 123(55.90%) were male and 97(44.10%) were females. AOM was more common in male infants than female infants, however it was not statistically significant(p=0.169). The mean age for enrolled infants(1-12months) was 6.90(±3.413). Statistically significant association between increase incidence of AOM and breastfeeding position was found(p=0.032). We also found a statistically significant association between maternal educational levels and breastfeeding position (p= 0.000). In this study, we have noted that Breastfeeding in supine position is associated significantly with increase in incidence of AOM. Feeding positions are statistically associated with Maternal Educational levels.