Efficacy of an anti-bullying video literacy program in Pakistani primary school children.

With a scarcity of research looking at violent and extremist tendencies in primary school children in Pakistan, this study aimed to look at the effects of emotional resilience education through the means of cartoon-based learning. Children have a limited attention span and research on video/cartoon-based literacy projects has indicated greater efficacy with more retention and engagement. The cartoon based on the theme of anti-bullying was used in a 6-week intervention program in an experimental design setup with 120 experimental and 40 control group students recruited from the Islamabad/Rawalpindi area (ages 9-11). The behaviours and awareness about the concepts of physical and verbal bullying, coercion and damaging others' property, as well as qualitative information about the cartoon themes were assessed before and after the program for pre- and post-test comparison. The cartoon was accompanied with teaching aids, worksheets and activity-based learning. The results indicated that only 3.3% students were aware about bullying and its various types to begin with and after intervention 98.7% understood the concept clearly. Before the intervention, 65.8% students didn't understand that they were bullies - after the intervention it reduced to 22.5% who thought they were not bullies. Effectiveness of the results from this video literacy program will enable development of more emotional resilience education courses in the curriculum to create a more resilient society in the long run and curb bullying in schools.

Ectopic Pregnancy With Tubal Rupture: An Analysis Of 80 Cases.

BACKGROUND: Ectopic pregnancy (EP) is a major problem in obstetrics as there is evidence of increasing incidence throughout the world. It is an important cause of maternal morbidity and mortality. In Pakistan, the care seeking behaviour among female is limited that makes female vulnerable to die due to complication of ectopic pregnancy. The aim of this study is to determine the frequency of tubal rupture in ectopic pregnancy in Pakistani patients. METHODS: In this crosssectional study data pertaining to age, gestational age, parity and duration of presenting symptoms were collected and analysed. RESULTS: 80 patients were diagnosed to have ectopic pregnancy. The frequency of tubal rupture was 91.25%. It is encountered significantly more often in women with age of 26 years. More tubal rupture is found in patient with low parity, in which the frequency of tubal rupture is up to 100% and decrease up to 78.6% with increasing parity up to four. Furthermore, it is noted that increase in gestational age from 8 weeks to 10 weeks caused an increase in frequency of tubal rupture from 80 to 100% respectively. It is also noted that earlier the patient presents the lesser is the frequency of tubal rupture, as compared to late presentation beyond 3-4 days which make frequency up to 95%. CONCLUSIONS: Tubal rupture is still common cause of maternal morbidity and mortality, and is still a major challenge in gynaecological practice. Creating awareness amongst midwives and GPs regarding early diagnosis can contribute to decrease the mortality, morbidity and fertility loss related to EP.

Enhancing children's awareness of sexual abuse in Pakistan with video literacy interventional cartoons.

In presence of violent extremism, children in Pakistan are at high risk for child sexual abuse (CSA), especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. Effective approaches for preventing CSA include enhancing resilience resources in violence-affected societies. Previous research suggests that video-based curricula effectively enhances learning in primary schoolchildren. We pilot tested a video literacy program to build awareness in children, creating a 'personal safety and space bubble' as an educational approach for prevention of sexual abuse with an experimental 6 weeks long pre- and post-test design. We conducted qualitative interviews with students, teachers, and parents and identified themes using frequency analyses. Results showed a 96.7% increase in awareness about 'personal safety and space bubble'. The pilot study is valuable for public health researchers and policy makers seeking to curtail sexual abuse in extreme violence affected Pakistan. Primary schools can use such interventional cartoons to enhance awareness about child sexual abuse.

Effect of core muscle strengthening on throwing velocity in cricket players in Pakistan: a 6-week randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: During fielding throwing ball with more velocity and accuracy towards the stump to reduce score and produce an out of the opponent team. Core is the power house of the body. Core training improves the strength of trunk muscles and allows the players to kick, throw, pull, and push with greater force. This study was conducted to determine the effects of core muscle strengthening on throwing velocity in cricket players that whether core muscle strengthening would help the cricket players to improve their throwing velocity and core endurance. METHODS: A 6 weeks' randomized controlled trial in which Ninety-eight male cricket players participated and divided into strength training (interventional) and non-strength training (control group). Interventional group followed general core strengthening exercise protocol for six weeks for 3 days a week. Assessment of the players include core assessment test (back extension, supine forward flexion test, prone bridge test). Time and throwing velocity were noted by stop watch and radar gun in km/hr respectively at baseline and after 6 weeks of core training. Control group did not follow any exercise program but continued their usual cricket training. RESULTS: Mean age of interventional group was 20.4±4.9 years and control group was 21.6±3.4 years. The mean BMI of interventional and control group was 22.4±2.7 kg/m2 and 21.8±2.1 kg/m2, respectively. Comparing both groups, in between group analysis strength training group results showed statistically highly significant increase P<0.001 in components throwing velocity, back extension, supine flesion, right plank lateral, left lateral plane and isometric prone plank than non-strengthening group. In within group analysis, strength group had improved as compared to the control group which showed no improvement. CONCLUSIONS: There is significant increase in throwing velocity and core endurance with six weeks general core strengthening in male cricket players.

Outcomes of Total Laparoscopic Hysterectomy: A Single-Surgeon Experience of Initial 50 Cases.

Introduction In this study, we reported a single surgeon experience of total laparoscopic hysterectomy (TLH) in terms of intraoperative and early postoperative outcomes and complications. In addition, we compared our results with published literature for a reevaluation of complications and outcomes. Material and methods This present prospective study was conducted on 50 patients who underwent TLH due to benign causes. Patients diagnosed with abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB), uterine fibroids, and post-menopausal bleeding (PMB) were included in this analysis. Patients were discharged after 24 hours of surgery if there were considered fit for discharge. The patients' age, co-morbidities, size of the uterus, additional procedure along with TLH, and postoperative complications were collected and analyzed. The follow-up period was three months, done on the tenth day after surgery, the thirtieth day, and then at three months. Results The mean age of our patients was 46.42±5.01 years. The major indication of hysterectomy was fibroids diagnosed in 27 (54.0%) patients and AUB in 18 (36.0%) patients. Out of 50, 10 (20.0%) patients had a previous cesarean section, and 4 (8.0%) had a bilateral tubal ligation (BTL). Mean surgery duration was 124.26±44.74 minutes. Mean hospital stay was 2.18±0.39 days. Total complications occurred in five (10.0%) patients, ureteric injury in one (2.0%) patient, port-site infections in 2 (4.0%), and vault infections in 2 (4.0%) patients. Conclusion TLH is a safe procedure and can be performed with minimal complications in patients with benign uterine etiology.