Assessment of growth, and ion uptake of plant species, Conocarpus erectus and Dodonaea viscosa, on industrial solid waste.

Present study assessed the growth of two plant species and ion uptake by them grown on different proportion of industrial solid waste and garden soil. The industrial waste having high concentration of chemicals were used with garden soil at different proportion i.e. 0% (T0), 5% (T1), 10% (T2), 15% (T3) and 20% (T4). Two species namely Conocarpus erectus (alien plant) and Dodonaea viscosa (indigenous) were used as test plants in pot study. Different parameters including growth, physiology, and anatomy of plants and concentration of cations (Na+, K+, Ca2+, and Mg2+) in the plant shoot and root were measured at different time duration (initial, 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th month). The key objective of the study was to use these plants to establish their plantations on the barren lands where industrial solid wastes were being disposed of. C. erectus showed better growth than D. viscosa, as well as more uptake of ions. A significant increase in plant growth was observed in fourth month in T1, where plant height reached 24.5% and 46% for C. erectus and D. viscosa, respectively. At harvest, in C. erectus, no significant difference in the fresh (65-78 g) and dry weight (24-30 g) of the shoot was observed across treatments compared to the control. In D. viscosa, at the time of harvest, the fresh and dry weights of the root and shoot showed a strong, significantly decreasing pattern across T1, T2, and T3, leading to the death of the plant at T3 and T4. Further, optimum ratio of waste soil to garden soil was found as 10:90 and 20:80 to establish the plantations of D. viscosa and C. erectus, respectively in areas where such solid waste from industries are disposed. Findings can be used for the restoration of such solid waste for the sustainable management of industrial areas and their associated ecosystems.

Pakistan's Emergency Medical Services (EMS) system & out-of-hospital-cardiac-arrest (OHCA): A narrative review of an EMS system of a low middle income country in context of OHCA.

Pakistan's Emergency Medical Services (EMS) are a critical component of its healthcare system, providing pre-hospital emergency care across a nation with over 220 million people. This article explores the evolutionary journey of Pakistan's EMS, highlighting both the challenges it faces and the strides it has made, with a specific emphasis on patients experiencing out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). To extract relevant information, we searched MEDLINE & Embase data bases using MeSH terms "Emergency Medical Services" OR "EMS" AND "Out-of-Hospital-Cardiac-Arrest" OR "OHCA" AND "Pakistan". In addition, we also retrieved information from the EMS leadership in Pakistan through e-mails. We delve into the significance of key performance indicators for OHCA, advocate for the establishment of OHCA registries to improve patient outcomes, address regional disparities in pre-hospital care, and acknowledge the gradual progress of the EMS system.

Frequency of neuro-imaging in the emergency room in patients with vertigo: A cross-sectional study at a tertiary care hospital in Karachi, Pakistan.

Objective: To determine the frequency of neuro-imaging and the prevalence of positive findings in patients with vertigo visiting an emergency room of a low-middle-income-country, Pakistan. Methods: This is a retrospective cross-sectional study conducted in the emergency room of the Aga Khan University Hospital, a 550 bedded tertiary care teaching facility located in Karachi, Pakistan. The frequency of neuro-imaging in patients visiting emergency room with vertigo during 20 years (2000-2020), their findings and disposition was calculated in percentages. A cost-analysis was performed in Pakistani Rupees & US Dollars to estimate the financial burden. Results: During the emergency room visits for vertigo, neuro-imaging (CT scans, MRIs, or both) was conducted for 159 patients, accounting for 70.98% of the cases. Out of these, 64 individuals (40.25%) received a positive diagnosis, which included acute infarcts, hemorrhages, metastases, space-occupying lesions, and meningeal enhancements. Interestingly, among those with negative findings, the 98 patients faced significantly higher costs, amounting to Rs.4,108,000 ($22,449), in contrast to the positive cases, which incurred Rs.2,496,600 ($13,642). Conclusion: The frequency of obtaining neuro-imaging tests in patients with vertigo were significantly high in our study. In addition, there was a significant financial burden associated with neuro-imaging especially for our low-middle-income country.

Innovation in emergency medicine; a perspective from a low middle income country, Pakistan.

Creativity and innovation are essential life skills in the 21st century. These skills are even more important in the healthcare sector of a resource limited country like Pakistan. The acquisition and implementation of innovation is necessary in the field of emergency medicine in Pakistan to troubleshoot challenges like rising emergency room visits while facing lack of resources. This article highlights the need of innovation in the field of emergency medicine and some of the activities that took place in our local context to bring innovation to the surface.