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Objective: To assess the pattern of unnatural deaths in Faisalabad during the last five years, to determine the gender and age group mostly affected and to explore the increasing trend if any. Study Design: Retrospective Cross-sectional Descriptive study. Setting: Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Punjab Medical College, Faisalabad. Period: January 2018 to December 2022. Methods: Subjects of the study were victims of unnatural death in areas covered by Police stations where the postmortem was performed in the Mortuary of Punjab Medical College / Faisalabad Medical University. Data was collected from respective official Police records, FIRs and Postmortem reports and recorded on pre-structured proformas. It was categorized on the basis of manner of death, type of weapon involved, age groups involved and gender. Results: Out of a total of 1340 autopsies conducted, 1024(76.4%) were males and 316(23.6%) were females. The male to female ratio was 3.2:1. Majority of the victims belonged to the 30-39-year age group i.e. 338 (25.2%) followed by the 20-29-year age group with 333 (24.8%) cases. The manner of death was homicidal in 896(67%) cases followed by 320(24%) accidental and 77(6%) of suicide. Firearm was the most commonly used weapon claiming 490 (36.6%) lives followed by RTA with 254 (19%) cases. September was the month in which maximum cases were reported (140,10.4%). Conclusion: Males are the major victims of unnatural deaths, with firearm weapons claiming the majority of lives. There is a rising trend in the number of unnatural deaths as the years go by and strict measures need to be implemented to keep a check and balance on the availability and easy access to firearms and strict traffic rules should be implemented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE: Lectures are still the most appropriate and practical way of conveying knowledge in available limited resources but their effectiveness is very debatable. The pause procedure is a strategy that uses strategic pauses in a lecture to help students overcome this problem. The objective of this study was to analyze the effectiveness of pausing to enhance learning during lectures in medical colleges.. METHODOLOGY: After institutional permission # 48.ERC/FMU/2023-24.384, this comparative cross-sectional study was conducted on fourth-year MBBS students (the whole Batch was involved, which comes to the urology ward) in a public sector medical institution. The technique of taking a clarification pause during the long sessions (equal to or more than 45 minutes) was utilized and feedback was taken. RESULTS: Student satisfaction was described by 75% of students in Method-A (taught with pausing technique) and 48% of the students in Method-B (taught without pausing) (p=0.018). Maintaining the attention span till the end of the lecture was described by 74% of Method-A and 34% of Method-B students (p=0.001). Clarity of the topic was described by 82% with A and 51 % with B students(p=0.001). The mean MCQ score of the students group after method A was 62% and 52% with B. CONCLUSION: The pause procedure is an effective methodology to improve learning and academic performance in undergraduate medical students without causing any added burden. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To explore the perspectives of post graduate residents working on emergency floor about the need of dedicated emergency department in healthcare department. Study Design: Qualitative Exploratory study. Setting: Allied Hospital, Faisalabad (AHF), Pakistan A Tertiary Care Public Sector Hospital in Punjab. Period: January 10, 2024, to January 30th, 2024. Methods: Post-graduate residents of surgery and medicine department were included in study and interviews were conducted after taking their consent till the data saturation. Total 18 interviews were recorded and then transcribed. Thematic narrative analysis was performed. Results: Out of 18 participants, 14 (77.7%) were males while 4(22.2%) were females. From surgical floor, 8 Residents participated in the study out of which 1 (12.5%) was female and 7 (87.5%) were males while 10 residents participated from medical floor out of which 3 (30%) were females and 7(70%) were males. Theme 1: The problems faced on the emergency floor: All the participants agreed that the working condition of emergency floor is quite hectic and stressful. With sub themes (1a) Over-burdened emergency of tertiary care centers: 1b) Faulty Referral system: (1c) Patient interactions: (1d) Lack of facilities: (1e) Guidance & facilitation center: Theme 2: Dedicated Emergency Department: The Participants when asked about their suggestions regarding improvement of working condition at emergency floor, they all had a clear idea of establishment of a dedicated emergency department with specially trained and recruited staff for this purpose. With subthemes (2a) Filtration clinics: (2b) Rotational Duties: (2c) Proper Training: (2d) Public Awareness. Conclusion: The emergency departments in tertiary hospitals should be a separate department with dedicated staff, proper triage system and adequate facilities to deal with the critical patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To assess the eating habits, lifestyle and physical activity and their impact on health of students of Faisalabad Medical University (FMU) Faisalabad Pakistan. