Anwar Ul Haque

Azad Jammu & Kashmir Medical College, Muzaffarabad, Azad Kashmir

The public sector hospitals face many problems especially in the third world countries. Some of these problems directly relate to the prevailing systems of the Government and the society rather than to the hospitals per se. As institutions are made by men and not by cement and bricks, the performance of the institutions directly relate to the quality of the men.. The fundamental question is: whether country is producing quality men? If not then not only hospitals but all institutions will suffer. Quality of the men does not mean only knowledge or degree them posses but their integrity, faith, character, commitment, courage, strength, spirit, zeal, hard work and right temperament. It’s referred to the final Prophet Muhammad p.b.u.h that  near the last days there will be less men than women. Some scholars have related this to manly characters & not to gender as just outlined.

Shafaq Hanif*,Mohsina Saeed Zia* and Mohsin Shakil**

* Department Gynaecology/Obstetrics, ** Department of Urology

Azad Jammu & Kashmir Medical College, Muzaffarabad, Azad Kashmir

Abstract :

Introduction: Estrogen therapy has long been prescribed to treat menopausal symptoms. It has been extensively studied, and it is the most consistently effective therapy for vasomotor symptoms. Soy has been investigated, mainly over the past 10 years, because of their potential effects on the health of postmenopausal women.

Objectives: To compare the efficacy of soy and estrogen in alleviating post-menopausal vasomotor symptom

Study Design: Randomized controlled trial.

Materials & Methods: A total of 122 post-menopausal women, 40 to 65 years of age were included. Patients on hormone replacement therapy, tamoxifen or receiving chemotherapy/radiation therapy or taking any dietary supplements were excluded. Then selected patients were placed randomly into Group A (estrogen) & Group B (soy), by using lottery method. Patients were called for follow up after 12 weeks and data was collected of the number of hot flushes average per day and efficacy.

Results: The mean age of women in group A was 52.82 ± 6.08 years and in group B was 52.09 ± 6.90 years. The mean hot flushes/day in group A was 2.56 ± 1.19 and in group B was 2.85 ± 1.25. There was 50% post-treatment reduction in hot flushes as compare to number of hot flushes average per day at pre treatment in 57 (93.44%) patients in Group A (Estrogen) while in Group B (Soy), it was seen in 46 (75.41%) patients with p-value of 0.006.

Adnan Khan, Muhammad Hanif, Akhtar Ahmed, Salman Habib and Shahid Kamal

Karachi Institute of Radiotherapy and Nuclear Medicine (KIRAN)

Abstract

Objective: To find out the significance of bone turnover markers in management of osteoporotic patients and correlation to bisphosphonate treatments.

Design: Comparative, prospective, managerial

Setting: Karachi Institute of Radiotherapy and Nuclear Medicine (KIRAN), Karachi.

Material and Methods: A total of 180 post-menopausal women were selected for the study by taking the verbal consent. Test patients were divided into five groups of 30 patients each on the basis of medicines they receive. Bisphosphonates (alendronates and risedronates) were prescribed to the patients under different brand names as fosamax, drate, osto, dronate and actonel. Serum osteocalcin, alkaline phosphatase and c-telopeptidase were selected as bone turnover markers and were assessed quarterly to find out the correlation between these markers and different treatment groups.

Results: The selected bone turnover markers i.e, alkaline phosphatase, osteocalcin & c-telopeptide were found to drop continuously at different rates in all patients undergoing treatment while in controls these markers remained same with no significant changes throughout the year. The maximum fraction drop was found in telopeptide levels and minimum drop in alkaline phosphatase, while osteocalcin levels were lying in between.

Muhammad Wajahat*, Maryum Sharif** and Hajra Farooq**

*Department of Pathology, Rawalpindi Medical College, Rawalpindi

**Department of Pathology, Azad Jammu & Kashmir Medical College, Muzaffarabad, Azad Kashmir

Abstract:

Objective: To compare the routine and concentration techniques on microscopic examination of stool for parasitic ova and cysts to emphasize importance of concentration technique

Methods: A descriptive study of 100 symptomatic and asymptomatic patients who attended the Microbiology Lab, Pathology Department, Family Hospital, Rawalpindi a teaching hospital affiliated with Rawalpindi Medical College were studied for six months for stool examination. Three samples from each case at three different days were selected not necessarily consecutive. Three techniques were applied on all samples which included direct microscopic examination by using saline and iodine preparations and the microscopic examination after using two concentration techniques which included simple salt flotation technique and Formal-ether concentration technique.

Results: In routine technique 4% of patients were positive for ova/cysts. In saturated saline floatation technique 8% of patients were positive for ova/cysts of parasites. In formal ether sedimentation technique also 8%of patients were positive.