Assessment of risk perception and adoption of safety measures during Covid-19 pandemic in Pakistan: a survey study through mobile application.

This coronavirus disease's impact, effect, and spread largely depend on how people behave and react mindfully. According to the knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) theory, the only way to war against COVID-19 is to ensure allegiance to all Pakistanis' controlled maneuvers nationwide. To control this pandemic, the determination of safety measures practiced by people and their associated factors are of great importance. This study aimed to explore Pakistani's perception of the economic and psychological risks related to COVID-19 and the association of perceived risks with adopting safety measures. The was conducted among 1,058 Pakistanis using a self-developed survey questionnaire from March 15 to June 15, 2020 - using a mobile application. The analysis revealed that more participants agreed that (i) Covid 19 is associated with economic threats to the overall economy, (ii) social media and the Government is causing more psychological threat than the virus, and (iii) personal and imposed safety measures should be observed during the spread of the virus. Moreover, regression analysis indicates that economic and psychological threats were significantly and positively correlated with personal safety measures but not government-imposed safety measures. Moreover, economic and psychological threats are significant predictors of personal safety measures. This study is helpful as it is the first to inform about the threats associated with this pandemic and their association with safety measures practiced by Pakistan's population. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12652-022-04421-8.

Impact of GABAA receptor gene variants (rs2279020 and rs211037) on the risk of predisposition to epilepsy: a case-control study.

Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological disorders with the incidence rate higher in developing states. It is a multifactorial ailment in which genetic diversity along with other factors plays an important role. The objective of this study was to assess the involvement of different risk factors including single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) present in GABRA1 (rs2279020) and GABRG2 (rs211037) genes with the susceptibility to epilepsy in the targeted population. Blood samples of 180 subjects were taken and genotyped through tetra-primer amplification refractory mutation system-polymerase chain reaction technique. The obtained demographic and genotypic data were analyzed through different statistical tools including χ2 (chi-square) test and odds ratio. Parental consanguinity and family history of seizures were observed in a considerable number of cases of this study along with residency in industrial areas. But, no association of rs2279020 (χ2 = 0.900, P = 0.638) and rs211037 (χ2 = 0.045, P = 0.832) was observed with predisposition to epilepsy. However, GG genotype of rs2279020 was observed more in female cases as compared to male cases. Furthermore, TG haplotype was observed to be associated with the increased risk of developing epilepsy (χ2 = 9.097; OR = 2.586; P = 0.002). Genetic models also showed no correlation of the targeted SNPs with the susceptibility to epilepsy. The outcomes of the present study suggested that neither rs211037 nor rs2279020 were associated with increased susceptibility to epilepsy in the targeted population.

Tetra-primers ARMS-PCR Based Association Analyses of Synonymous and Intronic Variants in the ADAM12 Gene with Susceptibility to Knee Osteoarthritis: A Case-Control Study.

Genetic variations in a disintegrin and metalloprotease 12 (ADAM12) gene may contribute to develop Osteoarthritis (OA) that is characterized by cartilage matrix degradation and osteophytes formation. Therefore, the aim of present study was to analyze the association between the ADAM12 gene variants and knee OA predisposition. Tetra-primers ARMS-PCR was employed, to genotype the ADAM12 gene polymorphisms (rs1044122 and rs1871054) in 400 knee OA patients and equal number of age-matched controls. The association between ADAM12 gene variants and OA susceptibility was estimated using the Chi-square, logistic regression, haplotypes and linkage analyses. A significant association of rs1044122 (genotype: χ2 = 18.94; P < 0.001, allele: χ2 = 19.10; P < 0.001) and rs1871054 (genotype: χ2 = 10.04; P = 0.007, allele: χ2 = 10.57; P = 0.001) was observed with increased OA susceptibility. The variant genotype of rs1044122 increased OA risk more than twice [odds ratio (OR) 2.20; P = 0.001] and the risk was higher in females (OR 2.43; P = 0.001). The variant genotype of rs1871054 was perceived to almost double the risk in females (OR 1.97; P = 0.003). Moreover, a significant association of rs1044122 and rs1871054 under the additive genetic model (P < 0.001 and P = 0.002, respectively) was observed. The targeted ADAM12 gene polymorphisms, showed significant association with knee OA susceptibility. Females harboring the polymorphisms might be at risk. Besides, the haplotype CC of rs1044122 and rs1871054 in the ADAM12 gene may double knee OA risk. These findings may help in determining the etiology of OA and recognizing the people at risk of developing knee OA.

Work status, death anxiety and psychological distress during COVID-19 pandemic: Implications of the terror management theory.

The present study determined the application of terror management theory during the COVID-19 pandemic in Pakistan. Death anxiety and psychological distress were examined in the context of work status. A sample of 478 from the general population voluntarily participated in the study. Findings revealed a significant moderating role of work status, illustrating the strong relationship between psychological distress and death anxiety for non-working participants. Therefore, psychological distress is related to more significant death anxiety among non-working than those who are working. This study highlights the importance of work as an anxiety buffering factor concerning mortality thoughts.

The Ability of Ultrasound Sonography (USG) to Detect Intrauterine Growth Restriction (IUGR) in the Third Trimester of Pregnancy With the Gold Standard of IUGR (Parameters by USG Hadlock) as a Diagnostic Criterion.

Objective To investigate the diagnostic accuracy of the placental thickness measured by ultrasound sonography test (USG) in detecting intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) babies in the third trimester of pregnancy, keeping IUGR (by parameters using Hadlock) as the gold standard. Methods and materials This cross-sectional study was conducted at the radiology department of KRL Hospital from August 5, 2020, to October 25, 2021. Informed written consent was also obtained from each patient, and the hospital's ethical committee approved the study. Three hundred and sixty-two (N=362) pregnant women patients knowing of their last menstrual period, age group 20-35 years, BMI usual, and 24 weeks gestation were included. The patient's complete history was taken by clinical examination and then ultrasound was carried out to measure the placental thickness. At 24, 32, and 36 weeks, the thickness of the placenta was assessed. The Hadlock method was used to compute the predicted fetal weight by measuring biparietal diameter (BPD), head circumference (HC), abdominal circumference (AC), and femur length (FL) on the GC Logiq P/6 three-dimensional machine (GE, Tampa, FL). SPSS v 23 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY) was used to calculate the mean and standard deviation from the collected data. Results A total of 362 patients who presented in the radiology department for antenatal ultrasound in the third trimester were recruited in our study. The mean age was 27.26 ± 4.21 years (20-35 years). In our study, the mean placenta thickness at 24 gestation weeks was 24.55 ± 0.79 mm, at 32 gestation weeks was 31.84 ± 1.34 mm, and at 36 gestation weeks was 35.54 ± 2.78. Thus, ultrasound's sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value to determine IUGR by placental thickness was 86.30%, 86.70%, 75%, and 92%, respectively. The diagnostic accuracy of ultrasound incorrectly estimating low placental thickness was 86.40%. Conclusion Between 24 and 36 weeks of pregnancy, placental thickness rises almost linearly. As a result, measuring placental thickness and other factors is critical for estimating fetal age, particularly in the late second and early third trimesters, when the exact duration of pregnancy is uncertain. Placentas that were less than 29 mm thick at 32 weeks and 31 mm thick at 36 weeks were related to higher morbidity, lower Apgar scores, and more nursery admissions.