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was prepared on 328 medical and dental students at Faisalabad Medical University from June, 2022 to October, 2022. Three Factor Eating Questionnaire Revised 21 (TFEQ-R21) was used to assess the eating habits among medical students and physical activity was assessed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) short version. A self-constructed questionnaire was used to assess lifestyle patterns. Results: According to the study, 191(58.2%) students out of 328 practiced unrestricted eating. While 229(69.8%) students demonstrated cognitive restraint and 128(39%) students indulged in emotional eating. Less than half of the students, 52(15.9%) lead unhealthy lifestyles compared to 276(84.1%) who had healthy habits. Out of 328 students, 104 (31.7%) engaged in low, 137(41.8%) in moderate, and 87(26.5%) in high levels of physical activity. Whereas a higher proportion of female students engaged in low to moderate physical activity (61.5% and 52.6%, respectively), while a higher proportion of male students (63.2%) were involved in intense physical activity. Conclusions: A large proportion of medical students exhibited poor dietary habits with low physical activity. Obesity and other metabolic diseases are more likely to strike medical students who engage in these unhealthy eating habits. As future health providers, health interventions must be implemented to avert future harm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To assess the knowledge of undergraduate medical students about curriculum development and implementation. Methods: A quantitative descriptive study was conducted at a public sector institute and a private sector institute from September, 2022 to December, 2022. Simple random sampling was used and all the undergraduate MBBS students were included in study. Sample size was calculated using open epi and keeping confidence interval at 95% as 316 for FMU students and 218 for AFMDC students. Ethical approval was taken from FMU and permission to collect data was obtained from AFMDC. A Questionnaire was made and distributed among the students and data obtained was analyzed using SPSS 25.0. Results: Two hundred and forty-seven (49.4%) participants responded that the students don’t have any say in their curriculum, 400 (80%) were of the view that the students must have their opinion in the curriculum and 397 (79.4%) said that students must be involved in the process of planning and implementation of curriculum. When asked about the areas of deficiencies in the current curriculum, 101 (20.2%) pointed new skill, 84 (16.8%) indicated New information, new skills, teaching Methodology and effective teachers, 68 (13.6%) said teaching methodology while 51 (10.2%) indicated new skills and teaching methodology both. Five main themes were identified from the comments of students regarding curriculum, its development and implementation including; 1. Content revision, 2. Teaching methodologies, 3. Assessment, 4. Guidance and orientation and 5. Teacher student relationship. Conclusion: The undergraduate medical students are aware of the terms related to curriculum, its development and implementation but they are not being involved in any of this process. Content revision, clinical integration from initial years, quality assessment and faculty development are few areas that need improvement from students’ perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Diabetes care in humanitarian crises after the devastating 2005 earthquake in Pakistani Jammu and Kashmir, and in 2022 huge floodings across Pakistan is challenging due to many topographic reasons related to the terrain and the infrastructure Materials and Methods: In this article, 197 articles were reviewed from PubMed and Google Scholar using conveniently related search terms in the titles and abstracts published from (2000-2022). Additional information was retrieved from the official sites of active international aid organizations and news agencies. Results: It was found that the preparedness plans for proper diabetes care in disaster and nondisaster settings are unsatisfactory in malfunctioning healthcare infrastructures and the non-availability of life-saving medications like insulins. These plans are not fulfilling the needs of the people living with non-communicable diseases like diabetes and hypertension. The role of the international aid organizations after 2005 was directed toward immediate care of traumatic conditions and their complications, infectious diseases control, mental health, care for the elderly, and orphanage care but not covering the diabetes care. Conclusions and Recommendations: The healthcare authorities should adjust a disaster preparedness plan for the country, integrating noncommunicable disease control as a pivotal part and mitigating the current deficit in diabetes care for people in need in different humanitarian crises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To study the burnout and its associated factors among the faculty of basic sciences in Faisalabad. Study Design: Mixed-method research. Place and Duration of Study: Basic sciences faculty of Public and Private Sector Medical Institutes of Faisalabad Pakistan, from Sep to Dec 2021. Methodology: Oldenburg Inventory was used to assess burnout among the faculty of basic medical sciences after taking the authors' permission. SPSS version 23:00 was used to analyze data, and those who had shown a higher level of burnout were interviewed. Recorded interviews were later own transcribed, and thematic analysis was done. Results: The mean exhaustion score for the whole basic sciences faculty was 2.35±0.27, while for disengagement from work, it was 2.24±0.24. Value was 0.62 and 0.144 for exhaustion and disengagement, respectively, showing no difference between the burnout level of faculty members in public and private sectors in both domains. Lack of acknowledgement, Lack of resources, Motivational factors and Lack of progress system were the main themes that emerged after an in-depth exploration of faculty members. Conclusion: The faculty from basic sciences are facing burnout, and the major causes are lack of acknowledgement and appreciation, decreased number of faculty, inadequate resources and ambiguity about future growth in basic sciences. The faculty member advocated the need to develop faculty