Perception of pathology as a future career choice among medical Students from Karachi, Pakistan: Experience from a private medical school.

To determine the perception of pathology as a future career choice among medical students of a private medical school from Karachi, Pakistan. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at the Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan. A total of 201 students participated in this study. All Students were approached randomly to participate. A total of 201 students participant survey forms were evaluated in this study. The overall satisfaction level with pathology was observed in 61.8% of the students. Majority of the students understood subspecialties which were a part of clinical medicine. Over half of the students thought pathology as a specialty should be highlighted in a more integrated manner (59.2%) with a minority favouring a separate pathology rotation (11.9%). In conclusion, this study indicates that majority of students have a positive approach towards the field of pathology and favour incorporating it in an integrative way into the medical school curriculum.

Severe Plasmodium vivax malaria in Pakistan.

To compare the severity of Plasmodium vivax malaria with that of P. falciparum malaria, we conducted a retrospective cross-sectional study of 356 adults hospitalized with malaria (2009-2011) in Pakistan. P. vivax and P. falciparum accounted for 83% and 13% of cases, respectively; 79.9% of patients with severe malaria were infected with P. vivax.