training, mentoring and post-graduation programmes for the survival and strengthening of basic sciences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To compare the efficacy of catheter drainage with incision and drainage in children having soft tissue abscess. Study Design: Randomized Control Trial. Setting: Department of Paediatric Surgery, Allied Hospital Faisalabad. Period: January 2016 to June 2017. Material & Methods: After taking approval from the hospital ethical committee, 160 patients coming through OPD of the department who fulfilled the inclusion criteria were enrolled, and informed consent was taken from them. The patients were randomly divided into two groups using a computer-generated random number table. In group A, patients underwent catheter drainage method, and in group B, patients underwent incision and drainage method. Results: Out of 160 cases (80 in each group), 60% (n=48) in Group-A and 67.5% (n=54) in Group-B were between 1-6 years while 40% (n=32) in Group-A and 32.5% (n=26) in Group-B were 7-12 years of age. 70% (n=56) in Group-A and 67.5% (n=54) in Group-B were males. On efficacy comparison, it was shown that 73.75% (n=59) in Group-A and 47.5% (n=38) in Group-B had efficacy; the p-value was calculated as 0.0007, showing a significant difference. Conclusion: We concluded that catheter drainage is better than incision and drainage in children having soft tissue abscess in terms of length of hospital stay < 24 hours. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the integration of post-publication peer review (PPPR) as a strategy to address research misconduct arising from artificial intelligence (AI). The use of AI in scientific research has revolutionized the field, but it also presents ethical concerns such as algorithmic bias, data bias, and privacy issues. PPPR, which involves reviewing journal articles after they have been published, offers an iterative feedback process that enhances the honesty and integrity of research. By combining PPPR with AI-generated research, the quality, transparency, and accountability of academic papers can be improved, reducing the likelihood of misconduct and fostering community collaboration. [Extracted from the article]

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE: COVID-19 has caused a very deep and intense effect on all persons irrespective of age and gender. It was especially a challenging fight for health professionals as they were dealing it from many aspects. All the infected health workers were facing many emotional and mental stresses, and at the same time, they were supposed to provide error free services at the hospital. To explore the experiences of infected Health Care Providers during COVID-19 pandemic. METHODOLOGY: The interview based qualitative descriptive research was conducted at Hilal-e Ahmar hospital Faisalabad, Pakistan. To get an in-depth idea about different experiences of the professionals, 15 Semi structured interviews were conducted during the first wave of COVID-19 pandemic in Pakistan. Convenient sampling was done by inviting all the infected members for the interviews. Purposive sampling was done, and a total of 15 interviews were conducted till the data was saturated. Participants gave their convenient time keeping in mind their easy duty days for the study, and they were interviewed in their offices. Interviews were transcribed, rechecked, and analyzed. Thematic analysis was done with narrations. RESULTS: 5 broader themes were generated with sub-themes. The themes were 1) Diagnosis of disease, 2) Disease impacts, 3) Social reaction, 4) Combating techniques for isolation period and, 5) Dilemmas during the quarantine period. The participants were diagnosed by PCR technique, and the diagnosis was associated with extreme feelings of denial, depression, anxiety, fear of the future and uncertainty. Most of the participants faced negative responses from society and experienced a social boycott. CONCLUSION: The first wave of COVID-19 was a period of extreme stress and anxiety, especially for the health care providers working as the first line of defense against the disease. They not only suffer from the physiological effects of the disease but faced mental trauma and social stigmatization. Electronic media had a negative effect on the thought process of people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To assess the preparedness of fresh medical graduates to perform the duties of an effective house officer in clinical settings independently. Methods: A qualitative exploratory descriptive study was conducted at a public sector tertiary care teaching hospital from September to October, 2021. A total of 14 interviews of the serving house officers were conducted (7 were from Medicine and Allied and seven were from Surgical and Allied). A verbatim Thematic analysis was done. Results: Initial analysis revealed 45 codes which were ultimately reduced to five main themes namely 1. Transition from studentship to house officers with sub-themes (1a) Sense of responsibility, (1b) Hectic and long duty hours, (1c) Proper orientation and guidance, 2. Deficient skill Training during educational journey with, (2a) Deficiency of practical and applied aspects, (2b) inconsistent and varying training patterns, (2c) self-perception and evaluation of preparedness, 3. Lack of awareness about Hospital settings and working system with sub-themes (3a) Support from other doctors, (3b) Being recognized as a doctor in hospital, 4. Inter-professional co-ordination gaps having sub-themes (4a) Communication gap, (4b) Mutual respect as a team and 5. Impact of COVID-19 with sub-theme (5a) Online teaching with no interaction and (5b) segue and progressive skill training. Conclusion: Medical graduates are not confident and well prepared to take the responsibility of patient care independently in clinical settings. Reforms in undergraduate curricula regarding skill training, hospital setup and workings and inter-professional education are advocated by young doctors to enhance their competencies for professional life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 and dengue virus co-epidemics in Pakistan: a dangerous combination for overburdened healthcare system. Is the COVID-19 pandemic masking dengue epidemic in Bangladesh? Change in demographic pattern of dengue virus infection: evidence from 2011 dengue outbreak in Punjab, Pakistan. [Extracted from the article]

Classification and ordination of vegetation of Mughal Garden, Wah, Pakistan was done along with assessment of diversity status. A total of 45 species were recorded in vegetation survey belonging to 24 families with Asteraceae and Poaceae being the largest families. Herbs dominated the flora of Wah Garden by 44.4%, shrubs 15.5%, trees 13.3%, grasses 11.1%, creeping herbs 11.1%, ferns 2.2% and aquatic herbs 2.2%. About 35.5% species were annuals, 28.8% perennials, 13.3% annuals or perennials, 8.8% annuals or biennials, 8.8% deciduous, 2.2% coniferous and evergreen species. In case of life form of species, Therophytes and Megaphanerophytes were the most prevalent among species indirect ordination techniques TWINSPAN and DCA were employed that produced two major groups which were further divided into five communities and three major groups, respectively. Shannon-Wiener diversity index, Simpson Index of diversity and Hill's N1 and N2 diversity numbers were calculated and verified by data attribute plot through DCA suggesting reduced species diversity as Shannon-Wiener diversity index ranged between 0 and 1.67 due to increased anthropogenic activity. The outcome of this research will be useful in providing information on identification of species that are present, their distribution patterns, and classification which would help in management and conservation of native vegetation in future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Choanal atresia (CA) is a rare, congenital malformation resulting as a failure in communication between the posterior nasal cavity and the nasopharynx. The clinical course is often asymptomatic in unilateral CA leading to higher rates of misdiagnosis, in comparison to bilateral CA, which manifests itself as a surgical emergency at birth. Most cases present as isolated malformations, but it may also be associated with other congenital anomalies in 20-50% of cases. Currently, the most important diagnostic tool for CA is computerized tomography (CT) and confirmatory diagnosis is usually achieved with the help of nasoendoscopic examination. Although, different surgical approaches have been used in the past, transnasal endoscopic repair is currently preferred over others. Herein, we describe our experience of three cases and share our simple stentless endoscopic technique, to facilitate physicians working in low facility units for a timely diagnosis and prompt treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Euthanasia is categorically prohibited in Pakistan by Islamic law, but a clash of opinions among doctors and human rights advocates still prevails. As a result, medical students are becoming concerned about its practice and this problem needs to be addressed. A cross-sectional study was conducted at Faisalabad Medical University (FMU), Pakistan, from April 2023 to May 2023, using random sampling and statistical programme SPSS version 25, to assess the attitudes of medical students regarding euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide (PAS). Despite the conditions and scenarios presented to the students, most of them expressed opposition to euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide because of their religious beliefs and optimistic approach to life. Most of them favoured palliative care and passive euthanasia. Some students showed compliance with euthanasia even though it is equivalent to murder in Islam. Such contrasting results can baffle a physician to make wise decisions. Hence, it must be covered in medical curriculum in depth in order to help the future physicians clearly understand its practice under all circumstances.

Objective: To assess the eating habits, lifestyle and physical activity and their impact on health of students of Faisalabad Medical University (FMU) Faisalabad Pakistan., Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was prepared on 328 medical and dental students at Faisalabad Medical University from June, 2022 to October, 2022. Three Factor Eating Questionnaire Revised 21 (TFEQ-R21) was used to assess the eating habits among medical students and physical activity was assessed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) short version. A self-constructed questionnaire was used to assess lifestyle patterns., Results: According to the study, 191(58.2%) students out of 328 practiced unrestricted eating. While 229(69.8%) students demonstrated cognitive restraint and 128(39%) students indulged in emotional eating. Less than half of the students, 52(15.9%) lead unhealthy lifestyles compared to 276(84.1%) who had healthy habits. Out of 328 students, 104 (31.7%) engaged in low, 137(41.8%) in moderate, and 87(26.5%) in high levels of physical activity. Whereas a higher proportion of female students engaged in low to moderate physical activity (61.5% and 52.6%, respectively), while a higher proportion of male students (63.2%) were involved in intense physical activity., Conclusions: A large proportion of medical students exhibited poor dietary habits with low physical activity. Obesity and other metabolic diseases are more likely to strike medical students who engage in these unhealthy eating habits. As future health providers, health interventions must be implemented to avert future harm., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest: None., (Copyright: © Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences.)